VOL. XXXVII, NO. 2
IUP Story
SU M MER/ FA LL 2019
The Real
EMILY SMITH
NESTLED AMONG TREES Captured with a drone looking eastward from above the Oak Grove, this view shows (clockwise from front right) Sutton, McElhaney, and Wallwork halls. Mack Park is visible at top right.
MESS AGE FROM THE
P R E S I D E NT
Brand New Day Sometimes, it really is about you. When we turned our attention to finding a better way to express IUP’s personality and identity and to creating a communications plan to make sure we get our story out to as many people as we can, we really didn’t have to look far. After exhaustive qualitative and quantitative research, which included an overwhelming response from our alumni, the data and our conclusions have led us back to the tried and true. They led us to your experience. The hard work you put in to succeed. The relationships you established with your professors, with staff members, and with friends. The opportunities you had to chart your own path and the encouragement you received. The places you’ve gone and the positive impact you’ve had on your community, your profession, or the world. They seem like simple things, but the truth is they distinguish us from our competition. This is what IUP is all about. Our research confirms that this is what generations of IUP students believe to be our brand of education. What you’ll see from IUP going forward is a clearer path of communication. We are gearing up to correct misperceptions and misconceptions, to highlight what’s good and what works, and to make you proud. I hope you will be inspired to share the results of our work on social media and with your friends, family, and professional colleagues. In return, we are doubling down on those things we say we do best. If you need a bit of proof, I’m glad to report that our new freshman class, which has an average high school GPA of 3.3, is quite qualified to grow here. Many of them are opting to enter IUP as explorers—we no longer call them undecided majors—through the University College. We also have received several accolades over the summer, including being named by Forbes among America’s best colleges in recognition of top academics, best experiences, career success, and lowest student debt. The best part of reaffirming our brand isn’t how it makes IUP better. It is, as I said when interviewed for the article on page 18, how it helps us attract the best students and, because they choose to enroll here, how we work together to create a better world for everyone. Michael A. Driscoll President
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IUPMAGAZINE SUMMER/FALL 2019
VOL. XXXVII, NO. 2
F E A T U R E S
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Professor Next Door After more than 25 years away from residence-hall living, Journalism and Public Relations chair Michele Papakie ’93 gave it a second go last spring.
Paths to the Pulitzer From IUP to journalism’s top prize—four alumnae share their journeys.
‘Old’ Hawk Soars
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At 29, DJ Horton finished his collegiate pole-vaulting career as one of the most decorated IUP athletes of all time.
Stopping Violence Student leader Adrianna Branin stepped in and spoke up to prevent sexual assault.
WHERE LEONARD STOOD Granite benches mark the spot where Leonard Hall used to be. Construction of a new science facility, named for John Kopchick ’72, M’75 and Char Labay Kopchick ’73, is expected to begin in 2020 on this site and where Walsh Hall currently stands. For now, Oak Grove passersby have a clear view of the North Dining hall, open since 2017 on the Keith Hall site.
D E P A R T M E N T S J OSIAH TOWN SEN D
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Head in the Cloud Forests Students fuel faculty Fulbright recipient Josiah Townsend’s search for new species in Honduras.
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Letters Namedroppers Milestone Generosity Achievements Mentors
The Real IUP Story Challenging times in higher education call for a communications strategy that sets IUP apart—by being itself.
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ABOVE LEFT: Biology faculty member Josiah Townsend and his students are investigating whether Hyalinobatrachium fleischmanni, found in Honduras, is a new species of glass frog. The frog’s internal organs are visible through its transparent belly.
IUPMAGAZINE PRESIDENT OF INDIANA UNIVERSITY OF PENNSYLVANIA: Michael Driscoll VICE PRESIDENT FOR UNIVERSITY ADVANCEMENT: Khatmeh Osseiran-Hanna EDITOR: Elaine Jacobs Smith ’93 CONTRIBUTING EDITORS: Regan Houser, Bob Fulton ’75, Karen Philippi Gresh ’67, Marilyn Berry Kukula ’89 NAMEDROPPERS EDITOR: Matthew Burglund ’98 DESIGN: David Raymond ’99 PHOTOGRAPHY: Keith Boyer, William Hamilton ’92, Emily Jaros Smith ’03, M’05
W IL L IA M H A M ILTO N
IUP Magazine is published three times a year by Indiana University of Pennsylvania, a member of the State System of Higher Education.
I U P WEB
M A G A Z I N E
O N L I N E
Time Travelers In the spring, three great-great-granddaughters of Andrew Wilkins Wilson, for whom IUP’s Wilson Hall is named, visited Indiana County to connect with their family history. More about their trip is on the IUP Magazine website, www.iup.edu/magazine.
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The magazine’s address is John Sutton Hall, Room 301, 1011 South Drive, Indiana, PA 15705-1046 (telephone 724-357-3112; fax 724-357-2556; email iup-magazine@iup.edu ). Correspondence regarding any aspect of the magazine may be directed to this office. Print and web images derived from photos submitted for publication become the property of Indiana University of Pennsylvania and may be reprinted at the discretion of the university.
IUP Magazine welcomes contributions to help defray the cost of publishing. The Official IUP Magazine Form may be used for this purpose. ©2019 by Indiana University of Pennsylvania. All rights reserved. Indiana University of Pennsylvania is an equal opportunity/affirmative action employer committed to excellence through diversity.
New Brand in Motion Earlier this year, IUP embarked on a new communications strategy to help audiences get to know the real IUP. See themes of the new brand at work in the video IUP: We Find Our Way to This Place, available through the magazine website.
COVER: The experiences of students, past and present, are at the heart of IUP’s new brand strategy. How the university arrived at that strategy is a story in itself on page 18.
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K EITH BOY ER
The
Professor
Next Door Journalism Chair Connects with Students in Her Second Go at ResidenceHall Living By Michele Papakie
M
y mind wandered, as it often does during department chairs’ meetings with the dean. This time was different, though. My daydream was relevant to what was being discussed. There I was—chair of the Journalism and Public Relations Department, reminiscing about my time in the late ’80s as an undergraduate in that very department. We didn’t have Living-Learning communities in residence halls back then, and that’s what we were discussing at this meeting. I lived in Turnbull Hall, may it rest in peace, and our learning was in the buildings that encircle the Oak Grove. We lived in dorms, better known as cells, not suites, with cinderblock walls, linoleum floors, and metal-frame beds with prison mattresses. We had zero privacy. Two students inhabited one room. My space was also my roommate’s space. If you wanted privacy, you might hide in a bathroom stall in the latrine at the end of the hallway. Those things didn’t matter, however. The only time we were inside those cells was to sleep. We hung out in the hallway.
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Michele Papakie ’93 in Stephenson Hall
Formal learning was absent there, but social learning happened as we interacted with our peers. We learned about communicating, developing relationships, building trust, resolving conflict, and sharing stress and challenges. That pesky internet wasn’t consuming or causing problems for us, because it wasn’t a thing for the masses just yet. Space Invaders, Donkey Kong, and Pac-Man existed, but they didn’t rule our lives; our boomboxes and friends did. And we certainly didn’t spend every minute staring at our phones. Our heavy, black, bulky phones hung, attached to the walls, with their very short cords, dial tones, and rotary dials—not much to stare at. We didn’t even have voice mail. My daydream was about a time “someone” on our floor scored a shopping buggy (shopping cart if you’re not from Pittsburgh) and lugged it up to the third floor of Turnbull. We conducted time trials. My roommate, Erika, and I were arguing over who would ride and who would push when it was our turn…
I returned to reality; I was intrigued. “Have we ever had a faculty member live in the dorms, among the natives?” I asked. “Who would do that?” someone replied. As usual, my mouth engaged before my brain could completely process what I was about to say, and I blurted out: “I would.” Sondra Dennison D’17, the executive director of Housing, Residential Living, and Dining, scheduled a meeting with the provost. Before he invested in our ideas, Timothy Moerland wanted to know what kind of return he could expect. I would concentrate my efforts on advising undeclared majors. I drafted an Institutional Review Board protocol. When collecting data on human subjects, you must ensure you’re not inflicting any harm. The IRB determined that a 50-yearold professor attempting to posit positive interventions in the residence halls did not pose any unnecessary harm to anyone. Let’s review: The Living-Learning team met with chairs in November. Follow-up meetings happened in December. Sondra and I met with Provost Moerland on January 7. I submitted an IRB protocol January 11. On January 15, I woke up in 167 Stephenson Hall, wondering what happened. I had become the first faculty-inresidence in Pennsylvania’s State System of Higher Education.
Earbuds and cell phones are now anatomical appendages. Students don’t listen to radio stations; they stream their music on Spotify; and they listen to podcasts. No one has cable TV anymore; they stream Netflix and Hulu on their laptops. When we caught on to Facebook and Twitter, the students flocked to Instagram. It’s difficult to find and to share cultural connections when students’ over-reliance on technology isolates them from us. If I had the opportunity to navigate campus with them, to live alongside them, to share meals and socialize with them, then maybe I could better empathize with the challenges they face and ultimately better relate to them. I was right. How was it? Amazing. Each day, according to my Fitbit, I walked 719 steps uphill (not both ways) to my office. I biked, traveling the same routes as students and feeling more a part of their community. I hunkered down with them during the polar vortex. I lived next door to the gym I visited regularly. I ate in the dining halls with students, and when I was being lazy, I heated SpaghettiOs in my microwave. (I ate them cold, straight out of the can, in Turnbull back in the day.) I had an office in Stephenson, and I held evening seminars for students on life in general. I hung a sign on my door that said, “I’m Homesick, Are You? Knock, Let’s Talk!” And, some students did! Students don’t come out of their suites much and hang in the hallways like we
did in Turnbull, so I did some “intrusive advising” (we called it “reverse trick-ortreating”) with Li Teng, the assistant director of Living-Learning. We knocked on doors to see how they were doing. Selfishly speaking, I grew. I have earbuds that I wear to class—but, I still greet everyone I pass with a smile and a friendly hello. I stream my music on Spotify, and my favorite podcast is My Favorite Murder. I cut the cord to cable. I have Netflix, but I still don’t have Hulu. I follow my niece’s Instagram account, littlespoontreatery. I know our students better, and I can teach them better. I’m still crunching data to see if my experiment made an impact. The anecdotal data says yes. The feedback on the postsurveys brought me to tears. The bonds I built with the resident assistants are special to me, and I hope they continue. Would I do it again? Absolutely. I was built for this. With 32 years in the military, I can easily handle communal living. I wasn’t invited to any shopping buggy time trials, but then, I’d probably break a hip now anyway. m
Editor’s Note: Michele Papakie is a ’93 graduate of IUP. University officials plan to use her findings to continue and strengthen the facultyin-residence program in future semesters.
K E ITH BOY E R
Back in reality, members of the LivingLearning Executive Team, our guests at the meeting, were asking department chairs for curricular ideas that would enhance their efforts. Students were spending 12-18 hours per week in the classroom; what were they doing the other 150-156 hours? How could we bring the disciplines to the living areas to promote collaboration? How could we integrate the pedagogy of intentional integration?
What They Said
“Why would you do that?” and “How was it?” are the questions I get. Why? I have been teaching at IUP for 12 years, and each year, I feel more distant from my students. I’m a Gen Xer. My son is a millennial. My students are Gen Z, and their generation will be here until I retire. Whether you believe in the sweeping generalizations made in the literature about generation gaps, I’m here to tell you they are real. I’ve lived a successful life as a mother, military officer, PR practitioner, and public servant. To teach, you need to connect. I was finding it increasingly difficult to connect with my students.
From surveys of students who lived alongside Michele Papakie in spring 2019: “She did an amazing job at the workshop I went to, telling her story and encouraging students to find their paths!” “We drank hot chocolate together, and Dr. P helped me to get a job interview.” “One day, two friends and I went to Dr. P’s just to talk about anything, like life and classes. She was very helpful and kind.”
“Dr. P” with her hallmates
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Paths to the Pulitzer By Matthew Burglund
I
t was clearly a joke, but Susan Snyder ’85 knew it was proof her life had changed.
She was having dinner with friends a few years ago, and one poked fun at her, saying that if the group drove off a cliff that night, the next day’s headline would read, “Pulitzer Winner, Others Perish in Crash.” All kidding aside, that’s what life is like for journalists who are fortunate—and talented—enough to win the Pulitzer Prize, the profession’s top national award. The words “Pulitzer winner” will forever precede their names. It is the Oscar, the Everest, the gold medal of journalism. And four IUP alumnae have been part of Pulitzer Prize-winning teams. When Paula Reed Ward ’96 was named a winner in April for her part in the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette’s coverage of the
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“It was a validation of our journalism,” she said. “Those three stories changed things in the world around us.” While the alumnae followed different paths to the award, their journeys began at the same place. “Having four of us is a credit to IUP and the way it prepares its graduates,” Snyder said. “It’s where we got prepared and our dreams were nurtured.”
2018 Tree of Life Synagogue massacre, she became the latest member of the IUP family to be honored. “The day of the award ceremony in New York City ranks up there among the top days of my life,” she said. Snyder had the same sentiment when she and her colleagues realized they had won in 2012. “It was my most exciting moment as a journalist,” she said, “perhaps the best day of my life.” For Alysia Burton Steele ’97, the 2007 Pulitzer was something more existential. “It was like an out-of-body experience,” she said. Madelyn Ross ’71 can certainly relate to the experiences of her fellow IUP alumnae, but in triplicate. During her 34-year career in
“Those three stories changed things in the world around us.”
Paula Reed Ward ’96
Many of the skills Ward has today were instilled in her at IUP. She credits Bob Russell, a former journalist who retired from the faculty in 2005, with giving her an honest look at the profession. “He didn’t tell us just his huge success stories,” Ward said. “He also told us about the mistakes he made. For me, it was like a road map of what to look out for.” Ward took her diploma and jumped right into a newspaper career. After working at the Pottsville Republican (1997-99) and then the Savannah Morning News (1999-2003), she landed her dream job with her hometown Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, covering a spectrum of topics over the next 15 years. But even she couldn’t imagine the events she would cover one Saturday last October.
CO UR TE SY O F PA ULA R E E D WA R D
How IUP Roots Led to Journalism’s Top Prize
the newsroom, Ross was part of teams that won the Pulitzer three times.
she arrived, the flow of champagne told her right away there was very good news.
But it wasn’t all joy. “You never want to see people suffer,” she said. “You don’t want to win because of other people’s agony. But journalists, we’re a different breed of people. It’s about telling the story and being honest.”
She was getting ready to take her kids to soccer practice when she received a text message about an active shooter in a Squirrel Hill synagogue. For Ward, the following weeks flew by with little sleep and much anguish.
She was at her desk the night Hurricane Katrina made landfall in Louisiana and began to intensify. Steele’s job was to assign photographers to major stories, and she sent hers after the hurricane.
Reporting on the shooting, in which 11 people were killed and six others injured, took an emotional toll, but Ward held true to her journalistic training and got through it.
“I was unable to sleep at night because the images would bombard me,” she said. “I remember many days at my desk when I would just burst into tears.”
“I think that’s how it was for the whole city,” she said. “There was shock, sadness, and grieving. But as journalists, it’s what we do every day. We had to set aside the emotions and make sure the community was well informed.”
The emotional price she paid was somewhat tempered the following spring, when the Pulitzer winners were revealed. Steele, who was off that day, received a text from her boss summoning her to the office. When
“It was wonderful,” she said. “It’s a point of pride. It’s a great celebration for the journalism world.”
“We’re a different breed of people. It’s about telling the story and being honest.”
That’s a lesson she learned during her days at IUP, she said, when she developed close bonds with her professors, especially Patricia Heilman M’83, D’87, who retired from the department six years ago. After leaving the newspaper business, Steele became an author and an assistant professor of journalism at the University of Mississippi, where she passes along pointers she learned at IUP. “It’s not lost on me,” she said. “I hope that I can have just a fraction of the influence that Pat had on me. I love her dearly and respect her so much.”
Susan Snyder ’85
KEITH BOYER
A photo editor at the Dallas Morning News in 2007, Steele also worked through a tragedy.
Six months later, Ward was cleaning her house and admittedly had forgotten the Pulitzer winners were being announced that day—until a text message came. This one, about the Post-Gazette’s victory, she was elated to receive.
“I could not believe I was part of the process,” she said. “I was so proud of the work our photographers had done and the stories they told.”
Alysia Burton Steele ’97
BO BBY D. STE E L E J R .
“As journalists, it’s what we do every day. We had to set aside the emotions and make sure the community was well informed.”
Snyder also formed close bonds with her professors at IUP in the 1980s. “I had some great ones,” she said, specifically mentioning Heilman and Randy Jesick, who still teaches after 50 years at IUP.
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“I thought I wanted to be a journalist when I got to IUP, and they confirmed it.”
“We had to inform but not to inflame,” she said. “We were hard-pressed to have journalism students supporting the war. But we were so cognizant of the other side, and we had to get that represented in the paper. We had to provide balanced coverage.”
“I still have to take my turn working weekends,” she said. “I still have to do the day-to-day work. But it gave me a sense of personal satisfaction and fulfilment, and I continue to feel that.”
Ross’s career took off after she graduated. Within 12 years of earning her bachelor’s degree, she became managing editor of the Pittsburgh Press. When the paper folded in 1992, she joined the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette in the same role and continued to guide her staff to find and report on the news that mattered.
CO UR TE SY O F M A DE LY N RO S S
“They prepared us for the real world. They emphasized quality and accuracy. I thought I wanted to be a journalist when I got to IUP, and they confirmed it.” Today, Snyder covers education for the Philadelphia Inquirer. The skills she honed at IUP came in handy in 2011, when she and her colleagues began work on a series about violence among students in the School District of Philadelphia. The following spring, they watched on Twitter as the Pulitzers were announced. When the Inquirer was revealed as a winner, the room erupted. “We had been hearing that we were likely to win or to be near the top,” Snyder said, “but there’s nothing that can prepare you for the moment when you hear you’ve won.” She immediately felt gratitude, not just toward her coworkers, but toward the people back at IUP. “Randy taught me so many things,” she said. “Plus, he’s such an interesting person to talk to. And Pat had this passion for journalism. She loved the work, and I admired that. I’ve always wanted to do good work because I wanted her to think highly of me.” Snyder has returned to IUP several times, including once as the Journalism Department’s commencement speaker. She’s also had the opportunity to teach a week in Hong Kong, speak about her experiences at several conferences, and twice be a judge for the Pulitzers. But, she said her life did not change as much as one might think.
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Madelyn Ross ’71, right, with reporter Mary Pat Flaherty, after the Pittsburgh Press won its first Pulitzer in 1986 Journalism was not yet a major when Ross was at IUP, but her hands-on experience as a student complemented what she learned in journalism classes in the English Department. For three years, she was editor of the Penn, IUP’s student newspaper, working under the guidance of English faculty member Craig Swauger ’42. And in professor David Truby’s classes, she got the foundation for what would be a remarkable career. (Swauger, now deceased, retired from the Journalism Department in 1991 and Truby in 1996.) “My journalism experience at IUP was more experiential than anything,” she said. “The experience that I had at the Penn was critical to virtually everything that happened to me afterward in my career.” Ross was a student during one of the most turbulent times in America, with the Vietnam War and the civil rights movement dominating headlines.
Her reporters won back-to-back Pulitzers in 1986 and 1987. The first was for coverage of violations and failures within the organ transplant system and the second for the Federal Aviation Administration’s lack of safety standards for pilots. In 1996, one of her photographers, Martha Rial, won a Pulitzer for illustrating the plight of refugees during the Rwanda and Burundi genocides. “These were important stories,” said Ross, who left the newspaper business in 2005 and became an associate vice president at the University of Pittsburgh, a position she retired from in 2013. “The organ transplant protocol was changed [so the sickest, not the richest, would get organs first]. Airline safety as a whole was overturned. That story made flying safer for all of us. And Rwanda was a story that was pretty much hidden until after that. Martha’s win showcased that tragedy.”
There are many common threads in the stories of these four journalists. They were all persistent in their efforts, righteous in their judgment, and accurate in their reporting. And they achieved journalism’s top honor with roots planted firmly at their alma mater. “All of us are dedicated to our craft and worked hard to get where we are,” Ward said. “The education I got at IUP led me down that path.” It was a path that changed their lives and, eventually, the world around them. “My experience at IUP,” Snyder said, “was transformational.”
LETTERS Treat Your Teachers Well
I would like to comment on the article [“Teachers Wanted”] in your Spring 2019 issue. I think it’s a wonderful idea to address the teacher shortage with this grant to attract and train students and mentor those graduating to retain them for our Pennsylvania schools. I come from a multigenerational family of teachers. My mother was a music teacher in New Jersey back in the 1960s. She taught in the Alexandria Township public school in Everittstown and in Milford Public School. I taught elementary classes in the Pennsauken public school system in New Jersey for over 30 years. My daughter taught elementary school in the Marion County public school system in Florida for over 10 years. She was the most gifted teacher among all three generations of us. She recently had her first baby and does not wish to return to teaching in the public school setting. She is seriously considering home schooling her own child. The fact is, public school teachers are not regarded as highly as when my mother and I taught. Everyone blames them when a parent complains that his or her student has academic problems. Support is given to the student, and the teacher is thrown under the bus. As I said, my daughter was exceptional with classroom control and academic performance, and both the parents and her students loved her. But, she said, there were many times when she called to make parents aware their child was in need of extra help or tutoring, for example, and no follow-through occurred, or when she called because there was a discipline issue, and she got very little support from either the parent or the
administrators. She complained to me of the constant pressure from administration to teach to standardized tests rather than to follow a feasible curriculum that was appropriate to the developmental stage of the child. She asked rhetorically, “If we are taught Piaget’s developmental model for child development, why are we being urged to teach skills far beyond what should be expected for a third grader?” Much success to the developers in the task before them. Janet Huber Rossiter, PA
Refreshing View of Debt
I couldn’t have been prouder of IUP than when I read President Driscoll’s message in the spring issue. I nodded my head and said Amen aloud after reading, “We at IUP think it’s unethical to admit you and ask you to assume debt for a program you might not complete.” Then, he paid tribute to the value of community college, trades, and military service. Dr. Driscoll’s moral clarity on the burden of debt was refreshing. Samuel J. Richards ’04 Shanghai, China
Mystery Sparks Memories
My IUP Magazine this last issue was a memory from the past. In the late ’40s and ’50s, I knew Wayne Hawxhurst [’53, M’70, from “Mystery at the Library,” Spring 2019] quite well. He dated, then married, Rose Jane McCardle [’53] from Indiana. Her sister Helen was a classmate of mine in the Art Department.
Rose Jane at that time was the floral designer at Indiana Floral. After graduation from IUP, Rose Jane moved to Key West. Wayne followed her there. Val Ley Skinner ’50 New Bethlehem, PA
’80s Flashback
I’m a 1983 journalism grad, and I believe I can identify a few students in this picture [“The Sky’s the Limit,” Spring 2019]. One of them is me! My maiden name is Loniero. One of them is my boyfriend at the time, Dave Rovnan [’84]. Sadly Dave passed away a few years after graduation. The other person I think I can identify is Bette Garmon—another ’83 journalism grad. Thanks for the trip down memory lane! Anita Loniero Doncaster ’83 Charlotte, NC
Editor’s Note: Established in 1989, the David J. Rovnan Memorial Journalism Scholarship is awarded each year to a staff member of the Penn, IUP’s student newspaper. A former Penn editor, Rovnan died in a boating accident in 1987.
Hands-Down Favorite
The undated picture in the spring issue of IUP Magazine was taken in 1982. I am sitting on the steps, farthest to the right. Professor DeGeorge was hands down my favorite teacher. Spencer Harper ’83 Bear, DE
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‘Old’ Hawk
Soars to New Heights At 29, Horton Caps Career with Top 10 Nationals Finish W IL L IA M H A M ILTO N
By Bob Fulton
W
hen he returned to IUP as a student in 2015, DJ Horton felt as out of place as a pickpocket in a nudist colony. A relative graybeard at the age of 24, Horton sat in the back of his classrooms, desperately trying not to call attention to himself.
DJ Horton ’19 during practice last spring
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campus. “I don’t even think I was here for a whole semester before I dropped out,” Horton said. He didn’t feel at all comfortable and left before ever competing in a meet.
Keeping a similarly low profile as a pole vaulter wasn’t nearly as easy.
Horton subsequently worked at a sawmill in Kane—“I realized that’s not the life I wanted,” he said—before deciding to give IUP, and track, another try.
Horton reached unprecedented heights—quite literally—with the Crimson Hawks and capped a record-breaking career in May by finishing 10th at the NCAA Division II meet to earn his sixth All-America honor. Or five more than all other pole vaulters in school history combined.
Because of his quick exit, Horton returned on academic probation, he said. He credits Mark Sloniger ’90, his advisor in the Kinesiology, Health, and Sport Science Department, and his teammates who were also his classmates for supporting him until he got his academic footing.
“He’s one of the most decorated athletes we’ve had here at IUP,” said track and field coach Joey Zins. “I know of only one male in the history of our program, Nafee Harris [’15], who was a seven-time All-American. So DJ is way up there.”
He was also hesitant in his return to pole-vaulting. Years had passed since his last competition, and he wasn’t sure he could still jump, so when Horton stepped into Zins’s office to offer his services, he had a specific role in mind: volunteer coach.
A three-time state champion at Kane High School, Horton first came to IUP in 2010. He stayed scarcely long enough to learn his way around
Zins, aware that Horton had cleared 16 feet in high school, had a better idea.
M AN SFIELD SPORTS IN FORM ATION
He kept raising the bar higher all the while. Horton set the school indoor record at Kent State in February by clearing 17-1 (5.21), a whopping 16 inches above the mark that stood when he arrived at IUP. He set the outdoor standard of 17-0¾ (5.20) as a sophomore at the Penn Relays in Philadelphia. The irony is that arguably the highlight of Horton’s career did not even involve a record. He closed an injury-plagued junior season by finishing fifth at nationals, a testament to his grit and fortitude. “I’ve had hamstring problems almost every year, but I’ve kept it at bay most of the time,” Horton said. “Last year I really tweaked it, right after the first outdoor meet. It was just a total setback.”
In May, Horton cleared 4.82 meters to win his third Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference outdoor pole-vault title.
“I told Coach Zins, ‘I’d like to work with your athletes,’” Horton said. “He was like, well, if we can have you compete, we’d love to have you pole vault for us. I was like, that would be awesome. I told him not to expect much, because I hadn’t pole vaulted in some time. I thought I could be competitive and score some points for the team, but I told him, ‘I don’t think I’ll be smashing any records.’” Horton proved a far better pole vaulter than prognosticator. He would indeed smash records, over and over again. By the time he graduated cum laude in May with a degree in physical education and sport/exercise science, he held both the IUP indoor and outdoor marks, the Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference meet and overall indoor standards, the PSAC overall outdoor record (shared), and numerous facility marks at field houses and tracks throughout the region. But back in February of his (second) freshman year, Horton was still pretty much an unknown quantity. Because of a pulled hamstring, he missed the Crimson Hawks’ first three indoor meets before making his varsity debut at Youngstown State’s National Invitational meet. Jaws dropped when he cleared 15 feet, 7 inches (4.75 meters), good for second place behind a Division I rival. “I didn’t know what was going to happen,” Horton said. “I started at 14 or 14-6 and just kept making bars. I hit the national provisional qualifying mark, and all of a sudden I’m taking shots at 16-1, which
would have been my personal best. And this was my first meet back! It was crazy.” As he looked on, Zins quickly realized that the pole vaulter who “completely fell into our laps” was destined to soar like no one at IUP before him. “I was like, wow, what did we stumble into here?” Zins said. “He came very close to the indoor school record—he missed it by an inch or two. I think my first reaction was, that could get him into nationals right there—after one meet.” Horton did shatter IUP’s indoor record—15-9 by Troy Litten ’09—three weeks later by clearing 16-2 (4.93) at the PSAC meet to claim the first of his six conference titles. Then, that April at the Slippery Rock Open, he eclipsed ’94 graduate Doug Johnson’s 23-year-old school outdoor record by half an inch with a jump of 16-8¾ (5.10). By the close of his rookie season, Horton had earned the PSAC Men’s Indoor Track and Field Freshman of the Year award, won two PSAC titles, and finished eighth at the NCAA outdoor meet to earn All-America recognition. Horton added a PSAC outdoor title as a sophomore and picked up two more AllAmerica honors, won the conference indoor championship as a junior while again earning NCAA outdoor All-America honors, and swept both PSAC titles this year while adding two more All-America certificates to his collection.
He didn’t figure to challenge for a spot on the podium at nationals—Horton had been sidelined for the better part of two months, after all—but he defied odds longer than Methuselah’s beard by clearing 16-8 (5.08), good for fifth. No IUP pole vaulter had ever placed so high at an NCAA meet. “That was definitely a surprise,” Zins said. “It was one of those situations where if it was any other meet, he probably wouldn’t have competed. But it’s the national championships, and DJ wasn’t going to sit out. He’s too much of a competitor. All the records aside, that might be his most impressive achievement.” Horton battled injuries again this year but still managed to finish 10th nationally both indoors and outdoors, boosting his AllAmerica haul to six. The 29-year-old Horton characterizes his entry into the program’s pantheon of all-time greats as positively surreal, especially given that his 24-year-old self never even pondered the possibility of leaving a lasting legacy. Back then, Horton assumed his biggest contributions to IUP track would come as a coach and not as a competitor. He couldn’t have imagined soaring to unprecedented heights. “No, no way,” said Horton, who aspires to coach at the college level. “I remember making it on the podium at nationals outdoors my freshman year and thinking, holy cow, I never expected this. This is just amazing. The fact that everything went the way it did for me at IUP—it’s pretty mind blowing.” m
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Stepping In,
Stopping Violence Branin Spoke Up and Prevented Sexual Assault By Marilyn Kukula What happens when a bystander steps in during an assault? The more important question: what doesn’t happen? Adrianna Branin couldn’t stand by and watch as a group of men began to grope a woman in a vulnerable state. Instead, Branin stepped in and stopped it. Those actions led to her selection for the 2019 Biden Courage Award, which former vice president Joe Biden presented last spring to only two of the nation’s college students. The award recognizes leaders in the prevention of sexual violence on campuses—a problem the Rape, Abuse, and Incest National
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Adrianna Branin in a Haven Project office. The artwork behind her is by Megan Stahl ’09, M’11.
Network says 11 percent of US college students experience. Branin is quick to say that anyone can do what she did—intervene. It can be as simple as causing a distraction that separates those involved.
Branin with the Haven Project’s director, Jessica Miller M’06, D’09, left, and its sexual violence prevention educator, Jenn Funt McCroskey ’07
“Anyone can be an ally,” Branin said. “Anyone can be somebody who prevents harm in their community. It’s really important to empower people to get involved.” A growing number of IUP students—both men and women—agree.
That night, hundreds of students took the It’s On Us pledge, promising to be active bystanders and to prevent acts of sexual violence. In pledge sign-ups for the spring campaign, IUP placed second among all schools nationally. But long before she took the oath, Branin was living up to it—as she did during the incident last fall. Branin had been walking home with friends when they saw the young woman wandering outside an off-campus apartment, apparently intoxicated. Her clothing had slipped from her shoulder, exposing her as she stood alone in the driveway. Suddenly, Branin saw about eight men surround and harass the woman. She saw a hand on the woman’s breast and cell phone cameras flashing. “I remember just kind of losing it,” she said. “I was in a blind rage in a moment.”
TER I EN CISO ’06/ INDIANA GAZETTE
With mascot Norm, Branin opened last spring’s Take Back the Night, a march against sexual assault.
K EITH BOY ER
When IUP President Michael Driscoll kicked off last spring’s Take Back the Night, a campus march against sexual assault, he spoke to at least 1,300 students—one of the largest crowds to date. Only two inches over five feet, Branin pushed her way into the circle. The men started to harass her as well, she said. “As soon as they realized that I was pulling her shirt back up,” Branin said, “that I was trying to take her out of the crowd, all of their voices went from sexually toned to extremely infuriated.” While the men grabbed at Branin’s hands and shirt, she managed to pull the woman away and get her safely inside the house and into the care of a roommate. But she didn’t stop there. About 20 people had gathered and were now walking away. With her friends backing her up, Branin went from person to person, insisting that any cell phone photos be deleted. She warned that she would be reporting the sexual assault, and the photos were not consensual and could not be put online.
When Branin took action that night, she had the advantage of training. A senior with a double major in political science and religious studies, she is a peer educator with IUP’s Haven Project, which helps students with issues of sexual violence, domestic and dating violence, stalking, abusive relationships, and human trafficking. Through its Green Dot program, Haven also provides training in bystander intervention. “Last year, we had a fully female student workforce, but now it’s integrated—close to 50-50,” said Branin, a survivor herself of sexual assault. “I work with some amazing men. They’re empathetic. I love that I can invite men to be a part of the conversation. Without engaging men, we don’t change the culture.” One of the men she works with at Haven is Drew Booth, a junior marketing and economics major, who helped sign up students for the It’s On Us pledge at Take Back the Night. “Volunteering with Haven has probably been the most purposeful thing I’ve done at IUP,” he said. A few fraternities on campus are also getting involved. Omega Psi Phi created an antidomestic/dating violence video that was shown on the scoreboard during an IUP football game. Sigma Chi’s former president, current president, and next president are all Haven peer educators. Susan Graham, Branin’s former supervisor at Haven and the one who nominated her for the Biden award, said one thing really stood out when she heard Branin’s story last fall. During the incident, the victim had asked Branin, “What are you doing?” and Branin had answered, “What I would want you to do for me if our roles were reversed.” m
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JOSIAH TOWN SEN D
Josiah Townsend has described these and other species: Rana lenca (frog); insets, Bothriechis guifarroi (pit viper) and Hyalinobatrachium fleischmanni (glass frog); and the lizard on the opposite page, Anolis morazani
Head in the
Cloud Forests Students Lend Skills in Search for New Species By Sam Kusic
H
igh in the mountain forests of Honduras, where the mist hangs low, the jaguars lurk, and the locals don’t venture, IUP biology professor Josiah Townsend has found something. A few things, really.
A career, for one. And adventure. Love, too. But more to the point, he has found a score of frogs, lizards, and snakes that had not previously been known to science. He and his collaborators—who have included more than a dozen IUP students—have identified 23 new species. And counting. “We have other work in progress,” said Townsend, who came to IUP in 2012. “Within the next year, I’d say we’d have papers published about three more salamanders and two more frogs.”
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He’s published discoveries that include a small pit viper with brilliant emerald and turquoise scales—beautiful but deadly. He’s also described a curious tadpole that’s bigger than the frog it grows into. And then there’s the small brown lizard with the bright red dewlap, or throat fan, that scientists had previously thought was a single species. He has the genetics to prove otherwise. This school year, Townsend is back in Honduras by way of his selection for a Fulbright grant, which he describes as an “incredible honor.” He’s spending his time teaching classes and leading workshops at two universities, supporting national conservation efforts, and, of course, continuing his search for new species. Townsend has traveled to the remote Honduran forests at least once each year for the last 20, first as a college student drawn to biology and now as a researcher inspiring students of his own. The cloud forests have an almost magical quality, he said—misty, cool, and lush, with a unique complement of biodiversity on each isolated mountaintop. “Many of these forests present serious logistical challenges for access and work, making time spent in cloud forests a privilege few others get to enjoy,” he said. “It’s something I am cognizant of each time I find myself there.”
Townsend with, from left, Esbeiry Cordova-Ortiz, Justin O’Neill, and Ayla Ross
His first time was in 1999, when he accompanied Larry Wilson, his zoology professor from Miami Dade College in Florida, on a research trip. Wilson is one of the foremost experts on Honduran reptiles and amphibians. “I trace everything back to his mentorship,” Townsend said. Everything, arguably, includes his marriage. He and his wife, Ileana Luque-Montes, who also teaches in IUP’s Biology Department, met in Honduras while he was doing research for his doctoral studies at the University of Florida and she was working on her practicum at the National University of Honduras. In 2008, the year before they were married, they collaborated on eight months of fieldwork with discoveries that included a new frog species, Rana lenca. Townsend said finding new species evokes memories of his boyhood, slogging through streams at Finleyville’s Mingo Creek County Park, kicking over rocks, and finding salamanders. “When we see something that doesn’t fit the mold, it’s a rush,” he said. “It harkens back to what you’d get excited about as a kid.” As satisfying as the discovery of new species is, there is a broader goal: to lay the scientific foundation for conservation of rapidly disappearing habitats. The cloud forests are dwindling
on the winds of economic progress: ranchers and loggers are mowing them down. The first step in conservation is to determine what needs protecting. To do that, conservators need to understand which species are unique to their forests. This is where Townsend’s work fits in. His research focuses on understanding the biology of a system rather than that of any one lizard or frog. And in Honduras, the forest systems are distinct for the number of plants and animals found there and nowhere else. The scientific term is endemism, meaning a species is unique to a specific location, and Honduras has the highest rate of it in Central America. For instance, 40 percent of the amphibians found in Honduras are found only in Honduras, Townsend said, in part because of its geography. The cloud forests are well above sea level, which makes them cool. But descend the slopes, and the climate gets hotter and drier, making the forests a world of their own. Over time, these veritable mountaintop islands have developed distinct ecosystems. As Townsend explained, evolutionary forces have played out independently, in pockets, leaving much to discover for those who look.
“We just work in amphibians and reptiles,” Townsend said. “Almost certainly, if I’m finding new species of vertebrates, there could be 10 times more species of plants and insects.” But the country’s limited scientific infrastructure, the remoteness of the forests that requires lugging gear up the slopes by mule train, and the political turmoil make exploration a challenge. “Honduras has a lot to offer scientifically,” he said, “but not many scientists have gotten a foothold there.” While the thrust of Townsend’s work takes place in the field, much of the research happens back at IUP, in Weyandt Hall. There, he focuses on species from Honduras and Nicaragua, as well as Northern Appalachia. These are distinct regions with one thing in common: fragmented ecosystems that are home to species greatly in need of conservation.
Over the summer, he took two graduate students and two undergraduates on a field excursion to Honduras. In a sense, it was a way to pay it forward—rewarding them for their efforts back in the lab while providing samples and specimens for the students who would succeed them. Dan Dudek, a third-year master’s student who made the trip, said seeing the creatures he had previously known only through DNA sequences and Townsend’s photographs “brings the research to life.” “Nothing compares to going to the cloud forests, seeing the wildlife in its natural habitat, and immersing yourself in the culture of the people,” he said. That’s the experience Townsend had hoped international travel would provide. “It gives you a whole different sense of yourself and confidence in yourself,” he said. “I know what a difference it made in my career. It completely changed my trajectory. So I try to offer that as best I can. That I’m able to give these kinds of experiences to students is one of the most rewarding things I can do professionally.” m
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In Townsend’s lab, he and his students do the taxonomic and morphologic work necessary to describe a species and confirm it’s a new one. The support the students provide and the experience they gain in return are invaluable, Townsend said.
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NAMEDROPPERS
F
or some of the greatest athletes in IUP history, induction into the university’s Athletic Hall of Fame comes long after their playing days ended. But when the Class of 2019 was honored in September, two of the 12 inductees were enshrined just 10 years after they last wore the crimson and gray—the minimum time that must pass before selection, according to the hall’s bylaws. Jahzinga Tracey ’09, the leading scorer in the history of the IUP women’s basketball program, and Pawel Glowiak ’09, who set many records on the men’s swim team, headline the class. They and nine other former IUP student-athletes were enshrined: James Ashton ’64 and David Cessna ’67 (football), Robert Allen ’85 (track and field), Ed Hartman ’86 (baseball), Lisa Bonaccorsi Lucas ’88 (cross country/track and field), Barry Threats (football), Yvonne Niederbracht ’04, M’05 (tennis), Amy Hood ’05, M’08 (lacrosse), and Jodie SwavelyBrown ’06 (softball). Chuck Spadafora, who died August 8, was posthumously honored with the hall’s honorary Bell Ringer Award for his contributions to IUP athletics.
New Leadership
After a national search, Todd Garzarelli was named IUP’s director of athletics in April. Garzarelli came to IUP from the University of WisconsinWhitewater, where he held the same post the past two years. He had previous stops at Buffalo, Louisiana’s Northwestern State, Southern Illinois, and Northern Illinois. Garzarelli replaced Steve Roach ’01, who accepted a similar position last fall at Texas A&M Kingsville.
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Postseason Honors
In May, two IUP track and field athletes capped their college careers with top10 finishes at the NCAA Division II Championships in Kingsville, Texas. Derek Noll ’19 was named a first team AllAmerican after placing eighth in the men’s 800 meters, and DJ Horton ’19 tied for 10th in the pole vault, earning second team All-America honors. More about Horton is on page 10.
On the Diamond
Left-handed pitcher Tyler “TJ” Adams became the ninth player in IUP baseball history to be selected in the major league baseball amateur draft when the Philadelphia Phillies chose him in the 27th round on June 5. Adams, a junior from Mineral Point, Cambria County, signed a professional contract with the Phillies the following week. Adams is the first IUP player to be drafted since Ryan Uhl ’17 was taken in the seventh round of the 2015 draft by the Seattle Mariners. Previous IUP players drafted by major league teams are Ben Bruns ’68 (1966), Richard Dahlgren ’70 (1969), Dennis Miscik ’76 (1976), Ed Hartman ’86 (1986), Bruce Yard ’99, M’03 (1993), Anthony Zambotti ’03 (2003), and Paul Bingham ’10 (2010).
In Memoriam
Former IUP football coach George Chaump died May 19 at 83. He guided IUP from 1982 to 1985, sporting a 24-16-1 record and two Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference West Division titles. Chaump was a highly successful high school coach in the 1960s before embarking on a long college and pro coaching career that included stops at Ohio State, Marshall, the US Naval Academy, and the NFL’s Tampa Bay Buccaneers.
BY MATTHEW BURGLUND
Carl Davis, who coached the IUP basketball team from 1970 to 1983, winning 199 games, and who later coached the school’s baseball team from 1991 to 1993, died April 16 at 85. In addition to his coaching duties, Davis was a longtime faculty member in the Department of Health and Physical Education.
Making Headlines
When his Chancellor (Virginia) High School boys’ soccer team defeated Grafton 5-0 in June, the victory was the 500th in the career of longtime coach Mike Webb ’78. Webb, who has been coaching for 35 seasons, including the past 30 at Chancellor, is a 2010 inductee into the IUP Athletic Hall of Fame. For the second time in five years, Knoch High School boys’ basketball coach Ronald McNabb ’83 was named Butler County Coach of the Year by the Butler Eagle. McNabb, who has coached the Knights for the past seven seasons, led his team to the WPIAL Section 1-AAAA title last season and owns a 9752 career record.
Coaching Moves
After serving as the top assistant coach for the IUP women’s basketball team the past five seasons, Kelly Mazzante accepted a similar position at Division I Bucknell University. Mazzante helped the Crimson Hawks to a 130-29 overall record in her time at IUP, which included three divisional titles, two PSAC championships, two Atlantic Regional crowns, and two berths in the NCAA Division II Final Four. Justin English, a former assistant and later interim head coach of the IUP women’s basketball team, was hired in May as head coach of the girls’ basketball team at Chambersburg High School.
English was interim head coach at IUP for two seasons, from 2003 to 2005. The University of Tennessee recently hired Josh Huger ’11, M’12 as an assistant swimming coach. Huger had been an assistant at Virginia Tech and at William & Mary before landing in Knoxville. He began his coaching career at IUP while working toward his master’s degree. In college football, former IUP quarterback Mike Box ’13 has returned to campus as the team’s wide receivers coach. He spent the past three seasons as an assistant at Westminster College. Nick Dubowski ’17, who had been a graduate assistant last season at Mercyhurst, accepted a position on the coaching staff at Cornell. After spending the past four seasons as an assistant coach at Findlay University, Tom Rebholz ’03 was recently named defensive coordinator at Fairmont State. In the NFL ranks, Casey Weidl M’12 was recently promoted to director of scouting operations for the Philadelphia Eagles. He had been the team’s player personnel coordinator for a year and a college scouting coordinator for a year before that. He also spent three years with the Buffalo Bills before coming to Philadelphia. m
For up-to-theminute news on IUP sports, visit www.iupathletics. com. There you’ll find all the latest news Namedroppers can’t bring you because of deadline constraints.
Milestone Generosity Real-Life Experiences While IUP celebrates the gifts made by individual alumni and friends, the university also enjoys the confidence and support of corporations and foundations. Two recent gifts to the College of Health and Human Services are making an impact on the learning experience by enabling students to immerse themselves in real-life situations: •
MSA Safety, Inc., recently provided the Safety Sciences Department with equipment and materials for the hygiene and construction labs, in which students learn about chemical and physical hazards and how to evaluate worker exposure.
•
Citizens’ Ambulance Service has provided IUP’s Institute for Rural Health and Safety with simulation equipment used to train emergency medical technicians and paramedics. IUP officials also say the gift will help the institute earn accreditation by the Committee on Accreditation for the EMS (Emergency Medical Services) Professions.
Immediate and Sustaining Impact Renewable scholarship support from organizations like the Beaumont Foundation of America provides a mainstay for bright students. The foundation renewed its commitment for 2019-20 to the C. Edward Keller Scholarship for Criminology and Criminal Justice. The scholarship is named in honor of the foundation’s president and CEO, Edward Keller ’74, a 2019 recipient of IUP’s Distinguished Alumni Award. It is a full-tuition scholarship for students in the Department of Criminology and Criminal Justice.
IUP’s $75-million Imagine Unlimited Campaign is inspiring the university community—both on and off campus—to come together in support of IUP’s future. The campaign is enabling IUP to step forward as a national leader by transforming the student experience through scholarships, program enhancements, and new and modernized facilities. Learn more at www.iup.edu/ imagine-unlimited.
The university community is grateful for the following gifts and pledges of $25,000 or more, made through the Foundation for IUP. The gifts described at left are included. Beaumont Foundation of America, a gift of $60,000 to support the C. Edward Keller Scholarship for Criminology and Criminal Justice Peggy McHenry LepleyHermann ’49, a gift of $48,690 to support the Eugene Lepley Memorial Physical Education Scholarship for students majoring in health and physical education or sport science
Citizens’ Ambulance Service, Inc., a gift of equipment valued at $25,000 to support students in the Institute for Rural Health and Safety Richard Michael ’76, a gift of $25,000 to support the Archaeological Services Support Fund Harold and Elizabeth Wingard, a gift of $25,000 to support the Culinary Academy Enhancement Fund
MSA Safety, Inc., a gift of equipment valued at $36,650 to support students in the Department of Safety Sciences Mary Ann Dickey, a gift of $30,000 to support the Nursing and Allied Health Enhancement Fund
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The Real
IUP Story By Elaine Jacobs Smith
A brand can be an elusive concept. A consultant hired by IUP loosely defines it as what people think, feel, and do when they hear an organization’s name. In the summer, IUP began following a new brand strategy—in essence, telling stories in a way intended to improve audiences’ connection with the university and their understanding of its strengths and distinguishing features. Themes of the brand are evident in each story in this magazine edition, as they are in all new IUP communications. How the university arrived at that strategy is a story in itself. 18 WWW.IUP.EDU/MAGAZINE
A
s IUP’s president, Michael Driscoll may hear more about the university than anyone else does. Attending hundreds of events each year, he has listened to scores of stories from alumni about how IUP changed their lives and made them who they are today. But when he talked with those less familiar with the university, he found they weren’t hearing the same great things. Stories like that weren’t rising “above the noise” of everything else. Communicating IUP’s good news is more critical now than ever, Driscoll said, because of unprecedented competition in higher education. College enrollment has been on a downward slide the last eight years, according to national reports, and the Mid-Atlantic is among the hardest-hit regions. In Pennsylvania, the population of high school students—the traditional market—has declined steadily since 2012, and experts predict college enrollment could drop another 15 percent after 2026. The impact is clear at IUP, where enrollment has dipped 26 percent since a record high in 2012-13. “We need to tell the IUP story in this competitive marketplace, as we’re trying to take what we do so well out to new generations
of people and attract them to this institution,” Driscoll said. “We can’t do a good job of serving students and creating leaders for tomorrow if we can’t get them here. And, we can’t do a good job of
all of IUP’s communications professionals and hiring Chris Noah to lead the team as chief marketing officer. Noah came to IUP in July 2018 after shepherding several rebranding efforts in his more than 30 years in corporate communications.
“We need to tell the IUP story in this competitive marketplace, as we’re trying to take what we do so well out to new generations of people.” reinventing key parts of the university to meet the needs of today and tomorrow unless we communicate effectively internally as well.” Earlier this year, IUP embarked on a rebranding effort— essentially an overhaul of the communications strategy—to help audiences hear the real IUP story. First, Driscoll put up the scaffolding needed to handle such a rebrand. That involved creating a division to house
Growth and community are key themes of IUP’s new brand.
Last October, the university hired 16Oover9O, a creative agency based in Philadelphia, to assist with the rebrand. In addition to having highereducation experience, the agency has served such clients as Nike, Under Armour, and Urban Outfitters and sports teams including the Philadelphia Eagles and Cleveland Cavaliers. “So they have the pulse of society and culture and what’s happening outside of higher education as well,” Noah said. The agency also shared his views that good rebranding “ensures you stay close to who you truly are,” so organizations can deliver on those promises credibly while also keeping an “eye toward the future.” The agency refers to that strategy as “the mirror and the bridge. It should be reflective of who you are today, but it should also be a bridge for where you want to go,” said 16Oover9O strategy director Alexandra Wittchen. Step one in the process was determining existing perceptions of IUP. That research included on-campus focus groups and an extensive
survey of prospective students, their parents, current students, alumni, donors, and employees. “Getting that foundation helps us know what people’s perceptions are today, what opportunities or challenges we’re working with, and how we can build on those,” said Brandon Shockley, the agency’s research director. The findings showed that audiences recognized IUP as a good value and often associated it with a personalized education, a strong sense of community or belonging, and being representative of western Pennsylvania’s personality. Some of its challenges centered on name and location, academic reputation, and overall lack of familiarity. “It’s tough for people to give you credit for academic quality when they’re not familiar with IUP and what it offers,” Shockley said. The research also found perceptions of IUP overlapped considerably with those of Cal U, Slippery Rock, and West Chester. Wittchen called it the “sea of sameness,” a growing problem in higher education. “It’s getting more difficult to break through and differentiate yourself in a market where people are all saying they do the same thing,” she said. While the term “party school” did come up in the research, Shockley said that’s common, particularly for public schools. “It’s not necessarily a bad thing— it just needs to be addressed carefully. The other side of that coin is having good community or having school spirit,” he said. In interviews, audiences reinforced the association with western Pennsylvania culture
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and its hardworking spirit—“that sense of rolling up your sleeves, digging in, and being willing to get your hands dirty,” Wittchen said. “That was something we felt to be really true of IUP as we spoke to more people.” They also heard about IUP’s strength in guiding students, cultivating potential, and fostering leadership. Wittchen shared this quote from the interviews: “I love IUP, because someone took the time to care about me.” “What we heard time and again,” Wittchen said, “was that IUP is a large school with the resources of some of the powerhouses in the state, paired with this real devotion and attention to the student experience.” Themes of IUP’s new brand strategy are built around that feedback. In look, feel, and message, those themes are now at the center of all IUP communications, including stories in this edition of the magazine: •
A professor who connected with students and helped them grow as she advised and lived alongside them last spring
• A pole vaulter who gave college a second try and left a lasting legacy at IUP •
A student trained in preventing sexual assault who went on to lead an integrated antiviolence effort on campus
•
An IUP researcher who gives students an experience of a lifetime identifying new species in the cloud forests of Honduras
Visually, the brand is characterized by simple, straightforward presentations that pay tribute to IUP traditions—prominently featuring the school colors of crimson and gray and often
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including subtle references to the Oak Grove, Noah said. The strategy also uses the strong association with western Pennsylvania culture to the university’s advantage, helping to address longstanding confusion over the Indiana, Pennsylvania, name and location. But the biggest change with the new strategy is perhaps in the storytelling, addressing the problem Driscoll identified as far back as his 2013 inauguration: “Our future and our reputation depend on our doing just a little shameless bragging,” he said in his inaugural address.
Within the last three years, IUP has added such innovative programs as Environmental Engineering, Professional Teamwork and Leadership, and Public Health. Moerland also cited faculty members’ national recognition for their scholarly work and the numerous positions they hold on editorial boards for academic journals. What stands out the most, he said, is professors’ dedication to students and their willingness to involve even undergraduates in their research, scholarship, and creative endeavors. “It’s something I’ve not seen anywhere else,” said Moerland, who came to IUP from Kent State
“It’s getting more difficult to break through and differentiate yourself in a market where people are all saying they do the same thing.” Provost Timothy Moerland, IUP’s chief academic officer, agrees with the need for better communication. The branding agency suggested IUP could distinguish itself from its peers by improving middle-of-the-pack perceptions of its academics, innovation, and research—areas Moerland counts among the university’s strongest. In fiscal year 2017-18, IUP researchers received more than $12 million from external agencies in support of their work. That was more than $5 million higher than any other State System school and capped a three-year average that surpassed the other schools by $2.7 million.
in 2013. “Having the chops in scholarship and putting students in the sidecar as you make that drive with your goggles on is something really unique. That is IUP’s place in the sun.” Noah wants to make sure those messages are heard. “We look at something like research and say, ‘Yes, this is us. We do that already,’” he said. “But the perceptions showed that those stories aren’t coming through.” Noah believes being more selective in the stories IUP shares and shaping those stories around themes of the branding strategy will help those messages resonate. Key
to that, he said, is emotionally engaging the audience. “So if it’s a story about student success, we want you to connect with that student, almost go on that journey with the student,” he said. “We want you to understand the transformation this student went through at IUP and see how something we did here helped the student move forward in life.” To assess the impact of the new strategy, the university will measure social media engagement, website activity, and the volume of applications, campus visits, and other interactions with prospective students, in addition to alumni and donor activity. But just as important, Noah said, are soft measures, such as what people are thinking, feeling, and saying about the new messaging. “Is there more of a buzz factor? Do people have a greater sense of pride?” he said. “You almost want someone to say, ‘Wow, I didn’t know IUP was like that.’ You want those kind of aha moments.” Driscoll believes the rebrand is what IUP needs to rise above the other noise, attract more great students from different backgrounds, and make the university stronger. “Since I’m an IUP believer, I think the real question is not, ‘What will this do for IUP?’ but, ‘What will this do for the world?’” he said. “The more students who are convinced to come here and who have that great IUP experience and walk out ready to hit the ground running as great leaders and doers will have an amplified effect on the world. Their lives will be better, but also it will be better for all of us that they came to IUP, because they heard about us as a result of this work.” m
JUST FOR KICKS
IUP A RCH IV E S
Popular in the ’80s and ’90s, the game of circle kicking a footbag— commonly known as “hacky sack”—has vanished from the Oak Grove in recent years. If this photo brings back memories or if you see a familiar face, Harrison Wick, IUP archivist and Special Collections librarian, would love to hear from you. He’s also interested in acquiring IUP memorabilia, yearbooks, photos, and more. Contact him at hwick@iup.edu.
ACHIEVEMENTS New Vice President Thomas Segar started in June as IUP’s vice president for Student Affairs. Previously, he was vice president for Student Affairs and Information Technology at West Virginia’s Shepherd University, where he worked eight years. He has both a PhD in college student personnel administration and a bachelor’s degree in psychology from the University of Maryland and a master’s degree in counseling from Shippensburg University.
Student Honors Last spring, Anna Manges, a senior majoring in biology, became IUP’s ninth student to win the Goldwater Scholarship. Named for late US Senator Barry Goldwater, the scholarship encourages pursuit of careers in science, engineering, and mathematics. An Indiana native, Manges is a student in IUP’s Cook Honors College.
Two students recently received support for study abroad through the Benjamin A. Gilman International Scholarship. Adama Kouyate, a fashion merchandising major from Reading, is at the Paris College of Art, and Kailyn Provitt, an Asian studies major from Pittsburgh, is at Korea University’s Sejong campus. In August, Abigaelle Vertil of Philadelphia, a junior majoring in psychology, became the new student member of the IUP Council of Trustees. She will serve until her graduation.
Celebrating Hood The College of Fine Arts dean’s suite in Sprowls Hall has been named in honor of Michael Hood, who retired last year after two decades as dean. Colleagues, family members, and friends made gifts to the university to mark his service. Curt Scheib ’77, M’78 has filled the dean’s role since July.
National Recognition •
Forbes recognized IUP among America’s top colleges for 2019, based on academics, student experiences, career success, and student debt level.
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Washington Monthly recognized IUP in its 2019 College Guide and Rankings, based on contributions through social mobility, research, and public service.
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The ArbNet Arboretum Accreditation Program renewed the Allegheny Arboretum at IUP’s Level 1 accreditation. Encompassing the entire 374-acre campus, the arboretum has been accredited since 2014.
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ALL ABOUT ALUMNI 1940s
1950s
In June, George Mohr ’53 and Ruth Blohm Mohr ’55, who met on the Indiana State Teachers College campus, celebrated 64 years of marriage. Both retired teachers, they live in Level Green and have two children, two grandchildren, and three great-grandchildren. Last December, Margaret Smith Saxton ’55; her son, Ward; and her daughter, Claire, celebrated the 10th anniversary of their participation in the Kennedy Center’s Messiah Sing-Along in Washington, DC. “It renews my energy, spirit, and grace that we are all in harmony,” Peggy wrote. A real estate professional in New Jersey, she received an ISTC music degree with a concentration in piano and voice and earned her juris doctorate from Seton Hall.
1960s
In January, Andrew Goudy ’67, M’72 became president of the NAACP’s Washington County branch. Recently retired from the chemistry faculty at Delaware State University, he also taught in the CanonMcMillan School District and at West Chester University. Martha Bogardus Groble ’69 has published her research,
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COU RTESY OF ESTHER SHOTT
In July, Laura Phillippi Gienger ’40 turned 100 at her retirement community in Williamsburg, Virginia. Her niece, Anita Malone Shaffer ’54, who was among family members who gathered to celebrate, later reported that Laura died August 20. Alumnae relatives who predeceased Laura include her sisters, Margaret Phillippi Lundquist ’22 and Sylvia Phillippi Malone ’23, and her niece, Sara Lundquist Weiss ’49.
While living at Coral Oaks Retirement Home in Palm Harbor, Florida, Esther Bamford Shott ’49, center, Camille Rapp Cambier ’49, and Dennis Cambier ’49 enjoyed reminiscing about their time at Indiana State Teachers College. Esther moved to Maitland in March.
conducted at the University of Florida, on the effectiveness of telemedicine. The book, Process and Efficacy of Internet Counseling, is available through major retailers. She completed her PhD at the University of Florida and a master’s degree at Oklahoma State. The alumni deaths listing on page 31 includes Chris Knowlton M’69, who retired as executive director of IUP’s Student Cooperative Association in 1991 after 27 years of service. He died May 10 of this year. Dallas W. Loos ’69 recently released a video for a song he wrote. Titled “Mary’s Message,” it is available through YouTube. After receiving his IUP music education degree, Dallas earned an MS and an MBA from Indiana University Bloomington. He went on to work for Wurlitzer Music Stores and became director of marketing. For 28 years, he owned Southland Music Center in Taylor, Michigan. He and his wife, Nycha Schlegel, now live
in Utah, where they enjoy the mountains and the skiing.
1970s
Writing as Audrey Abbott, Audrey Abbott Iacone ’70 has a new novel, The Ladies Prayer, recently released by Soulmate Publishing and the second book in her Abbey Mead historical suspense and romance series. Under her married name, she has also written for Arcadia Publishing’s Images of America series. In addition to the Mead series, she’s currently writing young adult fiction set during the Great Fire of Pittsburgh. Audrey recently retired as library manager at the Carnegie Library. She has also served as a librarian for the Historical Society of Western Pennsylvania and is past president of the Western Pennsylvania Genealogical Society and the Brentwood Historical Society. In March, IUP music students Elary Mede, Gino Parillo, and Shelby Williams performed at a gathering in
the Virginia home of Elaine Tselepis Sheetz ’71. David Ferguson, IUP’s interim Fine Arts dean, and incoming dean Curt Scheib ’77, M’78 were also in attendance. A recipient of IUP’s 2019 Distinguished Alumni Award, Elaine is a pianist and composer and coowner of Bethesda, Maryland, restaurant Cesco Osteria. A riverboat cruise in May up the Rhine River, from Basel, Switzerland, to Amsterdam, unexpectedly brought together seven IUP alumni. Gary Bernardo ’73, M’79 and Nancy Egger Bernardo ’74 were traveling with Andrea Dersch Stoyko ’74 and her husband. Aboard the small vessel, they encountered Bob Garrity ’72 and Marianne McHugh Garrity ’73, as well as Pat Sloand Epple ’77 and Laura Creveling ’82. A group photo aboard the riverboat appears on the Alumni Extra website. After 34 years of covering the Steelers for the Pittsburgh PostGazette, Ed Bouchette ’73 has joined the staff of the Athletic, a three-year-old sports journalism website. Rather than traditional game stories, he writes about “why that game you just watched turned out the way it did, what went right or wrong, and how they move forward from it,” he explained on the site. In 2014, the Professional Football Writers of America selected Ed to receive the NFL Hall of Fame’s Dick McCann Award. The following year, he received IUP’s Distinguished Alumni Award. Former director of national enterprises at the Library of Congress, Blane Dessy ’73 came out of retirement last spring to serve as director of the Erie County Public Library. Blane retired in 2017 after more than 40 years with libraries at the local, state, and federal levels. He is a member
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CA L LIE JON ES/ JOURNAL- ADVOCATE
including six as chair of the Communication and Media Department.
In March, the Education Center presented its Lifetime Educator of the Year award to Jamie Johnson ’79, M’85, business teacher and advisor to the Future Business Leaders of America at Colorado’s Sterling High School. The center assists students who struggle academically and sponsors an awards program for Colorado educators of color. Jamie came to IUP from Westmoreland County, where she grew up with 11 siblings. After earning her master’s degree, she taught at middle and high schools in Pennsylvania, Colorado, and Texas. She earned a doctorate in instructional technology and distance education from Nova Southeastern University in Florida. Photos from the awards gala appear on the Alumni Extra website.
of the inaugural class of the IUP College of Humanities and Social Sciences Hall of Distinction. The International Association of Top Professionals recognized Kathleen Lipscomb Johnson ’75, M’77 as the 2019 Top Reiki Master of the Year. Reiki is based on the principle that channeling energy into a person by touch activates natural healing. Kathleen owns and operates UniverSoul Heart, LLC, in Bloomsburg. In June, the Punxsutawney Career Women’s Club selected LuAnn Rotolo ’75 as its 2019 Woman of the Year. She retired as a Spanish and French teacher at Punxsutawney Area High
School after more than 32 years in public education. A veteran music teacher, Steven Barton ’76 was appointed conductor of the University of Richmond Wind Ensemble. In a 37-year career, he taught concert, marching, and jazz band as well as chorus, orchestra, guitar, piano, and music theory. He retired from teaching in Chesterfield County, Virginia, in 2016. New York’s Clarkson University named Stephen Farina ’76 a professor emeritus following his retirement this year. After earning his doctorate from Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute, he served on the Clarkson faculty for 31 years,
DESIGNATION OF CODES | AA ASSOCIATE OF ARTS DEGREE
In April, the late Jeanne Wolford McKelvey M’76 was inducted into the Greater Johnstown/Cambria County Business Hall of Fame. Jeanne filled several leadership roles as owner of Highland Financial, McKelvey Oil Company, and Mountaintop Technologies. She was also a certified pilot, a commissioned colonel with the Civil Air Patrol, a member of Pennsylvania’s Board of Medical Education and Licensure, and an advocate for cancer research. She died of breast cancer in 2015. Award-winning author and playwright Randall Silvis M’76 has a new novel, A Long Way Down. It is the third book in his bestselling Ryan DeMarco mystery series, published by Poisoned Pen Press. He has also released a new collection of short stories, Incident on Ten-Right Road, published by Riverdale Avenue Books. The collection of crime stories includes a novella prequel to the DeMarco series. Randall received IUP’s Distinguished Alumni Award in 2001 and an honorary doctorate in 2007. Members of IUP’s Foreign Student Club from the 1970s traveled to Indiana in May for a reunion. They toured campus, met with IUP administrators, and explored the region, including Frank Lloyd Wright’s Fallingwater in Fayette County. The alumni also visited with retired faculty member and international advisor Pat Carone. Among those making the trek were Moses Tesi ’77, Cameroon; Christy Enekwe ’78, Nigeria; Carmen Figueroa ’78, Chile; Sakari Saro ’78, Finland; Anny Morandy ’79,
CA ACADEMY OF CULINARY ARTS
France; Dana Spiardi ’80, Pittsburgh; Anne Lemble, France; Anne-Marie Linden, Sweden; and Margit Varga, Netherlands. Information about the reunions is available through Sakari at jssaro@ yahoo.com. Photos appear on the Alumni Extra website. Last October, a group of IUP friends got together in Indiana for the first time in almost 40 years. They are Donna Rearick Blumer ’79, Renee Fontanesi Frye ’79, M’83, John Hayes ’79, John Dugan ’80, Julie Lohman Dugan ’80, Dianne Mutschler Hayes ’80, Kathy McChesney ’80, Debbie Roth Morrison ’80, Marianne Santamaria ’80, Bill Tatrai ’81, Tom Eisert, and Kathleen Herbst Heron. A photo appears on the Alumni Extra website. During the IUP Hospitality Management Department’s commencement ceremony in May, Bryan Marince ’79, recipient of the 2018 Allen Woods Alumni Achievement Award, presented this year’s honor to Jason Fulvi ’89. Director of corporate dining and special venues for Parkhurst Dining, a brand of Eat’n Park Hospitality Group, Bryan is a member of the inaugural class of the IUP College of Health and Human Services Hall of Distinction. The Woods award is named for late IUP professor emeritus Allen Woods ’50.
1980s
Sigma Chi international fraternity recently recognized Pittsburgh artist Ron Donoughe ’80 among 139 recipients of its 2019 Significant Sig Award. Past winners have included late-night talk show host David Letterman and actor Warren Beatty. Ron, whose 90 Pittsburgh Neighborhoods
D DOCTORAL DEGREE
M MASTER’S DEGREE
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Have you noticed this icon at the end of a class note? It means that more information and often photos are available on the IUP Magazine website under Alumni Extra, www.iup.edu/magazine/alumniextra.
director of wealth and capital management. He has worked for AmeriServ since 2016 and in financial services more than 40 years.
In March, former US Representative Jim Renacci ’80 returned to IUP as executive-in-residence for the Eberly College of Business and Information Technology. During his visit, he spoke to several classes and the Student Accounting Association and met with faculty members and administrators. A Republican, Jim represented Ohio’s 16th Congressional District for eight years and was his party’s nominee for the US Senate. Also a certified public accountant, he has owned and operated more than 60 businesses. He is a 2018 recipient of IUP’s Distinguished Alumni Award.
The American Association of University Women’s Indiana branch honored Louise Brown Peterman M’82 and Carole Reed ’85 among its Notable Women for 2019. A retired Ben Franklin Elementary School librarian, Louise coordinates the giveaway of backpacks and other school supplies at the county’s annual Back to School Bash. Carole is network director for Family Promise, a shelter program that guides homeless families in gaining and sustaining independence.
Members of the IUP ice hockey club from the ’80s and ’90s got together in March for their annual reunion and tournament. The weekend’s leading scorers included Mike Heilman ’95, John O’Leary ’87, Paul Bucher ’81, and Dan Custred ’83 for the Vinyls team, which swept both games at the Belmont Complex, and Robert Carey ’89, Chris Franceschi ’91, and Ken Barkman ’89 for the CDs. The Alumni Extra website carries a full report by former Penn sports reporter Dale Caprara ’82. While on campus to receive IUP’s 2019 Distinguished Alumni Award, Robert Stewart ’81 spoke to Ibrahim Affaneh’s Financial Institution class and met with students. He is founder and CEO of InvestEdge, a provider of investment management software. AmeriServ Trust and Financial Services Company in Johnstown has promoted David Finui M’82 to executive vice president and
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In February, the International Society of Explosives Engineers honored Paul Downing ’83 with its 2019 Industry Service Award. Paul works for Lancer Insurance and lives in Tennessee with his wife, Sherry. He grew up in North Versailles with his sisters, Mary Ann Downing ’82 and Karen Downing Levenson ’83. Emalee (formerly Emily) Gruss Gillis ’83 recently published a memoir, The Other Side of Madness: Adventures on the Path to Living Well with a Mental Illness, available through major retailers. Emalee was first institutionalized in Africa after finishing her service in the Peace Corps. About 10 years later, she was diagnosed with bipolar disorder. In her book, she shares 13 strategies that have allowed her to thrive—get married, raise two children, and hold professional jobs—in spite of her mental illness. She also consolidated her top strategies into a TEDx Talk. A Q&A with Emalee appears on the Alumni Extra website. A principal at Proventus Health Solutions in Indianapolis, Bob Marchesani ’83 has been elected to the board of directors
of Swedish pharmaceutical company Isofol Medical AB. He is also an adjunct faculty member and executive mentor at Butler University’s Lacy School of Business. Bob worked for pharmaceutical giant Eli Lilly for more than 25 years. Diane McCormick ’83 takes readers on a pub crawl through time in her new book, WellBehaved Taverns Seldom Make History: Pennsylvania Pubs Where Rabble-Rousers and Rum Runners Stirred Up Revolutions, published by Sunbury Press. The Jean Bonnet Tavern in Bedford inspired her exploration of existing taverns with ties to insurrections and uprisings, including the American Revolution, Whiskey Rebellion, Underground Railroad, and Molly Maguires. Photos with historical reenactors she has met in her travels are on the Alumni Extra website. More is at www. mdianemccormick.com.
Author Lee Howard ’84 has a new psychological thriller, The Bedwetter: Journal of a Budding Psychopath. By day, he is a technical writer for the software industry, and in his fiction, he explores the genres of horror, dark fantasy, and supernatural crime. More is at leeallenhoward.com. Attorney Debra Lyons Blair ’85 recently joined the Marietta, Georgia, law firm Gregory, Doyle, Calhoun, and Rogers as an associate with its real estate and government group. More than 30 years after forming at IUP, popular Pittsburgh band the Clarks recently returned to Indiana to headline the Northern Appalachian Folk Festival. Members are Greg Joseph ’85, Scott Blasey ’87, Rob James ’87, and Dave Minarik ’88. In the spring, Youngstownbased Home Savings Bank promoted Joni Masquelier
A graduate of the Ohio University Heritage College of Osteopathic Medicine, Beth Longenecker ’87 recently became dean of the college’s Athens, Ohio, campus. Beth started her medical training the year she graduated from IUP with a music degree. Board certified in emergency medicine since 2000, she served as program director for two residency programs. Later, she became an associate dean at William Carey University College of Osteopathic Medicine in Mississippi and, most recently, at Midwestern University’s Chicago College of Osteopathic Medicine.
COU R TESY OF OHI O UN IV ERSI TY HER ITAG E COLL EG E OF OSTEOPATH IC MED ICIN E
collection of paintings is displayed at the Heinz History Center, is a 2017 recipient of IUP’s Distinguished Alumni Award.
Founder of Pinnacle Financial Strategies, an independent wealth management firm in Wexford, Victor Conrad ’87 was named a 2019 Five Star Wealth Manager in Pittsburgh Magazine. Only 15 percent of the region’s wealth managers receive this recognition, which Vic has earned annually since the program’s start in 2012. He is marking 25 years of client service. In April, the Allegheny Valley School District inducted Donald Grinder ’87 into its Alumni Hall of Fame. According to a TribLive report, Donald worked with the Department of Homeland Security, assisted the Secret Service in protecting the president, helped arrange security for the 2018 Winter Olympics, and was a first responder to the Pentagon on September 11, 2001. He was also a decorated officer in Virginia’s Arlington County Police Department. Development director for IUP’s College of Education and Communications, Dave Maudie ’87 recently took on additional responsibilities in planned giving. Before coming to IUP, Dave taught in the Twin Valley School District and worked for two decades as a field executive for the Boy Scouts of America. A member of IUP’s track and field team, Dave won a national championship in javelin his senior year. During the IUP Hospitality Management Department’s commencement ceremony in May, Jason Fulvi ’89 received the 2019 Allen Woods Alumni Achievement Award. As president and CEO of Visit KC, a marketing group for the Kansas City region, Jason oversees
a team of 47 employees. Previously, he worked for Visit Pittsburgh for 16 years. The Woods award is named for late IUP professor emeritus Allen Woods ’50.
K EITH BOY ER
Comport ’87, M’88 to vice president for human resources operations. She has been with the bank since 2001.
An assistant professor of education at the University of Pittsburgh at Johnstown, Douglas Ledney M’89 received his doctor of education degree in December from Capella University. Marvin Denson took a selfie with the Crimson Salute audience.
1990s
In May, the Pennsylvania Senate confirmed Elliot Howsie ’90, M’94 to a seat on the Allegheny County Court of Common Pleas. He served as the county’s chief public defender since 2012. The director of risk parity, currency hedging, and strategic implementation for the Pennsylvania Public School Employees’ Retirement System, Susan Kang Oh ’90 spoke to IUP’s Student Accounting Association in May. A recent inductee into IUP’s Eberly Hall of Distinction, she has been with PSERS for 24 years. Concord Medical Services in Beijing recently named Yaw Kong Yap ’90 as president. He continues to serve as chief financial officer, a role he has held since 2014. Altoona Area School District presented its 2019 Educator CARE Award for secondary education to David Borst ’91, a high school physics teacher and advisor to the Junior Academy of Science. He has been with the district 23 years. In March, Carol Daniels Washington ’91 was one of five alumni panelists in an IUP Six O’clock Series program, “Life and Success after IUP.” She is director of human resources for the Wilson Group, a business
In May, Marvin Denson ’93 served as keynote speaker at IUP’s Crimson Salute, a pre-commencement ceremony that recognizes the accomplishments of students of color. Marvin is regional director of dining operations for Erickson Living, which manages and develops retirement communities; founder and senior pastor of Restoration International Worship Center; and presiding bishop of Covenant Churches of America. He shared with students experiences from his career to illustrate the importance of support systems and mentors, as well as the need for students to stand up for themselves, negotiate what they’re worth, and make previous generations proud. He said his late father earned an MBA online at age 75; the achievement inspired Marvin to get an MBA also and led his younger brother, Damon, who played for the New England Patriots in the 1990s, to complete his degree. At IUP, Marvin was a member of the football team that advanced to the national championship game in 1990. He and his wife, IUP alumna Michele Ayres Denson, live in Maryland and have two adult children and a granddaughter.
supplies and equipment company in Pittsburgh, and a 2017 inductee into IUP’s Eberly Hall of Distinction. Michele Papakie ’93, IUP’s Journalism and Public Relations Department chair, moderated the panel discussion. Erie-based separation technology firm Eriez has promoted John Blicha ’92 to senior director of global marketing and communications. He has been with the company seven years. In April, Susan Cosper ’92 was appointed to a five-year term on the Financial Accounting
Standards Board, which sets US accounting standards for companies and not-for-profit organizations. A 2018 recipient of IUP’s Distinguished Alumni Award, she has served as the FASB’s technical director since 2011 and as chair of its Emerging Issues Task Force. Northrop Grumman, an aerospace and defense technology company headquartered in Virginia, presented Joe Opauski ’92, M’06 its Chesapeake Chapter Safety Professional of the Year award last fall. He has been with the company 12 years and currently serves as principal
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ARRIVALS environmental health and safety engineer. Vice president of technical services for TransCanada’s US gas operations, Wendy Metcalf Straatmann ’92 was featured in a company web series about unconscious bias in the workplace. She came to TransCanada in 2018 from Talisman Energy, where she was a recipient of the CEO Safety Award. IUP presented her with a Young Alumni Achievement Award in 2002. In January, John Brinkman ’93 joined Bastion Technologies at NASA’s Glenn Research Center near Cleveland. A systems safety engineer, he supports the power and propulsion element, the first element of NASA’s proposed moon-orbiting space station called the Lunar Gateway. John has worked at the Glenn Research Center for 24 years. Onjanette Andrews Dancler ’93 has been named tax compliance manager at Tire Rack, a tire, wheel, and accessory distributor headquartered in South Bend, Indiana. In May, Laurie Frisina Kuzneski ’93 was keynote speaker at a breakfast for the Women’s Leadership Program, coordinated by IUP’s Eberly College of Business and Information Technology. Laurie is director of operations and marketing for Kuzneski Insurance Group, the founder and former president of Miss Laurie’s Gourmet Kitchen, and a member of the IUP Council of Trustees. The Fort Worth Independent School District in Texas has twice recognized Stacey Cerja Barringer ’94 with major teaching awards. Last year, the district named her its Elementary Teacher of the Year. Previously, she had received
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the Early Childhood Teaching Chair Award. “I am thankful for my well-rounded education that prepared me for such an important career,” she wrote. Chair of the Department of Sociology and Criminology at St. Bonaventure University in New York, Will Elenchin M’94 recently released his third book, Rethinking Stress in an Age of Ease: A Field Manual for Students of All Ages. It is available through major retailers and through the publisher, Wipf and Stock. Will said his students suggested the book’s topic. Although technology and other factors have made life easier over the last 30 years, depression and anxiety have increased dramatically, he said. The book explores cultural factors leading to stress and gives advice on reducing it. In July, Kimberlee Pennington Gorr ’94 became principal of St. Vincent-St. Mary High School in Akron, Ohio. She previously served as dean of curriculum. During an IUP Student Accounting Association field trip to BNY Mellon in Pittsburgh, faculty advisor Kim Anderson met with former student Richard Wisnewski ’94, vice president and deputy director for SOX (Sarbanes-Oxley Act) compliance and controls. A photo appears on the Alumni Extra website. In June, Colorado’s Aspen School District hired Eva Wolfe Allen ’95 as middle school principal. She came to Aspen from Pittsburgh Liberty K-5. American Higher Education Alliance, a nonprofit that promotes international education, recently hired Ben Shank ’95 as chief executive officer. Ben’s accomplishments in his 15 years in higher education have included
2010s
To Jacob Dulick ’10, M’11 and Carly Dulick, a son, Jacob David Jr., April 29, 2019.
leading Keiser University’s transition from a commuter campus to an international university. He lives in Parkland, Florida, with his wife, Deborah, and children. Interim dean of the Bitonte College of Health and Human Services at Youngstown State University, Tammy King D’96 won the 2019 Athena Award for the Youngstown/Warren region. The award recognizes women for their professional accomplishment and service. Formerly the chair of YSU’s Department of Criminal Justice and Forensic Sciences, Tammy started the university’s first forensic science baccalaureate degree program and the Ohio Peace Officer Training Academy, according to media reports. Photos from the awards ceremony are on the Alumni Extra website. A teacher at Greenwood Elementary School in Virginia’s Henrico County, Robin Warren Milwit ’96, M’98 was one of 10 teachers in county schools to win the Community Foundation’s REB Award for Teaching Excellence. She was awarded $11,500 to fund such experiences as studying emerging technologies that build children’s social and emotional skills in Finland. Family members who preceded Robin at IUP include her parents, Barry Warren ’73, ’77 and Bonnie Heinrich Warren ’78, and her late grandfather, Robert Warren ’49, an IUP administrator who retired as associate provost in 1981. Pittsburgh Post-Gazette reporter Paula Reed Ward
’96 was keynote speaker at the IUP Journalism and Public Relations Department’s commencement ceremony in May. The previous month, she was part of a Post-Gazette team that won the Pulitzer Prize for breaking news reporting. The team covered the Tree of Life synagogue shooting in Pittsburgh’s Squirrel Hill neighborhood. More about Paula appears on page 6. An attorney in Chartwell Law’s Harrisburg office, Robert Baker ’97, M’99 made the 2019 Pennsylvania Super Lawyers list in the Workers’ Compensation category. Only 5 percent of lawyers in the state receive this honor. Pennsylvania College of Technology recently appointed Michael Reed M’97 its vice president for academic affairs and provost. He has served in administrative roles at the college since 2014. Last spring, Chris Crawford ’98 joined CAIS, a New York-based financial technology platform, as chief operating officer. He previously worked for Mizuho Alternative Investments. A staff sergeant in the British Army, Wen Yee Yeung Gregson ’99, M’01 was recently interviewed by newspaper Eastern Eye about finding a career in music performance through the military. Although currently in an administrative role, Wen has been principal saxophonist with the Welsh Guards Band, an instructor in the Royal Military School of Music, and a member of the Royal Signals band.
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In April, Chad Hurley ’99 and his YouTube cocreator Steve Chen received the Emmy Award for Lifetime Achievement at the annual Technology and Engineering Emmy Awards in Las Vegas. The video-sharing website is estimated to have more than a billion users who watch almost five billion videos each day.
Circle of Success annual recognition program, an honor reserved for the company’s top advisors. He is a private wealth advisor with Penica, Place, and Associates, an Ameriprise practice in Camp Hill. He has been with Ameriprise 19 years.
Jay Penica ’99 has qualified for Ameriprise Financial Services’
In May, Lindsay Rosenfeld ’00 was guest speaker at the
2000s
IUP Student Accounting Association’s annual Recognition Dinner. She is audit and assurance managing director of Deloitte’s Detroit office. A former Student Accounting Association president, she is a 2011 recipient of IUP’s Young Alumni Achievement Award. Coach of the Unified Bocce team at North Penn High School in Lansdale, Kristen
Bartlewitz Panaski ’02, M’04 led her team in its first season to the 2017-18 state championship. The bocce program is part of the Special Olympics Unified Sports program, which includes athletes with intellectual disabilities. A physical education teacher at North Penn, Kristen was featured in the school’s February newsletter. The North Hills School District near Pittsburgh recently hired Jessica Wenner Sapsara ’02, M’08 as assistant elementary school principal. Previously, she was a teacher at Shaler Area Middle School. In March, IUP’s Six O’clock Series presented an alumni panel discussion, “Life and Success after IUP.” Panelists included Meredith Carl Stephenson ’02, human resources vice president for Howard Hanna Real Estate Services; Chris McGinnis ’06, founding director and chief curator for Rivers of Steel Arts; Brian Urban ’09, health systems account director for the Alzheimer’s Association; and Joshua Waibel ’09, PNC Financial Corporation’s cybersecurity manager and Ethical Hacking Team vice president. Brian and Joshua are recipients of IUP’s Young Alumni Achievement Award. As 17-year cicadas emerged from the ground across eastern North America in the spring, Jonathan Nagy CA’03 came up with an idea only a chef could love: use them in a tasty dish. He posted a video to Facebook that showed how to make Tempura-Fried Cicadas with Sweet Asian Vegetables and Hoisin Sauce. Jonathan has served as culinary arts instructor at the Indiana County Technology Center since 2017. In June, Deana Zimmerman Rhoades ’04, M’07 was
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In the spring, Allison Johnson ’05 was a candidate for Woman of the Year through the Western Pennsylvania and West Virginia chapter of the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society. Candidates competed to raise funds for blood cancer research. Allison works as promotional consultant for Fast Times Screen Printing in Indiana. In February, Karrie Miller M’05 was named principal of DuBois Central Catholic. She previously served as director of education at various private institutions. Mark Zellman, in yellow hat, talked with students from a trench along the Teton fault. Sediment in the trench gives information about prehistoric movement along the fault. Mark Zellman ’99 of BGC Engineering is lead author of a new map of the Teton fault, which spans the eastern base of the Teton Range in northwestern Wyoming. Using a remote sensing method called light detection and ranging (lidar), the authors completed the most detailed mapping yet across the 44-mile length of the fault. The geologic community has praised the map for improving understanding of the fault and its potential for producing earthquakes. Mark said the map is one piece of a much larger, multi-agency examination of the fault. In the project, his focus has been the study of the fault’s prehistoric earthquake history. The map is available through the publisher, Wyoming State Geological Survey, at www.wsgs. wyo.gov.
featured in a Thrive Global web series about women in the forefront of the artificial intelligence industry. As global practice lead for automation consulting at NTT DATA Services, Deana supports health care organizations in using digital automation technologies. After five years as a humanities teacher and chair of the middle school English Department at Zurich International School, Samuel J. Richards ’04 has joined Shanghai American School as a high school social studies teacher. Indiana-based S&T Bank recently promoted Kristin
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Krell Rombaugh ’04 to senior vice president and retail mortgage operations manager. Previously, she supported the bank’s retail mortgage sales team. IUP’s Department of Student Affairs in Higher Education presented its 2019 Ronald Lunardini Distinguished Alumni Award to Jennifer Cole M’05. The associate dean of academic advising at Gettysburg College, Jennifer has also worked at Russell Sage College and Hudson Valley Community College, both in Troy, New York. The award is named for IUP professor emeritus Ron Lunardini ’69.
Cofounders of IUP’s Student Managed Investment Portfolio, Felipe Ucros ’05 and Andrew Sandberg ’06 returned to campus to speak to Daniel Lawson’s Finance Seminar class. SMIP is an Eberly College of Business project that allows students to invest real money from the Foundation for IUP. In March, Andrew talked with students about his work as vice president at global investment bank Houlihan Lokey in New York. The following month, Felipe discussed his role as a director at Scotiabank, also in New York. Associate professor in IUP’s Department of Kinesiology, Health, and Sport Science, David Wachob ’05, M’09, D’12 and Amanda Boldy ’17, M’17 coauthored an article, “Social Media’s Influence on Parents’ Decision-Making Process of Child Vaccinations,” in the journal Epidemiology, Biostatistics, and Public Health. In April, Emmy-nominated filmmaker Matthew Fridg ’07 raised more than $15,000 through an online campaign to help fund a feature-length documentary about the rivalry between Pennsylvania-based convenience stores Sheetz and Wawa. More about the film is at www.sheetzvswawa.com.
Nash Community College in North Carolina recognized Katie Hoffer ’08, M’11 as a master instructor in May. A Nash employee for five years, she teaches English and humanities and codirects the Global Scholars Program and Study Abroad. Three IUP alumnae from S&T Bank recently talked with the university’s Student Accounting Association about careers in auditing. They were Jeanna Kutz ’08, vice president and audit manager, who started with S&T in 2008; Faith Mutunga ’11, a staff auditor for four years; and Stephanie Graham M’13, assistant vice president and senior auditor, who joined the bank in 2014. In March, Stephanie Keppich M’09 joined IUP’s Division of Marketing and Communications as assistant director of Media Relations. Previously, she taught in the Communications Media Department and directed the Center for Media Production and Research, which gives students professional experience in the field. Stephanie also spent more than a decade as an anchor, reporter, and producer in television markets across the country and worked in media relations at a Virginia hospital. Montgomery County’s SpringFord Area School District appointed Robert Rizzo M’09 its assistant superintendent in June. A school band director and administrator for many years, he most recently served as assistant superintendent in the Indiana Area School District.
2010s
The International Sculpture Center named Tyler Gaston ’10, M’19 a winner of its 2019 Outstanding Student
Have you noticed this icon at the end of a class note? It means that more information and often photos are available on the IUP Magazine website under Alumni Extra, www.iup.edu/magazine/alumniextra.
CO UR TE SY O F RO G E R BR IS CO E
In April, Marcia Mpfumo Briscoe ’09 and her husband, Roger Briscoe ’09, M’10, traveled to Marcia’s home country of Mozambique after Cyclone Idai had devastated the African nation a month earlier. The Briscoes’ church, Victory Christian Assembly in Indiana, and its pastor, Melvin Jenkins M’92, coordinated a fund drive to support their trip and the purchase of supplies to help the cyclone’s survivors. “I believe it gave them a sense of hope knowing that they’re not alone in the midst of such tragedy,” Marcia said. “For Roger and me, it was a very humbling and gratifying experience.”
Achievement in Contemporary Sculpture Award. He was one of 11 award recipients chosen from a pool of 325 students from nearly 140 universities. Tyler’s winning sculpture, Transcendence, in cherry and steel, is featured in the September/October edition of the center’s Sculpture magazine and on its website, www. sculpture.org. An assistant professor of environmental science at West Virginia’s Alderson Broaddus University, Brandi Hake Gaertner ’11 wrote an article, “Climate, Forest Growing Season, and Evapotranspiration Changes in the Central Appalachian Mountains, USA,” published in the journal Science of the Total Environment. Her research shows that climate change has caused trees to stay green longer. In turn, they use more water, which makes less drinking water available for cities in the central Appalachian region. Brandi joined the Alderson Broaddus faculty in 2018.
In April, the American Association of University Women’s Indiana branch honored Quintina Thomas ’11 among its Notable Women for 2019. Quintina has provided mental health and crisis support on the staffs of the Alice Paul House and the Community Guidance Center of Indiana County. She has also started her own organizations to support women and minorities and last year opened a multicultural hair salon. The Student Government Association at West Virginia’s West Liberty University honored Scott Hanna D’12 with a 2019 Professor of the Year award. He has been a faculty member in the College of Liberal Arts for 11 years. In May, the Pennsylvania Association of Broadcasters presented Crispin Havener ’12 with the award for Outstanding TV Investigative Story/Report/Series for “The Loophole That Could Keep (Catholic Church) Abusers Hidden.” The story aired within
two months of Crispin’s joining WJAC-TV last September.
previously worked on the audit staff at Deloitte.
City Center Investment Corp., the real estate development company working to revitalize downtown Allentown, recently hired Kristina Gonzalez ’13 as social media and marketing assistant. Previously, she was an associate editor with Rodale/ Hearst.
Last winter, Erika Stanish ’14 joined KOKH-TV, a Foxaffiliated station in Oklahoma City, as a general assignment reporter. She previously worked for WJAC-TV in Johnstown.
In April, Ryan Peters CA’13 placed second in the US qualifying event for Barilla’s Pasta World Championship in Paris. The event—a pasta cookoff among eight young chefs— took place during the Pebble Beach (California) Food & Wine Festival. Ryan is sous chef at Fish nor Fowl in Pittsburgh’s Garfield neighborhood. A senior rehabilitation therapist at Johns Hopkins Bayview Medical Center, Kayley Sleighter ’13 earned an MS in mental health counseling last year from McDaniel College in Westminster, Maryland. An English Department faculty member and director of the Writing Center at Wagner College in Staten Island, Lindsay Sabatino D’14 has coedited Multimodal Composing: Strategies for 21st Century Writing Consultations, published by Utah State University Press. The book helps writing center directors and consultants work with texts that are visual, technological, creative, or from nontraditional genres. Vice president of the Pittsburgh chapter of the National Association of Black Accountants, Raven Sams ’14 came to IUP in March to help students create an NABA chapter. Now senior compliance testing specialist with PNC, Raven graduated from IUP with three majors: accounting, finance, and international business. She
Among the alumni speakers Daniel Lawson recently welcomed to his Finance Seminar class at IUP were Christopher O’Brien ’15, a Leveraged Finance associate at Citizens Commercial Banking in Boston, and Michael Williamson ’15, an associate at Pittsburgh-based private equity firm Tecum Capital. New York native Kaysi Hill CA’16, ’16 has opened Kaysi Cakes Dessert Company and Café in downtown DuBois. She offers different cupcake flavors daily, as well as custom cakes and coffee drinks. Technical project manager at PNC, Deric Schmidt ’16 spoke to IUP’s Association of Management Information Systems in March. A former student in IUP’s Cook Honors College, he has been with PNC since 2017. After completing Clearfieldbased CNB Bank’s management training program, Marian Stahlman ’16 was promoted to secured lending specialist. She has been with the bank two years. Since March, Christopher Bence ’17 has been a Pennsylvania Game Commission state game warden serving Greene County. Wardens have statewide police authority but primarily enforce regulations involving game, wildlife, and natural resource conservation. His training included a 50-week program through the Ross Leffler School of Conservation in Harrisburg.
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Have you noticed this icon at the end of a class note? It means that more information and often photos are available on the IUP Magazine website under Alumni Extra, www.iup.edu/magazine/alumniextra.
has become a certified public accountant. She works for Ernst & Young in Philadelphia.
CO UR TE SY O F TAWN EE LEON ARD O
In the spring, Sara Vrancik ’17 made the Philadelphia Eagles’ cheerleading squad. IUP’s student newspaper, the Penn, reported that Sara was one of nine rookies to be chosen from a pool of 61 finalists. A former IUP cheerleader, she is a sales representative for Varsity Spirit, a cheerleading and dance apparel company.
In April, Punxsutawney native Tawnee Bowers Leonardo ’15 competed in Oklahoma City for her third time on American Ninja Warrior, a sports entertainment competition and television series filmed in various US cities. She is married to Braden Leonardo ’15, an Army officer stationed in San Antonio, where they’ve lived the past two years. In Oklahoma City, Tawnee crashed, quite literally, on the fourth obstacle, known as the diving board—the obstacle that ended the runs of 25 percent of all competitors, male and female, she said. Had she cleared the diving board, she would have advanced to the finals the next day. The show’s stiff competition, however, begins even before the athletes hit the course. ANW receives up to 80,000 applications each year and, from those, selects only 600 people to compete. Active in gymnastics and volleyball growing up, Tawnee began her ninja training in 2016, when she and Braden lived in El Paso. She would go rock climbing, do calisthenics, and train on obstacles she built herself in her backyard. Now, with the show’s growing popularity, ninja gyms are popping up across the country (San Antonio alone has three, she said), making training easier. Outside of competition, Tawnee works for Alpha Warrior, a fitness and obstacle-design company that tours US military bases to help service members improve their fitness. A health and physical education major, she has also taught phys ed at the elementary level—to children of military families on the El Paso base and, during the last school year, at a public school in San Antonio. Expecting a baby in December, she’s now taking time off from competition and said she’ll contemplate a return after next season. A Connellsville-area police officer, James Garlick M’17 coauthored a paper, “Reality Tour: Adult Attendees’ Perceptions about a Community Based Drug Prevention Program,” published in Juvenile
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and Family Court Journal in December. He joined the research project as an undergraduate at Penn State Fayette. After passing the exam in December, Alexis Murin ’17
Dan Charmo ’18 recently passed his drone pilot license exam, meeting Federal Aviation Administration criteria for flying small, unmanned aircraft systems. He became the first surveyor at Virginia-based Bohler Engineering licensed to use this technology within the surveying profession. In June, Austin Ortwein ’18 joined the Allentown Police Department. A member of the fourth generation of her family to attend IUP, Emily Tobin ’18 landed a full-time job as a fourth-grade special education teacher in Virginia’s Fairfax County Public Schools soon after she graduated last December. Preceding her at IUP were great-grandmother Ida Diehl Moore, who attended Indiana Normal School in the 1910s; grandparents Warner Tobin ’51 and Lois Moore Tobin ’51, who met in Sutton Hall’s Blue Room and returned to campus two decades later in academic roles—Warner as director and then chair of the University School; and parents Rob Tobin ’82 and Linda Drew Tobin ’85, who became acquainted in an IUP summer aquatics program and in marching band. Rob returned to campus in the last decade as operations director for food service provider Aramark. In addition, 19 of Emily’s aunts, uncles, and cousins are IUP
alumni. Photos appear on the Alumni Extra website. In March, Samantha Taylor M’18 presented a paper, “Public Archaeology at the Fort Germanna/Enchanted Castle Site,” at the Middle Atlantic Archaeology Conference in Maryland. The historical archaeological site is considered one of the most significant in Virginia. The IUP Economics Club hosted Luise Von Agris ’18 as a speaker in April. Former captain of the IUP women’s tennis team, Luise was working as a recruitment consultant at LMH Engineering in Düsseldorf, Germany. She was also exploring graduate studies in health care and medical management. The City of Lock Haven recently hired Hollsopple native Abbey Roberts ’19 as city planner. Jacob Vorhees CA’19 recently became executive chef at Bistro 71 in Chambersburg. His family owns the restaurant, along with Norland Pub and Norland Grille. Jacob was featured in the city’s Public Opinion newspaper.
REUNIONS IUP Homecoming will be October 5. Highlights include the Alumni and Friends Crimson Huddle and the Class of 1969 reunion. Find more details at www.alumni.iup.edu. Stewart Hall alumni from 1979-80 will hold a 40th anniversary reunion October 26 on the IUP campus. For more information, contact Dan Honkus ’83 at molly31790@ atlanticbb.net.
Joseph Waltenbaugh ’77 announced that the brothers of Alpha Chi Epsilon, Delta Tau, and Sigma Alpha Epsilon fraternities, active at IUP from 1969-79, will get together for a five-day Caribbean cruise leaving from Tampa on April 20, 2020. All former brothers and their families are invited. Details are at www.AXEDTSAE.com.
DEATHS 1938: Minerva Bechtold Antal, Sara Hess 1940: Laura Phillippi Gienger 1941: Mary Eby Kaufman 1942: Jean O’Hara O’Toole, Sara Ickes Sander 1944: Thelma Alveri Kosmach 1945: Henrietta Braucht Hagerty, Laura Lush King, Elaine Kautz Toscano 1947: Earle Holt 1948: Catherine Hobaugh Cline, Betty Coulter Phillips, Nellie Byers Reynolds 1949: Peter Hackett 1950: Jane Dunlap; Jane Whetstone Gorman 1951: James George, Helen Hillmar Johnson, Edward Long, Sarah Dunkle McClellan, Janet Kaufman Moxley, Theodore Sirko, Mary Ortman Valenti 1952: Janet Miller Chen, Betty Jane Rieger Hart, Nancy Giles Hogue, John McGlaughlin 1953: Esther Hall Agnew, Edward Clay, Mary Lou Furhrer Waltman 1954: Madeline Chuba Bunecicky, Leonard Holliday 1955: Martha Dietrick Brownfield, Dolores Vensel Larimer 1956: John Benson, Mary Ringler Cotter, George Glarner 1957: Nancy Penney, George Peschock, John Sbatella, Robert Sherman, Charles Woodson 1958: Robert Bulas, Marilyn Cole, David Einsel, Ruth Williams Murray, William Prentice, Daniel Stamler 1959: Faye Brown, Bernice McIlwain Gourley, Mary Ann Kraus Masek, William Northey, Linda Shupe Pohle 1960: Gara Newman
Branin, Sarah Wheeler Clark, Richard Lucas, Mary Mathias Sarbiewski, Gerard Sheridan, Harry Switzer, Theodore Young 1961: Donald Keefer 1962: Howard Allen, Walter Cuttler, Merle Elkin, Nancy Essick Head, John Milavec, Marilynn Weimer Reynolds (M), Charles Rupert, Paul Welch 1963: Patricia Young 1964: Carolyn Starr Gallaher, Ellen Henderson 1965: Lawrence Burd (M), William Fitzgerald, Geraldine Trostel, Eleanor Timmins Van Horne 1966: John Caldwell, Carol Frey, Wayne Walliser 1967: Diana Wagner Barnes, Gerald Segner, Richard Slick (M) 1968: Sandra Besaha 1969: Kurt Catob, Louis Fiorina, Mary Okerlund Kaczka, Christopher Knowlton (M)*, Barbara Rearick, Carol Evans Shields 1970: Ronald Pauline (M), Rosella Bailey Tripodi, Delores Gowetski Wassam 1971: Virginia Marks Markovich 1972: Dorothy Stutts Baurnes, Joseph Kovalcin, Thomas Lancaster, Doris Graham Manos (M), Marilyn Lyle, Dennis Mochan, Shirley Barnes Tate 1973: Ann Horney Cervo, Robert DiSibio (D), LaRue Brown Kensey, Jack Kozel, Margaret Gregory Minnick (M), Nancy E. Smith 1974: Deborah Lentz Bubak, Carole Dobies, Jess Rigby, Paul Urbain (M) 1975: Susan Quigley DiGirolamo, Marc Pliscof
1976: Ann Bittner, John Gordon, Timothy Grace, Barbara Raptosh 1977: William Balint (M), Mary Regina Bodimer-Brander, Dennis Bosworth, Shelley Dacey, Catherine Schiestle Elder 1978: Norman Berzonsky 1979: Betty Coleman, Mark Hill, Carol Stanton 1980: Kay Hunt, Julia McNamara, Gayle McNaul Miller 1981: Carol Rice Cameron, Paul Cipollone, Christopher Mitterer, Sandra Moon (M) 1982: Timothy Brennan 1983: John B. Jones, Janet Ledonne Cooley, Kimberly Weaver Dalmas, Mark Shreckengast 1984: David Crock, Scott Trayer, Barry Trusel 1985: Todd White 1986: Elizabeth Engstrom, Eleanor Gemballa (M), Lisetta Boccella Novicki 1987: Randy Fitzsimmons Deorio, Daniel Huber, Christine Moran 1988: Colleen Kennedy 1989: Gary Chiodo 1990: David Fleck, Valarie Jackson 1991: Cathy Lincoln Williams 1992: Kimberly Young (M) 1993: Lisa Douglass 1994: Stephen Johnston 1996: David Rushe 1999: Brenda Corcoran 2003: Donald Pardlow 2004: Irene Minser 2007: Adam Getty, Christopher Lawrence, Jeffrey Ricketts, James Tegethoff, Brian Tennant 2008: Benjamin Brubaker 2017: Nickolas Peterson
*current or former faculty member, staff member, or administrator Note: In cases in which an IUP degree beyond the bachelor’s degree was earned, only the first degree is indicated. Deaths of faculty members are reported in the Mentors section of this issue.
Other Deaths Ciara Eiriz, a senior from Pittsburgh majoring in fashion merchandising, died July 30, 2019. William Goss, a US government civil service employee who retired in 1990 after 23 years in IUP’s Military Science Department, died June 21, 2019. Joann Mallory, who retired from IUP Libraries in 2004 after eight years of service, died June 6, 2019. James Sprankle, who retired from IUP’s Carpentry Shop in 2001 after 18 years of service, died April 8, 2019. Brian Swatt, a junior from Mayfield majoring in political science, died June 7, 2019. He was a former president of IUP’s Student Government Association and a former student member of the Board of Governors of Pennsylvania’s State System of Higher Education. Todd Wheeler, a student in the Administration and Leadership Studies PhD program, died August 2, 2019.
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MENTORS performances across the country. Currently, he is working on a short film and on a horn concerto and ballet score based on paintings of Henri Rousseau.
Distinguished University Professor Scott Moore, chair of the History Department, is IUP’s 2019-20 Distinguished University Professor. An IUP faculty member since 2002, he is highly respected for his archaeological study of the Eastern Mediterranean. Moore both directs the PylaKoutsopetria Archaeological Project—a survey of the region around the modern village of Pyla, Cyprus—and serves as its lead ceramicist and historian. Six IUP graduate students and 23 undergraduates have assisted with the project. Moore also helped develop a new system for the classification of artifacts. During his IUP tenure, he has received more than $1 million in external grants and $90,000 in internal grants to fund his research. As Distinguished University Professor, Moore will create a model that shows how trade and commerce functioned on Cyprus during the time of the Roman Empire. Faculty members honored with this designation hold the title for life and receive a grant and a reduced teaching load for one year to assist with research and scholarship.
Senate Awards The University Senate presented four faculty and staff awards in May: David Martynuik, associate professor of music, received the Distinguished Faculty Award for Creative Arts. He joined IUP’s faculty as director of the marching band in 2001. His compositions have been featured in on-campus productions by groups such as the IUP Symphony Orchestra and Theater-by-the-Grove, as well as in
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Gail Sechrist, associate professor in the Geography and Regional Planning Department, received the Distinguished Faculty Award for Service. In her 33 years on the IUP faculty, she has been cochair of the UniversityWide Undergraduate Curriculum Committee for nearly two decades and a member of the University Planning Council for 17 years. She also advises IUP’s social studies education majors. In the community, she is active on the Indiana Borough Shade Tree Commission and in her church. History professor and department chair Scott Moore (see left) received the Distinguished Faculty Award for Research. Jessica Geletka Mulvihill ’02, D’16, assistant director for Education Abroad, received the Distinguished Staff Award for Service. She has helped students present their research internationally, planned a National Study Abroad Day, and researched practices that increase student success. Her other roles have included being a mentor for international educators and a national reviewer for study abroad scholarships. A member of the University Senate, Mulvihill has served as IUP’s president of the state university administrators’ union.
Triceratops Relative When University of Pennsylvania scientists bestowed the name Auroraceratops rugosus in 2005, all they knew about the small, bipedal dinosaur was based on a single skull. Fourteen years and many fossil discoveries later, the team has gotten to know the dinosaur better. IUP Biology faculty member Eric Morschhauser, who completed his PhD at Penn, is lead author of a recent Journal of Vertebrate Paleontology article that characterizes the dinosaur based on remains of more than 80 individual Auroraceratops. The authors say their research shows the transition of
ceratopsians, or horned dinosaurs, from bipeds in the early Cretaceous period to large, rhinoceros-like quadrupeds—such as the better-known Triceratops—in the late Cretaceous. Morschhauser joined the IUP faculty in 2016.
Finding Edith Edith Mayer Cord, a member of the IUP Foreign Languages faculty in the 1960s and ’70s, has a new book, Finding Edith: Surviving the Holocaust in Plain Sight. Published by Purdue University Press, it details her experiences growing up in Europe during World War II and evading religious persecution, often by living under a false identity. m
Faculty Deaths The following former faculty members died in recent months: Charles Bertness, who retired from the Mathematics Department in 2001 after 30 years of service, died April 9, 2019. Carl Davis, a professor emeritus who retired from the Health and Physical Education Department in 1994 after 25 years of service, died April 16, 2019. He coached the IUP basketball team for 14 years and the baseball team for three. Vincent Ferrara, a professor emeritus who retired from the Philosophy and Religious Studies Department in 2002 after 33 years of service, died November 25, 2018. Donald MacIsaac, a professor emeritus who retired from the Communications Media Department in 1982 after more than 21 years of service, died July 11, 2019. Robert Saylor, a professor emeritus who retired from the Counselor Education Department in 1983 after 22 years of service, died May 7, 2019. Carl Schneider, a professor emeritus and former chair of the Psychology Department who retired in 1999 after 28 years of service, died April 13, 2019. Lawrence “Rudy” Tucker, a professor emeritus who retired from the Health and Physical Education Department in 1990 after 22 years of service, died June 3, 2019.
Ed and Cecelia Mackey
Financial Intelligence Ed and Cecelia Mackey believe education serves as a catalyst to improve people’s lives. They are proud of the fact that the education they provided their children has enriched their lives and fostered great success; supporting IUP students perpetuates their desire to help others and make the world a better place. Recently, they and their children, who oversee the Mackey Family Charitable Trust, have invested in the preparation of future business leaders by supporting Eberly College of Business and Information Technology’s financial trading room. The room has been named in honor of the family.
In the fall of 2018, the Mackey family took a moment to pose in the Mackey Lobby, an area of the Kovalchick Convention and Athletic Complex named in recognition of the family’s support of the facility. From left are Loren Mackey Alico ’92, M’93, Cecelia and Ed Mackey, Lisa Mackey Thomas ’88, and Edward Mackey Jr.
If you, too, would like to transform lives through the Imagine Unlimited Campaign, please contact the University Advancement office at 724-357-5661 or visit www.iup.edu/imagine-unlimited.
“We met some of the business students on a tour and watched presentations they were making that day,” Ed said. “They were very smart.” The financial trading room provides students with up-to-the-minute news and financial information and access to a Bloomberg Terminal, an industry-grade, comprehensive data-monitoring and analytical tool that provides real-time movements in global markets. The gift reflects Ed’s own financial career as a senior vice president with Merrill Lynch. Supporting Eberly students adds to the Mackeys’ longtime support of IUP. Both Ed and Cecelia have served on the Foundation for IUP Board of Directors. They’ve created the Mackey Family Endowed Scholarship and supported the IUP Business Athletic Scholarship Program, as well as the renovation of Breezedale Alumni Center in the 1980s.
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READY FOR MORE In June, contractors rejuvenated Sutton Hall’s bell tower, replacing its decorative wood and repainting the entire structure. Now, it can weather the elements for years to come. The bell was installed in 1876.
HOMECOMING 2019 IS OCTOBER 5. www.iup.edu/homecoming
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