John K. Urice ’64 Distinguished Alumnus of the Year School of Social Service Administration. She returned to Johns Hopkins many years after receiving her undergraduate degree to study for a certificate in “Women, Leadership, and Change.” That program renewed her interest in women’s development and led to her enrollment at the Fielding Graduate University to pursue doctoral studies. As she experienced her own midlife transitions, Pam became interested in how women over the age of 50 perceive their continuing contributions to their world. She designed her doctoral research to explore that question. As a volunteer, Pam has served on several boards: Friends School of Baltimore; Broadmead, a continuing care retirement community; SheppardPratt Health System, a large behavioral health system; and her professional organization, the National Association of Social Workers, Maryland Chapter. She also volunteers as a consultant to non-profit organizations. Pam has served as a class agent for Wilmington Friends School for the last 15 years, planning reunions (including the 45th in 2009) and women’s retreats, and creating the garden located outside the Jones House, dedicated in memory of 1964 classmates. Pam lives in Baltimore with her husband, Eric, a professor of Biomedical Engineering at the Johns Hopkins University. •
Board Chair David Singleton, Pamela Perkins Young ’64, and Bryan Garman
From John’s remarks: “[T]he class of 1964 is unique and thus has unique leadership responsibilities. Most of us were born in 1946, and we were the very first of ‘Baby Boomers.’ We came of age in the sixties. When we graduated on that beautiful June day, we were obviously unaware how quickly and dramatically the world which we were entering was going to change. We soon saw tumultuous upheavals in the search for racial, gender, and other civil rights. We have also witnessed more wars than can be counted. My own voluntary tour in Vietnam brought into sharp focus the need for peace rather than violence. Our class has seen great prosperity in America. Yet we also have seen millions of our fellow citizens slide helplessly into homelessness, poverty, and privation far beyond what should exist in the world’s richest and most talent-laden country. Few are as talented and capable as is our class individually and aggregately. We still have time to work to bring about greater social justice, and I am confident that we will.”
Prior to his retirement in 2007, John served Illinois State University for 13 years, as Vice President/Provost and as Professor of Theatre. He directed the MBA program in Arts Administration, which brought his career “full circle;” his first full-time position in higher education was as Director of the internationally recognized MBA/Arts Program at Binghamton University in New York. John also served as Dean of Arts and Sciences at Oakland University (Michigan) and Dean of Fine Arts at Ball State University (Indiana). John earned his Ph.D. in Arts Administration/Policy from Florida State University. Prior to his academic career, John was executive director of the Fine Arts Council of Florida. He consulted for a consortium of 37 states and the National Endowment for the Arts, and his report on information systems is still the basis for the data exchange among public arts agencies. This success brought him invitations to lead arts management programs. “I did not want to leave arts administra-
Honoree John Urice ’64 with his wife, Penny Kolloff tion, but thought that if I spent a few years teaching, I might train a cadre of knowledgeable leaders. Over time, I really discovered the joys of teaching, publishing, and serving.” John also served in the United States Army in Germany, Vietnam, and the U.S. He was awarded the Bronze Star Medal (Oak Leaf Cluster) in 1971. John’s research has been published and cited in journals as diverse as the American Journal of Political Science, The Journal of Cultural Economics, and ArtsEducation Policy Review. He has also published in, and served as an executive editor of, The Journal of Arts Management, Law and Society. He has consulted widely for nearly a hundred non-profit organizations. Currently, John is president of the Chippewa Valley Habitat for Humanity Affiliate. He also serves as a member of his church’s JONAH (Joining Our Neighbors, Advancing Hope) steering committee, part of a statewide program encompassing social and economic justice, drug treatment, environmental stewardship, and health care. With the generosity of many others, in 2001, John and his brother Stephen ’68 established the Babette Block Rogers Scholarship Fund at Wilmington Friends School in honor of their mother—a former teacher—who “always emphasized and encouraged our education.” John and his wife, Penny Kolloff, now live on a lake in Eau Claire, Wisconsin, with their two golden retrievers. • Spring 2009 • Friends magazine 5