Raven Review - Spring 2013

RAVEN REVIEW

Ben edictine College | Atchi son, K a nsa s | Su mmer 2 013 | Vo l . 4 0 , No . 2

Discovering the Future Student Scientists Fight Superbugs

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Celebrate With Us! Homecoming: October 19, 2013 ScHolarSHip Ball: February 22, 2014 www.benedictine.edu

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Table Of Contents 5 6 8 10 12 15 17 20 21

Letter From the President March for Life A Journey Begins 150 Years of Service Chemistry Leaders Atchison Abbot A Front Seat to Papal History Raven Football in Italy Italy’s Beauty

25 28 30 32 34 37 39 40 42

A Joyful Noise A Education in Hope Raise Your Banners High A Professor for All Seasons The Essence of Life Special Dedication Building Community in Our Schools All-Star The Nation’s Youngest Head Coach

Staff EDITORS

TOM HOOPES, G ’10 Vice-President of College Relations thoopes@benedictine.edu BETH HOFFMAN, ’09 Director of Publications RICH BENNETT Art Director

DESIGNERS & PHOTOGRAPHERS

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HAYLEIGH DIEBOLT Graphic Designer KADY WEDDLE Graphic Designer KELLY ELIAS, ’85 Alumni Engagement

COPY EDITORS

MARY ASHER, ’80 Senior Administrative Assistant KATHY GARRISON Administrative Assistant

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BE NE DI CTINE COLLEGE 1020 North Second Street Atchison, Kansas 66002 1.800.467.5340 www.benedictine.edu From our homepage, click on our Facebook and YouTube channel.

Published by the Office of Marketing and Communications.

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Letter From the PresiDent Benedictine College entered the national spotlight in a whole new way this school year.

First, there were our speakers. We began the year with our convocation, featuring Lou Holtz, continued with author Immaculée Ilibagiza, Medal of Honor recipient Roger Donlon, Curtis Martin and others, and culminated in our commencement with former Vice Presidential candidate Paul Ryan. Truly, Benedictine College has become a destination for the highest caliber speakers.

Second, there was the recognition our college earned. Benedictine College was one of only five colleges the U.S. bishops invited to participate in a working group on Catholic higher education. The group, which included college presidents and six bishops, met in Baltimore last fall. Benedictine was also one of four universities whose presidents were invited to participate in the International Congress Ecclesia in America (The Church in America) at the Vatican.

It was so exciting to see the Church in action, both in Baltimore and in Vatican City, where I stayed in the Santa Marta residence just weeks before the cardinals checked into the same rooms for the conclave.

Benedictine College has truly become the Flagship College of the New Evangelization.

But what I am most proud of this year is the high level of academic achievement on campus. We are in the midst of our bold visionary plan, Benedictine 2020: A Vision for Greatness. You will see many of the results in this magazine, in the great work our faculty and students are doing.

We are proud of Dr. Ruth Krusemark, ’73, who we named as our first Mother Evangelista Kremmeter Professor of Benedictine Traditions and Values. We are proud of the great science our students are doing, including their research on antibiotic-resistant superbugs with our own Dr. Larry Sutton, Associate Professor of Chemistry and Biochemistry.

I hope you will enjoy reading about our impressive accomplishments in the pages that follow.

It’s a Great Time to be a Raven,

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Epic Journey

7 Buses Travel 48 Hours Round Trip to

March

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for

ife

Top: Seven buses travel Highway 59 out of Kansas toward Washington, D.C. Facing page, top: Students received a traveling blessing from fellow marcher, Abbot James Albers, ’94, who led the college’s first March for Life trip as a student. Left: The Supreme Court.

Above: Marie Brinkman, ’16; facing page: Sean Begler, ’16.

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Capitol Raven

News that Benedictine College sent seven buses over 1,000 miles to Washington, D.C., was covered by USA Today and the Associated Press, which sent the story to newspapers across the country. In addition to the secular media, Zenit, Catholic News Service, Catholic News Agency, the Cardinal Newman Society, and other Catholic media outlets carried the story.

Benedictine College bused 381 marchers including 294 students, Abbot James Albers, OSB, ’94, and other monks, and Vice President of Student Life, Linda Henry, ’81. Other alumni, students, and administrators joined the group upon its arrival. This is the largest group ever from the college in its 28 years of attending the event.

Makena Clawson, class of 2015, wrote reports from the trip for Rome’s Zenit news agency. “We march because we do hold out hope that things will change,” she wrote.

“We march because we believe God can do the impossible.”

After the March for Life, Benedictine College students and alumni had a rare treat: They gathered for a reception and capitol tours in Washington, D.C. The event was made possible

by Terrance W. Gainer, ’69, U.S. Senate Sergeant at Arms.

Gainer is perhaps Benedictine College’s most-seen alumnus. As the lead law enforcement officer on the Capitol, one of his duties is to guide the president in and out of Capitol events.

He has been seen at the side of the last two presidents at major events, such as President Obama’s Second Inauguration.

He has been a great supporter of Benedictine College, serving as the college’s commencement speaker and receiving an Honorary Doctor of Humane letters degree in 2009.

He returned to campus in 2012 to speak about challenges facing law enforcement.

“Believe it or not, we are connected through this great Benedictine College — 150 years of tradition,” Gainer said.

“Do not shoulder your burdens out there alone — and there will be burdens. Turn to your core Catholic beliefs, friends and family.”

Official White House Photo by Pete Souza

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A Journey Begins Paul Ryan Brings National Attention to Class of 2013

This year, the commencement address at Benedictine College was featured on CBS News, broadcast in its entirety on C-Span, and was mentioned in the New York Post, National Catholic Register, and National Catholic Reporter.

That is because the speaker was a national figure that one magazine put with Oprah and President Obama on a list of the top commencement speakers of 2013: Former vice presidential candidate Congressman Paul Ryan.

In his introduction of Congressman Paul Ryan, President Stephen D. Minnis expressed why Benedictine College was proud to welcome him.

“We are delighted to have you here because of what it says about you: That you are seeking to ensure that Catholics have religious liberty in the public square. We are delighted to have you here because of what it says about us: Benedictine College is building one of the great Catholic colleges in America” he said. “But most of all, we are delighted to have you here because of what it says to our students: Be ambitious, aim high, and work hard — and you can accomplish great things.”

A nationally prominent speaker only added to the excitement of the May 11 commencement exercises.

This year, the largest graduating class in the history of the college, 405 candidates, was honored. The humor-filled speech from the class valedictorian, Economics and Finance major Alexander Urban, became a YouTube sensation, attracting thousands of views. Ryan, a Wisconsin native currently serving his eighth term in Congress, is chairman of the House Budget Committee.

“My advice — in a nutshell — is to keep up the search,” Ryan said in his address.

“If you still have questions after four years of college — if you’re not quite satisfied with the answers you have — discover for yourself what you really believe. Boil things down to basics. See how they add up. And if they don’t add up, keep looking. That’s why we call this a commencement — because there’s no end to your spiritual journey.”

Ryan went on to talk about his faith and its relationship to being a public servant. He told the graduates they should guard against greed.

“Wealth is a means to an end. And the end isn’t a full bank account,” he said.

“The end is a good life — one lived in accordance with God. And to live a truly good life, we must go beyond ourselves. We must minister to the poor and the sick.”

“I wish you continued success as you find your path,” he said in conclusion.

“And whether you walk on the left side of the street or the right, whether you walk the straight and narrow — or you take the scenic route — I hope you will always walk with God.”

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“My choice to attend Benedictine has been proven repeatedly to be one of the best decisions I have made.” — Alex Urban, ’13, Valedictorian Below: Benedictine’s Commencement Weekend included several additional ceremonies. Graduates processed to the Baccalaureate Mass after leaving candles at Mary’s Grotto in the Walk of Light procession. Kristen Oswald (below) and Brad Lorang were honored with the Fran Jabara award. Cadets from the Army ROTC program and the Marine ROTC program (below) were commissioned as officers. The college’s annual pinning ceremony at which new nurses also received Abbot James Albers’ blessing.

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Photo by Megan Bickford, ’03

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Celebrating150 Years of Service Mount St. Scholastica’s Atchison History

November 11, 1863

1944

December 1863

1949

Mount St. Scholastica Academy is opened at Second and Division.

Donnelly College, a ministry of the Benedictine sisters, opens in Kansas City, Kansas, where it continues to this day.

1877

1952

1877

1960

Seven Benedictine sisters come to Atchison, Kansas, to open a school for girls, with founding prioress Mother Evangelista Kremmeter.

The Mount sisters establish their first daughterhouse, Monasterio de San Benito, in Mexico City. It becomes an independent monastery in 1950.

The sisters purchase Price Villa at a public auction and The sisters establish a daughterhouse, St. Lucy’s Priory, move their community and the Academy there. The in Glendora, California. It becomes independent in building was renamed St. Cecilia’s.

1956.

The first mission is established outside of Atchison: Sisters go out to live and teach in Seneca, Kansas. The sisters spread to other towns in Kansas, Missouri, Iowa, Nebraska and Colorado, on teaching missions.

Another daughterhouse, Benet Hill Priory, opens in Colorado Springs, Colorado. It becomes independent in 1965.

1900

1963

1904/1906

1964

Mount St. Scholastica celebrates its centennial year.

The monastery and choir chapel, which the community S. Mary Faith Schuster writes the community history, continues to use today, were built.

“The Meaning of the Mountain.”

Mount St. Scholastica receives eight Benedictine sisters from France, who are refugees from the 1904 expulsion of priests and religious in that country.

Sisters establish a daughterhouse, Mosteiro Santa Maria Mãe de Deus, in Mineiros, Goias, Brazil.

1923

1971

Mount St. Scholastica College opens.

Mount St. Scholastica College merges with St. Benedict’s College to form Benedictine College.

1939

2009

St. Scholastica Chapel is built to serve the needs of the sisters and the students at Mount St. Scholastica College.

03

The Sisters of Benedict of Red Plains Monastery in Piedmont, Oklahoma, transfer their vows to Atchison.

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chemistry leaders

Research Focus Earns American Chemical Society Recognition

“

The students at Benedictine get their hands on real chemistry with research.

”

-Dr. Larry Sutton

By Humam AlMukhtar

Research by Benedictine College students may help keep antibiotics effective. It is also helping Benedictine College earn much sought-after recognition for its science programs.

It is research like that that earned the undergraduate chemistry program at Benedictine College approval from the American Chemical Society (ACS), the world’s largest scientific society and a leading source of scientific information.

“We’re very proud and honored to receive this accreditation,” said Dr. Paul Steinbach, chair of Benedictine’s Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry. “We’re working to increase our research with our students. Research is really part of good chemistry training. We are also focusing our efforts on getting more publications with our undergraduate students.”

Dr. Larry Sutton, associate professor in Benedictine’s Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, has been working closely with students on publications and research efforts.

One of the research projects that Sutton and Benedictine students are working on involves “super bugs.” Students are researching the development of compounds that will “rewire” the standard antibiotics that are normally used but are becoming less effective as bacteria develop resistance.

“The work our students did uncovered a never-before-seen component to the chemical mechanism of Metallo Beta Lactamase enzymes (that enable bacteria to build resistance to antibiotics),” said Dr. Sutton. He hopes the discovery will enable his team to create a “counter punch” to a bacteria’s attempt to

inactivate an antibiotic.

“The students at Benedictine get their hands on real chemistry with research,” said Sutton.

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Benedictine chemistr y and biochemistr y alumni and students have won awards for their research and papers.

From the class of 2011, Elizabeth Lanciotti Timpe and Jacob Schesser won an award from the Kansas Academy of Science after competing against the major colleges in Kansas.

Katherine Corbella, ’13, won first place for her presentation at the regional American Chemistry Society meeting at the University of Kansas. Tricia Walz, ’13, won first place for her paper at the Heartland Undergraduate Biochemical forum at the University of Kansas.

Along with the ACS, the National Institute of Health and the National Science Foundation encourage incorporating meaningful research within science education, Steinbach said.

“The ACS is the largest organization for chemists in the world, and their requirements such as lab instruments, number of hours of training, access to library holdings, and teaching loads are all very important to the department in terms of educating our students accordingly,” said Steinbach.

The ACS Committee on Professional Training stated that the college’s chemistry program is on a “very solid trajectory.” They recommended the faculty continue to expand their research activities involving undergraduates, which the Benedictine Discovery Program promotes on an annual basis. The committee also commented on the need for improved facilities and instrumentation,

including an NMR spectrometer.

The college hopes to renovate and expand Westerman Hall. In its mission statement, Benedictine college commits to “the education of men and women within a community of faith and scholarship.” The college strives to achieve academic excellence, and the Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry is a great example of what that means.

Af ter their visit to the Benedictine College campus, the Committee on Professional Training of the ACS repor ted that the college’s chemistr y program met the ACS guidelines and requirements to be par t of the Society.

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Atchison Abbot Newly Elected Abbey Leader Has Deep Roots in Area

by Vaughn Kohler Photos courtesy of Rox’s Images and J.D. Benning, ’08

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The monks of St. Benedict’s Abbey elected James Robert Albers, OSB, as their ninth abbot on Dec. 28, 2012. A 1994 graduate of Benedictine College, the school is proud of the accomplishments of this young alumnus.

Abbot James believes his path from small-town Catholic boy to monk and priest and abbot of the institution that co-founded Benedictine College and Maur Hill-Mount Academy is owed, firstly, to the influence of his family. Robert (Bob) and Elizabeth (Betty) Albers raised five children; and they gently encouraged each one of them to consider the religious life.

“Whenever my parents talked to me about what I wanted to do in life, they always mentioned a vocation to the religious life,” said Abbot James.

“They wanted all of their children to know that a vocation to the religious life was as viable as any other option.”

“I owe so much to my family,” he said. “Not just my biological family, but also my confreres at St. Benedict’s Abbey.”

The Albers family has connections to the Benedictines that reach back more than 150 years. The year after Father Henry Lemke, Father Casimir Seitz and Father Augustine Wirth had established St. Benedict’s Priory in Doniphan, Kansas, Abbot James’ family made its first contact with the Kansas monks.

In 1858, a cabinetmaker named Peter Reichenberger and his wife, Barbara, made the trek west from New York City to Northeast Kansas. Ultimately, the Benedictines would move that first monastery to Atchison, and the Reichenbergers would settle near Bendena. The Reichenbergers—Abbot James’ great-great-great grandparents on the Albers side—would go on to be served by many Kansas monks at St. Benedict’s in Bendena before the family moved to Ost. Abbot Boniface Wimmer of St. Vincent Archabbey in Latrobe, Penn., returned from a trip through Bavaria in 1883. The abbot would make such trips in search of money and young men for his monasteries in the New World.

Upon this particular return, however, the abbot brought with him Michael Sittenauer, Abbot James’ great-great uncle. Michael soon professed his vows and took the monastic name of Joseph before being ordained. After ordination, Father Joseph volunteered for the Kansas mission at St. Benedict’s Abbey.

Father Joseph was named prior, and convinced his brother, Mathias, to settle in the hills of Atchison County. Mathias and his wife, Mary Ida Penning, were the great grandparents of Abbot James. In addition, another great-great uncle, Father Lawrence Theis, was a monk of the Abbey. All in all, many of the descendants of the Sittenauer and Theis families over the next century would be educated and pastored by the Benedictines of Atchison.

“There are so many connections between my family and the Benedictines,” said Abbot James.

“It is impossible to name all those who have greatly impacted us.”

One priest who should be named, however, is Father Augustine Rottering, who served as the Albers’ pastor in Bendena for 14 years. A monk of St. Benedict’s Abbey, he provided a shining example of the joyous experience of the religious life.

“My mom and dad would often say ‘look at Father Augustine,’” said Abbot James. “‘Doesn’t he look happy being a monk and priest?’”

Several years later, when Abbot James entered the monastery, he was the youngest member of the St. Benedict’s Abbey community and Father Augustine was the oldest.

“On my first day in the monastery, he pulled me aside,” said Abbot James. “He said, ‘I’ve been praying for this for a long time.’”

Ultimately, Father Augustine was one of many monks—deceased and still living—who have played a special role in Abbot James’ vocation to the religious life.

“Father Meinrad Miller invited me to come to a weekend retreat in 1995 and encouraged me to discern my vocation,” said Abbot James. “And my

predecessor, Abbot Barnabas Senecal, gave me a great example of compassion.”

“All of my brother monks have served and supported me in so many different ways,” he said.

“My hope and prayer is to faithfully serve them as a spiritual father.”

As he begins his tenure, Abbot James is humbled by the demands of the position.

“I would be lying if I didn’t say I am a little scared by the responsibilities that are ahead of me,” he said. “I am very much counting on the prayers of many people.”

At the same time, he moves forward with a resolve to take his task seriously.

“In the Rule, the abbot is responsible for the souls of his brothers; to challenge the strong and to give the weak nothing to run from. We are on a journey together toward salvation, and my responsibility is my brothers.”

Abbot James was born in Ost, Kan., a small town west of Wichita, but grew up northwest of Atchison in Bendena, where his family were members of St. Benedict’s Parish. He graduated from Midway-Denton High School in 1990 and Benedictine College in 1994. He entered the novitiate at St. Benedict’s Abbey in December 1995 and made his First Profession on December 8, 1996. Three years later, he made his Solemn Profession on October 2, 1999.

After having studied at the Pontifical University of Sant’Anselmo, Rome, Italy, from 1997–2000, he was ordained to the priesthood in July 2000.

Following his ordination he did a pastoral year at Sts. Peter and Paul Parish in Seneca, Kansas, and served as Alumni Director at Benedictine College from 2000 until his appointment as Prior of the St. Benedict’s Abbey community in July 2002.

“We are so proud of Abbot James. He will serve the Benedictine community here in Atchison faithfully and effectively,” said Stephen D. Minnis, ’82, president of Benedictine College. “As a priest and spiritual director, he is well-loved and sought out by many here on campus. I think the monks have made a wonderful choice.”

Abbot James Albers, OSB, ’94 was blessed by Archbishop Joseph Naumann on March 17, 2013, as the ninth Abbot of St. Benedict’s Abbey.

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A Front Seat to

Papal History

Benedictine College was featured in the media when Pope Benedict XVI retired and Pope Francis I was elected.

Tyler Supalla, ’15, is interviewed

by Tom Koch of Houston’s 13 Eyewitness News (KTRK-TV).

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When Pope Benedict XVI stepped down as Pope in February and Pope Francis I was elected, Benedictine College students became a part of history.

Last year (below), Benedictine College’s Father Brendan Rolling, OSB, ’93, and students on the annual pilgrimage witnessed Pope Benedict’s final year as pope. This year, among those who interviewed students were ABC (Houston) and Catholic cable channel EWTN.

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Meanwhile, back on campus, Benedictine College honored Pope Benedict XVI with a day of prayer and an all-school Mass on February 28, his final day as pope (right). Bells tolled to mark the end of his pontificate. When word came that a new Pope had been chosen, students gathered in several locations around campus (below) and celebrated with a cake. Banners on the Ferrell Academic Center celebrated Pope Francis I and new Abbot James Albers, OSB, ’94.

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RAVEN FOOTBALL IN Raven football coach Larry Wilcox, ’72, and a contingency of players and supporters traveled to Italy over Benedictine’s Spring Break. The trip culminated with an exhibition game against the Bolzano Giants.

“As with past Raven international football trips, our recent experiences in Italy were very memorable for our players,” said Coach Wilcox. “Football is our excuse to be able to make a trip of this nature. To be able to expose our student athletes to the rich history, the art, the beauty, and the people of Italy are what will be long remembered. This will also help these students realize that these types of experiences and trips are possible for them in the future.”

While a trip to Italy alone ending with an exhibition game would be a memorable experience for most, the fact that the Ravens were in Italy in the days leading up to the Conclave made this year’s trip even more memorable.

“To be at Vatican City just one week prior to the selection of our Pope was unique,” said Coach Wilcox. “Our group was the last group to be allowed in the Sistine Chapel before it was closed for the Conclave.”

For senior defensive back Anthony Brown (St. Louis), the opportunity to make the trip with his teammates was something he will remember the most.

“Italy was awesome, and was definitely a new and a once–in–a

Italy

By Josh Pound

–lifetime experience,” Brown said. “The timing of the trip was great as well, being in Rome as the Conclave for the election of the new Pope began.”

The group toured Rome, Vatican City, Florence, Siena, and Assisi along with Bolzano prior to the game.

They met up with fellow Benedictine College students studying at the school’s Florence campus for a dinner one evening while other students from the Florence campus also made the trip to cheer on the Ravens in their 24–0 win over Bolzano.

“It was very fun to play against the Italian football team,” said Taylor. “They had several players who could play very well, but they also had some players who you could tell that didn’t quite get it yet.

There was no lack of enthusiasm or competitiveness, which made the game more fun. They never gave up and hopefully their season goes well for them.”

“Playing an international football team was very different than playing a team back home,” said Brown. “It was a friendly game, and the Giants were all cool guys. The biggest difference was the ages of the guys we were playing. I would guess their ages ranged from about 25 to 40 years old. The most memorable experience of playing an international football team was the surroundings and atmosphere.

Playing a game with the mountains surrounding the stadium is a moment I’ll never forget.”

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Italy’s Beauty Each year, Benedictine College students spend a semester in Florence, Italy. This year, Art department chair Stephen Workman led the group as faculty advisor. In the following pages, we feature the photography of Ravens in Italy.

Bottom: Trevi Fountain, Monica Beckman, ’15. Right: Benedictine College’s Pietro Grill, Daniel Musso, and Stephen Workman.

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Spanish Steps, Rachel Lanz, ’15

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Photos, clockwise from top: Aquaduct by Monica Swingle, ’15; Kathleen Shaneyfelt, ’14, and Natalie Bunker, ’15, by Alex Vu, ’15; Monte Cassino by Rachel Lanz, ’15; Gondola by Olivia Karas, ’14.

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A Joyful Noise Ruth Krusemark’s Importance to Benedictine College

By Tom Hoopes

“I like to give them the opportunity to engage in something

magical,” Dr. Ruth Krusemark, ’73, says of her students.

The day I visited her Chamber Singers’ rehearsal, I saw that firsthand. I had to be sworn to secrecy about what I saw, at least for a few days.

The singers were plotting a surprise with the Sisters of Mount St. Scholastica for Discovery Day, and I wasn’t allowed to spoil it.

Not long ago, Krusemark was the recipient of a similar surprise at this year’s Scholarship Ball when she was named the Mother Evangelista Kremmeter Professor of Benedictine Traditions and Values. The endowed professorship is part of the college’s celebration of the Mount’s 150th anniversary this year — but the college kept it a surprise from both the Mount and Krusemark.

“When they first announced the endowment, I thought it was a great thing, but when they called my name, I was completely caught by surprise,” she said. “I just thought, ’I’m not worthy!’ I was just so dumbfounded.”

So perhaps it was natural that the Kremmeter Professor should conspire with the Mount to surprise Benedictine College.

Krusemark led her Chamber Singers in a rehearsal of the hymn Gaudeamus Hodie (Rejoice Today).

During the keynote presentation by the Sisters of the Mount, many singers would stand up, group by group and sing the song, in “flash mob” style.

“Remember to wait to come in,” she said. “You have to be patient.”

Krusemark is the “epitome of patience,” says sophomore Paul Burghart, from McPherson, Kan. He knows how hard her kind of patience can be. He directs the school’s Memorare Choir.

“Music can be very frustrating,” he said, “especially when they continue to make the same mistakes over and over. In Chamber Singers and Concert Chorale, Dr. K is always willing to go back and run a part one more time or offer tips on how to find pitches or understand rhythms.”

I saw that firsthand at the practice. To teach her students their pieces, at various times she gesticulated wildly, belted out a demonstration, and cheerily referenced modern pop tunes.

“And I will love thee still, my dear,” Burghart sang. “Till a’ the seas gone dry.”

“It’s ‘gang,’ not ‘gone,’” Krusemark corrected. “Like ‘Gangnam Style.’”

Krusemark has had a lot of practice teaching Benedictine College students to sing — 36 years of it. Before that, she was a student herself.

Year of Ruth. Dr. Ruth Krusemark this year was named Benedictine’s Kremmeter Professor and received the Offeramus Medal from the college.

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Performance On the Road

Performing music has been Ruth Krusemark’s lifelong passion. She has performed in Kansas City, San Juan, Puerto Rico, St. Peter’s Basilica, and many places in between.

“So many of my proudest moments have been musical in nature,” she said. “I take great pride that our music frequently brings people to tears. When it brings me to tears, that’s a proud moment.”

She remembers one memorable moment on one of five papal trips she has made with students since 1996 — four to sing for Pope John Paul II and one for Pope Benedict.

“There were groups from all over Europe. Most were singing kind of slow dragging pieces. I noticed John Paul was leaning on his fist, closing his eyes,” she said. “We sang a lively spiritual and I saw he was perking up. When we were done I looked at the Pope and he was giving me a thumbs up. I turned and gave him one back.”

Later, when she and students greeted the Holy Father, he thanked her for the “Beautiful American singing.”

Students also appreciate the trips.

When I asked several of them what their favorite memories of Dr. Ruth were, three mentioned the time she went snorkeling on a cruise that the singers were booked as entertainers.

Her other proud moments involve students.

She remembers one provisional student who was ready to bolt from the school, homesick and drowning in schoolwork.

“We helped this student not only graduate with honors but she went on to a graduate school and a career teaching and performing,” said Krusemark. “This kind of thing happens because we take a personal interest in these students. We try to track these kids very carefully from the moment they come on campus as prospective students. You can do that in a small department. You can help them when they need it and intervene when necessary.”

Personal attention is one Benedictine College distinctive; the program Krusemark built is another.

“This is one of the few Newman Guide schools that have a strong music program,” she said. “We are so blessed to be able to provide opportunities for students that are not music majors.”

Amy Rhein is a sophomore Business Management major from Andover, Minn.

She was almost a music major — but a discussion with Krusemark helped her find where she wanted to be.

“She has helped me to become who I am today,” said Rhein, “and I am grateful for all of the help she has given me.”

Back at the practice, Dr. Krusemark, finally satisfied with the Gaudeamus Hodie for the flash mob, told the students she was ready to move on.

“This is an important practice. We have a lot to cover. We have several concerts coming up,” she said, with a slightly worried expression. But then she pulled out a piece of sheet music and her mood visibly lifted — like it has for decades in Bishop Fink Hall.

“All right,” she said. “Let’s see what kinds of good sounds we can make today.”

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“ I

t’s a community she first experienced as a girl in Atchison. When she was 12 years old, her father gave her organ lessons as a Christmas present.

By age 14 she was playing the piano for a production of Oklahoma!, organized

by Fr. Anselm Llewellyn, OSB, at the Summer Atchison Community Theater.

He recruited her to play piano with the Continentals, a St. Benedict’s College singing group that practiced an hour and a half every day excluding Saturdays. The group toured Europe in 1971, traveled to Mexico, and toured the U.S. in the big Greyhound-style bus owned by the college. By the end of the first trip, Ruth Krusemark was a Raven.

She entered Mount St. Scholastica College in 1969 with the Mother Lucy Dooley Award – a full-ride scholarship.

There, she was mentored by S. Chrysostom Koppes, O.S.B. ’35 and S. Karlene Hoffmans, O.S.B. The year after Ruth entered, the two

“

The campus is very different from when I began at Mount St. Scholastica College. What hasn’t changed is the spiritual nature of the school and the sense of community. That’s what we do better than anybody.

colleges that had Ruth Krusemark in common officially merged to create Benedictine College.

Krusemark left briefly to get her master’s degree in piano performance from the University of Kansas, but she soon returned to teach at Benedictine College in 1976. Here she has remained, becoming an Instructor of Music in 1981, Assistant Professor in 1984 and full Professor in 2003.

Ruth has been chair of the Music Department since 1987. “Visiting many schools I have seen that what makes a difference is our strong mission,” she said. Benedictine College fills students with a “vitality and pride in what we accomplish.”

Fittingly, Benedictine College’s alma mater song, “O Lord of Ev’ry Blessing” is one of the several compositions credited in whole or part to Krusemark.

“Ruth has been very important to Benedictine College,” said President

”

Stephen D. Minnis.

She also has made a big impression on her students.

“She has invested her life and talent in Benedictine College. She could have gone on to be a world-class organist,” Burghart said. “She demonstrates zeal for the college and is always ready to help out in any way possible.”

Krusemark has made her mark on Atchison, as well. The Mayor of Atchison proclaimed Ruth E. Krusemark Day in Atchison in 2002.

It’s no wonder. Krusemark is Organist and Director of Music for the First Christian Church in Atchison. She manages the Kansas State Regional High School Music Festival at Benedictine College, which brings many high school music students from near and far to campus. She was also the longtime director of the Atchison Riverbend Concert Choir until 2008.

So much of the impression many people get of the college is from her excellent work at concerts and appearances at parishes.

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27 July 1, 2013 07:36:56

An Education in HOPE Student InSpIreS ScholarShIp Ball wIth tale of overcomIng paralySIS

Kristen Adlhoch, ’15, with her father, Joe and mother, Angel.

“She’s a tough kid,” her father, Joe, told the Denver Post. “She’s only 19, and she has her whole life ahead of her, and she wants to get going.”

Kristen Adlhoch, ’15, inspired attendees at this year’s Scholarship Ball with her story, which has also been featured on the Today show.

As a freshman, Kristen eagerly anticipated Thanksgiving Break 2010 and a family trip to Hawaii with her parents and little sister.

Then, on her last day of vacation, she tried surfing and tragedy struck.

“None of us was very good at it, and we had a lot more falls than successful attempts, but we did have a lot of fun. By the end of the lesson my back was in pain, but I just assumed it was from lack of muscle use. As we were getting out of the water I realized that my legs felt really weak, almost like they had fallen asleep. I was able to walk about 50 feet up the beach before I collapsed.”

By the time she got to the emergency room, she had lost feeling in both legs. Doctors determined she had suffered Surfer’s Myelopathy, a rare non-traumatic spinal cord injury that left her without the use of her legs. After five weeks, she was moved back to Colorado, where she continued physical therapy.

The response on Benedictine College campus was swift.

The year had been dedicated to Mother Teresa with the theme “Do Something Beautiful for God,” and President Stephen D. Minnis, ’82 organized a campus wide novena to Mother Teresa for Kristen.

Adlhoch continues to battle back from near-paralysis and is now able to walk and drive with assistance. She credits the prayers and encouragement of Benedictine College for speeding her recovery.

She will graduate in 2015 with degrees in Elementary Education and Special Education and has already applied to the Department of Education for the teacher program. She is currently building her portfolio.

But when Adlhoch first heard about Benedictine College from students in her hometown of Loveland, Colo., she was more inclined to go to a larger university.

While on a trip to visit the campus of the University of Kansas, her parents convinced her to make the drive over to Atchison. Her experience during the Benedictine tour was tremendous, and she decided to make the commitment to Benedictine College and community, faith, and scholarship.

“When I arrived I was overcome by the atmosphere that surrounds the campus,” she said. “My transition into the college was relatively smooth. I was on the volleyball team, I joined a FOCUS Bible study, I was involved with other goings on around campus, and I was really able to establish some wonderful relationships.”

In the wake of her tragedy, the volleyball team created a card for Kristen. She was visited in her hospital in Colorado by Pete Helgesen, Dean of Enrollment Management and President Minnis. The campus organized a Novena to Blessed Mother Teresa of Calcutta to pray for her recovery.

“That is worth so much more than any other kind of therapy,” she said.

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July 1, 2013 07:37:04

What a Night!

Because she could not return to Benedictine, Kristen took classes close to home at Colorado State University in order to keep up with her studies.

She underwent intensive physical therapy. “She’s a tough kid,” her father, Joe, told the Denver Post. “She’s only 19, and she has her whole life ahead of her, and she wants to get going.”

New technologies helped her regain the use of her legs — and got her featured on the Today show.

Reported NBC News: “Fifteen months after she collapsed on the beach, paralyzed from the waist down, Adlhoch walked across the Today studio, aided by crutches and an electronic device called the NESS L300 that stimulates her muscles, allowing her to walk.”

She finally returned to Benedictine College when she was able, and she said it was like coming home.

“After the novena period, I continued to pray this same prayer asking Mother Teresa to help Kristen walk again, with a dream that she would be able to walk across the stage at graduation from Benedictine College,” said Minnis. “That prayer has been said by me every day now since December 1, 2010, and I will continue to

Kristen Adlhoch’s inspiring story was just one of many highlights from the 42nd Annual Benedictine College Scholarship Ball, which saw a record crowd of more than 750 attend the event at the Sheraton Kansas City Hotel at Crown Center in Kansas City, Mo. Two couples received the Cross of the Order of St. Benedict: Archdiocese of Kansas City in Kansas youth ministry leaders Dana and Debbie Nearmyer, and former Benedictine College president Dan, ’68, and Terri Carey. Earlier in the 2012–2013 school year, legendary football coach Lou Holtz and Rwanda genocide survivor Immaculée Ilibagiza also received the same honor.

Another highlight of the evening was the naming of Benedictine College music department chair Ruth Krusemark, ’73, as the first ever Mother Evangelista Kremmeter Professor of Benedictine Traditions and Values —a professorship in honor of the sesquicentennial anniversary of Mount St. Scholastica Monastery.

Also featured was the new abbot of St. Benedict’s Abbey, Abbot James Albers, OSB, ’94.

The co-chairs for the event were Lené Westerman, ’85 and Stephen, ’91 and Joan Koechner, ’90 Charbonneau.

Stephen, ’82 and Amy Kohake, ’84 Minnis with Cross of the Order of St. Benedict Honorees Dan, ’68 & Terri Carey and Debbie & Deacon Dana Nearmyer.

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Student Union Features New Presentation of Benedictine Values

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New banners in the Student Union feature Benedictine College’s 10 Benedictine Values. The 9-by-4 foot banners greet Benedictine students, staff, and visitors in the Sister Mary Noel Walter, OSB, Atrium and Director’s Hall of the Student Union.

The project was part of the renovations that have transformed or refreshed many parts of campus in the past year.

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July 1, 2013 07:37:20

A Professor For All Seasons

Dr. Frank kessler, BeneDictine Political science autHor

by Vaughn Kohler

“... maybe I can live for God, do some good, and help convert culture to Christ.”

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“Why not be a teacher?” asks Sir Thomas More in A Man For All Seasons.

“You'd be a fine teacher; perhaps a great one.”

“If I was, who would know it?” asks Richard Rich. “You; your pupils; your friends; God,” answers More. “Not a bad public, that.”

Dr. Frank Kessler, associate professor of political science at Benedictine College and a fine teacher in his own right, quoted the lines from that movie to explain his attitude toward life and teaching. Interested in politics since Franklin Delano Roosevelt was in office, Dr. Kessler has worn a number of different hats, including paper presenter, lecturer, guest television and radio consultant, and on-air host of TV and radio series.

He has authored two books on presidential leadership and democracy, published numerous articles for journals such as Library Journal, Current History, and Presidential Studies Quarterly, and received teaching honors ranging from the American Political Science Association Award to the Missouri Western University Distinguished Faculty Award.

He has interviewed hundreds of staffers, decision- and policy-makers in every presidential administration in the modern era, and has received handwritten letters and formed friendships with sitting presidents.

His political life and experience have been impressive, indeed.

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But as he muses about his own life experience, Dr. Kessler’s greatest affection is for his students. Pointing to photos hanging on his office walls of students throughout the years, he says, “I’ve been in politics a long time. I’ve met people with the ambition, with the wrong motivation, who learned the fleeting, ephemeral nature of political power.”

“But the opportunity to teach these students, to send them out into the world to make a positive influence,” he says, “that’s the real gift.”

Dr. Kessler not only loves his students, he is very impressed by them as well. “Let me tell you, the students here at Benedictine College are every bit as good as anywhere else,” he said. “And one of my main jobs is to convince them that they can compete with anyone else anywhere, on any level.”

In order to facilitate his students’ success, Dr. Kessler often invites them to collaborate on papers and presentations.

When a student’s name is included on a byline, others in the field take notice. The student is able to list the achievement on his or her vita, and the student improves his or her chances for gaining acceptance into an exceptional graduate school or political position according to Dr. Kessler.

“When I got my Ph.D. from a Catholic university, people warned me that ‘the cross would hang around my neck professionally,’” said Dr. Kessler. “But I tell my students, ‘Trust God, do your best work, and you’ll be successful. People recognize excellence no matter where it comes from.’”

Although Kessler is a first-rate scholar and sought-after political worker, Benedictine College’s Catholic identity drew him to the school.

“I could have taught elsewhere,” he said.

“But I concluded that these kids have the moral and ethical principles to convert culture. And I can’t tell you what a huge blessing it is to be around these kids, they

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are just amazing.”

“I love the freedom to teach within a context of faith,” Dr. Kessler said. “And that’s how I try to approach my teaching. At the beginning of every course, I read ‘God’s Plan’ (see sidebar) by John Henry Cardinal Newman, and I explain to these kids that they all have a mission in life, they’ve all been called to do something specific. And at the beginning of each class, I pray with them.”

Given all that Dr. Kessler has witnessed first hand-the pomp and pageantry of senators, governors, and presidents–it might have been tempting to follow a road that led to more wealth and glory. But Kessler chose a different direction.

“Teaching at Benedictine College was a family decision,” Kessler said. “As a family, we try to pursue lives of service. My wife is a guidance counselor and works with the pro-life ministry Project Rachel. My children also serve a lot. Julia volunteer teaches theater to kids in Chicago. Gloria works on agricultural development in Africa, Asia, and Latin America. Paul works at social security and treats folks like they are his own parents. Tom arranges weekend meal packs for inner-city kids in Kansas. And, of course, I serve the wonderful students here at Benedictine College.”

“Life and politics are both about service.

I’m not going to die with a lot of money in the bank or my name on any building,” Kessler said. “But maybe I can live for God, do some good, and help convert culture to Christ.”

If Frank Kessler does that—and so far, he’s succeeding—it’s a possibility the only people who will know will be himself, his friends and family, his pupils, and God. But as Saint Thomas More, Dr. Kessler’s model and patron saint of politicians and statesmen, once said in A Man For All Seasons: “Not a bad public, that.”

Dr. Frank Kessler, professor of Political Science, was awarded the “Do Something Beautiful for God” Award during the annual Benedictine College Senior Brunch, May 10.

He was honored for his commitment to the faith on campus and for his longstanding practice of buying a crucifix for every room in the school’s residential and academic buildings.

“Since he arrived (at Benedictine College), Dr. Kessler has been steadfast in his goal of placing a crucifix in the classrooms and dorm rooms at Benedictine College,” said Stephen D. Minnis, president of the college.

“Whenever a new building is built, it is Dr. Kessler who either donates the money or buys the crucifixes himself to place in the rooms. When you enter a room here at Benedictine and see a crucifix, it is thanks to Dr. Kessler.”

The “Do Something Beautiful for God” Award is named for Mother Teresa’s quote, which was “Every day on awaking, my desire and my enthusiasm is this: today I must do something beautiful for God.” Mother Teresa visited the Benedictine Sisters of Mount St. Scholastica Monastery in Atchison, June 9 and 10, 1981, when Benedictine College operated a South Campus at the Mount. Eyewitnesses also recall her visit to St. Benedict’s Abbey, which is adjacent to the current campus of Benedictine College. While visiting the Benedictine communities of Atchison, she said, “I beg you to give Jesus to the young people in your care.”

33 July 1, 2013 07:37:33

LIFE

The Essence of

By Steve Johnson

S tudent Missions Bring Badly Needed Water to Third World Communities Benjamin Franklin, writing in his Poor Richard’s Almanac in 1746, noted that we don’t know the value of water until the well is dry. In many developing nations around the world, the value of water is easily understood, and the value of clean water is even greater.

In some places, water is in short supply for agriculture, drinking and

cleaning. In other places, drinking dirty water passes on parasites and disease, proliferating the health problems of already debilitated regions.

In 2011, students in two Benedictine College business organizations realized this and took action. For two years, the Students in Free Enterprise (SIFE) organization

and the Thomas M. Hoenig Student International Business Council (SIBC) have played a part in projects related to water, one in Honduras in Central America and the other in Sierra Leone in Africa. The results have radically changed the lives of residents in the affected areas.

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July 1, 2013 07:37:37

Providing Healthy, Clean Water in Honduras The tropical climate and dense jungles of Central America provide plenty of water, but in many cases it is loaded with parasites and disease. The resulting health problems prevent the indigenous people from bettering themselves as they tend to be restrained by physical weakness and medical costs. An organization known as Water With Blessings realized the problem about six years ago and figured out an efficient, cost-effective way to combat it.

Early in 2011, two representatives of the Student International Business Council (SIBC), Drew Marsh and Kristen Rosser, attended the World Water Day conference in Kansas City and met the founder of Water With Blessings, Sister Larraine Lauter, Ursuline Sister of Mt. St. Joseph. They were impressed with the program and the water filtration system it was using.

“I actually went down to Honduras with Sister Larraine over the summer of 2011 and evaluated the program,” said Rosser, who graduated in 2012 and is now assistant director of admission for Benedictine College. “I loved everything about it and recommended that SIBC pursue it for a spring break mission.”

The organization got to work raising funds to purchase the filters and pay for travel to Honduras. They solicited donations predominantly through a letter-writing campaign. They contacted family, friends and parishioners. By March 2012 they had enough money to purchase 35 filters and send three SIBC members to Honduras to train people on how to use them. The Water With Blessings organization donated another 40 filters, so SIBC had 75 filters ready for Spring Break.

“We had 75 filters we took with us,” said Paulina Berrera, a Benedictine sophomore in 2012 who took over the lead on the project for 2013. “And then once we were there we had to buy buckets and get ready for training sessions.”

Berrera explained that the program dictated that each person receiving the filter and training must sign a contract stating they will properly maintain the filters and provide pure water for at least two households in addition to their own. They also pledge to give the water away and never charge for it or turn it into a business. The program works well with SIBC’s stated mission of “peace through commerce.”

“Sister Larraine set the program up for the women of the village to perform a ministry,” said Barrera. “It’s meant to help their

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community and their actions speak louder than words.”

The entire program is based on an extremely effective, simple and durable water filter, the PointONE filter by Sawyer Products. Barrera said Water With Blessings had discovered the filter and made a deal

with the company to use them in the ministry. The basic kit includes a drill bit to cut the appropriate-sized hole in a standard plastic five-gallon bucket, all the connections, and a hollow fiber membrane filter. The manufacturer says the filters can be cleaned and used over and over again, for decades.

“The filters don’t need electricity, they don’t need plumbing. You don’t need anything for these filters, all you need is a bucket,” said Barrera. “You put water in the bucket and raise it up, and then gravity pulls it through the hose and through the actual filter. But they have to be cleaned because after a while the dirt builds up and you have to flush it out.”

Barrera said she had no idea how extensive the problems were or how much the filters meant until she went down there.

“They told us that buying one of those filters would be like buying 60 tortillas, so you know that instead of buying water they can buy food,” she said. “That’s a huge impact.”

She said the simple addition of clean water helps to break the cycle of poverty in which many of the families find themselves. The fact they don’t have to buy bottled water or are healthier and don’t have to spend money on medicine or doctors means they can buy more or better food. The kids don’t have to work to help support the family, so they can go to school. The kids are also healthier, so they can concentrate on their education. The money then gets into the local economy and elevates the entire neighborhood or village.

“We saw what a great impact it makes,” said Barrera. “It’s amazing to see that the little we can do really makes a difference.

And the people are incredibly spiritual and passionate about their prayer and they’re very thankful for everything they get. We have so much and we take so much for granted, and the little that they get they are so grateful for.”

SIBC’s goal is continuity and the organization broadened the fundraising base for the next year, enabling them to take six Benedictine students to Honduras and purchase even more filters.

“The more students we have the more filters we can provide,” said Barrera. “Because we need people to be able to conduct the training, we have to be sure to balance the number of filters we take with an adequate number of students to teach.”

“We figured we saved 157 children from sickness and possible death that first year alone,” said Rosser. “That is definitely taking action and making a direct impact.”

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By Steve Johnson

Drilling for Water in West Africa “Part of SIFE is about a needs assessment

and trying to determine where or what the greatest need is in the world, and obviously the need for water is significant,” said Dave Geenens, director of the Benedictine College School of Business and SIFE’s faculty advisor.

The organization formed a partnership with Water4, an Oklahoma City-based non-profit focused on drilling water wells around the world. Geenens and members of SIFE went to Oklahoma City over the summer of 2011 and were trained on how to use their drilling technology, a manual kit that can drill up to 100 wells. Once they had established the drilling location would be in Sierra Leone, the SIFE team put in a great deal of research hours, looking at the economy and demographics of the area. They had to be sure they did not end up giving one group such a valuable commodity that it provoked violence.

“We did a whole demographic study of that area because one of the things we learned was that you could upset the balance of power if you put a well in the wrong place,” said Geenens.

“So you could actually cause a civil war.”

The overall project is long term, with the initial trip to establish the business, source the necessary materials, begin to build relationships, and get the first well drilled.

By the time Spring Break of 2012 arrived, SIFE members Jordan Neville, ’12 and Gabe Ismert, ’12 were ready to join with students from Oklahoma State University for the trip to Newton, a village about 40 miles outside of Freetown, the capitol of Sierra Leone.

Once they were in Newton, they met with John Camble, the head of Willamette Medical Teams (WMT), the international nongovernment organization that was licensed by the Ministry of Agriculture in Sierra Leone to operate within the country. It was WMT that sourced and stored the PVC pipe and the drilling pipe that would be used with the well.

Neville and Ismert brought the drilling kit. All they needed to find was manpower.

“It’s a small community and we were always being approached by people who already knew about the project,” said Neville. “So we just

found these guys and they would come out every single day and help us and we would teach them how to do it.”

The work was long and grueling, working with a manual drilling mechanism from sunrise to sunset. But Neville said the community never lost its enthusiasm for the project.

“This was a big deal to them,” he said.

“When we arrived, they were still getting water from the stream, which was about a quarter mile away.”

In addition to that, the only other well to which the village had access was not tested for purity and was on private land. That landowner would only allow the villagers access to the well for two hours each day. Since the new well would be available 24 hours a day and would be tested and clean, Neville said the men of the village became heavily invested in the project, and some of the girls who worked at the orphanage where they were staying even joined in.

“The girls were there, too. They were hosting us at the orphanage and were supplying us with food,” Neville said. “But they actually weren’t afraid to get their hands dirty.”

After nearly four days of hand turning the drill, the team reached 70 feet and hit the first water table. They knew they were getting close, but specifications called for them to drill beyond the first table to be sure they had a pure and long-lasting supply. The well ended up at 90 feet in depth, the deepest ever drilled by the Water4 mechanism. Once it was stabilized with PVC pipe, the filter and hand pump were installed, Neville said it gave a steady stream of water that would fill a gallon container in less than 30 seconds.

“That was an exciting day,” he said. “The people were joyous. It was very rewarding for everyone.”

The well should supply water to the village for the next 20 years, but beyond that, Neville learned more about what the indigenous people needed. He said they were generally well educated, but lacked opportunity. It seemed to him that foreign nationals owned all the businesses and generally hired their own countrymen as employees, leaving the

indigenous people out of the equation. On top of that, the money was being sent out of the country, so it wasn’t really helping the local economy.

To make the project even more than just a new source of water, the SIFE team is looking at ways to sustain the project through franchising. They are also working on business plans for establishing technical schools and for providing micro-loans for Sierra Leoneans to start businesses of their own.

“When I went over there it was so amazing to me how many people actually had so much desire to run their own business, even if it meant owning their own farm,” Neville said.

“One guy wanted to open a barber shop, one guy wanted to open an electronic store. It was little things like that, and they could be such big things.”

Following up on that progress, two students travelled to Sierra Leone over Spring Break 2013. Katlin Clancy, ’13 and Josh Linton, ’16 found the original well from the previous year was still functioning as expected and is providing clean water for a church and 100 school children each day, plus the general public. The pair had a slightly different mission this time, in keeping with the SIFE plan to provide sustainability. Clancy and Linton spent most of the time with a selected villager from Newton, Joseph, who would take possession of the drilling equipment and would operate it as a business. The Benedictine students spent four days in a classroom setting with Joseph, offering instruction in things like business management, entrepreneurship, marketing and accounting. Then they went with Joseph and his team to help them start their first well.

“After five hours of hard manual labor, they hit the first water table 42 feet down,” said Linton. “Over the next few days (after Linton and Clancy had left) they drilled about 20 more feet to reach the second water table to ensure the water would not run out.”

“We will really be able to gauge the success of our work through his business ventures in the coming months,” Clancy said. “But as of now, we know he is working on drilling wells for people in his community.”

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July 1, 2013 07:37:40

Dr. mattHew ramSey, ’98 conSiDerS Special eD HiS Vocation

Special DeDicAtion

by Tom Hoopes

“Dr. Ramsey’s teaching style is unique,” said Kathryn Wagoner, ’13, a special and elementary education major from Hays, Kan. “He looks after all his advisees the way he would want someone to look after his own children.”

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July 1, 2013 07:37:43

Dr. Matthew Ramsey’s office is a few steps away from Café 62, the coffee shop in the Ferrell Academic Center. Traffic continually passes in the hallway, with students going back and forth to classes on the Education Department floor and lining up for coffee or snacks.

Our first interview is pre-empted by a prospective student anxious to discuss the Special Education emphasis that is Ramsey’s specialty. At our second interview, a just-graded “Disabilities Jeopardy” game has to be moved from the desk to make room, and two Ramsey children have to be moved to the education lab for the same reason.

Matt Ramsey is a busy man.

He has just completed his doctorate and a surprising number of duties on his CV are listed as lasting from some point in the past “to present”: He helps out at Atchison Alternative School. He makes presentations, serves on advisory boards, and publishes articles (most recently, coauthor credit on “Financing Education for Children with Special Needs,” in 2012’s Handbook of Leadership and Administration for Special Education).

And, of course, he is also a full-time professor at Benedictine College.

“Dr. Ramsey’s teaching style is unique,” said Kathryn Wagoner, ’13 a special and elementary education major from Hays, Kan. “He has so much personality that comes through with stories he shares and class discussions.”

The day I sat in on his class, the class period started with a description of the next assignment: Students had to pick a movie about autism (Rain Man? Forrest Gump? Girl, Interrupted?) to watch and evaluate. He shared the quirks of a boy who had autism that he helped care for (every night he had to go through a “Goodnight, Burt.

Goodnight, Ernie,” Sesame Street routine). He took the students through the signs a Benedictine College residence hall director discovered as she recognized autism in her own child. He shared how weighted vests help calm autistic children and even offered a handy guide to making one on the cheap — “for those of you who will be working on a Catholic school budget.”

Grace Heller, ’15 an elementary education major from Aberdeen, S.D., says Ramsey’s relaxed approach is only part of the story.

“Ramsey is very real with his students,” she said.

“His teaching style is a high standard with a relaxed feel. You know he expects a lot from you, but pushes you in a very charitable way.”

Ramsey says the students are his favorite thing about Benedictine College. “My background is in the public schools,” he said. “My first year was in the fall of 2007. I remember at the community meeting that year, Stephen Minnis said that our duty at a Catholic college is to love our students.

That really made an impression on me. I have thought a lot about that.”

Wagoner said students grow to appreciate Ramsey’s work outside the classroom as much as his work in it.

“I think there are so many times he just goes the extra mile for his students and takes time out of his own free time that he wouldn’t necessarily have to,” she said. “He looks after all his advisees the way he would want someone to look after his own children.”

Benedictine College makes that easy, Ramsey said. “The students here are great. They’re smart.

They’re nice. They don’t cause trouble. I’m not sure what it is. There is a barrier always between professor and student, but here the barrier is a little more transparent.”

Ramsey started at Benedictine College in fall 2007 after serving as principal of Gillis school in Kansas City, Mo., a school for children with severe emotional behavior disabilities.

How did he get interested in special education?

Ramsey is a 1998 graduate of Benedictine College. He began his career at the Atchison Globe, where he ended up serving as Lifestyles Editor. He covered the school and business beats.

When Ramsey expressed interest in working for the public school district, superintendent of schools, Stephen Pummel, asked him what he wanted to do. “Do you want to be in the classroom? Drive a bus? Be a janitor?” he asked.

“I said this little prayer: ‘I need to know what I’m supposed to do,’” Ramsey said.

A substitute teaching stint helped him rule out some options: “I decided I didn’t want to teach kids so small I could step on them and hurt them,” he joked. He didn’t want to teach high school, either.

“Then I got a call to sub at St. Francis

Academy.” The academy was a residential treatment facility for students with emotional distrubances. on the campus of Mount St. Scholastica. “From the first moments in the new position, I thought, ‘This is where I’m supposed to be. This is an answer to my prayer,’” he said.

“It was an overwhelming moment.”

From then on, his life has been dedicated to special education. He started right away working with Herb Gwaltney to design summer programs at the Academy. Then he started working toward the state credentials he needed to go further in the field.

“Emotional disturbance” is the legal name for any number of issues students might have.

“My favorite student was Jenny,” said Ramsey.

“She had a rapid-cycling bipolar disorder with a terrible drug problem and an eating disorder, but she was brilliant. A dangerous combination.”

At the various schools where he works, many of the students come from inner-city neighborhoods. Some had been taken from bad situations and put in foster homes, group homes.

He has learned to distinguish disturbing behavior from behavior disturbances and learned to champion the needs of those who need the kind of help a teacher can give. The experience has made him an advocate for special needs students all the way from Kansas to India.

He is a board of advisor on the Ananya Project, an attempt to bring special education for Down Syndrome children to India, where it is sorely lacking.

“I very much feel that my work is a vocation.

My background and experiences have led me to a place where I could serve these kids,” he said.

The work has made him more understanding of the struggles people go through — and more appreciative of the upbringing he had.

“My mom has MS and so we would do these bike rides for MS,” he said. “One year as we were riding along, I said ‘Thank you. I didn’t realize the gift you gave me until I worked with these children. The family, the stability of our life has meant so much.’ I grew up on the farm, and the structure of that life really helped me.”

All the same, Ramsey said that people with emotional distrubances should not be dismissed as victims. “I have always been a big believer in Alfred Adler’s principle that everybody has the ability or capacity to overcome their difficulties,” he said.

“I see disability as a natural part of the human experience. This focus is based on the notion that we are all created in the image of God,” he added. “Disability is different, but not bad, wrong or less human. I work very hard to convey this message in my classes.”

Ramsey is glad he is able to share his message with his students. But he hopes their students will benefit even more.

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July 1, 2013 07:37:49

Building Community in Our

Schools

By Steve Johnson

As technology and society become more complex, it falls to the educational leaders to meet new challenges and effectively communicate, collaborate, and build community within their schools. Benedictine College specializes in training school administrators for these new challenges. Benedictine’s Master of Arts in School Leadership (MASL), which leads to licensure as a P–12 building principal in both Kansas and Missouri, has long incorporated its framework, “Educational Leaders as Builders of Community,” into its curriculum.

“I’ve always felt that community was important, especially in our Catholic schools,” said Ann Connor, associate superintendent of schools for the Archdiocese of Kansas City in Kansas, who graduated from the MASL program in 2005. “Because of the classes and conversations and other pieces I got from the MASL program, I was able to put words to it and really understand why some communities in buildings worked better and some didn’t.”

Connor had been a classroom teacher at the elementary school level for many years, but she was ready to take on a larger challenge. While teaching at St. Patrick’s School in Kansas City, Kansas, she was involved in some committee work with the Archdiocese and she just kept hearing about Benedictine College and its teacher education and graduate education programs. After talking with Kathy O’Hara, Ph.D., the superintendent of schools for the Archdiocese, about advanced degrees, Connor decided to investigate Benedictine’s program further.

“I visited with Dianne Henderson, who was in charge of the program at the time,” Connor said. “Well, she hooked me, I started classes, got my degree, and here I am.”

Connor said she was looking for a challenge, and with the licensure that comes with the Master’s degree she was ready to take on a larger leadership role.

“It was my leadership license and I was ready for the challenge beyond the classroom,” she said. “It provided me with the opportunity to interview for principal jobs, and I was able to get one.”

She became principal at Xavier Elementary School in Leavenworth, Kansas. After a few years, she became principal at Resurrection Catholic School in Kansas City, Kansas.

“They consolidated three schools in five parishes there,” she said of that experience. And her Benedictine degree helped prepare her for that level of leadership.

She said the MASL and discussions she had within her cohort and with professors had prepared her for the workplace and had given her a picture of what could be.

“As the principal, you’re looking at what’s best for all kids instead of what’s best for your classroom,” she said. “And you get to be a major piece of the vision and guidance towards it.”

“As a building leader it was awesome,” said Connor. “I really thoroughly enjoyed being in that position and working with teachers and with all the students versus just one small piece of a school. You really got to see the big picture.”

In time, Connor moved on to her current position as associate superintendent, and her MASL degree provided an important base from which to work.

“The ‘building of community’ and the leadership piece were important, from classroom leadership to schoolwide leadership and now to an even larger leadership role,” she said.

“Now I’m looking to help all the schools move forward and do the best they can with all the resources they have.”

Benedictine College offers the MASL and a Master of Arts in Education degree on its Atchison campus as well as at the satellite campus in Roeland Park.

Cohorts begin on alternate years on each campus. Most of the program faculty are, or have been, school administrators, so they bring a wealth of theoretical foundation and practical experience to the classroom. Currently, 18 graduates of the Benedictine MASL program are serving as school administrators in the Archdiocese of Kansas City in Kansas and the Diocese of Kansas City – St. Joseph, and many more are in the classroom.

For more information on the graduate education programs, contact the program director, Cheryl Reding, Ph.D., at (913) 360-7384 or creding@benedictine.edu.

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July 1, 2013 07:37:52

All-Star Meet Darryl Jones, ’68, Lifelong Raven Ambassador

by Tom Hoopes

It is hard to tell what Darryl Jones is best known for.

In basketball, “Darryl Jones is a legend. The guy could grab a quarter off the top of a backboard,” says President Stephen D. Minnis, ’82. “He led us to the National Champion. He was a fourtime All-American.”

He was also one of the most popular Ravens on the St. Benedict’s College campus in the 1960s. “A lot of people liked Darryl,” said friend and surgeon, Dr. Joe Williams, ’65. “Darryl always had crowds around him.”

Lastly, those who had personal relationships know Jones for his loyalty. “Most people will remember him because of his basketball,” said Ivan James, ’65, a longtime St. Louis friend of Darryl. “I remember his friendship. Once you are his friend, that never goes away.”

Basketball standout, national champion, winning coach, loving father, and successful businessman, Darryl Jones is a 1968 graduate of St. Benedict’s College, now Benedictine College.

He is a model of what the school can do.

Darryl is the father of three children. His professional life includes over 30 years of experience in sales and management. He is currently employed by State Farm Insurance and has his own agency in North Richland Hills, Texas. He previously ran a successful and profitable agency in the inner city of St. Louis, after which he was offered the opportunity to go into management and lead other agents in an effort to do the same.

He always has plenty to say about Benedictine College, but he doesn’t want to talk much about himself.

“I like to see our name in lights or in the paper,” he said. “It’s nice to be in that company, but at the same time I don’t get too excited about me.”

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July 1, 2013 07:38:05

Others get excited about him. In his time at St. Benedict’s, Jones was named a NAIA All-American four times. He is No. 2 on the alltime scoring list and is the program’s leading rebounder with 1,471 rebounds. In addition to being named to the 75th Anniversary AllStar team, Jones was also named as one of the top 20 players, out of a pool of 35,000, to compete in the NAIA National Tournament over its 75-year history.

In 2012, in conjunction with the 75th Anniversary of the NAIA Men’s Basketball National Championship Tournament, Jones and Ralph Nolan, ’39 were named part of the 75th Anniversary All-Star team.

Jones was one of 60 players over the 75-year history of the tournament named to the All-Star team and Coach Nolan was one of 15 coaches named over that same period.

“As a representative of the college, any recognition that I get is recognition to the college,” Jones said. “That part is more important to me than any recognition that I get.”

The recognition keeps coming, though — Jones is a member of the National Association of Insurance and Financial Advisors, the Fellowship of Christian Athletes, 100 Black Men of America, and is regional chairman of the Amateur Athletic Union Regional Golf Association. He also served on the executive committee of the NCAA Div. 1 Fort Worth Bowl, now known as the Armed Forces Bowl. He was cocaptain of the championship team in the 1967 Pan American Games and played in the 1968 Olympic Trials.

In his career, he played against such notables as Earl “The Pearl” Monroe, Wes Unseld, and Jo Jo White and was a fourth-round draft pick of the NBA’s San Diego Rockets (now Houston Rockets) in 1968. The National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics (NAIA) recognized him as a four-time AllAmerican who has since been inducted into the NAIA Hall of Fame.

Hard Work

But Jones wasn’t always good at basketball.

“I’ve known him since grade school,” said James. “My first encounter was around the playground. He would come and want to play basketball. He couldn’t play very well. He was tall and skinny and could hardly walk and chew gum at the same time. But he worked very hard.”

Jones said hard work was his key.

“I made up my mind when I was here that I would work really hard and be successful,” he said. “It worked, and I have applied that formula everywhere I have gone.”

By the time he was ready for college, that hard work had paid off.

He had a chance to play basketball at larger schools, but when he stepped onto campus and met Coach Ralph Nolan, Jones knew St. Benedict’s was the right place for him.

For Jones, the Benedictine sense of community is what made him choose St. Benedict’s and what keeps bringing him back to

Benedictine to this day.

Coach Ralph Nolan “made you feel welcome,” Jones said. “He made you feel like you belonged here as a part of the team. This was his Alma Mater and he made you want to feel the same way he did about the college. So he basically coached in a way that made you feel like you were part of a family. It developed into that and that’s the way I still feel today.”

Kitty Colwell is the wife of Nolan’s assistant coach Tom Colwell, ’58.

She said Jones helped others feel welcome, too. “Most of the team looked up to Darryl. He was the leader,” she said. “He led by example and he led by personality. He could laugh at himself.”

“He has that way about him,” said Colwell. “He’s generous at giving himself and because of that people follow his example.”

The sense of community that welcomed Jones to campus in the 1960s is still alive on campus today, Jones says.

“Everyone that comes here leaves with a common thread and sense of community that will mean something to them for the rest of their lives,” Jones said. “That is something that has not changed over the decades.

“Guys that I’ve known for 45 years, it’s just like we left yesterday,” he said. “When I see them, it’s a pleasure to see them and it always brings us a smile because we’ve got so many stories in the back of our heads.”

Jones is one of the people the college can thank for that sense of community.

“We are so blessed to have him at Benedictine College. It’s a beautiful partnership that started 40 years ago when he came in from St. Louis and chose our school,” said Minnis. “He’s the best storyteller around. I always tell people, if you want to have a good time get Darryl going about his time here at Benedictine College.”

From 1974–1979, Jones came back to work at his alma mater, serving as the assistant director of development while also helping in athletics as an assistant basketball and football coach (1974–1976).

In 1977 he took on the duties of head basketball coach as well as assistant director of admission. He has happily maintained contact with many Benedictine graduates, both from his time as a student and his years on the staff.

Darryl has been giving back in every way imaginable. He has been a contributor to the Ferrell Academic Center and the Investing in Excellence Campaign. He also donates to the Benedictine College Fund, the basketball program, football program, Scholarship Ball, and Fund-A-Raven. He served on the Benedictine College Board of Directors from 2004 to 2012 and chaired the Student Life Committee.

Jones is a true Benedictine ambassador, exuding love for the college and possessing an uncanny ability to share and spread his enthusiasm.

“He’s been a lifelong ambassador for Benedictine,” said Williams.

“Darryl loved Benedictine and Benedictine loves Darryl.”

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July 1, 2013 07:38:15

The Nation’s Youngest

heAD coAch!

by Humam AlMukhtar

He started at Benedictine College as the graduate assistant to the wrestling coach. Within two months he was named the interim head coach for wrestling. And today he is the youngest wrestling head coach in the nation.

Thomas Williams, a native of San Dimas, California, where he was a high school state champion wrestler, joined the Benedictine College Wrestling Program in fall 2012. He had just graduated from American University in Washington, D.C., with Bachelor’s degrees in International Service and Business; and several wrestling All-American awards.

During his time as a graduate assistant, Williams used a handson approach to the program. He helped with planning practices, scheduling workouts, recruiting, and all the day-to-day activities.

“I was the only assistant,” he said. “I worked out with the team all the time, and I’m still in shape to wrestle with them and show them techniques, rather than just talking about it.”

Due to unforeseen circumstances, the wrestling program experienced a stumble before the season started. The head coach elected to leave the program and Williams was named the interim coach immediately.

“Initially, my heart went out to the student athletes,” said Charlie Gartenmayer, Benedictine’s Athletic Director. “We had to make rapid adjustments for the sake of the student athletes and the program, so we named Thomas the interim coach.”

Williams defines himself as competitive. During his time as interim coach, he didn’t want to fall back on any excuses about not having a head coach. He just wanted to put the best team out there.

“He stuck to his coaching skills and showed us a lot of great techniques,” said Stephen Loosbrock, a sophomore and member of the Raven wrestling team. “Coach Williams did a pretty good job

handling the entire team at a time like that.”

Williams hosted four home duals in Ralph Nolan Gymnasium during the inaugural season. At their first-ever home dual, the Ravens picked up four wins against NCAA Div. II University of Central Missouri.

“Thomas really stepped up during that difficult time,” said Gartenmayer.

After assessment of his leadership ability and wrestling knowledge, Gartenmayer announced that the “interim” would be removed from Williams’ title and he would take over the wrestling program full time, making him the youngest wrestling head coach in the nation.

“I feel very lucky to be given this amazing opportunity,” said Williams. “This will make it far easier for me to recruit more student athletes and focus more on the future of the program.”

Shortly after being named the head coach, two members of the wrestling team, Loosbrock and Joe Hunter, made the trip to Des Moines, Iowa, to represent Benedictine College, for the first time ever, at the NAIA Wrestling National Championships. Hunter also became Benedictine’s first All-American wrestler because of his performance at that tournament.

“We trained for nationals for about two weeks, and in that short period of time, I learned a lot of finishes and other techniques from Coach Williams,” said Loosbrock. “I absolutely attribute some of my success to his leadership and coaching skills.”

Williams continues as a part of the Benedictine College community as a student as well as a coach. He will graduate with a Master’s of Business Administration from Benedictine in 2014.

“I would like to thank the entire Benedictine community for all the opportunities presented to me,” said Williams. "I have received so much support from the school and alumni and I feel very blessed.”

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July 1, 2013 07:38:16

The Raven Store

The Official Supplier of Benedictine College Spirit Gear

GO RAVENS!

Come Get Your

Super Fan Gear!

Located on the first floor of the Haverty Center

SUMMER HOURS

THE RAVEN STORE

M/W/F 11:00 a.m.–3:00 p.m.

Benedictine College 1020 North Second Street Atchison, KS 66002 913.360.7448 www.ravenstore.bigcommerce.com 72834 benedictine.pdf 43

43 July 1, 2013 07:38:23

B ENEDICTINE C OLLEGE

NON-PROFIT ORG U.S. POSTAGE PAID KCMO 6412

1020 NORTH SECOND STREET ATCHISON, KANSAS 66002-1499

Visit the New John Casey Soccer Center oPening games, August 24 Women’s Soccer 5:00 p.m.

Men’s Soccer 7:30 p.m.

www.RavenAthletics.com 72834 benedictine.pdf 44

July 1, 2013 07:38:31