Beyond the Arch: February 2020

BEYOND THE ARCH

February 2020

T H E O F F I C I A L P U B L I C AT I O N F O R B U E N A V I S T A U N I V E R S I T Y

EL NOGALAR Drama in Spanish, English earns coveted awards for BVU Theatre.

STRING OF SUCCESSES Technology, Center for Academic Excellence expand in Forum Phase II.

WHO INSPIRED YOU? Alumnae share memories of BVU women who made an impact.

IN THIS ISSUE:

Sustaining collegiate dream through service - page -

13

Computer Science trio launches Lamberti Center app - page -

16

Veteran forever grateful for BVU Spencer education - page -

27

From the

President

Welcome to Beyond The Arch, a familiar friend of yours in BV Today that now boasts a new name and a new look, elements of a brand strategy showcasing Buena Vista University’s place as a forward-looking leader.

Our vision is clear­—we will educate and inspire future doers and creators, a generation of Beavers focused on solving problems, serving others, and building communities. This is BVU. Beyond The Arch has all kinds of victories to celebrate. In September, Iowa Governor Kim Reynolds joined us in detailing the establishment of The Donald F. and Charlene K. Lamberti Center for Rural Entrepreneurship. This truly transformational program, a key component of BVU’s Strategic Plan, is off to an incredible start thanks to an entrepreneurial spirit driving Beavers of all ages!

Additionally, an anonymous benefactor presented a $1 million gift to BVU to establish the Invest in Rural Iowa Scholarship Program, aimed to reward up to 60 Northwest Iowa Students who plan to use their BVU education to boost their rural communities.

In October, the Board of Trustees approved a $4.3 million Siebens Forum Phase II construction plan designed to reshape Ballou Library for a prosperous future in which more students with ever-changing curricular and technological demands can be served by merging the library with Information Technology and the Center for Academic Excellence.

Those efforts, and many more, have been embraced by BVU’s largest freshman class in six years—a 15 percent increase over the previous year. New students came from 20 states and three countries to take their first steps through the Victory Arch in August. With Iowa private colleges continually being challenged by changing demographics, this growth reflects the relevance and purpose of a BVU education.

By May 2024, these dreamers, doers, and creators will have changed— and yes, they will have changed us too—for the better as they embark on journeys unknown, stepping “Beyond the Arch” to make their communities—and our world—stronger, because that’s what Beavers do…we build.

Go Beavers!

Joshua D. Merchant, Ph.D. President

ACHIEVEMENTS

Communication Studies Program Members Present at State Conference

Students Serve as Vikings Interns

Jared Remar, a junior majoring in sport business and marketing from Ralston, Neb., Clayton Christian, a senior accounting and business double-major from Glidden, and Jordyn Daggs-Olson, a junior strategic public relations major from Eldora, served as Game Day Interns for the Minnesota Vikings this season. The trio arranged press boxes, delivered game information to media, and recorded player/coach interviews.

Brian Pattie, instructor of communications and strategic public relations, Emerald Jones, senior communication studies major and president of the Black Student Union, and Mary Donato, assistant professor of communication studies, facilitated a discussion entitled, “Evaluating Social Change in the Rural Midwest” at the Iowa Communication Association Annual Conference. Pattie was also elected to the association’s executive board.

Education Professor Heads to Harvard

Dr. Callé Friesen ‘06, associate professor of education, literacy and early childhood education, has been accepted into the ALM Creative Writing and Literature program at Harvard University. During Friesen’s spring 2020 sabbatical, she will engage in full-time graduate studies at Harvard.

Foursome Participates in Okoboji Entrepreneurial Institute

Four students participated in the annual Okoboji Entrepreneurial Institute at the Iowa Lakeside Laboratory on West Lake Okoboji in August.

Hannah Wuebker, a junior accounting and business double major from Grimes; Lincoln Rock, a junior distributive major from Peterson; Joe Lind, a senior financial decision making and sport business double major from Belton, Mo.; and Tyler Tennyson, a senior accounting and business double major from Truman, Minn., joined students from the University of Iowa, the University of Northern Iowa, and Iowa State University. Rock was a member of the winning team in the week-long advanced study of entrepreneurship.

4

Athletic and Academic Success

BVU Senior Named National Student Journalist of the Year

BVU’s women’s basketball team soared during the fall semester by earning an average GPA of 3.855 among all 13 members of the team.

Women’s track and field members and women’s tennis team members compiled team GPAs of 3.458 and 3.426, respectively. Sixteeen BVU athletics teams compiled average GPAs beyond 3.0 for the fall semester.

Storm Lake Water Quality Research Unveiled

Dr. Ben Maas, assistant professor of environmental science and geology, presented Storm Lake water quality research to the Department of Geographical and Sustainability Sciences at the University of Iowa in November.

Maas’ research focuses on improving our understanding of the seasonal and temporal water quality of Storm Lake and surrounding area.

Junior Presents at National Conference

Psychology Student Has Paper Published

“Pre-adolescence in ‘The Sixth Sense’: Attachment Theory and Industry versus Inferiority,” a paper by Sam Loerts, a senior psychology and business double major from Humboldt, was accepted for publication in the Journal of Psychological Inquiry.

Loerts wrote the paper as his final project in the Psychology of Literature Honors class taught by Drs. Wind Goodfriend ‘98 and Annamaria Formichella.

Omar Alcorta, a junior digital media major from Lamoni, presented as part of a panel that included Dr. Andrea Frantz, professor of digital media, at the Associated Collegiate Press/College Media Association national conference in Washington, D.C. The session entitled “S.O.S. (Selling Our Stories): How to Market Campus Media to College Communities,” featured Alcorta, KBVU station manager, sharing information on several campaigns the station has used to encourage audience engagement.

Olivia Wieseler was named the Arthur H. Barlow Student Journalist of the Year for 2019 by the Society for Collegiate Journalists. The award, first of its kind for a BVU student, recognized the senior from St. Helena, Neb., for “the highest standards of journalistic ethics, service, leadership, and technical skills.”

Beyond the Arch | February 2020

Buena Vista University

Professor Speaks on Suicide Prevention

Dr. Willa Casstevens, program director and associate professor of social work, presented “Engaging Students in Suicide Prevention Efforts on Campus: Lessons Learned” with Jodi Hall from North Carolina State University as an electronic poster at the Council on Social Work Education’s Annual Program Meeting in Denver.

The presentation focused on prevention programming for college and university campuses.

Vice President Participates on Panel Suzette Radke, BVU vice president for finance and administration, presented as part of a panel on a session entitled “So I’m a Unicorn: Women Working in Traditionally Male Fields within Higher Education,” at Cultivating a Culture of Women Empowering Women in Higher Education conference in Des Moines in November.

5

‘SMALL-TOWN’ GRADUATE FINDS CAREER IN CAPITAL CITY Tracy Abbas ‘85 shares time and treasure to keep BVU traditions growing ever stronger.

6

Beyond the Arch | February 2020

Buena Vista University

7

Shortly after moving to Bankers Trust in 1990, she was promoted to vice president and senior trust officer.

Looking back, she wasn’t so sure she’d ever leave the Kanawha area. She was, after all, the first person in her family to attend college.

“Buena Vista gave me the confidence to leave my hometown and enjoy the Storm Lake environment for four years.”

“Buena Vista gave me the confidence to leave my hometown and enjoy the Storm Lake environment for four years,” she says. “I still have fond memories of making homecoming floats and watching the parade move down Lake Avenue toward the lake.”

Preparing for classes, working with peers, and using the steady guidance of faculty mentors allowed Abbas to grow personally while forming professional curiosities.

Buena Vista University’s long reach was never so evident for Tracy Abbas ’85 as it was on a morning in France.

“I stepped off a train and was wearing a BVU t-shirt,” she says with a laugh. “A young lady walked past me and yelled, ‘Go Beavers!’ She made my day!”

While the famed “Beaver Train,” which students now practice on campus and beyond wasn’t a tradition during Abbas’ days as a student, her own “Beaver Train” anecdote illustrates how omnipresent her alma mater remains. A former chair of the BVU Alumni Board of Directors and Order of the Arch member, Abbas is always ready to work for all things BVU. “College has four years to mold us into the tax-paying citizens we are today, so I always try to give back in treasure or in time to keep the tradition alive,” says Abbas, a vice president with Bankers Trust Company in Des Moines.

“I love BVU and everything it stands for,” she continues. “I received a liberal arts education and have used the skills I sharpened in college in many ways. Those of us who have had the opportunity to get a private college education understand the importance and truly appreciate its value.”

Abbas says she came to Buena Vista University and initially found comfort in the ratio of professors to students. A collegiate experience featuring class sizes that led to individualized attention was a strength, especially for a product of Kanawha, home to 750 residents at the time.

“I loved the ‘small-town’ feel on campus,” she says.

Soon after becoming involved in a variety of campus clubs and organizations, Abbas found work off-

8

campus as a new fashion retailer opened on Lake Avenue, The Brass Buckle, now known as The Buckle.

“The Brass Buckle was a very popular place, and I was able to meet a lot of Storm Lake-area residents at that time,” she says.

Drs. Paul Russell (professor of economics) and John Madsen (professor of corporate communications) were among faculty members who challenged Abbas, encouraging her to expand her horizons, to think big.

“Without my skill set and the interpersonal skills I learned on campus, I wouldn’t have survived the move to a large, metropolitan city,” she says. “BVU allowed me to learn outside of my comfort zone. I love telling people how fortunate I was to have such a great college experience.”

From “The Beaver Log 1985,” senior classmate Todd Eekhoff, a king candidate, escorts queen candidate Tracy at the 1984 homecoming coronation.

Even if that Beaver “tale” occurs at a train stop, somewhere in the middle of France.

“Dr. John Madsen taught from the heart and made classes such as public speaking enjoyable and entertaining,” says Abbas, a business management science major who minored in speech/drama. “Dr. Russell was a brilliant man who made business and economics fun. He also made it very clear we must be lifelong learners.”

Abbas kept busy as a Beaver with Student Senate, serving on the homecoming committee, and overseeing developments on her dormitory floor. As a senior, she left campus to serve as an intern with Hawkeye Bancorporation in Des Moines.

“I did my senior internship under a fellow Buena Vista graduate who was a senior vice president of marketing,” she says. “He took me to board meetings, marketing meetings, etc., and, after one month, I earned a job with Hawkeye Capital Bank and Trust in Des Moines. I graduated and started my career three days later.”

Since then, Abbas hasn’t left Des Moines. She rose quickly at Hawkeye Capital Bank and Trust in a little more than five years, ascending from employee to officer to assistant vice president, the youngest female officer to be promoted at that time.

Beyond the Arch | February 2020

Saggau earns Life Trustee accolade Bernie Saggau ’49, a 23-year member of the BVU Board of Trustees, was recognized as a Sir John Marks Templeton Life Trustee in October. Saggau, who directed the Iowa High School Athletic Association for 42 years, has been a tireless leader and promoter for Iowa, its high school studentathletes, and his alma mater. The Denison native began speaking at high schools in Buena Vista County during his time as a Beaver. His service on the motivational speaking circuit grew to include schools and organizations in 45 Buena Vista University

states and throughout Europe. He would ultimately speak to more students in Iowa than any other person in the history of the state. His latest speech? It came during October, when Saggau took to the podium after being presented the Sir John Marks Templeton Life Trustee award. He took the time to address the great direction BVU is heading, while personally extending his thanks to President Merchant and every fellow member of the BVU Board of Trustees. For more on this story, see bvu.edu/saggau.

9

Buena Vista University President Joshua Merchant joined Iowa Gov. Kim Reynolds on Sept. 4 in announcing the establishment of The Donald F. and Charlene K. Lamberti Center for Rural Entrepreneurship at BVU. The Center’s namesake, Don Lamberti, is founder and longtime chairman/ CEO of Casey’s General Stores, Inc., and a BVU benefactor whose $2.9-million gift will now make the Center a reality.

“Don and Charlene Lamberti are two Iowans who have made their mark on our state and its communities,” Reynolds says. “Putting a visionary entrepreneur like Don Lamberti together with an academic leader like Buena Vista University—both champions of rural Iowa­—can’t help but create a world of new opportunities for people of all ages across Iowa.”

BVU President Joshua Merchant says, “We cannot thank the Lambertis enough for their vision, selflessness, and continued philanthropic commitment to Buena Vista University. Their gift signals an exciting new era, making it possible for the University to bring business leaders together with our faculty and students as we strive to build and sustain strong, vibrant rural communities across our region.”

BVU Board of Trustees members, from left, Brad Schroeder ‘94 and Becki Drahota joined Don and Charlene Lamberti and President Joshua Merchant at the reception to announce the Lamberti Center for Rural Entrepreneurship in Des Moines on Sept. 4.

LAMBERTIS GIVE RISE TO ENTREPRENEURSHIP PROGRAM The Donald F. and Charlene K. Lamberti Center for Rural Entrepreneurship named for Casey’s founder, former BVU Board of Trustees member

especially in the rural communities across Iowa, the places and the people that gave Casey’s its start and have sustained it on a successful path,” Lamberti says.

“I’m honored to be able to share in this vision, this unique connecting of ideas and businesses across generations.”

Gary Sterling, a Harold Walter Siebens School of Business faculty member who specializes in entrepreneurship, serves as director for The Lamberti Center, which will stand as a resource for existing businesses across the region, allowing enterprises to develop and fine-tune marketing campaigns and business plans with the assistance of faculty members and students enrolled in related fields. Alumni can be updated through a newsletter detailing developments at The Lamberti Center. If you’d like to receive the newsletter, simply email Sterling at sterling@bvu.edu.

This gift, coupled with an anonymous $500,000 donation, allows Buena Vista University to move ahead in offering innovative courses and programs while developing a minor in rural entrepreneurship available to all students. For business majors, advanced courses

The announcement occurred before a crowd of Iowa business and education leaders, and BVU alumni who convened at Gravitate Coworking in downtown Des Moines.

The new Lamberti Center for Rural Entrepreneurship is envisioned as a place where new businesses will grow as jobs are created.

Programming and real-world business applications within The Lamberti Center curriculum will provide students and professionals opportunities to sharpen their skills while aiding and challenging one another with a shared goal of moving rural America ahead.

Don Lamberti, longtime member of the BVU Board of Trustees, is one of Iowa’s iconic business innovators, a leader who worked to build his first mom-and-pop convenience store in 1968 into Casey’s, a publicly traded enterprise. Casey’s now employs nearly 15,000 people serving more than 2,000 stores, many that stand as a central hub of activity in their rural communities.

“I’ve been blessed in my life, and throughout my career, by the people throughout the Midwest,

10

Beyond the Arch | February 2020

Buena Vista University

11

$1 million gift funds BVU’s Invest in Rural Iowa Scholarship Program Sixty northwest Iowa students to qualify for up to $20,000 in scholarship assistance An anonymous benefactor believing in BVU’s mission to make northwest Iowa thrive has given the University $1 million for student scholarships.

Stepping forward to fund BVU’s Invest in Rural Iowa Scholarship Program, the benefactor pledges to provide four years of scholarship assistance to new enrolled students from northwest Iowa who demonstrate significant financial need while showing high potential to return to their rural communities to be engaged, supportive citizens.

Fifteen awards of $5,000 each will be awarded to students in the Invest in Rural Iowa Scholarship Program each year for the next four years. A student may qualify for an award in that amount for up to four years of his or her BVU experience. Sixty students are set to receive the impact of $20,000 from this scholarship while enrolled as BVU undergraduates.

in entrepreneurship, management, marketing, accounting, finance, and enhanced practicum opportunities will be available as students delve into roles businesses and entrepreneurs play in transforming their communities.

“If students want to live and grow in rural areas, or anywhere in Iowa, this Center is for them,” says Merchant, who in 2018 was appointed by Reynolds to serve on the Governor’s Empower Rural Iowa Initiative Task Force.

Much of the instruction and teamwork within The Lamberti Center may occur in its idea incubator, a site to be called The Foundry at BVU, where business leaders and entrepreneurs may access training and resources made available by the University, strengthening existing partnerships to expand a growing mentoring network.

“President Merchant and BVU have demonstrated their commitment to fostering these relationships,” Lamberti says.

“It is with great humility that I offer my encouragement in seeing that this bold vision, integral in moving rural America forward, becomes a reality.”

The Lamberti Center for Rural Entrepreneurship becomes the second entity on campus bearing the Lamberti name.

The couple’s multi-milliondollar leadership gift paved the way for the construction of the 65,000-square-foot Lamberti Recreation Center, a site dedicated to the health and welfare of BVU students and members of the community, a hub of physical activity at BVU since its opening in 2001.

For information on BVU scholarship opportunities, visit bvu.edu/scholarships.

12

SERVICE Rocio Flores-Gonzalez is vigilant when it comes to community service. It shows on a sunny afternoon as she works with residents at Methodist Manor, assisting activities director Ron Peterson in spreading cheer, movement, and more.

Vigilant? Flores-Gonzalez takes service a step further.

“This is Vigilance, a two-year-old lab/huskie mix,” she says. “Residents at Methodist Manor love seeing him. We like to brighten their days by visiting and listening to their stories. It’s an amazing place.”

Flores-Gonzalez is a sophomore at Buena Vista University, another “amazing place,” she says for the role it has played in getting her on a career arc, something she wasn’t sure was possible.

“My parents are immigrants from Mexico, and they’ve worked very hard for their children, doing difficult work on the production line at Tyson Foods in Storm Lake to provide for us,” Flores-Gonzalez says. “They see education as a way to push ahead in life.”

“This is truly remarkable, a seven-figure investment in scholarships for students from northwest Iowa,” says BVU President Joshua Merchant. “This gift shows a belief in our mission to do all we can to turn out leaders and doers who will one day grow businesses and, as a result, our rural communities.”

Those eligible for the Invest in Rural Iowa Scholarship Program will be Storm Lake campus students who are eligible to receive the federal Pell Grant and/or the Iowa Tuition Grant. Students must hail from one of the following 19 Northwest Iowa counties: Buena Vista, Calhoun, Cherokee, Clay, Dickinson, Emmet, Humboldt, Ida, Kossuth, Lyon, Palo Alto, Plymouth, Pocahontas, O’Brien, Osceola, Sac, Sioux, Webster, and Woodbury.

SUSTAINING COLLEGIATE DREAM THROUGH

Flores-Gonzalez examined college options as a senior at Sioux Central High School. Her path opened when BVU introduced Education for Service (EFS), a benefactor-funded initiative whereby firstgeneration college students from Buena Vista County participate in a four-year leadership development program, which includes completing 300 hours of annual community service through AmeriCorps in exchange for tuition.

Flores-Gonzalez applied for admission, relating a host of volunteer activities she’d done as a high schooler.

BVU President Joshua Merchant joined Don and Charlene Lamberti, as well as Iowa Gov. Kim Reynolds and Lt. Gov. Adam Gregg as the establishment of the Lamberti Center for Rural Entrepreneurship was announced in Des Moines on Sept. 4.

Beyond the Arch | February 2020

Buena Vista University

“My parents were so happy this program was available,” she says. “They told me to go for it!”

Flores-Gonzalez, one of 10 students in the first EFS cohort, continues her service to the community.

In addition to her time spent with residents at Methodist Manor, the strategic public relations major assists at the TLC canine center in Newell and serves as an aide to Dr. Andrea Frantz, BVU professor of digital media, as she conducts citizenship classes twice per year at Storm Lake Public Library.

“I help Dr. Frantz as an interpreter, or by watching children as their parents prepare for their citizenship test,” she says.

Flores-Gonzalez plays with a toddler as the child’s mother studies American history. She sees the woman hard at work and can’t help but feel grateful for the sacrifices her parents make and for the scholarship she receives.

She also hopes to do well by those who help fund the EFS program, those whose generosity allow her to eye life as a BVU graduate with minimal debt.

“The EFS program will allow me to start my

life as an adult with so much knowledge about our community and the people in it,” she says.

“Education for Service has introduced me to life in Buena Vista County. It has allowed me to find a second home in BVU.” Visit bvu.edu/service for more.

13

SCHOOL OF EDUCATION Teaching Pipeline Expands

Drama Makes History

An educational pipeline from BVU to the community of Storm Lake was put in place this fall with a pair of senior-level classes. The pipeline stretched all of 15 feet, if that.

“El Nogalar” made history when it debuted in Anderson Auditorium in November, the first play presented in two languages by five bilingual BVU performers. Months after its three-show run, the spotlight continues to shine on this production.

Connections formed in Reading Strategies and Instruction Methods: Fiction and Literary Field Experience, classes taught by Dr. Leslie Haas, assistant professor of education. Haas convened her instruction at Storm Lake Elementary School. Following the typical 50-minute class session, eight students departed for classrooms within the site and would remain there for two hours, assisting classroom teachers, putting into practice concepts they covered just minutes earlier.

(One student went across the street to Storm Lake Middle School.)

Once Haas ends the teaching portion of this class, she sends students to classrooms where they’re needed most, relying on recommendations from Lange and Mike Sullivan ’05, assistant principal.

“Students learn with me and then practice in a classroom with teachers,” says Haas. “It doesn’t feel as piecemeal as it would were we meeting for class on campus one day and then reporting to an elementary classroom the next.”

“You learn something in class and then see it applied almost immediately,” says McKinzie Tjaden, a senior elementary education major from Colfax. “It’s been fun seeing the ways different class concepts are implemented in a classroom setting.”

Cooperating teachers knew exactly when to expect their BVU education majors. Together, they educated young learners while building bonds.

“I’ve really enjoyed coming here for class,” says Aaron Mumm, a senior elementary education major from Denison. “We end up being in an elementary school all morning and get to make connections with students and our teacher.”

Barb Lange ’92, Storm Lake Elementary Principal was excited to hear about the proposal, presented last summer

by Haas and Dr. Ann MonroeBaillargeon, dean of the School of Education.

“It’s an awesome idea, and having the BVU class here at Storm Lake Elementary School has been nothing but positive for us,” Lange says. “College students need more practical experience, and this gets and keeps them in our school.

We’re always looking for ways to get BVU students on our campus, because we want to hire them when they graduate.”

14

SCHOOL OF LIBERAL ARTS

Mumm says he smiles each time he enters the firstgrade classroom of teacher Katie Mills as most of Mills’ students look up and say, “Hi, Mr. Mumm!”

“It’s a beautiful pipeline from BVU to the community,” says Haas, who plans to offer the class at the elementary school again next fall. “It’s a wonderful way to learn, to build relationships, to secure valuable letters of reference, and more.”

The class leads to, or builds upon, other work opportunities within the Storm Lake Community School District as three-fourths of the students in these classes are employed by the local district; Elementary education major Kathryn Tyykila, a senior from Canby, Minn., for example, stays at the elementary school following Haas’ class and works as a substitute instructional aid three days per week until 2:15 p.m.

She also serves the district’s preschool program for an hour each Tuesday and Thursday, all of it adding up to valuable preparation for her student-teaching experience this spring.

Beyond the Arch | February 2020

The fictional play by Tanya Saracho, directed by Dr. Bethany Larson, BVU professor of theatre, was performed in both Spanish and English, a feat accomplished by bilingual students who worked with Larson and Dr. Jared White, BVU assistant professor of Spanish, who served as a language director.

“We’re trying to incorporate the community with what we do in theatre here at BVU,” says Larson, a longtime resident of Storm Lake, one of Iowa’s most ethnically diverse cities. “I read this play a long time ago, and I was taken by the realness of the characters and the struggles they face.

It’s a good opportunity to shed light on the stories of those who aren’t always represented.”

“El Nogalar” follows the fictional Galvan family, which moves from northern Mexico to the United States, only to return to Mexico due to financial hardships.

Upon their return, the Galvans discover their family orchard under threat from local crime. The Mexico they left behind, they learn, is vastly different, much more dangerous due to gang activity and drugs.

Additionally, the final scene of “El Nogalar,” featuring Marroquin and Melendez, was nominated to participate—and will be featured— in the Showcase of Scenes at the regional ACTF in Sioux Falls, another first for the BVU Theatre Department.

Marroquin and Melendez were joined on stage in “El Nogalar” by Mariana Gonzalez, a junior from Storm Lake; Kenya Ortega, a junior from Norwalk; and Alondra Ramirez, a freshman from Storm Lake.

Larson says she and the BVU Theatre Department will continue to consider productions that bring diverse communities within the region together. “El Nogalar” represented the start. “I want to see if we can do a full Spanish play,” she says. “We’ve had several conversations around that topic. For us, it seems like a next step.”

Performers Matthew Marroquin, a sophomore from Storm Lake, and Alondra Melendez, a freshman from Storm Lake, were nominated for the Irene Ryan Scholarship competition sponsored by the Kennedy Center American College Theatre Festival (ACTF).

Marroquin, who coaches speech at St. Mary’s High School in Storm Lake, accepted the invitation to compete for the scholarship.

“In earning this prestigious honor, both Matthew and Alondra were presented the opportunity to perform for an audience of peers from Region V, which covers Missouri, Kansas, Nebraska, South Dakota, North Dakota, Minnesota, and Iowa,” Larson says, describing an audition process that’s highly competitive.

Buena Vista University

15

Harold Walter Siebens

SCHOOL OF BUSINESS

SCHOOL OF SCIENCE

Computer Science Majors Build Mobile App.

Invention Making Waves

School of Business Effort Plants Seeds for Startup Founded By BVU Senior Trio BVU senior Michael Martin smiled as his eyes fixated on the bright lights of the New York Stock Exchange ticker rotating near the ceiling of the Robert L. Peterson Commodity Trading Room, a signature element for the renovated Harold Walter Siebens School of Business.

Martin, a computer science major, hasn’t taken one business class during his time at BVU. And yet, as he approaches his final semester as an undergrad, this is the space where he and fellow computer science majors Bazyl Horsey and Justin Rubek often find themselves, a precursor of what’s to come as BVU unveils an innovative entrepreneurship minor accessible to all students.

“Really nice space in here,” Martin says.

“It’s the first time we’ve had an extended stay in the School of Business,” says Horsey.

The trio has happily branched out while devoting weeks of effort in building an app for the Harold Walter Siebens School of Business as BVU joins the Iowa Great Lakes Corridor Development Corporation in introducing a program to match existing business owners with upand-coming entrepreneurs. The Match Learn Launch app, a startup funded in part through one of five Google grants awarded in Iowa, serves as an initial focal point for instruction within The Donald F. and Charlene K. Lamberti Center for Rural Entrepreneurship at BVU. “We’ve heard from a number of businesses in Northwest Iowa who are seeking assistance when it comes to business-succession plans,” says Gary Sterling, BVU instructor of management and director of the Lamberti Center for Rural Entrepreneurship. “At the same time, we’ve heard from entrepreneurs who seek opportunities.

Through this app, we’re going to match key individuals to keep and grow businesses for another generation across Iowa.”

When tasked with finding a software developer to bring the Match Learn Launch app to life, Sterling quickly learned he need not search far. He found a trio of eager seniors with a robust knowledge of computer programming and a budding interest in starting their own business.

In addition to their work in the computer science major, all three boast internship experience in the private sector, a 16

Dr. Shawn Stone, professor of physics and computer science, is in his 21st year at Buena Vista University. And he can barely contain himself.

BVU focal point for decades.

Both Martin and Horsey, Storm Lake natives, have worked for a startup named Koloni, as both managed a software team.

Rubek, who hails from Irwin, spent last summer interning at CSG International in Omaha.

“Our students are incredible,” he says. “I’m really jazzed about our new brand in which we talk about ‘doers,’ ‘makers,’ ‘creators,’ and ‘builders.’

Our marketers have distilled us into something that really makes sense. You can’t believe how much fun I’m having this semester.”

Three student-led projects illustrate Stone’s excitement. The first involves a super-computer using CPU’s and GPU’s to model solar system formation; the second centers on a glove that offers muscle resistance in virtual reality. (More to come! Watch bvu.edu for updates.)

“CSG represented a big, corporate environment, and I learned a lot,” Rubek says. “But the startup culture here really appeals to me. I like working with a smaller team.”

“The idea of using a matching algorithm to put people together falls under the realm of machine learning, a field I’m passionate about,” Martin says. “Using it for a startup really interested me.”

“These are not interns,” Sterling says. “These three men are contracted software developers who are earning market rate for their work, work that will allow the app to bring people into our program.”

Martin, Rubek, and Horsey plan to invest those earned dollars into their own limited liability corporation, an enterprise focused on building better websites and platforms for customers, an outcome realized as a direct result of their interaction with Sterling and the School of Business, forces that have encouraged, supported, and fostered this entrepreneurial leap. They’ll work at The Foundry at BVU, a future site in downtown Storm Lake that will also serve as home base for the Lamberti Center for Rural Entrepreneurship.

The third? We provide a glimpse here: an invention to harvest wave energy off a body of water, be it an ocean, a river, or, in this case, Storm Lake.

Arona and Stone built a linear electric generator featuring a magnet moving up and down as waves drive the mass. When it oscillates, the changing magnetic force on the coil creates electricity.

“We want to start a company to focus on the harvesting of wave energy, because wave energy is more power dense than solar or wind energy,” Stone says. “We’ve used the flow of waves, horizontally, to power the wheel on a mill, for example. The vertical part of wave energy is something we’ve never really harvested.”

VanHorbeck works to determine optimum mass and spring stiffness for the device which, at present, creates 20 watts of power. By finding the right combination of mass and spring constant, Stone believes they can harness 50 watts, a total he envisions for an improvement patent. The trio will “test-drive” their invention this spring after Storm Lake thaws.

Stone’s research team in the Estelle Siebens Science Center includes BVU senior physics majors David Arona and London VanHorbeck. Together, they comprise the Lake Energy Extraction Project, or LEEP for short.

“At 50 watts, this device would power a boat lift,” Stone says. “It could charge your iPhone in a couple of hours.

It could power a city block of LED lights.”

“If we would have tried to do this in California or the state of Washington, we’d be considered small fish,” Horsey says. “It works for us to be here in Storm Lake, because we’re young and we don’t yet have a lot of experience. We found this opportunity because of the small community in Northwest Iowa that we happened to be in.”

Beyond the Arch | February 2020

Buena Vista University

17

“ There’s a lot of excitement and energy surrounding the band’s comeback after being gone 21 years ... We want this to be as good as it can for BVU.” help from administrators, staff members, and generous BVU benefactors—resurrected the University’s pep band, a precursor to the Marching Blue.

“I joined the pep band and had so much fun playing,” Dunsbergen says. “And then we traveled to area high schools last winter and joined their pep bands on certain nights.

Being at Newell-Fonda High School and playing in a 50-person pep band as the state’s best girls’ basketball team (Class 1A) played before a packed house, you could just feel the electricity. It was a great feeling.”

WONDERFUL SOUND COMPLEMENTS BEAUTIFUL VIEW

The place that had a “buena vista” (Spanish for “beautiful view”) now has a magnificent sound to complete the lakeshore scene.

“BVU has been a great fit for me,” Dunsbergen says. “The fact I’m in band speaks to all the opportunities here. It’s so easy and so much fun to get involved.”

BVU Marching Blue excited campus, community for new era The physical beauty of Buena Vista University attracted Josh Dunsbergen to the Storm Lake campus more than one year ago.

The sound of the place has him even more excited about his college choice.

Dunsbergen plays trombone for the BVU Marching Blue, the University’s marching band, which made its first appearance in 21 years on campus while entertaining players and fans during the Beavers’ home football games this fall on Peterson Field at J. Leslie Rollins Stadium.

The BVU Marching Blue’s debut came Sept. 14 as the band played pregame music and a halftime show featuring the sounds of Queen. “We Will Rock You,” a Queen standard, was one selection the band covered. The title described how Dunsbergen felt about the 36-member group that began practice this season with one week of 10-hour days before the school year commenced.

“There’s a lot of excitement and energy surrounding the band’s comeback after being gone 21 years,” says Dunsbergen. “We came to school early and worked hard to get the band ready. Everyone showed

18

positive attitudes. We want this to be as good as it can for BVU.” Dunsbergen, a sophomore from Lynnville, mirrors the academic experience of most fellow musicians in that he’s not a music major. He studies criminology and psychology. As such, he also benefits this fall from another new entity on campus, BVU’s Center for Criminal Justice Studies.

“We have business majors, education majors, digital media majors, music majors, and several other majors represented in the BVU Marching Blue,” says Tiffany Wurth, BVU director of bands. “Being in the band gives our students another avenue to share their talents with the student body and the community. Plus, it’s a great part of the well-rounded academic and extracurricular experience you receive at BVU.” Dunsbergen’s array of talents and interests shows in how he arrived. The two-time state wrestling tournament participant was recruited to wrestle for the Beavers. Instead, he ended up running distance events and the steeplechase for the track team.

In his spare time, he picked up his trombone and began playing for the BVU Blue Steel as Wurth—with

Beyond the Arch | February 2020

BVU Names Director of Admissions Conner Ellinghuysen was named director of admissions at BVU in November after welcoming the largest freshman class in six years and a near-record number of graduate students. A total of 231 freshmen were welcomed, an increase of 15 percent when compared to 2018 freshmen.

231 15%

“I am really excited for the opportunity to grow with Buena Vista University,” says Ellinghuysen, who comes to BVU from Saint Mary’s University of Minnesota, where he served as associate director of admission. “I was so impressed with the people I met as they showed me several collaborative efforts, and I could easily see how hard everyone is working to promote and realize enrollment growth.”

Ellinghuysen mentions the Donald F. and Charlene K. Lamberti Center for Rural Entrepreneurship and the Institute for Agriculture, Food, and Resource Management, a pair of new initiatives, among others.

“I’m from a rural community myself and I’ve not seen many institutions like BVU really own rural education and put it to work for the benefit of the people and communities across the Midwest,” says Ellinghuysen, a former 4-H participant who remains affiliated with the program as an archery coach and volunteer.

Buena Vista University

19

CREATING

A LEGACY

Students enjoy the new patio on the forum lawn thanks to donations from generous benefactors. Purchase a paver with your name at bvu.edu/brick.

20

Beyond the Arch | February 2020

Buena Vista University

21

STRING OF

SUCCESSES NOTED BY BVU SENIOR

Center for Academic Excellence, IT Department expand to renovated Library in Phase II effort

Standing at the threshold of his final semester at Buena Vista University, Job Saunders exhales and smiles.

“Job (sound out the long ‘o’) well done,” you might say.

Saunders has plenty to celebrate; mainly, the release of his solo album, “Shredder,” whose music he wrote, played, recorded, mixed, and mastered. He did all of it within the Lage Communications recording studio, a facility he reworked under the tutelage of Dr. David Klee, professor of music and director of musical production and technology.

“I came here for BVU’s great music production program and the opportunity to learn from and work with Dr. Klee, who really understood my work and where I was coming from,” says Saunders, a violinist who plays more than 21 instruments.

Where this musician came from is another story. And it leads to a chapter detailing how BVU is building upon its success, literally.

A freshman year at college can be daunting enough, the first time a young person pushes out on their own. For Saunders, a couple of factors heightened the challenge.

First, he was 663 miles from his home in Aurora, Colo., where he left a support network fading in the rearview mirror as he drove east to Iowa.

Second, Saunders is autistic.

“I had to learn a lot about social interaction, due to autism,” he says.

Saunders found a welcoming place as a freshman when he stopped by the Center for Academic Excellence inside Siebens Forum. The CAE, as it’s known, is a key component of a $4.3 million Phase II remodeling effort approved by the BVU Board of Trustees. The project, which will dramatically update and repurpose areas within Ballou Library, opening it for additional uses and widespread services offered by University personnel, is set to commence following BVU’s 2020 Commencement.

The Center of Academic Excellence and BVU’s Information Technology (IT) Department will move to the current library to create a new hub for teaching, learning and innovation. The new space will increase in size and boast of more modern amenities, allowing each of the departments opportunities to better serve the growing and changing needs of an expanding student body, faculty, and staff; goals reflected in the University’s strategic plan.

An anonymous gift of $1.5 million spearheaded this project, an extension of the renovation of the Harold

22

Beyond the Arch | February 2020

Buena Vista University

23

Walter Siebens School of Business/ Siebens Forum. The Forum renovation had continued with the opening of the new South Forum Lawn Patio on Homecoming weekend in September.

“The feedback we received from students, staff, faculty, alumni, community members, and guests in the months following the opening of the renovated Siebens Forum was incredibly positive,” says BVU President Joshua Merchant. “We are thrilled and grateful to be able to extend this important next step in our effort to make a truly state-of-the-art academic facility even that much stronger for everyone.”

“We are so excited about what Phase II will accomplish for our students and the experience they’ll have in better utilizing their spaces in the library and at the Center for Academic Excellence,” adds Suzette Radke, vice president for finance and administration at BVU. “Creating a modern space and experience for our students is our number one priority.”

The first floor of the library will transition into space for the Center for Academic Excellence (CAE) and

the IT Department. Currently, those departments are adjacent to one another west of the library main entrance in Siebens Forum.

“We have students studying and being tutored in the CAE in a spill-over hallway area, which isn’t ideal,” Radke says. “The CAE, which continues to serve a growing number of students, will now receive dedicated space with state-of-the-art technology on the library’s first floor.”

The CAE will also have a room dedicated to testing, allowing BVU education majors, for example, to remain on campus for the Praxis exams. Two sensory rooms will be added in the CAE space for students on the autism spectrum.

Saunders nods while learning of the plans to enhance the CAE, a place that helped him set his BVU trajectory as a freshman. He sought assistance there while struggling in a psychology course.

“I remember how my parents’ faces lit up when they heard that tutoring sessions are offered to BVU students for free,” Saunders says. “Psychology was a scary course for me in my freshman year. I reached out to find a tutor there and learned pretty quickly I wasn’t the only person on campus who struggled with a class.”

The Center for Academic Excellence, he says, was staffed by pros and peers who allowed Saunders to feel comfortable. “I learned who I could open up to, and I learned I could make mistakes and that it would be OK to fail sometimes,” he says.

The family-friendly environment made a difference for Saunders, who showed his growth by becoming a tutor himself as an upperclassman, working to educate others within his comfort zone: the recording studio at Lage Communication Center.

TECHNOLOGY DEPARTMENT TO RECEIVE UPGRADES The IT Department will also have an area on the first floor in the library. Additionally, IT professionals will have access to new classroom space within the facility, allowing them to guide faculty on the latest offerings in technology to enhance classroom and lab instruction.

“If a faculty member wants to try out something new in the way of technology, doing so in the IT area makes perfect sense,” Radke says.

Study rooms on the library’s lower level will be renovated and will feature modern technological tools, allowing for alternative setups for individual sessions or group projects and meetings. Those areas remain in high demand, especially during evening hours, as students conduct meetings, research discussions, and more.

people, is close to the Office of the President and remains accessible to those visiting or working in the Office of University Development and Alumni Engagement.

The boardroom will be easily modified to serve a variety of meetings and events for a number of visitors to campus. BVU’s Common Grounds coffee shop will also receive updates in Forum Phase II, which is expected to be complete by the start of the 2020-21 academic year.

The bulk of the library’s book collection will be moved to the second floor, which will feature a reading area. BVU’s extensive archives collection will remain on the second floor, as will study carrels for students.

The library’s top level is set to feature a new space in the Mack, Mack, and Mack Boardroom, which is designated to host meetings of the BVU Board of Trustees, among others. The handicapaccessible room, which can serve 30-40 24

Beyond the Arch | February 2020

Buena Vista University

25

ONLINE CLASSES KEEP DAD AT HOME

JOB LOSS LEADS TO CAREER GAINS FOR SPENCER GRADUATE

After three military deployments, Black Hills Energy supervisor is grateful for time with family For a busy father/ supervisor, Buena Vista University’s online courses have been an academic godsend.

Cammy (Hefner) Trierweiler ‘20 graduated from BVU Spencer and became the third teacher in her family.

The first two are her children, who got a bit of a head start on Mom as they attended college immediately after their graduation from Clay Central-Everly High School.

Cammy went back years after her 1992 Spencer High School commencement. A life change put her back among the sea of undergraduates, 20-some years later.

“I managed a store in Spencer that closed a little over four years ago,” she says. “In minutes, I went from being a store manager and feeling in control to being 40-something without a job and without a college education.”

Trierweiler didn’t panic.

She and her husband, Clint Trierweiler, who owns a distribution business, discussed their future. Cammy applied for a dislocatedworker grant through Iowa Workforce Development and returned to school at Iowa Lakes Community College, where she packed two years and an associate degree into 1.5 years.

She then transferred to BVU Spencer and began

Refer a Future Beaver

taking evening classes and online instruction.

“There are so many people I went to classes with that have families, and they’re working full-time jobs to better themselves,” she says. “I was able to attend class and be with my family as much as I could.”

Trierweiler served as a student-teacher the past semester at Lincoln and Johnson elementary schools in Spencer, instructing fifth graders and first graders.

She completed her coursework by the end of the semester and now joins her two oldest children in the teaching profession.

“I’ll probably spend this spring serving as a substitute teacher,” she says. “And I’ll earn a full-time teaching position as soon as I can.”

Trierweiler remains thankful for the wonderful faculty and staff she met and came to know at BVU in Spencer.

“I had a great experience with professors, financial aid staff, you name it,” Trierweiler says. “I had no idea how to submit an assignment on the internet when I started.

And now, I’m using it every day, and will continue to as a teacher.”

She’s learned a lot about education, and a lot about herself in the process.

Do you know someone with an associate’s degree hoping to complete their bachelor’s degree? How about someone looking for a quality master’s program? Point them to bvu.edu/apply today! Applying is free, and our online programs make learning convenient.

26

“I’ll walk this spring at Commencement,” she says with pride. “My family will be there. They’ve seen the hard work and the tears of joy. They’ve been so supportive. So has everyone at BVU.” Beyond the Arch | February 2020

“One-hundred percent of my classes have been online through BVU,” says Heath Richter ‘13 MA ‘20, of Spencer, who earned a bachelor’s degree in business management and, in December, completed his master’s degree in BVU’s organizational leadership program. “Online classes have been the draw for me.”

How full is Richter’s schedule? Consider: • He and wife, Connie (Hauptmann) Richter ‘17, a BVU alum who works for Northwest Bank, have four children; ages 17, 15, 12, and 9.

• An operations supervisor for Black Hills Energy in Spencer, Richter supervises up to 18 employees and represents the organization in 18 Northwest Iowa communities.

demands Richter had for his time and attention. The convenience of online instruction was welcomed as it allowed Richter to be at home most evenings with Connie and their children.

“I was gone for three years in military deployments,” he says, noting he’s been away from home enough.

“My wife is a saint for what she’s done for me and our family.”

Now that Richter has his dynamic master’s degree in organizational leadership, he knows he’ll be better equipped to serve Black Hills Energy, which provides and distributes natural gas in seven states, including Iowa.

“I’m a throwback to the Baby Boomers in that I’m extremely loyal to my employer,” Richter says. “Having a master’s degree helps give me the instruction and the background as I attempt to one day become a director or a vice president here.”

• He has served as a youth football coach; he’s president of the Spencer Chamber of Commerce; he’s a member of the Spencer Fine Arts Booster Board; he recently joined the Northwest Iowa Soccer Club Board of Directors; and he’s a past member of the Spencer Municipal Library Board.

• A veteran with 21 years of service in the Iowa Army National Guard, Richter completed three year-long deployments in Indiana, Kosovo, and Afghanistan, where he decided, in the middle of a combat tour with the U.S. Army Infantry, to return to BVU to earn his bachelor’s degree.

“Ever since I decided to go to BVU to complete my bachelor’s degree, the people there have been great to work with,” he says. “Whenever I had a question, someone like Peggy Bates (assistant director of student success) either had the answer or pointed me in the right direction. I cannot tell you how seamless the process was there.”

BVU instructors were always willing to work with him on a flexible schedule, ever mindful of the 27

Amy (Best) Zeigler ’07, digital marketing manager, Iowa Economic Development Authority: “The two biggest influences on my time at BVU were Jamii Claiborne ’96 and Dr. Beth (Rygh) Lamoureux ’83. Not only were they both brilliant, inspiring professors, they challenged me to think beyond the status quo and think about how women have been perceived in media and in the workplace (really, most of my professors did, but these two walked the walk). They also gave me the confidence to push my own boundaries of what I wanted from my life after college.

LET US KNOW

WHO INSPIRED YOU

“Beyond the classroom, they showed me that having a successful career and a family weren’t mutually exclusive. From Beth welcoming students into her home for ‘family dinners’ to watching Jamii’s girls crawl around the floor of Lage, they showed me that blending work and family could be achieved.”

The United States observes March as Women’s History Month. It has since 1987, the result of resolutions passed by Congress.

At BVU, we take the time to observe the incredible contributions women have made–and continue to make–to affect the progress of an educational institution founded in Storm Lake in 1891. Three of the original nine faculty members serving Buena Vista were women, as was the first BVU graduate, Jennie Gordon Hutchison, who earned her bachelor’s degree in 1893, some 127 years ago!

We’re interested in learning more about the women who inspired you at BVU. If you can, please take a few minutes to share your thoughts about a woman on social media, be it a BVU faculty member, staff member, or a coach, who had a significant impact on you as an undergraduate or graduate student.

Use the hashtag #BVUwomen throughout the month of March.

And, enjoy the following from BVU graduates who share their thoughts on BVU women who inspired them.

28

Dr. Ashley Farmer-Hanson ’07, BVU assistant vice president of Student Success and director of Community Engagement: “The individual who influenced me most was Nichol (Hargrave) Kleespies ’96, director of Community Service. Nichol served as my advisor to Student MOVE, encouraged me to become an AmeriCorps member, and a part of the AWOL program. She pushed me to be a better leader, provided support I needed as a first-generation college student, and was one of the first people in my life who encouraged me to pursue a graduate program. I am incredibly grateful for her investment in me, and it was an honor to follow in her footsteps as director of Community Engagement. Today, Nichol is still a mentor to me, and I work very closely with her in her role at Iowa State University Extension.”

Diane (Schmeling) Beisner, ’81, proposal consultant at ADP, LLC, in West Des Moines: “Two women come to mind: Diane (Gildemeister) Dykema ’74 and Dr. Sandra Madsen.

During my tenure at Buena Vista College, I stayed in Storm Lake during the summers to work. I became involved in community theater and bowled in a women’s league with Dr. Sandra Madsen, whom I knew from the mass communications class I took as a freshman. She was demanding, but fun and fair to all. I was a bit intimidated the first few nights, but over time, I developed a great friendship with her. She taught me it’s important to take time for yourself and spend time with people who lift you up, great insight for my walk into adulthood and the working world.

“Diane Dykema worked in Career Planning & Placement. I remember many conversations with her regarding my search for a teaching job. She was always so positive and encouraging. I’ll never forget the phone call she made to me nearly a year after I graduated. She asked how things were going and if there was anything I encountered that BV had not prepared me for. Wow! That simple question has stayed with me for more than 35 years.”

Shelly (Barr) TerHark ’86, athletic director and hall of fame volleyball coach, Algona Community School District: “Coach Marge Willadsen was always about the team. She wasn’t bigger than the team. I might have been a little naïve, but I felt Marge was always learning, and she learned a lot

Dr. Marge (Bisenius) Clark ’96, family practice physician, Omaha: “Coach Janet Berry was a great example (and still is) of a woman that knew her job and knew it well, worked hard, and was dedicated and strong as she had to sort of trailblaze a path as, at the time, coaching was still kind of dominated by men.”

Beyond the Arch | February 2020

Buena Vista University

from her players. Marge had a team philosophy, but she always listened to her captains and the top players on the team to keep the team improving and moving in the right direction. She helped inspire me to become what I am today, as a coach, an athletic director, and as a whole person.”

Katie (Watson) Schwint ’98, Executive Director of Community Development, Buena Vista Regional Medical Center: “Dr. Beth (Rygh) Lamoureux ’83 was my professor for Interviewing class. While she had high expectations, she was always willing to help you out in and out of class. I still use my notes for that class before I go into a major interview. I also remember during my time she had two small children and she was a great example for me on how to handle a career and being a mom.”

“Dr. Mary Gill, professor of communication studies, program director for organizational leadership, was my advisor during my junior and senior years. I was uncertain what I wanted to do after graduation, but she helped me focus on areas I really enjoyed, which has helped me in my career to find meaningful work I enjoy.

What I really appreciate about Mary is that she will never tell you what to do, but will ask you the questions that help you find the answers you seek.

Hannah Appleseth ’18, student, University of Minnesota-Duluth Psychological Science Master’s program: “Dr. Wind Goodfriend ’98, BVU professor of psychology and division chair of social sciences, has a way of teaching that captivates everyone in the room and makes it easy to retain information. With her qualifications, she could teach at any university she wanted to. The fact that she chooses to stay at BVU displays how much she cares about connecting with the students and making a meaningful impact on their lives. Wind does important research that emphasizes equality and social justice, and is an inspiration to all, especially young feminists. As a female pursuing a graduate degree in the psychology field, I feel very fortunate to have a mentor like Dr. Goodfriend to help me clarify my path and display all the things female professionals can accomplish in our field.”

Help us celebrate Women’s History Month!

Use the hashtag #BVUwomen throughout March to share how a BVU faculty member, staff member, or coach had a significant impact on you.

29

DEFEND THE LAKE

bvuathletics.com

Sister Mary became part of the team during the fall, giving BVU a one-two punch in goattying, barrel racing, and breakaway roping, the three categories in which they compete in under the Great Plains Region of the National Intercollegiate Rodeo Association.

Sisters, Micah (left) and Mary (right) Barnes.

‘SISTER ACT’ LASSOS BVU’S FIRST RODEO COMPETITIONS Micah Barnes

When sisters Micah and Mary Barnes stepped foot on the Buena Vista University campus, they didn’t realize they’d make history, the first competitors to officially represent the University in National Intercollegiate Rodeo Association competition.

“We’re in the middle of our competitive careers right now,” says Mary, a sophomore business major who also plays on the Beaver basketball team. “It’ll be cool someday to look back on BVU rodeo and know we helped get it all started.”

The Beaver rodeo team is one of several sports and club activities BVU continues to explore, outcomes of the Strategic Plan’s focused growth initiative. The others involve livestock judging, competitive gaming (E-sports), trap shooting, and women’s wrestling.

These activities complement competitive dance and cheer teams, which now compete regularly.

“We’re thrilled to be able to expand the opportunities

30

available for student-athletes,” says Jack Denholm, athletic director. “Studies show that students who participate in an activity outside of class, whether that’s a sport, or a musical activity, or a club on campus, those students have a much higher inclination to earn good grades and graduate. Studies have also shown that students who are involved in extracurriculars tend to be very productive employees once their working careers begin.”

Micah Barnes, a four-sport student-athlete at AltaAurelia High School, came to BVU as a freshman with designs on participating in rodeo as an independent.

However, a broken ankle that didn’t heal (and broke again) sidelined those aspirations. Barnes, a senior biology major revisited the rodeo idea as a junior.

President Joshua Merchant and faculty members were all supportive.

“If I missed class due to rodeo, my professors were all great about allowing me to make up assignments and exams,” Micah says. “I was really proud to have the BVU imprint on my rodeo vest.”

Beyond the Arch | February 2020

MEMORIES OF ‘MOOSE’ INSPIRE TEAMMATES Mary Barnes

“We compete in the spring and fall, doing rodeos in the Dakotas, Wisconsin, Nebraska, and Iowa,” Micah says, noting how competitors come from those states and Minnesota.

Points earned at each stop accumulate with top finishers qualifying for the College National Finals Rodeo in Casper, Wyo. Mary’s forte is barrel racing, while Micah’s strength is found in goat tying and breakaway roping. The daughters of Marty and Kendall Barnes, of rural Peterson, train on the family ranch, riding horses they raise. The family is well known in rodeo circles having supplied stock for high school, collegiate, and professional competitions across the U.S. for more than a half-century.

Marty Barnes serves as the BVU rodeo coach and often calls on his daughters to assist in handling stock when they’re not competing at collegiate rodeos.

“We were raised in the rodeo business,” Mary says.

“It’s how a lot of people know our family.”

And, soon, rodeo might be another way in which people across the country come to identify BVU. If the interest on campus is any indication, the sport will continue to surge. Landon Sullivan, BVU instructor of animal science, is a former rodeo competitor who keeps a roping dummy in his office, allowing Micah and Mary to work on their mechanics between classes.

“We can’t say enough about the support we’re receiving from the administration, the faculty and staff, and from students,” Mary says.

Tim McDaniel, BVU assistant professor of mathematics, illustrated the fact in returning a recent paper to Micah, an assignment she aced. “Professor McDaniel handed the paper back to me and said, ‘You rode this assignment for the whole eight seconds! Is that the right terminology? Did I say it correctly?’”

Micah smiles and says with a nod, “He said it correctly.”

Buena Vista University

The Buena Vista University men’s basketball team on Oct. 27 joined members of the campus community in a memorial for Canyon “Moose” Hopkins ‘19, whose courageous 14-month fight against Stage 4 Synovial Soft Tissue Sarcoma ended on Oct. 24. An estimated 2,000 people attended Hopkins’ funeral at Earlham High School on Nov. 3.

“Canyon’s diagnosis came the day before he was to leave to come back to BVU for his junior year,” said his older brother, Denton Hopkins. “It crushed him not to be in the place he loved so much.”

Members of the basketball team filled rows of seats behind Denton and his parents, Monte and Trish Hopkins, and Canyon’s longtime girlfriend, Chelsea Hildenbrand, a current BVU student, at the vigil in Schaller Memorial Chapel.

President Joshua Merchant remembered the trademark smile “Moose” shared when Merchant presented him his BVU diploma on Oct. 17.

“After he was diagnosed ‘Moose’ helped rally all of us,” Merchant said. “He brought us together. He was brave. He helped us to be brave. Through his fight and the slogans #MooseStrong, #Moose’sMilitia, and #FaithOverFear that became popular here on campus and throughout Central Iowa, ‘Moose’ taught us about determination and kindness.”

“BVU is a special place,” Merchant added, “because of people like the Hopkins family.”

As the candlelight vigil drew to its close, Monte and Trish Hopkins joined Denton and Chelsea in doling out hugs, tears, and smiles for those who remembered laughs amid the grief.

Trish blew a kiss to Canyon’s teammates as Monte stood mere feet from the portrait of his giant son, a key contributor and starter in his two playing seasons at BVU. “Good luck this year,” Monte said as he smiled at two rows of his son’s teammates and friends. “We’ll be there for some games. And ‘Moose’ is going to be right with you every second; on the court, on the bench, every second.”

31

BUENA VISTA UNIVERSITY

HOMECOMING 2019

Emily Ivey, queen Josh Cole, king 32

Beyond the Arch | February 2020

Buena Vista University

33

RING THE BELL

Photographers win Couples’ Choice Award

Alumni Accolades

AmeriCorps volunteer in Grinnell

Panora names head coach

Kylee (Heiland) Boettcher ’02 serves as an instructional coach at the high school and middle school levels for the Panorama Community Schools, where she was named high school head girls’ basketball coach.

Boettcher also serves her community and school as a softball coach.

Iowa Superintendent of the Year lauded

Jodi (Savage) Blackford ’16 served as an AmeriCorps volunteer at the Claude W. and Dolly Ahrens Foundation in Grinnell during the summer of 2019, researching data to help support the establishment of a web-based tool to connect volunteers with organizations in the community.

Joel Pedersen ’99 was named Iowa School Superintendent of the Year by the School Administrators of Iowa.

Pedersen has overseen $11 million in infrastructure improvements and a net-enrollment gain of 338 students during his 10 years of leadership within the Cardinal of Eldon Community School District.

Ed-Co coach earns Hall of Fame nod

Dr. Derek Schwartz ’15 joined his wife, Sadie Schwartz, in opening Manning Dental in Manning, a business that was honored with a Manning Chamber of Commerce ribbon cutting celebration on Sept. 5.

34

Doctor brings family, practice to Storm Lake

Dr. Elizabeth (Ahrendsen) Dupic ’11 began seeing patients this fall at UnityPoint Clinic Family Health Center in Storm Lake, which serves Buena Vista Regional Medical Center. Dupic specializes in family medicine and has clinical interests in primary care, pediatric care, obstetrical care, and women’s health. Dr. Dupic is joined in Storm Lake by her husband, Kyle Dupic ’12, and their children, Elise, 3, and Beatrice, 1.

Iowa Western names Outstanding Alum

Beyond the Arch | February 2020

Attorney Adrienne B. Haynes ’10 was named to the Kansas City Business Journal’s Power 100 List in April. Additionally, Haynes was nominated for the Journal’s “Women Who Mean Business Award” in May. Haynes, who specializes in helping entrepreneurs develop sustainable infrastructure and business practices, is managing partner of SEED Law and owner of SEE Collective.

Attorney Michelle Jungers ’04 was featured in The Waterloo Courier’s “20 Under 40” section.

Jungers, who has litigated with Iowa Legal Aid for 11 years, has managed the organization since 2016. She serves on Cedar Valley Friends of the Family and is vice president of the House of Hope in Waterloo.

Photographer Justin Rogers ’07 shows photographs from around the state while detailing efforts captured for his book, “Images From the Heart of Iowa.”

Rogers’ photos have been featured in publications such as “Farm & Ranch Living,” “Our Iowa and Country,” and more. He has also done photography projects in Mexico, Iceland, and Ireland.

Deb (Milburn) Debbaut ’85 was named the Iowa Western Alumni Association’s 2019 Outstanding Alum. Debbaut serves as director of grants programs for the Iowa West Foundation.

Attorney earns Kansas City honors

Waterloo attorney honored

Roger Wright ’87 will be inducted into the Iowa Girls’ Coaches Hall of Fame on April 4 in a ceremony in Cedar Rapids.

The longtime athletic director serving Edgewood-Colesburg High School won 326 games as the Ed-Co girls’ basketball coach from 1988 to 2013.

Images show Heart of Iowa

Manning Dental opens

Tanner ’12 and Sarah (Brewbaker) Urich ’09 earned the 2018 Wedding Wire Couples’ Choice Award for wedding photography. The couple founded ZTS Photo, which focuses on weddings, portraits, and commercial photography, in Des Moines in 2009. The couple welcomed a son, Oliver, in January 2019.

Attorney focuses on education

Attorney Elizabeth Heffernan ’14 has joined Ahlers & Cooney, PC, as a member of the Public Law Practice area focused on educational law, litigation, and employment law. Heffernan will work with K-12 school districts and institutions of higher education.

Storm Lake High School names vice principal

Mike Cameron ’05 was named vice principal serving Storm Lake High School. Cameron and wife, Kelli (Staley) Cameron ’06, relocated to Storm Lake from Ankeny, where Mike served as an administrator at SCAVO, the Des Moines Community School District’s alternative school.

Buena Vista University

35

BVU soccer alumni joined one current Beaver at the Iowa Games in July.

From left: Gary Backous ’02, Brian Pregler ’07, Daniel Padilla ’06, Chris Allen ’02, Elvir Alicic ’01, Oscar Cardenas ’02, and BVU freshman Brayden Bergum.

Several members of the 1992 BVU National Championship Runner-Up softball team were also on-hand as the team was inducted in the BVU Athletics Hall of Fame.

Coach Marge Willadsen’s club earned the Iowa Conference title with a 12-2 mark, part of an overall 29-10 ledger.

faculty/staff

ALUMNI EVENTS

alumni

60 37 Gifts from Gifts from alumni faculty/staff

50 Gifts from friends

47 50 Gifts from Gifts from friends current parents

’

& HAPPENINGS

Members of BVU’s Cornerstone Guard enjoyed exploring the innerworkings of BVU’s High Performance and Visualization Center, the first virtual-reality lab of its kind at an Iowa university.

This “playtime” for alums was a “virtual” hit at Homecoming, allowing graduates to experience a state-of-the-art facility they’ve helped make a “reality.”

March 8: Concert band performance, 2 p.m.

March 16-20: Spring Break

March 27-April 25: Wendell Arneson “Migration/Immigration,” BVU Art Gallery

UPCOMING EVENTS Feb. 15-March 20: WISE Student HS Show, Art Gallery

Feb. 16: Track & Field clinic for HS student-athletes, 9:30 a.m. to 3 p.m.

36

More than 200 supporters representing 15 states and two countries teamed up to make Giving Tuesday a success for Buena Vista University. In excess of $20,000 was contributed by benefactors to 18 BVU teams and programs as part of the annual event, which BVU joined for the first time.

Six of “Baxter’s Beavers,” wrestlers for legendary Coach Al Baxter, gathered on Nov. 16 at the Frohling residence in Beloit, Kan. Shown are Randy Alger ’82, Wade Winekauf ’83, Rick Dawson ’81, Jamy Ball ’83, 37’80 and 60 Ron Peterson Gifts from Wyatt Frohling ’81. Gifts from

Shelly (Barr) TerHark ’86, Scott Weber ’04, Courtney (Andersen) Berg ’01, and Nick Dentlinger ’98, became the latest individuals inducted into the BVU Athletic Hall of Fame during halftime ceremonies and a banquet during Homecoming festivities in September. Dentlinger, a two-time all-IIAC player and Weber, a twotime league MVP, were members of the men’s basketball team, while Berg, an IIAC MVP, excelled on the softball diamond. TerHark was an all-conference volleyball player and started for the 1984 National Championship softball team.

BVU alumni who graduated 50 years ago or longer gathered in front of the Victory Arch with their spouses during Homecoming festivities to celebrate the induction of the Class of 1969 into the Cornerstone Guard.

#BEAVERSGIVE RECAP

BVU alumni gathered recently at the Paramore residence in Chicago. From left, are: Sheldon Paramore ’13, Tiffiney (Belmont) Jenkins, Durant T. Freeman Jr. ’12, Dawnielle Smith ’08, Juan Lee ’08, Dominique Daily ’13, Ronald Muhammad ’09, and Kenneth Muldrow III ’10.

Beyond the Arch | February 2020

March 7: Baseball top prospect camp,10 a.m. to 1 p.m.

March 7: Baseball pre-season pitching camp, 2-5 p.m.

March 8: Marquis brunch at Sodexo, 11 a.m. to 1 p.m.

Buena Vista University

April 4: BVU Athletics Fundraiser, comedian/magician, 6-10 p.m.

$ IN

June TBD: Wrestling team camp

June TBD: Women’s basketball camp June TBD: Men’s basketball camp July 19: RAGBRAI

July 27: Drum Corps International

April 5: Marquis brunch at Sodexo, 11 a.m. to 1 p.m.

April 23-25: BVU Theatre “Wait Until Dark,” 7:30 p.m.

April 25: Scholars Day

April 28: Buenafication Day May 5: Jazz band performance, 7 p.m.

May 10: Mother’s Day Marquis brunch at Sodexo, 11 a.m. to 1 p.m.

June 20: Women’s soccer camp June 27: Soccer camp for high school seniors and juniors

37

Bral Named Vice President of Extended University Programs In October, Jean (Hull) Bral ’89 was named vice president of Extended University Programs, a new divisional operating structure created to better serve BVU’s online, site, and graduate school programming.

‘Alum in Residence’

Bral, who served as director of operations for BVU’s online, site, and graduate programs from 2011 to 2018, became executive director of the University’s graduate programs in 2018 and helped oversee an enrollment increase to 337 students, second most all-time.

TYLER OBERREUTER

“It has been an honor to work for my alma mater, and I deeply appreciate the opportunities BVU offers all our students not only here in Storm Lake, but at our locations across the state of Iowa and online,” Bral says. “I have always believed education can change someone’s story. It can change their life in ways they can’t foresee, and I am grateful to be a part of offering those opportunities.”

Veterinary school student shares time, talent on campus

For nine months following his BVU graduation, Tyler Oberreuter ’18 drove a truck, delivering propane. It wasn’t where Oberreuter, a veterinary medicine/biology major, envisioned he’d start his career.

at BVU are both awesome. The facilities on campus and the experience you can get off campus during your undergraduate days at BVU are phenomenal. I’m here to ask you to take advantage of all that BVU has to offer.”

“I worked 60 hours per week throwing propane tanks and hauling loads of tanks,” says Oberreuter, a Beaver tight end during his football playing days from 2014 to 2017.

BVU allowed Oberreuter to develop close ties with his professors, including Mellmann. Working at Lake Animal Hospital in Storm Lake put this Beaver in close contact with Dr. A.A. Stepan, a friendship that continues to grow.

On the day his high school alma mater, Odebolt Arthur Battle Creek Ida Grove (OABCIG), played for a state football title this fall, Oberreuter found himself at BVU, an outgrowth of an “Alum in Residence” initiative directed by BVU Career & Leadership Development; all the while keeping a promise to his adviser, Dr. Lisa Mellmann, BVU associate professor of chemistry.

“I’m here today because of Dr. Mellmann,” Oberreuter says during a presentation to freshmen STEM students.

“Dr. Mellmann advised me all the way through BVU. As a freshman, I told her I wanted to graduate early from BVU and get into veterinary school. She encouraged me to stay at BVU for four years.”

Oberreuter didn’t follow Mellmann’s advice on that question. “She was right. I was wrong,” he admits. “My point: Listen to your professors.”

One byproduct of cramming an undergraduate experience into 3.5 years was a 3.0 grade-point average for Oberreuter, a level not quite high enough for immediate acceptance into the Iowa State University College of Veterinary Science. So, Oberreuter began trucking until he gained admission to a veterinary school in the Cayman Islands. Three semesters there, coupled with a sharpening of study habits developed late in his BVU career, allowed Oberreuter to boost his GPA to meet ISU specifications.

His hard work paid off. Oberreuter, now a second-year veterinary school student at ISU, says, “I’m finding at Iowa State the research opportunities and the teaching 38

Oberreuter joined Stepan for coffee at Common Grounds before speaking with Mellmann’s class. A second presentation to BVU’s Pre-Vet Club followed. At day’s end, Oberreuter, still wide-eyed at the incredible renovation of Siebens Forum, curled up with his laptop in the Cordell ’63 and Sandra Peterson Fireside Lounge, making himself comfortable as he watched as his OABCIG Falcons claimed their first state title.

“I hate missing the game, but I couldn’t break my commitment to Dr. Mellmann,” Oberreuter says.

“She was so good in writing to others about my leadership, my class participation, my community involvement. All the things I did at BVU really prepared me for veterinary school. It’s important for me to give something back.”

The Manning native began her career in BVU’s Admissions. She has enjoyed roles in Financial Aid and the Registrar’s Office prior to her service with online, site, and graduate programs. She and her husband, Jaymie Bral ’89, are the parents of three adult children, and reside in Storm Lake.

VICE PRESIDENTS NAMED AT BVU Northwest Iowa Native Leads UDAE Gary Klein, a proven leader in institutional advancement and development, has joined BVU as vice president for University Development and Alumni Engagement.

Before coming to BVU, Klein served as vice president for institutional advancement at Edgewood College in Madison, Wisc. He previously served as vice president for institutional advancement at Viterbo University in La Crosse, Wisc., from 2002 to 2015, and held a variety of advancement and development positions from 1996 through 2001 at Saint Mary’s University in Winona, Minn.

“I am excited about returning to northwest Iowa, to a place and people at Buena Vista University that act on bold, visionary ideas,” says Klein, who was raised on a farm near Granville. “I remember coming here as a high school student to participate in a speech contest not long after Siebens Forum opened. It is wonderful to come back at a time when this facility, through the gifts of benefactors, has been reborn, reshaped in a stateof-the-art way to meet the needs of students, staff, faculty members, and friends throughout the community.”

Dr. Lisa Mellmann walks through the Estelle Siebens Science Center with Tyler Oberreuter ‘18.

Beyond the Arch | February 2020

Klein, a Certified Fund Raising Executive, will provide strategic direction, vision, and executive management of all development and alumni operations. He will work to secure external support for BVU through capital campaigns, annual giving, major giving, and planned giving activities.

“I can’t say enough about President Merchant’s leadership, the reputation BVU enjoys in the academic world, and the promise that continues to show through a new comprehensive Strategic Plan,” says Klein, who joins his wife, Melissa, in relocating to Storm Lake.

Buena Vista University

39

Stay Current with

Beyond the Arch in print and our e-newsletter!

Thanks for reading Buena Vista University’s official magazine, Beyond the Arch!

We hope you enjoy the new look, campus news, and your favorite features.

If you don’t already receive printed editions—like this one—make sure to register at bvu.edu/ beyond where you can also sign up to receive our monthly e-newsletter edition of Beyond the Arch!

Refer a Future Beaver

610 West 4th St. Storm Lake, IA 50588

ADDRESS SERVICE REQUESTED

Do you know a high school student who would be a great fit for Buena Vista University, a place that values personal attention and empowers the future of Iowa and beyond?

Encourage them to apply at bvu.edu/apply. It’s free!