Acknowledgments

This publication is dedicated to James Furfaro and Keith O’Dell whose lives were taken abruptly.

The first year experience takes commitment and collaboration from both Avila and our outside community. This is an opportunity to thank all of these dedicated people.

A special acknowledgment and many thanks to Matt Richtel, author of A Deadly Wandering, and Reggie Shaw, the 2019 Harry S. Truman Distinguished

Lecturer. Reggie, thank you for sharing your journey and your story. Thank you for being a kind and humble educator.

A heart-felt thanks to Bill and Jean ’76 Buchanan and the Buchanan Initiative for Peace and Nonviolence. Your generous spirit and support helped the issues of texting and driving and the impacts of technology on the brain permeate through the curriculum of first year seminar. Avila students were interested and engaged in this topic and will lead a different life because of this experience. Avila is forever grateful to you! Through your generosity, the International Save A Life Tour came to Avila’s campus. This tour consisted of an educational speaker and driving experiences simulating texting and driving and driving under the influence of a controlled substance. One-hundred percent of Avila students indicated the Save A Life Tour increased their awareness of what it takes to be a safe driver, and over 90% of students indicated the information was valuable and that they would discuss this experience with family and friends.

Terrific outcomes!

The Truman Lecture would not be possible without the support of our presenting sponsors Joe and Sue Fahey, Kevin and Connie Fahey and the J.M. Fahey Construction Company. We appreciate and value your support of this event. Thank you for allowing our students the unique opportunity to hear first-hand from Reggie Shaw.

Thank you to the Avila University Common Reading Program Committee led by Dr. Paige Illum. Members were Dr. Sue Ellen McCalley, Dr. Abigail Lambke, Dr. Natalie Cobb and our awesome student representative, Rachel Day. We appreciate your time and dedication!

The Truman Lecture Series Committee affects students, faculty, staff and community members by bringing talented speakers to our campus. Through the extreme hard work of Aaron Bennett, Dr. Charlene Gould, Dr. Paige Illum, Darren Roubinek and the insightful leadership of Dr. Sue Ellen McCalley, our students experienced a unique and thought provoking opportunity. Thank you!

Many thanks to Angela Heer, former Vice President of Advancement & External Relations, Darren Roubinek, Senior Director of Marketing & Communications, and Aaron Bennett, Events Coordinator, for their countless hours of dedicated work to make The Harry S. Truman Distinguished Lecture a success. Also to Maureen Reardon who designed this reflection book with wonderfully creative and on-target project management skills.

The members of the Office of Marketing and Communication, the Advancement Office, the Theatre Department, Information Technology Services and Campus Services helped implement a flawless series of events and festivities surrounding the Harry S. Truman Distinguished Lecture. Thank you for your excellent attention to detail and expertise in your respective areas.

Through the tireless efforts of our First Year Seminar Instructors our students were able to gain important worldview lessons through the First Year Seminar curriculum. All of you led students through multiple experiences and made the First Year Experience come alive through projects and discussions. You were cooperative and dedicated. All of you DID make a difference! Thank you to Dave Armstrong, Regan Baker, Jason Baldwin, Brian Ciolek, Julie Cowley, Sara Eckinger, Darby Gough, Ashlyn Hull, Paige Illum, Anissa Martinez, Arica Maurer, Anna McDonald, Maggie Mohrfeld, Alicia Murillo, Deanna Nelson, and Paula Tarwater.

We also thank those who helped educate our first year students in unique and meaningful ways though the First Year Seminar curriculum. A sincere thank you to the faculty panel who spoke to the first-year students regarding their areas of expertise including technology and social media, psychological brain research, and victimology / criminology. Panelists included Dr. Joe Snorgrass, Professor of Communications and Director of the Center for Digital Advocacy; Dr. Marcia Pasqualini, Professor and Chair of the School of Psychology; and Dr. Ashley Fansher, Assistant Professor of Criminology. A sincere thanks to Arica Maurer, Coordinator of the Buchanan Initiative for Peace and Nonviolence, who helped students understand that technology related problems can be solved to create a more peaceful world with one of the most effective ways to make a positive change being a nonviolent, well-informed, logic based approach to problem solving.

Lastly, thank you to all of the Avila University first year students. Thank you for your commitment to understanding the many issues and challenges related to texting and driving. We challenge you to live the mission and values of Avila University as you learn more about how you can contribute to our global community.

Thank you to our presenting sponsor