C A R D I N A L S T R I T C H U N I V E R S I T Y / M I LW A U K E E , W I S C O N S I N / I N T H E F R A N C I S C A N T R A D I T I O N
MAGAZINE
SPRING/SUMMER 2011
A different kind
of service
Veterans find new ways
to help others
Letter from the Board of Trustees
} Sara L. Woelfel
} Kou Vang, '04
University Creative Director
Contributing Writers } Brett Kell, '04
Director of Publications
Scott Rudie, '05
Senior Director of Communications
Charleen Engberg, Public Relations
Office Manager
Amanda Nack, '11
Public Relations Intern
Joel Cencius, '06, Director of
Alumni Relations
CLASS NOTES } Mary Rinehart
Executive assistant, University Advancement
Athletics } David Snieg
Director of Sports Information
Executive Editor
Art direction/Design
Dear Friends,
As chairman of the Board of Trustees, I have seen the
continued evolution of Cardinal Stritch University,
and I am delighted to have some space in this issue
of Stritch Magazine to highlight some significant
transitions and milestones in the storied history of
this institution.
As summer begins, the biggest news before us is
without question the arrival of our eighth president,
Dr. James Loftus. He joins us from St. Ambrose
University in Iowa, where he served as vice president
of enrollment management and student services. The
Search Committee’s recommendation of Dr. Loftus
last December was unanimous -- his collaborative
leadership style, solid experience and lifelong commitment to Catholic education were
impressive and an ideal match for the needs of this University. The Sisters of St. Francis
of Assisi, founders and sponsors of Stritch, enthusiastically approved the selection, and it
is with great excitement that we all move forward together in fulfillment of our mission.
On a personal note, I can say that my interactions with Dr. Loftus in the months since
his selection have only affirmed the wisdom of the choice, as his dedication to the job
before him is already obvious. He has made countless trips from Iowa to Milwaukee
to learn about Stritch – our students, our programs, our areas of strength, and our
opportunities for future growth. You can read a more complete introduction of
Dr. Loftus, his wife, Irene, and family in an article on page 2.
Dr. Loftus’ arrival means that the interim presidency of Kent Bergemann has drawn
to a close. There is no question that Stritch has experienced tremendous change and
transition in the last several years, and Mr. Bergemann has guided the University’s overall
course with exceptional commitment and expertise. His strong hand at the helm and
strategic approach to decision-making has served the University well. In recent months,
he has been of great assistance to Dr. Loftus, sharing his knowledge to provide for a
seamless leadership transition. I hope you will all join me in thanking Mr. Bergemann
for his quiet and faithful dedication to Stritch. Our University is stronger because of his
leadership – it represents a solid foundation upon which Dr. Loftus can build.
This important transition will be followed by an exciting milestone next year – the
75th anniversary of Stritch. We believe that by staying true to our identity as a Catholic
university in the Franciscan tradition, we will remain relevant for a long time to come.
For more details on how we will celebrate this momentous achievement, see page 38,
our website and future issues of Stritch Magazine.
Let me conclude by thanking you. Whether you are a graduate, faculty or staff member,
donor, or friend of Stritch, your enthusiasm, generosity and prayer all combine to
make our students’ experiences more rewarding. Together, we can and do enhance the
opportunities for students to access higher education, to pursue a dream, to improve
their position in the workplace and make a meaningful contribution to society.
Sincerely,
David Hawke
Chairman
Board of Trustees
Mission of Stritch Magazine
Published twice a year, Stritch Magazine serves as a
communications tool for sharing news, promoting
programs, recognizing people, conveying important
messages, and extending the reach of the Franciscan
values to Cardinal Stritch University’s primary
stakeholders, including alumni, donors, students
and friends of the institution. The content not only
informs, challenges and entertains readers, but also
strives to build and maintain connections, instill
pride, and reflect the academic rigor of the largest
Franciscan institution of higher education in
North America.
Stritch Magazine follows rules of copy editing
published in the Associated Press stylebook.
Address corrections and class notes
Send all changes of address or
alumni updates to:
Cardinal Stritch University
Alumni Relations, #99
6801 N. Yates Road
Milwaukee, WI 53217
E-mail: [email protected]
Phone: (414) 410-4939
www.stritch.edu/changeofinfo.aspx
Letters
To submit letters to the editor, write to:
Cardinal Stritch University
Public Relations, #92A
6801 N. Yates Road
Milwaukee, WI 53217
E-mail: [email protected]
Fax: (414) 410-4481
Letters may be published in a future issue of
Stritch Magazine unless “not for publication” is
written directly on the letter. The editorial staff may
edit letters for clarity and brevity.
ON THE COVER:
Image created and photographed by Kou Vang.
Table of Contents
Cover Story:
Veterans find new ways
to help others } 24
Features:
Trends: Plagiarism } 14
Alumnus Kieran Antill } 32
14
Notes and News:
New president Dr. James Loftus } 2
Centers of excellence } 4
Commencement } 5
Saint Francis of Assisi Chapel } 6
“African Americans & the Schools in Milwaukee” } 7
Student retreat programs } 8
Student achievements } 10
Deanie Vallone } 12
Sister Justine Peter } 13
“10 Perfect: A Lynching Survivor Story” } 31
Alumnae continue service home, abroad } 34
32
Athletics } 16
College of Arts and Sciences } 17
College of Education and Leadership } 20
Ruth S. Coleman College of Nursing } 21
College of Business and Management } 23
34
Alumni News:
Events and news } 37
New board members } 39
Class notes } 41
Contest } 40
Guest essay:
Catholic Relief Services works quietly, effectively } 44
Exclusives
>> China adoptions – The summer 2006 issue of Stritch
Magazine introduced the extraordinary family of Peter and
Kellie Liacopoulos, who adopted five special-needs children
from China. Learn how their story continues to unfold.
>> Pilgrimage for vets – A new pilgrimage program
tailored to veterans follows the footsteps of St. Francis and
offers opportunities for healing and reflection.
>> Alumni trip group – A group of alumnae from the
Class of 1970 have kept close ties since graduation. A photo
gallery of some of their gatherings and vacations is online.
>> Art alums – Some of the alumni artists featured in
the spring 2010 cover story have news to share. Read about
their latest updates.
Find more stories and images at www.stritch.edu/magazine,
including the following Web exclusives:
>> Genomics
– Stritch
is part of a nationwide
WEb
exclusives:
consortium The
of universities
that
engagescan
undergraduate
following stories
be
science students
in original
genomics research.
found
at
www.stritch.edu/magazine:
>> Music instructors – Two members of the music
>>
Follow-ups
to connections
previous to lead
faculty are using
their
professional
stories:
students to magazine
new opportunities.
>>
Civil Rights Pilgrimage
>> Sister2010
Justine Peter – A feature about Sister
senior
>> Lisa-Marie
alderoneJustine Peter’s
seminar C
classes
and their unique topics
appeared in Stewart
a 2001 issue of Stritch Magazine. Enjoy revisiting
this original New
story stories:
online after reading about her retirement
this
>> issue.
Helping Haiti Efforts
on page 13 of
>> Poetry – Student Carl McCorkle’s award-winning
poem, “The Art of Vinyl,” won an honorable mention in the
poetry category of the Delta Epsilon Sigma National Writing
Competition. Read his submission online.
Stritch Magazine Spring/Summer 2011
1
Fit for the job
Loftus greets Chancellor and former president
Sister Camille Kliebhan, OSF, shortly after his
introduction in December.
b y S c o tt R u d i e
Last summer, a group of Stritch men’s
soccer players were practicing outdoors
near the Fieldhouse when they were greeted
by two enthusiastic campus visitors.
This husband and wife approached the
students who were practicing on the lawn
and asked what they thought of Stritch.
“A great place,” one of the students replied.
“Great people and a great sense of
openness and community,” another said.
The couple thanked them and continued inside
the Fieldhouse, where they were greeted by John
Pffafl, women’s basketball coach, who took them
on an impromptu tour of the athletic facilities.
The players and coach assumed that the
pair were parents of a prospective student.
They were wrong. Unbeknownst to them,
they had just met and talked with Dr. James
Loftus, the future president of Cardinal
Stritch University, and his wife, Irene.
For the Loftuses, it was an unannounced
“stealth” visit – an opportunity to tour
the campus “under the radar” while still
considering the position of president.
The positive energy they experienced
that day could not be dismissed.
“My wife and I were in Michigan visiting one of
our daughters and I suggested that we pay Stritch
a visit,” he said. “Everyone was extremely cordial
and welcoming. The interactions that day only
PHOTO: TROY FREUND
New president Dr. James Loftus
embraces University’s community focus,
Catholic Franciscan tradition
strengthened my interest in Stritch.”
Loftus began his tenure as Stritch’s
president July 1. He joins Stritch from
St. Ambrose University in Davenport,
Iowa, where he served as vice president
of enrollment management and
student services. He holds a Ph.D.
in planning, policy and leadership
studies from the College of Education
at the University of Iowa and both
an M.B.A. and a B.A. in psychology
from the University of Notre Dame.
Although Loftus is interested in
taking the next career step by leading
a university, he was cognizant that
a sense of fit was paramount in
considering any opportunity.
“I first became aware of the job when
I was approached by a friend who was
eager to ‘nominate’ me,” he recalled.
“When I read the job profile, I was
very excited about the opportunity. I
felt my experience would be an asset
to Stritch, and that the University’s
values, vision and mission would
be something I could embrace.”
In particular, he was intrigued by the
unique manner in which Stritch engages
the external community and provides
service and opportunity to those who
may otherwise be neglected or left out.
“The strengths abound,” he said.
“I think that the history of Stritch
has shown that the University has
been highly responsive to local
and regional educational needs,
and that is commendable. “
As his discernment continued,
the perception that the job was an
excellent match only intensified.
“Any time that you make a significant
life decision such as this, you seek
counsel from family, friends and
colleagues,” he said. “They all added
up in a unanimous way and said it
would be a great job for me. The
search firm had gotten to know me
as well and was very supportive
that I would be a good fit.”
As Loftus begins his tenure as Stritch
president, he draws from extensive
experience to examine both the
challenges and opportunities facing
not only Stritch, but all institutions of
higher education. Loftus has worked
as an associate recruitment consultant
with Noel-Levitz in Littleton, Colo., and
Iowa City, Iowa, as well as a consultantevaluator with the Higher Learning
Commission of the North Central
Association of Colleges in Chicago.
“At a national level, affordability is a
major concern for private institutions,”
he said. “The numbers of students
attending private higher education
is declining. But I think there’s a real
opportunity in that to reinforce the
positives of private higher education.
And, for Stritch, that of course means
emphasizing the unique benefits of a
Catholic higher educational experience.”
Experience allows him to see those
emerging trends, and other areas
where Stritch can take advantage.
“What I need to do is come in and
embrace the external community,” he
said. “I think we need to lift up the face
of Stritch to increase the community’s
overall awareness. Humility is a virtue,
but there are many people who are
not aware of the profound quality
that a Stritch education represents.
It takes a concerted effort to invite
people to be part of the University
on a continuing basis. I think I’m
pretty genuine, and I hope that people
will find my message appealing.”
He is excited about continued
University growth, but that
growth must be strategic.
“I don’t want us to be in a position
of weakness by trying to be all things
to all people, so the University
has to know its strengths when
tapping into new areas,” he said.
This new phase of Loftus’ life also
represents, of course, the conclusion
of another, as he had been with
St. Ambrose University since 1990. In
addition to his vice presidential position
there, he also served as director of
degree completion for adults, director
of professional development, director
of the Master of Pastoral Studies
program, assistant dean of continuing
education, and an adjunct instructor.
“It’s very much the best of both
worlds,” he said. “There’s tremendous
excitement but also comfort in moving
Loftus and
his wife, Irene.
on to what we know, which is Catholic
higher education in the Midwest.”
This significant transition is shared
by Loftus’ wife, Irene, an attorney
and the former chancellor of the
Diocese of Davenport, and their four
daughters – Bridget, 23; Kathleen, 21;
Molly, 18; and Claire, 15, who will
finish high school in Wisconsin.
“All of her sisters have grown up
in Davenport, so Claire’s making
a big move,” he said. “But she’s
been a real gamer. We’re looking
forwarding to establishing roots
in the Milwaukee community by
joining a parish and pursuing other
civic opportunities. Everybody has
told us how great Milwaukee is.”
When he has a rare moment for
relaxation away from Stritch, he enjoys
golfing, jogging, or reading mystery
novels. A Chicago White Sox fan,
Loftus is nonetheless excited about
watching the Milwaukee Brewers
— his new favorite National League
team — at Miller Park this summer.
Although Loftus can never again be
the anonymous observer he was during
his campus visit a year ago, the careful
listening will continue and remain a
fundamental element of his leadership.
“It’s important for me to get a sense
of the culture and the constituencies
at the University,” he said. “I want
to make decisions for the University
that are mission-centric, and that
necessitates a full appreciation
and deep understanding.
“I want to ensure that Stritch takes
its rightful place in Catholic higher
education, but I do believe that it is
the people — students, alumni, faculty,
and staff — who make up a successful
community. They make that happen.”
Centers
of
excellence
Five units active with new initiatives, partnerships
Stritch’s Leadership Center, Saint Clare Center for Catholic Life, Franciscan
Center, Center for Calling and Engagement, and Literacy Centers each have
new endeavors that keep them connected to their respective disciplines and in
the greater Milwaukee community:
Leadership Center
Hispanic Professionals of
Greater Milwaukee partnership
The Leadership Center has formed a partnership with the
600-member Hispanic Professionals of Greater Milwaukee
(HPGM) to create programming that will help Hispanic
leaders become catalysts for positive transformation of the
region. Newly designed leadership and management offerings
will use networking, seminars, assessments and coaching to
amplify the voice and effectiveness of Latinos in corporate and
nonprofit leadership roles. The Leadership Center will unveil
specific programs in August.
These programs aim to address the disconnection between
the Hispanic population and leadership. Only 4 percent of
nonprofit executives and 1 percent of corporate executives
are Hispanic, despite the fact that from 2000-10, the Hispanic
population in Wisconsin grew by 74 percent. According to
Census data, the city of Milwaukee is now 17 percent Hispanic.
American Indian Leadership Program
The center also received a recent grant of $40,000 from the
Forest County Potawatomi Foundation to initiate planning
for an American Indian Leadership Program. The center
is recruiting American Indians from across the state to be
involved in the planning process.
The initial objectives of the center are to gather existing
local and national data, and conduct a statewide survey of
American Indians on leadership. The project will involve
eight sets of focus groups with various stakeholders, such
as elders, women, inter-tribal, and others. The focus groups
will be an opportunity to consult with American Indians,
gather data that will shape program content, build awareness
of the initiative, and begin identifying potential program
participants.
Saint Clare Center for Catholic Life
New series on faith and work
The Saint Clare Center for Catholic Life hosted 72 local
professionals at the Milwaukee Athletic Club on April 15 for
the breakfast presentation “Beyond a Career: Living Your
Profession as a Vocation.” Dr. Michael Naughton shared his
expertise in Catholic thought and the workplace. The event was
the first in a new series that will offer Catholic professionals the
opportunity to reflect on important topics of faith and work.
Using a formula similar to other events it already delivers
for lay ministers in the Church, the center hopes to offer this
series three times annually for area Catholic business, civic,
healthcare, legal and educational professionals. It will feature
prominent scholars who will illuminate Catholic principles in
light of workplace and marketplace realities. A planning team
is currently scheduling the 2011-12 dates and working on a title
for the series.
Sustaining the Mission program
The center also has created a new program for the religious
education certification of Catholic school teachers in the
Archdiocese of Milwaukee that will take effect this summer,
replacing the previous system of certification. The Sustaining
the Mission program differs from the old clock hour system
in that it provides a core curriculum – rather than making
individual choices from a variety of offerings, teachers now
will progress through core classes tailored to specific faith
formation needs.
Classes, which begin on Aug. 22, will be delivered to school
clusters or districts at in-service days, or one Saturday each
semester at Stritch for any teachers making up missed sessions.
The center will select instructors from around the Archdiocese
and work with them to establish consistency within the
curriculum. The decision to use this new approach to religious
education certification was made by Dr. Kathleen Cepelka,
superintendent of Catholic schools, and Sue Nelson, director
of the Academics and Faith Center of Excellence, with input
from others including representatives of the five Catholic
colleges and universities that comprise the Greater Milwaukee
Catholic Education Consortium (GMCEC) – Stritch, Alverno
College, Marian University, Marquette University and Mount
Mary College.
Franciscan Center
Stritch’s Franciscan Center has added documents on about
8,000 men and women of the Franciscan tradition, collected
by Father Francis Dombrowski, OFM Cap. This information is
available in the center’s library, and will soon be available online.
In total, the center’s library contains 6,800 titles pertaining to
the Franciscan tradition and 4,600 of these have been added to
the TOPCAT library catalog and the Online Computer Library
Center (OCLC).
Sister Margaret Klotz, OSF, director of the center since 1997,
will be celebrating her 50th year of profession with the Sisters
of St. Francis of Assisi on July 31.
Entrepreneur and author Sweeney
speaks at commencement
Event includes first-ever student speaker
Center for Calling and Engagement
This spring, 15 students from the Center for
Calling and Engagement’s Urban Fellows Program,
which provides undergraduate students with field
placement and service-learning internships each
year, served as mentors and tutors in the Stritch
Center for Opportunities and Promise in Education
(SCOPE) Prep Program, a pre-college program
designed to engage elementary-age students
in activities that build their interest in
attending college.
The program served 25 students at the Greentree
Teutonia Community Learning Center over the course
of 10 weeks. Participants were drawn primarily from
within the existing housing development, home to
more than 170 eligible children ages 6 through 14.
The School of Urban Initiatives, which is part of
Stritch’s College of Education and Leadership, began
the program with a $70,000 grant from the Great Lakes
Higher Education Guaranty Corporation on behalf
of the Wisconsin College Access Challenge
Grant Program.
Literacy Centers
Members of Stritch’s School of Urban Initiatives
and the Literacy Centers have partnered with the
Lindsay Heights Children’s Success Coalition of public,
choice and charter schools to advance education and
professional staff development initiatives in the Lindsay
Heights neighborhood on Milwaukee’s near north side.
During the 2011-12 school year, 15 teachers from
coalition schools are taking advanced coursework in
literacy assessment and intervention taught by Literacy
Centers faculty through the Wisconsin Improvement
of Teacher Quality grant. They will then apply these
strategies with individual struggling readers and within
their classrooms, and will also receive coaching through
biweekly collaborations with Literacy Centers faculty.
In connection with the master’s and doctoral degree
programs in literacy offered by the School of Urban
Initiatives, the centers have also begun a collaboration
with researchers at the University of WisconsinMadison exploring literacy acquisition in students
whose first language is African-American English.
This summer, a student in the Language and Literacy
master’s program is conducting an action research
project seeking innovative intervention strategies that
address dialectic differences in reading proficiency
acquisition. Subsequent plans include a doctoral-level
pilot furthering this research strand.
New York Times bestselling author Joe Sweeney
spoke at Stritch’s spring commencement ceremony
May 15 at the U.S. Cellular Arena in downtown
Milwaukee. Approximately 370 students participated
in the ceremony.
A former sports agent and author
of "Networking is a Contact Sport,"
Sweeney is managing director of
Corporate Financial Advisors
(CFA), a Milwaukee investment
banking firm. During the past 30
years, he has owned and operated
four manufacturing companies
in several industries and founded
SMG, a sports management firm
that represented and advised coaches
and professional athletes. His more
than two dozen clients have included Brett Favre, LeRoy Butler,
Ron Dayne, and others.
Sweeney playfully presented Stritch President Dr. James Loftus,
who is a Chicago Bears fan, with an Aaron Rodgers Green Bay
Packers jersey during the commencement ceremony. The two
men know each other from their days at the University of Notre
Dame. Sweeney welcomed Loftus, his wife, Irene, and family
to Milwaukee and to Stritch. He told the audience, “You’re not
going to like him; you’re going to love him.”
In addition to Loftus, Sweeney has other connections to
Stritch. His wife, Tami, works for Life Productions, which has
produced several promotional videos for the University in
recent years. He also is a friend of Dr. Tia Bojar, executive vice
president for academic affairs, and Sister Camille Kliebhan,
OSF, Ph.D., Stritch chancellor and past president, who said that
Sweeney lives the lessons he shares in his book.
“He’s been a wonderful friend for years,” she
said. “He’s so thoughtful and eager to be of
service to others. He has always gone out of
his way to be kind to me and those around
him, and I am truly blessed to know him.”
Also at the event, English/writing major
Vincenzo Balistreri was the first-ever
student speaker. He served as president
of Sigma Tau Delta, Stritch’s international
English honor society, and the Working Titles Writing Society.
He also was a participant in the Student Commitment Project
with WISN Channel 12 and is a mentor for Milwaukee Film’s
Collaborative Cinema Project, in which he advises high school
students on screenwriting. A past winner of the organization’s
Collaborative Cinema Screenplay Contest, he guides one
student each year through the process of turning a script into a
short film shown at the Milwaukee Film Festival.
Stritch Magazine Spring/Summer 2011
5
Construction underway on
Sacred spaces at Stritch have always been important, but haven’t always
been adequate. Because of the vision of the Sisters of St. Francis of Assisi,
the efforts of a group of students and the generosity of a small group
of donors, a larger worship space on campus became a reality when
construction of the Saint Francis of Assisi Chapel began in late May.
The new chapel will be a modern facility with a central
location that reaffirms the University’s ongoing commitment
to its Franciscan Catholic identity. In 1962, when the main
campus moved to its current location, the basement chapel was
considered by the Sisters to be temporary. It wasn’t until 2007
that the chapel moved to the first floor of Bonaventure Hall,
where participation in daily and weekend Mass, Praise and
Worship services, and other University events grew beyond the
capacity of the space.
Upon its completion, the Saint Francis of Assisi Chapel will be
able to accommodate 160 people, four times the capacity of the
present space. It also will serve as a gathering space for Masses;
student musicians and cantors who meet weekly for Praise and
Worship; University gatherings; Sacramental ceremonies such
as baptisms, confirmations and weddings; and more.
Last December, sophomore Audrey Edwards sent a letter to
interim president Kent Bergemann and the Board of Trustees
describing the need for a larger chapel. It bore the signatures
of 60 students and renewed the desire for a permanent
chapel first expressed by the Sisters in 1962. Mike Brauer,
vice president of University Advancement, heard of Audrey’s
letter and envisioned a unique opportunity to transform the
southern wing of the second floor promenade of Bonaventure
Hall into a chapel.
Thanks to the generosity of donors Al and Anita Costigan;
Tom and Lynne VanHimbergen; Dan and Eileen Meehan;
Joanne, ’88, and Bob Anderson; Souheil, ’88, ’97, and Lisa, ’87,
’90, Badran; and Suzanne Felan, ’69, 100 percent of the funds
needed for construction have been committed.
Groth Design of Cedarburg, Wis., is supplying architecture
and C.G. Schmidt of Milwaukee is handling construction.
It is anticipated that construction will be completed by early
September. The worship space will be formally dedicated
Tuesday, Oct. 4, during the Feast of St. Francis. Milwaukee
Archbishop Jerome Listecki is slated to preside over
the ceremony.
Dahlk publishes comprehensive account
of African-Americans and the Milwaukee
Public Schools b y S c o tt R u d i e
While employed as a reading and social studies
teacher in the Milwaukee Public Schools, Bill
Dahlk was in the advantageous position of
watching a significant story in Milwaukee
history unfold around him, even as he taught
history within the classroom.
Dahlk, who taught in MPS from 1969 to 1996,
came of age during the Civil Rights era,
and quickly found himself an observer
in the struggle of African-Americans to
integrate the Milwaukee schools.
“I was at MPS and I saw those changes
all around me,” said Dahlk, who is an
adjunct instructor in Stritch’s history
department.
After two decades of research, interviews
and investigation, Dahlk published
the result last fall: “Against the Wind:
African Americans and the Schools in
Milwaukee, 1963-2002."
In the book, Dahlk traces the history of
African-Americans within the Milwaukee
school system. He begins with the early
days of desegregation, when NAACP
lawyer Lloyd Barbee filed a lawsuit that
challenged segregation in the Milwaukee Public
Schools. He continues through the tenures of
African-American superintendents Robert
Peterkin (1988-91) and Howard Fuller (1991-95).
The book reports on the community struggles
surrounding school integration and how it
ultimately had a dramatic impact on the nature of
education in the metro Milwaukee area.
“It is not clear that all blacks were gung-ho about
integration,” he said. “There were many groups
that were big on self-determination.”
While many whites offered verbal support, a
demographic analysis reveals otherwise. White
children were still a majority in MPS in 1976,
but represented around 15 percent of the student
population in 2002.
He is pleased that he was able to fill the book
with oral history, a product of an exhaustive
series of 130 interviews. For example, Fuller was
interviewed by Dahlk three times.
Dahlk’s interest in the topic slowly emerged over
time. During summer breaks from teaching, he
was a counselor at a children’s center in Harlem
from 1965 to 1968, where he worked with AfricanAmerican and Hispanic youth.
“This piqued an interest for me in black history,
and I picked up a lot on my own,” he said.
In 1989, when he was working on his master’s
degree at the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee,
he chose Milwaukee school desegregation as the
focus of his dissertation.
A deep interest and emerging expertise resulted
from that dissertation. Dahlk found himself
motivated to continue to research the topic,
although that process was closer to being a hobby
than a clearly defined book project.
The process of writing was slow at times, he
recalled. His duties teaching within MPS and
then, beginning in 1997, Cardinal Stritch
University, often kept him away from the project
for extended periods.
In addition, he had no interested publisher for
most of the years he was working on the project.
“I had no backing,” Dahlk said. “It was all on
my own.”
The University of Wisconsin Press turned down
the manuscript for being “too local.” However,
Marquette University Press indicated interest in
2000, and it was another 10 years before he finally
could enjoy the completion of an extremely timeconsuming but personally significant project.
“Closure was important,” he said.” “It was a
very hodgepodge kind of thing. It was much
more circular than it was linear. In the end, I’m
fairly satisfied.”
Dahlk’s book is available for purchase at the University Bookstore as well as on Amazon.com. To read an extended
OnMilwaukee.com interview with Dahlk regarding the book, visit www.onmilwaukee.com/buzz/articles/dalhkbook.html.
Stritch Magazine Spring/Summer 2011
7
Retreat
provides
forum for
student faith
discussion
Campus Ministry programs continue to grow under the leadership of director Jon Metz
and an enthusiastic student body who openly discuss their values and beliefs through
their involvement in Masses and worship experiences, programming, and service.
In January, students developed and led the “Illuminate”
retreat, attracting 37 students to spend a weekend at the
Saint Vincent Pallotti Retreat Center in Elkhorn, Wis. Metz
said retreat attendance is increasing every year, and he gives
credit for that growth to the student leaders.
She explained that her relationship with God and
the support of those who care about her helped her
understand that everyone has challenges that are part of
their identity and, by experiencing darkness, people can
better appreciate the light.
Despite Stritch’s Catholic identity, Metz said half of students
who attended the retreat came from other faiths. An
important goal for the event was to be welcoming and nonjudgmental and to provide activities that were intentionally
designed to encourage open conversation about spirituality.
The students purposely included an assortment of ways to
pray, including a traditional Mass, a contemporary praise
and worship service, and a meditative Taizé prayer. The
varied activities involved witness talks and discussion about
how participants would bring the light back to Stritch.
“The retreat for me was truly a life-changing experience,”
Kling said. “Growing up I really struggled with my epilepsy,
and I was worried that if I revealed that part of myself
when I came to college that people would judge me. In
reality though, when I gave my talk, I had an overwhelming
amount of support from everyone on the retreat. It was
really an amazing feeling to take that leap of faith and have
it pay off in more ways than I expected.”
Freshman Monica Kling, who had not spoken publicly
about having epilepsy before, decided that the retreat
was the right time to speak. She presented a thoughtful
presentation about how the condition made her feel
“broken” and alone.
“I wanted to tell my story about my lifelong experience with
epilepsy to show the people on the retreat that sometimes
bad things happen to good people, but the bad things can
help us grow,” Kling said.
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Stritch Magazine Spring/Summer 2011
Metz said the outpouring of support for Kling
is indicative of Stritch’s welcoming, nurturing community.
“Community is a priority at Stritch,” Metz said. “We do
not take a pushy or demanding approach. Being a caring
community involves meeting students where they are at,
welcoming them for who they are, and engaging them in
meaningful conversation about their faith.”
PHOTOS: KOU VANG
B y C h arleen E N G B E R G
Getting on board the LeaderSHIP
Retreat program encourages student engagement
Each spring for the past four years, a student leadership
program offered by Stritch’s student development office
and the Center for Student Leadership and Involvement has
helped students engage in campus activities and explore ways
to improve their personal leadership skills, enabling them to
become effective student leaders.
Each year, the retreat rejuvenates current
leaders and develops new ones who go on
to become active members of the Stritch
community. The students learn from each
other and build friendships, leadership
skills and a greater sense of empathy.
“Every person has darkness they have to face;
no one is perfect,” Kling said. ‘"Illuminate’
gave me more confidence, a better attitude
about the semester, and showed me how
great the people here at Stritch are. I am
truly blessed.”
The LeaderSHIP program consists of three half-day, on-campus retreats that help
students discover their leadership style, learn about opportunities on campus,
create an action plan to achieve leadership goals, interact with a student leader
mentor, and more. Each session examines a different area of leadership and helps
students identify their strengths and weaknesses, enhance their leadership character
awareness through personal and group activities, and connect with other students,
University departments and administrators.
The program is based on the book, “The Leadership Challenge,” by Jim Kouzes and
Barry Posner, which serves as a model for leadership and outlines specific practices
and characteristics that leaders have in common.
With a focus on first- and second-year students, the program runs concurrently
with the hiring process for campus leadership positions such as resident and
community assistants, orientation leaders, summer staff members, and workers at
the Assisi and Clare residence halls’ front desks, The Bean (the student-run coffee
house), and the Den (residence hall lounge). They also learn about opportunities
with the Student Government Association, Athletics and more.
“Our goal is not only to inform students of what opportunities there are, but to help
them build the capacity to lead in areas that meet their interests,” said Jenni Herrick,
director of the Center for Student Leadership and Involvement. “If we can empower
them to help effect positive change, then they have succeeded.”
For the past two years, there have been 20-30 students in the program, each
receiving a certificate of completion. Senior graphic design major Rachel Babiak
completed the program in 2009 and said that it helped her become more aware of
what opportunities were available and how her skills could be used effectively.
“I really enjoyed being a part of the LeaderSHIP program because it helped me get
involved on campus and break out of my shell,” she said. “Because of the program,
I joined SGA as a senator and then became secretary the next year. I also joined the
orientation staff and the residence life staff. I always recommend the program to
other students because it really helps.”
Stritch Magazine Spring/Summer 2011
9
Students stand out in
leadership, service, academics
Throughout the academic year, students have served, traveled,
received awards, been elected to new positions and excelled in
many ways. The following are among the highlights from the year.
For more information, see www.stritch.edu/magazine.
Habitat for Humanity
During spring break, 25 students traveled
to West Virginia for a week to participate in
Habitat for Humanity projects. The 19 female
students worked on a Women’s Build, a house
solely constructed by women, and they met the
mother of four who will be living in the house.
The students who joined chaperones Jon Metz,
director of Campus Ministry, and Jenni Herrick,
director of the Center for Student Leadership
and Involvement, are: Sessie Agbley, Dana
Benvenuto, Ryan Brandon, Melissa Brown,
Adam Butler, Stephanie Coker, Cathy Feldkamp,
Sarah Fischer, Vicki Gott, Cassie Goulais, Emily
Grunwaldt, Austin Gundlach, Kaitlyn Luangrath,
Olivia Rose Ludwiczak, Hallie Morris, Cori
Myszka, Zara Nehls, Roman Ramirez Jr., Anna
Robinson, Amanda Schmidt, Steven S. Thomas,
Ryan James Treviranus, and Marie Weiss.
Student Government
Association 2011-2012
Executive Board Members:
President:
Mark Sparks
Vice President of Legislative Assembly:
Elle Dickhut
Vice President of Clubs and
Organizations:
Danielle Ladzekpo
Vice President of Communication:
Ryan Brandon
Vice President of Finance:
Richard Turnquist
Stritch Student Awards 2011
Pace e Bene Award: Anna Robinson
Multicultural Image Award: Michelle Goulais, Keania Nwambo
Dr. Robert Flahive Essay Award: Amy Croatt
Samuel Cardinal Stritch Award: Michelle Streed
Sister Camille Kliebhan Award: Allen Danielowski
Dr. Teresa Kelly Outstanding Capstone Research
Paper Award: Amanda Hoffman
Sister Joanne Kliebhan Awards: Consuelo Roybal and
Jerome Molitor, College of Arts and Sciences; Sandra Van
Den Heuvel, Ruth S. Coleman College of Nursing; Erin
Walcheske, College of Business and Management
Also awarded at Honors Convocation:
Staff of the year: Jon Metz, director of Campus Ministry
Educator of the year: Dr. Lance Richey
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Stritch Magazine Spring/Summer 2011
Who’s Who
The following students were accepted into
Who’s Who Among Students in American
Universities and Colleges for the 2010-11
academic year: Rachel Babiak, Nana Yaa
Asantewa Bartels, Cariss J. Powell, Joseph L. Sipe,
Madeleine M. Swart, Dean-Louise Vallone.
Delta Epsilon Sigma
Writing major Carl McCorkle received an
honorable mention for his poem, “The
Art of Vinyl,” in the national Delta Epsilon
Sigma writing contest in spring. See his
poem at www.stritch.edu/magazine.
Midwestern Psychological
Association Award
Student psychology major Diandrea Reske
and graduates Selenthia Vance, ’10, and
Ashlee Wandrey, ’10, received a prestigious
Regional Research Award from Midwestern
Psychological Association for research last year
for their Experimental Psychology class. They
presented their paper, “The Ability to Perceive
Briefly Presented Visual Stimuli,” in May at the
association’s annual meeting in Chicago. With
440 total abstracts submitted, the association
gave awards only to the top five percent.
Three other students, Marina Novakovic,
Kristin Stodola and Nikquan Lewis, also
presented their research at the conference.
Model UN
This year’s Model United Nations participants
included Melissa Zellmer, head delegate;
Stephanie Coker; Stacy Nelson; Thomas
Rabbitt; Peter Roden; and Robert Spoden.
The group traveled to St. Louis in February
for the 51st Midwest Model U.N. Conference,
where they represented Argentina.
Civil Rights Pilgrimage
During winter break, Stritch students visited Atlanta; Montgomery, Selma, and
Birmingham, Ala.; and Memphis for a pilgrimage experience at various sites
of significance in civil rights history. This photo, taken on the steps of Brown
Chapel in Selma, includes: (back row) Nathan Jaeckels, Dana Benvenuto,
Maria von Arx (staff member), Sam Bazan; (second row from back) Michelle
Goulais, Alison Jablonsky, Johanna Chanthamany, Emily Grunwaldt, Becky
Thorn, Beth Ziolkowski, Stacy Chapman; (second row) Cassie Goulais, Robin
Kappel, Marcie Weiss, Cathy Feldkamp, Janat Davis (staff); (front row) Sam
Walker (tour guide and original member of the 1965 Selma March), the Rev.
Dr. Trinette McCray (staff), Maxine Lederhaus, Jenni Herrick (staff).
Student broadcasting awards
Communication Arts students Kendrick Batton, Scott Wegener, Jeremy Lewis
and Dawn Hale-Harvey won third place honors in the Long Form Production
Non-News Television category in the annual Wisconsin Broadcasters Association
Student Awards for Excellence contest in March. The award recognizes their
Web show “Fan-damonium,” which was produced for WISN TV and
WISN.com in conjunction with the CA318 Television Reporting, Writing and
Producing class. In addition, Batton won in the Radio News Story category
for his radio story “Faith Filled Soldier,” which aired on Relevant Radio.
Student Franciscan Pilgrimage
In January, nine students traveled to Italy on the annual
pilgrimage available through a collaboration with the Association
of Franciscan Colleges and Universities. Pictured at left are:
(back row, left to right) Gabriel Del Toro, Tashico
May, Father Jim Gannon, Elle Dickhut, Zara Nehls,
Jennifer Herrick (not a Stritch student), Claire
Wolf (Stritch alumna and pilgrimage intern)
(front row, left to right) Ella Alston (not a Stritch student),
Anna Robinson, Audrey Edwards, Trevor Rees, Anthony Horzon,
John Chengary (student and pilgrimage intern), Brian Jens.
Stritch Magazine Spring/Summer 2011
11
Writing student wins scholarship
for graduate study at Cambridge
Deanie Vallone, ’11, has won the
prestigious Council of Independent
Colleges’ Davies-Jackson Scholarship
for 2011.
As the recipient of this national award,
Vallone will begin graduate study in
England this October at St. John’s
College, one of the most renowned
of about 30 colleges comprising
Cambridge University.
The Davies-Jackson Scholarship is
awarded annually and provides a
unique opportunity for exceptional
graduating seniors who are firstgeneration college students. It covers
all fees and expenses, including room
and board as well as travel to and from
England, for up to two years of graduate
study. The scholarship is valued at $50,000.
Vallone, an English and creative
writing graduate, initially learned
of the opportunity from Dr. Maureen
McKnight, chair of the English department at Stritch. Vallone was not sure
about her chances, but she eventually
submitted the application.
“It was one of those big opportunities that
I knew I had to take advantage of, but I
put it off for quite a while,” she said.
The summer months will be spent
preparing for a new phase of her life on
the other side of the Atlantic, an image
that has her quite enthused.
“I have been to Scotland and Ireland
but never England,” she said. “I’m
very excited because I had
some experience in being
in that kind of culture and
it’s made me even more
excited about this fall.”
During her time at
Stritch, Vallone has
served as a writing intern
at the Pabst Mansion, as
a playwright for Bunny
Gumbo Theatre, as
an editor for Stritch’s
literary magazine, Clare,
and as a book reviewer
for HarperCollins First Look Program.
She is a member of the Delta Epsilon
Sigma National Scholastic Honor Society
and the Sigma Tau Delta English and
Writing Honor Society.
She has won numerous writing awards.
One of her poems placed first in the 2010
Delta Epsilon Sigma national writing
competition and was published in an
issue of the DES Journal. She also entered
a poem in the competition in 2008,
earning a second-place award.
Vallone, who enjoys writing fiction,
poetry and plays, discovered her writing
talent during high school. She entered
the school’s writing competition every
year and won each time, sometimes in
multiple categories. Realizing “writing
is my thing,” Vallone started thinking
of career possibilities, which led her to
Stritch’s writing major.
“Cambridge relies a lot on writing and
studying, and I think both my high school
and Stritch have pushed me,” she said. “I
liked that Stritch had such a small, closeknit community because I was able to
work closely with my professors.”
While her current focus is on Cambridge
University, Vallone also has her eye on
her future. With writing as one possibility,
she also may pursue editing and is open
to whatever opportunities come her way.
“My dream career would be to write,”
she said. “I’ve considered working and
writing with theater companies and
possibly going into a career like that.
I’m hoping that being at Cambridge will
open me up to other opportunities that I
had not otherwise thought of.”
Sister Justine Peter is history
Retirement closes 52-year
teaching career at Stritch
When asked why she is retiring after 52 years of teaching
history at Stritch, Sister Justine Peter, OSF, Ph.D., ’50,
offered one of her characteristic colorful and
thought-provoking answers.
“I don’t need to be the dog in the manger
anymore,” she said, referring to the Aesop’s
fable in which a dog stands guard of a hayfilled manger, preventing cattle from eating
their food. “I just think it’s time for other
people to step in.”
When she left the classroom for the final
time in May, Sister Justine took with her a
depth of knowledge and gift for teaching
that has endeared generations of students
and colleagues to her.
“I would set my schedule according to
what she was teaching,” said alumna
Lisa Bangert, ’90, who refers to Sister
Justine as a ‘dynamo.’ “I was drawn by
her extraordinary enthusiasm. I found it
fascinating and continue to love history
today because of her.”
Bangert said Sister Justine dedicated
herself to making history classes about
much more than dates, famous people and
wars. Her focus on the social, political,
economic, religious and cultural contexts
surrounding historical events made history
interesting and relevant for her students.
Several alumni who took her classes said
Sister Justine expected them to pursue
knowledge and master history in every
course she taught. She prides herself on
the rigor she demanded from students
during her five decades of teaching
and academic leadership in both the
Department of History and the College
of Arts and Sciences at Stritch. Her tests
were legendary.
“She’s probably the most well known for
her multiple-choice test, because it wasn’t
just A, B, C, D,” alumna Terry (Ihde)
Schoessow, ’79, said. “The choices were
there, but then her second choices were
‘A and D,’ ‘B and C,’ ‘all except E.’ Students
would always joke about a ‘Sister Justine
test.’ That also showed what an educator
she was. She was getting at the meat of
the lesson.”
Her true-and-false questions were no
better than the multiple-choice.
“Her true-and-false questions, if you pick
one choice, you have to explain why,” said
Dr. Mary Duarte, chair of the Department
of History and Political Science. “You can’t
just say ‘false,’ you have to say why it’s false.
She doesn’t let you have a mushy brain.”
Sister Justine watched the University
evolve as history unfolded in the world.
She has many fond memories and definite
opinions on events and decisions made
over the years. Some memories stand out
from others.
“I loved everything I taught,” Sister Justine
said. “But I think the seminar presentations
are really a great highlight.”
The senior research seminar is one of Sister
Justine’s hallmark classes. Since 1975, she
has carefully selected unusual research
topics that have challenged generations
of history majors as they learned to
conduct original research. At the end of
each semester, students presented their
findings at a history department dinner.
Past topics have included: “The Social and
Economic Effects of Large Gatherings on
the Host Cities,” “The Political and Social
Role of the Public House Throughout
History,” “The Burial Place as Reflection
of the Community,” and “Significant
Nobodies.” (see a 2001 Stritch Magazine
story about the senior seminar online at
www.stritch.edu/magazine).
As impressive as she was in the classroom,
Duarte said she is just as much of a presence
outside of it as well. Duarte said the way
Sister Justine embodies the Franciscan
values has made her a living example for
students and colleagues alike. But Duarte
also honors the way Sister Justine provokes
people to look beyond the easy answers.
“She doesn’t just let you make a decision
without really thinking it through,” Duarte
said. “You may end up with the same
decision. But, in her feisty way, she’s
going to challenge you to make you
critically think.”
Yet for the many ways she truly pushes
people past their limits. Sister Justine
is beloved.
“Everybody speaks about her with
love,” Duarte said. “She’s not one who
polarizes people. Even though she makes
you challenged and she makes you think
outside the box, it doesn’t drive people
away. You just love her for it.”
Next year, Sister Justine plans to
stay connected to the University
through volunteer work with the
Alumni Relations Office.
To wish Sister Justine well in her retirement,
e-mail her at [email protected].
Stritch Magazine Spring/Summer 2011
13
B y S c o tt R u d i e
B y sc o tt r u d i e
Plagiarism is a growing temptation for many college students.
For universities like Stritch, education and prevention are key.
For college-level instructors, the telltale signs usually
leap from the pages of the paper.
Management. “After using click-to-copy and click-topaste, it can seem cumbersome to open a book.”
The sometimes abrupt shifts in tone and style from
paragraph to paragraph. A voice that clearly is not the
student’s own.
Today’s college students may find it very difficult to
avoid succumbing to the temptation that the Internet
presents. For both traditional and non-traditional
students, professional and personal responsibilities are
married with tight academic deadlines and the pressure
to produce. The seemingly simple shortcut of cutting
and pasting can seem like a chance worth taking.
Although plagiarism is certainly not new to the academic
environment, the temptation to do so and an increase in
cases is a new reality for all colleges and universities.
Most point to one modern convenience that few can live
without: the Internet.
A recently released white paper published by a plagiarism
prevention and detection service called Turnitin offers
new realizations about how plagiarism continues to
evolve in the digital age. According to “Plagiarism and
the Web: Myths and Realities,” even social media is
playing an increasing role. One-third of all plagiarized
content in their study came from social networks or
some other content-sharing site, such as Facebook,
MySpace, Yahoo Answers, and Answers.com.
“The Internet makes it very tempting to copy and paste,
because it is so easy,” said Don Ferguson, associate dean
of faculty services in Stritch’s College of Business and
14
Stritch Magazine Spring/Summer 2011
Sister Justine Peter, OSF, Ph.D., who retired in spring
after 52 years at Stritch, has encountered numerous
cases of plagiarism during her long teaching career
at the University. Every case is unfortunate, and they
are extremely difficult for the instructor as well as
the student.
“These things are very hard on the teacher,” she said.
“You don’t want to be in a position to say to a student,
‘You’re stealing.’ Within the last year, I have had three
people who plagiarized on a little assignment that,
honestly, would not have made much difference in the
grand scheme of things, but I have an obligation to
report it.”
Trends
Defining — and
preventing — plagiarism
A key dilemma in this new age of
Internet-based research is that many
students simply misunderstand what
plagiarism actually is. Most students
can successfully define plagiarism as
passing off someone else's ideas or words
as one’s own. More difficult for some
students, however, is understanding that
plagiarism does not require "intent."
Accidental plagiarism is still plagiarism.
Prevention and education has been
the focus for instructors at Stritch,
and fundamental to those efforts is
educating students on how best to
approach Internet research. Ferguson
works with the College of Business
and Management’s team of instructors
to provide best practices on how to
educate students about the perils of
plagiarism, how to prevent it, and how
faculty can detect plagiarism when
suspicions are aroused.
Additionally, Laurie Swartwout, library
operations manager at Stritch, works
with students regularly on how to
approach research and avoid plagiarism.
She reminds students that the library
website is connected to a sizable array of
online databases that provide scholarly
information that is likely to be much
more reliable and relevant than what is
found through a simple Google search.
“It gives a different impression when
scholarly names are attached to the
research you are using,” she said. “And
if they are using Google, we tell students
that legitimate information is, for
the most part, going to come from a
university or government website.”
Although learning the various forms of
citation — APA, Turabian, MLA, among
others — takes some effort, there are
many guides, tutorials and software
available. The Stritch Library website
contains such documents, which include
example formats for any kind of citation.
In addition, the library website also
includes a link to "NoodleBib," which
conveniently automates the format of
any citation.
In addition, Stritch’s Academic Support
Center is a dependable resource for
students who struggle with research and
citation. The center operates an Online
Writing Lab (OWL), where students
are able to electronically submit drafts
of college writing assignments on any
subject to Academic Support Staff for
review and feedback.
“Our philosophy is that we have to
assume that the student does not know
proper citation,” said Kate Meudt,
assistant director of the Academic
Support Center. “Whether we are asked
specifically or not, we will review every
paper for proper citation.”
An intense emphasis on – and knowledge
of – the proper styles in which to cite
sources of information is crucial.
“Acknowledging verbatim quotations is
essential,” said Sister Justine. “But it is
also essential to acknowledge ideas.”
Proper research
Experts agree that a healthy amount of
skepticism at anything encountered on
the Internet is a reasonable first step for
students.
“The Internet is not a good role model to
avoid plagiarism, because a considerable
amount of material on the Internet has
already been plagiarized from somewhere
else on the Internet,” Ferguson said.
Meudt agrees.
“Research can be a foreign language in
that it can be so intimidating,” she said.
“Students know that there are rules. But
they do not necessarily understand how
to do it.”
Experts emphasize that plagiarism is
problematic for two key reasons. First,
of course, is that it is not ethical to take
credit for someone else's work. Second,
presenting someone else's words or ideas
as one's own defeats the intent of the
assignment, the class, and even pursuing
a college degree.
“It’s as if you join a health club, and
then you hire someone else to work out
on the treadmill,” Ferguson said. “It’s
not seen for what it really is – that it’s
self-defeating.”
Psychological effects
There is also new evidence that students
who decide to cheat on school work
– plagiarism obviously included – are
engaging in a form of self-deception. In
a nutshell, students who cheated and got
away with it felt smart as a result of the
accompanying good grade.
In the March 2011 issue of the
Proceedings of the National Academy of
Sciences, researchers from the Harvard
Business School and Duke University
studied this phenomenon in depth.
“People often rationalize their
questionable behavior in an effort to
maintain a positive view of themselves,”
the report read. “We find that those
who exploit opportunities to cheat
on tests are likely to engage in selfdeception, inferring that their elevated
performance is a sign of intelligence.
This short-term psychological benefit
of self-deception, however, can come
with longer-term costs: when predicting
future performance, participants expect
to perform equally well.”
Cheating a booming business
In recent years, plagiarism has
transformed from an online temptation
to a lucrative business for organizations
ready and willing to help students cheat.
A simple Internet search reveals scores
of opportunities for students to purchase
papers. Online payments are accepted.
Toll-free phone numbers are highlighted
for quick “ordering.” An entire Internet
business is booming. And, ironically
enough, they market themselves as
plagiarism-free.
“I am sure that it’s very tempting when
a link to one of those sites is right there
on your search page,” said Swartwout.
“That’s another advantage to using the
databases for research instead. You won’t
see those kinds of temptations.”
Legitimate educational sites appear to be
more widely used than “cheat sites” when
content is plagiarized, however. Turnitin’s
study revealed that one quarter of all
plagiarized material is from legitimate
educational websites, and that is double
the number that comes from cheat sites.
A total of 15 percent of plagiarized
content matches in the Turnitin system
come directly from cheat sites.
Perhaps not surprisingly for most
instructors, Wikipedia is the most
popular site for matched content,
according to Turnitin.
Stritch Magazine Spring/Summer 2011
15
Athletics
But as the techniques to plagiarize
become more sophisticated, detection
tools are also becoming more advanced.
More than 10,000 high schools and
colleges — Stritch included — utilize
the Turnitin service, which detects
plagiarism by comparing an assignment
in question to a database of 150 million
student papers and billions of other
documents.
It is an especially helpful tool for
instructors because it is both thorough
and fast. Turnitin supplies a report
in about five minutes, as it highlights
passages of the paper that match other
documents in the database.
Original thought
Detection is important, but the large and
more difficult challenge is impressing
upon a new generation of high school
and college students that original
analysis and research are essential to
any program with appropriate academic
rigor.
“I think a lot of instructors do a very
good job of impressing upon students
that they want to know what they
think in the paper,” Swartwout said.
“If a student truly put themselves
into a paper, it is a lot more difficult
to plagiarize.”
A key finding of the Turnitin white
paper put the new struggle between
digital openness and academic rigor
into focus.
“A digital culture that promotes sharing,
openness and re-use is colliding
with one of the fundamental tenets
of education – the ability to develop,
organize and express original thoughts,”
the report read. “For many students
who have grown up sharing music,
retweeting thoughts and downloading
free software, the principle of originality
in research and writing can seem
antiquated.
“It is important for educators to draw
a clear line between what can be
reproduced and what must be created.
If not, there is a risk that a generation
of students will not develop the critical
thinking and communication skills
necessary for a productive life.”
Successful seasons nab
Coach of Year awards,
other honors for Wolves
Stritch men’s basketball head coach Drew
Diener and women’s basketball head coach
John Pfaffl earned 2011 Coach of the Year
honors from the Chicagoland Collegiate
Athletic Conference. Each led his team to
the National Association of Intercollegiate
Athletics national tournament and CCAC
conference championships.
Diener, a two-time CCAC Coach of the Year,
shared the honor with Trinity Christian
College head coach Kevin Lubbers.
The Wolves are 48-18 in Diener’s two years
as head coach, with a conference record
of 23-3. In those two seasons, Stritch has
garnered two conference regular season championships, one tournament
championship, and two appearances in the national tournament. This
year, the men lost in the first round to eighth-seeded Oregon Tech.
“This is an award that goes to my entire coaching staff as their tireless
efforts have allowed me to be successful and translated into a great
coaching atmosphere with this entire program,” Diener said.
The women’s basketball team also fell in the first round of the national
tournament after facing College of the Ozarks (Mo.), yet dominated
the CCAC ,winning both the regular season and CCAC tournament
championships. In Pfaffl’s first year as head coach he led the women to
a 24-7 overall record, going 11-1 in the conference, and to a national
ranking as high as 21st in the polls. Previously, Pfaffl served for 21 years
as an assistant coach for the team under Rich Panella, who received 17
coach of the year awards.
In addition, the University claimed the CCAC Champions of Character
team award – which recognizes Stritch’s commitment to the core values of
respect, responsibility, integrity, servant leadership and sportsmanship –
and gained the most spots on the 15-member all-conference squad with
three Wolves earning all-league honors, including first-team choices
senior Marianna Herrera and junior Lisa Lawrence.
Visit the Stritch Athletics website,
www.stritchwolves.com
16
Stritch Magazine Spring/Summer 2011
College of Arts and Sciences
Scholz named new dean of the College of Arts and Sciences
Daniel J. Scholz, Ph.D., has been named the next
dean of Stritch’s College of Arts and Sciences.
He formally began as dean on July 1, succeeding
Sister Mary Ann Polasek, OSF, Ph.D.
Scholz joined Stritch’s Religious Studies faculty
in 2004 and has been chair of the department
since 2007. He also serves as president of faculty
senate and council and executive director
of the Saint Clare Center for Catholic Life,
which provides education and formation to lay
Catholics who seek to grow in faith and service.
Scholz helped establish the center in 2007 to
meet the need for lay ministry formation in the
Archdiocese of Milwaukee.
“The search committee did a wonderful job of
discerning the very best candidate to meet the
University’s needs,” said Dr. Tia Bojar, executive
vice president of academic affairs and leader of
the dean search committee. “I’m so pleased that
someone as talented, experienced and committed
to Stritch as Dan will guide the college in this
leadership role for years to come.”
Scholz has more than 25 years of teaching
experience at the high school, undergraduate
and graduate levels. He began teaching theology
at Pius XI High School in Milwaukee, where he
served as theology department chair for 10 years.
He also taught biblical studies at Saint Francis
Seminary in St. Francis, Wis., and regularly
teaches religious studies courses at Stritch.
Under his leadership, the Saint Clare Center
for Catholic Life has grown to serve nearly 200
students this year in certificate and master’s degree
programs in lay ministry, and to offer numerous
events and programs in English and Spanish that
serve ministry professionals and lay volunteers,
Catholic parishes and schools throughout the
Archdiocese of Milwaukee.
In addition to his teaching and leadership
expertise, Scholz is author of two books, “Jesus
in the Gospels and Acts: Introduction to the New
Testament” and “Paul: Authentic and Disputed
Letters” (2012).
An active member of the Catholic Biblical
Society and the Society of Biblical Literature with
research and publication mainly in the area of
the New Testament, Scholz gives presentations
and lectures in biblical studies at regional and
national professional conferences, and in parishes
and schools throughout the Archdiocese of
Milwaukee. He also has written weekly scripture
columns for Liturgical Publications Inc. and
Liturgical Training Publications.
Scholz holds a Ph.D. in biblical theology from
Marquette University, an M.A. in Christian
theology from Mundelein College Chicago, and
a B.A. in psychology and comparative religions
from the University of Wisconsin-Eau Claire.
Sister Mary Ann Polasek to retire after 44 years
After a successful nine-year tenure as dean of
the College of Arts and Sciences, Sister Mary
Ann Polasek, OSF, Ph.D., will retire.
She began her career at Stritch in 1967 as a
faculty member in the biology department.
In February 1975, she became the chair of the
natural sciences department. In August 2002,
she was named dean.
“I am very grateful for the years I have had
the privilege to serve my wonderful colleagues
in the College of Arts and Sciences, and to
collaborate with the administration and the
deans of the other colleges,” she said. “Each has
been a blessing and an inspiration for me, and
I thank each one for the tangible support and
encouragement as we've come through some
challenging times.”
When asked what she felt most proud of during
her time as dean, she answered with one word:
faculty.
“Over the years they have grown more visible
in their scholarship; they have helped academic
‘silos’ to crumble by collaborating with the
colleges of Nursing and Education in designing
courses and teaching them in their programs;
they have become a cohesive team; they have
worked through many difficulties but never lost
focus on what we are all about...the education
of our students,” she said.
Stritch Magazine Spring/Summer 2011
17
Stritch extends art beyond gallery walls
to include sculpture garden, store
The size of the Northwestern Mutual Art Gallery space remains
the same size and yet its reach and scope have risen to a whole
new scale and dimension. While it remains the epicenter of the
public art on Stritch’s campus, the gallery is no longer simply
found within the Joan Steele Stein Center for Communication
Studies/Fine Arts, but it spills out the doors into the University’s
sculpture garden, is now available for purchase from a gallery
store filled with original art, and adorns other public spaces,
such as the City Center and the newly renovated Information
Commons in the Library.
Sculpture garden
“It’s a very lively area,” gallery director Claire Odishoo, ’03, said.
“I think of the gallery and the outdoor sculpture garden as being
the face of Stritch on a really important level. We want to be
innovative. We want to be Franciscan and connect with all kinds
of segments within the community.”
Currently featuring 11 large outdoor sculptures including
five new ones added in early July, Stritch’s Contemporary
Outdoor Sculpture Garden is one of the only completely
accessible sculpture gardens in the Midwest and features
regional artists, including Bilhenry Walker, Richard Taylor,
Steven Fischer, and recently added Ruth Migdal-Brown.
Thanks to a grant from the Greater Milwaukee Foundation,
the artists receive stipends for displaying their work, which
is available for purchase. Odishoo said artists are encouraged
to rotate their pieces, which means visitors to campus see
an ever-evolving display surrounding the Stein Center. Each
fall, graduate art students are challenged to add their pieces
for a temporary outdoor exhibit in the sculpture garden.
18
Stritch Magazine Spring/Summer 2011
“It says we’re a progressive university, we support public art, and
we support local artists,” Odishoo said. “We are inviting people
of all walks of life to interactively explore the sculptural works.”
Gallery store
Debuting in January, the new Stritch Gallery Store features
original student and alumni artwork, including paintings,
photographs and ceramics. Half the sale proceeds go to the
artists and the other half provides funding for future gallery
programming. Wearable items, such as scarves and jewelry, are
bestsellers, and Odishoo said students are working hard to keep
items in stock and to develop fresh ideas, so the inventory is
constantly changing.
“I’ve looked at established gallery stores, including the highly
successful Columbia College store in Chicago, and I thought, we
have the caliber of work equal to what they are doing,” Odishoo said.
Interested shoppers can stop by Sundays through Fridays, noon to
4 p.m. Call Odishoo at (414) 410-4105 to verify hours or inquire
about custom work.
Featured art
Outside the gallery, Stritch’s City Center showcases the work
of alumni artwork and is currently showing original oil
paintings by Susan Gay Hatfield, ’04.
“Each year we highlight a different alum’s work,” said Odishoo.
The new Information Commons has space set aside for
undergraduate student art, which Odishoo is working
with current students to develop. The pieces will
change over time to showcase a variety of student work.
PHOTOS: KOU VANG
GALLERY
“Art is often the missing element,”
Odishoo said. “It is surprising how a
space comes alive when original art
is added.”
Inside the gallery, Odishoo just wrapped
up the show “The Face of War: Vietnam
Combat Photographers,” which featured
photographs by renowned photographer
Robert Ellison and the Department of
the Army Special Photographic Office
team photographers.
The exhibit’s concluding reception
on July 29 included a talk by Jeffrey
Kollath, who is curator of programs and
exhibitions at the Wisconsin Veterans
Museum and coincided with Gallery
Night and Day, a quarterly community
event that networks galleries throughout
Milwaukee and encourages patrons to
gallery-hop among venues. Odishoo
entices patrons to come to Stritch during
these special nights, not only for the
exhibits, but also for the food, live
entertainment and, for this exhibit, the
opportunity to see the debut of the Open
Box Project.
Open Box Project
A new undertaking, the Open Box
Project was a companion to “The Face of
War: Vietnam Combat Photographers”
exhibit. In spring, 30 students from
various academic departments examined
the contents of a box of photographer
Robert Ellison’s belongings, which will
be on display as part of the exhibit. They
then channeled their reactions to those
artifacts and to the Vietnam War issues
into creating original work, representing
their talents or academic discipline. The
final result is performance art, musical
compositions, paintings and more.
Visitors on July 29 not only saw these
creations but were able to discuss them
with the student creators.
“I’ve had many powerful conversations
with students about Vietnam and the
political issues of today,” said Maureen
Chavez-Kruger, art faculty member
and Open Box Project coordinator who
said they hope to make the project
an annual event. “The students are
grappling with many issues – war,
honor, bravery, what it means to serve
your country, and more.”
In every undertaking, Odishoo said the
gallery’s mission is twofold: education
and outreach. When exhibits can reach
beyond gallery walls, and when the
gallery’s programs can serve as tools
for students to learn concepts, divine
inspiration, or develop a practical
skill, then she said the mission of
both the gallery and the University
is accomplished.
“Everything we do is for the students.
We wouldn’t be here without them.
Connecting with the students and
making it a meaningful experience is
something that I take pretty seriously.”
College of Education and Leadership
Stritch begins doctoral program in Chicago
Program is University’s first foray into Illinois
Beginning this summer, Stritch’s College
of Education and Leadership is offering its
Doctorate in Leadership for the Advancement
of Learning and Service program in the
Chicago area in a partnership with Robert
Morris University (RMU).
The partnership, which marks the first time
Stritch will offer courses in Illinois, provides
Chicago-area professionals with a successful
doctoral program that allows local educators
and professionals, including RMU faculty
and staff, the opportunity to earn terminal
degrees. In exchange, RMU is providing
Stritch use of classroom and office space in
downtown Chicago. The first group began in
June with nearly 20 students, half of whom
are RMU employees.
The program offers Ed.D. or Ph.D. tracks
and is designed to prepare leaders to make
significant contributions to their organizations
and communities. The course of study caters
to educators, professionals and researchers
representing all disciplines and professions, and
will allow candidates to lead transformational
efforts that enhance the quality of life for
society as a whole.
“The idea is to develop leadership knowledge,
skills and dispositions that help create learning
organizations capable of meaningful service
to the common good,” said Dr. Peter Jonas,
professor and chair of the doctoral leadership
department. “Program graduates will create
replicable models of productive and servicecentered organizations prepared to face the
challenges of the 21st century.”
The program started with a two-week, all-day
summer institute, which was held at Stritch’s
main campus in Milwaukee. Upon completion
of the institute, classes meet at the candidate’s
choice of either Cardinal Stritch University
City Center in downtown Milwaukee or the
RMU campus in downtown Chicago. Classes
in Chicago will meet two Saturdays per month
during the spring and fall semesters, while
classes in Milwaukee will continue to meet one
weekend per month.
All doctoral students complete a 60-credit
Ed.D. course sequence, and students selecting
the Ph.D. track take additional courses
in theory and research. The Ed.D. course
sequence is three years, and students are
expected to complete the program in three to
four years. Students begin the program in a
group of approximately 20 members, and form
study teams of three to five students. These
teams are required to meet regularly, at which
time they share findings, document activities,
and evaluate the seminar sessions.
Jonas said several factors make the program
unique.
“We include service as a main aspect of the
curriculum. Plus, students choose a mentor
who can help guide their studies, research
and service. The general nature of our
leadership degree makes it attractive to those
in education, business, nonprofit, health care
and other sectors.”
The college is hoping to expand to two cohorts
in Illinois next summer in order to target
Chicago leaders, and is also considering
offering its Doctorate in Leadership in Higher
Education in Illinois next year.
Visit www.stritch.edu/DOCL to view upcoming program start dates, current
tuition rates, financial aid opportunities, an application checklist and more.
20
Stritch Magazine Spring/Summer 2011
Ruth S. Coleman College of Nursing
Patient care becomes personal
Nurse applies Alzheimer’s experience to project
that could improve hospital practice b y C h arleen
E n g ber g
“It is critical that we, as health care providers, take the time to establish
a relationship and trust with the patients and that begins with changing
our perspective from treating a disease or disability to treating the
person. We need to know what makes the patient an individual by asking
some of the basic questions.” – Dee Kaker, R.N.
Certified geriatric nurse Dee Kaker,
R.N., witnessed the anguish of
Alzheimer’s Disease firsthand through
her husband’s grandfather. Having that
personal perspective on the disease,
Kaker opted to examine ways to
improve care for Alzheimer’s patients
for her “change project,” the final
assignment in the Bachelor of Science
in Nursing—Completion program
that focuses on solutions to important
health care concerns. Kaker was one
of 12 working nurses in the first class
of graduates from an off-site bachelor’s
degree program at Froedtert Health
Community Memorial Hospital in
Menomonee Falls, Wis., to present their
projects to an audience in December.
“The poster presentation gave our
cohort participants the opportunity to
share evidence-based nursing practice
and change implementation with
hospital administration, leadership
and peers,” said Teri Lux, R.N., vice
president of Patient Care Services and
chief nursing officer at the hospital.
“I was impressed by the variety of
topics presented, from enhancing
wound care to promoting patient
safety and fiscal responsibility, all
through evidence-based practice.”
Kaker’s project, “Life Stories: How
to Improve Communication with
Dementia Patients,” focused on how
she used a tool developed by the
Alzheimer’s Association and National
Chronic Care Consortium to design
a concise, consistent, and relevant
patient form intended as reference
for all caregivers so that they can
determine individual communication
techniques that will work best for
dementia patients and be a starting
point for a trusting relationship.
“My change project was very personal
to me,” Kaker said. “My husband’s
grandfather was in a long-term
care facility where there were many
challenges because the staff did not
know who he was so they couldn’t
understand his behaviors. The
disease is very personal and how a
person travels through the disease
has a lot to do with who they are
as an individual. All behavior is
communication, so it is important to
understand what the behavior may
be representing or saying to us.”
Looking at the issue from the
patient’s perspective helped her to
devise better strategies in her role
as a health care professional.
Lux believes Kaker’s project could
lead to marked improvement in
working with patients suffering
from dementia and possible
cost savings for the hospital.
“This change project serves as
an excellent example of how the
students were empowered to
collaborate, problem solve and make
decisions in an effort to enhance
the quality of patient care and the
work environment,” Lux said.
Kaker said she gained a lot from her
experience in the bachelor’s degree
program, and especially enjoyed
progressing through the program as
part of a class group, or “cohort.”
“In the beginning, I thought that I
was going to school as an individual
to improve my personal practice,”
Kaker said. “It did not take me long
to realize that the cohort was going
to change that perspective to an
understanding of how my personal
practice impacts the larger nursing
community at the hospital, as well as
more globally as a professional nurse.”
Even though the nurses in the cohort
all work at the hospital, April Folgert,
Stritch assistant professor and program
chair for the bachelor’s degree program,
said their participation in the degree
program brought a heightened
level of unity among the staff.
“It was the cohort experience that
brought nurses together from different
departments and diverse backgrounds,”
Folgert said. “By sharing knowledge,
they gained a broader perspective
of health care which includes health
issues beyond the acute care setting,
the important role of management
Stritch Magazine Spring/Summer 2011
21
Nursing students leave school
better than they found it
b y S ara W o elfel
“When we saw their textbooks, the picture on
the cover was really faded and the pictures in
it were all these wacky hairdos from the ’80s
with the big puff on top, and you could just
tell that things were outdated,” said Stritch
nursing student Jaime Leonardelli, describing
his reaction to science texts in a first- and
second-grade classroom at Christ Memorial
Lutheran School in Milwaukee.
Assigned to teach health lessons to children in
that classroom as part of their associate degree
nursing program last fall, Leonardelli and fellow
nursing student Molly Janas saw the textbooks
were more than 30 years old, with outdated
information that included an old model of the
USDA food pyramid. This bothered them.
“So we talked to the principal and figured out
about how much of a budget we would need,”
Leonardelli said.
Together, they raised $500 by asking for
donations from family and friends, and they
purchased new science materials for the
classroom.
For years, students in the NRS 109 Health
Promotion class have taught lessons in local
schools and centers, schooling children on
topics such as hand washing, dental health,
nutrition, stranger danger, self esteem, bullying,
fire safety and fitness. Like Leonardelli and
Janas, the Stritch nursing students often feel
compelled to bring lessons to life through
donations and giveaways that Stritch assistant
professor Andrea Pomerance said always thrill
the children.
“What good is it if we teach about dental
care if the kids don’t have toothbrushes?” said
Pomerance, who oversees three nursing clinical
sites including Christ Memorial. “One group
brought in mini hand sanitizers and the kids
just went nuts. They have gone over the top,
and it’s so appreciated, because these are really
economically disadvantaged kids. To me, it’s
living the Franciscan values through nursing
education in the classroom.”
22
Stritch Magazine Spring/Summer 2011
During the spring semester, Stritch students
Ryan Du Mez and Ann Mayer taught a lesson
on fitness to first and second graders at Christ
Memorial. After introducing them to some
games, Du Mez and Mayer told the class they
could keep all the jump ropes and balls they
brought along for the lesson.
“Each class has a bin sitting outside their door,”
Mayer said. “And they have their personal
playground stuff that they will take outside. But
their playground bin was getting kind of empty,
like they lost some balls or with wear and tear.
So, when we left, the bin was full and the lid
wouldn’t even close on top because we had
everything in there.”
Pomerance remembered another pair of
students last fall who not only incorporated a
donation of hats and mittens into their lesson,
but also went above and beyond to make it
memorable.
“Some of my students are very theatrical and
they were talking about how to take care of
yourself in cold weather,” Pomerance said. “So
they brought in a machine filled with liquid
nitrogen and a fan blew out this cold air. This
was around November, so it was appropriate.”
Pomerance said the children thoroughly enjoy
their interactions with the Stritch students, but
the classroom teachers likewise are sorry to see
them go at the end of each semester.
“It’s not just getting the things but it’s the
experiences with the Stritch students that have
been so positive for everybody,” said Christ
Memorial teacher Jennifer Dankenbring, whose
classroom benefited from the textbook and
playground equipment donations. “It gives
me kind of a break, and I get to see all the
neat things they plan. It definitely helps the
kids’ learning and gets the Stritch students the
experience that they need, so I think it’s just
been really positive all around.”
and leadership, the quality
of care and fiscal benefits
of evidence-based practice,
interdepartmental collaboration,
and the impact of national
health care trends on the
current health care system.”
Community Memorial Hospital
is one of several Milwaukeearea locations where the Ruth
S. Coleman College of Nursing
holds off-site degree programs
for working professionals. The
college maintains an ongoing
commitment to providing a
unique degree program format
at convenient locations like
Community Memorial to enable
nurses to maintain their fulltime workload while continuing
their education. The successful
experience of the first graduates
from Community Memorial
Hospital led to the start of a
second cohort in February.
“Community Memorial
Hospital is committed to
supporting continuing
education opportunities and
helping our nurses obtain
advanced degrees,” Lux said.
“I couldn’t be more proud of
our cohort participants.”
College of Business and Management
Rolling out the
welcome mat
College signs agreement that adds to
benefits offered to military students
A new articulation agreement between Stritch’s College
of Business and Management and Central Texas College
extends the University’s ongoing efforts to reach out
to military personnel through discounted tuition,
streamlined credit transfers, and personnel dedicated to
meeting their needs.
Stritch is the first Wisconsin school to partner with
Central Texas College, which is based in Killeen, Texas,
and offers a wide range of associate degree programs
through distance education and courses held at 150
locations, including many military bases throughout
the U.S.
“Our formal articulation agreement with them means
that we’re generously going to transfer their credits as
they pursue a bachelor’s degree completion with us,”
said Jennifer Christensen, director of enrollment for
the College of Business and Management. “Anybody
who has Central Texas credits is going to benefit from
this partnership.”
Christensen said this is just the latest step in making the
University more welcoming to military personnel. The
College of Business and Management offers a 25 percent
tuition discount to veterans, active military personnel,
and the spouses of active military personnel. In addition,
applicants’ military experiences can earn “credit for
prior learning” for any college-level learning experiences
(i.e. American Council on Education) so they may start
their program with up to 60 credits already earned.
These efforts may indeed be making a difference in
bringing military men and women to Stritch since 10
percent of College of Business and Management students
now have a military background. Christensen believes so
many military personnel are drawn to Stritch not only
because of the discount and generous credit transfers, but
also because the format of the programs fits so well with
their needs.
“They need nontraditional options to meet their needs,”
she said. “They have risk factors just like any other adults
– many have families, some have children, most have
been away from school for a long time – and these are the
things that can make them less likely to graduate. So they
need a program like Stritch has that addresses these needs
to ensure that they are going to graduate.”
She added that Stritch’s bachelor’s and master’s business
degrees are all online, so that flexibility helps military
personnel who may be transferred mid-program to
complete the degree from wherever they are in the world.
As a 38-year veteran of the Army Reserves and a
full-time faculty member in the College of Business
and Management, Walt Wochos has a special interest
in helping guide University-wide efforts to provide
dedicated services to military personnel. His work with
the Ad Hoc Military Advocacy Committee led to the
creation of a financial aid position that specializes in
financing issues unique to the military and can expertly
navigate the additional paperwork required to secure
educational benefits.
The committee continues to meet and hopes to discover
even more ways to provide support and guidance to
military men and women as they explore their educational
options and throughout their time as students at Stritch.
In June, the G.I. Jobs named Stritch to the “Military
Friendly Schools” list, which recognizes the colleges
and universities providing the best service to military
personnel nationwide. ”
Stritch Magazine Spring/Summer 2011
23
Ray Lilley
Veterans find new ways to help others
Enlisting in the military is in itself an extraordinary act. Men and women put the
needs of their country ahead of themselves, offering to go wherever in the world
they are called to serve and protect. For some, their call to serve does not end
the day they are discharged from the military. Once their uniforms are hung in
closets or packed neatly in drawers, the call they hear draws them toward their
communities and fellow veterans. In significant ways, the three men featured here
continue to put service at the forefront of their lives, using experiences and skills
they gained from the military to assist, uplift and heal others.
Fit for a Cape
Navy veteran called to ‘heal those that are lost’
by blending military and life experiences
B
B y sara w o elfel
efore darting away from the rooftop
of the abandoned building, the
teenage assailants shoved 10-year-old
Ray Lilley, ’08, one final time, nearly
sending him headlong over the edge
of the building. Somehow regaining
his balance, Lilley numbly returned home hardly
aware of the countless shards of glass that became
embedded in his bare feet. When his mother
followed his bloody footprints to his bedroom, she
found him speechless and immobile with two stab
wounds in his back. Even when he finally broke his
silence three days later, he felt confounded by this
life-changing experience.
PHOTOS: KOU VANG
“There was a while there when I was very, very
hurt and very, very dark, because I couldn’t believe
somebody would do something like that to me,”
said Lilley, who credits his mother’s love and deep
faith with keeping him from dwelling in those dark
places for too long.
Instead, that pivotal event ultimately unleashed
his determination and fortitude. He refused to be
cowed by his fear and instead immersed himself in
years of martial arts training, earning black belts in
nine disciplines and developing Olympic-caliber
boxing skills (he received an invitation to try out
for the U.S. team at age 16). By the time he began
his 23-year Navy career at age 18, Lilley possessed
a strength of mind, body and spirit that brought
him great success in the military and continues to
define and drive him today. Now he blends all of his
training and life experiences to improve the lives of
others, particularly juvenile delinquents, much like
those who terrorized him so many years ago.
“My real calling is the healing of those that are
lost and bringing around a true understanding
and perspective on how to bring our innate gifts
to the forefront and to push all the trash, garbage,
confusion and chaos out of the way,” he said.
Drawing on his physical skills, self-taught expertise
in human development, ongoing pursuit in
education – which includes a bachelor’s degree
from Stritch – and military experiences, Lilley
passionately pursues his calling. But according to
business partner and friend Rebecca Scott, his
greatest attributes are his affable personality and
disarming smile, which immediately reveal his
deep-down goodness and genuine heart.
“He’s got a very unique spirit, like nobody you’ve
ever met,” Scott said. “He’s very welcoming and
people instantly like him and trust him because of
the energy he puts off, the happiness he puts off. …
He has a way of speaking and taking a situation and
teaching and ministering, for lack of a better word,
to people in a way I’ve never seen. So he can break
down walls and instantly gain rapport with people.”
So magnetic is his personality that during a
recent morning at his usual coffee shop, he not
Stritch Magazine Spring/Summer 2011
25
“My real calling is the healing of those that are
lost and bringing around a true understanding and
perspective on how to bring our innate gifts to the
forefront and to push all the trash, garbage,
confusion and chaos out of the way.”
– Ray Lilley
only greeted a never-ending stream
of new friends and old acquaintances
while there, but a drive-thru customer
also made a point of relaying a ‘good
morning’ to Lilley through the barista.
“Everywhere I go, people are always
drawn to me and gather around me,”
he said. “But looking back on it, these
people were attracted to being around
me because of who I am and how I spoke
and how I carried myself.”
Lilley first discovered his “calling”
through working with Navy recruits
in Great Lakes, Ill. During his eightyear stint as a boot camp instructor, he
discovered his gift for motivating and
leading people. He points to his longterm study of human nature and his
commitment to following the example of
Jesus Christ for giving him insights into
how to interact with and inspire people.
“They said it made a tremendous
difference in their lives for someone
to really come down to their level,
understand, speak their language and
then bring them back somewhere else,”
Lilley said.
His approach and commitment to the
success of his recruits led Lilley to receive
numerous recognitions for being one of
the top recruit trainers in the history
of the Navy by leading seven recruit
divisions to the Hall of Fame.
Following his retirement from the
Navy on this 40th birthday, “Coach
Ray” now fulfills his calling through
his role as a trainer at C.O.R.E. Strength
Academy, his fitness and martial arts
facility; as a motivational speaker for a
variety of non-profit and professional
communities; and, most vigorously, as
the lead facilitator for Juvenile Diversion
180, a second-chance program for
people ages 14 to 20 facing first-time
misdemeanor or low-level felony charges
26
Stritch Magazine Spring/Summer 2011
in Waukesha County, Wis.
“This is really where I put most of my
energy because I see everything in my
military and educational background,
everything in my coaching background,
I can do it all in one place,” he said. “So
rather than fragmenting or dispersing
myself in many directions, in this one
program, I get to be all that I am.”
This intensive, nine-month alternative to
the criminal justice system involves 12
weeks of classes, six months of required
meetings with a case manager, and
community service hours. Successful
graduates may have their criminal
records wiped clean. Lilley dedicates
about 16 volunteer hours to the program
each week – six in the classroom and two
hours a day planning and tweaking the
curriculum.
In addition to being Lilley’s business
partner, Scott is the case manager for
Diversion 180. She said his boot camp
experience translates well to working
with the juveniles in the program.
“We take his background as a drill
instructor and blend it with what we
do at 180,” Scott said. “Using some
physical fitness aspects, we use it with
our 180 students to break them down
– for lack of a better word – physically,
but not in a hard-core sense. It
teaches them how to push themselves
physically and, when they are able to
do that, they get more confidence and
the barriers drop, and we’re able to talk
to them more effectively.”
In addition to the physical training,
Lilley leads interactive classroom
discussions focusing on responsibility,
better decision making, and becoming
consciously more mature. Part of the
Diversion 180 curriculum comes from
lessons Lilley developed for his fitness
and martial arts classes.
“I wrote my own curriculum, which
is called C.O.R.E. and it stands for
Committed, Obedient, Responsible, and
Engagement,” said Lilley, who is currently
enrolled in a master’s degree program in
sports psychology. “It’s based on the
whole history of my life and my biblical
life. You gain core strength through core
values. So, really understanding your
core values helps to develop complete
strength of mind, body and spirit.”
In the background of all of his endeavors,
he lives out his belief that education can
change lives. While his life experience
has taught him much, he said it was his
formal education that helped him bring
them all together.
“I entered Cardinal Stritch and it
opened my eyes to how to effectively
use everything I’d learned my whole life,
both self taught as well as in the military
– organizing my thoughts, making a
plan, mapping it out, and then executing
it,” he said. “I knew what I was there for.
I’m here to make my whole life more
sharpened so I can fit in this society
more effectively. I want to be a tool in
this society, not just someone who has a
degree in society.”
Lilley expects to finish his master’s
degree in sports psychology next spring
and will then pursue a doctoral degree in
clinical counseling.
“People I talk to kind of look at me as a
superhero, because I’m someone that you
don’t meet every day,” he said. “There
are a lot of things about my lifestyle
and the way I grew up that attracts and
entices people. So that allows me to
be that leader and guide to take these
business principles and these military
leadership concepts and the educational
principles and put them in an order and
perspective that make people relax and
listen to what I have to say.”
Specialist Jason Moon, ’10, sat with his
fellow Wisconsin National Guardsmen
from the 724th Engineer Battalion in a
dusty room in Kuwait in May 2003, and
was given an order he knew he could
never follow.
T
"
hey told us that if there were children in the
road, we had to keep going and not stop,” he
said. “We had to run them over. Insurgents
would use children to stop and ambush
convoys like ours, so that’s still a standing
order – children get killed every day. I was
like, ‘Are you kidding me?’ It was a total annihilation of my
worldview.”
Making the most
of a new reality
Alumnus helps veterans while
on his own path to healing
By BRETT KELL
This was the first of many experiences Moon was
unprepared for during his tour in Iraq, and one that
ultimately led to him suffering from Post-traumatic Stress
Disorder, or PTSD. Still on the road to healing himself, he
has made it his life’s mission to assist veterans who suffer
from PTSD.
The gray of war
Moon joined the Army National Guard in 1993 at age 17,
and became a general construction equipment operator
in the 724th and later a supply clerk in the 395th Army
Reserve. After basic training, he attended the University
of Wisconsin–Oshkosh for his undergraduate degree and
served for eight years at the reserve unit in Appleton.
After Sept. 11, Moon felt compelled to re-enlist. The
following May, he was deployed to Iraq. Two months after
his arrival, his one-year contract expired, and he began to
feel he was trapped in an environment in which he was
increasingly uncomfortable.
“They stopped-lossed me for nine months,” he said,
referring to the military practice that allows involuntary
extension of a service member’s active-duty service.
“Most of my time over there, I was there against my will. It
kind of put a bad taste in my mouth.”
Moon said the experience of being
the ground was much different than
he expected. He never anticipated how
deeply the things he did and saw
would affect him. He endured
subtle torment by some fellow
soldiers, who would tell
him of civilian casualties
as if to harden or
make fun of him.
on
Jason Moon
"I tell my story and try to show other veterans that
they’re not crazy, they’re not alone, they’re not weak.
This happens to a lot of us. It’s okay.”
– Jason Moon
“I don’t think they realized what it was
doing to me, and there wasn’t time to
process any of it,” he said. “I was more
willing to give my own life than to take
the life of an innocent person. I had this
Hollywood image of a very stoic warrior.
I was naïve. I had a lot more confidence
in my personal strength to see these
things and be unaffected by them than
was the reality.”
Coming to terms with
a new reality
Returning home, Moon was excited at the
prospect of resuming his life on his terms.
“It’s kind of like surviving a car accident
– you check all your fingers and toes and
eyes and legs and think, ‘I made it.’”
But problems quickly began. When
retrieving items he stored while deployed,
Moon found a flooded storage unit and
everything he owned was ruined. He
moved into his new house with nothing
but a few changes of clothes, some books
and a guitar.
This fresh start proved to be cathartic.
Moon said the loss of his material
possessions and finally being home helped
him focus on resuming pursuit of his
degree and getting his life back. But the
excitement he felt was soon dampened by
persistent memories.
“I was going 6-7 days without sleep, I felt
threatened, I overreacted to aggression
and violence, and I became very fearful of
myself,” he said.
Despite his desire to heal the psychological
wounds he suffered in Iraq, Moon felt
a deep sadness, withdrew from social
situations and wallowed in depression. His
burden became intolerable. In the spring
of 2008, he attempted suicide.
“I just couldn’t control anything,” he
said. “I was using alcohol to give me
momentary respite from the memories
and pain. I knew it was just digging
a deeper hole, but I felt like I had no
direction or way out. I rationalized it
by thinking that I was a burden on my
family, so I should end my suffering.”
28
Stritch Magazine Spring/Summer 2011
Moon survived, and checked himself into
the VA hospital to seek formal treatment
for PTSD. He began to understand and
manage his triggers, or the stimuli that
bring back memories from war. He
reduced his graduate school schedule,
attended group therapy, and tried various
methods of treatment.
“It was painful to accept that the Jason
Moon I used to be was dead,” he said.
“There are pieces of him in me, but it’s
the realization that changes the course of
your healing. It’s coming to terms with a
new reality.”
Moon began to focus on soldiers returning
from war who were experiencing many
of the things he had. Statistics indicate
that between 20-50 percent of returning
veterans suffer from PTSD and one in
four will attempt suicide. Since 2002, this
rate has risen 150 percent. Moon feels
that he has an obligation to help, as does
the military, the VA, and the veterans’
communities.
“It’s like seeing someone drowning –
you’re culpable if you don’t do everything
you can to help them,” he said.
Music as a healing force
From age 14, Moon had been an avid
musician, playing guitar and writing songs.
But his experiences at war diminished his
passion to the point that he didn’t pick up
a guitar for years after he returned.
Instead, he focused on volunteering
with the Milwaukee Homeless Veterans
Initiative, serving on its board of directors
from 2009-11 and doing fundraisers,
food drives, concerts, outreach and more
on its behalf.
He also has volunteered with Soldier’s
Heart, a national organization with
regional chapters that help families and
communities in supporting and healing
veterans. Moon attended a Soldier’s
Heart retreat with his wife, Sarah, and
was transformed.
But despite his best intentions, Moon
learned that talking with other soldiers
and facing the politics of war triggered
his PTSD, forcing him to regress and shut
down for weeks on end. He longed for a
better outlet.
Moon credits his participation in a
documentary film about soldiers returning
from Iraq, “On the Bridge,” for rekindling
his zeal for songwriting and opening up
new possibilities.
After recording an interview and songs
for the film, he began writing more and
out of the process came several new
songs that traced his experiences going
to, participating in and returning from
war. He said it was a happy accident that
the songs ended up being about his time
in Iraq, because they helped him see his
emotions from a different angle.
The songs became an album, “Trying
to Find My Way Home,” and were
integrated into a multifaceted, 90-minute
presentation that he began giving to
veteran’s retreats and at local music venues
that incorporated storytelling, humor,
music and information about veterans
with PTSD. Refining and sharing this
informational program has become
Moon’s full-time pursuit.
“I tell my story and try to show other
veterans that they’re not crazy, they’re not
alone, they’re not weak,” he said. ”This
happens to a lot of us. It’s okay.”
Moon is on a personal mission to raise
$25,000 by 2014 to help veterans find
homeless shelters, get psychiatric
treatment, attend Soldier’s Heart retreats,
and more. To date, he has raised nearly
$6,000 by performing his songs and giving
his educational program. He’s also trying
to link community organizations that
work with veterans so that services are
delivered as efficiently as possible.
Stritch helped restore
Christian faith
At 13, Moon left the Christian church
because he became disillusioned with what
he felt were contradictory teachings. Later
in life, he took up Buddhism and actively
practiced it during his time in Iraq.
But despite his intention to remain an
active Buddhist, his return from war
demanded a kind of forgiveness he
couldn’t find in Buddhism. He earned
an M.A. in Religious Studies from Stritch
last year, and credits the intellectual and
theological rigor of the program with
helping him rediscover Christianity.
John Edwards
“I was allowed to raise doubts and ask
questions,” he said. “I learned through
discussion and the affirmation of others.
I realized I hadn’t left Christ; I left a
bad Sunday school teacher. Everything I
needed was in Christianity.”
For his ongoing efforts on behalf of
veterans, Moon received the Peacemaker
of the Year Award in 2009 from the
Wisconsin Network for Peace and Justice,
an experience he describes as both an
honor and a wake-up call.
“It meant I had to do something with my
knowledge. I see people drowning and I
know how to pull them from the river,
so I know I’ll be doing that for a good
portion of my life.”
Moon, who plans to pursue a Ph.D.
in religious studies, will continue his
activism through a series of concerts
throughout Wisconsin and Michigan in
the coming months, and will perform and
speak at the National Summit for Arts in
Healing for Warriors, held at the Walter
Reed National Military Medical Center in
Bethesda, Md., in October.
Though he risks triggering his own
PTSD every time he reaches out to help
a fellow veteran, Moon thinks back to
the horrors of war and understands that
he will forever be intertwined with the
people and experiences of that time. That
realization motivates him.
“If you ask me what my creed is, it
would be, ‘Surely as you’ve done to the
least of my flock, you have done to me.’
That is ultimately my guiding force. I’ll
go anywhere at any time to give my
presentation so that people understand
that there’s hope for veterans who suffer.”
To learn more about Moon, make a
donation, view a schedule of upcoming
performances, listen to tracks from
“Trying to Find My Way Home,” or book
a presentation, visit www.jasonmoon.org.
Armed
and
Resilient
Army’s emphasis on
resiliency a key lesson for
troops, medical providers
b y S ara W o elfel
John Edwards, ’04, ’09, is passionate about turning eggs into
tennis balls.“Do you bounce back when bad things happen or do
you just crack under the pressure?” he often asks his resiliency
training classes.
R
esiliency is a key concept that
Edwards teaches in his role
as a Care Provider Support
Program instructor at
Moncrief Army Community
Hospital in Fort Jackson,
S.C., and has become a priority for the U.S.
Army as a whole since being introduced as
a significant element of the Comprehensive
Soldier Fitness program in 2009. At the
hospital, Edwards works with health care
providers to measure their level of resilience
and to help them strengthen it.
“Bouncing back from setbacks, becoming
stronger and better each year, being flexible,
turning misfortune into good luck, having
an optimistic attitude – those are the types
of characteristics that define resiliency,”
he said. “If you have those types of skills,
you’re not guaranteed, but you’re setting
yourself up for success. Where if you lack
those areas you still may be able to be very
successful, but the road can be a lot harder
and bumpier than you want it to be.”
The 2009 Army Posture statement
indicates, “Enhanced resilience, achieved
by a combination of specific training
and improved fitness in the five domains
of health, can decrease post-traumatic
stress, decrease the incidence of
undesirable and destructive behaviors,
and lead to a greater likelihood for postadversity growth and success.”
So, while the Army focuses on strengthening
the resiliency of soldiers – using a preventive
Stritch Magazine Spring/Summer 2011
29
“Bouncing back from setbacks, becoming stronger and
better each year, being flexible, turning misfortune into
good luck, having an optimistic attitude – those are the
types of characteristics that define resiliency.” – John Edwards
rather than reactive approach to mental
health – Edwards is making sure health
care providers who care for those soldiers
likewise understand the importance of
managing their own resiliency, hopefully
before they experience “compassion
fatigue,” when they no longer enjoy life
but still manage to find fulfillment, or,
worse, “burn out,” when they no longer
care or experience empathy.
“When health care providers spend
their whole career – every day, all day,
often to the detriment of their own well
being – helping other people, it’s a huge
sacrifice,” he said, noting that health
care providers at Moncrief typically treat
men and women from the local military
training facilities as well as the greater
community. “We try to help educate and
have them take a break from that routine.
So we provide training, education, even
conflict mediation.”
Edwards said his job relies heavily on
his Army training and his education in
psychology – he earned his bachelor’s
in psychology and master’s in clinical
psychology at Stritch – and also has
a human resources slant to it, since
helping staff members reach their fullest
potential and maintaining workplace
satisfaction are expected results of the
training. On a given day, he may be
developing training modules, teaching
courses, doing informal counseling, or
handling traumatic event debriefings.
But his overall focus on resiliency
remains consistent.
A critical piece of the resiliency
training, which is mandatory for all
staff at the hospital, is the development
of self-care plans.
“When we create the self-care plan, on
the left side of the form I have ‘things
that I currently do,’ including the
physical, cognitive, emotional, social and
spiritual,” he said. “On the right side are
30
Stritch Magazine Spring/Summer 2011
‘things I could consider.’ The notion is if
we’re going to write these things down,
spend 10 to 15 minutes on it. …they are
going to give it a bigger commitment
than if I just sit up here and talk.”
So the self-care plans are intended to help
people understand what they are doing
well and also provide recommendations
for how they can continue to improve
their mental health and coping abilities
by adding even more healthy activities to
their routines.
Before he had formal resiliency
training, Edwards used self-care plans
during his most recent Middle East
deployment in 2009-10, when his Army
assignments took him to places such
as Iraq, Bahrain, Kuwait, Dubai, Qatar,
Oman and Jordan. The supervisor
of five ministry teams while there,
Edwards also traveled throughout
the region as part of a unit ministry
team with a chaplain and chaplain’s
assistant. He taught psychology-related
classes on such things as interpersonal
skills and managing stress while also
working individually with some troops
to address their personal issues.
“During the deployment, as I became
more familiar with (self-care plans) and
I started interacting more, I kind of saw
the value of having a plan in place. I
thought, ‘Wow, this actually has a lot of
potential,’” he said.
His conversations with soldiers
interested in self-care plans often went
something like this: “‘So, while you are
deployed, what types of things are you
doing for self care? Are you going to the
gym? Are you trying to interact with
others? Are you staying social? Are you
reading? Are you doing things to try to
further yourself online? How often are
you calling your family?’”
The resiliency of soldiers in the field
is stretched not only by the stresses of
the environment and the deployment,
but also as they cope with issues of
homesickness and preoccupation with
what is happening at home. Edwards
helped them work through a variety
of crises.
“A lot of times, social media doesn’t
help,” he said. “With the ability to get on
Facebook, e-mail, and video chat, they
may wonder if their wife or husband is
cheating on them, they worry they don’t
have any money, they hear somebody’s
in jail. All sorts of problems. It is hard
to understand that lives continue while
we are away.”
In addition to his civilian job at the
hospital, Edwards remains a sergeant
first class E7 in the Army Reserves,
serving as a senior instructor/writer.
During one weekend a month and
two weeks a year, he teaches class for
two schools that train and support
people taking on human resources and
chaplain assistant duties. He does not
anticipate any new deployments in the
near future.
Edwards advises that anyone can
benefit from boosting their resiliency,
and recommends “The Resiliency
Advantage,” by noted resiliency expert
Dr. Al Siebert, whose research played a
big role in the development of provider
resiliency training at the time of his
death in 2009. Edwards uses the book as
a reference for his training course.
“So when we overcome life hurdles – we
actively problem solve and overcome it
– we are better from that, and then we
learn from it and put that tool in the
toolkit and continue to use it as other
instances come up,” he said. “The key
piece is learning these things. If I reuse
them and they don’t work, I get rid
of them. I adjust them and the active
problem solving is very, very key in
that role.”
Emotionally charged one-man play
shares lynching survivor's story
B y A manda N ack
The one-man play “10 Perfect: A Lynching Survivor
Story” showed at Stritch in February, thanks to funding
by Stritch’s Center for Calling and Engagement and the
Black Catholic Ministry Commission of the Archdiocese
of Milwaukee. Actor Patrick Sims brought 18 characters
to life in this play he wrote, which was inspired by the
life of Dr. James Cameron, the only known survivor of a
lynching in U.S. history and founder of America’s Black
Holocaust Museum in Milwaukee. Cameron died in 2006.
“(Stritch) wanted to have the exclusive offering of the first
time that this play would be performed in Milwaukee,”
said the Rev. Dr. Trinette McCray, executive director for
the Center for Calling and Engagement. “This play gave
Stritch and the Milwaukee community an opportunity to
honor Dr. Cameron’s legacy during Black History Month
but also as a black Catholic and during the week of his
birthday, which was on Feb. 23.”
“10 Perfect” took the audience on a journey into the life
of Jimmy “The Salmon” Solomon. Born and raised in the
heart of northern Ku Klux Klan territory, Solomon revisits
his earliest memories as a child growing up with his best
friend, Tommy, who is white. As the two youths age and
society demands their innocence, their troubled friendship
comes to a screeching halt on a fateful night in August
1930. “10 Perfect,” a study in character transformation, is
a tale that demonstrates the triumph of the human spirit
and the healing powers of storytelling.
The idea for the play began at the Black Holocaust
Museum, when Sheri Williams Pannell and Sims met
Cameron and heard his story. Sims felt so affected by the
story, especially “to hear it from the victim’s perspective,”
that he wrote the play. Pannell directed the play and
Pannell Productions, which she co-founded, produced it.
An audience talkback followed the performance and
featured panelists Sims, the performer and playwright;
Virgil Cameron, son of Dr. James Cameron; Sheri Williams
Pannell, director; Bill Dahlk, history instructor at Stritch
and author; and Robin Kappel, student and Civil Rights
Pilgrimage participant.
“The talkback was a way to bring our community together
to dialogue about the significance of Dr. Cameron’s legacy,
as well as the need toward peace and racial healing that
still exists today,” said McCray, who fondly remembers
Cameron from when Stritch awarded him the Martin
Luther King Jr. Peacemaker Award in 2003.
Topics of discussion from the panel and the audience
included racism in today’s society and how lynching
stories should still be told to students so people do not
forget this part of American history. The panel discussed
how important it is to have a human face to relate to
these issues.
“It’s more than just history,” Kappel said. “This is about
real people and their courage.”
Another audience member from Milwaukee remembered
her own personal story.
“We should have more stories about this,” she said. “I was
born in the south and moved to Milwaukee when I was
12 years old so I only had the perspective of a child. I was
too young to know I missed opportunities. As a child, you
don’t know your rights and don’t know how things are
supposed to be.”
Stephanie Coker, a freshman international student from
Ghana, commented about the issues brought up during
the talkback.
“I would never have heard of this story unless I came to
Stritch,” she said. “In Ghana, there is no racism. So, when
I came to America, I felt it a lot more. It was weird being
judged by the color of my skin. We need to identify with
each other not individually, but nationally.”
The panel and the audience gave their appreciation to
Sims for his excellent portrayal of this sensitive but
important issue.
Sims, who is the founding director of the Theatre for
Cultural and Social Awareness and an associate professor
of acting and head of the Undergraduate Acting Specialist
Program in the Department of Theatre and Drama at the
University of Wisconsin – Madison, said he will continue
to perform this play “as long as it needs to be done. As
challenging as it is, emotionally, physically, spiritually, it
needs to be done.”
Stritch Magazine Spring/Summer 2011
31
Sydney to Stritch
to New York City
Redirected dreams
lead Kieran Antill to
worldwide recognition
b y J o el C enc i u s
Living in New York City and working
as a creative director for one of the top
advertising agencies, Kieran Antill, ’03, is
among the most decorated art directors
in the world, having received more than
30 industry awards, including a 2010
ranking as the No. 1 art director worldwide by the Cannes Lions International
Festival of Creativity (most famous for its
film festival component).
“It is quite possible that I never had an
original thought until I was introduced
to a Nikon FM10 in Tim Abler’s photography class,” Antill said. “From there I
found out who I was and woke parts of
my brain that had never been used.”
And the journey that led him to the
eminent Leo Burnett agency and subsequent worldwide recognition all started
with an awakening in a photography
class at Stritch.
“When I first arrived people kept
asking me, ‘What do you study?’
My response was always the same,
‘Basketball,’” he said.
Antill left his Sydney, Australia, home
at 18 with dreams of basketball, having
earned an athletic scholarship to Stritch.
Yet, his focus dramatically changed after
that photography class. Antill switched
to an art major and found his new
home in the Joan Steele Stein Center for
Communication Studies/Fine Arts where
he discovered photography, fine art, and
graphic design. Gradually, Antill began to
recognize his off-the-court talent.
“I had people around me who were saying, ‘You have something here, keep
going,’” he said, noting the supportive
community at Stritch. “People cared if
you did well or did not do well.”
For Antill, it was that kind of genuine
encouragement that helped him discover
and grow his skills. He recalled a flash
and html class he wanted to take, but
Stritch did not offer it. Not only did
Stritch staff help him transfer the credits,
he was able to borrow the University vans
to drive elsewhere to take the courses.
“That wouldn’t have happened if I went to
a big University where you are a number,”
he said. “It was the fact that I could talk to
people and say, ‘Hey I really want to learn
this’ and Stritch made it happen.”
In the ‘real world’
While still a student, Antill sold an entire
series of paintings to a gallery in Sydney,
which gave him seed money to travel
after graduating from Stritch. But when it
32
Stritch Magazine Spring/Summer 2011
was time to make a decision on his next
step, he had no clue what to do.
“You expect when you leave the
University, that people are just going to
come find you,” he said.
He eventually returned to Sydney, renting a house with a roommate who was a
graphic designer. That roommate knew
of a company where Antill could do
freelance work, which ended up being
Antill’s first paying job outside of his gallery work.
“This business is very much about who
you know, and I learned that very early
on in my career,” Antill said. “My entire
career has been someone introducing
me to other people in the field. There
have been no cold interviews. It’s all been
recommendation-based.”
And that’s how he landed at Leo Burnett,
based on a recommendation. Now five
years later, Antill is helping lead the startup of the agency’s New York office.
International projects
and recognition
Antill’s most successful commercial
art campaign with Leo Burnett is the
Canon/World of EOS Project, which
allowed photographers worldwide to
collaborate through a multi-channeled
platform, illustrating Canon products.
That platform included a project called
“Photochains,” where one photographer’s
shot inspired the next and created a chain
of images.
“Getting communities working together
was the heart of this project,” Antill said.
Community also was at the heart of another project Antill worked on called “Vote
Earth.” Antill’s collaborative commercial
work for the World Wildlife Fund’s “Vote
Earth/Earth Hour” movement was shown
in 74 countries and involved one billion
people worldwide – one of the largest
social movements in history.
“We have to talk to people to get them
to understand what your brand is about
and, if your brand is not about something
worthwhile, then we need to make it
about something worthwhile,” Antill said.
Currently, Antill is leading “New York
Writes Itself.” This project is an ongoing
series of creative productions fueled by
the real people of New York City – what
people see and hear in the city is recorded
as a “script,” which inspires music, creative writing, art exhibitions and more.
“It’s all about taking inspiration from
people of New York and getting that
inspiration to different artists,” Antill said.
Antill keeps his work in perspective
despite his international recognition
and awards.
“As much as awards are great, they are not
everything,” Antill said. “If I had not won
those awards, that does not mean that my
work is not good. It does, however, fasttrack a lot of conversations. The ultimate
goal is to get someone to hire you because
it’s you. I’m almost there.”
In addition to his commercial success, he
is also a successful artist. For more than a
decade Antill has regularly exhibited his
paintings and drawings in London, New
York and Sydney.
Recently, Antill returned to campus
to accept his 2011 Alumni Award for
Professional Distinction. Before he
received his award, he spent the day
catching up with former professors and
coaches, and speaking with art and
graphic design students to share his
insights and the lessons he has learned
since graduating. His message to the students was simple.
“Open yourself up to new experiences
because if the current elements haven't
inspired you then it's time to invite new
ones in.”
To find out more about Antill and his work, visit his websites: www.kieranantill.com and www.canningandantill.com.
Stritch Magazine Spring/Summer 2011
33
Young alumnae answer
a call to service work
Three women live the Franciscan values
at home and abroad B y A manda N ack
Throughout its nearly 75-year history, Stritch has emphasized
the Franciscan values of creating a caring community, showing
compassion, reverencing creation and making peace to all students
in and out of the classroom. Three recent graduates took these
values, especially compassion and community, to the next level
by beginning their careers at service-oriented nonprofits.
Megan Vander Wyst, ’10, Claire Wolf, ’10, and Beth Gilgenbach, ’10, all have committed themselves
to service work and helping their communities. This is as far as their similarities go. Each has found a
niche locally, nationally or internationally.
Two of the graduates have joined the Capuchin Franciscan Volunteer Corps (Cap Corps), a community
of women and men who serve among people in need as full-time volunteers, sharing common prayer
and simple living, and the other works for education nonprofit Teach For America. Both organizations
reach for a better community and the development of people through the help of volunteers.
Connecting with youth in Nicaragua
Megan Vander Wyst is a Cap Corps volunteer in Managua, Nicaragua, working with a
non-governmental organization called Cantera, which has a 20-year history in community development
through education programs.
PHOTO: JANE BACKES
“I chose Cap Corps because I felt passionate about a call to mission,” she said. “I also felt passionate
about using my Spanish. Ultimately I knew that with any work I chose, I needed to keep Christ as
a focus as well.”
Vander Wyst, who graduated with a double major in Spanish and photography, is utilizing both
disciplines in her volunteer work. She spends the majority of her time working at a community center,
called the Soya, teaching two English courses.
People of all ages attend her class hoping to
improve their communication skills, allowing
them to better provide for their families.
She also teaches photography to the youth of the
neighborhood and shows them a different kind
of way to express themselves.
“For many of these students, photography
provides a means of expression and a way to
communicate their feelings.”
In addition to teaching, she is involved in
a variety of other activities in the
community center.
If she has the time, Vander Wyst also
helps out with the honey harvest on
other Cantera farms or works other
jobs at the Soya. She knows that
volunteering isn’t about winning
anything or gaining recognition.
“I’m here to just be present and to
listen and learn from the people I
am with,” she said. “Being present
provides value in the lives of others
as well as in my own life.”
Vander Wyst appreciates her
experience at Stritch and knows that
her time there helped to shape her
in to the person she is today.
“Stritch allowed me to realize my
love for the Hispanic culture and
the Spanish language,” she said. “My
study abroad experience in Ecuador
was life-changing. The internship
and volunteer work that I did at
the United Community Center in
Milwaukee during my time as a
student challenged me, allowed me
to grow, and opened a part in my
heart that I did not know existed.”
To read a blog by Megan
Vander Wyst about her time
in Nicaragua, visit
http://cantera-venive.blogspot.com/
PHOTO: KOU VANG
“Being present at Soya means I
get involved with things that are
going on with the youth,” she said.
“It could be day-to-day meetings,
planning and helping with carnivals,
or going on trips with the youth to
learn how to harvest coffee in other
regions of Nicaragua.”
Helping marginalized
Milwaukeeans
Claire Wolf is a Cap Corps volunteer
with two organizations in Milwaukee. She
serves as a volunteer coordinator for the
Community Meal program at St. Benedict
the Moor Parish, a Capuchin Franciscan
ministry for adults who are homeless or
at risk of being homeless. She is also an
operations coordinator for ArtWorks for
Milwaukee, which prepares underserved
teens to enter Milwaukee’s workforce by
utilizing the arts as a method to teach
employability skills.
These two organizations have the same main
goal: to help people in the community. Wolf
is proud to do her part.
She said her time with these organizations
has given her the ability to work with people
from many backgrounds and ages, ranging
from elementary to elderly.
This experience has “opened my eyes on
what’s going on in Milwaukee and the group
that’s in the shadows,” Wolf said. “These are
the homeless and working poor in Milwaukee
who are hidden to the general population.
Every person’s story is unique and different.
You need to have a conversation with
someone in these situations to understand
the diversity of the causes.”
At ArtsWorks for Milwaukee, Wolf helps
disabled or underperforming students in
the Milwaukee County area. She also helps
get their art work into the community as
part of an educational display, plan events
like gallery nights, and research different
corporations to identify potential sponsors.
At St. Ben’s Community Meal, she provides
services to the community in a different way.
She assists in feeding homeless and working
poor individuals, and holds orientations for
new volunteers to get them familiar with
St Ben’s and its ministry. She explains what
the volunteers will be doing and then gets
them ready to serve. After the dinner, she
facilitates group reflection and is open to
hear about their experience.
“There are a lot of volunteers, some of whom
have served here throughout the years, but
it’s refreshing to have new faces coming in to
help,” Wolf said.
Working 40 hours a week between two jobs
may seem like a lot, but Wolf enjoys what
she does and knows that she is making a
difference is someone’s life. She said her
service work is a reflection of the Franciscan
values she learned while at Stritch, and her
faith in these values has only grown stronger.
Wolf appreciates the service learning
projects she did during her Communication
Arts courses. These projects pair student
groups with nonprofit organizations
on a communication project, such as
creating brochures, training programs or
advertisements for upcoming events. Wolf
said it was these projects that helped connect
“career” with “meaning” by putting the
Franciscan values into action.
Stritch Magazine Spring/Summer 2011
35
“The real-world experiences they set
us up with guided us,” she said. “I now
know where to direct my energy.”
St. Ben’s Executive Director Brother Dave
Schwab appreciates Wolf ’s dedication.
“Claire has many personal resources that
she is willing to put to the service of
other people,” said Brother Dave. “She
brings a lot of energy and enthusiasm
to her role as volunteer coordinator. She
has done a marvelous job of relating to a
range of folks, from the homeless guests
to youth and adults who come for our
urban plunge experiences.”
Education beyond
expectations
Beth Gilgenbach is applying
the Franciscan values to service work with
Teach for America (TFA), a nonprofit
organization that recruits highly
motivated college graduates in all fields
to become teachers. She just finished
the first of a two-year commitment at
Eli Whitney Middle School in Tulsa,
Okla., where she teaches seventh- and
eighth-grade special education math
with students from low-income families.
Though her degree is in political
communications, she wanted to become
a teacher after cultivating a passion for
serving youth during her college years
at Stritch. TFA allowed her the unique
opportunity to transition to teaching
immediately, rather than going back to
school for a second degree.
“As a teen, I had considered going
into education as a profession but as
I began to learn about social justice
and world issues, I thought political
communication could be more
impactful,” said Gilgenbach. “Working
as a teacher in an urban environment,
I now realize that teachers fight against
injustice and inequity every day.”
Taking charge in the classroom is no
easy task, but Gilgenbach thanks Stritch
for helping her to improve her leadership
skills. She credits her involvement with
the Student Government Association
and women’s basketball with helping her
develop leadership skills.
“It’s my job to get students to perform
beyond the low expectations put on
36
Stritch Magazine Spring/Summer 2011
them by society,” she said. “Stritch gave
me the confidence required to take this
responsibility and run with it.”
Looking back and
looking ahead
There are a lot of challenges that face
teachers, Gilgenbach said, but she
wouldn’t have it any other way.
These three young women have faced
challenges on their respective journeys,
but those challenges have turned them
into the dedicated people they are today.
Comparing their time at Stritch to their
current roles, each has some advice to
offer students.
“The rewards far outweigh the hard
times,” she said. “It’s worth it to see the
progress of these kids. Teachers really
need to have a passion for people to get
in to this work. I know about the value
of service work and how teaching is a
service job. It’s not about money; it’s
about making a difference.”
Jay Pendrak, program director for TFA in
Oklahoma, is impressed by Gilgenbach’s
tenacity when it comes to her students
and their education.
“As a special educator, Beth is an
essential resource for all the students on
her caseload,” said Pendrak. “Her highest
priority is becoming the best educator
she can possibly be for her students. Her
dedication and commitment is genuine.
It is also solid enough to withstand the
students who have behavior problems
and incredibly low-level skills. Instead of
wearing her down, these challenges only
serve to strengthen her commitment for
helping her students to achieve at a high
level. In sum, she is a fighter.”
Vander Wyst recommends service
work: “If they are even thinking about
volunteering . . . go for it!”
Gilgenbach wants young people to think
about the work they want to do and
whether money is their driving force.
She wants people to wake up in the
morning and want to go to work, like she
does. “I know I’m making a difference
in someone’s life and that is all the
motivation I need,” she said.
Wolf recommends that students think
about what major they are in and what
work they can do with it. “Know what
your personal goals are,” she said. “There
is more learning out there so figure out
where your talents and skills can be
used. You should find a career to fulfill
your life.”
The three agreed that no matter what
the coming years bring, they are open to
opportunities, and to the possibility of
being called to new paths of service.
Alumni Connections
Call for Alumni Board nominations
The Alumni Association’s Nominations and Awards Committee
is seeking nominations for the Alumni Board Directors, which is
the leadership body of the Alumni Association. The board works
closely with the Office of Alumni Relations to carry out effective
programs that provide opportunities for all alumni to maintain
close relations with Stritch and develop a closer association
with other alumni, parents, and friends of the University.
If you are interested in serving on the Alumni Board,
or if you know a Stritch alumnus who would be a great
candidate for a board position, please fill out the online
nomination form at www.stritch.edu/alumni.
Two-year terms for selected candidates will begin in fall.
Directors may serve on the board for two consecutive terms.
Congratulations May 2011 graduates and welcome to the Alumni Association!
performances, speaker events, and other campus programs that focus on personal or professional interests; and
• invitations to alumni-focused events and reunions.
We encourage you to stay in touch with the Office of Alumni
Relations and we look forward to receiving news of your
accomplishments and milestones. Send your updates to
[email protected] and be sure to join the Cardinal Stritch
University Alumni groups on LinkedIn and Facebook.
Becoming a Stritch alumnus has its perks! As a recent Stritch
graduate, you join approximately 30,000 fellow alumni
in the Cardinal Stritch University Alumni Association.
You will soon receive your official membership card,
which connects you to the following benefits:
• complete access to all library services;
• free use of Career Services (résumé critiquing,
job search advice, interview practice, and more);
• a 10 percent discount on Stritch Bookstore purchases;
• use of Stritch athletic facilities;
• discounted rates on Nancy Kendall Theater Are you an alumnus and don’t have a membership card?
Contact the Office of Alumni Relations at (414) 410-4200
or [email protected], and we can resend your card.
Spring Phonathon callers thank
you for your donations!
Thanks to alumni support, student callers for the Spring Phonathon
raised $16,977. The majority of funds will go directly to the Annual
Fund, which supports the greatest needs on campus, including
facility improvements, technology upgrades and student scholarships.
Pictured from left to right: Back Row (L-R): Elizabeth Gottal, Alyssa
Ross, Amanda Orth, Michael Cook, Katrina Harrington
Front Row (L-R): Amanda Meyers, Henry Asamoah, Cariss Powell.
Congratulations to the class of 1961 as they
celebrate their 50th anniversary and become
the latest members of the Jubilarian Society:
Pauline (Bachhuber) Constable
Julianne Collins
Mary Ann (Kennedy) Curll
Sister Edmunda Dalkowski
Nancy (Kohlman) Furr
Arlyn (Wind) Gagnon
Darlene (Pongratz) Grassel
Sister Ancille Horgan
Georgiana (Stuettgen) Ingelli
Grace (Remitz) Kolakowski
Donna (Walkowski) Krejci
Elayne Murphy
Sister Marie O’Keefe
Joan (Doersching) Ponessa
Mary Carol Powers
Sister Celestine Rupprecht
Sister Marie Colette Roy
Sister Leona Tucker
Sister Robert Mary Wilke
E-mail [email protected] to
find out how to get involved
and re-connect with Stritch!
Stritch Magazine Spring/Summer 2011
37
Stritch Showcase to be
held Sept. 27
The fourth annual Stritch Showcase, a fundraising event
to honor and support Cardinal Stritch University’s legacy
of leadership and learning, will take place Sept. 27,
with event chairs Sandy and Sal Bando and Bonnie and
Dr. Daniel Scholz welcoming community members and
friends of the University.
“The Stritch Showcase is an occasion to celebrate the
vision and commitment that Stritch has to continuing and
advancing education and leadership,” said Bando.
The event, which will include a reception, silent auction,
dinner and program, will be held in the Sister Camille
Kliebhan Conference Center. Stritch President Dr. James
Loftus will be the keynote speaker, and Daniel Bader,
president of the Helen Bader Foundation, will be honored
with the University’s Partner in Mission Award.
The Bader Foundation has been a friend of Stritch for
more than a decade, and was selected for the award
because of its involvement with the Leadership Center.
Bader’s vision, commitment and investment of more than
$1 million were essential in the creation of the Leadership
Center, which prepares and sustains leaders who are
catalysts for positive transformation of individuals,
organizations and communities.
“The Leadership Center has been good for Stritch, and
good for Milwaukee,” said Bader. “There is a fundamental
need for leadership education in a community if the
community is going to thrive.”
Bader has also provided annual support of the Helen
Bader Leadership Speaker Series, which features effective
leaders of various ages, races and backgrounds who
have made a positive difference in their communities.
“The Leadership Series is challenging, current, fun and
different,” he said. “It keeps leadership on the forefront.”
“Stritch should be congratulated,” he added. “The
University is out in the community making an impact,
and not staying in its comfort zone within university
walls; Stritch’s culture is ‘community.’”
75th anniversary plans
move forward
Planning for the celebration of Stritch’s 75th anniversary in 2012
continues, beginning with the inauguration of Dr. James Loftus
as Stritch’s eighth president in mid-January.
A University committee is developing a schedule of events that
includes traditional annual celebrations, such as the fall Stritch
Showcase; spring and fall commencement weekends; spring
Honors Convocation and Alumni Awards dinner; fall Mission
Week; performing arts events; Christmas celebrations; and
many more. Organizers will infuse these regular events with the
theme and spirit of the 75th anniversary in numerous ways and
will encourage participation from faculty, staff, trustees, alumni,
friends and community members.
The inauguration of Loftus will be the first of several new events
designed to celebrate Stritch’s heritage and further build the
University community. Other events include a summer family
picnic for faculty and staff, an early fall 75th anniversary Mass
and luncheon, a special theater performance of the powerful
drama “Irena’s Vow,” a concert featuring Italian flutist Andrea
Ceccomori, and much more.
The theme of the anniversary is “Celebrating 75 years of
transforming lives,” and a logo (below) has been developed
by University creative director Kou Vang for use on official
materials during the 2012 calendar year. An anniversary Web
page will debut this fall and include details on events, exhibits,
performances, and volunteer activities.
The University formed five subcommittees to begin work
on various planning aspects: Mission and Identity, History
and Archives, Event Planning, Student Engagement, Alumni
Engagement and Academic Integration.
Ideas and participation are welcomed by contacting
[email protected]. Watch for additional details about the
75th anniversary celebration in the fall issue of Stritch Magazine
or online at www.stritch.edu.
B
For more information about attending or supporting
the Stritch Showcase, visit www.stritch.edu/showcase, or
e-mail Kelly Bradway, director of university events, at
[email protected].
An evening to honor and support Cardinal Stritch University’s legacy of leadership and learning.
38
Stritch Magazine Spring/Summer 2011
75
years
leadership
Cardinal
St ri tch
lumni
University
winners announced
C
A
c
b
ongratulations to our outstanding Alumni
ward winners, who were honored at a
elebration in April. For more detailed
iographies, visit www.stritch.edu/magazine.
Graduate of the Last Decade (G.O.L.D.)
Fire lieutenant Joel Rechlitz (B.S.
Business Administration, ’04) is
nationally recognized for off-duty
heroics that saved a boy’s life in 2009. He
and his brother, John, did not hesitate
to act when they were called to the
scene of an accident where an SUV was
on fire inside and out, and a young boy
was trapped inside. Without protective
clothing or basic tools, the brothers
had to enter the burning vehicle to cut
the safety seat’s restraints and free the child. They saved the
boy, who suffered severe burns, and also endured secondand third-degree burns themselves. A firefighter with the
Milwaukee Fire Department since 1999, Rechlitz became a
member of the Milwaukee Fire Department’s Heavy Urban
Rescue Team in 2002 and Honor Guard in 2003.
Distinguished Alumni Award for
Professional Achievement
Named to the Milwaukee Business
Journal’s 2011 “40 Under 40” list
which recognizes successful young
professionals making a difference in
the community, Kelly A. Brown (B.S.
Management, ’07; M.S. Management,
’09) is the co-managing partner and
founder of the American Deposit
Management Company in Milwaukee,
working with both public and private
finance managers in their cash
management strategies while managing relationships
at more than 150 banks throughout the United States.
Previously, Kelly was one of four founders of First
Wisconsin Bank and Trust Company in Brookfield, Wis.
As senior vice-president at First Wisconsin, Brown led the
efforts in building what was the fastest growing bank in
Wisconsin’s history, which sold for a premium in 2008. She
lives by Henry Ford’s words, “Whether you think you can or
whether you think you can’t…you’re right!”
Distinguished Alumni Award
for Service to Stritch
Owner of the Bayer Performance
Institute, former Stritch basketball
player Sara Bayer (B.A. Sociology
and Political Science, ’05; M.S.
Management, ’10) is a certified personal
trainer and performance enhancement
specialist. She now assists Stritch
athletic teams in the formation and
implementation of their strength and
conditioning programs and volunteers
as the performance enhancement
coach for the women’s basketball team. Following former
Stritch basketball coach Rich Panella’s ALS diagnosis last
year, Sara organized “Panella’s Pack” in the Walk to Defeat
ALS and recruited hundreds of volunteers to form a team
that raised $27,159. Last September, Bayer Performance
Institute ran the “Give It All” fitness boot camp with all
proceeds benefiting the Rich and Mira Panella Scholarship
Fund. In addition, she volunteers her time calling alumni
athletes to encourage donations to the scholarship fund.
Distinguished Alumni Award for
Professional Achievement
Kieran Antill (B.F.A. Graphic Design,
’03) received a ranking as the No. 1
a r t d i re c t or w or l d w i d e by t h e
Cannes Lions International Festival of
Creativity. Read about how his start at
Stritch launched his creative career on
page 32 of this issue.
Stritch Magazine Spring/Summer 2011
39
Contest: Remember When?
Spirit of St. Francis Distinguished
Alumni Award for Community
Service
A former probation/
parole agent, criminal
trial investigator and
domestic abuse survivor,
the Rev. Alice Belcher
(M.S. Management,
’98) is the founder of
the Christian Women
Perspective Ministries
Church of God in
Christ Inc. and of
Isaiah’s Coalition for Women and Children.
Through Isaiah’s Coalition, the Rev. Belcher
launched the Pink and Purple Empowerment
Conference, a one-day conference that
brings together law enforcement, judicial
representatives, teachers, survivors, clergy,
and community leaders to discuss issues
surrounding domestic abuse and breast
cancer. As an appointee of Bishop Sedgwick
Daniels from 1994-98, she volunteered as
the dean of Holy Redeemer Bible Institute,
supervising the first two graduating classes
of this adult theological institute. In 1998,
she founded a single-parent group and began
the ministries’ first series of radio broadcasts
in Milwaukee.
Spirit of St. Francis
Distinguished Alumni Award
for Community Service
In
1998,
Dr.
Lisa
Calderone-Stewart (Ed.D.
Leadership, ’02) founded
Tomorrow’s Present, a
youth leadership ministry.
As director of the program,
Lisa raised all funds to
pay for programming and
staffing costs by writing
grant proposals and articles,
teaching classes, directing
retreats and parish missions, and running
workshops and training programs for both the
youth and adults. In 2009, Lisa learned she had
stage IV lymphoma and bile duct cancer. Told she
had just months to live, she has continued to work
for two years since then, writing articles and grant
proposals resulting in more than $10,000 for the
program. In her career, she has authored 21 books,
eight leadership manuals, and more than 100
articles; given speeches in 50 U.S. and Canadian
cities; and received six prestigious awards.
40
Stritch Magazine Spring/Summer 2011
Answer the question, win a prize!
Can you describe this photo from the
Stritch Archives?
Give as much information as possible about the picture, and
enter for a chance to win a $25 gift card to the Stritch Bookstore
(useable on site or online). The winner will be the person who
submits the most accurate and complete information to University
archivist Sister Margaret Ruddy at [email protected] or:
Cardinal Stritch University
University Archives, #524
6801 N. Yates Road
Milwaukee, WI 53217-3985
Congratulations to Herschel Kruger, ’86, who won
the Remember When? contest published in the fall issue. Currently
the department chair and associate professor of Theatre at Carthage
College in Kenosha, Wis., he is pictured in the top row at the left in
this team photo. Here is his photo description: “On Sept. 18, CSC – 4
and UW-Whitewater – 2. We pulled up to the field in a Stritch van
and Coach Vucicevich’s car. When we got out and walked across the
field with only 13 players, the other team of 24 players sized us up, and
laughed at us. They had cheerleaders and as many guys on the bench as
we had total players. We let our play do the talking.”
Professional
achievements
vice president for academic affairs at
Minnesota State University, Moorhead.
1960s
Sister Ladonna Woerdman,
OSF, (B.A. Home Economics, ’67) was
appointed by the American Dietetic
Association to serve as chair of their
Legislative Public Policy Committee.
Chris Beloin (M.B.A., ’90) is the assistant
campus dean for student services at the
University of Wisconsin-Manitowoc.
1970s
Vicki (Warber) Helms (B.A. Sociology,
’77) is a paraprofessional at Steffen Middle
School in Mequon, Wis., and was featured
in the “Profiles in Education” column in
the Ozaukee County News Graphic.
1980s
Cheryl Waffenschmidt (B.A. Education,
’80) is an administrative assistant to the
athletic director at Brookfield East High
School in Brookfield, Wis. She was featured
in the “Away From the Limelight” column
in the Community Now newspaper in
an article highlighting her role as a game
manager at athletics events at the school.
Shelby (Scharine) Keefe (B.F.A. Art,
’81) is the 2011-12 artist in residence at
The Pfister Hotel in Milwaukee. (see the
April 2011 issue of the Stritch alumni
e-newsletter: www.stritch.edu/enewsletter).
Greg Seefeldt (M.S. Management,
’88) is the interim administrator
of Abbotsford, Wis.
Dorothy Wahner (M.S. Healthcare
Administration, ’88) serves on the board of
directors for the North Lakeland Discovery
Center in Manitowish Waters, Wis.
1990s
Mary (Graham) Bair (M.S. Computer
Science Education, ’95) is the associate
Ronald “Bud” Gayhart (B.S.
Business Administration, ’90; M.B.A.,
’93) received the 2011 Wisconsin Small
Business Development Center Service
Excellence Award from the Small Business
Administration. He is the director of
the Center for Innovation and Business
Development, and leads the Wisconsin
Innovation Service Center and the Small
Business Development Center at the
University of Wisconsin-Whitewater.
Carl Hayek (B.S. Business Administration,
’90) is the business manager in the
Waupaca School District in Waupaca, Wis.
Gregg McManners (M.B.A., ’91)
is the executive director of Monona
Terrace in Madison (see the January 2011
issue of the Stritch alumni e-newsletter:
www.stritch.edu/enewsletter).
Anne (Fisher) Jurenec (M.S. Health
Administration, ’92) is the chief executive
officer of the Rehabilitation Hospital
of Wisconsin in Waukesha, Wis.
Michelle (Schick) DuBord (B.A.
Communication, ’93) is the director of
Volunteer Engagement with the United Way
of Waukesha County in Waukesha, Wis.
Patrick Seghers (M.S. Educational
Leadership, ’93) is the principal of Shepherd
of the Hills School in Eden, Wis.
Rory Seidens (B.S. Management, ’93)
is vice president of human resources at
Greatwide Logistics in Dallas, Texas.
Sarah (Weatherall) Artic (M.B.A., '96)
is a financial systems analyst for the City of
Milwaukee in the Office of the Comptroller.
Brenda (Gehrke) Dennis (B.A.
Education, ’98) is the principal of
Houston High School in Houston, Mo.
Jean (Haltaufderheide) Born
(M.S. Educational Leadership, ’99) is the
district administrator of the Sheboygan
Falls School District in Sheboygan, Wis.
Diane (Hauner) Rudy (B.S.
Management, ’99) is vice president
of human resources for Bradley
Corp. in Menomonee Falls, Wis.
Dr. Dessie (Grays) Levy (M.S. Health
Administration, ’99; Ed.D, ’10) received
recognition as one of Wisconsin's
"women who make a difference" by
the Top Ladies of Distinction Inc.
Dr. John Mago (M.S. Management,
’99) is a professor at Anoka Ramsey
Community College in Coon Rapids, Minn.
Samuel D. Stulo (B.A. Sociology,
’99; M.S. Management, ’04) is a traffic
investigator for the City of Racine
Police Department in Racine, Wis.
2000s
Bart Wagner (B.A. Music, ’01) is
chief operating officer of Outdoor Living
Solutions, a landscape and snow contracting
company in Brown Deer, Wis., that he runs
with his wife, Amy. The couple has two
daughters – Lily, age 5, and Sydney, age 2.
David Fleury (M.E. Professional
Development: Teaching, ’02) is a proposal
engineer at Racine Metal-Fab in Racine,
Wis. He received his Certified Professional
in Supply Management certification
Roberta “Bobbi” Kempf-Damrow (B.S. Business Administration, ’95) is the West Region dean of the Phillips,
Medford and Spencer, Wis., campuses for Northcentral Technical College, a two-year college with seven locations,
including a West Region central campus in Wausau, Wis. The college is part of the Wisconsin Technical College System.
“The goal of the position is to support and inspire learners in their journey of lifelong learning while collaborating with
school districts, higher education partners, and business and industry to bring relevant educational programming to
tomorrow’s workforce,” said Damrow, who is the executive leader for the three campuses.
She previously was manager of Shared Services at Phillips Plastics, where she provided the overall vision, administration
and management for corporate shared services staff and responsibilities.
Outside of work, Damrow serves on the board of directors for Flambeau Hospital, is the vice president on the
executive committee of the Park Falls Area Community Development Corporation, and is the secretary of the executive
committee of the Price County Economic Development Association. She and husband Chuck Damrow have two
children and own D&D Tire and Auto Center, Inc., in Park Falls, Wis.
Stritch Magazine Spring/Summer 2011
41
Dan Schwartzer (A.S. Business,
’93; B.S. Business Administration,
’95) is the deputy commissioner of
insurance for the state of Wisconsin.
He was appointed by Governor Scott
Walker in January.
In his position at the Office of the
Commissioner of Insurance (OCI),
Schwartzer is responsible for the
day-to-day operations of the agency,
serves as chief prosecutor against
those who violate agency regulations,
and is part of the leadership team
that will oversee health care reform
in Wisconsin. Prior to working
for the state, Schwartzer started
his career as an insurance agent
and worked in many aspects of
the industry, including regional
director for the state’s largest
PPO and utilization management
company. Schwartzer eventually
went on to own and operate a
government relations and association
management firm representing
insurance industry clients to the
legislature and regulatory agencies.
He said his goals are to get OCI
back to the two core missions of the
agency – consumer protection and
insurer solvency. He also would like
to promote the industry to create
job growth.
“The insurance industry is the sixth
largest industry in Wisconsin and
the jobs this industry creates are
good paying, green jobs. We have a
tremendously competitive market in
Wisconsin and we would like to build
upon that and see more of these jobs
created.”
In addition to the core mission of the
agency, Schwartzer also would like to
better promote financial literacy.
“It is extremely important that we
educate consumers on insurance and,
more broadly, financial literacy,” he
said. “High school students need to
have the basic skills to know how to
balance a checking account and why
they need to purchase insurance on
the car they just bought. As a state,
we must do a better job in teaching
these vital life skills to students
before they enter the real world.”
through the Institute of Supply Management.
Natasha (Freeman) Rowell (M.A.
Clinical Psychology, ’02) is the principal of
Martinsville High School in Martinsville, Va.
Mike Hauser (M.B.A. Business Administration,
’03) is the general manager of MuleHide Manufacturing in Cornell, Wis.
Tracy (Neuburg) Noble (M.A.
Clinical Psychology, ’03) is an adjunct
instructor at Bryant & Stratton College.
Jim Peters, R.N., (A.S. Nursing, ’03)
received a 2010 Health Care Hero Award
from the BizTimes Milwaukee magazine,
recognizing him for making a difference in his
work as a case manager for Horizon Home
Care and Hospice Inc. in Brown Deer, Wis.
Keith Morgan (B.S. Business Administration,
’04) received a 2011 SBA Wisconsin Award
for emerging small business. He is the CEO
of Neurotech, LLC, in Elm Grove, Wis.
Jennifer (Patterson) Potts (A.S.
Business, ’04; B.S. Management, ’07; M.B.A.
Business Administration, ’09) is the
executive support manager for the Social
Development Commission in Milwaukee.
Tim Setzer (M.A. Special Education,
’04) is a seventh grade special education
teacher and athletic director at Steffen
Middle School in Mequon, Wis. He was
featured in “Profiles in Education” in the
Ozaukee County News Graphic.
Natalie (Zwieg) Sherry (B.S. Business
Administration, ’04) is the membership
manager at Credit Union National
Association (CUNA) Councils in Madison.
Lauren Svacina (B.A. Psychology,
’06) is a peace educator for S.E.T.
Ministries in Milwaukee.
Scott Berger (M.S. Management, ’07)
was elected president of the County
Veterans Service Officers Association
of Wisconsin for 2010-11.
Kelly (Hawley) Brown (B.S. Management,
’07; M.S. Management, ’09) is a recipient of
the 2011 Milwaukee Business Journal's Forty
under 40 award. She is a managing partner
and founder of The American Deposit
Management Company in Milwaukee. (see
the February 2011 issue of the Stritch alumni
e-newsletter: www.stritch.edu/enewsletter).
Ryan Pruess (B.A. Religious Studies,
’07) was ordained to the transitional
diaconate at the Cathedral of St. John
the Evangelist in Milwaukee in April.
Andrew Edgar (M.A. Clinical Psychology,
’09) is a psychology specialist at the Montana
Development Center in Montana.
Lauren Kell (M.A. Literacy and English as a
Second Language, ’09) is an adjunct instructor in
Stritch’s College of Education and Leadership.
Christopher (C.J.) Lewandowski
(B.S. Management, ’09) is a realtor for
Shorewest Realtors in Milwaukee, Wis.
Lee Neagle (M.A. Clinical Psychology, ’09)
is the clinical lead therapist at Rosewood's
Centers for Eating Disorders at the
Capri campus in Wickenburg, Ariz.
David Knutson (B.S. Business
Management, ’10) is an industrial engineer
at Schenck AccuRate in Whitewater, Wis.
Kyle Thompson (B.S. Management,
’04; M.S. Management, ’07) is the
director of buildings and grounds for the
Mequon-Thiensville School District.
Melissa Koschnitzke (M.A. Clinical
Psychology, ’10) is a clinical study
coordinator at the Medical College of
Wisconsin in the Neurology Department.
Scott Edmunds (M.B.A., ’05) was
promoted to director of wholesale
channel marketing within Kohler's Co.'s
North American faucets division.
Laura (Runge) Mokelke (B.S.
Management, ’10) is the marketing coordinator
for Soerens Ford in Brookfield, Wis.
Keith Marty (Ed.D. Leadership and
Advancement, ’05) is the superintendent of
Parkway School District in Chesterfield, Mo.
Patience (Weinberger) Kosaric
(M.A. Clinical Psychology, ’05) received
her Licensed Professional Counselor
(LPC) license in October.
Carol Stewart (M.A. Clinical Psychology,
’05) is a vocational rehabilitation
counselor in the Division of Vocational
Rehabilitation for the Department of
Workforce Development in Milwaukee.
Tony Phillips (B.A. Religious Studies, ’06)
is the vice president of human resources
and administration at St. Ann Center for
Intergenerational Care in Milwaukee, Wis. He
is also the new pastor of Blessed Deliverance
Missionary Baptist Church in Milwaukee.
Sam Pendergast (B.A. Psychology, ’10)
is a youth counselor at Oconomowoc
Developmental and Training Center
in Oconomowoc, Wis.
Tina Pompe (B.A. Psychology, ’10)
is working at Shorehaven Behavioral
Health in Brown Deer, Wis.
Diane Schmerling (M.A. Clinical
Psychology, ’10) is owner of a company
called SMC Numismatics in California
through which she buys and sells rare
coins and antiques and serves clients as a
coin broker to build up their portfolios.
Michael Toellner (M.B.A. Business
Administration, ’11) is a HRIS Operations
Specialist for Extendicare Health
Services Inc. in Milwaukee, Wis.
Personal news (Marriages, births,
adoptions, personal achievements)
Bethany Fobia
(B.A. Theater, ’07) wrote,
composed and directed
“Three Christmases,” an
original musical about a
family and the changes
they experience during
two busy years. Hosted by
Parkway Apostolic Church in
Milwaukee in December, the
musical involved a cast and
crew of more than 70 and
was seen by more than 3,000 people.
1980s
Bryce Kolpack (B.S. Management, ’86) was inducted into the
Edgar High School alumni Hall of Fame in Edgar, Wis.
Amy Haen (B.A. Elementary Education, ’07)
married Dan Springhetti on Aug. 14, 2010.
1990s
Michelle (Schick) DuBord (B.A. Communication, ’93) and
husband Wendell had a daughter, Mara Audrey, on Oct. 15, 2010.
2000s
Jennifer Kovatovich (B.A. English, ’00) married
Michael J. Phelps on Dec. 18, 2010.
Jake (B.A. Accounting, ’02) and Holli (Moyer) (B.S. Education, ’03) Lanell
had a son, Oliver Samuel, on Oct. 1, 2010. He joins big brother Peyton.
In Memory of …
Lori (Skurulsky) Adams (B.S. Business Administration, ’04), Sept. 2, 2010
Betty Basile (M.A. Reading/Language Arts, ’77), Jan. 6, 2011
Darlene (Del Rosso) Calhoun (M.B.A., ’02), Jan. 15, 2011
Sister Dorothy Deal (M.A. Reading/Language Arts, ’69), Jan. 2, 2011
Kathryn I. Dustrude (M.A. Special Education, ’75), Sept. 25, 2010
Michael Goldonowicz (M.A. Special Education, ’80), April 6, 2011
Sandra (Goltz) Hoehne (A.S. Business, ’93), Sept. 29, 2010
Sister Esther Hopschulte, OSF, (B.A. Education, ’47), Feb. 6, 2011
John Horlivy (M.E. Teaching, ’87), Oct. 17, 2010
Alfred Reginald Lawson ( B.A. Management, ’99), March 28, 2011
Mary Ellen (Brooks) Loerke (B.A. Math, ’69), March 31, 2011
Ronald Mueller (A.S. Business, ’04; B.S. Accounting, ’06), Oct. 24, 2010
“Three Christmases” is the second production Fobia
wrote and directed for the church and the first one
for which she composed 15 original songs. Inspired
to write the story by her brother’s 2010 Air Force
deployment to Korea, Fobia is donating proceeds
from DVD sales of the production to “Operation
Homefront,” an organization that provides emergency
financial and other assistance to the families of service
members. To order a copy of the DVD for $15,
contact Fobia at [email protected].
In addition to her writing credits, Fobia is sound
designer at Soulstice Theatre Company, LTD, in
Milwaukee and for other clients as needed; captures
sports photography for Stritch’s 10 teams; handles
graphic design, photography, digital video and live
theater for her own Milwaukee-based business, B.B.
Productions; and is the choir director for Apostolic
Worship Center in Milwaukee.
While Fobia has no plans to write another musical
anytime soon, she is starting a manuscript for a
fiction novel.
Tracey (Kubacki) Musha (B.A. Sociology, ’77), April 10, 2011
E. Francine Press (B.A. Sociology, ’81), Sept. 9, 2010
Timothy Schmeckel (A.A. Special Education, ’86), Dec. 31, 2010
Beverly Steffes (B.F.A. Art, ’ 77), Sept. 19, 2010
Loren Joseph Yount II (B.A. Psychology, Sociology, ’87), April 19, 2011
Claudia Orr (M.S. Educational
Leadership, ’02) was one of 55
educators nationwide and the only in
Wisconsin to receive a 2010 Milken
Educator Award and a $25,000 prize
at a ceremony in November. She is
the principal at Green Bay Eisenhower
Elementary in Green Bay, Wis., and has
been an educator for 14 years.
The award recognizes Orr’s leadership,
vision and “no excuses” attitude, which
communicate the high expectations
she has for the teachers, students
and their families. The comprehensive
literacy program Orr implemented is
now a model for other schools and
helped raise student achievement
despite the school’s 90 percent
poverty rate and a high number of
English-language learners. The school
went from missing adequate yearly
progress in 2008-09 to making
adequate yearly progress with a nearly
30 percent jump in reading scores
within one year’s time. A former
bilingual teacher and English-language
learner, Orr has developed deeper
connections with students and their
families who felt inhibited by language
barriers. She also implemented
“Saturday School,” providing additional
reading, math and extracurricular
opportunities for students.
“When you hear that at-risk learners
can’t learn, that’s not true,” Orr said.
“You have to find ways to differentiate,
engage, motivate, and encourage
students to learn.”
As principal, Orr has developed
partnerships with the Brown
County Library, the University of
Wisconsin—Green Bay, and the
Green Bay Blizzards indoor football
team in an effort to connect with
the wider community. In January, she
received the Green Bay Area Chamber
of Commerce Future 15 Award,
recognizing young professionals who
are excelling and positively influencing
the community.
Stritch Magazine Spring/Summer 2011
43
Guest Essay
by Art Wigchers
Stories that don’t make the headlines
Catholic Relief Services works quietly,
effectively all over the globe
People often ask what drew me to Catholic
Relief Services. Twelve years ago when my
wife and I first started donating to CRS, it
was just another good charity to support.
Three years after making that first donation,
I went to East Africa and saw for myself the
great work CRS and its local partners were
doing. Then, I became more than a donor;
I became one of its biggest advocates.
On that trip, as I left Ethiopia, I asked Meki
Bishop Abraham Desta what he wanted
most. He said it was to expand the middle
school in the Bale region in southeastern
Ethiopia. The area’s population is about
90 percent Sunni Muslim and 10 percent
Ethiopian Orthodox with few Catholics. He
targeted this school as studies have shown
that children who go to school together
between the ages of 8-12 are unlikely to
fight each other later in life. We agreed that
the school must continue to accept children
of all faiths, encourage girls to attend and
have high academic standards.
Later, I had this nagging question: what if
the school did not exist? So I returned the
next year and, to my great relief, the school
existed, had grown and was flourishing.
This confirmed my passion for CRS
helping those most in need, regardless of
race, religion, or nationality. The students
taking the 8th grade examination to
qualify for high school have had the
best test scores in the region the last two
years, with approximately one half of the
students being girls. This last statistic is
most meaningful as only one in six girls
in this region are literate. I can't think of
a better example of how CRS, through its
local partners, reaches remote areas where
governments do not go.
Most of us relate CRS with disasters such
as the Haiti and Pakistan earthquakes and
the South Asia and Japanese tsunamis,
and conflict areas such as Darfur and
South Sudan. What makes CRS truly
extraordinary is it already has staff on the
ground in these remote areas*. Thus, CRS
is poised to immediately help with rescue
and relief responses when disaster strikes.
What does not make the headlines is its
great work in the redevelopment phase
where it continues working for years
helping people restore their homes, schools,
farms, businesses, and communities.
Aside from disaster assistance, CRS quietly
helps people learn life-changing skills. Last
fall, I was at a CRS program near Meki that
provides assistance in well drilling and
trains people how to maintain the pump
and neutralize the fluoride in the drinking
water. The program relieved the village’s
young girls from having to walk miles
to retrieve family drinking water, which
means they now can attend school.
Equally compelling was a discussion I
had with some women who participate
in the CRS savings and internal lending
communities program. These women
formed a group, pooled their money and
now reloan it based on simple business
plans. This is a powerful tool in an area
where income may only be a dollar a day
and there are no banks. Some women were
using the loan to purchase better seeds,
thus raising better crop yields. I asked one
of the farmers who had been successful
in repaying her loan what would she like
to try next? Later, the woman appeared
in front of me, looking down shyly at her
feet as she spoke to the interpreter. Her
powerful words stayed with me. She said
she would like to borrow money to rent
land from some of the people who were
not fully utilizing their land and then
expand her crop production, assuring her
children could continue their schooling.
This woman, with no formal education,
was as much of an entrepreneur as I was
with my MBA.
You can see from my experiences in
Ethiopia, CRS not only saves lives, it
provides people with the skills to change
their lives. It is truly amazing how every
donation can help bring meaningful
changes that help develop better lives for
those most in need.
Art Wigchers serves on the National Foundation Board of Catholic Relief Services and has traveled to Pakistan, South Sudan, Ethiopia, Kenya, Uganda, Rwanda, Peru, Zimbabwe,
and South Africa on behalf of the organization. He is the retired president and CEO of Zilber, Ltd., and continues to serve on the board of Zilber, Ltd., as well as the board of
Catholic Financial Life and the Board of Trustees for Cardinal Stritch University. He has a long history of service to community nonprofits, Catholic organizations and his parish.
*CRS is working through Caritas to help in the current situation in Japan. Caritas in developed countries operates like our Catholic charities in the United States.
44
Stritch Magazine Spring/Summer 2011
Calendar
Upcoming events
For more information about these and other events,
visit www.stritch.edu/calendar.aspx, where new events
and updates are posted often.
Thursday, Aug. 18
Fifth Annual Symposium in Lay
Ministries: “Spirituality of the Laity”
featuring Zeni Fox, Ph.D.
Jan. 22, 28 and 29
“Charlotte’s Web”
theater production
Aug. 27-Sept. 11
Graduate Student Thesis Exhibition
Opening reception: Aug. 27, 5-8 p.m.
Sunday, Feb 12
Faculty recital,
featuring Stritch faculty artists
performing chamber literature
Sunday, Sept. 18
Faculty artist piano recital, featuring
Dr. Eun-Joo Kwak
Feb. 17-19, 24-26
“Quiet in the Land”
theater production
Tuesday, Sept. 27
2011 Stritch Showcase dinner
Sunday, March 18
New Music Concert, featuring
original student compositions
Oct. 21-23, 28-30
“Into the Woods” theater production
Saturday, Nov. 19
Piano Festival
Sunday, Nov. 20
Faculty artist voice recital, featuring
Nathan Krueger
Thursday, Dec. 1
Saint Clare Center
Co-Workers Breakfast:
“The New Face of Adult Faith
Formation” featuring Neil A. Parent
April 27-29, May 4-6
“Sherlock Holmes:
The Final Adventure”
theater production
Early this spring, Stritch’s Public Relations
office received a GOLD award for Stritch
Magazine in the category of External
Publication from the 26th annual Educational
Advertising Awards, run by the Higher
Education Marketing Report.
The award recognizes “those entrants whose
programs and materials display exceptional
quality, creativity and message effectiveness,”
according to the award website. Stritch
Magazine was judged to be the best among
entries from schools with 5,000-9,999
students. No other Wisconsin schools
were honored.
The two issues submitted for consideration
were the Spring/Summer 2010 issue, which
featured a cover story about alumni artists
who have gained critical acclaim; and the
Fall/Winter 2009 issue, which featured a
cover story about families with multiple
members who are alumni or current students.
Friday, May 4
Spring choir concert,
featuring the Concert Choir
The Educational Advertising Awards is
the largest educational advertising awards
competition in the country. This year, more
than 2,500 entries were received from
more than 1,000 colleges, universities and
secondary schools from all 50 states and
several foreign countries. Gold awards were
granted to 214 institutions and silver awards
were awarded to 189 institutions.
Wednesday, May 9
Piano showcase,
featuring Stritch piano
performance majors
A national panel of judges included higher
education marketers, advertising creative
directors, marketing and advertising
professionals, and the editorial board of
the Higher Education Marketing Report.
Sunday, Dec. 11
Christmas concert featuring the
Concert Choir
Visit the
The Cardinal Stritch University Bookstore provides
everything from textbooks and course materials to
apparel and gifts at the Milwaukee campus or online at
www.csu.bkstr.com. Orders may be placed online or via phone
at (414) 410-4035 or fax at (414) 410-4159. Show your Stritch
pride with the latest merchandise or get a bargain by checking
out today’s clearance sales! For a chance to win a $25 gift card
to the bookstore, see the contest on page 40.
…on site or online
Stritch Magazine
wins national award
To read Stritch Magazine online,
including the award-winning issues, visit
www.stritch.edu/magazine. Click the
“Past Issues” link on the left side of the
screen to view back issues.
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you updated on what’s new at Stritch,
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Honor Roll of Donors
Cardinal Stritch University is able to provide transformative,
value-centered education because of the generous financial support
of its friends. We are deeply appreciative of your continued support
as we renew our shared commitment to students in the year to come.
View the 2009-2010 Honor Roll of Donors at www.stritch.edu/donors.