CSU Perspective - Spring/Summer 2009

Spring 2009

CONTENTS spring09 

Celebrating a great educator and a great man

Editor/Writer

Barbara Chudzik

Tuesday, June 23 • 6-8 p.m.

Allen Theater at PlayhouseSquare 1501 Euclid Avenue

Design

Join Cleveland State University in a celebration of Michael Schwartz’s eight years as President.

Provost

As Dr. Schwartz retires from the presidency and prepares to return to the classroom, the University will salute this outstanding educator and recognize CSU’s numerous achievements under his dynamic leadership.

The celebration is open to all and will include a reception, special tributes by guest speakers, and lots of surprises!

Tickets are required; call 216-687-5205 to RSVP. Underwriting opportunities are available; call 216-875-9855 for details.

Jo-Ann Dontenville-Ranallo Photography

William Rieter, ’88 President

Dr. Michael Schwartz

Dr. Mary Jane Saunders Vice President for University Advancement/ Executive Director, CSU Foundation

Peter K. Anagnostos Assistant Vice President, Marketing and admissions

Rob A. Spademan DIRECTOR, marketing and PUBLIC AFFAIRS

Brian Johnston Director, Alumni Affairs

Carolyn Champion-Sloan

F E AT U R E S

D E P ARTM E NT S

Transition Michael and Joanne Schwartz reflect on his eight years as Cleveland State University president.  6

Our Colleges  2

Curtain Rising Cleveland State, PlayhouseSquare and the Cleveland Play House create an arts mecca in the Allen Theater.  12

News Briefs  20 Alumni Q&A Eric Barnett, Peace Corps volunteer  2 4 Class Notes  26

March Madness Champion Vikings do CSU and Cleveland proud.  14 Construction Zone North and south campuses to spur downtown living.  16 Let's Grow Students at root of green roof project.  18 Addressing Health Needs CSU/NEOUCOM partnership fills prescription for more doctors.  19

Perspective, a publication for alumni and friends of Cleveland State University, is produced by the Division of University Advancement. Perspective offices are located in the Keith Building, 1621 Euclid Ave., KB 300, Cleveland, Ohio 44115.

The telephone number is 216-875-9693; the fax number is 216-687-9278.

Third-class postage is paid at Cleveland, Ohio.

Cleveland State University is an affirmative action, equal opportunity employer and especially encourages applications from minorities and women, persons with handicaps or disabilities, and disabled and Vietnam era veterans.

Perspective #20/91,000 © 2009 Cleveland State University Division of University Advancement

On the cover: After eight years as CSU President and First Lady, Michael and Joanne Schwartz are looking forward to the future.

Re a d Pe rs p e ct ive o n l i n e a t w w w. c s u o h i o . e d u / p e r s p e c t i v e CSU PERSPECTIVE 1

 OUR colleges

COLLEGE OF

Science Every day, College of Science faculty researchers are coming closer to discoveries to help cure cancer and heart disease, eliminate birth defects, and unlock the secrets to a host of other infectious and deadly diseases.

Much of the work is being done in the new Center for Gene Regulation in Health and Disease (GRHD), which is catapulting CSU to national prominence w ith its focus on research to improve understanding of biological processes and how malfunction of these processes results in disease.

“This center emphasizes CSU’s quite substantial strength in studying the function of genes and how intervention at the genetic level can prevent or cure disease. The very impressive work of our very accomplished faculty has put CSU on the biomedical research map,” says Dean Bette Bonder.

Paul DiCorleto, chairman of the Cleveland Clinic’s Lerner Research Institute, agrees that work being done at the center will have an international scientific impact. “We at the Clinic are excited to be a partner in its success,” he adds.

Associate Professor Crystal Weyman, interim director of GRHD, notes, “You would be hard pressed to find a young group of scientists as productive or with as much potential.”

The center’s 10 faculty scientists have won some $5 million in funding from the National Institutes of Health, the American Heart Association, the March of Dimes and other prestigious organizations for research that includes cel l death, blood coag u lation, protein folding, chromosome segregation and more. Several faculty are pursuing

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patents with tremendous commercialization potential. And their current research collaborations span the globe, from the Cleveland Clinic and Case Western Reserve University to universities and medical institutions in Germany, India and Hong Kong.

Through GRHD, Cleveland State will continue to develop new biomedical partnerships, publish research findings, and provide engaged learning opportunities for the undergraduate and graduate students who work alongside faculty in their labs.

“GRHD exemplifies the asset that Cleveland State is to this area,” adds Dr. Bonder. “ We are streng thening the region’s reputation for biomedical excellence and impacting scientific, economic and work force development through our strategic focus on health care and the advances being made in the GRHD Center. At the same time, CSU is expanding its own reputation as a local, national and international leader in gene regulation.”

For details, visit www.csuohio.edu/ sciences/grhd.html

COLLEGE OF

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Business Administration Testing the household market in Germany for Vita-Mix Corporation blenders . . . evaluating supply chain issues for a Swagelok Company distribution center in South America . . . examining the Chilean market for Nordson Corporation adhesive products.

It’s not your everyday curriculum. But it’s the engaged learning opportunity that allowed students to experience global e-commerce first-

hand as the first participants in the Nance College of Business Administration’s Global E-Commerce Certificate Program.

The certificate program is a collaboration between Nance College and two partner universities, Berufsakademie in Germany and the Universidad de Concepción in Chile. Recipient of the 2008 first-place Leadership in Innovation of Business award from the Mid-continent East Business Association, it was judged outstanding in all criteria — creativity, leadership potential, content and transferability.

The Global E-Commerce Certificate Program was first held during spring semester 2008. Students and faculty members from the three universities worked together to complete real-life projects for international companies Vita-Mix, Swagelok and Nordson. In addition, students participated in certificate courses in electronic business, customer relationship management, and global supply chain and business strategy.

The non-traditional program began with two weeks at Berufsakademie in the city of Heidenheim, where students attended class together, got to know each other, and were divided into teams and assigned their industry-sponsored projects. Students then returned to

their home campuses and for the next 10 weeks collaborated via interactive distance learning. They then re-grouped for two weeks at Universidad de Concepción to complete their projects.

Santosh Misra, chair and professor of computer and information science, and Colette Hart, director of business outreach in Nance College, designed and manage the program. The next session begins in January 2010.

formed by the Cleveland Contemporary Players, founded by Dr. Rindf leisch to bring musical artists and composers to campus for residencies, workshops and concerts.

To learn more, visit www.csuohio. edu/class

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COLLEGE OF

Education and Human Services

For additional information, visit www.csuohio.edu/business

 COLLEGE OF

Liberal Arts and Social Sciences Engaged learning takes on new meani n g i n C S U ’s M u s i c C o m p o s i t i o n Resource Center. The center — unlike any other in the nation — offers technology that allows aspiring composers to create clean copies of their music, print and bind the scores, and mail them to ensembles, soloists and competitions.

At no cost above tuition, students have access to unlimited supplies of recordable CDs, computers with notation software, and more.

Andrew Rindf leisch, professor of music and head of music composition studies, conceived the center to help future Mozarts and Barry Manilows hone their skills and succeed professiona l ly once their school days are over. He’s a perfect role model of such success.

The renowned composer, conductor, pianist and producer has received nearly every prestigious honor the field of music has to offer, including the Guggenheim Foundation Fellowship, the American Academy of Arts and Letters Award, the Rome Prize, the Aaron

Copland Award (bestowed at the White House), the Cleveland Arts Prize, and a Commission from the Koussevitzky Foundation. His works have received hundreds of performances throughout the world.

A specialist in the creation of new music, Dr. Rindf leisch secured private funding and created the Music Composition Resource Center to give students a competitive edge in their careers. Providing necessary tools to take music from a composer’s head to a final form that can be used by orchestras and vocalists is crucial to getting new music performed and recorded.

Music composition majors a lso have access to professional computer music st ud ios desig ned by a ssociate professor Greg D’A lessio a nd a professional recording studio run by Grammy Award-winning staff member David Yost. And they experience t he joy of hav i n g t hei r work s per-

The School of Nursing in the College of Educat ion a nd Hu ma n Ser v ices was among the first institutions in the nation to receive funding from the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation (RWJF) th roug h the RW J F New Ca reers in Nursing Scholarship Program. Cleveland State received a one-year, $200,000 award that will fund scholarships for 20 students in the accelerated baccalaureate nursing program.

The New Careers initiative, launched by RWJF and the American Association of Colleges of Nursing, seeks to help alleviate the nation’s nursing shortage by dramatically expanding the pipeline of students in accelerated nursing programs. Scholarship preference is given to students from groups underrepresented in nursing or from disadvantaged backgrounds.

CSU’s accelerated nursing program, beg u n in 20 02 in pa r tnership w ith the Cleveland Clinic Foundation, is a 15-month program for students who already hold a non-nursing bachelor’s degree. Classes start in January and in May with just 30 students accepted for each cohort through a highly selective process. CSU off icials hope to grow enrollment from 60 to 80 students per year by targeting new populations with the scholarships.

CSU PERSPECTIVE 3

 OUR colleges

“The Robert Wood Johnson Foundation is well respected in the health care field and we are thrilled with this recognition of CSU’s School of Nursing,” said Assistant Professor Cheryl Delgado. “Our accelerated track draws students from across the state and provides a professional pathway to the many career opportunities in nursing.

The majority of our highly skilled nursing graduates remain in the Cleveland area to meet the health care needs of our community. This partnership with the RWJ Foundation will help attract and retain new students from target populations who are eager to better their own lives and the lives of others through nursing.”

Re c ipient s of RW J Fou nd at ion schola rsh ips w i l l be ca l led Cher yl McCahon Scholars, in honor of the faculty member who was instrumental in CSU’s establishment of the accelerated program. Dr. McCahon passed away in August 2008.

To learn more, visit www.csuohio. edu/cehs/

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MAXINE GOODMAN LEVIN COLLEGE OF



Urban Affairs

Contrar y to popular belief, housing values are not in a universal, Cuyahoga County-wide freefall. For homeowners in Cleveland and the suburbs who may be nervously thinking they should sell before their equity completely erodes, there is a reason to be hopef u l and positive.

That’s the good news from The Sky Isn’t Falling Everywhere, a study by the Levin College of Urban Affairs’ Center for Housing Research and Policy. The study, by faculty member Brian Mikelbank and center researche r s To m B i e r , Charlie Post and Ivan Maric, provides a basic working plan for

cities to consider when determining what actions to take to g uide their housing market in the wake of the foreclosure crisis.

Funded by the Ohio Urban University Program, the study presents quantifiable data that support the existence of two distinct housing markets within Cuya hoga C ou nt y — one subma r ket dominated by foreclosure activity where sales are up and prices are down; and another submarket where sales are decreasing, prices are stable, and houses are holding their value.

Offering optimism where little or none was thought to exist, the report is a valuable tool for dealing with the current housing and economic crises.

“Our Center for Housing Research and Policy continues to work with both the city and the county on further developing market indicators that will be of use to decision-makers in understanding the complexities of today’s housing market and making informed policy solutions,” says Dr. Mikelbank.

To learn more, visit http://urban. csuohio.edu

CLEVELAND-MARSHALL COLLEGE OF

Law

When it comes to educating the Northeast Ohio legal community, the Clevela nd-Ma rsha l l Col lege of L aw ca n proudly boast of some 11,000 alumni, including more than 100 sitting judges.

That record of success grows stronger every day, as recent achievements attest.

Cleveland-Marshall graduates taking the Ohio bar exam for the first time in July 2008 scored an impressive 89 percent passage rate. Combined with the previous two passage rates, ClevelandMarshall students averaged better than 91 percent over the last three exams.

Third-year student Patrick Charles (pictured) scored a national legal writing award plus a book deal when he put his legal mind to work on the topic “What does the Constitution’s Second Amendment — the Right of the People to Keep and Bear Arms — Really Mean?”

Charles turned his research into a n 82-pa ge essay a nd entered it in the competition for the $10,000 Judge John R. Brown Award for Excellence in Legal Writing. Against hundreds of essays from law students across the nation, Charles’ paper was the judges’ unanimous choice. He then expanded his essay into a book, Founding Guns: The Second Amendment, the Supreme Court and Understanding the Right to Bear Arms in State Constitutions , published this spring.

In more good news, a new Community Health Advocacy Law Clinic (CHALC) will open this fall to serve lowincome families and individuals returning to the community from jail or prison.

CHALC is a partnership between Cleveland-Marshall, the MetroHealth System and the Legal Aid Society of Cleveland. Students w ill work w ith lawyers, physicians, nurses and social workers to resolve legal issues dealing with special education, public benefits, disabilities, housing and immigration.

For additional information, visit www.law.csuohio.edu



FENN COLLEGE OF



Engineering

The Fenn College of Eng ineering is leading a new initiative to increase the number of graduates in STEM fields (Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics) in general and engineering in particular.

The Ohio Board of Regents awarded CSU nearly $475,000 for “Engineering Across the Pipeline” under the Choose Ohio First Scholarship Program. The

Fenn College of Engineering is heading up the project in partnership with Baldwin Wallace College and Ursuline College.

Over the next five years, the schools plan to offer some 90 scholarships to help feed the engineering pipeline in Northeast Ohio. The scholarships will support undergraduate students majoring in natural science and mathematics who have shown an interest in engineering, as well as undergraduates majoring in engineering, with the expectation that they will enroll in an engineering master’s degree program and choose a career in a STEM field.

Increasing the number of STEM and engineering graduates is critically important to the future of both Ohio and the nation in a competitive global economy. According to the Committee on the Engineer of 2020, at no time in the history of engineering education has enrollment of American-born students been lower. In 2006, only 4.6 percent of bachelor degrees and 5.6 percent of master degrees awarded to students were in engineering.

The shortage of future engineers to serve the needs of Northeast Ohio business and industry prompted Fenn College and its two partners to develop the engineering pipeline program.

The principle investigator is Jorge Gatica, professor of chemical and biomedical engineering; co-principle investigators are Dean Bahman Ghorashi, Paul Lin, associate dean and professor of mechanical engineering, and staff members Pamela Charity and Gregg Schoof.

To learn more, visit www.csuohio. edu/engineering 

CSU PERSPECTIVE 5

HE

“No matter what else I’ve done, I’ll go down in history as the man who put the CSU letters on Rhodes Tower,” jokes President Michael Schwartz.

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need not worry about his legacy. While the illuminated letters have given the University visibility, so have countless other accomplishments and changes during the Schwartz era — from an honors program and soaring bar passage rate to groundbreaking faculty research, increased student scholarships and spectacular new campus buildings.

Now, after eight years at CSU’s helm and 47 years in higher education, President Schwartz will step down on June 30. After a one-year sabbatical, he’ll return to where it all began — the classroom. And that classroom will be at Cleveland State.

“This is a transition, not retirement,” he says. “I’m getting back to my roots. I began my professional life as a professor and I intend to complete my professional life as one.”

Dr. Schwartz will remain in touch with the students he so loves and admires by teaching both undergraduate and graduate classes, most likely in public policy and education, leadership and education, and statistics.

“I look forward to joining my colleagues of the faculty in driving the University forward under the leadership of my successor,” he says.

The sabbatical will give him some much-needed free time, as well as rest and relaxation. On his to-do list: spend time with wife Joanne; be a doting grandpa to 12 grandchildren ages two to 23; visit family in Virginia, Missouri, Texas, Arizona and California; go hiking and fly fishing; do some writing; and dive into “the world’s largest unread library.”

And during his one year “away” from campus, he’ll still be an active and involved ambassador for CSU — working with the University’s Campaign for Cleveland and meeting with

donors to convince them that “CSU is a great investment opportunity in these bad economic times.”

Dr. Schwartz lightheartedly describes 17 years as the president of two Ohio public institutions (including nine years at Kent State University) as “a wild ride on a glacier. It’s time to let my nervous system regenerate.” But he quickly turns serious, saying “now is the time for new vision, new energy, new ideas and new skills.”

In fact, he’s stepping down one year early because he believes that over time, “presidents identify so strongly with their universities that their entire sense of self is determined by that one role. It becomes very difficult to step back to see the institution as it really is and to make objective assessments. That serves no one well, least of all the president.

“Cleveland State University today is very different in many positive ways than when I came. I believe I will leave the University better than when I arrived and every president should be able to say that,” he adds.

And he’s willing to let history decide his legacy.

“Personally, I’d like to be remembered as the guy who gave CSU back its pride. But presidents can’t be too self-centered or egotistical. Universities are not about presidents; they come and go. Universities are about students and professors,” he says.

“If you’re lucky like me, you get to mind the store for a period of time. The critical matter is leaving the place better than you found it and I think I did that. I have no regrets. I did the best I could on my watch. I’m certain the next president will do the same.”

TRANSITION CSU PERSPECTIVE 7

“The success of our University is measured in terms of the success of our students.”

“Getting students engaged and excited — that’s the definition of a fine university.”

“No well-qualified student should ever be turned away from our University because of an inability to pay.

That is intolerable.”

PROUD OF RETURNING PRIDE TO CSU

our new Center for Gene Regulation in Health and Disease (see story on page 2), the amazing gains in energy and sensors coming from our engineering faculty — we’re talking big, serious stuff that is potentially life-changing,” he says.

“CSU is at the core of the region’s life. We transform the people who, in turn, transform the economic, civic and cultural life of the region. No matter where you go or what you do in this region, you are bound to find some connection to CSU. The state of Cleveland depends on Cleveland State,” he notes.

President Schwartz believes Building Blocks for the Future, the master plan that has brought more than $350 million in new construction and renovation to campus, has made an “astounding change” to the city’s largest footprint.

“The new buildings are beautiful pieces of architecture,” he marvels. “The campus now faces outward and is so welcoming and available to students.

“The Student Center under construction will have a fireplace and an outdoor fountain where students will gather and feel good. The College of Education and Human Services building also under construction will serve as the campus gateway on the east side. Even the Euclid Corridor adds to the look of our campus,” he continues.

Academically, the University’s strides are almost too numerous to count — the institution of academic standards, an honors program, a scholars program, learning communities, revamped general education requirements, an undergraduate research program, a common reading experience, an evolving undergraduate and graduate curriculum that meets the changing needs of the region and better prepares students for the life and career challenges they will face, and much more.

Even as the Schwartz era draws to a close, the president has continued to look to CSU’s future, suggesting that the time may be right for a football team or name change.

“Football is part of traditional campus life and would attract students,” he says. “And since CSU is striking out

Courtesy of the Plain Dealer

Clevela nd State Un iver sit y, pre -M ich a el Schwartz, “had not had a cheerleader for a very long time,” says the president.

“And that was a shame.

“A little bit of cheerleading can be helpful for morale.

There’s no substitute for some old-fashioned bragging once in a while to let people know all the good things that are happening on campus.”

Over the past eight years, President Schwartz has served as the University’s top cheerleader. While leaving when he’s on top of his game may be bittersweet, he proudly proclaims that the future of CSU is bright. And even more proudly, he talks about the University’s accomplishments under his watch.

“Cleveland State has changed immensely — academically, physically and psychologically,” he states. “Students, faculty and staff feel a real sense of ‘pride in place.’ That makes me feel good. Morale has improved dramatically; people are happy about being here. To me, that’s terrifically important.”

Dr. Schwartz believes his administration, working with faculty, staff, students and community partners, has built “a first-

rate, comprehensive university that serves our students, the region, and the state of Ohio very well and with distinction.”

Perhaps most importantly, he adds, “we are no longer hiding all the good things happening here. We are telling our story better and others are understanding and appreciating the many and important accomplishments taking place.”

Dr. Schwartz recalls that when he became interim president in 2001, CSU seemed to have one point of pride — the number two national ranking of the Maxine Goodman Levin College of Urban Affairs’ city management and urban policy program.

“Now everywhere you turn, there’s another point of pride.

There is not a single dull spot on this campus where faculty and students are not doing great things,” he says.

He cites some examples: a history professor who has received more than a million dollars in research grants; the Arabic language and Middle Eastern Studies programs that are showing great promise; the Confucius Institute designation that CSU competed for and won; the internationally recognized Center for School Leadership; the International Business program; the “almost worst to first” improvement in bar passage rates by law students; collaborations with the Cleveland Clinic’s Lerner Research Institute that are breaking new ground in science and medicine, and much more.

“The work being done by remarkable young scientists in

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“Students, faculty and staff feel a real sense of ‘pride in place.’ That makes me feel good.”

in new directions with new vigor and new purpose, perhaps a name change to the University of Cleveland is in order.” Both ideas are being evaluated by special committees.

Despite all of CSU’s changes for the good, Dr. Schwartz notes “the fundamental purposes of the University — teaching, research, scholarship and service — have not and cannot change.”

He hopes that when students walk onto the CSU campus, they are filled with the same wonder he felt at age 18 as a new student at the University of Illinois.

“I immediately had the sense that something important was going on. I didn’t know what it was or who was doing it.

But I knew it was a place where I could learn. And that’s a good feeling.

“That’s how Cleveland State feels to me now. There’s a real, unmistakable charge of intellectual excitement. And our faculty are able to find ways to engage students in that excitement.

“Intellectual work is exciting stuff. If you don’t have a faculty engaged in its own work and able to engage students, you can have pretty buildings and the best football team, but you don’t have much of a university.

“Getting students engaged and excited — that’s the definition of a fine university.” 

“The most wonderful day for me has always been commencement — that’s when it all comes together for our graduates. Talk about pride!

Seeing the parents and

CSU PERSPECTIVE

families, sensing that all these futures are starting, sharing in the hopes and aspirations — it’s very exciting. And very rewarding to an 9 educator.”

P R E S I D E N T- D E S I G N AT E “We’ve loved it. These eight years have been very rewarding and great fun. But we’re both looking forward to the transition.”

THE PRESIDENT'S PRESIDENT Ask Joanne Schwartz about the last eight years and without hesitation she says that serving as president and first lady of Cleveland State has been the career pinnacle for both her husband and herself.

“We’ve loved it. These eight years have been very rewarding and great fun.

But we’re both looking forward to the transition. It’s time to slow down a bit, let Mike do some fly fishing, and enjoy our life together,” she adds.

The couple recently moved from a Shaker Heights house to a Bratenahl condominium that she calls “the perfect retirement nest.

“When we look out at the lake from our eighth f loor window, we both visibly relax,” she says. “We love Cleveland; being so close to downtown and University Circle will allow us get out even more than we do now for the opera, the theater, Viking basketball games, and all the other activities we enjoy.”

Dr. Schwartz is looking forward to spending more time with her husband, especially during his sabbatical year, but she intends to keep active with her many professional commitments.

She’s program chair of the Intown Club which meets ever y Monday, and an active member of the 21st Century Club which meets every Wednesday. She’s a member of the Cleveland Council on World Affairs Education Committee, the Great Lakes Science Center board, the ArtWorks board (part of the Young Audiences of Northeast Ohio program), and CSU’s Summer Teacher Institute/ Learning Through the Arts board. And for 12 years, she’s been a member of the Jenn ings Fou ndation Distr ibution

“We have a real sense of belonging and of knowing that Mike’s achievements as president have made a real difference in the life of CSU and Cleveland.”

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Committee, which involves reading 50 to 100 grant proposals each month.

President Schwartz proudly notes that his w ife of 10 years, who holds a doctorate in educational psycholog y, “ had a life before me. She gave up her c a re er t o c ome w it h me t o Cleveland State.”

And indeed she did, retiring from Kent State University after 16 years as dean of the College and Graduate School of Education.

Dr. Schwartz believes her husband has been a wonderful president, a fact borne out by just about everyone she meets.

“Even people with no connection to Cleveland State comment with great enthusiasm on how CSU has been transformed and how the University is now a vital part of the city,” she says.

And she’s deeply appreciative to the Cleveland communit y that has embraced her and the president.

“Cleveland is unique in its depth and sense of community, its multigenerational, family relationships, and its acceptance of newcomers,” she says.

“From day one, the community has been responsive to us and to Mike’s leadership. We have a real sense of belonging and of knowing that Mike’s achievements as president have made a real difference in the life of CSU and Cleveland.”

Despite their affection for Cleveland, Dr. Schwartz is quick to dispel suggestions that her husband run for mayor.

“That’s not on the agenda,” she says.

“Being president of Cleveland State University is a great capstone to Mike’s career.” 

Ronald M. Berkman has been selected as the sixth president of Cleveland State University. He will take office in July.

Dr. Berkman is currently provost, executive vice president and chief operating officer at Florida International University in Miami.

With FIU since 1997, he also served as executive dean of the College of Health and Urban Affairs. He received his Ph.D. from Princeton University in 1977.

At a campus reception at which faculty, staff and students gave him a standing ovation, the president-designate called CSU “a special institution committed to moving forward in its quest to improve teaching and learning, research, service, partnerships and public engagement.

“I feel completely prepared and energized to work with all constituencies to continue CSU’s journey to its goal of becoming a premier urban research university,” he added.

A former dean of urban affairs at the City University of New York, Dr. Berkman has a record of distinguished leadership in public affairs and health care issues.

President Michael Schwartz said his successor “has the perfect credentials and experience to take the helm of the University. He is a distinguished scholar with great practical experiences in urban settings and is concerned with building sustainable communities. His strong concern for issues of health mesh well with our aspirations in health professions and biomedical research.

At the same time, he understands the importance of the arts and humanities for our University and students.

“In my opinion, it would have been more than a little difficult to find anyone better suited to CSU than he is,” added C SDr. U Schwartz.

P E R S P EC T I V E 1 1

Cleveland State, PlayhouseSquare and

curtain rising Allen Theater to House CSU Dramatic Arts and Dance

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the Cleveland Play House are joining forces to create a downtown Cleveland arts education collaborative unlike any other in the nation.

Negotiations are well underway to have the historic Allen Theater in PlayhouseSquare become the home for two new resident companies — the Cleveland Play House and CSU’s theater and dance programs.

The innovative partnership brings t o ge t her A mer ic a’s f i r s t re g ion a l theater, the nation’s second-largest performing arts complex, Cleveland’s only metropolitan university, and other Nor theast Ohio universities whose productions will also play at the Allen.

It is a major step for ward in CSU ’s ongoing commitment to building a downtown neighborhood and revitalizing the city and regional economy.

“This is the realization of a dream and a true highlight of my eight years at Cleveland State,” said President Michael Schwartz. “The arts are an essential part of the human experience. They are as important as the sciences in a wellrounded education and they are vital to the economic well-being and quality of life in Cleveland and Northeast Ohio.

“As Cleveland’s university, we are committed to making the city a vibrant place where well-educated and skilled young people will want to live and work.

We also are committed to creating a residential neighborhood on our campus. The Allen Theater project is key to achieving these goals.”

Cleveland State and neighboring PlayhouseSquare have agreed to a longterm lease of the Allen by the University, as well as a complete renovation of the 2,500-seat landmark. The Cleveland Play House’s recent decision to sell its University Circle theater and move its

operations to the Allen adds sizzle to an already one-of-a-kind project.

“A partnership with the Play House will strengthen and build our own excellent program and attract students of a national caliber who want to study theater and performing arts as well as theater marketing and management,” says Dr. Schwartz. “We anticipate quadrupling the number of CSU students enrolled in these programs.”

The Allen renovation will create a state-of-the-art venue with a 550-seat main stage proscenium theater on the first f loor and a 300-seat second stage in the balcony. There also will be classrooms, rehearsal space, dance space with a sprung f loor, ample space for wardrobe, props and set construction, and a 175-seat black box theater in a courtyard between the Allen and Ohio theaters in the area now known as Dodge Court.

The Allen will offer a year-round schedule of professional and college productions expected to bring an additional 100,000-plus audience members downtown each year.

In addition to the Play House’s established programs and CSU productions, other colleges and universities, high schools and local arts organizations will be invited to use the theater, adding to the cost efficiency of its renovation and making it alive on an almost daily basis.

In addition, the Great Lakes Theater Festival will use set construction space for its productions.

“Students will have the opportunity to engage with professionals in all aspects of theater education and hone their skills through internships, leading to the need for additional student housing on and near campus and the retail and commercial enterprises that will follow," said President Schwartz.

Peter A. Kuhn, Cleveland Play House chairman, believes the project “has the potential to be one of the greatest arts, higher education and urban revitalization partnerships in the nation.” Art J. Falco, PlayhouseSquare president and CEO, adds the partnership “will create a performing arts complex unrivaled in the country and a 24/7 cultural/learning environment that benefits students, the economy, and Cleveland’s stature as a vibrant, forward-thinking city.”

Renovation of the Allen is expected to cost $30 million with all three partners involved in fundraising. Cleveland State has already secured commitments of $1 million from the George Gund Foundation, $1 million from the Parker Hannifin Corporation, and $300,000 from the state of Ohio for architecture and design work. Renovation is expected to begin in June 2010 and be complete in fall 2011.

“With CSU a leader in the revitalization of downtown into a vibrant neighborhood, this will be a national model that draws audiences to the Allen and attention to Cleveland,” adds President Schwartz. “Arts patrons will applaud this project for years to come.” 

CSU PERSPECTIVE 13

MARCH MADNESS With cheers, tears and heart-stopping action, the CSU Vikings returned to March Madness following a 23-year absence.

The Horizon League champs trounced first-round opponent Wake Forest, but came up short in round two against Arizona.

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The biggest event in collegiate athletics put the Vikings in the

national spotlight as CBS-TV broadcast the Miami games from coast to coast.

Team members, Coach Gary Waters and his staff, and CSU’s Athletic program were first-class representatives of a campus and city bursting with pride.

Congratulations and thank you, Vikings! To support the team in 2009/10, visit www.csuvikings.com î‚ž CSU PERSPECTIVE 15

Expansion

Prepared for Cleveland State University by the Urban Design Center of Northeast Ohio

North and south campuses to extend CSU neighborhood

C leveland State already has East and West extended campuses. If all goes according to plan — CSU’s master plan, that is — the downtown campus will have three distinctive neighborhoods — the current academic core, a new north campus and a new south campus.

The plan will bring more housing, parking garages, retail outlets and green space to what’s already the largest “footprint” in downtown Cleveland. Further developing a campus that’s already seen $350 million in physical improvements will help transform downtown Cleveland into a series of neighborhoods and create a vibrant living and learning community in the heart of the city that is attractive to prospective students and residents in general.

Working with plans created by Kent State University’s Urban Design Center of Northeast Ohio, CSU is seeking private developers with whom to partner as early as June to make the north and south campuses a reality.

According to Jack Boyle, CSU’s vice president for business affairs and finance, the north campus (between Chester and Payne avenues) would boast apartments, a baseball field (the Vikings’ first-ever home field which may also be shared by St. Ignatius High School), a Viking Village for student-athletes, and a possible Cleveland Indians baseball academy for youngsters.

The south campus (between Euclid and Carnegie avenues) would provide additional student housing and retail.

The baseball field as well as new parking decks would be built and owned by private developers, who would lease the facilities to the University. The housing will be market rate and developer owned.

As envisioned, some 2,500 people could live on campus, including a higher number of students coming to CSU from other cities and states, faculty, downtown employees, and those looking to return to the city from the suburbs. Today, some 850 students live in two residence halls.

“More housing, retail outlets and green space, more activity along Euclid and Chester Avenues — that’s been the plan all along to help

connect Cleveland State to the city and create neighborhoods to revitalize this sector of downtown,” notes Boyle.

In a sagging economy, Cleveland State and the Cleveland Clinic are the two city sites where construction is booming, providing jobs and economic stimulus.

The first-ever home for the College of Education and Human Services and a new Student Center are well underway and slated to open in 2010.

A parking garage/transit center, a collaboration of CSU and the Greater Cleveland Regional Transit Authority, will open in fall 2009. And numerous private housing projects along Euclid Avenue are underway or open for business. 

At the heart of CSU’s master plan are four Cs — connect, collaborate, complement and conserve.

“Our goals are to create functional and visual links to the city (connect), leverage development opportunities (collaborate), improve the character of campus spaces (complement), and conserve existing assets and the environment,” says Vice President Jack Boyle.

The plan embraces three design principles — reconstructing the street grid, reaching out to the city, and reaching in to the campus.

Reconstructing the street grid includes simplifying intersections, eliminating one-way streets, and creating new access routes. East 24 th and East 19th streets would become the major pedestrian access routes into campus.

Reaching out to the city includes campus edge zones with shared land uses to improve the environment for cultural, retail and entertainment development.

Reaching in to the campus includes creating views into campus and establishing clearly defined campus entry points to encourage visitors to take part in University life.

“Opening up the campus will include landscaped ribbons along Euclid Avenue, East 24th and East 19 th streets, and the University Commons to strengthen the identity of the campus district and improve the pedestrian environment,” notes Boyle. 

For more information, visit www.csuohio.edu/architect 16 WWW.CSUOHIO.EDU

CSU PERSPECTIVE 17

LET'S GROW A

little green goes a long way. And environmental science students Erin Huber and LeeAnn Westfall are hoping Cleveland State alumni and friends will share a bit of their “green” to support a rooftop garden on the Recreation Center.

After learning in class that a rooftop garden was once planned for the Rec Center but later dropped for budgetary reasons, Huber and Westfall took it upon themselves to make the garden a reality.

To reach their $250,000 goal, the women hope to raise $120,000 from foundations, $65,000 from students, faculty, staff, alumni and friends, and $65,000 through University matching funds.

Students graduating in 2009 and 2010 are urged to make a $25 class gift; others are urged to contribute at least $50.

“We realize money doesn’t grow on trees but if we all join together, we can make this happen,” note Huber and Westfall, co-founders of CSU’s Student Environmental Movement.

The women worked with the CSU Architect’s Office on blueprints for the garden, which include experimental plots for research by science faculty and students, solar lighting, and space for classes, special events and studying.

In addition to adding aesthetic value to buildings, green roofs filter pollutants from storm water and reduce the amount of water that f lows into sewer systems. The plants also remove pollutants from the atmosphere, lower the cost of heating and cooling, and create habitats for local wildlife.

The 7,000-square-foot rooftop garden will serve as a learning tool for CSU students, the community and area schools, providing engaged learning on such topics as green building, urban planning, environmental protection and sustainability.

Donations are 100 percent tax deductible and may be mailed to Cleveland State University, 2121 Euclid Ave., KB 300, Cleveland, Ohio 44115.

For more information, visit www.csuohio.edu/rooftop

L

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“Our community will benefit substantially from the greater number of general practice physicians being prepared to enter medical practice, with many of those new doctors likely to remain in Northeast Ohio to help stem the region’s growing shortage of physicians.”

President Michael Schwartz

E ducating more primar y care phy-

sicians, especially indiv iduals from underrepresented minority groups, to provide health care in urban areas — that’s Cleveland State’s goal as the newest partner in the Northeastern Ohio Universities Colleges of Medicine and Pharmacy (NEOUCOM).

C le vela nd St at e’s empha si s on urban health care speaks directly to the serious national dilemma faced by the medical community of how best to serve populations that are economically disadvantaged or medically underserved.

“Inner-city Cleveland and other areas of Northeast Ohio are in dire need of health care providers, particularly primary care providers who know something about urban health,” says Bette Bonder, dean of CSU’s College of Science. “There are significant challenges to providing health care in urban environments marked by substantial poverty. Cleveland State and NEOUCOM are committed to changing the face of urban health in our region and becoming a national model for urban primary health care education and service.”

Clevela nd State w i l l focus on recruiting a diverse group of future physicians through two unique programs — a post-baccalaureate and a BS/MD. The two-year, post-baccalaureate program, created by Provost Mary Jane Saunders, targets returning students and career-changing adults willing to make a commitment to primary care and to working in urban settings. These students, who already have bachelor’s degrees, will complete their pre-medical science requirements as well as a concentration in urban health. If they successfully complete their CSU program, they will move on to NEOUCOM for four years. In fact, CSU’s program is

CSU FILLS PRESCRIPTION FOR MORE DOCTORS

NEOUCOM the only one in the country that guarantees students a seat in medical school if admission requirements are met.

“CSU has a long history of educating non-traditional students, and the new post-baccalaureate program builds on that success model. We expect it to have wide appeal to adults who want to commit to a career in primary care medicine in the Cleveland area,” said Provost Saunders.

The three-year BS/MD program focuses on educating students from m inor it y and d isadvanta ged backgrounds by reaching into area high schools. Initially, CSU will partner with Horizon Science Academy and John Hay and Garrett Morgan high schools, all in Cleveland, to provide promising students with academic enrichment in science and math, clinical experiences, shadowing, mentoring, tutoring, and support in communication, problemsolving, and work behaviors that are needed to succeed in college, medical school and professional practice.

“Ou r h ig h school prog ram is intended to have students ready to

apply for the first BS/MD class when they graduate from high school,” says Dr. Bonder. Better preparing high school students from disadvantaged backgrounds is critical to meeting urban health care needs, she adds. “ Resea rch shows that m inor it y populations prefer health care providers who are racially concordant,” she notes. “Physicians who can grasp the full scope of a health problem in the context of the patient’s beliefs and can provide interventions that are culturally acceptable will be better able to assist their patients.”

The dea r t h of phy sicia n s f rom underrepresented minority groups, especially in primary care, is often due to smart and capable students not taking the right science and math courses in high school, so they are not able to manage the college work needed to succeed in medical school, notes Dr. Bonder.

For more information, call the college of science at 216-687-5580. 

CSU PERSPECTIVE 19

newsBRIEFS

csu wins largest award

faculty Win Fulbrights

engineering dean named

blowing in the WIND

Cleveland State was awarded $480,000 from the Ohio College Access Network (OCAN) — the largest grant made to any Ohio college through the competitive Ohio Can! Go to College funding process, a statewide initiative to help expand the number of individuals preparing to enter postsecondary education during the next two years.

Three faculty members received prestigious Fulbright Scholar awards for 2008-09. They are Nancy Meyer-Emerick, associate professor of urban studies in the Maxine Goodman Levin College of Urban Affairs; Jorge Gatica, professor of chemical and biomedical engineering in the Fenn College of Engineering; and Santosh Misra, chair and professor of computer and information science in the Nance College of Business Administration.

Bahman Ghorashi has been named dean of the Fenn College of Engineering. The professor of chemical and biomedical engineering joined CSU in 1978 and served as interim dean for the past two years. He also is the director of Fenn Academy, a consortium between CSU, local school districts and corporations to promote engineering education and careers.

The roof of CSU’s Physical Plant building soon will be outfitted with a unique wind turbine that will test the viability of cost-effective wind power in urban areas.

The award will enable CSU to significantly increase student scholarship support, which is consistent with OCAN’s statewide emphasis on building scholarship support for first-generation students, underrepresented minorities, veterans, and economically underprivileged students.

All are teaching and conducting research during their time away from CSU — Dr. Gatica at the National University of Tucuman in Argentina, Dr. Misra at Copperbelt University in Kitwe, Zambia, and Dr. Meyer-Emerick at the University of Presov in the Slovak Republic.

These three join more than 50 other CSU faculty who have achieved the Fulbright Scholar distinction over the years.

Dr. Ghorashi holds a BS from Wayne State University and an MS and Ph.D. from The Ohio State University, all in chemical engineering.

He has more than 70 publications to his credit.

More and more, CSU is becoming the university of choice for the best and the brightest students.

In academic year 2008/09: The average freshman GPA was 3.09, a new high resulting from admissions standards implementation.

reversing brain drain

At nearly 16,000 students, enrollment grew for the second consecutive year.

Graduate student enrollment was up 9 percent fall semester.

Transfer student enrollment was up 18 percent spring semester.

Freshman enrollment was up 21 percent spring semester.

Occupancy at Fenn Tower and Viking Hall was 100 percent.

Cleveland State is playing a key role in attracting bright and talented people to Cleveland with the addition of 29 faculty members. For the first time, the percentage of minority hires is over 50 percent, reflecting the growing number of Asians holding a Ph.D.

wal-mart awards CSU $100,000 Cleveland State was one of only 10 colleges and universities nationwide to receive a $100,000 gif t from the Wal-Mar t Foundation to support programs that provide educational assistance to veterans.

With its award, Wal-Mart recognized CSU’s SERV program — Supportive Education for the Returning Veteran — which is designed to assist military veterans with their transition from soldier to civilian to student. Two years ago, chemistry faculty member John Schupp founded SERV. Under his direction, the two-semester program helps veterans apply for GI Bill benefits, and offers veterans-only classes that help ease the transition back into the classroom for many veterans who have not been in a classroom for years. Dr. Schupp also works with veterans to navigate VA issues and offers a veteran-to-veteran mentoring program.

Over the last decade, the leading reason civilians have enlisted in the military has been for the educational benefits. In reality, however, less than 10 percent take full advantage of their earned benefits.

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faculty research is cover story Being published in prestigious scientific journals is an aspiration of every researcher. CSU’s Bibo Li not only succeeded in having her research featured in the April 3 issue of Cell, she captured the publication’s cover with her paper “RAP1 is Essential for Silencing Telomeric Variant Surface Glycoprotein Genes in Trypanosoma brucei.” Dr. Li is an assistant professor of biological, geological and environmental sciences.

Of full-time, tenure-track faculty hires for academic year 2008-09, 54 percent are female and 54 percent are minorities. Of all hires in full-time faculty positions, including visiting and term faculty, 55 percent are female and 42 percent are minorities.

M a jid R a s h id i , p r o fe s s o r o f mechanical engineering, has simplified his original corkscrew wind tower design to something deceptively simple — four turbines, each six feet in diameter, positioned on either side of a cylinder 25 feet in diameter. The turbines will be anchored at the top on a sort of industrial-grade lazy Susan and will rotate to face the wind as it changes direction. In addition, there will be one additional turbine mounted on a nearby standard pole as a control.

Dr. Rashidi hopes his technique will show that is possible to harness wind energy in urban areas where conventional windmills are not possible. His research is being supported by a $1.1 million grant from the U.S. Department of Energy and a $1 million gift from a private donor.

CSU WINS addy award

In 2006 and 2007, CSU was recognized by the Commission on Economic Development for Best in Class for Work Force Diversity.

The American Advertising Federation-Cleveland honored ENGAGE, CSU’s newsletter for students, with a bronze award in the ADDY Awards competition recognizing creative excellence in all forms of advertising.

ENGAGE is written and produced by the University Marketing department under the direction of Rob Spademan, assistant vice president. Staffers Ben Sabol and Patsy Kline serve as editor/writer and graphic designer.

In addition, flourish, inc., a downtown ad/design agency, won two ADDYs for Cleveland State projects — a silver award for the Democratic presidential debate logo and a bronze award for the Campaign for Cleveland logo.

CSU PERSPECTIVE 21

MAREYJOYCE GREEN retires And through a Cleveland State-Cuyahoga County Department of Human Services partnership, she initiated Push to Achievement, the only program of its kind in Ohio to lead public assistance recipients to self-sufficiency through higher education.

CAROL G. EMERLING

ROBERT L. NORTON

CHRISTOPHER S.RONAYNE

ANDREW F. PUZDER

newsBRIEFS

DISTINGUISHED alumni awards

This year’s honorees are: Robert L. Norton, College of Business, 1973 BBA, president, chairman and CEO, GCA Services Group; Father Kevin M. Conroy, College of Education and Human Services, 2006 Ph.D., Maryknoll missionary priest in Phnom Penh, Cambodia; Craig A. Black, Fenn College of Engineering, 1975 BSEE/1976 MSEE, senior vice president of technology, Eaton Corporation; Carol G. Emerling, Cleveland-Marshall College of Law, 1955 JD, retired corporate secretary, Wyeth, and former regional director, Federal Trade Commission, Cleveland; Andrew F. Puzder, College of Liberal Arts and Social Sciences, 1975 BA, chief executive officer, CKE Restaurants, Inc. (Hardee's and Carl’s Jr.); Dr. Andrius Kazlauskas, College of Science, 1981 BS and 1986 Ph.D., senior scientist and associate professor of ophthalmology, Schepens Eye Research Institute, Harvard Medical School; Christopher S. Ronayne, Levin College of Urban Affairs, 1997 MUPDD, president, University Circle, Inc.; and Gary S. Adams, Cleveland-Marshall College of Law, 1983 JD, president, Greater Cleveland Automobile Dealers Association.

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GARY S. ADAMS ANDRIUS KAZLAUSKAS

Tickets are $65 each; tables are available. For sponsorships or reservations, call 216-687-2078 or email alum@csuohio.edu

CRAIG A. BLACK

This year’s event will be at the InterContinental Hotel, 9801 Carnegie Avenue. Beginning at 6 p.m., the evening includes a silent auction, dinner, recognition of CSU Number Ones Club members, and the awards presentation. There will be free valet parking.

To donate to the Mareyjoyce Green Legacy Fund, contact m.gaydos1@csuohio.edu

FATHER KEVIN M. CONROY

Mark your calendar for Friday, June 5 for Cleveland State’s 19th annual Distinguished Alumni Awards Dinner. Eight outstanding graduates — seven who were nominated by their individual Colleges and one recipient of the George B. Davis Award for Service to the University — will be recognized.

Throughout her long career, Mareyjoyce Green has found her greatest reward in helping students achieve their potential. Now, after 42 years, one of CSU’s original faculty members has retired. But it’s a safe bet that her big heart, gentle spirit and nurturing nature will still be working overtime.

Green plans to spend her retirement breaking down barriers to higher education for women and the economically disadvantaged.

It’s a mission with which she’s very familiar.

The associate professor of sociology (and first female faculty member of that department) was instrumental in CSU’s establishment of a Women’s Comprehensive Program and was its sole director. She also worked long and hard for a Women’s Studies academic major; Cleveland State is now the only public university in Northeast Ohio to offer such a program.

Green, who served for two years as CSU’s interim vice president for minority affairs and human relations, is especially proud that a reentry program offered several times each year has enabled countless women and men to overcome their fears and anxieties about starting or returning to college.

In retirement, she will continue to impact generations of students through the Mareyjoyce Green Legacy Fund, which benefits the newly named Mareyjoyce Green Women’s Center (formerly Women’s Comprehensive Center) and Women’s Studies Program.

make your voice heard Cleveland State University recently emailed an Alumni Survey. If you have already completed and returned your survey, thank you. If you have not yet done so, your prompt reply is requested to avoid future reminders.

This confidential survey is your opportunity to stand up and be counted. Tell us what CSU is doing right and where improvements can be made. Lookout Management Inc., a consulting firm, will analyze the survey results, which will be shared with alumni in the fall.

Your input will help determine CSU’s future. If you did not receive the survey, please e-mail c.osicki@csuohio.edu or call 216-875-9837 to receive a print version.

athletic Hall of Fame Congratulations to the newest members of the CSU Athletic Hall of Fame (l-r): Paul Clark (soccer, 1985-89), Al DiGiovanni (wrestling, 1975-79) and Pat Joyce (cross country/track, 1988-93). Clark set a career record by playing in 77 matches – a total that today ranks second in CSU history. DiGiovanni won the Eastern Wrestling League championship at 142 pounds in 1979. Joyce, a member of the 1992 cross country conference championship team, was a three-time captain in cross country and track. Clark and Joyce earned degrees in business in 1989 and 1993 respectively; DiGiovanni earned a degree in physical education in 1980. The addition of the 2009 class brings membership in the CSU Athletic Hall of Fame to 115. 

CSU PERSPECTIVE 23

alumni Q&A 

Eric Barnett was named Mr. CSU by fellow students for good reason. He excelled academically, holding a 3.65 grade point average and making the Dean’s List every semester. And he was one of the most active students on campus.

The two-time magna cum laude graduate holds bachelor of business administration degrees in both marketing and international business. Now 26 years old, he’s changing the world as a member of the Peace Corps.

Why did you join the Peace Corps? I have always been drawn toward jobs that allow me to help people. And I really love learning about other cultures and traveling. I was sworn in as a volunteer in August 2008, following 10 weeks of training that included cultural integration and language (five days a week for six hours a day, learning the Wolof language from a French-speaking teacher). During training, called Stage, I lived with a host family.

W here are you work ing? I am ser v ing in Mauritania, a country in West Africa, located above Senegal, below Morocco, and west of Mali. About three million people live here, mostly in the capital city of Nouakchott. I live in the small village of Ganni with about 500 residents.

I am a Small Enterprise Development Volunteer, assisting small to mid-sized businesses and trade cooperatives with general business skills and helping them obtain and manage small business loans. I have been assigned to help the GDD Farming Cooperative. Observing their day-to-day operations means working in the fields with them, tilling land by hand, so I can develop an action plan to improve the overall structure of their operations.

What is life like in Ganni? My village has no electricity or running water. We have four wells so every couple of days, I march down to the wells and fill up my two 20-liter water jugs for drinking and bathing. I rent a room in a small guesthouse for 2000 ouguiya a month — about $8. I take bucket baths and the toilet is more or less a hole in the ground. The food has been one of the nicest surprises — pretty tasty. The main dish is ceebu jen, fish served on top of rice with various spices and vegetables. We eat this twice a day, everyday. The food is served “Bismallah” style, where everyone shares one big plate and eats with their hands. Mauritania is an Islam Republic so the lives of residents are based around the Islam faith. Prayer call, via solar-powered loud speakers, happens five times a day, beginning at 5:50 a.m. The people in my village are absolutely fantastic and some of the nicest people I have ever met.

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How has this experience changed you? It has given me the sense that I could live anywhere and be okay. And it really makes me appreciate how easy we have it in the U.S. I have a deeper appreciation for everyone and everything back home.

Jobs prior to the Peace Corps? At CSU, I was a student assistant in the College of Business Advising Office, and a freshman orientation leader and intramural sports student coordinator, both in Student Life. Following graduation, I worked for Progressive Auto Insurance for two years and realized that at least for now, corporate life was not for me.

I got my Progressive job and first talked to a Peace Corps recruiter at CSU’s career fair.

Why did you choose CSU? Of all the schools I applied to, CSU showed the most personal attention. I also was incredibly impressed with the diversity of the student body — I am of 10 nationalities and CSU felt like a welcoming place. It was a school for everyone from anywhere and that meant a great deal to me. Also, CSU was really neat because it was located in downtown Cleveland, and I liked the prospect of living in a big city.

Activities at CSU? President, speaker of the senate, business senator, Student Government Association; president and founding member, International Business Alliance; treasurer and founding member, CSU Rugby Football Club; vice president and founding member, Kappa Delta Omicron Leadership Society; recruitment chair and founding member, Delta Sigma Phi Fraternity; executive vice president, American Marketing Association; vice president and founding member, Viking Berserkers Super Fan Club.

I absolutely loved CSU and the people there. It was without a doubt the best time in my life. Everywhere I turned, there was something I wanted to try and people I wanted to meet. I would get upset with those who said there was nothing to do at CSU because it was a commuter school. It was my goal to bring CSU involvement and school spirit to every possible person I could, to give back to the school that had given me so much.

Importance of CSU in your life? CSU shaped me into who I am today. I honestly feel I am a much better person from everything I learned and did at CSU. Not a day goes by that I don’t use what I learned at CSU. Plans after the Peace Corps? When I return home in 2010 after 27 months in the Peace Corps, I would like to take a cross-country road trip and then go to graduate school and law school for a joint degree, either JD/MBA or JD/Master in International Relations. Following school, I would like to have a job with the United Nations, working with business in developing nations.  CSU PERSPECTIVE 25

 class NOTES

Kalman N. Vizy, BS ’64, is spending his retirement tutoring troubled high school students in physics, chemistry, math and French. He lives in Spencerport, N.Y. Don Purtill, BBA ’66, took early retirement from Eaton Corporation and started an investment advisory firm, Purtill Financial LLC. He serves as president.

1970s Kent W. Kirchner, BS ’75, is in his 10th year as head boys’ and girls’ swimming coach at The Woodlands High School in Texas. The two-time NCAA All-American swimmer and 1974 CSU Athlete of the Year was named the 2008 Texas State High School Girls’ Coach of the Year.

Jane Sala Martin, MEd ’75, was named Volunteer of the Year by the Cleveland Foodbank. She is a retired special education teacher in the Mayfield Schools and lives in Highland Heights.

Kenneth Watson, JD ’76, was elected an Oklahoma County District Judge for a fouryear term. He has practiced law for 30 years and is one of only three elected black judges in the state of Oklahoma.

Tom Szabo, BSMET ’77, won an Apex Silver Award from Lake Communicators for his article about the Caribbean island of Curacao published in Midwest Dive News.

The Concord Township resident and certified Master Scuba Diver Trainer is the owner of A Thomas Image studio.

Michael Doyle, BA ’77, retired as a captain after 32 years with the Cleveland Police Department. He is now assistant director of protective services for the Cleveland MetroHealth System and an adjunct professor of criminal justice at Tiffin University.

James Spence, BA ’78 and MEd ’79, and Faye Spence, MEd ’79, are the founders of the GradsNet Foundation of Cleveland. Over the past 12 years, the foundation and its volunteers have worked with Cleveland Metropolitan School children and their families to prepare for college.

1980s Nicholas Bugosh, BS ’81, lives in Fort Collins, Co., where he is GeoFluv technical director for Carlson Software. The software that uses his patented GeoFluv design method won a Silver Intermat Innovation Award in Paris this April. In addition, his GeoFluv design method was selected to reclaim abandoned mine lands on media magnate Ted Turner’s Vermejo Park Ranch and for a project to advance mined land reclamation practices in Australia.

Patricia A. Walker, JD ’81, was elected board of trustees chair for the Medina County District Library. She has been a board member since 2002. She also serves on the YMCA Advisory Board of Medina County and is the past president of the Medina County Bar Association. She is an attorney with Walker & Jocke.

Marcia Fudge, JD ’83, was elected to the U.S. House of Representatives to replace the late Stephanie Tubbs Jones. Fudge served nine years as mayor of Warrensville Heights.

David Manning Thomas, Master of Music ’83, teaches at John Adams High School and is the music director for the All City Performing Arts Program of the Cleveland Metropolitan Schools. He also is the associate minister of music at Olivet Institutional Baptist Church, a staff musician at Southeast Seventh Day Adventist Church, and founding director of Spiritual Gifts: A Professional Black Sacred Music Repertory Ensemble.

David Quolke, BA ’84, was elected president of the Cleveland Teachers Union.

Simone G. Polk, MPA ’87, is assistant vice president for student services at Wright State University in Dayton.

1990s David Ritchie, BA ’91, has been on the faculty of Mercer University School of Law in Macon, Ga., since 2005 and was recently awarded tenure. He also is a faculty member at Gama Filho University in Rio de Janeiro,

Robert Bear, BS ’92 and MS ’94, received the William L. Stamey Award for Excellence in Teaching from Kansas State University, where he has taught biology since 2004.

Annette Iskra, BA ’92 and MA ’98, completed a Ph.D. in human development at the University of Chicago and is now a faculty member in the department of psychology at Xavier University of Louisiana in New Orleans.

Aaron J. Adams, MBA ’93, is the administrator of quantitative health sciences in the Cleveland Clinic’s Lerner Research Institute.

He lives in Garfield Heights.

Collette Appolito, BBA ’93, was named one of Crain’s Cleveland Business’ Women of Note for 2008. She is the president of The Presidents Council of Cleveland, a group comprised of the chief executives of some of the region’s largest businesses owned and operated by African Americans.

Patricia Gaul, JD ’93, was named Crain’s Cleveland Business’ 2008 CFO of the Year for Nonprofits: Philanthropy/Arts & Culture.

She is the vice president of finance/ administration and general counsel for PlayhouseSquare.

Sarah Garver Megenhardt, BA ’93, was named co-interim director of Hard Hatted Women. She formerly served as board president.

Todd Canter, BBA ’95, is the chief executive officer for LaSalle Investment Management Securities’ Asia Pacific region. He lives in Hong Kong.

Kuanchin Chen, DBA ’99, received an Emerging Scholar Award from Western Michigan University for his expertise in Internet use and online privacy. The associate professor of business information systems has been with WMU since 2001.

2000s Martin A. Nazario, BA ’00, tied for Rookie Teacher of the Year at East Ridge High School in Clermont, Fla. He teaches forensic and earth sciences, consumer math and pre-algebra to exceptional students.

T.J. Dow, JD ’01, is the Ward 7 representative on Cleveland City Council, replacing the late Fannie Lewis. He is a former Cuyahoga County assistant prosecutor.

continued on page 28

26 WWW.CSUOHIO.EDU

 For a complete listing of Class Notes, visit www.csuohio.edu/alumni

Frank Zagar, BS ’38, in March 2009, Lysle D. Cahill, BS ’39, in October 2008, Gordon P. Kautz, BSME ’41, in July 2008, George R. Kauntz, BCE ’41, in February 2009, Gerald Shumaker, BS ’41, in October 2008, Albert M. Rau, BBA ’42, in June 2008, William H. Rowe, BSME ’43, in January 2009, Theodore E. Hack, BS ’43, in December 2008, Emil Wierber, BSCE ’46, in September 2008, Dorothy Brew Stelmah, BBA ’46, in October 2008, Frank Vargo, BBA ’48, in November 2008, Eldon Groll, BBA ’48, in August 2008, Frederick E. Lee, BBA ’48, in September 2008, Donald A. Altmos, BS ’49, in August 2008, Donald W. Pritchard, JD ’49, in October 2008, Carl Ostrom, BA ’49, in February 2009, Harry Deragon, BBA ’49, in June 2008, Joseph Chamot, BS ’49, in October 2008, Edward Hable, BS ’49, in October 2008, Joseph Feher, BS ’50, in November 2008, Mary Zalar Sterle, BBA ’50, in January 2009, Frank Stangler, BSME ’50, in February 2007, Joseph F. Leahy Jr., BA ’51, in February 2009, Alfred Art, BSEE ’51, in July 2008, Herbert Gustafson, JD ’51, in September 2008, Vladimir Petrow, BS ’51, in February 2009, James Gregersen, BS ’52, in September 2008, Theodore Holtz, JD ’52, in March 2009, Phillip J. Braff, JD ’53, in October 2008, Peter Galier, BS ’54, in October 2008, Edward C. Hawkins, JD ’54, in January 2009, Walter Warshawsky, BBA ’54, in September 2008, Edward Martin, BS ’54, in December 2008, Raymond Saccany, BS ’54, in March 2009, Joseph Cada, BBA ’54, in January 2009, George A. Strutz Jr., BCE ’55, in November 2008, Howard Davies, BCE ’55, in March 2009, Louis Radice, BBA ’58, in May 2009, Albert Pottinger, JD ’59, in March 2009, Donald O’Connor, JD ’60, in July 2008, Rudolph Lynn, BS ’60, in October 2008, Nicholas A. Lucic, BS ’60, in November 2008, Richard Martinez, JD ’62, in February 2009, Arthur Heard, JD ’63, in March 2009, Russell Beckett, MA ’64, in July 2008, Peter Garson, JD ’65, in August 2008, Nicholas Lucic, BSEE ’66, in November 2008, Stanley Limon, BSME ’67, in August 2008, Leslie T. Blazey, BA ’68, in November 2008, Robert Simon, BBA ’69, in March 2009, Shirley Crane Griffin Poger, BA ’70, in August 2008, Eileen Culler, BSEd ’70, in February 2008, Francis D. Murtaugh Jr., JD ’71, in September 2008, Edward Walsh, JD ’71, in July 2008, Alveretta Clark, BSEd ’71, in July 2008, James Bendau, JD ’72, in November 2008, Thomas G. Longo, JD ’72, in December 2008, Mark Manlove, JD ’74, in February 2009, David Dronzek, BBA ’74, in November 2008, Joseph Pahl, BBA ’74, in July 2008, Frank Yoo, BBA ’74, in September 2008, Bonny Yakelis Potla, BBA ’74, in July 2008, Michael Perme, JD ’74, in March 2009, John O’Block, JD ’74 and MBA ’83, in December 2008, Michael Furlan, MEd ’75, in August 2008, Joseph M. Benovic, BS ’75, in January 2009, Franklin E. Bican, BS ’75, in January 2009, Gary Cantor, BBA ’76, in July 2008, Sam Sato, MS ’76, in July 2008, David Wolfe, BS ’76 and MS ’81, in March 2009, Beverly Smith, MEd ’77, in July 2008, Beverly Staidle, MEd ’77, in July 2008, Warren Wechsler, BBA ’77 in October 2008, Ruth Emmer, BS ’77 and MEd ’81, in August 2008, Richard Shukaitis, BSEE ’78, in September 2008, Joette Pfeiffer, BBA ’78, in February 2009, Robert Wonson, MEd ’79, in March 2009, Kevin C. Martin, BBA ’79 and MA ’88, in February 2009, Terrence Martinak, BS ’79, in January 2009, Stephen Mitchell, BS ’80, in December 2008, Joseph Packales, MA ’81, in September 2008, Ellen Marie Bral, BBA ’82, in November 2008, Karen Ann Ondrick, JD ’82, in November 2008, Angel Guzman, BA ’82, in December 2008, Marcel Stochitoiu, BSEE ’82, in April 2007, John P. Davis, BA ’82 and MS ’97, in November 2008,

Catherine Reed, BSEd ’83, in February 2009, William Kienzl, JD ’83, in April 2009, David B. Stern, BA ’85 and JD ’88, in October 2008, Richard Stalzer, MS ’86, in July 2008, Louis Adelstein, JD ’86, in November 2008, John E. Rieter Jr., BBA ’87, in February 2009, Suzanne Hammond, BSEd ’87, in October 2008, Carol Fox DeJoy, MEd ’87, in March 2009, Mary Ann Schikowski, BA ’89, in June 2008, Irene H. Bernard, BS ’90, in November 2008, Edward J. Hauser, BS ’90, in November 2008, Daniel F. McCaffrey, MBA ’91, in December 2008, Francine Cole, JD ’92, in September 2008, Lori Ann Pfeiffer, BA ’95, in December 2008, Bryan Johnson, BS ’96, in March 2009, Nancy L. Biddell, BA ’99 and JD ’02, in November 2008, Sandra Lynn Berry, BSEd ’04, in March 2009, Victor Nolan, JD ’06, in March 2009, Jeremy J. Pechanec, BS ’08, in February 2009 

Surprise Reunion Thirty-three years ago, six friends graduated from St. Joseph Academy in Cleveland. And while they’ve kept in touch with periodic get-togethers, it took a 50 th birthday vacation to Napa Valley for them to realize they all graduated from Cleveland State.

“We could hardly believe it. What a revelation,” says Linda Kane. “We had never traveled together but took this trip to celebrate our 50 th birthdays.

One night over dinner, the topic of CSU came up.

We were stunned to learn we are all alumna. We’ve all done well in our careers so it must be the St. Joseph/CSU combo that led to our success.”

spot LIGHT

1960s

Brazil, and frequently teaches in Buenos Aires, Argentina.



Thompson Urwin, BBA ’49, is retired and lives in Willowick. He attended Fenn College under the GI Bill and was a member of Lamba Tau Delta fraternity.

George Karshner, BA ’79, was honored with the Catalyst Award from the Society of Competitive Intelligence Professionals in recognition of his achievements in the field. He is president of the Business Threat Awareness Council and vice president of the Arising Group Inc.

inMEMORIAM

1940s

Three of the pals currently live in Rocky River. Kane, BBA ’79, (second from right) is senior vice president and chief accounting and administrative officer of Forest City Enterprises; Daria Roebuck, BS ’80, (third from right) is vice president of human resources at Erico International; and Marie Carson Jezeski, MBA ’93, (third from left) is treasurer/secretary of Cutting Dynamics Inc. Anna May Brennan, MBA ’84, (far left) is a fifth-grade teacher in Tacoma, Wash.; Mary Haas McGraw, JD ’84, (second from left) is a self-employed attorney who lives in Cleveland; and Michelle Garvey, BS ’79, (far right) is a sergeant with the Cleveland Heights police department who lives in Chardon.

 For a complete listing of Class Notes, visit www.csuohio.edu/alumni

CSU PERSPECTIVE 27

Your Investment

Erik Janas, MPA ’01, is regional and government affairs advisor in the Columbus, Ohio mayor’s office.

Amy Jamieson-Petonic, MEd ’01, lives in Avon Lake and is the manager of employee wellness for the Cleveland Clinic. She also is the national media spokesperson for the American Dietetic Association, the nutrition editor and columnist for Ohio Sport and Fitness magazine, and president of Nutrition Today with Amy J, a consulting firm that helps clients meet their health, wellness and performance goals.

Michael Warnick, Bachelor of Music ’01 and Master of Music ’03, participated in President Barack Obama’s inauguration and parade as a member of the U.S. Marine Band.

Beatrix Büdy, Ph.D. ’03, won the 2008 Excellence in Teaching award at Columbia College Chicago, where she has been an assistant professor of chemistry and biochemistry since 2006. She lives in Oak Park, Ill. Mark A. Campbell, MPA ’03, was awarded the Congressional Medal of Merit for his work during the Mississippi River flood in 2008. He is the city administrator of La Grange, Mo.

What’s new with you?

Sumeet Gadgil, MS ’03, is working in Osaka, Japan, as a lead data manager for Cognizant. 

Cheryl McCahon in August 2008, following a lengthy illness. The two-time interim chair of the School of Nursing and director of the undergraduate nursing program worked tirelessly to advance nursing education and community health partnerships. She joined CSU in 1981 and retired in 2008.

Brian Ruddick in September 2008. A retired librarian, he worked at CSU from 1969 to 1999.

Leon M. Plevin, JD ’57, in October 2008.

A prominent Cleveland attorney, Mr. Plevin was a member of the Cleveland State University Foundation board of directors.

He and his wife established the Leon M. and Gloria Plevin Professorship in the Cleveland-Marshall College of Law and supported the Moses Cleaveland Scholarship Fund and other CSU fundraising initiatives.

Sheila Schwartz in November 2008. An associate professor of English since 1990, she taught creative writing and authored a short story collection that won such prizes as the Pushcart Press editors’ award and the O. Henry Award. Her first novel was published three months after her death.

Kenneth M. Hoff in December 2008. The professor emeritus of biological, geological and environmental sciences joined CSU in 1966 and retired in 1994. He served as interim chair of biology for three years and wrote the laboratory manual long used in introductory biology.

Clinton Warne in January 2009. The professor emeritus of economics taught full time at CSU from 1967 to 1985, and then part time following his retirement. He chaired the economics department from 1968 to 1970.

Paul A. Unger in January 2009. A friend and benefactor of the Maxine Goodman Levin College of Urban Affairs, he established the Unger International Center which served as the catalyst for a formal educational partnership between Cleveland State and the University of Rijeka in Croatia. In 2007, he was awarded an honorary Doctor of Humane Letters degree by CSU. Marion Bocian in February 2009. An administrative secretary in Business Education and Quantitative Business Analysis, she joined CSU in 1978 and retired in 1993.

James R. Webb in February 2009. The professor of finance joined the University in 1989 and was the founder and director of CSU’s Center for Real Estate Brokerage and Markets. His distinguished career included 22 years as founder, president and executive director of the American Real Estate Society.

John Oden in April 2009. Mr. Oden retired in April 2008 after 27 years with CSU. He was the director of Parking Services from 1989 until his retirement. 

Let your classmates know what you’ve been doing!

Send information about new jobs, promotions, awards, educational or professional accomplishments, and death notices to: Perspective, Cleveland State University, 2121 Euclid Ave., KB 304, Cleveland OH 44115, fax to 216-687-9278, or e-mail b.chudzik@csuohio.edu HERE’S MY NEWS Name

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Pays Dividends Today’s economy is challenging for everyone.

But that’s all the more reason to invest in the future through a gift to Cleveland State Universit y. You’re guaranteed a great return – the satisfaction that comes from knowing that you’re suppor ting academic excellence and helping deserving students achieve their dreams through higher education. Whatever you choose, and whatever amount you can afford to give, will help CSU continue to provide a high quality educational experience for its diverse student body.

Invest in the future today by making an online gift at www.csuohio.edu/giving or returning your gift in the envelope included in this issue of Perspective.

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support scholarShips – CSU’s top fundraising priority

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Support CSU's essential operating needs through the Changing Futures Fund

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

 class NOTES

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For information on annual gifts, contact Geoff Powers at g.d.powers@csuohio.edu or 216.687.9296 or visit www.csuohio.edu/giving

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Remember CSU through a bequest in your estate plan Establish a charitable gift annuity and receive a high annual rate of return and a charitable deduction up to 50 percent of the value of the gift For information on planned giving options, contact Gretchen Corp Jones at g.c.jones32@csuohio.edu or 216.523.7288 or visit www.csuohio.edu/giving/planned

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 For a complete listing of Class Notes, visit www.csuohio.edu/alumni

CSU PERSPECTIVE 29

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