SUMMER 2020
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REMEMBERING DR. FREED
UNSTOPPABLE
MEETING THE CHALLENGES TO COME
WE SAY GOODBYE TO ONE OF ONU'S LEGENDARY FIGURES
THE UNIVERSITY REACTS TO THE CHALLENGES OF COVID-19
SHAPING THINKING AROUND A MANAGEABLE FUTURE
With campus shut down due to COVID-19 and the majority of Polar Bear Nation under stay-at-home orders, social media became an invaluable tool to share vital information, celebrate accomplishments, reminisce and just generally keep in touch while we were apart. The University hosted virtual town halls, hosted a virtual degree conferral ceremony and even broke some news. But what really made social media the conduit to keep #NorthernBeingNorthern was the incredible engagement of our alumni and friends.
Nathan Welker June 8
Love this guy! Best friend, Best man, and Godfather to my daughter! All because of ONU! Go Bears! Douglas Chapel
Here are the top three: • Our virtual degree conferral ceremony video had a reach of nearly 25,000 people with more than 8,000 engagements. It wasn’t the ceremony we all hoped for, but the Polar Bear spirit was there just the same. • Our virtual Klondike reveal video was a big hit as well with a reach of nearly 13,000 and 3,500 engagements. • Our #BestFriendsDay post had a reach of more than 8,000 with 1,400 engagements. We loved seeing all the photos in the comments.
Darby Beckwith June 8
ONU MT19!
SUMMER 2020
OHIO NORTHERN UNIVERSITY MAGAZINE Mukhzoona Tariq June 8
My polar bear Veera Nylander Spring 2018 # Exchange students
CONTENTS FEATURES
/10 REMEMBERING DR. FREED WE SAY GOODBYE TO A LEGENDARY FIGURE IN ONU HISTORY
/12 POLLING BEARS ICAPP ALREADY PAYING DIVIDENDS ON A NATIONAL STAGE /3
/14 UNSTOPPABLE THE UNIVERSITY RESPONDS TO THE CHALLENGES OF COVID-19
3
/26 MEETING THE CHALLENGES TO COME NEW SUSTAINABILITY LAB TO SHAPE THINKING AROUND A MANAGEABLE FUTURE
/28 BE GLOBAL. ACT LOCAL. EXCHANGE STUDENT INSPIRES ENVIRONMENTAL ACTION
COLLEGE NEWS
Anabe Montgomery June 8
Kendra Sponsler and I met through alpha XI Delta my freshman/her sophomore year. 10 years and a picture as she holds my son Cass and I hold her son Link. I'm grateful every day form my Polar Bear best friend and this next generation of best friends .... and possible Polar Bears
Amanda Michelle Jones April 8
ONU sweethearts! This place meant so much to us that we named our daughter Ada
/30 ARTS & SCIENCES NEWS /31 BUSINESS ADMINISTRATION NEWS /32 ENGINEERING NEWS /33 PHARMACY NEWS /34 LAW NEWS
INBOX
EMPIRE STATE POLAR BEARS
LOOK WHO RAN INTO EACH OTHER
Former cross country teammates reunited on campus for the indoor track meet on Feb. 1, 2020. Front row: Jim Long, BA ’81; Mike Becraft, BA ’75; Dan Schoenlein, BA New York Supreme Court Justice James Piampiano,
‘80. Back row: Bill Chmelik, BSBA ’80; Greg Cline, BSPh
JD ’77; Monroe County Family Court Judge Alecia
’80; David Strong, BFA ‘80; coach Gale Daugherty; Mark
Mazzo, JD ’92; and Monroe County Family Court
Cook, BA ’79; Bill Young, BSBA ‘83.
Judge Joseph Nesser, JD ’85, all work in the Hall of Justice in Rochester, N.Y., and each graduated from
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ONU’s Pettit College of Law.
100 YEARS OF DELTA SIG
A box in the 'box
Say what? When our inbox overflows, some of it spills onto the pages of ONU Magazine. Send letters, story tips and quirky news bits with an ONU connection to
magazine@onu.edu ONU students found creative ways to stay positive, motivated and productive during their time away from school this spring. Greg Hassenpflug, a junior The Delta Sigma Phi Alpha Eta chapter hosted their
engineering education and mathematics
centennial celebration in Lima, Ohio, on Feb. 14-15, 2020.
double major from Westerville, Ohio, explored woodworking and created these stunning curved keepsake boxes. The boxes are cherry with a walnut handle and key.
O N U M AG A Z I N E S U M M E R 2 0 2 0
OHIO NORTHERN UNIVERSITY MAGAZINE
President Daniel A. DiBiasio Vice President and General Counsel Andrew C. Hughey Interim Provost/Vice President for Academic Affairs Juliet (Harvey) Hurtig, BSEE ’91 Vice President for Financial Affairs Jason Broge Vice President for Enrollment Management William Eilola Vice President for University Advancement Shannon Spencer Vice President for Student Affairs Adriane Thompson-Bradshaw Associate Vice President for Academic Affairs Lynda Nyce Executive Director of Communications and Marketing Amy Prigge, BSBA ’94 ONU Magazine Editors Sheila Baumgartner Associate Director of Communications and Marketing
Laurie Wurth-Pressel Writer Brian Paris Associate Director of Communications and Marketing Art and Design Nancy Burnett Art Director Rebecca Legge, BFA ’17 Graphic and Digital Designer Photography Trevor Jones University Photographer Send Class Notes via email to: alumni@onu.edu POSTMASTER Send address changes to: ONU MAGAZINE 525 S. Main St., Ada, OH 45810-1599
Like millions of Americans, the members of the ONU community have focused their attention and energy this summer on responding to the COVID-19 pandemic and to the crisis of conscience on matters of race sparked by the shocking and horrific murders of George Floyd, Breonna Taylor and Rayshard Brooks. Preparing the campus to resume in-person education for the fall semester is a major task that requires incredible planning and coordination. Our highest priority is the health, safety and well-being of every member of the ONU community, and the safety plan that we have developed fully serves that priority as well as ensures a quality educational experience for our students. To manage the COVID-19 risk factors and resume in-person education, we have taken full advantage of the unique benefits of our size, location and expertise of the medical and allied health professionals we have on campus. The plan can be found on the University’s website at www.onu.edu/covid-19. I am pleased that so many at ONU have done so much to assist in responding to the pandemic, and I know that our readers will enjoy learning about them in this issue. Returning to the violence we witnessed this summer toward Black Americans, these incidents shockingly served to remind us how racism permeates our societal structures and institutions, including colleges and universities. As a result, it is time for us to probe more deeply than ever before and examine more broadly than we have in the past to identify how we can become better and achieve true diversity, equity and inclusion at ONU. It is especially important at this time for us to acknowledge to one another and to the larger community around us that Black Lives Matter. We have reached out to our students and held a virtual forum with them to listen to the ways they would like to see ONU improve on issues of race. In addition, we have announced an initial set of first actions to strengthen and demonstrate our ongoing commitment to diversity, to students of color, and to Black students in particular. We are very interested in engaging our alumni and will look for opportunities to move forward together on these important issues. In closing, I want to thank former Provost Maria Cronley and CFO Bill Ballard of ONU’s senior leadership team for their dedicated years of service to the University. Maria accepted the position of provost and senior vice president at Austin Peay University in Tennessee, and Bill recently retired. At the same time, I am pleased to appoint Julie Hurtig, BSEE '91, from her current post as associate vice president for academic affairs at ONU, to interim provost, and to welcome our new CFO Jason Broge and our new Vice President and General Counsel Andrew Hughey. In these very busy and challenging times, I am especially grateful to our alumni and friends for their support and for being “loyal forever to dear ONU.” Many thanks,
ONU MAGAZINE is published by Ohio Northern University, 525 S. Main St., Ada, Ohio 45810-1599. Phone: 419-772-2000 Fax: 419-772-2932 OHIO NORTHERN UNIVERSITY was founded in 1871 and is a private, co-educational, student-centered institution of higher learning that offers quality, nationally ranked sciences, arts and professional programs in its five colleges: Arts & Sciences, Business Administration, Engineering, Pharmacy and Law. onu.edu
FROM THE PRESIDENT
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Laura Germann Writer
Dear ONU alumni and friends,
CAMPUS NEWS ONU WELCOMES NEW VPs Jason Broge
Andrew C. Hughey
Vice President for Financial Affairs
Vice President and General Counsel
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On July 1, Jason Broge officially began his appointment as vice president for financial affairs, replacing William Ballard upon his retirement. Broge brings excellent experience and a strong skill set to his new role at ONU, having held financial management and leadership positions in colleges and universities that vary in size and control – big and small, public and private. Prior to coming to ONU, Broge was vice president of business services and the CFO of Kirtland Community College in Grayling, Mich., a position he held since 2010. Prior to his work at Kirtland, he held financial positions at Eastern Michigan University, Lourdes University and Adrian College. In his roles at those institutions, Broge provided leadership for budgeting, capital projects, borrowing and credit issues, auxiliary services, and master planning. Broge has a BS in business administration with an accounting major from Central Michigan University, an MA in organizational leadership from Siena Heights University, and is a CPA. He values transparency and earning the trust and respect of those he works with, and he looks forward to building on the foundation that Ballard and his team have established at ONU.
Andrew C. Hughey began his duties as the inaugural vice president and general counsel on May 1, bringing a wealth of experience and talent to this new role at ONU. Before arriving at ONU, he served as special assistant to the president for diversity and inclusion at the Community College of Allegheny County in Pittsburgh, Pa. His prior experience includes serving as general counsel at Texas Southern University in Houston, Texas, for seven years, general counsel and secretary to the board of trustees at Central State University in Wilberforce, Ohio, for 12 years, and associate general counsel at the University of Pittsburgh for 12 years, where he was also an adjunct professor and instructor of law. At Central State University, Hughey established the first Office of General Counsel and served as secretary to the board of trustees, providing advice on all legal matters from policies and contracts, to compliance and litigation. Hughey earned his BA from the University of Pittsburgh, majoring in rhetoric and communications with minors in economics and psychology. His Juris Doctor is from Duquesne University School of Law.
UNIVERSITY NAMES INTERIM PROVOST Effective July 1, Juliet Hurtig, BSEE ‘91, assumed the position of interim provost and vice president for academic affairs, upon the departure of former Provost Maria Cronley. Hurtig joined the faculty of the T.J. Smull College of Engineering in 2000 and became assistant dean for admissions and advising in 2003. She was appointed interim assistant vice president for academic affairs in August 2009 and, in August 2011, was promoted to associate vice president for academic affairs. Her responsibilities include oversight of the registrar’s office, information technology services, assessment activities in the academic areas, international student visas and the University’s general education program. Hurtig earned her Bachelor of Science in electrical engineering from Ohio Northern University, and her Master of Science and Ph.D. in electrical engineering from The Ohio State University.
O N U M AG A Z I N E S U M M E R 2 0 2 0
commencement ceremony, such as the singing of the national anthem and alma mater, and a closing benediction and photo images of members of the Class of 2020 during their time at ONU.
O N U H O L D S F I R S T- E V E R V I R T U A L DEGREE CONFERRAL Ohio Northern University held a virtual degree conferral ceremony on May 10, 2020, the date commencement ceremonies were originally scheduled for students in the Raabe College of Pharmacy and undergraduate colleges, as well as the Master of Science in Accounting (MSA) program. Included in the virtual ceremony were opening remarks from ONU President Dan DiBiasio and former Provost/Vice President for Academic Affairs Maria Cronley, and the official conferral of the degrees by the college deans. The recorded video presentation also included other features of the traditional ONU
FACULTY MEMBERS
and 442 from the other three colleges. The virtual degree conferral ceremony video had a reach of nearly 25,000 people with more than 8,000 engagements.
rate in the country in 2015. Rural areas such as much of northwestern Ohio suffer disproportionate rates of opioid-related overdoses and deaths compared to urban centers due to complex interplay between personal, social, cultural and economic factors. “We found a very strong link between emotional problems and prescription opioid abuse among kids in juvenile drug court,” Durkin says. “While we found a declining trend in pain pill abuse, we found a very troubling increase in emotional problems by youths referred to the drug court. In fact, emotional problems have risen 89.5 percent on average since 2010.” “While the prescription opioid abuse problem appears to be on the decline among juveniles, I am profoundly concerned that a very serious mental health crisis is on the horizon,” cautions Durkin.
CAMPUS NEWS
FOR NCAA DIII NATIONALS In February, several members of the ONU wrestling team competed in the 2020 NCAA Division III Central Regional Wrestling Championships in Adrian, Mich, which unexpectedly became the end of their season. Senior Seth Transue won the 133-pound weight class and was named the tournament's Most Outstanding Wrestler, and junior Cash Thompson placed second in the 197-pound weight class. In all, ONU had wrestlers place in eight of the 10 weight classes. Transue, Thompson and freshman Chase Sumner were slated to represent Northern at the sport's biggest stage, the NCAA Championships in Cedar Rapids, Iowa, but the event was canceled due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Transue was seeded seventh in the 133-pound bracket, while Sumner and Thompson were unseeded in each of their brackets. Special thanks to ONU Magazine reader Becky Fickenworth for drawing attention to an omission in the previous issue. In the news story "Sweet Success," we recognized ONU athletic programs that advanced to their respective national tournaments. However, we failed to include the 2019 ONU men's soccer team as one of them. The Polar Bears made the NCAA DIII tournament, where they fell to St. Norbert (Wis.) in penalty kicks in the first round of the NCAA Tournament.
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The paper involved a study of youths in Hardin County, Ohio, between January 2010 and November 2018, and the research is especially relevant to Ohio and particularly the northwestern section of the state. As the paper states, Ohio is at the epicenter of the opioid epidemic, an unprecedented health crisis that claimed 72,000 Americans in 2017. As the paper further notes, opioid mortality rates increased an astonishing 918 percent since the early 2000s, and Ohio had the highest heroin overdose
Approximately 658 students earned their degrees from the University in the academic year 2019-20, including 149 from the College of Pharmacy, 67 from the College of Law
ONU STUDENT-ATHLETES QUALIFY
PUBLISH OPIOID ABUSE RESEARCH Ohio Northern University faculty members Ross Kauffman, director of public health, and Keith Durkin, professor of sociology, have taken an interdisciplinary approach to the multifaceted problem of opioid abuse in the region. The resulting paper from their research, “Impact of Emotional Distress on Prescription Opioid Abuse in a Rural Juvenile Drug Court Sample,” was published in the December 2019 edition of the Ohio Journal of Public Health.
“While the ceremony was virtual, the pride and accomplishment these students felt was very genuine and well deserved,” DiBiasio says. “Earning an Ohio Northern University degree is the culmination of the complete ONU education our students receive inside and outside the classroom. The Class of 2020 showed great resilience and courage in how well they dealt with these difficult and unusual circumstances during their last college term. These traits will serve them well in their future endeavors.”
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Before we experienced an unexpected transition to remote learning, students celebrated Helen Ludwig and the values that she embodied during Thank-A-Giver Day on Feb. 26.
UN DER
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HELEN LUDWIG
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2
A LOOK AT FOUNDERS DAY A DAY OF VIRTUAL COMMUNITY
This year’s Founders Day was different. On April 8, the Ohio Northern Polar Bear family came together in virtual community to have fun and support one another.
Perseverance
Leadership
Teamwork
Strength
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Every April ONU takes some time to reflect on our founding and invite Polar Bears to mark the occasion. This Founders Day, we honored Helen Ludwig, BSEd '44, who was a pioneer for women's athletics at ONU. Ludwig embodied leadership, teamwork, strength and perseverance - values we hold close in these challenging times!
Remembering Dr. Freed 1925-2020 Dr. Freed was a remarkable man and a unique leader. His impact on our University spans two decades of faithful service to the highest ideals of faith-affiliated colleges and universities – quality education, a strong sense of community, and caring concern for the welfare of others. He and Kitty leave a legacy of leadership at ONU for which we and future generations are forever grateful."
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—President Dan DiBiasio
Dr. DeBow Freed, Hon. D. '99, Ohio Northern University’s ninth president, was truly one of a kind. He led a life of diligence, compassion and service to others, while irreversibly impacting thousands of lives. Thoughtful, kind, disciplined and brilliant, he held unwaveringly to the moral values he embodied throughout his life. Born and raised in rural Tennessee, Freed graduated from Gallatin Tennessee High School at age 17. He was then appointed to and attended the United States Military Academy, graduating in 1946 when he was 20 years old. After graduating from West Point, he was commissioned in the U.S. Army infantry. During his military career, Freed served overseas in places like Japan, Germany, Iran, Korea and Vietnam. He attended and taught at multiple military schools in the United States, and he worked as aide to the assistant division commander of the 17th Airborne Division, a training division in the U.S., and aide to the head of the Military Advisory Mission in Tehran, Iran. Later in his career, he was chief of the nuclear branch of the Defense Atomic Support Agency at Sandia Base in Albuquerque, N.M., and was also liaison
to the Los Alamos Scientific Laboratory for the military services. During his military career, he earned a master’s degree from the University of Kansas and a Ph.D. in nuclear engineering at the University of New Mexico. He was later assigned to the West Point faculty to help modernize the physics program and initiate an academic major in nuclear engineering. Freed met Catherine Carol Moore, daughter of an Army physician, while in the service, and they married in 1949. She held BA and BFA degrees from the University of Texas, where she was elected to Phi Beta Kappa and Mortar Board, and she later earned a MA from the University of Kansas. She taught at colleges near their stations and held leadership positions in the communities where they served. Freed credited his wife “Kitty” for many of their opportunities to serve. She passed away in November 2016. Their son, DeBow II, was awarded a Ph.D. by Rice University directly, without having a BS or MS degree, and was an outstanding scientist. He passed away from the effects of cancer in 2014. Freed retired after 23 years of active military duty and went directly into private higher education
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at Mount Union College, where he was dean of the college for five years. He was then elected president of Monmouth College in Monmouth, Ill., where he served for another five years. He then became president of Ohio Northern University, where he led for 20 years, and he later served as president of the University of Findlay for seven years. All of the institutions he served prospered greatly under his leadership. Freed’s 32 years as a college or university president provided wonderful opportunities to positively influence the lives of thousands of young people. That influence is all too evident today in the hearts and minds of hundreds of current and former ONU faculty, staff, alumni and friends. There are countless stories that characterize the deep commitment he and Kitty had to both University operations and student life. In fact, it’s safe to say every student who attended ONU during Freed’s tenure has a personal story about him. Dr. Freed passed away at his home in Ada, Ohio, on Feb. 8, 2020, and was later laid to rest alongside his wife and son at West Point Cemetery. On March 7, Polar Bears from near and far gathered at English Chapel for a special memorial service.
MEMORIES OF DR. FREED “While I was a freshman at ONU in 1990, I was walking to class from McIntosh. I had my arms full, and I dropped my books. Dr. Freed, who was walking behind me, grabbed my dropped items and carried them to my classroom for me on the third floor of Presser. He asked me my name and a few questions about myself. I was so amazed at how much of a gentleman he was. I remember thinking, if the president of this University, who I am sure had better things to do, could be so kind to someone, why can’t we all? I believe once you became his student, you also became his family.” Wendy (Lortz) Daugherty, BA ‘94
“I can never truly share what Dr. Freed meant to me and to my career. When I returned to ONU in 1982 to join my department faculty just six years after graduating, I met Dr. Freed for the first time. He took an instant interest in me and my story as an Ada blue-collar boy who had his life changed by the ONU experience. For the next 15 years, I watched his example of service and caring and began to form my own understanding of service to my profession. When I became president of Glen Oaks Community College in 2013, he wrote me a long and heartfelt letter of encouragement. I try every day to live up to his example of humble service with no bounds, but I never come close. The world lost a great man of the kind that comes along only rarely.”
“Dr. Freed led ONU to academic excellence with hard work and a gentle nature.”
Dr. David Devier, BA ‘76
Kanti Shah, professor emeritus of civil engineering
“There was rarely a campus event without Dr. or Mrs. Freed in attendance. Their support of students was vividly apparent. Our son is now at ONU and plays bass with the orchestra. It was a delight to see Dr. Freed at a concert last year and to know he still enjoyed the music being played in his building.”
“I’ll always remember that every time the band or choir would go on a trip, Dr. and Mrs. Freed would be there with donuts and hot chocolate for us to send us off. It didn’t matter if we were leaving at 2 a.m. or 8 a.m., they were there. They made every student feel important. They truly cared about us.”
Kami (Moore) Diehl, BA ‘95
Jennifer (Dieringer) Strapp, BSPh ‘96
Seth Arkow, BA ‘94, JD ‘97
Melanie (Caw) Woods, BA ‘83
“My parents were walking campus alone circa 1997-ish and bumped into Dr. Freed. When he found out they were Mr. and Mrs. Pope, he said, ‘I hear really good things about your sons, Scott and Matt.’ He had 3,000-plus students but still knew our names by heart.”
“In December 1998, while working as a video producer in the Office of Public Information at ONU, I received a call that my grandmother had died. By late morning, I was asked to go down to Dr. Freed’s office, which was not uncommon as we often reviewed video projects together. When I entered his office, he immediately expressed his sympathy for the loss of my grandmother and shared with me the wonderful memories of his own grandmother. When I attended my grandmother's service a couple of days later in my hometown, one of the first floral arrangements I saw was from Dr. and Mrs. Freed. Of all of his amazing accomplishments, his kindness was at the top.”
“One of the things that always made me laugh was the innocent look on his face when he would tell new students that the hill in the next county would keep it from getting too windy on the Tundra.”
Bob Dawson, former public information officer
Christine (Thompson) Elmore, BSPh ‘92
Scott Pope, PharmD ‘01
REMEMBERING DR. FREED
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“As a freshman, I was eating lunch with friends in McIntosh when a gentleman sat down and started talking with us. He asked our majors and hometowns. He wanted our opinions on everything from the food to our professors. That evening I picked up The Northern Review , and there was a picture of the gentleman I had eaten lunch with under the heading ‘Ninth President of Ohio Northern University.’ I always teased him that we were freshmen together.”
“Dr. Freed was always there. Always. Whether it was cookies during finals week at the Theta Chi house, his attendance at EVERY musical performance during my seven years on campus, or years after graduation asking how my law practice in Canton was and if I was still playing my trombone. He remembered I was a lawyer, and that I was from Canton and played the trombone. Find me a university president who can do that. You won’t. We are all better to have known Dr. and Mrs. Freed.”
POLLING
BEARS
ONU’S NEW INSTITUTE FOR CIVICS AND PUBLIC POLICY (ICAPP) AIMS TO BE A NATIONAL LEADER.
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ICAPP is a non-partisan, education-based community of scholars dedicated to conducting high-quality research to support civic literacy and an informed understanding of public policies with a focus on those issues affecting citizens in the industrial Midwest. Dr. Robert Alexander, BA ’94, has been a national voice on a variety of issues — from the Electoral College to analyzing the 2020 presidential race. His push for improved civic literacy is no secret among the many students he has taught over the years. This past year, Ohio Northern launched the Institute for Civics and Public Policy (ICAPP) and named Alexander as its founding director. Not surprisingly, ICAPP has already made news throughout the world.
Although it has been in existence for less than a year, its results have been extraordinary.
The primary goal of ICAPP is to align the diverse strengths of ONU’s academic programs and faculty expertise to give students new opportunities to do meaningful work.
Just before COVID-19 brought the United States to a standstill, alumnus Scott Miller, BA ’77, organized a meeting in Washington, D.C., of key alumni leaders to discuss the potential impact of ICAPP on public policy at the highest levels. As the director, Alexander was able to visit with staff from the offices of U.S. Senators Rob Portman and Sherrod Brown, and a pair of ONU congressional alumni, Mike Turner, BA ’82, and Tom Reed, JD ’96, to inform them about the activities of ICAPP.
Alexander views the institute as a natural extension of ONU’s founder, Henry Solomon Lehr. Lehr envisioned a university where its graduates would take their knowledge, skills and intellect into the world to serve the larger society. ICAPP supports Lehr’s vision through intentional programming and collaboration between faculty and students that will result in increased civic literacy at ONU and throughout the region.
ONU professors and students aim to aid the policymaking process through rigorous academic research and the development of policy papers. The scholars of ICAPP are recognized leaders in their fields, and their expertise covers a wide range of subjects. ONU students have the opportunity to work alongside ICAPP scholars, benefiting from their expansive knowledge, mentoring and networking connections.
Alexander, for his part, is one of this country’s leading authorities on the Electoral College. He has written two books on the subject and is a sought-after contributor for the national media, including CNN, USAToday and Canada’s CTV. Most recently, Alexander’s research — research compiled over the past 20 years with help from Ohio Northern University students — was used in oral arguments before the United States Supreme Court in a case about so-called faithless electors. It was an impressive high-water mark for an institute still in its infancy, and an indicator of what is possible from ONU scholarship. In May, the court heard oral arguments in the combined cases of Colorado v. Baca and Chiafalo v. Washington about the individuals who make up the Electoral College and ultimately cast the ballots that decide the U.S. president and vice president. The combined cases involved the constitutionality of binding an elector to their state’s law to vote for the candidate who has the popular will of that state, as some states mandate, or if electors are entitled to free will in casting their ballot. A ruling on the case is expected prior to the 2020 presidential election. According to Alexander, the Electoral College is one of the most maligned features in the United States Constitution. There have been nearly 800 efforts to amend or abolish it since
O N U M AG A Z I N E S U M M E R 2 0 2 0
its inception. Previously, the Supreme Court has ruled that parties may require pledges from electors to vote a certain way, but stopped short of requiring electors to honor those pledges. The current cases address this issue. “I think that those who are arguing that electors should continue to have their independence, had a larger axe to grind, which is the Electoral College itself,” he says. “While they were arguing the electors should have independence, ultimately I think that their main wish is to see the Electoral College abolished.” So why would anyone want to abolish something that has been part of every U.S. presidential election in history? The Electoral College has always been controversial, and results like the 2016 election only deepened divisions among the citizenry. Although Donald Trump was able to secure an Electoral College victory, he did so while losing the popular vote by more than 3 million votes, a phenomenon that has occurred four other times in our nation’s history, resulting in increased interest in the presidential election process each time. Alexander examines controversies surrounding the Electoral College in his 2019 award-winning book, Representation and the Electoral College. In it, he examines the early rationale for the Electoral College as well as how the body has evolved over time. He objectively evaluates the institution by studying how it
conforms or deviates to established norms of representation.
Alexander’s expertise is really at the crux of both cases, and it’s no surprise his research was cited. But still, even Alexander wasn’t ready to hear his work argued before the land’s high court and written into American history. “When you hear your name, and the work of your students, before the Supreme Court, you just can’t put it into words. Honestly, I was having tears of joy throughout that day, and it’s not too often that you can have that,” Alexander says. “It was a pretty remarkable moment certainly for me, but also for all of our students who worked with me on this project over the years.” Alexander has already been at the center of the 2020 presidential election through his involvement with the
The poll contained a base set of questions that were used each time the poll was run. Additional subsets of questions focused on topical issues specific to public policy or politics at large — Trump, the economy, race and gender, immigration, etc. — were added with each subsequent poll. “We asked six or seven questions about the Electoral College in the inaugural poll in January,” says Alexander. “We asked people to rate their concern over things like the influence of swing states in an election, for example. We asked them questions on how they felt about the ways votes are awarded, whether they preferred winner-take-all or proportional representation — those kinds of things. I was shocked to find majorities of respondents in these swing states would support doing away with the Electoral College in favor of a popular vote.”
reputation grew, which is precisely what Alexander hoped for when he joined the project and made ONU’s involvement the first major initiative for ICAPP. “Being on the national stage is exciting. ONU is jumping into the ring,” says Alexander. “It is great for our students to be among the first to hear and discuss results of these polls days in advance of what others receive in newspapers, television and radio throughout the nation. It truly makes an Ohio Northern education distinctive among our peers.” The Great Lakes Poll is actually ONU’s second foray into polling, following the Northern Poll, which Alexander conducted with students in April 2019. That poll made news as well with its findings that Ohio appeared to be competitive in spite of the fact that Donald Trump won the state in 2016. The poll also predicted Joe Biden would likely have a strong showing in the Democratic primary in Ohio. ONU students, under the tutelage of Alexander, surveyed 1,505 registered Ohio voters with a margin of error of 2.7 percent. They worked with Alexander on the question design and the interpretation of the results. He also offered to show students the process of writing an opinion piece for a newspaper, something he has been quite prolific at in recent years.
The poll was an instant success with major media outlets covering its results. The popular politics website FiveThirtyEight.com featured the poll on its homepage, and USAToday, The New York Times, CNN, ABC News, The National Journal and MSNBC all referenced its findings. With each of these media hits, ONU’s name and
POLLING BEARS
The result is that his work with Cassandra Krencisz, BA ‘20, was picked up by Cleveland’s The Plain Dealer — a feat few college-aged students are able to add to their resume. Krencisz has since graduated from ONU and accepted an assistantship to attend Penn State University, pursuing a master’s in — you guessed it — public policy. ICAPP has already demonstrated that a market exists for its research and scholarship. As they say on election night, “the early returns look good.” Most might say that having one’s work cited before the Supreme Court would be a milestone, but Alexander sees it as a stepping-stone for what ICAPP can eventually become. “We have amazing students, and we are poised for greatness. I can’t wait to see what the future holds.” To learn how you can support ICAPP, please contact Ellie Beckwith-McManus, executive director of development for the Getty College of Arts & Sciences and special projects (e-mcmanus.1@onu.edu, 419-7722073), or Robert Alexander, professor of political science and director of ICAPP (r-alexander@onu.edu, 419-772-2093).
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But fairness based on representation isn’t the only quirk that has some people second-guessing the validity of the Electoral College. In his 2012 book, Presidential Electors and the Electoral College: An Examination of Lobbying, Wavering Electors and Campaigns for Faithless Votes, Alexander broke ground by providing the first systematic treatment detailing those who comprise the Electoral College — presidential electors. He found that while most electors dutifully cast their ballots as expected, a significant number of wavering electors consider voting faithlessly. Faithless electors cast ballots counter to their pledged candidate or fail to cast a ballot at all. There have been 165 faithless electors in our history as of the 2016 presidential election. There are no federal laws requiring an elector to pledge their vote to a particular candidate, but 32 states (and the District of Columbia), have laws that do.
Great Lakes Poll. The collaboration between Ohio Northern University, Baldwin Wallace University and Oakland University gauged the perceptions of Midwesterners on timely issues and concerns in the political and public policy spheres. Directed at registered voters in the states of Ohio, Michigan, Pennsylvania and Wisconsin — all states Trump won narrowly in 2016 — the poll was issued three times. In January, the poll served as a primary season preview, while in March and April it focused on the COVID-19 pandemic and the election with April being segmented to just Ohio voters.
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UNSTOPP THE UNIVERSITY RESPONDS TO THE CHALLENGES OF COVID -19
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PABLE ONU has a rich history of academic excellence, and we have always evolved to meet society’s ever-changing needs. Dealing with COVID-19 was no exception. ONU’s faculty, students, staff and alumni all worked tirelessly to rise to the moment before them. Even with the virus limiting face-to-face interaction, students continued to work closely with faculty to ensure that their education delivered the tools they need to think critically, creatively and entrepreneurially.
LIKE A GREAT NEIGHBOR When the COVID-19 pandemic hit Hardin County, ONU Pharmacy
was there. In early April, as Ohioans across the state were doing everything they could to help flatten the curve of coronavirus infections by staying home and practicing social distancing, students, faculty and staff from Ohio Northern University’s Raabe College of Pharmacy were putting the college’s mission into practice. “Community service and using our resources to improve the quality of life for residents of Hardin County and the surrounding region is a distinguishing feature of the educational experience for our college as well as programs throughout the University,” says Steven Martin, dean of the College of Pharmacy. “It’s one of the ways we provide our students with the practical experience that builds upon what they learn in the labs and classrooms in preparing them for success in their careers.” In the midst of the largest public health crisis in a century, there were plenty of opportunities to not only lend a hand, but provide valuable expertise as well. Take contact tracing as an example. When the Kenton
It wasn’t always easy, but it was never too difficult. Throughout it all, Northern remained Northern.
Hardin Health Department (KHHD) identified their first suspected cases of COVID-19 in a number of individuals, they wanted to learn how many other people may have come into contact with those already under investigation. Then-sixth-year pharmacy students Eric Dierkes, PharmD
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T
he COVID-19 pandemic certainly interrupted life on campus this spring, but it didn’t prevent Ohio Northern from fulfilling our mission to provide students with a high-quality learning environment that prepares them for success. We just had to get creative in how we went about it.
‘20, Michaela Mrozek, PharmD ‘20, and Makayla Wells, PharmD ‘20, volun-
service and how it could be applied to a pharmacy setting,” says Miller.
teered to perform this important job, calling on individuals to check on
“Plus, in a rural community, there is a special opportunity to use trans-
symptoms, record the data and make appropriate referrals based on that
portation to connect people with the pharmacy.”
symptomatology. And while anyone can pick up the phone and ask the person on the other end a list of questions, a pharmacy student knows how to respond to the answers. “It is vital for a pharmacist to know when to refer patients to seek medical attention and coordinate care by connecting patients to the appropriate resources, like their county health department,” says Wells. KHHD and the College of Pharmacy have a long-standing collaborative relationship. In the past, the health department and college have worked together on other efforts, such as flu immunization clinics. In addition, ONU pharmacy students have been involved in outreach efforts in the county through the Healthy Lifestyles Coalition. "But during a full-blown public health crisis, it was extra nice to know ONU was just down the road," says Cindy Keller, director of nursing at KHHD.
March and April, the service became increasingly valuable. “When the virus hit and the restrictions on interactions went into effect, people weren’t able to leave their homes, so the need for the deliveries was greater,” he says. “This delivery service is one of the situations where a health care professional can make an impact, especially in a time of crisis. It is fulfilling to be able to create worthwhile moments.” Indeed, it is during times of crisis that neighbors turn to neighbors for help and comfort. It is one of those things that defines a community. ONU is part of a wonderful community of people and institutions that help one another, and our graduates carry those connections with them into their careers and lives.
“Kenton Hardin Health Department is a small health department and has limited capacity in regards to staffing to meet the ever-increasing demands of public health during this crisis,” Keller says. “In an effort to expand the ability to manage the additional work of this crisis, we reached out to Mike Rush, and he was able to make the arrangements.” /16
Deliveries began in January, but as the COVID-19 pandemic spread in
“Coming from a small rural county in Ohio, the value of community service is immeasurable because its sole focus is helping your neighbor, no matter what you receive out of the work that is done,” says Dierkes.
“This was a great opportunity for the students to provide a meaningful
“Community service is necessary in order
public health service to the residents of Hardin County while also gaining
to establish and maintain a thriving county
invaluable practical experience. I am very proud of them,” says Rush, ONU
that is much bigger than yourself.”
HealthWise director. For Wells, community service has long been an important part of her life. “I believe that you are a partial product of your surroundings. My small hometown shaped me for the first 18 years of my life. From an early age, I learned two important lessons regarding service: the first being that small gestures have a big impact on your community, and the second being what you put into your community affects what you’ll get out of it.” For Wells and Dierkes, the opportunity to work with KHHD was a prelude for this upcoming fall when they will both become pharmacy residents for ONU HealthWise, taking over for the departing ONU HealthWise resident, Clay Miller, PharmD ‘19. Miller is a popular man in Ada and the surrounding region thanks to his inventive blending of his current and past vocations. A former pizza delivery driver, Miller had the idea to start delivering prescriptions from the ONU HealthWise Pharmacy to anyone within a 40-mile radius of Ada for free. “When delivering pizzas in Ada, I saw the utility aspect of this type of
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PROTECTING OUR PROTECTORS 3D printing lab provides personal protective equipment to area essential workers. The COVID-19 pandemic disrupted daily life for months in 2020, but essential workers largely carried on with their daily duties uninterrupted. While most everyone else was quarantined and working or attending school from home, these professionals continued to report to work each day to do the jobs society required, all at increased personal risk to their own health and safety. For many of these essential workers, access to personal protective equipment (PPE) was paramount. When shortages of hospital-grade PPE such as N-95 face masks for frontline health workers became widespread, mobilization efforts sprang up around the country to get the materials where they were most needed. Due to the transition to remote instruction, colleges and universities that no longer needed their stores of PPE usually reserved for labs and training in allied health fields donated it to local health systems.
“At the start of the COVID-19 crisis, I read about the shortages of PPE faced by the health care community and first responders,” says Dr. David Mikesell, BSME ’97, professor and chair of the Department of Mechanical Engineering. “My brother is an endodontist here locally, and he was still seeing emergency cases several days a week. He was concerned that he would have to shut down because his staff was unable to find masks and sterile gloves. Remembering the great resources we have in the new engineering building, I knew ONU could be part of the solution, as so many others have been.” When the T.J. Smull College of Engineering opened the new James Lehr Kennedy Engineering Building last fall, it couldn’t have envisioned how useful the Bob Peterson Imagination Place would become in helping fight a global pandemic right here in Hardin County. The lab’s 14 state-of-the-art 3D printers and two laser material cutters were all that Mikesell and ONU electronics technician Christopher Winters needed to transform a high-tech engineering classroom into a mini PPE factory to produce plastic face shields for area workers. In less than one week, they delivered their first order to Endodontic Associates of Northwest Ohio. By mid-April, Community Markets
The shields themselves were created from three components: a frame, a clear plastic visor and an elastic strap for sizing. The frames were 3D-printed one at a time from a skin-friendly biodegradable plastic derived from cornstarch. The visors were cut from large sheets of PETG to precise specifications using the Imagination Place’s two laser cutters. Once cut, the protective film was removed from both sides of the plastic, and the visor was snapped into the frame. Finally, they attached the elastic band to secure it to the wearer’s head, and voilà, the completed face shield was ready for delivery. While 3D printing technology is remarkable for its ability to seemingly create something from nothing, it is not the fastest manufacturing process out there. Coupled with material shortages they encountered early on, ONU’s assembly pace was never going to rival the Model-T, but that was OK considering that Mikesell still had his day job as a college professor to focus on. In fact, it was one of his online classes that led to then-junior mechanical engineering student Reid Stechschulte joining the assembly team. “After one of our online lectures, I stayed on to chat with Dr. Mikesell about what he was doing without all the students there. He said he was making protective face shields for medical professionals, which really intrigued me because my mom works in the medical field,” says Stechschulte. “I don’t live far from Ada, so I asked if I could help.” Even in the midst of a pandemic, ONU still managed to deliver the same kind of high-impact learning opportunities the school is known for. For Stechschulte, it meant gaining expertise in 3D printing and becoming a master of the laser cutter. “Dr. Mikesell and Mr. Winters guided me in the production every step of the way. My primary task was the laser cutting of the clear plastic visors. I had never worked with a laser cutter before, so it was exciting. I now have a great understanding of the capabilities of a laser cutter and how to consistently operate it no matter the material or desired shape,” he says. For Stechschulte, the benefits of volunteering his time to this project went far beyond learning new engineering skills. The work gave him agency and allowed him to contribute to getting his ONU back. Working in an empty engineering building that by all rights should have been bustling with energy and activity was all the motivation he needed. “I miss my friends and the experiences we would all share every day, but working on these masks makes me feel like I am able to make an impact on when we can all return and enjoy our time together again.”
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In April, ONU delivered shipments of PPE to Ohio Health’s Hardin Memorial Hospital and the Kenton Hardin Health Department. The shipments included 80,000 gloves, 200 N-95 masks, 200 exam masks, 300 pairs of goggles, 100 pairs of safety glasses and 500 surgical gowns and lab coats. But that month, ONU didn’t merely give away what it had, it made more.
grocery stores in Ada and Bluffton, Ohio, were equipping their workers with ONU shields. As word spread, dozens more orders poured in for dentists’ offices, doctors’ offices, funeral homes, florists, fire departments and pharmacies. People were finding that the face shields were easy to wear, comfortable and effective at providing an added barrier for transmission of the virus. And most importantly, they were available.
EARLY ENTRY Emergency legislation put nursing students on the front lines of the COVID-19 pandemic. The year 2020 did not deliver the spring semester Ohio Northern University expected. Not by a long shot. For ONU seniors, the COVID-19 pandemic and subsequent suspension of in-person classes likely changed how they’ll remember their college experience. For senior nursing students, however, there was a bright side. Instead of thinking of COVID-19 as the reason they missed out on their last semester on campus, many of them will remember how it helped kick-start their nursing careers. On March 27, 2020, Ohio Governor Mike DeWine, JD ’72, authorized Coronavirus Omnibus Legislation (HB197) Licensing Authorization, which suspended – for the period of the COVID-19 emergency – the law requiring an applicant for licensure by examination to have passed the national standardized licensure examination approved by the Ohio Board of Nursing. This order allowed 4,000 to 5,000 additional health care providers into the workforce.
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Due to the obvious importance of the nursing profession, licensure is a rigorous process. For nursing students who complete all of their coursework at an accredited institution like ONU and graduate in good standing, the university’s nursing administrator, which in ONU's case is Dr. Kami Fox, director of nursing, must then send letters of completion to the state board indicating that each student has earned the opportunity to take the National Council Licensure Exam (NCLEX). Only after passing the NCLEX does someone become a registered nurse. However, due to the demand each summer with all of the nursing program graduates from across the state getting in line, testing can extend weeks or even months past a student’s graduation date. DeWine’s action imposed a 90-day grace period, which allowed nursing graduates to work in a hospital or health care facility as technicians or interns under a temporary license.
For Megan O’Connor, BSN ’20, the governor’s action gave her a head start to her career. As it stands, she is scheduled to take her NCLEX on Sept. 22. “I feel like I am way ahead of where I would have been under normal circumstances. I was just interning before, and that’s probably what I would have been doing until August,” she says. According to Fox, this kind of action is not new. She herself began her career in a similar fashion. The biggest difference this time was the potential need for more health care workers as no one was sure how bad the pandemic would get. Also, the quarantine and subsequent closing of clinical sites proved to be a huge challenge. “ONU nursing faculty members worked extremely hard to create individualized plans using the latest technology in virtual reality clinical scenarios to supplement the clinical hours that were earned in the first half of the semester. This allowed seniors the opportunity to demonstrate competency, graduate on time and enter practice,” says Fox. Under her temporary licensure, O’Connor was able to work 12-hour shifts, three days a week under the tutelage of an RN mentor. Her duties included starting IVs, drawing labs, infusing medications, and basically handling all the duties expected of a newly hired nurse. For her part, O’Connor was ready and willing to assist, knowing that ONU trained her well to do the only job she’s ever wanted to do. The scary new reality health care workers faced amid the pandemic never gave her a moment of doubt. “Even when this all started, I knew I still wanted to be a nurse,” she says. “I love nursing, and I feel honored about being here. I’m here because our state needed me. There are nurses all over Ohio doing what I’m doing, and I think that’s kind of cool. Someday we’ll look back on all of this and we’ll get to say that we were a part of it.”
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PERFECT PITCH ONU students turn to tech to pitch high-tech ideas. In a semester turned upside down due to the COVID-19 pandemic, it was no surprise that the annual ONU Polar Elevator Pitch competition — the Dicke College of Business Administration’s entrepreneurship showcase — figured out how to not only survive while other events were being canceled, but thrive.
But clearly, an event requiring a large number of people to be in close confines of one another was never going to happen due to the pandemic. So Kevin Ernst, assistant professor of management, quickly decided to break one of the ONU Polar Elevator Pitch competition’s golden rules to allow the students this opportunity to hone their skills. “The elevator pitch competition is first and foremost about the pitch. It is such an important skill for young entrepreneurs to develop. You can have the best idea in the world, but if you can’t convince someone that your idea is worthwhile, serves the public interest and can be profitable, you won’t get very far,” he says. “That’s why we have prohibited electronic media in the past. Students need to be in the moment during their pitch and not just push play on a video. But obviously, this year was different.” The elevator pitch competition this year was moved completely online to accommodate the students and judges. In addition to the reversal of the electronic media stipulation, other competition guidelines were revised as well. Instead of students having two minutes to prepare and deliver a concise oral presentation of a new business
In some ways, utilizing technology to host the ONU Polar Elevator Pitch competition was even more on-brand than ever, as so many of the student projects utilized cutting edge technology. The winner of this year’s competition, Zane Myers, BSME ’20, worked with Ohio’s Space Grant Consortium to develop Project DEPTH (Drone Equipped Temperature Probing Hardware). His drone-mounted equipment can record water temperature readings at user-specified depths over bodies of water. The readings can be used to create temperature maps that may be able to predict harmful algal blooms in the Great Lakes. A team of students placed second in the competition with an equally hightech idea. Kevin Edwards, a sophomore mechanical engineering student; Schon Loesch, a freshman mechanical engineering student; George Rak, a freshman mechanical engineering student; and Aaron Smith, a sophomore mechanical engineering student, presented a solution for charging cell phones and other low-wattage devices with electricity present in soil. Bryan Peck, BSEE ’20, placed third in the competition with his method of digitally pacing runners during practice to help them improve their training. He intends on commercializing his product within the next year. In total, the 2020 ONU Polar Elevator Pitch competition saw the involvement of 253 total students (individuals and teams) with ideas for products or services that met the competition’s product categories: Ideas that improve society, high-tech commercialized product ideas, new businesses that create jobs, and “as-seen-on-TV” product ideas. In addition to all the amazing, innovative products and ideas, the competition proved once again that the entrepreneurial mindset remains alive and well at ONU, and is ready to meet any challenge.
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The traditional Polar Elevator Pitch event puts the onus on students’ charisma and persuasive abilities as they present their ideas for a product or service in person. Students are allotted two minutes to sell their idea to a panel of faculty, students and members of the local business community. Think of it as ONU’s version of the popular television program “Shark Tank.” The competition is hosted by the Northern Entrepreneurs Organization and supported by The Kern Family Foundation as part of the Kern Entrepreneurial Engineering Network (KEEN) program.
or product idea, they submitted YouTube videos of their ideas. Entrants then met with judges via video conferencing to answer questions and receive feedback.
ESSENTIAL ADVOCATES Attorneys like Pettit College of Law alumna Missy LaRocco battle a different kind of pandemic. As the COVID-19 pandemic rages on, the ripple effects of its impact on society continue to come into focus. The disruptive nature of the pandemic has transformed an illness into a global economic crisis, the casualties of which may never truly be fully understood. One profession that understands better than most are attorneys who have been helping people since the onset of the pandemic navigate a myriad of emerging legal concerns.
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Melissa “Missy” LaRocco, JD ’05, an attorney at Legal Aid of Western Ohio, has been fighting a different kind of pandemic since March, when Ohio’s stay-at-home orders went into effect. She’s seen the pandemic amplify civil legal issues for people already living in poverty, and threaten to drag a whole new socioeconomic class into it. She’s seen victims of domestic violence and abused children trapped inside their homes for months with their abusers. She’s seen schools newly in need of legal guidance and support to meet the challenges of educating children with disabilities and/or special needs online. Many of these issues were familiar and some were new, but the degree of difficulty skyrocketed.
of their clients had access to. They practiced social distancing and took precautions while meeting clients and representing them in court. They increased their court appearances via telephone or video conferencing and developed new methods for getting legal materials and information from clients and others. “Ohio Northern did an excellent job of preparing me for the flexibility that I would need to succeed in the legal profession,” says LaRocco. “I learned early on in law school that the client has to come first, and that helping solve their legal needs also involves finding out where those needs stem from. Legal representation is a complex analysis of our society, our clients, and their diverse backgrounds and needs. Attorneys need to try to solve their legal problems while also looking for ways to improve the system as a whole.”
“Our clients are more desperate,” says LaRocco. “Unemployment has risen alarmingly, and we have people afraid they are going to be evicted from their homes. We have victims of abuse that are terrified of quarantine. We are seeing new clients and people that have not needed our legal help in the past, which is alarming for a number of reasons. Not only does it mean more clients, but it also hastens our need to react quickly and try to solve their legal issues before they fall either deeper into poverty or become a low-income household. Once that happens, it is extremely hard to bounce back from.” Legal Aid of Western Ohio and its partner firm Advocates for Basic Legal Equality serve low-income and impoverished people with civil legal assistance, much like the public defender program represents the same population in criminal matters. They provide “holistic legal representation,” by which they help clients with as many legal issues as they may be facing in order to prevent them from needing help in the future. During the pandemic, their advocates have been able to educate, empower and represent individuals on how to retain their federal stimulus checks and resources; avoid scams that may be targeted toward those in a vulnerable situation; obtain and maintain unemployment benefits until they can seek work again; retain housing and understand their rights as a tenant; seek safety and protection from abuse; and ensure their children receive adequate education. If that’s not enough, LaRocca and her fellow attorneys have done all of this while also dealing with the direct impact of COVID-19 on how they do their jobs. Their physical offices were closed until May 1, so they had to work virtually using video conferencing technology, something not all
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our small world of Ada and ONU. Sure, life may stink at the moment, but look at how cool our students and professors are. You can always find the good happening, no matter what.” Bond of Sisterhood Often besties and sometimes enemies, Abby and Emily had a typical sister relationship growing up in Akron, Ohio. Just 18 months apart, they bonded over basketball, fishing, swimming and summers at their family’s lake house on Lake Erie. They fought over the spotlight, which they both craved, given their similar personality traits — ambitious, fun-loving and talkative. “Our grandpa nicknamed us ‘loud’ and ‘louder,’” says Abby dryly. “It’s the energy we bring to the room.”
THE BRIGHT SIDE Northern siblings Abby and Emily Brock live by a mantra: stay busy and stay positive. When the coronavirus shut down Ohio Northern’s campus and shuttered their anticipated spring plans, then-senior Abby Brock, BA ’20, and her younger sister Emily didn’t despair. They hunkered down together in off-campus housing and hatched a plan to use their marketing savvy to share the positive news happening in ONU’s corner of the world with a wider audience. From a makeshift studio set up in the “den” of their rented house, and with a wink to one of their favorite actors, John Krasinski of “The Office” fame, the business students produced three episodes of SGN (Some Good News): Ada Edition. Peppered with humor and featuring the good deeds and happenings of ONU students and professors, the Instagram videos reached hundreds of people eager to maintain their connection to Northern during a difficult time of separation. The sisters believe Krasinski’s SGN episodes went viral because they tapped into a basic human need to find the inherent goodness in one another, especially during times of crisis. “While he uncovered positive stories from all over the world,” says Emily, “that same awesomeness could be found in
Abby’s mom arrived the next day to help Abby make the transfer to ONU. It was one of her mom’s last acts before she became terminally ill with cancer. In February of Abby’s first year at ONU and Emily’s senior year of high school, the girls were devastated by the death of their mom. During this tragic period, it became crystal clear to Abby that Northern was the perfect place for her. The kindness and understanding from her professors and ONU friends enabled her to make it through spring semester. Emily coped by keeping busy with the end of her senior year basketball season, prom and high school graduation. Working through their grief, the girls learned that “you can’t stay in a depressive state,” says Abby. “You have to always be able to find something positive.” The following fall, Emily came to ONU to play basketball, but also for the emotional support of her only sibling. While Abby and Emily each carved out their own path on campus, they leaned on one another and met for lunch at least once a week. They grew closer in a way that only grieving sisters can. “She was my rock through all of it,” says Emily. “It was nice to know she was only ever a walk away.” Both Abby and Emily chose to follow in the footsteps of their mom, who worked in journalism and marketing before her death. Abby, who graduated in May, majored in marketing and public relations, while Emily, who will be a senior this fall, is majoring in marketing with a minor in social media.
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Abby arrived on ONU’s campus a year before Emily. Her freshman year, she spent her first week of fall semester at another university. “My mom called to check on me, and she could tell by my voice that I wasn’t happy where I was,” she says. “She helped me realize that my heart was calling me to Northern because it just felt like home. I wanted to be around genuine people. I wanted to have that close connection with professors.”
On campus, Emily forged a close bond with her basketball teammates and immersed herself in TrueNorth PR, PRSSA, and the Dean’s Advisory Council. Abby found a second home in the public relations department and became involved in PRSSA, Kappa Phi and the ONU phone-a-thon, where she worked for four years and served as call center director her senior year. Boredom Sparks Creativity The shutdown of ONU’s campus in March 2020 due to the coronavirus caught Abby and Emily by surprise at first. Disappointment soon followed, especially for Abby, who missed out on the entire spring of her senior year. “It was super hard,” she says.
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Abby lived off campus with three roommates, so Emily moved out of her on-campus apartment in Campus View East to bunk with Abby. The five friends decided to spend the next two months in quarantine together. They created a “quarantine calendar” with activities like karaoke, paintand-partake evenings, and board games, to pass the time. “We made the most of the situation. It was a blessing to be with my friends,” says Abby. “We stayed in Ada, made our own fun, and supported the local businesses when we could.” In between online coursework and roommate escapades, Abby finished binge-watching the pop culture phenomenon “The Office.” Emily and other pals had been pestering Abby for years to watch the television show, and once she did, she came to understand why Emily was so enamored with John Krasinski, who played the droll nice guy “Jim Halpert” on the show. “We are now both obsessed with him,” says Emily. “We think he’s so cute, and we love his style of humor.” Krasinski’s SGN (Some Good News) episodes became an Internet sensation about the same time that Abby and Emily started feeling restless during the shutdown. While enjoying the first episode of SGN, Abby formulated a random idea. “We were so bored,” she reflects. “I turned to Emily and said ‘I think you and I can do this, only make it about the people in Ada.’” From Idea to Production Producing SGN: Ada Edition required more time and effort than the sisters initially figured. They had to brainstorm ideas, track down good news stories, write an edgy script, and record and edit each segment. Borrowing liberally from Krasinski’s model, they weaved in his dry humor, catch phrases, paper shuffling and weather segment. A teleprompter app they found on the internet enabled them to read their script without having to memorize it or look down. “Our first episode took about four hours to shoot,” recalls Abby. “And let’s just say some bickering took place.” In that first episode, Abby declared, “We are self-proclaimed global correspondents for SGN and are committed to sharing worldwide good news that John doesn’t think is good enough to make the real show.” Emily
quipped an iconic phrase from Krasinski: “If it isn’t clear by now, we have absolutely no idea what we are doing!” Over three weeks in April, the Brock sisters produced three episodes, each approximately 10-15 minutes in length. Monday through Thursday they’d gather stories and ideas then write and edit the script. They filmed on Fridays, spent the weekends editing the final video, and posted live on Mondays. Their roommates, Taylor Daniel, BA ’20; Ashley Dentinger, BSBA ’20; and Hannah Bowen, BSBA ’20, offered honest feedback, letting them know which jokes worked and which fell flat. They even became roving “correspondents,” starring in a hilarious segment that checked on the beloved black swans on campus to see how they were faring without students around to terrorize. Wisecracking about the black swans, Abby captured the sentiment of many an ONU student: “You know them, you love them, but you’re actually terrified of them." The SGN episodes featured ONU students who were sewing face masks for people in need; underclassmen who had landed summer internships and new grads who found full-time employment; and uplifting and amusing Tik Tok videos produced by ONU professors and student groups. The commencement episode celebrated the ONU Class of 2020 with memories, words and images. Even though the seniors couldn’t be physically together to commemorate the milestone, Abby declared, “Our hearts will always be in Ada, Ohio. We are loyal forever to dear ONU.” In a guest appearance in the final episode, ONU President Dan DiBiasio provided sage advice to those watching: “Stay forever young. Keep that youthful spirit and that resiliency,” he said. “In times like we’ve just been through, it’s even more important.” That’s a Wrap Hundreds of people viewed and shared the three episodes of SGN: Ada Edition. While Abby and Emily’s dream of going viral or getting a shoutout from John Krasinski didn’t transpire, they were thrilled to receive so many positive comments on their project, including from students at different universities. Will there be any future episodes of SGN: Ada Edition? Only time will tell, according to the Brock sisters. Abby’s ONU days have ended, and she is moving forward with establishing a career in marketing and public relations. Emily may resurrect SGN in the fall if she can find the time and some willing accomplices. In the end, SGN: Ada Edition tightened a sisterly bond and gave Polar Bears everywhere a reason to look on the bright side during a once-in-a-generation pandemic. And that’s no small accomplishment. “What started as a project to bust the boredom of quarantine turned into a way to spread the good news about the Northern family that we belong to and that we love,” says Emily. “I’m so glad we did this, and I’m so grateful I got to spend this time with my sister.”
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IMPROV THEATRE Unable to travel to Chicago for auditions due to COVID-19, ONU’s theatre department went digital to bring down the house. The lyrics to “You Learn” by Alanis Morissette seemed much more poignant to Alec Hart Beiswenger, BFA ’20, on Thursday evening, March 12, 2020, than they had just days earlier. As he sang, “You live, you learn / You love, you learn / You cry, you learn / You lose, you learn” with fellow theatre department seniors, he sensed they were on the cusp of learning the hard way about how life can be unpredictable and disappointing. On Tuesday, March 10, ONU had canceled public events and gatherings of more than 20 individuals, suspended student travel and announced plans to move classes online due to the threat of the coronavirus. Tonight, the students anxiously awaited word about their upcoming audition showcase in Chicago. After rehearsal, Brian Sage, assistant professor of theatre, sat down for a heart-to-heart with the close-knit group of 12 aspiring theatre professionals. “We need to come up with a contingency plan,” he began.
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When You Face a Brick Wall Spring is audition season in the theatre world. Facing stiff competition, seniors audition as much as possible in hopes of landing a spot in summer stock theatre and/or fall shows. It’s a nail-biting time that’s also tinged with excitement. Northern’s theatre department gives its talented seniors a jump-start by sponsoring an ONU Theatre Showcase every spring. This year’s event was slated for April 28 in Chicago, with talent agents and casting directors from the Chicago regional area scheduled to be in attendance. The seniors eagerly anticipated making professional connections, and maybe even receiving job offers. The seniors had started rehearsals for the showcase in early February, working one-on-one with guest director William "Bill" Osetek to prepare a 4-5 minute audition package. The seniors selected “You Learn” from the Broadway show Jagged Little Pill as the group’s closure, a song they liked for being both edgy and also reflective of their journey together.
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But on Thursday, March 12, the possibility of the showcase happening seemed remote. Theatres, schools and businesses across the U.S. were shutting their doors for the unforeseeable future because of the coronavirus. “We returned from spring break, and everything seemed to blow up in our faces,” recalls Beiswenger. “No one knew what was going to happen next.” Theatre majors are taught how to adapt and improvise — it’s the nature of their craft. But the coronavirus felt more like a brick wall than an obstacle to Northern’s theatre department seniors. Sage could relate to what they were going through. “I was an undergraduate student in theatre just before 9-11,” he says. “The industry shut down just as I was gearing up.” He advised the 12 seniors to “keep moving forward” and “use this time to set yourself up for success in a changing landscape.”
showcase. Now it was the contingency plan — the only available option to highlight the hard work and amazing vocal, acting and dance talent of Northern’s seniors. Adapt and Go Digital After Thursday’s meeting, the work began to coach and record as much digital material as possible. “We all jumped into action to work on our solo pieces and get filmed in the few days we had before we had to leave campus,” says Bridget Mahoney, BFA ‘20. Guest director Osetek, with his keen insight into what casting directors and talent agents wanted to see on tape, stayed at ONU to help the students get their material in shape. Michael Jordan, resident music director at ONU, set up a studio space and coordinated all the video shoots. Mahoney scrambled to identify solo pieces because she had been rehearsing duets and trios for Chicago. She decided upon “I Just Want to be a Star” from Nunsense, which suited her spunky personality, and the ballad “I Couldn’t Know Someone Less” from Daddy Long Legs to highlight her softer side. Beiswenger had a long drive to Alabama, so he opted to head home immediately and submit material he had videotaped a few months earlier. Taran Beasley, BFA ’20, frantically messaged her classmates seeking advice on what to wear for filming. “We had all planned to buy new clothes for Chicago,” she said. “Now we had to figure out the best choice among outfits we already had.” In Chicago, the seniors would have participated in on-thespot interviews and a make-or-break performance. They’d have minutes to make a good impression, as casting directors not only consider talent, but personality, says Sage. “They want to know ‘who is this person?’ and ‘is this someone interesting I’d like to work with?’”
In recent years, Northern’s theatre department had seriously contemplated creating a digital senior
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Creating a digital showcase required a whole new mindset on the part of the
performers. The seniors needed to try to convey their personality along with their talent on film, cognizant of the fact that they were creating a permanent record that could be rewatched and closely scrutinized. Mahoney struggled with the limitations of the medium. She draws energy from interacting with others on stage and shines in face-to-face meetings. “I’m a perfectionist who wants to get everything right,” she says. “I must have done 20 or more takes because I’d watch it back and think ‘that’s not my best self.’” The seniors completed their audition videos over the course of 4-5 hectic days, an impressive feat considering they’d anticipated six additional weeks of rehearsal time. As the seniors departed campus to shelter-in-place at home, unsure of when they could return, Sage tackled the task of putting it all together. Launch Day While he had dabbled in website design in the past, creating the ONU showcase required on-the-fly learning and countless late nights, says Sage. He pored over the audition tapes the students had submitted to select the best cuts. “I wanted to keep it simple by not putting too much content out there,” he says. “But what I did put out there, I wanted it to be the best of the best.”
On April 28, the day the Northern seniors had planned to be on stage in Chicago, www.onushowcase.com went live instead, with the web address landing in the inbox of hundreds of casting directors and talent agents. Industry professionals are more likely to view websites vetted by a university and featuring multiple performers vs. submissions from individual performers, according to Sage. “During the shutdown, more directors and agents had time to view online auditions. So I think that worked to our advantage.” The seniors loved the end product, believing it perfectly captured their cohesiveness as a class, individual talent and collective hard work. “Students I talked with at other universities thought it was so cool that ONU made the effort to do this for us,” says Mahoney. “ONU really cares and wants the best for its students, and this is just another example.”
A Changing Future Like the song: “You live, you learn,” says Sage. The senior digital showcase received such rave reviews, it is likely to become a permanent feature of the program. “The industry is trending in this direction. We’ve learned a lot this spring that we can build upon.” And while their professional lives may be on hold for the time being, the seniors remain optimistic about their future careers as performers and producers of theatrical arts. “We are living through an unprecedented period, and we are all going through this together,” says Beiswenger. “Ultimately, I think this might lead to some restructuring and changes in how auditions are done in the industry, and that may be a positive thing.” People have been wrongly declaring the death of theatre for many years, says Sage. “Theatre is just on hiatus right now, and it will come back stronger than before. Our graduating seniors will also come out stronger and more resilient after this pandemic. They’re creative problem solvers and collaborators, and those skills will enable them to shape the future of theatre.”
ONU FORENSICS PROFESSOR ASSISTS WITH AREA TESTING Ohio Northern lent equipment and expertise from its forensic biology program to Lima Memorial Medical Center to assist in the diagnosis of COVID-19 infections in the early stage of the pandemic. ONU Associate Professor of Biological Sciences Dr. Dennis De Luca, a molecular biologist by training and director of the forensics program, volunteered to help establish the region’s only molecular testing site for COVID19. Using a technique known as RT-PCR (Real Time-Polymerase Chain Reaction), scientists were able to detect specific RNA sequences that differentiated SARS-CoV-2 from the other four types of coronaviruses that cause respiratory diseases. In this procedure, the RNA is extracted from a test swab sample from an individual, and loaded into a 96-well plate, and measurements are made in ONU’s Applied Biosystems 7500 Fast Dx thermocycler, a highly specialized instrument normally used by ONU’s forensic biology program to quantify human DNA found at a crime scene. Then, virus-specific primers and probes identify and reproduce millions of copies of the specific RNA sequences that are found in the COVID-19 virus for detection in the instrument detector.
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The seniors, meanwhile, decided to remotely produce “You Learn” for the website. While listening to a live recording, they each taped their part and sent it to Meghan Hutchins, BFA ’20. She used video editing software to put the sound and videos together in a cohesive group performance.
As an added bonus, Mahoney shared the website with former teachers, friends and family who never would had been able to see her Chicago audition. “Many commented on how much I’ve matured and thrived as a person and performer during my time at ONU,” she says.
The Halderman Sustainability Lab shapes thinking around a manageable future for ONU students.
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The COVID-19 pandemic has taught us all many things, but one of the key takeaways from this experience is how important it is for colleges and universities to teach students with the latest ideas, techniques and methods. As we’ve shown in this issue of ONU Magazine, Ohio Northern’s students were ready to join in the fight against the pandemic. Pharmacy students knew how to conduct vital contact tracing in Hardin County. Nursing students were prepared to jump in and serve earlier than they normally might have. Our engineering program had the tools and know-how to transform a teaching laboratory into a PPE factory. Now, thanks to a generous gift from Jim Halderman, BSEd ‘68, ONU’s technology students in the Getty College of Arts & Sciences will have the tools and resources they’ll need to meet the challenges to come. The Halderman Sustainability Lab provides a location where students can gain experience and skills in multiple aspects of sustainability, from alternative fuels such as solar, geothermal and wind, to building techniques and resource management. The lab provides a hub of learning where students can conduct experiments, engage in learning activities, and gain advanced knowledge of sustainability and its impact on our global community. “The key word is interdisciplinary,” says Halderman. “Really, it doesn’t matter if it’s technology, or English or even economics. Sustainability means survival. Can we survive economic downturns? Can we survive coronavirus? So much of the basics that I think every student should be aware, whether in engineering or even in theatre. Students need to know how to make everything sustainable.” Halderman is an innovator, a hands-on individual and a firm believer in direct action. He believes there are three types of people in the world:
1. 2. 3.
Those who make things happen Those who watch things happen Those who want to know what happened
Halderman is decidedly in the first camp. At age 11, he made his first car out of plywood, four wheels and a Briggs & Stratton lawn mower engine. By his senior year at ONU he built what had to be Ada’s first electric car, using a chopped down ‘24 Chevy Chassis, fiberglass body and golf cart motor powered by six 62-pound batteries. The Halderman Electric Car, as it was known around campus, ignited a passion for alternative energy that would continue to blossom. After graduation, he embarked on a career in education, teaching industrial Jim with his mother, Dorothy arts at Dayton Public Schools and Halderman, who is driving his then technology classes at Sinclair electric car rolling chassis Community College, where he taught for 30 years. When he first started teaching technology, there were no textbooks to refer to. He became notorious for marking up his chalkboard with notes and diagrams to simplify complex subject matter. As someone who makes things happen, Halderman filled the textbook void by self-publishing course packs of his notes. This arrangement eventually led to a book contract with Prentice Hall (now owned by Pearson), which in turn led to several subsequent contracts. To date, Jim has authored or co-authored a total of 18 textbooks. In the past few years, Halderman’s affinity for automobiles, expertise in textbook writing and his love for his alma mater have all culminated into a mission to make Ohio Northern a hub for sustainability. “I travel a lot, and when I go to California, just about every college has a row of charging stations and electric vehicles everywhere. You come here to Ohio, and it’s ‘huh?’ You just don’t see them. I think ONU could be the headquarters for sustainability in the Midwest. I really do. That is my goal.” Halderman’s first major gift back to his alma mater was installing five electric vehicle charging stations on ONU’s campus. Now, when people visit ONU from areas where sustainability is more prominent, they will see the University’s commitment to a sustainable future.
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“WHATEVER WE DO IN LIFE, WE SHOULD DO SO IN A SUSTAINABLE WAY,” HE SAYS. “YOU CAN’T SAY ‘NO’ TO SUSTAINABILITY. YOU WANT IT TO OR NOT.”
Halderman standing next to EV car charging stations on campus courtesy of his generous donation
“My dad used to say, ‘When you point your finger at someone and say, “You should do this,” remember you’ve got three fingers pointing back at yourself.’ So when I say we ought to do something in Ohio, or that ONU should put charging stations in, there are three fingers pointing back at me.” He also donated his time and talent, teaming up with ONU professor of technology Dr. Richard Miller to craft a sustainability curriculum and course materials for ONU students. Sustainability is more than just a buzzword to
Halderman; it’s a commitment to ensuring a bright future for every generation. It’s also applicable to every single academic discipline offered at ONU. The lab may be housed in the School of Science, Technology and Mathematics within the College of Arts & Sciences, but all students are welcome to seek answers to make their future industry more sustainable.
Thanks to alumni like Halderman and University leadership that has invested in geothermal heating in residence halls, wind turbines and a solar farm, ONU students are encouraged to say ‘yes’ to sustainability as a fundamental way of thinking. And when Halderman points to ONU as a place that can become known for sustainability in the same way it is known for its other stellar programs, he’s got three fingers pointing back at himself. And he wouldn’t want it any other way.
M E E T I N G T H E C H A L L E N G E S TO CO M E
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IT’S COMING WHETHER
Be global. Act local. Russian exchange student sets out to change behavior in her adopted home.
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When Elizaveta Dyachuk settled into life in the American Midwest, she was surprised by what she was surprised by. A native of St. Petersburg, Russia, Dyachuk spent the 2019-20 academic year studying business as an exchange student in the Dicke College of Business Administration. It was her first time being in the United States, and like many foreign students, she was eager to experience the American way of life.
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F
or Dyachuk, the opportunity to live in America retained some of the mystique of her parents’ generation in Russia – those old enough to remember life in the Soviet Union and how influential American power and culture was to bringing down the Iron Curtain. The stories her parents, and especially her grandparents, told were all from that time. For older Russians, America was both adversarial and aspirational, and the Western superpower still represented the ideal. Although Dyachuk was born under a free Russian flag, she was still curious and excited for what awaited in Ada, Ohio. What she found was what all new students find at Ohio Northern, a warm and welcoming community of new friends. In short, she felt at home – so much so that she made videos about her experiences as an exchange student to try to encourage other international students to study abroad at ONU. She was active in the international student community and participated in outreach efforts to share Russian culture with the rest of campus. Dyachuk also fit into the College of Business and thrived in her courses. She was particularly fond of leadership training opportunities the college offered. One reality of being an exchange student is that they tend to spend far more time on campus than domestic students who live closer than a 14-hour flight. As a result, she sought as much involvement as possible.
“I was so surprised when I came here and saw how people use plastic shopping bags,” she says. “People buy milk, and it goes in a bag. Sour cream goes in another bag. At home, we fill them up. Everyone is more concerned about the environment. No one would even think of not filling up a bag all the way!” Plastic shopping bag usage may not register on the radar for many Americans as a problem in need of correction, but that’s just probably an indication that Dyachuk is correct. For someone raised in a country born from the collapse of another, resources remain things to be cherished, and “convenience” is often a luxury one can’t afford. This mindset makes any waste glaring, but it’s especially noticeable when the waste is so reckless and counterproductive. Why wouldn’t anyone want to maximize the usefulness of a product
From her own experiences, Dyachuk knows that the way to change an outcome is to change the behavior of those who contribute to the current state of things. That’s why she wrote her grant proposal to Propel Ohio to purchase reusable cloth shopping bags for ONU students to use in Ada. Reusable shopping bags are nothing new – they are used by environmentally conscious consumers across the United States and mandated by law in eight states: California, Connecticut, Delaware, Hawaii, Maine, New York, Oregon and Vermont – all of which have banned single-use plastic bags. But in Ohio, plastic bags are still the norm, and so getting ONU students to stop using them would take some doing. Propel Ohio approved her grant and issued her $375 to implement her plan. She purchased 100 heavy-duty cloth bags to hand out to juniors and seniors in the College of Business. The bags came with a bonus, a carrot if you will, that Dyachuk hoped would entice students to use the bags. Along with their bag, each student received a card that they could get stamped at Ada’s Dollar General retail store each time they used their bag. Once a student earned five stamps, they were entitled to a free cup of coffee from all the Starbucks locations on campus. “I worked with Dollar General for my pilot program because I knew I needed a partner on the business side of this. This is all about changing behavior, and that takes repetition and cooperation,” she says. Unfortunately for Dyachuk’s program, the COVID-19 pandemic put a damper on things as the bulk of ONU students left campus about halfway through the initiative. Before the pandemic, Dyachuk was planning to interpret all the data and write a paper to fulfill the grant requirements before her scheduled return to St. Petersburg in April. She ended up leaving the U.S. at the end of March, but she still wrote and submitted her paper to Propel Ohio. “Obviously I didn’t get to see my project to fruition, but I received so many positive comments from the students about the quality of the bags that I have hopes the students will use them when they shop for groceries for years to come,” she says.
B E G L O B A L . AC T L O C A L .
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She attended the Propel Ohio Leadership Summit at Bowling Green State University in the fall. Propel Ohio is a leadership program that promotes civic engagement and inspires undergraduate students to grow into civic leaders in Ohio and support actively engaged students around issues that affect their schools and communities. There, she learned of the Propel Ohio grant program that funds student projects aimed at community enrichment. Since arriving in the United States, there was something Dyachuk noticed about American society that she couldn’t quite believe. She decided to apply for a grant to address it.
designed for its purpose?
ARTS & SCIENCES
NEW NORMAL TEACHING DURING THE PANDEMIC
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March 12 was like any other school day at Benjamin Logan Elementary School for fourth-grade teacher Emily Wilson, BA ’19, but by the end of the day, she had spent her last “normal” day with her students for the rest of the school year. That was the day Governor Mike DeWine, JD ’72, mandated that Ohio’s K-12 schools would close for three weeks due to the COVID-19 pandemic. The abrupt disruption sent teachers across the state scrambling to find ways to keep their students engaged and learning from afar. “My initial response was a bit of relief – that we would be getting some time away that would allow us all to stay healthy. That is one of my biggest concerns as a teacher – making sure my students are healthy and happy,” Wilson says. “Shortly after that feeling of relief came worry and fear that students would not take to the distance learning model and we wouldn't have meaningful learning that would stick with the students.” As a first-year teacher, Wilson still had many of the techniques she’d learned at Ohio Northern University fresh in her mind, such as different kinds of technology she could use to make learning more interactive. Using Google Classroom and YouTube, she conducted video lessons and created fun activities for students to do virtually, such as scavenger hunts and interactive slide shows.
GIFT FOR ONU METZGER NATURE CENTER PROVIDES HELP FOR OPERATIONS Thanks to a generous donation from Terry D. Keiser, BSEd ‘64, professor emeritus of biologShe also experimented with new things like a web-based quiz game. But perhaps her favorite were the Zoom video chats that she and her team teachers hosted with all the students each week. "I cannot begin to fathom a word for how happy I was to see my kids' faces and hear their voices," she says. "They were super excited too, which made it even better. My heart was much happier after the hour I spent with them, even though it wasn't face-to-face." Wilson’s outside-the-box ideas helped students maintain a sense of normalcy during a time when everything is changing daily. Although students were not physically going to school every day, that did not stop many of them from staying in a “normal” school routine – or at least as close to normal as possible. “One of the biggest surprises to me is how motivated the students were to try some of the things online,” she says. “They were on and working hard, just like they would at school. I'm also surprised about how routine this all became. Waking up and teaching from a corner in my living room was NEVER how I expected my teaching career to start. I mean, what a story to tell in the future!”
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ical sciences, ONU has established the Metzger Nature Center Endowed Fund to provide support for operating the center. Located in the hills of Ohio's Amish country in Tuscarawas County, the ONU Metzger Nature Center is frequented by ONU students, faculty and staff for educational purposes and group retreats. With a century-old farmhouse, natural springs and streams, dissected sandstone gulleys, mixed mesophytic forests and fields, the 70-acre farm is also a popular destination for biology students to study, observe and conduct research in a live field environment. “It's a fantastic learning experience for our students in submersion learning and teamwork,” Keiser says. “Support is critical for the future of our environmental/field biology students, one of the strengths of the biological sciences program.” Keiser joined the Ohio Northern faculty in 1967, rising from instructor to professor of biological sciences to chair of the Department of Biological Sciences. He served as the chair of the University Council, director of the ONU Metzger Nature Center and a special trustee on the University's Board of Trustees. He was instrumental in establishing the ONU Nature Center and the ONU Tidd-Oakes Farm, a 300-acre wetlands restoration project just 12 miles from campus.
THE DICKE COLLEGE DIFFERENCE By Caitlin Higgins, BSBA ’13
Needless to say, my work extended far outside of the accounting realm. However, I was able to take each new challenge in stride because of the tools and concrete knowledge I gained while attending ONU. I loved my job with Wilkinson. I went to work each day hardly even realizing it was a job because it was that much fun to do. I helped the company go from eight properties at my start date to 22. Our portfolio consisted of over $2 billion in assets, and we were on pace to add almost 10 more properties in the next two years. But business is business, and in mid-March of this year, we were notified that the parent company was selling everything, including our firm. It took one email to close the
It was a shock. I was fortunate that I had never faced unemployment during my professional career. But now, here I was, facing something that everyone sort of knows will happen to them eventually. I thought about what I’d accomplished at Wilkinson. I thought about my education from ONU. “I’m going to be OK,” I told myself. And deep down, I knew I would be. Enter 2020! It wasn’t more than five days after learning of my impending termination that COVID-19 reared its ugly head and forced closures of schools and nonessential businesses throughout the state of Ohio. Suddenly, my optimism felt hollow. Would firms still be hiring with so much uncertainty? If so, could I even interview? Would it be safe? I think it was at this time I really started to worry about my future. Here I am, newly engaged and planning to buy my first house with my fiancé, with no paycheck after May. One thing was certain; I couldn’t be passive about my situation. I had to act. So, how does one go about job hunting amid a global pandemic? Most people would probably jump
on the internet and start Googling. But I didn’t. Before I did anything else, I reached out to a great mentor of mine from Ohio Northern, Matt Lambdin. I can vividly remember sitting in his class my freshman year setting up my LinkedIn account wondering why we needed a “Facebook for business.” Ironically, that account I created a decade ago was the same account I used to get in touch with him. He responded almost immediately and asked me to email him so we could set up a time to discuss my situation. I don’t think I’d spoken with Matt since graduation, so I was surprised that he even remembered me. Then I remembered that ONU is just like that, and it was one of the many reasons I chose to be a Polar Bear in the first place. Matt and I got on a phone call and right away started to come up with a plan to get my resume together. It was a complete rebuild, turning the last seven years of my life into a highlight reel of skills and accomplishments. It was no easy task, and it took about two weeks to complete everything. All the while, Matt remained patient with me and continued to give me timely feedback. When we were ready for step two — the job search — I had a pretty good idea of what I was looking for in the next phase of my career. Matt steered me in a
COLLEGE NEWS
couple directions of where I might be able to find exactly what I was looking for. Within days I had scheduled phone interviews with two separate companies. After those two phone interviews, I received a call back almost right away from one of them to set up a second interview via video conference. Within days after that, I had a job offer and as of May 11, became a senior lead auditor at Key Bank! The whole process happened really fast, and I am so fortunate to have got a job in this climate (and a decent raise, nonetheless!). I’m sharing my story because I want all of my fellow alumni to remember the amazing resources that we have access to as alumni of Ohio Northern. It doesn’t matter how much time has passed since you were a student. Reaching out to Matt after 10 years was the best decision I could have made. My worries of finding a job just seemed to disappear. I truly believe I would still be looking for a job right now had I tried to do this on my own. I am so proud to be a Polar Bear and an alumna of not only Ohio Northern University, but of the Dicke College of Business. I am so thankful for this community and for people like Matt. You were there for me when I needed you most, and you didn’t let me down.
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I graduated from the Dicke College of Business Administration with a degree in accounting in 2013. ONU prepared me well, and I was fortunate to land a job with Wilkinson Asset Management immediately after graduating. I was an internal auditor at Wilkinson for seven years, during which time I worked in a variety of different aspects of the property management industry, including acquisitions, sales, budgets and audits. I even helped develop a piece of software that became a functional piece of our everyday business practice.
doors of a company after nearly 30 years in business. All positions, (mine included) were to be terminated at the end of May.
BUSINESS ADMINISTRATION
ENGINEERING
PROFESSOR ELECTED TO ASEE BOARD
MILESTONE
IN SPACE
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In the midst of a challenging summer, America had reason to celebrate with the success of NASA’s SpaceX Demo-2 mission to the International Space Station. On May 30, NASA astronauts Robert Behnken and Douglas Hurley became the first to launch from American soil since the conclusion of the Space Shuttle Program in 2011. After spending nine weeks in space, the astronauts returned to Earth, splashing down in the Gulf of Mexico on Aug. 2. ONU engineering alumni played important roles in the successful launch of the SpaceX Crew Dragon spacecraft and its safe return. Alex Strimbu, BSME '17, a SpaceX test development engineer, works on the Merlin engine – the propulsion system for the Falcon 9 booster that carried the Dragon spacecraft into orbit. As a senior development engineer for SpaceX, Derick Endicott, BSME '12, worked to ensure that all of the SpaceX components were able to withstand the rigors of spaceflight. NASA engineer Justin Littell, BSME '04, conducted research at the Structural Dynamics Branch of NASA Langley Research Center in the area of aircraft crashworthiness and safety. He worked alongside SpaceX engineers to conduct critical landing tests on the Dragon capsule to ensure astronaut safety during splashdown. “The successful splashdown is the result of engineers testing over and over and over again. It’s the only way we can have confidence in the performance of the spacecraft and its systems,” says Littell. “I’m glad that all of our testing paved the way for a successful conclusion to the mission.” (Photo credit NASA/Bill Ingalls)
John K. Estell, professor of computer engineering and computer science, was recently elected to the American Society for Engineering Education (ASEE) Board of Directors. He will serve a three-year term, which began in June, as the chair of Professional Interest Council III, which consists of 14 out of a total of 56 ASEE divisions. This selection positions Estell as a leader in the engineering education field. ASEE, which has more than 12,000 members, includes five professional interest council chairs, of which Estell is now one. “It is exciting to see John receive the broad support from ASEE members to be elected to this office,” says John-David “J-D” Yoder, dean of the T.J. Smull College of Engineering. “This is an indication of the recognition and respect our faculty earn for the terrific work they do in and out of the classroom.” Estell has been a member of ASEE since 1993 and was elected in 2016 as a Fellow in recognition of the breadth, richness and quality of his contributions to the betterment of engineering education. He has previously held leadership positions within ASEE as chair of both the First-Year Programs and Computers in Education divisions and has received multiple ASEE Annual Conference best paper awards. Estell received the ASEE First-Year Programs Division’s Distinguished Service Award in 2019. “From my earliest days as a professor, ASEE has helped to shape my career and grow as an educator. I look forward to promoting ASEE’s vision of a future with excellent and broadly accessible education empowering engineering professionals to create a better world, as well as bringing
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those corresponding educational advancements in research, innovation, excellence and access back to both my classroom and to my colleagues,” says Estell.
FACULTY MEMBER RECEIVES NATIONAL KEEN AWARD Assistant professor of mechanical engineering J. Blake Hylton was selected to receive the 2020 National KEEN (Kern Entrepreneurial Engineering Network) Rising Star Award. The honor recognizes faculty members who display an entrepreneurial mindset in their careers as educators and who contribute to the profession in that manner. Hylton will receive a $10,000 grant from the Kern Family Foundation to advance KEEN’s mission and will receive his award at the 2021 KEEN National Conference. “Dr. Hylton is an exemplar of the entrepreneurial mindset,” says ONU President Dan DiBiasio. “His devotion and dedication to the foundational elements of the KEEN program inform his teaching and scholarly pursuits. He is constantly working to help students look beyond easy answers, persist through false starts and failures, and make connections across multiple disciplines and broader applications of learning.” Hylton’s enterprising spirit is demonstrated in projects that go beyond ONU’s classrooms and labs, such as when he and fellow ONU faculty member Todd France, assistant professor of engineering education, helped to design a project that is intended to implement engineering design activities into high school classrooms. The project was awarded a three-year, $450,000 grant from the National Science Foundation.
PHARMACY
NEW PROGRAM
WILL SERVE
THE UNDERSERVED
In communities fortunate enough to have a college or university nearby that offers education within allied health fields, students can offset the resource gaps so common outside of population centers. And while this is a good thing, it does illustrate rural America’s need for more health care access. This is why the RUHSP is so important. It is deliberate in its training for these communities, not merely a by-product of proximity. And while ONU’s rural location can sometimes be perceived as a barrier for providing practical experiences for students in some fields, for pharmacy, it’s a benefit.
The Raabe College of Pharmacy’s new Rural and Underserved Health Scholars Program (RUHSP) is providing this specialized training and hands-on experience to ONU pharmacy students through a multi-year certificate program that will prepare them to face the challenges of rural practice. Beginning their fourth year, and continuing through graduation, students will shadow health care providers practicing in rural settings to witness firsthand how disparities affect treatment and impact outcomes. They will attend seminars focusing on issues specific to rural life, and collaborate with faculty on research targeting rural and underserved populations. Additionally, they will focus on developing leadership skills that are necessary to enact real change within any community, but especially within those that have been left behind. “I teach in Hardin County, but I am also from Hardin County, so I understand both the gaps in local health care and also the opportunities for student learning,” says Dr. Michelle Musser, director of outreach programming for the college. “Our rural setting provides a win-win situation for our students, patients and partner agencies.”
COLLEGE NEWS
The first cohort of students were announced this summer. Avery Ballinger, Carmen Bowers, Megan Breier, Sierra McCall, Emma Kabalka, Han Pham, Joey Sidoti and Jessica Woodard will pioneer this new course of specialized learning. “I grew up in a very small rural town. I was immediately interested in this scholars program so I can return to serve my community, as well as reach out to the communities surrounding ONU,” says Woodard. One of the truly unique aspects of the RUHSP will be its focus on educating students about challenges and opportunities that pharmacists face as caregivers beyond Hardin County, Ohio. Geographical, socioeconomic and demographic differences affect rural health care throughout the U.S. What might be a problem in one area may not be a problem in another. RUHSP scholars will be able to recognize and understand these challenges, and provide excellent care. “Our scholars are going to develop an additional skill set pertaining to rural health. They will know how to assess community needs, develop and manage projects, and provide expertise and leadership,” says Emily Eddy, assistant professor of pharmacy practice. “I hope that when they graduate from the program they are able to improve whatever community they find themselves living in.”
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Caring for the health needs of rural and underserved populations is a medical specialty in itself. These patients face different health issues than people in cities and towns, and therefore, rural health care providers need specialized training and hands-on experience working with these populations to treat them effectively. Often, pharmacists are the only health care providers available within rural communities, making them uniquely positioned to deliver vital care.
“The College of Pharmacy is heavily involved in the community through service learning efforts, but the RUHSP allows students to develop a more in-depth experience that also brings in a more robust leadership component to the scholarly portion,” says Musser. “There is a lack of prepared providers in these communities, and we have a chance to help prepare ONU students to fill that gap in areas like ours all over the country.”
LAW
DEWINE
LEADS
THE WAY
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During the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic, uncertainty ran rampant throughout the country and the state of Ohio. Faced with an unprecedented public health emergency with no clear end in sight, Ohioans turned to the comforting voices of governor Mike DeWine, JD ‘72, and his staff to make sense of our new normal. Every day at 2 p.m., you could count on DeWine’s detailed press briefing. Thousands tuned in via livestream to listen as DeWine, former Director of the Ohio Department of Health Dr. Amy Acton and Ohio Attorney General Jon Husted gave the latest updates on the situation. Early on in Ohio’s response, DeWine announced a series of executive orders that brought normal life to a screeching halt – banning public gatherings, closing K-12 schools, closing bars and restaurants, and eventually, a stay-at-home order that brought Ohio into a state of lockdown in order to combat the spread of the coronavirus. DeWine was the first governor in the nation to make many of these moves, and while his actions may have seemed extreme early on, they set a tone for states across the country as to what could and should be done to save lives. In fact, many other leaders took their cues from DeWine, subsequently enacting orders and safeguards similar to his soon after. He’s received both national and international praise for his leadership during unprecedented hardship.
As the chief executive of Ohio’s government, DeWine has final say in many decisions that affect Ohioans, but he is only one voice in the room when it comes to deliberating those actions. He relied heavily on Acton and her team for counsel, and he focused Ohio’s response on facts and data above all else. “Mistakes that I have made throughout my career have generally been because I didn't have enough facts, I didn't dig deep enough,” DeWine says. “So, I made up my mind I was going to have the best information, the best data available.” DeWine is quick to acknowledge that the decisions he made in March and April were extremely difficult ones to make. He confessed that he often thought about everyone that would be adversely affected by each order, including small business owners, employees out of work and families stretched thin. Also at the forefront of his mind were the legal limitations of his own authority as governor, particularly regarding actions such as banning public gatherings and suspending the 2020 primary election. The foundational knowledge of law he obtained at ONU Law certainly informed many of the decisions he made in the midst of the pandemic. With the health and safety of Ohioans his chief goal, he called upon his legal expertise to lead decisively and justly in order to bring about the action he deemed crucial for our state’s well-being during an unprecedented time in our history.
O N U M AG A Z I N E S U M M E R 2 0 2 0
Bob Cupp’s election as speaker of Ohio House continues ONU tradition of public service In continuing the University’s legacy of graduates who make an impact on the larger community, Ohio Northern University alumni continue to establish themselves among Ohio’s leading elected officials. Robert R. “Bob” Cupp, BA ’73, JD ’76, the recently elected speaker of the Ohio House of Representatives, serves alongside Ohio’s governor, Mike DeWine, a fellow graduate of the ONU Pettit College of Law. DeWine hailed Cupp’s election as House speaker, referring to him as “a man of integrity who will serve Ohio well.” Cupp has a broad and distinguished career in public service. He has served as Allen County commissioner, was a four-time state senator and an Ohio Supreme Court justice before being first elected a state representative in 2015. In the state Senate, Cupp served two terms as president pro tempore, the Senate’s second-highest leader. Cupp, who has also shared his insights with ONU students as a consultant/visiting professor of applied political science at his alma mater, received a University Distinguished Alumni Award from Ohio Northern and an honorary degree from the ONU College of Law in recognition of his career of service.
THE STANDARD
BEARERS E S P O RT S
ONU esports represents ONU Athletics amid shutdown.
The ONU esports team competed in the National Association of Collegiate Esports (NACE), the only association of varsity esports programs at colleges and universities across the U.S. that continued operating while ONU’s regional conference, the Great Lakes Esports Conference (GLEC), was suspended. Since the onset of the pandemic, ONU’s 22-person team, which is comprised of two sub-teams that compete in “League of Legends” and “Overwatch,” competed in several online tournaments, including a charity tournament to raise money for food services in Chicago. “The internet is our generation's domain,” says ONU esports coach Troy Chiefari. “This transition wasn't really a hard transition for us.” In fact, the transition was a catalyst for the team’s competitive chemistry. The team, which kicked off its inaugural season with a near perfect record, turned up the heat, defeating larger, more established teams like The Ohio State University. “The way I have stayed connected with my teammates is through winning,” says then-senior mechanical engineering major Matt White, BSME ’20. “It is the goal that brought us together in the first place. The energy that our team has right now is insane. It just feels really good to be part of
a team that's been as successful as we have been in our first year. We are all excited to play with each other right now, and it's a really good feeling to be a part of.” But aside from the competition aspect, the continuation of esports was also important for its members who were all trying to maintain balance amongst the challenges of remote learning and the unfolding pandemic situation. “Esports has been a lifesaver in this time,” says computer science major Wyatt Guethlein, who is a student assistant for the esports team. “From my perspective, I do not play, but rather try and organize everything behind the scenes so they can play. Keeping up with the busy schedule of esports has actually benefitted immensely with schoolwork, making me stay in the same schedule as I had before we left campus.” The current state of esports hearkens back to earlier days of the sport for Chiefari. Today’s online-only format closely resembles what esports used to be – a solely virtual experience. Today, esports at its highest level is truly a spectator sport. Cities are investing in brand new arenas to hold live competitions in front of thousands of fans. At ONU, esports is normally a very “in-person” pursuit. The new, state-of-the-art esports facility, which comprises multiple LAN rooms dedicated to practice and competition, is always bustling with activity – daily three-hour practices, mingling in the break room and the spark of competitive spirit. “Playing only online brought us back to how things were before esports was brought into ONU," Chiefari says. “It really made my players cherish and appreciate what they have at the school. A few of them got emotional when we shut the rooms down early.” Looking ahead, the esports team eagerly awaits their chance to return to campus and pick up where they left off. Until then, they are proud they could compete — and win — for all of Polar Bear Nation who couldn’t.
O N U AT H L E T I C S
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The abrupt halt to collegiate athletics due to the COVID-19 pandemic left student-athletes, coaches and fans adrift this spring. Sports all but ceased beginning March 11, when professional basketball player Rudy Golbert of the NBA’s Utah Jazz tested positive for COVID-19 and the league abruptly suspended their season. All of the other professional sports leagues followed suit, along with the NCAA. Esports, however, has always held a unique position in the realm of college sports in that they don’t usually compete in front of live fans and rarely, if ever, come into contact with their opponents. In fact, esports worldwide not only continued during the sports hiatus, it thrived with a surge of new fans tuning in for the first time.
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O N U M AG A Z I N E S U M M E R 2 0 2 0
1960s
C.J. Douglas, BA ’63, and Pierce Bidlake, BA ’62, were married on July 27, 2019. They currently reside in Liverpool, N.Y.
1970s Richard Collins, BA ’71, JD ’74, retired as a judge of the Lake County Common Pleas Court, General Division, after 17 years, effective Jan. 1, 2019. For 27 years before becoming a judge, he was in the private and public practice of law. 1 Don Perdue, BSPh ’74, retired as a pharmacist in 2009, retired as state legislator in 2016, and retired as an economic development director in 2018. He recently became board chairman of Steppingstones Group Foster Care Home. He and his wife, Mary (Dudek) Perdue, BSPh ’76, reside in Prichard, W.V.
Michael Rider, BSME ’75, wrote three textbooks in 2019 – one in mechanisms, one in 3D modeling and design, and one in programmable logic controllers. Rider is currently a professor of mechanical engineering at ONU. Greg Mitchell, BSEE ’76, retired after 40-plus years in the electric utility industry. Robert Jaegers, JD ’77, retired after 42 years as a prosecutor. He also worked in the savings and loan industry with a private firm, did capital appeals with Florida’s Attorney General Office, and served in Veterans’ Court Division, ensuring treatment and services for justice-involved veterans. He resides in Jupiter, Fla.
1980s Robert Hutcheson, BSPh ’82, is the director of pharmacy for Summit View Pharmacy Services in Knoxville, Tenn., where he services nursing homes, acute care and assisted living facilities. Janet Barth, BSCE ’83, retired in 2019 as an environmental manager for the Ohio EPA. She resides in Lancaster, Ohio. Robert Bell, JD ’85, was elected as the magisterial district judge for the southern part of Indiana County, Pa., in January 2020. He resides in Blairsville, Pa. Marla (Mills) Morris, BA ’86, recently retired after teaching for 32 years and became an adjunct professor in the College of Education and Human Ecology at The Ohio State University. She teaches pre-service teachers. Richard Mast, BSEE ’87, relocated to Minnesota in November 2019 to accept a new position as director of sales for N.A. Healthcare at Ergotron, Inc. Thomas Canterbury, JD ’88, retired from Raleigh County Prosecuting Attorney Office. He is currently in his 30th year serving the Beckley City Fire Department in Beckley, W.V.
1990s Jody May, BA ’93, was named the BCAM Men’s Basketball Coach of the Year by the Basketball Coaches Association of Michigan
for compiling a 21-5 record and an outright MIAA championship with the Albion College Brits this season. This was May’s 12th season at Albion. Jon Roberts, BS ’96, became head varsity baseball coach at Triad High School in North Lewisburg, Ohio. Scott Peterson, JD ’98, was promoted to supervisor of the homicide task force at the Union County Prosecutor's Office in Elizabeth, N.J. 3 Gregory Hach, JD ’99, was the recipient of the James Berg Memorial Award and was named to the Multi-Million Dollar Advocates Forum, one of the most prestigious groups of trial lawyers in the United States, in which fewer than 1 percent of U.S. lawyers are members. He and his family reside in Upper Brookville, N.Y.
2000s 4 Lauren (Augusta) Courter, BS ’00, and her husband Jeff welcomed a daughter, Remi, on Aug. 24, 2019. The family resides in Park City, Utah. 5 Cyndi (Muskus) Oakley, BSBA ’00, and her husband Jason welcomed a son, Michael, on Jan. 23, 2018. Yelena Antipova, JD ’01, a tax attorney in New York, opened her practice which focuses on resolving federal income tax issues for U.S. and foreign businesses and individuals. She handles tax-planning, tax controversy with the IRS, audits, entity selection and formation, tax due diligence, foreign bank account disclosures, private letter rulings, and contract drafting and negotiation. She currently resides in Jersey City, N.J. Megan (Clausing) Spengler, BA ’01, and her husband Toby welcomed their third child, Titus, on Dec. 13, 2017, and twins Tabor and Theodore on Jan. 3, 2020. The family resides in Napoleon, Ohio.
C L AS S N OT E S
Tracey Johnson-Kidd, JD ’02, was selected as a compliance innovator scholar for Boston University College of Law Certificate in Financial Compliance. She completed the program in May 2020. Robert M. Baldwin, JD ’04, joined the firm Shuffield Lowman, working in the DeLand, Fla., office as senior counsel in the area of estate planning. 6 Gailyn (Klem-Sadurski) Draper, BM ’05, performed as the soprano soloist with the Springfield Choral Society for the Lord Nelson Mass and Messiah. Amanda (Kalal) Gass, BS ’05, married Ari Gass on Feb. 16, 2020. The couple resides in San Diego, Calif. Katrina Thompson, BA ’05, JD ’08, received the District 7 Community Service Award for Attorneys 40 & Under from the Ohio State Bar Association. The award is presented to an attorney who contributes substantial time and effort in service to a local social service, or a local civic, artistic or cultural organization. She was recognized at the OSBA’s District 7 meeting on Feb. 24, 2020, in Columbus, Ohio. 7 Abby (Myers) Madaychik, BA ’06, and her husband Chad welcomed a daughter, Kate, on April 12, 2019. Kate joins sister Gwen, 5. The family resides in Knoxville, Tenn. Nancy (Riepenhoff) Schroeder, BSN ’06, recently relocated to Payne, Ohio. Currently she serves as the first founding faculty member for the new nursing program at Manchester University in Fort Wayne, Ind. 8 Alexander Jarvis, BA ’07, and Jillian (Siedlecki) Jarvis, BA ’13, welcomed their first child, Delilah Lynn Jarvis, on Jan. 1, 2020. The family resides in Westerville, Ohio. 9 Jeff Wiley, BSME ’07, graduated with an MBA from Stetson University in May 2019. He and his wife Nellie Jo welcomed their second child, Nellie Marie, on Jan. 16, 2020.
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Gregory Pratt, BA ’74, returned to writing after 40 years of practicing law. He published his first novel, a thriller titled Ebola Island, and has received excellent reader reviews.
2 Tim Greene, BSCE ’79, was named a top-selling broker in the Georgia Association of Business Brokers' 2019 Million Dollar Club. Greene is a business broker and consultant for DeFoor Business Services and specializes in the evaluation, marketing, sale and acquisition of businesses.
CL ASS NOTES
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10 Krista (Rohrs) Amstutz, PharmD ’08, and her husband Todd welcomed a son, Mitchell David, on Dec. 17, 2018. Mitchell joins siblings Emma, 9, and Collin, 7. The family resides in Ottawa, Ohio. 11 Megan (May) James, BA ’08, and her husband Mike welcomed a daughter, Lacey, in September 2019. She joins brother Luke, 4. 12 Morgan (Baughman) Young, BA ’08, and her husband Robert welcomed their second child, Ethan Paul, on May 23, 2019. Ethan joins brother Corbin Michael, 4. 13 Robert Hradek, BS ’09, and Sara (Lutz) Hradek, PharmD ’10, welcomed a daughter, Georgia Louise, on April 30, 2019. Georgia joins big sister Lennon, 3. The family resides in Tiffin, Ohio. 14 Mike Henfling, BSCE ’09, and Megan (Brown) Henfling, BS ’09,
welcomed a daughter, Brynn Elizabeth, on Nov. 20, 2019. In 2019, Mike celebrated 10 years at Diamond Z Engineering. The family resides in Olmsted Township, Ohio. Tara (Grove) Masters, BSBA ’09, married Alex Masters on Dec. 7, 2019. The couple resides in Flushing, Mich.
2010s 15 Bob Dippel, PharmD ’10, and his wife Abby welcomed a daughter, Grace Josephine, on Sept. 30, 2019. She joins brothers John and Victor at home in Aurora, Ohio, where they reside. 16 Rachel (Smith) Hiser, BA ’10, and Brent Hiser, BSME ’10, welcomed a son, Ryan Frederick, on Feb. 27, 2019. Ryan joins big brother Wesley, 4. The family resides in Tiffin, Ohio. Sara (Lutz) Hradek, PharmD ’10, and Robert Hradek, BS ’09, welcomed a
daughter, Georgia Louise, on April 30, 2019. Georgia joins big sister Lennon, 3. The family resides in Tiffin, Ohio. 17 Abraham Jacob, BA ’10, married Kevin Benson on Sept. 6, 2019. On Jan. 1, 2019, Jacob joined the government relations firm of Kallner & Associates, LLC, as director of government relations representing clients at the Ohio Statehouse. 18 Joyelle (Spain) Kopp, BS ’10, and Brett Kopp, PharmD ’12, welcomed a daughter, Eleanor Mae, on Sept. 8, 2019. The family resides in Dayton, Ohio. Ashleigh (Kaleugher) Musick, BA ’11, was recently designated chief of the appellate division with the Trumbull County Prosecutor's Office. 19 Jake Cannan, PharmD ’11, married Kelly Cannan in Cincinnati, Ohio, on Oct. 21, 2019.
O N U M AG A Z I N E S U M M E R 2 0 2 0
20 Victoria Dickman-Burnett, BA ’11, married Tony Barrett on May 17, 2019. She successfully defended her dissertation and will graduate in December 2020 with a Ph.D. in research methods in the social sciences. 21 Emily (Spangler) Tyll, BA ’11, married Ken Tyll on Sept. 8, 2018. They welcomed a daughter, Evelyn Jeanette, on Feb. 6, 2020. Ezra Bradshaw, PharmD ’12, and his wife Alyssa welcomed a son, Wells, on June 17, 2019. Wells joins big sister Harlow, 3. The family resides in Blue Ash, Ohio. 22 Josie Dunham, BFA ’13, and Shawn Long were married on Jan. 25, 2020. They welcomed a daughter, Harper Waverly Long, on June 12, 2019. 23 Amanda (Meyer) Ilenin, PharmD ’13, and Josh Ilenin, PharmD ’13, welcomed a child, Lane Leslie Ann Ilenin, on Dec. 20, 2019.
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Cassie (Spray) Richardson, PharmD ‘13, and her husband Kyle welcomed their first child, Bennett Paul, on Feb. 21, 2020. The family resides in Indianapolis, Ind. Andrew Catherman, JD ’14, founded a law firm in Richmond, Va., with a concentration on criminal defense and family law. Sarah (Coffin) Catherman, JD ’14, is an assistant commonwealth's attorney with the Sussex Commonwealth's Attorney Office for Sussex County, Va. The couple resides in South Prince George, Va. John Curiel, BA ’14, won third place in the Common Cause gerrymandering competition with his new proposal on how to solve gerrymandering, and he was invited to speak at the Common Cause redistricting conference. Curiel is a research scientist at MIT.
Tanya (Schmid) Kidd, JD ’14, and Robert Kidd, BSBA ’11, JD ’14, welcomed a son, Crosby, on Jan. 28, 2020. Crosby joins big sister Chloe, 2. The family resides in Delaware, Ohio. 25 Sara (Swick) Supe, PharmD ’14, and her husband, Reed Supe, PharmD ’14, welcomed their second child, Nathan, on Dec. 12, 2019. Nathan joins big brother Tyler, 3. The family resides in Anchorage, Alaska. 26 Nathan Brune, BSCE ’15, passed the PE exam and is now a licensed civil engineer in the state of Indiana. Sarah (Turley) Mersek, PharmD ’15, and her husband, Jason Mersek, PharmD ’15, welcomed a child, Danica, on July 2, 2019. The family resides in Cleveland, Ohio.
27 Aaron Sullivan, BS ’15, and Kaitlyn (Nestel) Sullivan, PharmD ’17, with Kaitlyn’s parents, Marla Nestel and Kurt Nestel, BSPh ’90, purchased an independent pharmacy in West Deer, Pa. 28 Alyssa (Cuzzolini) Farwig, BSEE ’16, married Phillip Farwig, PharmD ’16, on Oct. 19, 2019. The couple resides in Dublin, Ohio. 29 Tyler Matanick, BFA ’16, and Madeline (Chitty) Matanick, BFA ’16, were married on Dec. 21, 2019, in Charleston, S.C. The couple resides in Mt. Airy, N.C. Andrew Ziegler, BS ’16, graduated from Boston University School of Medicine with a M.S. in biomedical forensic sciences. 30 Tiffany (Kline) Davis, BA ’17, married Tyler Davis, PharmD ’19, on Dec. 28, 2019, in Grand Rapids, Mich. The couple resides in Morgantown, W.V.
C L AS S N OT E S
Brian Heilbronner, PharmD ’17, married Rachel Bartholomew, PharmD ’17, on July 27, 2019. The couple resides in Columbus, Ohio. 31 Emily (Uhrin) Strimbu, BSEE ’17, married Alex Strimbu, BSME ’17, on Aug. 13, 2019. The couple resides in Temple, Texas. 32 Rachael (Miller) Eckert, PharmD ’18, married Ben Eckert, BSCE ’16, on July 13, 2019. The couple resides in Delaware, Ohio. 33 Cheyenne Raker, BSME ’18, completed her certificate year of the master’s program of industrial design at Georgia Tech with a 4.0 cumulative GPA. 34 Meagan (Brandt) Manger, PharmD ’19, married Parker Manger on Sept. 21, 2019. The couple resides in New Bremen, Ohio.
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24 Caroline Mangan, BSBA ’13, and Brandon Hayzlett, PharmD ’15, were married at Ohio Northern on Aug. 10, 2019.
REMEMBERING THOSE WHO CAME BEFORE 1940s
Alan R. Shump, BSME '54, Troy, Ohio, March 22, 2020.
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Gladys Irene (Horst) Ford, BSEd '41, Toledo, Ohio, Jan. 18, 2020.
Donald D. Newland, BA '55, Mount Vernon, Ohio, March 8, 2020.
Betty Lou (Harris) Zimmerman, BSPh '42, Youngstown, Ohio, Feb. 25, 2020.
Rose Leigh (Mayberry) Baier, BSEd '56, Bellefontaine, Ohio, Jan. 31, 2020.
William D. Foulk, BSPh '46, Bucyrus, Ohio, Jan. 18, 2020.
Ned F. Booher, BSEd '56, Riverside, Calif., Oct. 4, 2019.
Donald Ray Bowman, BSCE '47, Union, Ohio, Jan. 21, 2020.
Blanche Elaine (Turner) Moening, BSEd '56, Clinton Township, Mich., Oct. 22, 2019.
Mary I. Cunningham, BSEd '49, Cleveland, Ohio, March 30, 2020. Edward W. Lumm, BSME '49, Lexington, Ky., Feb. 12, 2020.
1950s Nancy E. Marconett, BSPh '51, Wilmington, Ohio, Nov. 6, 2019. John G. Schenk, JD '51, Canandaigua, N.Y., April 12, 2020.
H. James Dial Jr., BSEd ’57, passed away on April 9, 2020, in New Albany, Ind. He graduated from Ohio Northern University with a bachelor’s degree in psychology and sociology, and went on to become a successful entrepreneur and business leader with many accomplishments. He and his wife, Nidrah (Roberson) Dial, AA ’58, who survives, have been longtime supporters of ONU and were pleased to give the naming donation for Dial-Roberson Stadium. Jim was a lifetime member of the Lehr Society and loved supporting his alma mater throughout his life.
Jack A. Stolson, JD '51, Venice, Fla., March 5, 2020. Suzanne Bremyer-Beall, BSPh '52, Bucyrus, Ohio, Sept. 7, 2019.
Mary Ann (Arthur) Syler, BSEd '52, Alliance, Ohio, Oct. 8, 2019.
Sheldon E. Fant, BSPh '54, Boynton Beach, Fla., Nov. 15, 2019.
Dorothea (Pugh) Plikerd, AA '52, Venedocia, Ohio, Jan. 13, 2020.
James L. McKinney, BSPh '53, Wadsworth, Ohio, Feb. 6, 2020.
Edgar D. Gruber, BSEd '54, Greenville, Ohio, Feb. 26, 2020.
O N U M AG A Z I N E S U M M E R 2 0 2 0
Merle L. Wittenmyer, BSCE '56, Findlay, Ohio, Nov. 29, 2019. James M. Brown, BSEE '57, Sidney, Ohio, Jan. 29, 2020. Helen I. (Burgess) Coleman, BSEd '57, Fort Myers, Fla., Dec. 20, 2019. James Kenneth Gelsanliter, BSCE '57, Ashland, Ohio, April 8, 2020. John W. Spear, BSPh '57, Marietta, Ohio, Sept. 30, 2019. E. Eugene Vann, BSPh '57, Medina, Ohio, April 8, 2019. Manvel A. Geyer, BSEE '58, Severna Park, Md., Dec. 16, 2019.
Roland F. Messing, BA '58, Youngstown, Ohio, Sept. 29, 2019.
O. Eugene Wood, BA '66, Clearwater, Fla., May 3, 2019.
William T. Galleher, BSPh '59, Canton, Ohio, April 14, 2020.
R. Lynn Schafer, BSEd '67, St. Clairsville, Ohio, April 3, 2020.
Mary Janet (Cramer) Lowary, BSEd '59, Franklin, Ind., March 4, 2020.
Raymond Jean Loiselle, BSEd '68, Manchester, N.H., March 3, 2020. Steven D. Eckstein, BA '69, Galion, Ohio, March 30, 2020.
1960s Jon Alvah Chandler, BSEd '60, Laurinburg, N.C., Oct. 4, 2019. David Raymond Kinworthy, BA '60, Lima, Ohio, Dec. 12, 2019. David C. Mason, JD '60, Upper Sandusky, Ohio, Feb. 15, 2020. Kenneth G. Pollock, BSEE '60, New Albany, Ohio, Feb. 17, 2020. T. Clifford Schnebly, BSPh '60, Valrico, Fla., Oct. 31, 2019. John K. Woods, BSEd '60, Streetsboro, Ohio, Nov. 18, 2019.
1970s Dr. Nancy Sabol, associate professor of law, passed away April 25, 2020, at her residence in Marysville, Ohio, after a brief battle with cancer. After practicing labor and employment law, she joined ONU’s Pettit College of Law in 2000 as an assistant professor of law. She later became director of academic support and Title IX coordinator for the University. She loved working with students throughout their law school careers, including preparing them for the bar exam following graduation. She delighted in seeing her students succeed and was always there to support them in any capacity.
Carol Ann (Miller) Robinson, BA '62, New Carlisle, Ohio, Oct. 14, 2019. Ralph M. Osting, BSPh '63, Lorain, Ohio, Jan. 10, 2020. Suzanne L. (Dye) Fralic, BSEd '64, Hudson, Ohio, March 31, 2020. Steven M. Hindall, BSCE '64, Columbus, Ohio, April 21, 2020. David W. Roberts, BSPh '64, Knoxville, Tenn., Sept. 30, 2019.
Jacqualyn Lu (Weber) Springer, BA '70, Celina, Ohio, Jan. 25, 2020. Lewis Roy Goodell, BSME '71, Norwalk, Ohio, Feb. 14, 2020. Richard A. Heisler, BSEd '71, Port Clinton, Ohio, May 8, 2019.
Dr. Anne Lippert, professor emeritus and former vice president of academic affairs, passed away on April 4, 2020, at her residence in Ada, Ohio. Her career at ONU spanned nearly four decades, during which she served as a professor of French, chairman of the foreign language department and vice president of academic affairs. After retiring in 2009, she remained in Ada and taught as a part-time lecturer from 2011-14. She and her husband, Jeff Schulman, JD ’78, who survives, have financially supported ONU for many years as members of the Lehr Society.
Janet L. (Covey) Pickrell, BSPh '72, Alexandria, Ohio, April 6, 2020. Robert D. Sease, BSME '72, Montgomery, Texas, Sept. 2, 2019. Mildred E. Johnson, BA '73, Meridianville, Ala., Oct. 29, 2019. Patricia M. Crane, BSPh '75, Painesville, Ohio, Feb. 25, 2019. Betty Jo (Lab) Kitz, BSPh '75, Tallmadge, Ohio, March 5, 2020. Mark G. Mangie, JD '75, Canfield, Ohio, April 1, 2020. Patricia Jerilyn (Huff) Huff-McKinney, BA '76, Milton, Del., March 2, 2020. Richard Arthur Westman, BSEE '76, Windsor, Conn., Jan. 22, 2020.
Dorothy B. (Brobeil) Kepford-Barbiche, BSEd '65, Marion, Ohio, Jan. 11, 2020.
Frank T. Rabe, BA '65, Greenville, S.C., Sept. 5, 2019.
J. Philip Zack, BSEd '65, Huntsville, Ohio, Jan. 3, 2020.
Patrick Curtis Hale, BSME '77, Owensboro, Ky., Dec. 24, 2019.
Theo R. McElheny, BSEd '65, La Rue, Ohio, Feb. 1, 2020.
Mark D. Wagoner, BSEd '65, Holland, Ohio, March 18, 2020.
George R. Ghearing, BA '66, Prospect, Ohio, Sept. 20, 2019.
Brad Irwin Kuchan, BA '77, El Paso, Ill., Jan. 29, 2020.
REMEMBERING THOSE WHO CAME BEFORE
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Nancy (Greenwood) Richert, BSPh '62, Zanesville, Ohio, Feb. 26, 2019.
Terrence L. Ervin, BSPh '70, North Myrtle Beach, S.C., March 17, 2020.
Larry M. Justice, BA '71, Kenton, Ohio, April 24, 2020.
Jo Ann Ciminillo, BSPh '61, Lakeland, Fla., Oct. 16, 2019. Robert Andrew Blair, BSPh '62, Dayton, Ohio, March 15, 2020.
John F. Blake, JD '70, Wilmington, Ohio, Oct. 20, 2019.
Daniel Lee Hudson, BSPh '78, Athens, Ohio, April 17, 2020. Margaret Ellen Picking, JD '78, Greensburg, Pa., March 12, 2020. Daniel Ray Wilch, BSCE '79, Marion, Ohio, March 9, 2020.
1980s Elvira (Sawiris) Awad, BA '80, Ada, Ohio, April 24, 2020. William D. Hart, JD '80, Kenton, Ohio, Nov. 19, 2019. George C. Maddux, JD '80, Gate City, Va., Nov. 6, 2019. Michael S. Grimes, JD '82, Marion, Ohio, Dec. 20, 2019. John Stuart Morrow, JD '82, Sewickley, Pa., Sept. 26, 2019.
Dr. Byron L. Hawbecker, professor emeritus of chemistry and the former dean of the Getty College of Arts & Sciences, passed away June 28, 2020, in Ada, Ohio. Born on Oct. 2, 1935, in Lanark, Ill., he joined the Ohio Northern faculty in 1964 and served for 40 years, retiring in 2004. Teaching was his passion, and he continued to teach as an adjunct professor in the chemistry department as recently as this past spring semester. He served as dean of the College of Arts & Sciences from 1992-2003. Prior to his arrival at ONU, Hawbecker worked as a chemical researcher for B.F. Goodrich and held multiple patents for his work. He is survived by his daughters, Melissa Miller, BSBA ’89, and Denise Lechner, and his grandchildren Kendra Miller, a junior psychology student at ONU, and Kaelynn Miller.
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John Mark Schimmoller, BSBA '82, Auburn, Ind., Dec. 18, 2019. Timothy Ignatius Flahive, JD '83, Delaware, Ohio, March 11, 2020. C. Thomas Hardy, JD '83, Galion, Ohio, Dec. 31, 2019. Kevin Rex Messick, BS '84, Boca Raton, Fla., Dec. 27, 2019. Zane Edward Kindley, BA '85, Greenville, Ohio, Nov. 26, 2019. Gerald Alan Rocco, JD '85, Powell, Ohio, Dec. 9, 2019. Michael John Kelley, BSBA '86, Apex, N.C., Jan. 30, 2020. Brenda Kay Bowers, BA '87, Canal Winchester, Ohio, March 15, 2020. Ann Marie (Buganski) Bishop, BA '89, Toledo, Ohio, Feb. 7, 2020.
Dr. Wesley Clarke, BA ’50, Hon. D. ’76, former member of the Ohio Northern University Board of Trustees, passed away on Feb. 18, 2020, in West Liberty, Ohio. He graduated from Ohio Northern in 1950 with a bachelor’s degree in history and political science, and later went into ministry with the United Methodist Church. In 1976, he received an honorary doctorate from Ohio Northern, where he previously served on the board of trustees. In honor of his wife, Reva Clarke, Wesley and his family established the Reva Clarke Memorial Scholarship for the School of Nursing. The couple supported ONU financially for many years as members of the Lehr Society. Wesley is survived by his children, Richard Clarke, BS ’82; David Clarke; and Martha Balogh.
Curtis Wright Dillard, BSME '99, Columbus, Ohio, Feb. 10, 2020.
2010s Nathan Emmett Hendershot, BSCPE '10, Columbus, Ohio, Jan. 1, 2020.
FRIENDS Dorothy Elizabeth Arthur, Charlottesville, Va., April 13, 2020. Kathryn M. Ayers, Lima, Ohio, Oct. 15, 2019. Susan Corwin Stolz, Sylvania, Ohio, Nov. 6, 2019. John Vincent Fleming, Jacksonville, Fla., Oct. 15, 2019. Freda K. Flerlage, Cincinnati, Ohio, Nov. 3, 2019. DeBow Freed, Ada, Ohio, Feb. 8, 2020. Emilie Geyer, Zanesville, Ohio, April 20, 2020. William A. Haggstrom, Zionsville, Ind., April 21, 2020. Albert Terry Howe, Fairhope, Ala., Jan. 23, 2020. Betty L. Kier, Ada, Ohio, April 15, 2020. Norma J. Lotz, Mahomet, Ill., Feb. 1, 2020. Susan Nee, Upper Providence, Ohio, April 9, 2020. Timothy R. McIntyre, Cincinnati, Ohio, Oct. 1, 2019. Dolores W. Moore, Pickerington, Ohio, Jan. 12, 2020. Leota A. Rader, Mechanicsburg, Ohio, April 18, 2020. Lois P. Reid, Augusta, Maine, Dec. 26, 2019.
1990s
Calvin C. Rodeheffer, Portsmouth, Ohio, Dec. 20, 2019.
Scott Thomas Elsass, BS '93, Mooresville, N.C., Nov. 12, 2019.
Kathleen M. Sehlhorst, Columbus Grove, Ohio, Jan. 28, 2020.
Eric Tremayne Spivey, BSEE '95, Pickerington, Ohio, April 18, 2020.
David Andrew Collins, JD '96, Springfield, Mo., March 6, 2020.
Kirk Yodzevicis, JD '97, Gaylord, Mich., Oct. 29, 2019.
O N U M AG A Z I N E S U M M E R 2 0 2 0
H. Edwin Welch, Cuyahoga Falls, Ohio, March 17, 2020.
COMING WINTER 2022
OHIO NORTHERN UNIVERSITY PRESENTS... ICELAND'S MAGICAL NORTHERN LIGHTS
7 DAY TRIP
the rare opportunity to see the spectacular aurora borealis – or northern lights. As part of the University's planned sesquicentennial celebration in 2021-22, alumni and friends will have the opportunity to join fellow Polar Bears on the trip of a lifetime to Iceland. On three evenings in Vik - on foot, or with the assistance of our motor coach and driver - you will venture out away from the light pollution to where the views of the sky are ideal (the northern lights can be viewed only in clear skies). Travel to the “Golden Circle,” home to many of Iceland’s most renowned natural wonders. Spend time at Thingvellir National Park, the nation’s most historic area. Gaze at the spectacular Gullfoss waterfall – one of the world's most incredible cascades. At the Lava Exhibition Center, learn about Iceland’s volcanic history and its impact on daily life. Explore Skógar Museum and see traditional turf-built homes. Walk on a black volcanic sand beach. See Jökulsárlón glacial lagoon filled with floating icebergs. Relax in the warm, mineral-rich water of the natural geothermal pool, the Blue Lagoon. Spend your evenings gazing at the night sky in search of the elusive and dazzling northern lights.
STAY TUNED FOR MORE INFORMATION FROM THE OFFICE OF ALUMNI ENGAGEMENT
ALUMNI.ONU.EDU | 866- ONU-ALUM
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The “land of fire and ice” is a place of many wonders, including
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OHIO NORTHERN UNIVERSITY Office of Alumni Engagement 525 South Main Street Ada, OH 45810
DIMENSION AWARD SCHOLARS
Ohio Northern is committed to building a community that actively reflects our ideals. ONU’s Dimension Award Scholars program provides financial assistance, social programming, and academic support to incoming freshmen and transfer students who are currently underrepresented at ONU. By bolstering this program, ONU can attract a more diverse student body and do more to ensure that everyone shares the college experience that ONU is known for – one that is welcoming, supportive and steeped in excellence. Please make a gift today. Dimension Award Scholars bring perspectives and experiences to our campus that we desperately need. Conversations are deeper, achievements are greater and friendships are stronger when we embrace our motto ex diversitate vires – “out of diversity, strength.” alumni.onu.edu/dimension
Do you know a potential Dimension Award Scholar? Refer them to ONU via the Student Referral Form at alumni.onu.edu/referral