Butler Magazine Fall 2023

FALL 2023

a publication of butler university

“The present faculty of Butler University is doing the same thing [as previous instructors]. It is confronting the problems of today, problems far different from those that faced its predecessors, and it is meeting them with a courage, a wisdom, and a patience that commands admiration.”

—Butler Alumnal Quarterly, April 1928

TABLE OF

CONTENTS

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FROM THE PRESIDENT

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FIND YOUR NEXT

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RETURNING ROLE

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CONNECTING BULLDOGS

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AN ABIDING DEVOTION

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GUIDED PATHS

strives to answer a powerful question

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EMPOWERING IMPACT

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FOLLOW-THROUGH

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COLLABORATIVE COMMUNITY

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PURSUING PASSIONS

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BREAKING THE MODEL

4 1,200 YEARS IN THE MAKING Professor Brian Murphy prepares campus for a once-in-a-lifetime occurrence 6 A NEW PATHWAY Butler introduces its new, two-year college Butler+ extends access to the University Grant Leiendecker ’11 returns to Butler Athletics

Nii Abrahams helps tackle the challenges of a student’s first year

Butler faculty support their students beyond the classroom

Collaboration between Professor Tom Mould and Braxton Martorano ’22 Mike Simmons MBA ’02 builds a second career helping nonprofits Sophomore Victory Sampson’s carefully laid plan

Framing The Indianapolis Center for Arts Education and Innovation Providing resources to the community is the goal for Maylin Andrade Saracayo ’27

A COE Certificate Program adapts to answer an urgent need 26 NOURISHING CURIOSITY The Lifelong Learning Collaborative feeds those with a taste for knowledge 27 THOUGHTFUL PLANNING The DMS Bridge Program expands the career of graduate Muhammad Jan 28 CREATING A HUB Al Carroll ’13 is helping to shape the future of Indianapolis 30 REMEMBERING ROSS Residents from throughout the years share their memories 32

HOMECOMING IN PHOTOS

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CLASS ACTS

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IN MEMORIUM

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BLUE’S VIEWS

A weekend of reuniting

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A Clear View Vision isn’t just about seeing what’s immediately before us, but rather looking beyond the horizon and imagining the possibilities. Just as navigators once used the stars to chart their course, so too have educational institutions relied on visionaries to illuminate their path forward.

The cover of this magazine bears testament to such foresight—iconic Holcomb Observatory, a symbol of Butler University’s enduring quest for knowledge. In 1889, thanks to the vision and support of Joseph I. Irwin, a member of the Board of Trustees, Butler built its very first observatory—a modest metallic dome.

Decades later, in 1953, James Irving Holcomb and his wife, in celebrating the University’s centennial, magnified this vision, leading to the creation of an observatory designed for both the public and the student body. As time moved on, our pursuit to push boundaries continued. By 1997, we had revolutionized our gaze into the great expanse, making it possible to discern celestial wonders fainter than the human eye could ever perceive. From foundational courses to groundbreaking research, our observatory hasn’t just been a structure; it’s been a testament to our relentless drive to look beyond, to see more, and to understand the vastness that surrounds us.

In April 2024, our campus will find itself directly in the path of totality during a total solar eclipse—a phenomenon of remarkable rarity. Anticipating the influx of attention and distinction this event will bring both Indianapolis and Butler, we are well down the path of magnifying our presence, given the reputation both Butler and the Holcomb Observatory have garnered as pioneers in astronomical studies.

Dive into this magazine’s interview with Professor Brian Murphy for a deeper exploration of this celestial event.

As our horizons expand, another transformative vision is coming to life with the inauguration of a new college as detailed in this issue. The 2019 launch of the Butler Beyond strategy underscored a key tenet of our educational aspirations: the “Founding Mission” model of education. This was inspired by a bold challenge I put forward—to develop a $10,000 degree, a concept that epitomized our commitment to developing accessible and economically viable educational pathways. Building upon the proven success of the Come To Believe model, and thanks to the vision, commitment, and relentless work of many faculty and staff, Butler is now on its way to providing an affordable degree for those who could not otherwise attend Butler, reflective of the 1855 vision of Ovid Butler.

Your unwavering support and commitment are the cornerstones of our success, and, together, we will continue to envision and shape the future of Butler University.

Best regards,

James Danko

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By Marc Allan MFA ’18 Professor of Physics and Astronomy Brian Murphy has traveled great distances for an optimal

view of a total solar eclipse—to Manitoba, Canada (1979), Vietnam (1995), and southern Illinois, with students and alumni (2017).

On April 8, 2024, all he’ll have to do is exit the Holcomb Observatory and Planetarium.

That day, for the first time in roughly 1,200 years, Butler will be in the path of totality of a solar eclipse.

For three minutes and 50 seconds, from 3:06:04 to 3:09:54 PM, the moon will completely block the sun, and Murphy will be in his element.

“It’s the Super Bowl of Super Bowls of astronomical events,” says Murphy, who is also the Director of the Observatory and Planetarium. “It’s the World CupSuper Bowl-Tour de France-Indy 500 all tied into one— not from the research side but from the awe-inspiring side. It’s just an amazing sight, and you really can’t describe it till you see it.”

What you’ll see that day is what early Asian cultures thought was a dragon eating the sun and Native Americans considered a time of transformation not to be feared. Assuming the weather is good and the sky is clear, Murphy says the first thing you’ll notice is the slowly dimming sky, particularly as totality nears. If you look down during the partial phases of the eclipse, you’ll see rays of sunlight poking through the tree canopy. Normally, you’d see circles being projected onto the ground. But they’ll slowly begin to take on crescent shapes, mimicking the sun as it becomes more and more eclipsed.

As totality approaches—during the 10 minutes or so before 3:06 PM—things will start to change rapidly as more and more of the sun is blocked.

“And when you get to that final one percent sliver of the sun left, that’s when the streetlights start to come on, the birds start roosting, and insects chirping,” he says.

“If you look to the west, you’ll see this wall of darkness coming at you. That’s the moon’s shadow, approaching at 2,000 miles per hour. And then the last tiny speck of the sun’s surface is visible along with the corona beginning to make its appearance. That’s called the diamond ring effect because it looks like this bright thing on the ring of the corona.”

After that, totality.

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“The moon’s shadow, the column of darkness, is fully on top of you and it looks as though the sun is setting everywhere along the horizon because it’s still shining 50–60 miles away from you. It’s like dusk. The brighter stars and planets will appear, and the totally eclipsed sun will appear as a black orb with its beautiful outer corona fully revealed.”

Another thing you’ll see that day is a University deep into the spirit of the event. The Observatory is already selling protective glasses to view the eclipse ($2.00 each) and is offering a special show at the Planetarium about the eclipse. On the day of the eclipse, there will be a dozen telescopes equipped with full glass solar filters outside the observatory for the public to get an even better view.

If that weren’t enough, Murphy, who is retiring in 2024 after 31 years at Butler, is the eclipse’s biggest cheerleader. “Get in the path of totality, even if it is just a couple of miles within the path,” he says.

“If you don’t have totality, you’re not seeing the big event. It’s like watching pee-wee football vs. the Super Bowl. There’s no comparison.”

And if you miss this total solar eclipse, there isn’t another over Indianapolis until 2153.

Aarran Shaw, who takes over when Brian Murphy retires from Butler University at the end of the 2023–2024 school year, has massive shoes to fill. Over 31 years, Murphy has built a tremendous legacy as both a professor of Physics and Astronomy and of a popular Core Curriculum course called “The Astronomical Universe”; as the leader who oversaw a $700,000 renovation of the Holcomb Observatory and Planetarium; and as a mentor to hundreds of students.

“One of the most rewarding aspects of mentoring is witnessing the growth and progress my students achieve through my guidance,” Murphy says. “Over time, it’s not uncommon for students I have mentored for several years to transition from being mentees to becoming valued colleagues. Above all, my greatest satisfaction lies in observing my students achieve their career aspirations and flourish.”

In any given year, Murphy has 5–10 research mentees. One of those was Nathan Villiger, who graduated from Butler in December 2017. As a first-year student, Villiger started working as a tour guide at the Observatory and Planetarium, where he learned to operate telescopes and planetarium equipment and to communicate scientific information to audiences of all backgrounds.

In subsequent years, they worked together on observational astronomy research, remotely operating telescopes in Arizona, Chile, and the Canary Islands from a remote observing lab in the department. They took thousands of images of star clusters, then used a specialized astronomy software to find and characterize variable stars (stars whose brightness changes over time) within the star clusters.

Villiger finished his PhD at the University of Oregon in June 2023 and thanked Murphy in the acknowledgements section of his dissertation: “Thanks to the Department of Physics and Astronomy at Butler for giving me the foundation to make this possible,” he wrote.

“I especially want to thank my undergraduate advisor, Dr. Brian Murphy, for giving me opportunities to work as a tour guide at the Observatory and get involved in research from the very beginning of my time there. You had a huge impact on my life.”

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By Cindy Dashnaw Jackson With the cost of post-secondary education today, historically underserved students hardly dare to dream of earning a college degree. Until now.

Butler University is about to become one of the few institutions in the country to open a college designed to provide local underrepresented students with access to a degree—access that will create a pathway first to an associate’s degree, then to hands-on guidance transitioning to a Butler bachelor’s degree—with little to no student debt.

The new college, yet unnamed at the time of this printing, harkens back to Butler’s education-for-all roots and reinforces its reputation for innovation.* The college is based on the nationally recognized Come To Believe (CTB) model.

“Butler’s founder, Ovid Butler, was a radical in pre-Civil War Indiana because he actively and adamantly believed education should be available to everyone,” says Brooke Barnett, Butler Provost and Vice President for Academic Affairs. “CTB is a new model of education. It’s a practical reality for students today who need a different approach to earning a college degree.”

Fr. Steve Katsouros, SJ, developed the nonprofit CTB Network (ctbnetwork.org) to provide select commuter colleges with a two-year model for giving underrepresented students access to a degree or the education necessary for meaningful employment. Butler’s version will apply the University’s tradition of a low student-to-faculty ratio and one-to-one help for students who want to continue to a fouryear degree after attaining the two-year credential.

By supporting talented students who demonstrate potential but lack opportunity, Katsouros says, the CTB model addresses two consequential challenges for higher education.

“High tuition costs and student loan balances get in the way of upward mobility, and students who need the most resources are ending up in institutions with the least resources available to help them succeed,” he says.

Butler was one of only three institutions invited to apply for the inaugural CTB Design Grant, which funded a feasibility study. Butler’s adaptation of CTB is scheduled to launch with the fall 2025 semester.

The Come To Believe model

The CTB model, introduced at Arrupe College of Loyola University Chicago and replicated at Dougherty Family College of the University of St. Thomas, Minnesota, has five key components to its design:

› A college with dedicated pathways to a four-year degree within a robust university system

› Ability to support underserved students › Curriculum that meets the same rigor as the university › Commitment to offering career services throughout enrollment

› Holistic student services › Willingness to make the experience affordable for students

Flexible schedule, little to no debt are hallmarks of new degree program for historically underserved students.

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“This program will really differentiate Butler and should give them a place at the table in the national conversation about how to help underserved students.”

– Fr. Steve Katsouros, SJ, Come To Believe Network In selecting Butler for its initial design grant cohort, Katsouros says Butler met these criteria along with needs for location, space, population, financial health, and robust employment. Still, one thing made the University stand out.

“It’s what made Butler so attractive: Leadership is into innovation. We were very impressed with President [James] Danko and Stephanie Hinshaw. Even before we partnered, they were looking for a way to offer a Butler education for less money. We’re delighted to be working with them. When the Board voted yes, it was a jubilant day for us,” he says.

Same Butler education, new delivery method

Butler’s CTB college will serve Indianapolis-area students who have demonstrated financial need. Students will commute to the Butler campus for morning or afternoon classes. The goal is to keep from forcing students to choose between college and a job or family obligations, says Hinshaw, who is Executive Director of the Butler Beyond Transformation Lab. “Potential is everywhere and equally distributed in our world, but opportunity is not,” she says. “Butler’s interpretation of the CTB model will help local individuals who have great

potential but don’t have the opportunities or access other students have.”

She stresses that Butler will still offer the high-quality curriculum it’s known for: intentional, challenging, and revelatory.

“We’re not lessening the quality or vigor of our education.

Students will earn a respected credential grounded in our liberal arts tradition. The model allows us to deliver the same quality Butler education but in ways more suited to students’ needs,” she says.

Two of the biggest obstacles for historically underserved students have been student debt and scheduling.

“For many students, the traditional residential college model isn’t doable. They may have to work or care for family members. They may have other reasons why they can’t live on campus. This model addresses those and other barriers and gives students options,” Hinshaw says. “Then there are firstgeneration students who may need other kinds of support from their university. The CTB model includes holistic student support—embedded counselors, a one-stop shop, those sorts of resources.”

According to CTB, more than 90 percent of CTB students earn a two-year degree with little to no debt. Butler’s funding will come through a combination of aid and fundraising that Katsouros calls “Butlerizing the CTB model,” adding, “It reinforces that Butler is an innovator within higher education. This program will really differentiate Butler and should give them a place at the table in the national conversation about how to help underserved students.”

*U.S.News & World Report ranked Butler as the No. 1 Most Innovative School in the Midwest for the ninth consecutive year.

2024 Best Colleges Rankings

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FIND YOUR As Butler seeks to support learners of all life stages and in alignment with the University’s Strategic Direction, the Division of Professional Studies (DPS) was established to serve the needs of adult and online learners through degree, certificate, and non-degree programs. It also helps organizations achieve their employee training and development Julie Straubb goals through the creation of custom programs tailored to an organization’s needs. Julie Straub, the inaugural Senior Executive Director for DPS, describes how Butler+ will serve as the entry point for non-traditional learners served through DPS. What is Butler+?

Butler+ is a University-wide initiative—our virtual front door that unites online, graduate, and professional learning (non-credit pathways). It’s a collection of opportunities and services that are targeted to be able to serve those students that Butler hasn’t traditionally served in the past—so anything that extends access to the University, opening pathways to personal and professional advancement for career-focused adults who want to earn degrees or credentials that will advance their career and economic mobility.

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Why does the University need a strategy like Butler+?

The way that we learn—and work—has changed, so the way that we approach how we teach and provide services to individuals also has to change and be responsive to a lifetime of learning. We know the demographic shift has already started as we see there are fewer students in the traditional market and the needs of the workforce are changing. We’re talking about both individual learners and organizations because we’re seeing our partners out in industry with jobs they can’t fill, and they’re not able to retain the employees they have. That’s the big focus—being responsive to what the needs of the industry and our community are. We are using data and research to keep a close finger on the pulse of what’s happening and what the challenges are and working to really co-create those solutions together.

What does that look like for the learner?

Whatever it is, if there’s a transition that someone is wanting to upskill or trying to prepare for a new position or earn a promotion and needs to learn a skill, there is that next step.

That’s how we landed on the tagline, “Find Your Next.” Most adults can’t stop working and just focus on school full time, so they need an educational model that allows them to work and care for their family and go to school all at the same time.

Also, sometimes individuals aren’t ready for a full degree.

They may want to come in and get a digital credential, a “just in time” type of skill or knowledge that they need to help them stand out in a job search. Later they may want to come back to Butler and stack that forward toward a certificate or toward a degree program. They want to continue to build on the knowledge and skills that they gain over time to continue to promote and accelerate their pathway. We want to be the partner of choice for people in that educational journey across their lifetime.

How is Butler+ funded?

We received generous initial funding through our partnership with the Lilly Foundation in a three-year grant. We just passed our 50 percent mark in that grant, with approximately 18 months left in the grant timeline. Our measurement metrics that we are accountable for achieving are the number of programs that we launch, the number of learners that we serve, and the amount of anticipated revenue that we’re able to generate for impact in this area. We already have exceeded our number of programs and learners and we’ll be working toward the revenue and continuing to increase opportunities and pathways over the next year and a half.

Julie Straub has grounded her career in entrepreneurial education initiatives, launching new, innovative approaches to online, professional, corporate, and adult lifelong learning programs.

Previously, Straub served as the founding Director of the Miami University (Ohio) E-Campus to build a virtual enterprise to expand access and affordability to higher education.

She led the creation of a full-service virtual campus that offers online programs, degrees, and digital credentials with exponential growth and success in the persistence of online and adult learners to increase high-quality access and equity in education and career opportunities through partnerships in the public and private sectors.

Programs Currently Offered Through Butler+

Online Degree Programs › Strategic Communication Graduate Certificate › Master of Science in Strategic Communication › Master of Business Administration Online Program › Master of Science in Data Analytics › Doctor of Pharmacy Online Pathway › Master of Science in Mental Health Counseling › Master of Science in School Counseling Professional Education Offerings › Butler Insurance Academy › Cyber Risk Management Certificate › Enterprise Risk Management Certificate › Insurance and Securities Licensure Test Prep › CFP Test Prep Certificate › Foundations in Business Certificate › Teacher-Led, Teacher Education › Early Childhood Educator Certificate Program › Coaching as a Mentality Course › Design Thinking Certificate › Certified Management Consultant Designation › Medical Device Sales Program

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RETURNING ROL

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By Jennifer Gunnels

E

Twelve years after finishing his final game as a member of the Butler Men’s Basketball team that competed in back-to-back national championship games, Grant Leiendecker ’11 returned to Hinkle Fieldhouse in August in a new role as Associate Vice President for Athletics.

“I’ve walked into that building 1,000 times, but to know I’m walking in as an employee now is surreal,” Leiendecker says. “It means so much to me as an Indiana kid who grew up loving basketball to get to come to work here every day. I had a tremendous academic and athletic experience at Butler, so it’s really cool to be back and have it all come full circle.”

Leiendecker most recently served as the Assistant Vice President, Senior Associate Athletic Director for Development at Marquette University, and before that worked in athletics fundraising at the University of North Carolina—Chapel Hill. In his new role, Leiendecker will lead the comprehensive advancement program for Butler Athletics, reporting to Barry Collier ’76, Vice President and Director of Athletics.

“My experience as a student-athlete here was really transformational when I think about my career and life trajectory and how I grew as a person and leader. The life lessons I find myself leaning on most often were developed here from my coaches and my teammates. So I’m really humbled and grateful to have the opportunity to now give an experience back to our current and future students.”

Leiendecker was inducted into the Butler Athletics Hall of Fame in 2021 along with his teammates from the 2010 and 2011 teams that made appearances in the national championship games. He says the values of The Butler Way were instrumental to the success of those teams, and will continue to be at the heart of Butler Athletics going forward. Still, he sees opportunities to enhance the athletics program further through philanthropic support.

“We will always have our Butler values to guide us, but we cannot rely on those alone for our success because we’re competing in a new era. There’s an opportunity for us to invest in some key areas that

are going to help us maintain and continue to elevate our success going forward.”

Among those key areas are investments in the student-athlete experience–everything from travel and facilities to nutrition and mental health support.

“We’re relatively behind our BIG EAST peers in some of those areas, so there are opportunities for alumni, parents, and friends to help us make sure we’re providing a competitive and supportive experience for all our student-athletes. At the foundation that means making sure their mental and physical health are prioritized so they’re in the best possible position to compete for BIG EAST championships.”

With the introduction of legislation allowing student-athletes to benefit from their name, image, and likeness (NIL), that also includes support for All Good Dawgs, Butler’s NIL collective.

“A strong NIL collective is becoming a very important aspect of running a high-achieving athletics program.

We’re fortunate to have the leadership and alignment that we do with the All Good Dawgs NIL Collective.

We need to continue educating Butler supporters on the importance of investing in this as it relates to success in recruiting and providing a great studentathlete experience,” says Leiendecker.

As he enjoys the nostalgia of returning to his alma mater, he is eager to reconnect with other former student-athletes whose lives were shaped by their Butler experience.

“Our student-athletes have such a unique experience on this campus because of the time spent with their coaches and teammates; you’re bonded in a unique way and when you leave this place, you miss that,” Leiendecker says. “That’s a special relationship, and our job is to make sure that we’re maintaining that connection and encouraging our former student-athletes to stay engaged and come back. I look forward to working closely with our Athletics and Advancement staff to take advantage of the opportunities in front of us. I couldn’t be more grateful to be back at Butler and I’m looking forward to getting to work.”

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By Katie Grieze Butler has long been known for its first-year experience, earning a spot in the national ranks. But by hiring Nii Kpakpo Abrahams in 2022 as the inaugural Director of the First-Year Experience, the University is placing even more focus on ensuring new Bulldogs feel connected.

“We have a moral imperative to deliver on the promises that are made to admitted students,” Abrahams says. “We say all these things about the University during recruitment, but there was previously no single person making sure all those things happened. Everyone was kind of doing it. That’s why my role was created—to bring faculty and staff together in creating a smooth pathway for first-year students.”

Starting in 2021, Butler partnered with the Gardner Institute for a year-long study aimed to investigate all aspects of the first-year and transfer college experience.

The intent of the study was to improve student learning and persistence and increase student retention. Abrahams was hired as one of about 50 action items resulting from the study.

“A lot of our work is centered on making sure there are no gaps in the process,” Abrahams says of the program now known as ButlerONE. “My goal behind ButlerONE is that it’s a complete pathway from the time a student deposits to the time we celebrate the end of their first year.”

Abrahams began his career in communication, receiving both his bachelor’s and master’s degrees from Missouri State University. He held several roles in the field before moving to Fishers, Indiana, in 2016 to found a church with some friends.

Splitting his time with the church, he began teaching adjunct courses at Ivy Tech while freelancing for a branding agency, then joined the admission team at Anderson University in 2019. He eventually wanted the chance to support students more long term. He found that in a position as Anderson’s Director of Orientation and First Year Experience, holding that role for about a year before Butler invited him to apply.

“Butler is one of those schools that when they call, you answer,” he says.

Now, Abrahams aims to help students find a sense of belonging.

“I frame this as ‘to belong and to become,’” he says. “That they are developing into the person they want to be, but also that they are finding a community, both academically and socially.”

Those communities begin forming after students arrive on campus, with an orientation led by Meg Haggerty ’04, Director of New Student and Family Programs, and

Josiah Hatfield, Assistant Director of New Student and Family Programs. The four-day event is focused on social engagement and supported by returning student mentors.

Students then join a First-Year Seminar course, which lasts two semesters and goes beyond teaching basic study skills, instead demonstrating all aspects of college-level academics.

“The First-Year Seminar is taught by passion-led faculty who teach about things that are exciting to them,” Abrahams explains. “We see all sorts of really cool and relevant topics.

Through that, new students are introduced to the college classroom: They learn how to have civil discourse, how to write, and how to engage.”

While Orientation, First-Year Seminar, and other impactful Student Affairs programming have been key parts of Butler for years, Abrahams is working to coordinate all those pieces together into a more cohesive, holistic experience.

So far, that has included changes like streamlining Orientation and communicating more throughout the year to provide the right information at the right time. Abrahams’ team also created a podcast called “The Struggle is Real,” which interviews Butler faculty, staff, and returning students about their own first years at college.

“We want to normalize that there is a struggle in your first year, and that’s okay,” Abrahams says. “That’s part of the process, and it’s how we build resilience.”

To help ease some of that struggle, the team is empowering those who support new students every day. Faculty now have access to more specialized professional development opportunities, including a new grant-funded fellowship based on the themes of vocation, meaning, and uncertainty.

Members of these cohorts will learn strategies for working with first-year students in an uncertain world.

“Our incoming students are part of a generation that’s feeling the weight of anxiety and hopelessness, especially with existential crises like climate change and systemic racism,” Abrahams says. “Our hope is that we can help them know their mess is welcome.”

Abrahams is also developing more routes for first-years to receive mentorship from fellow students. The team is currently exploring a peer mentorship program that leverages the already established First-Year Seminar groups, with the vision that every incoming Bulldog has at least one consistent student mentor to lean on.

“We want our first-year students to know they don’t need to have it all figured out,” Abrahams says. “Our job is to mentor, challenge, and celebrate them along the way.”

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Melissa Ryan and Brooke Harris Garad

Derek Reid and Scholar Idjagboro

An Abiding One of the distinguishing features of a Butler education has always been the meaningful relationships between our students and faculty.

In addition to being outstanding scholars in their fields of expertise and well-versed in the leading practices in teaching and learning, Butler faculty care deeply about their students.

As students engage in undergraduate research and servicelearning, they do so alongside faculty members who act not only as teachers but as lifelong mentors. In fact, a demonstrated sense of commitment to students is Butler’s number one criteria when hiring new faculty members. Whether in the dance studio, the biology lab, or the classroom, Butler faculty share an abiding devotion to helping their students learn and thrive during their time at Butler and beyond.

The benefits of mentoring go both ways.

“A first-year teacher can benefit from a seasoned teacher’s knowledge, but a first-year teacher might also remind an experienced teacher of the spark and passion that brought them to the profession in the first place,” says Brooke Harris Garad, Assistant Professor in the College of Education.

Harris Garad met Melissa Ryan ’23, Elementary Education major who minored in both Diverse Learners and Special Education Mild Intervention, when she first joined the College.

“I was her University supervisor, which is a really cool role that folks associated with the College of Education get to have, because I got to visit her teaching in a third-grade class and

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really think deeply and talk a lot about her teaching strategies and the way that theory sort of translates into practice.”

Ryan is grateful for the relationship with Harris Garad, especially as she helped Ryan “to navigate the constant sea of thoughts I had about teaching,” she shares. “She helped to open a space for me to dive into questions of equity in education and provide insights from her own expertise.”

“As a teacher, I’ve grown so much because of Dr. Harris Garad,” says Ryan. “She was so inspirational with all of her expertise and knowledge and advice and kindness. I constantly felt uplifted by her, and I felt like I was in an environment where I was supported and encouraged to really go out there and try new things.”

Serious about our art, and our community.

“Mentoring helps to sift through all of the different opportunities that are on a college campus while also maintaining a focus towards your goal, which is hopefully a degree in a specific subject,” says Derek Reid ’87, Professor of Dance in the Jordan College of the Arts.

Scholar Idjagboro, who graduated in 2022 as a Dance Performance major, remembers her audition day. “When I walked in I felt like I already had so much support; everyone welcomed me with open arms,” she says. “Having close relationships with your professors is one of the best things about Butler. If I needed to discuss anything they were always there.”

Reid adds, “We have a community here. It’s a small university, where the students know the professors and the professors

Marleen McCormick Prichard and Lauryn Lintner

Mikaela Drake and Alli Leonard

Devotion... know the students. In Jordan College, we are challenging the students to develop their artistry, and to develop specific techniques. But they can also just remove themselves into a studio or into a practice room and focus on their art, and that makes JCA a really unique place: where you’ve got artists that are working to become better citizens.”

The connections are the best part of Butler.

“I think that universities can play an important role in student development,” shares Marleen McCormick Prichard, Associate Professor of Management in the Lacy School of Business. “They’re at this pivotal point of transitioning from high school to college and then from college to their career, and so we can really help them and mentor and provide an individualized approach to this. It helps students guide their way.”

For International Business graduate Lauryn Lintner ’23, “Dr. McCormick was there for me, wearing a million and one hats.

She served as a professor, business coach, resume builder, confidant, support system, connection, friend, stand-in mom, mentor, role model, and so much more during my time at Butler.”

But, McCormick shares, the influence goes both ways. “[The students] encourage me to teach them practical tools they may use after graduation. I also incorporate reflective activities into my capstone course where students share how they became who they are today and who they wish to become.”

Lintner is grateful for the personal attention she received through her relationship with McCormick. “I was treated as an individual student with my dreams, goals, and aspirations.

I was not pushed down a path that every student studying business should go down. Getting to see Dr. McCormick as a mentor taught me how I want to mentor, how I want to teach, how I want to interact with people.”

Kindness and care goes beyond the classroom.

“By far the most rewarding part of mentoring and working with students is to get to see the end game, to see them cross the finish line and accomplish their dreams,” says Mikaela Drake, Associate Professor of Health Sciences.

Drake recalls her first meeting with her new advisee, Alli Leonard ’24. “Our initial bond was over soccer. Alli’s a member of the women’s soccer program, and I too played soccer in college.”

Leonard, who has added Chemistry and Spanish minors to her Health Sciences major, agrees the bond over soccer was valuable. “Coming in as a collegiate athlete, it was nice to build a connection with an advisor who was an athlete in her college days, too. She knows what the student-athlete life entails.”

Drake adds, “Student well-being is at the forefront of everything we do. We build relationships not only inside the classroom but outside of the classroom.”

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By Heidi Frye ’23 When Braxton Martorano ’22 came to Butler University in August 2018, he experienced a bit of culture shock. As a first-year student from the diverse city of Michigan City, Indiana, he quickly realized that Butler’s culture was more homogeneous than he expected. That set the stage for a student–professor mentorship that would alter the course of his undergraduate experience and career.

Martorano wrote a message on the whiteboard in his dorm that year that said, “How to change my perspective?”

The answer would come in the form of a collaboration with Dr. Tom Mould, Professor of Anthropology and Folklore.

“As an Economics major, I didn’t think I’d take a social sciences class, but Butler’s liberal arts curriculum made it a requirement,” Martorano says.

So he enrolled in Mould’s Anthropology class, “The Power of Stories.” The course focused on examining the power of narratives in personal, societal, political, and cultural contexts, striving to decipher the stories that shape our beliefs. Mould—known as “Dr. Tom” to his students—aims to equip students with the skills to be better evaluators and critical thinkers, capable of persuasive storytelling rooted in empathy.

“Braxton was the guy in class who didn’t just have those clarification questions but pushed beyond the material, and he wasn’t satisfied with the pack answers that were given by me or his peers,” Mould remembers.

What happened then is an example of how mentorship at Butler plays a pivotal role in shaping students’ futures.

In spring 2019, Martorano asked Mould about that question he was grappling with: “How to change perspectives?” Mould encouraged him to explore it further. “We are striving to be a more diverse and inclusive university, but student stories are missing in our DEI initiatives,” Mould says. He encouraged Martorano to do a research project aimed at collecting and sharing student stories to promote DEI and shift perspectives at Butler.

At first, Martorano said no. As a white male, he didn’t feel he was the right person to share these stories.

Then, in March 2020, Martorano sent Mould an email: “I can’t stop thinking about this project. I’m in.”

Mould mentored him through the project, which involved collecting student stories to promote empathy and

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change attitudes about people of different races and ethnicities.

Early on, Martorano struggled. “The thought would creep back in about how I’m just an Economics major.

What am I doing? We had such a big task in front of us that involved a bunch of people, and with students telling me traumatic experiences, it was hard not to be overcome with empathy.”

Mould was there to empower him and push him to keep going.

The most meaningful feedback they got was that people felt heard. “I want to build something that lives beyond me,” Martorano says. “I don’t want to write a paper that’s just seen by two people.”

Sigma Gamma Rho Founders’ Plaza

Martorano has thus far collected 19 stories through video recordings, effectively capturing these stories directly from the individuals themselves. These heartfelt accounts allowed people to connect on a personal level by looking into the storytellers’ eyes and hearing their experiences. He and Mould have spoken with leadership from the Efroymson Diversity Center, who will take over the project in 2024. It will be a part of Butler’s curriculum for DEI work.

Alpha Chapter, “When I went to school as an1924 Economics major, I always assumed I would work for a for-profit company. That’s just what you do,” Martorano says. But after working alongside Dr. Tom and seeing how he did so much work for the sake of helping someone else or making their life better, Martorano wanted to do the same. He is now a business consultant for the Indy Chamber of Commerce. He works in lending and coaching minority-owned and women-owned businesses.

According to Mould, the Gallup-Purdue Index reports found that students who feel seen and guided by a faculty member are three times more likely to report happiness in their careers and lives. The satisfaction of making a meaningful impact on a student’s life is one of the great joys of being a faculty member.

This has proved true in Martorano’s experience so far.

“This mentorship has given me much more confidence in my career. We often say as young people, ‘This is just the way it is,’ but walking alongside a wise faculty member and looking at the world, the impact is really broad. I no longer have to accept ‘That’s just how it is.’ I know there is something we can do.”

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By Meredith Sauter ’12 Butler alumnus and current MBA faculty member Mike Simmons MBA ’02 recalls three pivotal moments in his life that helped shape who he is as a person and had a direct impact on his professional success: 1. His time as an undergraduate student at Wabash College 2. His 30-year career at Eli Lilly with 11 years spent as part of the company’s corporate affairs team 3. Pursuing graduate studies through Butler’s MBA program

Butler University has had a huge impact on me,” Simmons says. “It’s one of the reasons I wanted to come back as a faculty member and why I wanted to headquarter my company on its campus.”

After retiring from Eli Lilly, Simmons knew he wasn’t ready to give up the 9-to-5 altogether. He wanted to continue partnering alongside non-profit organizations to help extend their impact, similar to the work he did with Lilly. His company, Bridge Builder Strategies, was born.

Bridge Builder Strategies—founded in 2018 and headquartered in Dugan Hall, home to the Lacy School of Business—focuses on helping nonprofits and government agencies accelerate and amplify their impact.

“Ultimately, my hope is that they are able to make a greater impact and expand their mission-driven work, and as a result, receive a greater investment from funders and the community,” Simmons says.

Bridge Builder Strategies focuses on three main sectors: aging, disability, and health; economic mobility; and education and workforce development.

The company works with clients such as the Alzheimer’s Association, CICOA, US Aging, Easter Seals, Shepherd Community Center, and the Governor’s Workforce Cabinet. They have also partnered alongside Butler’s own Center for Faith and Vocation to explore its potential growth and pivots.

“While I was at Lilly, I saw a lot of instances where organizations had tons of potential, but weren’t making as big of an impact as they could have. Or, the same kinds of projects were being repeated over and over without learning from mistakes,” Simmons says. “Our goal has been and always will be to come alongside these organizations and help determine areas of growth and where they can excel.”

It’s not just non-profit organizations and government agencies that Bridge Builder Strategies is helping. A location on a college campus also allows the organization to mentor current undergraduate and graduate students through meaningful internship opportunities. And while the organization’s hub is on Butler’s campus, it also has two secondary sites—or accelerators—on the campuses of Wabash College and DePauw University.

“Employing interns has always been important to us and has always been an integral part of our workforce,” Simmons says. “Our interns aren’t just doing busy work. We have learning objectives for each internship, and as a part of these objectives, they work on true projects that make an impact on our organization.”

Students can intern at Bridge Builder Strategies for a semester, an academic year, or even a full calendar year— and the best part? All internships are paid.

Jack Dougher ’24, a current Bridge Builder Strategies Project Management intern and Butler student majoring in International Business, says his internship has been a great professional opportunity.

“During my internship, I have gained so many professional skills such as responsibility, time management, accountability, and strategy,” Dougher says. “Not only that, but Mike and the rest of the Bridge Builder Strategies team has mentored me and shown me so much support. My time as an intern has been invaluable.”

Looking ahead, Simmons hopes to deepen his partnership with Butler University further. That could include hiring more Butler students as interns or even future employees, collaborating with faculty on their research, or playing a larger role in Butler’s MBA program.

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FOLLOW

THROUGH.

By Nancy Lyzun As a freshman at Cathedral High School in Indianapolis, Victory Sampson knew one thing—he wanted to go to college without adding a financial burden to his family.

“I began a plan,” Sampson says. “I asked myself, ‘What can I push myself in, what can I participate in, what are all the activities that I can do that, along with my grades, my college application can really stand on?’ So, I participated in 14 extracurricular activities.”

How did he decide which activities to do? “I just did everything.” How did he do it all? “Extreme timemanagement skills,” he laughs.

Sampson was predominantly involved in Speech and Debate—a three-time National qualifier and four-time State qualifier. “I love Speech and Debate. I was on the Speech side, and I did Dramatic Interpretation, Poetic Interpretation— that was my main thing,” he says.

In addition to his involvement with Speech and Debate, Sampson also served as a Senior Officer in the Black Student Union and was involved in Cathedral’s Embrace organization, which works to promote a more diverse and equitable campus.

The plan that Sampson initiated his first year of high school didn’t stop at school clubs and activities. He also began reaching out to college admission representatives to discuss environments, possible majors, and just about everything else that goes along with a college experience.

Because he wanted to stay close to Indianapolis, his home for most of his life, Sampson’s visits to Butler’s campus quickly placed it high on his wish list of potential schools. “I really liked the culture—the Dawgs helping Dawgs, the vibrant campus, and the amazing community.” What mattered now was funding.

A surprise visit to Cathedral by Butler Blue IV in February 2022 let Sampson know that the plan he had worked so hard to fulfill over the previous four years had reached a successful conclusion. He was to be awarded the Tuition Guarantee award, Butler’s full-tuition scholarship for Marion County students with financial need who have demonstrated a solid academic record as well as participation in extracurricular activities and community service projects. Sampson says that

the financial aid that Butler was able to offer allowed him to meet his first priority of helping his family.

When asked about his transition from high school to college, Sampson says, “It was a lot. You know, it’s ‘adulting.’ My first-year experience started off with the Dawg Days preorientation program which really helped me find community right off the bat…as a person of color I really felt like I found my tribe.” Paying it forward, Sampson became a Dawg Days mentor this year, helping members of the new entering class find their community, too.

Sampson knew early on in his college search that he wanted to major in something to do with communications, so his choice of Strategic Communication: Public Relations and Advertising was a clear one. What he was surprised by, however, was that he could add a second major in Multilingual. “I had a love of learning languages before I even came to campus,” he says. Already comfortable with Spanish, Sampson plans to add French and German before graduating.

As a result of quite a few dual-credit courses earned in high school, Sampson, although technically in his sophomore year, is on track to graduate in 2025 and plans to then pursue a doctorate in counseling psychology. “I would like to become a mental health therapist. When people hear that, they think ‘Oh, your undergraduate and your graduate may not line up.’

But I think that multicultural and multilingual backgrounds are lacking in the therapy realm; There’s a lot of research about multilingual and multicultural therapies,” he says. “I want to make that part of my research interest when I do get into a doctoral program. I’m pretty dedicated to doing that.

“I’ll probably take a little break in between, though,” he adds.

“I’ve been working a lot.”

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Collaborative Community

By Heidi Frye ’23 In the heart of Indianapolis, a quiet revolution is underway.

The Indianapolis Center for Arts Education and Innovation (ICAEI) is a visionary project led by Lisa Brooks, Dean of Butler’s Jordan College of the Arts, and Lauren Shelton, Director of the Butler Community Arts School. Together, they are working to bridge the gap between art and access, break down socioeconomic barriers, and create a thriving hub for equitable arts education and innovation in Indianapolis by providing a centralized organization that supports arts education for the entire community.

ICAEI aims to be a clearinghouse for inquiries about advancing access to arts education and innovation. Perhaps a school like Ben Davis High School or Pike High School contacts the ICAEI because they need musical instruments.

The Center would act as a central coordinator, issuing a collective call to other schools facing a similar challenge.

Similarly, if a school needs additional supplies, information on arts programs, or has the desire to introduce arts programs in a place that is an art desert, they have a go-to place for information. And when Dance Kaleidoscope, a professional company in Indianapolis, had a question about cultural representation in dance, the organization was able to turn to the ICAEI. “It’s like Ghostbusters: ‘Who you gonna call?’” Brooks says.

“You call the Indianapolis Center for Arts Education and Innovation.”

The idea began in 2018 when Brooks, a seasoned violinist with over 25 years at Butler, asked, “Why aren’t we more of a leader in our center for the arts?”

“As a professional violin player, I didn’t know where to begin to start this program. How do you take an idea and make it a reality?”

Brooks and Shelton—who wasn’t working at Butler yet—were at a fundraiser for an orchestra when they started to talk about the idea. They scribbled their thoughts on a napkin.

“We were mapping out our vision, trying to figure out how to make it a reality,” Brooks says. “I still have that napkin.” Their partnership was cemented. “When I met Lauren, I knew she was the one who could help me get this idea off the ground and make it a reality.”

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To achieve the goal, in 2021, Brooks appointed Shelton as Director of the Butler Community Arts School, an organization through which community members can enroll in various arts programs at Butler and learn from Butler students who serve as paid instructors. Over 1,800 students are already impacted annually, with numbers on the rise.

“My entire background has been building and looking at community needs and developing socially relevant programs that serve the community,” Shelton says.

The ICAEI began operating in 2021, with collaboration at the core of its mission. They work with established arts programs in Indianapolis, helping them extend their offerings to underserved communities. By identifying areas in need and strategizing to bridge the gap, they amplify their impact through resource pooling and effective organization.

But what do the terms “arts education” and “innovation” really mean? Arts education encompasses a wide range of learning experiences, from private and group lessons to field trips and arts integration, where subjects like math or physics are taught through dance or the vibration of a violin string.

“Arts innovation refers to any instance where the arts figure into a larger idea,” Brooks says. “This can be arts and wellness, arts and social justice, or arts and technology. Essentially, anytime the arts play a role in a broader concept, we want to provide a space for it.”

Despite challenges, Shelton describes their journey as building with an “I think I can” attitude, a few rubber bands, and a roll of duct tape. She and Brooks say their initiative is crucial because it helps ensure that the community thrives. Research indicates that students involved in the arts tend to excel academically, opening up more opportunities.

Currently, they are working diligently to raise awareness about their mission, ensuring that the Indianapolis Center for Arts Education and Innovation becomes a bridge between thriving arts companies in the city and areas that lack access to the arts.

“Our mission is to ensure that everyone, regardless of socioeconomic factors, has access to arts education and innovation,” Brooks says. “When students engage with the arts, they perform better in life.”

Photo by Jeff Haynes

PURSUING

PASSIONS.

By Jennifer Gunnels

As a first-generation college student, Maylin Andrade Saracayo ’27 had an inspiring role model in her older sister who graduated from Indiana University and is now pursuing a master’s degree in Social Work at IUPUI. Saracayo had intended to follow in her sister’s footsteps by attending IU until a campus visit to Butler inspired her to forge her own trail.

“After I visited the campus I was really excited and I thought, ‘I could see myself here,’” Saracayo says. “I think I fell in love with the campus and I didn’t want to let it go. I didn’t really think Butler was an attainable option, but once I saw they were accepting applications for a full ride I said, ‘Let’s give it a shot,’ because I have nothing to lose, right?”

Maylin is one of nine incoming students who earned the Butler Tuition Guarantee Scholarship, a full-tuition scholarship for Marion County students with financial need who have demonstrated a solid academic record in high school, and participation in extracurricular activities and community service projects.

During her four years at Lawrence North High School, Saracayo clearly demonstrated both. Along with serving as Vice President of the Spanish Honor Society for two years and as President of her freshman class, she was actively involved in many other student activities including the Black Student Union, the Spanish Immersion program, and volunteering as a mentor for students in the English as a Second Language (ESL) program.

Saracayo says she is most excited about having the chance to pursue her academic passions at Butler. She plans to major in Speech, Language, and Hearing Sciences with the intention of pursuing graduate school to become a speech pathologist.

She says she is inspired to help others because she knows how difficult it can be to find resources when you’re in need of support. Saracayo’s mother emigrated to the United States from El Salvador in 1999, and Saracayo says she and her family had to work hard at times to find the resources they needed.

“I have always been interested in helping my community; it’s something I’ve been very passionate about from a young age just because I didn’t receive a lot of support when I was younger, nor did my family,” Maylin says. “I want to become a speech pathologist and hopefully help others through that field.”

Along with her extensive extracurricular activities, Saracayo also participated in the TeenWorks program in high school, which connects teens to summer jobs, mentorship, and workshops designed to help them prepare for a career path.

Through her participation, Saracayo earned an additional scholarship that will cover the cost of room and board so she can live on campus.

“I’m excited to make new friends, and to acclimate to independence with the help of a support net.”

Saracayo says the Butler Tuition Guarantee Scholarship is important not only for increasing access to a Butler education, but for communicating a sense of belonging for any student who might take a campus tour and envision themselves here, as she did.

“One reason this scholarship is significant to me is because a lot of students had access to it,” Saracayo says. “Everyone got a chance to apply, and it shows it’s there, it’s possible.

It’s important for low income students or students of color to understand that there is a spot for you and there is an opportunity for you. Once I was given this opportunity I was so happy, and there was such a sense of relief that I no longer had to worry about the financial side of my education. I’m really grateful.”

The Butler Tuition Guarantee Scholarship is made possible in part through donor gifts. You can support current and future recipients of the Butler Tuition Guarantee Scholarship and other financial assistance opportunities by making a gift to the Butler Fund for Student Scholarship today at gifts.butler.edu.

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Breaking the

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By Dana Lee ’19 Early Learning Indiana had an ambitious goal, one that would address a major need across the state. While the demand for early childhood educators in Indiana is growing, there’s a lack of qualified teachers to meet the need. Early Learning Indiana, an organization that strives to ensure young children are prepared with the essential skills needed for kindergarten and beyond, wanted to provide teachers with an accessible and affordable education.

That’s why they partnered with Butler to create the Early Childhood Educator Certificate Program starting this fall.

“Being able to step into the community allows us to say, ‘We want to be part of a solution,’” says Stephanie Hinshaw, Executive Director of Butler’s Transformation Lab. “We could potentially be able to help prepare future educators in a way that’s more attainable and accessible for them.”

Kandel, Dean of the College of Education. Creating the certificate program required coordination between not only the College of Education, Transformation Lab, and Early Learning, but the Office of Admission, student support services, and Information Technology, to name a few.

“These students might never be on campus,” Kandel says.

“How do we help them, what does tech support look like, what are all the touchpoints we need to plan to make sure they have success?”

“When you’re coming up with a program that’s not in your traditional model, it takes time to break that model,” Hinshaw says.

Currently there are plans in place to create a pathway from the early certificate program to a bachelor’s degree in Youth and Community Development, something Hinshaw is particularly excited about.

“We had to think through all the systems Hinshaw’s work at the at Butler that needed to “It’s serving people that we Transformation Lab is to make ideas weren’t serving before,” like the certificate program come be transformed to serve Hinshaw says. “It’s expanding to life, a process that started when Butler’s reach, and most Early Learning sent out a request for a very different type of importantly, it’s going to address proposal in fall 2019. a true, messy, wicked problem student than we have in the community. To be able to “One of the things that was really historically.”

-Brooke Kandel play a small role in addressing important to us was the ability to think outside of the box,” says Erin Kissling, Chief Learning Officer at Early Learning. “Not a traditional higher-ed setting in a classroom where you hear someone speak at you, but a job-embedded model where you are taking what you just learned in the coursework and applying it to the classroom.”

The certificate program consists of 12 four-week courses that can be completed in 15 months, a significantly shorter time-frame compared to other alternatives and crucial to reaching early educators.

Early Learning President Maureen Weber says one teacher told her it took her 11 years to complete a bachelor’s degree.

Through Butler, candidates for the certificate program complete coursework online taught by faculty members within Butler’s College of Education and are mentored by individuals on-site called Cooperative Teachers.

“We had to think through all the systems at Butler that needed to be transformed to serve a very different type of student than we have historically,” says Brooke

that is exciting.”

The goal of the certificate program isn’t just to address the demand for early childhood educators in years to come; the hope is to provide families with access to high quality childcare. According to an Early Learning Indiana report in 2021, current childcare programs in the state can serve just over half of Indiana’s population of children ages 0–5, while just 46 percent of that care is considered high quality.

Weber points to studies that show the connection between quality childcare and parents feeling comfortable in joining the workforce.

“It’s not a stretch to say that this program Butler is launching will have a downstream impact on our ability to be competitive as a state,” Weber says. “We talk about a two-generational impact. I can’t think of anything else that can have such a profound impact on today’s workforce while at the same time ensuring that we have a future workforce that’s ready for what the future has in store.”

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NOURISHING

CURIOSITY

LIFELONG LEARNING COLLABORATIVE

By Chloe Starleaf ’14 As a self-proclaimed lifelong learner, College of Education Professor Catherine Pangan MS ’99 was looking to “scratch an itch with adult learners,” she says.

“I believe curiosity never ends,” says Pangan, who’s been finding new ways to connect with the Butler community since she joined the College in 2008. That same year, Pangan moved into Schwitzer Hall as a Faculty-in-Residence (FIR). More than 15 years later, living in the much upgraded Fairview Residence Hall with her family as the FIR, she’s the Director of New Education Academy, an Innovation Fellow, and now, in her newest project, Director of The Lifelong Learning Collaborative.

Before the pandemic caused a halt in some new initiatives, the Butler Innovation Lab was brainstorming new ways to connect Butler’s diverse community with that of the greater-Indianapolis population. When Pangan joined as an Innovation Fellow in 2021, this was a project she knew she wanted to jump on.

“I have a passion for learning!” Pangan exclaims. “We have so much expertise here and in the community that we want to provide alternative educational experiences in engaging ways.”

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The goal was to offer these classes to anyone with interest, be it alumni groups, neighbors, or senior living communities.

She talked to directors of similar extended learning programs at schools all over the country, researched the Smithsonian Lifelong Learning model, collaborated with Callie Wright, the Lead Project Manager in the Transformation Lab, and the Lifelong Learning Collaborative was born.

The courses and their commitments vary—some are one-hour lectures, some expert-led experiences or field trips, and some divided into four-part minicourses. Beginning summer 2023 and following the Butler semester calendar, there’s no shortage of offerings and no subject is off the table.

“I had the privilege of participating in the Butler Garden Tour through the Butler Lifelong Learning Collaborative this past summer,” recounts participant Tina Vawter. “Even though I have been a lifelong gardener, I learned so many valuable things during the tour that will help me to be a better steward of our small farm, flower, and vegetable garden spaces.

Learning about alternatives to the use of pesticides and how to amend the soil for future plantings was so helpful. The Butler Garden is a beautiful reflection of the labor of love provided by so many who truly care about working together with nature, and who want to share this knowledge with future generations.”

“Seeing the joyful, engaged learning taking place has been so exciting,” says Pagan. “And this is just the tip of the iceberg.”

For more about the Lifelong Learning Collaborative, as well as a listing of upcoming courses, visit www.butler.edu/ academics/lifelong-learning-collaborative.

By Cindy Dashnaw Jackson Teaching high school may look like an odd blip on Muhammad Jan’s healthcare-heavy resume. In actuality, this PA and 2023 graduate of Butler’s Doctor of Medical Science (DMS) Bridge program has followed a thoughtful plan to become a practicing healthcare educator.

Thoughtful Planning

“My entire journey to this point has revolved around education. Knowledge is like an unquenchable thirst. I love learning, teaching, and learning through teaching,” Jan says. “It’s in my blood. As I grew up in America, my mom and dad always emphasized how important education is and how no one can take it away from you.

I’ve held that to my heart.”

Jan, his siblings, and his mother left Pakistan when he was 8. He credits his “remarkable and supportive” parents for nurturing his long-held interest in both teaching and medicine; he double majored to earn two bachelor’s degrees at once: in Education and in Science, graduating summa cum laude with the former and magna cum laude with the latter. But instead of heading to the medical school where he was accepted, he became a high school teacher at the same inner-city school his siblings had attended as youths.

Though he was a popular teacher, Jan admits it was rough. He lost a couple of students each year to violence.

“When you grow up in poverty, it’s so hard to get out of the mindset that everyone’s against you,” Jan says. “It was the best two years of my life, the most rewarding thing I’ve ever done, but it wasn’t sustainable.”

He returned to medicine, enrolling in PA school with a plan to become a PA program director/instructor; he was one of just 15 students nationwide selected as a Future Educator Fellow by the PA Education Association. Three months after graduating, Jan started a job as a hospital emergency department PA. One week later, he began Butler’s DMS Bridge Program.

“I realized that if I want to be taken seriously, having a terminal degree gives you a better seat at the table to make a difference. I saw an opportunity with the Butler DMS Bridge to finish in two semesters. It was rigorous and demanding, but I learned a lot and made great friends. It’s a challenge, but anybody can do it,” he says.

And because of his Bridge Program experience, Jan says he now thinks about healthcare more holistically.

“Instead of just thinking about the medical treatment in a situation, I also think about the administrative aspect, the team, and other components. The Program taught me there’s a whole integrated, interacting system.”

He plans to stay in emergency medicine as a DMS and learn more about the hospitalist/ inpatient side. Eventually, he wants to become a PA program faculty member, then one day run his own PA program at a university—returning full circle to his dream of being a healthcare educator.

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Creating a Al Carroll is helping to shape the future of Indianapolis, one individual at a time.

Al Caroll is helping to shape the future of Indianapolis,

By Hailey Radakovitz ’21

When Al Carroll ’13 addresses a room full of college students, he tends to ask two questions. The first one is “How many of you are from Indiana?” Hands around the room shoot up as students demonstrate their state pride.

The next question tends to lead to a different response. “How many of you intend to live and work in Indiana after you graduate?” Hands slowly fall, and the room gets noticeably quieter.

Al Carroll has made it his personal mission to change this reaction. Appointed as President and CEO of IndyHub in July 2022, Carroll is passionate about introducing young people to all of the opportunities that Indianapolis has to offer. “Though I’m not from here, I recognize that all I’ve accomplished in my adult life has happened in Indiana. I see the value in the state, and I want to recruit and retain a community of young people who see a vibrant space where they can succeed as well.”

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ALUMNI PROFILES Thank you to our credit union

partner, Elements Financial, A 2013 Butler graduate of the Lacty School of Business, Carroll has for their support. held a number of roles since then. Most recently a Senior Account Executive at Ellipses Education, he has also held positions at TechPoint and PricewaterhouseCoopers. Additionally, Carroll has served in a variety of civic roles throughout the Indianapolis community, and these experiences have made him an ideal fit at IndyHub.

IndyHub partners with several different organizations around the city in order to grow, engage,and empower Indy’s community of 20- and 30-somethings. The organization curates experiences that create advocates for Indianapolis, which is crucial as the city continues to draw in young people.

“Young people make up a third of the Indianapolis population, so 20- and 30-somethings certainly have a voice in this community.” Carroll notes. “That voice can have a significant impact, and ultimately it can help a new generation build a community that they want to be a part of in the future.”

IndyHub brings young people together by arranging events and programming that encourage individuals to get involved in the community. For instance, IndyHub’s annual IndyVolved event brings together local nonprofits and civic organizations to showcase ways for young leaders to volunteer, serve on boards and committees, and ultimately make a difference throughout the city. Last year, the event drew nearly 1,500 registrants from a variety of backgrounds, which is critical to IndyHub’s mission.

Bringing together young people from all walks of life is extremely important to Carroll as well. Given Indy’s diverse community, Carroll wants to ensure that IndyHub’s events reflect this same diversity.

“Our programs show attendees that Indy can be a place for everyone,” Carroll says.

“Diversity is a fact, inclusion is a choice; we want young people from every background to feel included in our work.”

IndyHub’s programming is guided and supported by the organization’s Board of Directors. Composed of several local ambassadors, this team informs the strategy of the organization and ensures programming is consistently bringing value to young people.

“Our board members are critical to our strategic vision,” Carroll notes. “They’re movers and shakers who are with us every step of the way in evaluating our work and ensuring our programming is sustainable as a new generation of young people emerges in Indianapolis.”

Looking ahead, Carroll is focused on future-proofing the organization. With Gen Z starting to enter their 20s, he is shifting IndyHub’s focus to ensure that this new generation is getting just as much value out of the city as those before them. This means creating spaces where people can have their voices heard and connecting them with the resources that will help them advance in their lives and communities.

Al and IndyHub’s incredible work would not be possible without consistent support from the Indianapolis community. This non-profit organization is supported solely by donations, and these contributions ensure that the organization maintains low barriers to entry so young people from all backgrounds can participate and reap the benefits.

For more information about IndyHub or to contribute to its meaningful work, visit indyhub.org.

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Remembering

By Emily Schlorf ’21 Ross Hall, Butler’s oldest residence hall (circa-1954), was first referred to as the Men’s Residence Hall and later named after Butler’s 19th president, M.O. Ross. The hall witnessed just under 70 years of move-ins, move-outs, and first-years finding their way (in addition to many early morning fire alarms and stolen exit signs). And while Ross no longer serves as a residence hall, the memories made at 629 W. Hampton Drive will live on in the proud hearts of past residents forever.

Memories like a 20-foot boa constrictor slithering around the basement and rag-tag student leadership campaigns resulting in victories remain fresh in the minds of impassioned alumni.

Cynthia Payne ’05 was an RA in Ross from fall 2002 through spring 2005. During her senior year, Payne volunteered to run for Homecoming royalty as she was one of the only upperclass students residing in the mostly

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first-year residence hall. Her unit, Unit 14, rallied together to ensure her win.

“There was a representative from a sorority who had these silk screen–printed t-shirts, but my girls and I just bought white t-shirts from Meijer and decorated them with Sharpies. They stayed up all night making them … and I firmly believe they were the reason I won,” Payne says. “I think that it’s pretty rare to have a Homecoming queen from Ross, but that was a really special moment and something that I’ll never forget because it was the girls in my unit who made it happen.”

Plenty of shenanigans took place at Ross, too. There was bowling in the mile-long hallways, gift wrap covering every possible inch of hallways during the holidays, and steaks grilled on the roof days before graduation.

Craig Helmreich ’97 recounts the story of what inspired him to run for Freshman Class President. “I saw people putting up posters to run for Class President one day, so I

decided to run against them and won.

Maybe one of the reasons I won was because of the campaign posters I used,” Helmreich says. “Ross was one of those places where you could get a crazy idea like running for student government and execute it in like two hours.”

[Editor’s note: Perhaps our readers who were on campus for that election season may remember the Helmreich campaign poster. We’ll let that memory live on with you.]

Adam Kegley ’09 was a Ross RA in 2006–2007 and 2007­–2008. One of his fondest memories took place on a night when some fellow RAs from Ross and

“

A Gallery of Mem’ries...

Leaving your windows open when it was 20 below outside because the furnace blew so hot.”

—Allen Cox ’95

“The Annual ZOO Pumpkin Sacrifice during Halloween.”

—Alex Kor ’83

“My favorite is the feeling of being home every time I’d walk up those stairs after class or being out. It’d take an extra hour to get back to my room because I’d have to stop to talk to everyone on the way up!”

—Leslie Tarble ’08

The first women of Ross Hall, 1980

Schwitzer decided to go outside and play like kids—during a severe thunderstorm.

“I don’t know why we thought it would be a good idea to go outside and play in the rain … It turned into an all-out mud fight, and we got soaked and drenched in mud,” Kegley says.

Although Ross was home to a fair share of tomfoolery, the communal living style meant there was no escaping the possibility of connection and budding friendship. In many cases, Ross Love turned into real love, creating life-shaping relationships that long surpassed the academic year.

John Gentry ’80 lived in Ross for all of his years at Butler, since Ross was the only non-Greek student housing on

“…Being a night clerk and having to reset the door alarms every time someone was breaking curfew.”

campus at the time. Back then, student organizations like Tri Beta and the Zoo were the lifeblood of the building.

Members hosted events like Ross Rat Race and an annual pumpkin sacrifice and competitively participated in other campus events, thrilled when they would be pitted against each other.

“The guys I was there with … we went on to be in each other’s weddings and we still try to get together at Homecomings,” Gentry says. “I graduated 40-some years ago and I’m still in contact with these guys … If it wasn’t for Ross, we wouldn’t have had that connection.”

Former Class President Helmreich says all his friendships from his days at Butler originated in Ross. He even met his wife there.

—Brad Plunkett ’92

“I get a bit nostalgic whenever I hear ‘Island in the Sun’, as our friends across the hall would sing and play it on guitars constantly.”

—Tim Slattery ’06

“I was Faculty-in-Residence for four years. I remember bringing my daughter home to live in Ross Hall in 2011 and the ice cream cake extravaganza we had for her first birthday.”

—Professor Christopher Bungard

“It was the place where I learned to live on my own, cope with sharing communal bathrooms, survive Norovirus 2008, and play Rock Band.

—Lauren Cavers ’12

”

Kegley shares that through friendships made in Ross—and outside of Ross in the rain—he gained confidence to be unapologetically himself.

“I arrived as a mostly-out gay man at Butler in 2005, but I was still quite nervous about being myself and worried about the last person I would come out to, which was my dad,” Kegley says. “But all of those conversations with the people I met in Ross were ultimately what gave me courage to do so eventually, and I really think my life would be a lot different in that regard if I hadn’t been placed in Ross.

Clearly history was made within Ross’s walls and its legend and impact in the gallery of Butler memories can never be erased.

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®

With crisp fall weather to set the tone, Homecoming weekend’s events and gatherings offered something for everyone. The traffic of the Monumental Marathon did nothing to lessen the excitement on campus as festivities went off without a hitch.

The annual Alumni Recognition Ceremony launched the weekend’s celebrations, this year honoring the achievements of nine alumni and one University instructor with eight prestigious awards.

Butler Athletics were in full force, as fans gathered to watch Men’s and Women’s Soccer, Men’s Basketball and, of course, our Bulldogs Football team take on and defeat the Valparaiso Beacons 17 to 7.

As always, the annual events of Bulldog Beauty Contest, Hinkle Lot Tailgating, Chariot Races, and Class Reunions were again fan favorites.

Be sure to follow Butler Alumni on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram for announcements of Homecoming 2024!

Photo by Miss Cara Photography

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BUTLER MAGAZINE

For a list of award winners, visit www. butler.edu/alumni/alumni-awards.

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CLASS ACTS the ’60s

Pamela Peirce ’66 updated her regional gardening book, Golden Gate Gardening, for a 4th (30th Anniversary) edition which was released on August 15, 2023.

Read about other events, including Zoom events, at pampeirce.com.

the ’70s

Keith Rudolph ’70, MM ’73 was elected International President of Phi Beta Mu International Bandmasters Fraternity.

He has been a member of Gamma Chapter since 1978; Keith will serve a three-year term leading the International Board.

Dianne (Minneman) Silvestri ’70 announced her first full-length book of poetry, But I Still Have My Fingerprints, recently published by CavanKerry Press.

Dr. Silvestri began Butler as an English major, captivated by working with Dr. Allegra Stewart, later switching to pre-med. When acute myeloid leukemia and a stem cell transplant forced her to retire as Associate Professor of Dermatology at UMass Chan Medical School, she continued writing poetry through the arduous journey of survival, persevering to redefine life beyond what was lost. Read more at her website www. diannesilvestri.com.

Richard Cummings ’73 Trustee Emeritus and the programming genius behind LA’s Power 106 and New York’s Hot97, as well as dozens of other radio stations and formats across the United States, announced his retirement from full-time employment effective September 1, 2023, after 43 years with the company. He will remain a consultant with Emmis.

Ernest Boyd ’75 retired from the Ohio Pharmacists Association after a 34-year career as its Executive Director, chief, Levius, and media person.

David Rockenbaugh ’78 founded Alexis Acres, a non-profit horse and donkey sanctuary in Northwest Indiana in 2022.

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BUTLER MAGAZINE

He works with rescue groups and the Bureau of Land Management to save donkeys from exportation and slaughter, as well as offering forever homes for senior horses.

the ’80s

Karla (Shadowens) Dodson ’80 retired from DXC Technology after over 33 years with EDS/HP/HPE/DXC

Kevin Ault ’84 was named to the Board of Directors of the National Foundation for Infectious Diseases for a three-year term. Dr. Ault is a Professor and Chair of the Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology at the Western Michigan Homer Stryker M.D. School of Medicine.

Carl Bohlin ’88 has accepted the (2) position of Graphic Designer at Today Media, Inc. in Wilmington, Delaware.

Today Media are publishers of multiple magazines in Delaware, Maryland, New Jersey, New York, and Pennsylvania.

Tim Good ’88 has been appointed Dean of Academic Programs, Assessment, and Policies at DePauw University in Greencastle, Indiana. Recent publications include Boal/Lessac Integration for Content Creation in Applied Theatre Contexts, and Evenings of Bohemian Cruelty: The Living Theatre in the 1950s. He and his wife, Caroline Good, are Certified Trainers of the Lessac Kinesensic approach to bodyvoice training, and they host certification training programs at DePauw.

Susan (Brummer) Sholtis ’88 is now President of Global Nutrition at Reckitt.

the ’90s Doug Irwin ’84 and his wife, Jennifer, celebrated FarmFest 2023 at their farm with many close friends, neighbors, live entertainment, and of course the Butler basketball backboard on the barn!

Craig Longardner MBA ’85 recently retired as the Corporate Logistics Director from Steel Dynamics, a position he held since 1994. In recognition of his extraordinary contributions to the Midwest Association of Rail Shippers, the association established the Craig Longardner Scholarship, which is awarded annually along with other scholarships by MARS. He was a major advocate for establishing and guiding the MARS scholarship program and the Young Professionals Group.

Jeffrey Marlatt ’86 was named as Interim Dean of Shenandoah Conservatory in Winchester, Virginia.

Dawn (Wagner) Chance ’90 accepted the role of Therapist with Senior Life Solutions at the Decatur County Memorial Hospital in Greensburg, Indiana.

Sean Kane ’92 was commissioned by the Philadelphia Phillies to create artwork for 2023 Baseball Hall of Fame inductee and Indiana-native Scott Rolen, which was presented during a special ceremony at Citizens Bank Park, Philadelphia, in September.

Matthew Emmick ’95 was named the first Director of the new Dr. Charles A. Scontras Center for Labor and Community Education at the University of Southern Maine.

Mike Michelakis ’95 joined DePaul Academy and Woodford Home in South Bend, Indiana, as Group Supervisor and Physical Education Teacher. Mike was also awarded the Volunteer of the Year for the National Fitness Hall of Fame and was inducted in the Buckeye Valley High School Hall of Fame.

Jon Richter ’95 was promoted into the Senior Foreign Service diplomatic corps at the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID).

During his 18-year career as a foreign service officer, he has overseen development and humanitarian assistance programs in Mali, Angola, Colombia, Benin, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Sudan, and South Sudan.

premier AmeriCorps service experience, advancing economic prosperity in rural and emerging communities.

Jess Harbison Weaver ’05 was named Commissioner of the PacWest Conference, an NCAA Division II conference comprised of schools in California and Hawaii.

Eric Todd ’06 was promoted to Chief Operating Officer of the Indiana State Museum and Historic Sites overseeing visitor services, facility maintenance, security, volunteers and the 11 historic sites. He has been with the state museum system for more than 13 years and has worked across nearly every facet of the institution.

the ’00s

Oliver Brooks ’07 was recently accepted into the Director’s Guild of America as an Assistant Director and Location Manager after location managing the New Jersey portion of an upcoming Netflix film.

Abigail (Horn) Barreto ’04 received an Emmy Award for her producer role in the short documentary, Closed Doors, Open Hearts: Nursing Homes and COVID-19.

The film is available to view on YouTube.

Mallory (King) Miller ’09 joined The Kennedy Center as Assistant Manager of Dance Programming.

Elizabeth Jackson ’03 accepted the role of Associate Director of Industry Partnerships at Butler University.

Jen (Legge) English ’04 received the Carolyn Quire Services Award. This award recognizes an outstanding high school guidance counselor for his/her demonstrated service and contributions to the profession of counseling students in transition.

Elizabeth Cadiz ’05 was appointed Chief Public Defender of the City of Aurora, Colorado, July 2023. Elizabeth was a Political Science major at Butler, serving as an intern in the Indiana House.

After graduation she completed law school at Northern Kentucky University and is a member of both the Ohio and Colorado Bar. Taylor Stuckert ’05 joined Lead for America as the Executive Director of the American Connection Corps, the nation’s

Courtney Coirin-Goudreau ’14 accepted a new position as Development Coordinator at the American Heart Association. As a Dance Arts Admin grad, she is thrilled to be diving into this new role spearheading local events, such as the annual Indianapolis Heart Walk!

Molly Nebiolo ’15 completed her PhD in World History from Northeastern University in June 2023 and accepted a tenure-track position as Assistant Professor of History at Butler University.

Henry Robison ’16 was promoted to Senior Criminal Tax Attorney at the IRS, Office of Chief Counsel in Indianapolis.

In his role, Henry provides legal advice to federal law enforcement regarding tax and tax-related financial crimes (such as money laundering, wire/mail/bank fraud, and Bank Secrecy Act violations).

Elisabeth (Giffin) Speckman MFA ’16 was named a Finalist in the 2023 O’Neill National Playwriting Conference. Out of over 1,200 submissions, Elisabeth’s play was one of 50 to receive this honor.

Marianne Roszyk ’10, MM ’12 was promoted to Trust Officer at Old National Bank.

Will Vogel ’18 accepted a role as a Senior Account Manager at SBS Comms.

Will was named a Rising Star in Tech PR by Business Insider in 2022. In his role, he will be working with startups and tech companies on media strategy and execution.

Justin Roeder ’11 will be the new Head Coach of the IUPUI Men’s Cross Country and Track & Field Programs.

the ’20s

the ’10s

Thomas Benoist ’13 completed his MPA with a concentration in Nonprofit Management from IUPUI and accepted the role of Associate Director of Development at Butler University.

Sara (Waters) Miskin ’13 was named Leslie M. Stover Middle School’s 2023– 2024 Teacher of the Year. She currently resides in Elgin, South Carolina, with her husband, Ryan, and two sons, William and Alexander Miskin.

(2)

Hailey Hammons ’20 was promoted to Zoological Animal Specialist at Discovery Cove in April 2023. Hammons works with more than 30 Atlantic Bottlenose Dolphins at SeaWorld’s Discovery Cove. She provides guests the opportunity to meet and swim with these animals daily.

INCLUDE YOUR NEWS IN THE NEXT CLASS ACTS Your fellow alumni are interested in your professional accomplishments, including a job change, a promotion, or retirement; community and volunteer activities; a recent marriage or addition to your family; or any other news you would like to share.

Submit your updates at www.butler.edu/alumni/stay-connected Due to space limitations, submitted photographs and/or Class Acts may not always be published.

FALL 2023

35

WEDDINGS Rebecca Scherpelz ’08 and Mike Britson on April 30, 2022 (1)

(1)

(2)

Courtney Coirin-Goudreau ’14 and Kyle Goudreau on May 9, 2022 (2)

(3)

Tamara Bodnar ’15 and Arturo Salazar on April 30, 2023 (3) Mary (Pennington) Mochel ‘15 and Matthew Mochel ’15 on January 15, 2022 (4) Ore Akinbo Jacobs ’17 and Edward Jacobs on June 24, 2023 (5)

(4)

(5)

Angela (Crea) Hull ’18 and Mason Hull ’19 on October 9, 2022 (6)

(6)

Morgan Linzmeier ’18 and Aaron Chin on March 18, 2023 (7) Samantha (Vorwald) Karels MFA ’19 and John Karels on May 22, 2021 (8)

(10) (7)

(8)

Christian Stewart ’19, MPA ’20 and Madison (Stefanski) Stewart ’19 on July 19, 2022 (9)

(9)

Abigail Hillan ’20 and Colin Strege ‘20 on June 2, 2023 (10) Aubrey (Cast) Sherwin ’22 and Daniel Sherwin on June 10, 2023 (11)

NEW ARRIVALS (10)

(11)

Christopher Murphy ’99 and Ellen Murphy welcomed Wyatt Christopher Murphy in December 2022 (1) Zach Wright ’10 and Alyssa (Vahala) Wright ’12, MPA ’13 welcomed Wren Lanora Wright on September 11, 2022 (2)

(1)

(2)

(3)

Jace Tennant ’13 and Linnea (Corey) Tennant PharmD, MBA ’15 welcomed Theodore Michael Tennant on October 27, 2022 (3)

(4)

Marci (Kolb) Stitt ’14 and Sam Stitt ’14 welcomed Thomas William Stitt in May 2023 (4) Christina (Presti) Voreis ’14 and Kreig Voreis ’14 welcomed Levi Charles Voreis in November 2022 (5) Courtney (Hickman) Labetti ’14 and Joseph Labetti welcomed Henry in July 2022 (6) Mary (Pennington) Mochel ’15 and Matthew Mochel ’15 welcomed Wells Mochel in March 2023 (7) (5) (9)

(10)

(6)

(7)

(8) (11)

(12)

Cameron Hernandez ’16, MPAS ’17 and Carly (Allen) Hernandez ’16 welcomed Hadley Hernandez in February 2022 (8) Taylour Estes ’17 and Audra Hecker PharmD ’19 welcomed Delilah Estes in September (9) Hannah (Shelton) Davis ’19 and Blake Davis ’19 welcomed Dexter Davis in September 2022 (10) Matt Del Busto ’19 and Erin (Morrisey) Del Busto ’21 welcomed Benedict in March (11)

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BUTLER MAGAZINE

Allison (Keane) Evans PharmD, MBA ’21 and Patrick Evans welcomed Ryan Christopher Evans in August 2022 (12)

The Butler Athletics Hall of Fame Class of 2023

Girls’ varsity basketball team front row: Nan Nichols, Jean Ann Bowers, Jane Trotter, Judy Graham, Marcia Miller; back row: Miss Drinkwater, Jo Carter, Judy Horst, Kay Corcoron, Marty Barrick, Karen Newbold, Miss Hamilton.

LEADERSHIP IMPACT AWARD

Inducted at the September ceremony were: Lade Akande ’09 (women’s basketball), Paul Romanowski ’92 (football), Ben Sippola ’11 (men’s soccer), Gerald Strole ’26 (baseball, football and men’s basketball), and the 1959–1960 Women’s Basketball team (pictured left).

Dr. Tom Fischer ’75, Lou Jenkins, and Jim Lill ’70 were also inducted as Special Service Award honorees for their long-standing work with Butler Athletics.

Attention Butler families! Is there a particular Butler faculty or staff member who has had a profound impact on the learning and development of your student? Consider nominating them for the Family Council’s

Leadership Impact Award.

More information arriving soon in your Newsflash email, official Parent & Family Facebook page, and the Parent & Family website. Nominations open in early 2024.

For questions, please contact parent@butler.edu.

Alumni Association Awards

Photo by Miss Cara Photography

The Alumni Association Awards program honors the achievements of outstanding alumni and former faculty/ staff for their commitment to the University and to their communities. Nominations for honorees in the six award categories for 2024 will be accepted through January 21. Learn more about the award categories and nomination process by scanning the QR code or contact alumni@butler.edu.

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IN MEMORIAM Cassandra Goldstein Mary (Honecker) Mikels ’48, MS ’71 Marvin Cave ’48, MS ’51 Gloria (Stephens) St. John Joan (Taylor) Eshler ’49 Ervin Hallam ’49 Barbara (Greig) Glenn Mary (Taylor) Radford ’49, MS ’59 Robert Smoot ’49 James Loughery ’49 James Coburn ’50 Janet (Gormley) Rauch Philip Ruedig ’50 Chase Furnas ’50 Beverly (Sellers) Laier ’50 Carolyn (Metzger) Peet ’50 Howard Catt ’50 Mary (Cox) Tilton ’51 Richard Glidewell ’52 Mary (Nicholas) Batrich ’52 Jeanette (Lonn) Pluris ’52, MS ’72 Herbert Miller ’52 Betty Lutz ’52 Joan (Herrin) Strandjord ’53 Marcia (Beane) Neufer Wayne Theobald ’53 Karl Glander ’53 Mary Emilie (Kuehrmann) Redding ’53 Carolyn (Adams) Johnson ’53 Juliet (Farmer) Everett ’53 Wilburn Capel ’54 Lou (Phillips) Kjosen ’54 Joan (Steidle) Myers ’54 Edna (Bellenbach) Tilton ’54, MS ’59 Patsy (Wright) Jones Constance Hancock-Richards Barbara (Essex) Andrews ’55 Sanford Schwartz ’55 Mary Sofios Thanos ’56 Clark Ketterman MS ’56, EdS ’63 Donald Blue ’56, MS ’78 Cherry (Sheppard) Gerlach ’56, MS ’62 Phyllis (Ehrhardt) Whitmore ’57 Logan Hall ’57 Won-Yung (Hyun) Oh MA ’57 Phyllis (Pierson) Wesler ’57 Norman Wilkens ’57 Richard Glanzman ’57

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BUTLER MAGAZINE

Kathryn (Brohman) Bell ’58 Shirley (Yoder) Deckard ’58 Herbert Brandt ’58 Dwight Bridge Myrna (Hickman) Peterman Marlene (Anderson) McBride ’59 Geraldine (Glazier) Pergament ’59 Joe Fielden MS ’59 Richard Hoff ’59 Gerald Northrup ’59 Meredith Carter ’60, MS ’64 Larry Fable ’60 Kenneth Waggener ’60 Dutch (Newbold) Wood ’60 Sharon (Petty) Zech ’60 Thomas English ’61 Charles Yoder MS ’61 Terrell Hudson MS ’61 Allan Harvey Joe Reynolds ’61 Phillip Bercovitz ’61 Margaret Kuehrmann ’62 Judith (Brooke) Anderson ’62 Thomas Harmon ’62 Nancy (Wilson) Neal ’62, MM ’65 Linda (Abraham) Niermann ’62 Dennis Gaughan Larry Goens ’62, MS ’66 Marilyn (Klockow) Moore MS ’62 Peyton Morris MA ’62 Carolyn (Baker) Mears MS ’63 June Ann Roberts ’63 James Edwards ’63 William Dwinell ’64 Shirley (Hiatt) Hodgen ’64, MS ’73 John Oberhelman ’64 Peggy (Spriggs) Reeves ’64, MS ’67 Diane (Gable) Captain ’65 Michael Hanlin ’65 Susan (Earhart) Jessup Jack Voris ’66 Charles Scott MS ’66 Rochelle (Galey) Carroll ’66 Clifford Robinson MS ’66 James Rodefeld ’66 Judy (Erskine) Lawton ’67 Mary Lou (Bablitch) Adams ’67, MS ’69 Eva Rowings MS ’68 Loretta (Kellams) Gibbens MS ’68 Shirley Floyd ’68

Pamela Fortune ’68 Cheryl (Block) Smith ’68 Sarah Brown MS ’68 Christopher Mathis ’68 Max Fitzpatrick Samuel Fultz ’68 Charles Shafer ’68 Enid (Rudig) Bobbitt MS ’68 Karen (Wright) Lackey MS ’68 John Cleveland ’69 Susan (Green) Scott ’69 Susan (Carter) Thompson ’69 Natalie (Naylor) Stant MS ’69 James Walsh ’69 Anthony Vaglio MM ’69 Ronald Deaton MBA ’69 Janis Janelsins ’69 Aija (Vinters) Brugman MM ’70 Marilyn (Peck) Holman ’70 Keith Norwalk ’70 Karen (Sandstrom) Muir ’70, MA ’73 Sally (Chamberlain) Slaughter ’70 Terry Haisley ’70 Patricia (Wright) Reel ’70, MS ’71 Joanne (Hardy) Loefgren MS ’71 Sue (Katzenberger) Dawson MS ’71 Cynthia (Schreiber) West MS ’72 James Johnson ’72, MS ’76 Mary Lynn (Wood) Lareau MS ’72 Michael Malan ’72 Bob Messer MBA ’72 Frederick Haberstroh ’73 Martin Bernstein ’74 Jean (Meier) Baldwin MS ’74 James Armstrong MS ’74 Louise (Cobb) Kant MS ’74 Robert Simmermon MS ’74 Gloria (Kaim) Hasler MS ’75 Karen (O’Brien) Fanning ’75 Kenneth Cleveland ’75 Peter Frechette ’76 Dawnie (Noble) Barnhouse ’76, MM ’80 Diane (Foster) Lessing MS ’76 Gregory Apple Suzanne Czerniak MS ’77 Robert Golas MBA ’77 Susan (Sexson) Rossell ’78 Richard Carlson ’79 Frank Neese ’79 David Pepple MS ’79

Terry Barker MBA ’79 Jane Vawter Paul Ashley ’81 Mark Johnson MM ’81 Mary Shadigian MS ’82 Timothy Edwards ’82 Annette (Densmore) Fero MS ’83 John Schmitt MM ’84 Florence Burnham George Beck ’85 Linda (Schmaltz) Harris Mark Meredith ’86 Maryann (O’Rourke) Kleyle ’86 Terry Bruning ’86 Michael Hartley ’87 Phillip Lowery ’88 David White ’89 Linda Charbonneau ’90 Craig Hess ’90 Melissa Delamater MS ’91 David Kaelin ’91 Karen (Ellsworth) Farrell MS ’91 Jacqueline (Daoust) Harty MM ’92

Devon Hoover ’92 Gary Eldridge ’92 Edythe Barrie ’93 Stephen Rashevich ’94 Dean Morehead ’94 Patricia Mullins MS ’96 Anthony Bridgeman ’97 Courtney Bayse Ercan ’98 Kelli (Abell) McLaughlin Travis Campbell ’98 Ambra Haake ’99 Morgan Hansill Adam Ulsh ’00 Casey Troyer ’09 Jared Earle ’14 Rachel Worley ’19 Kevin Kane Faculty Emeriti Bernard Barcio James Watt Trustee Emeritus Lawrence Trissel ’69

Norm Wilkens ’57 passed away on August 27, 2023. An Adjunct Professor in the Radio/Television Department where he taught Broadcast Writing from the mid-sixties through the mid-eighties, Norm went on to serve on the Board of Visitors of both the Jordan College of the Arts and the College of Communication, the Central Indiana Alumni Board, the Alumni Association Board of Directors, and every year for 10 years, he manned the Alumni booth at Homecoming. Perhaps Norm’s greatest achievement came in 2017 when he was honored with the Butler Medal, the highest honor conferred by the Butler University Alumni Association, recognizing a lifetime of distinguished service to the University and community while at the same time achieving a distinguished career.

Long-time College of Education staff member, Karen Farrell ’91 passed away on August 17, 2023. Farrell served in various roles in the College of Education in 40 years at Butler, most recently as the COE Data Management and Accreditation Administrator. Farrell’s attention to detail and vast institutional knowledge was unparalleled and it is estimated that she saw the College through five accreditation cycles, which is a massive undertaking. In addition to her official roles with the University, she was a dictionary aficionado and professional editor, for many years co-editing Word Ways: The Journal of Recreational Linguistics with her husband, long-time College of Liberal Arts and Sciences Mathematics faculty, Dr. Jeremiah (Jerry) Farrell.

Photography by Miss Cara Photography

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BLUE’SVIEWS

MAGAZINE

FALL 2023 PRESIDENT, BUTLER UNIVERSITY

James M. Danko VICE PRESIDENT, MARKETING & BRAND MANAGEMENT

Sherrylyn Wallace EDITOR

Nancy Lyzun ASSISTANT EDITOR

Rachel Stotts EDITORIAL TEAM

Josie Drake Kristi Lafree Courtney Tuell ’99 ART AND DESIGN TEAM

David Downham Phil Eichacker (Art Director) Alisha Luckenbill UNIVERSITY PHOTOGRAPHER

Zach Bolinger CONTRIBUTING PHOTOGRAPHERS

Miss Cara Photography

At Butler, mentorship extends beyond the faculty and staff/student relationship.

It is a mindset adopted by the entire campus. I count myself as one lucky Dawg to have benefited from the wisdom of those who came before me.

When I was first introduced to the world, I have to admit that the attention and expectations of being a Butler Bulldog were weighing heavy on my little shoulders. (Do dogs have shoulders?)

CONTRIBUTING WRITERS

Marc Allan MFA ’18 Cindy Dashnaw Jackson Heidi Frye ’23 Katie Grieze Jennifer Gunnels Dana Lee ’19

Thankfully, I was able to turn to my good pal and then-mascot, Butler Blue III, aka “Trip.” He did not hesitate to take me under his paw.

Meredith Sauter ’12

For the next few months, Trip let me tag along as he finished his tenure. He taught me to be a great mascot through his example. I was an intern to the best.

Chloe Starleaf ’14

Fast forward four years, and Trip is still here for me. When I was diagnosed with a CCL tear in my hind leg, I was able to turn to my old mentor. He had the same injury during his time as mascot. He eased my nerves and talked me through every step of recovery, so I knew what to expect.

He even stepped in for me during a few #ButlerBound visits while I healed.

One day I, too, will pass down the knowledge Trip gave me. A good mentor makes a great future.

Hailey Radakovitz ’21 Emily Schlorf ’21 and Butler Blue IV

CLASS ACTS

Office of Butler Community Engagement ClassActs@butler.edu Butler Magazine is published for alumni, parents, supporters, and friends of Butler University. Share Butler Magazine story ideas and comments via email at butlermagazine@butler.edu or by phone at 317-940-9946.

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“We are glad it is now a reality.

This strengthens our pride in our university.”

—Ray Lines ’53, speaking at the Men’s Residence Hall (later named Ross Hall) groundbreaking, FALL 2023 April 1, 1953.

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