Mount News Magazine Fall 2022: Light the Way

MOUNT NEWS MOUNT ST. JOSEPH UNIVERSITY | FALL 2022

LIGHTING THE WAY | A BEACON TO THE REGION | LION-HEARTED MENTORS

PRESIDENT’S MESSAGE Dear Friends: I’m certain the placement of the Mount, atop one of Cincinnati’s seven hills, was purposeful. Since its founding, it has served as a beacon, drawing in those who seek something bolder and brighter than a degree alone. We work hard to spark the match of curiosity in each of our students, lighting the way to purposeful lives. We are deeply proud of our MSJ alumni who live their lives sharing their light with others.

A highlight of this year was attending the Rome Seminar, offered by the Association of Catholic Colleges and Universities. I, along with First Lady Carole Williams and Sister Karen Elliott, C.PP.S., visited the Vatican, shining a light on the Mount’s mission with the Congregation for Catholic Education.

On campus we have been lighting the way with new programs that serve the common good. Our new Pro Bono PT Clinic, run by second-year Doctor of Physical Therapy students, guided by alumni and faculty, is providing free physical therapy services to underserved and underinsured community members. Additionally, MSJ faculty and students are fanning the flame of education with the launch of the Center for Reading Science, helping children in schools nationwide.

We continue to expand our cITe Scholars Program. Students can now pursue a double major in social computing and nearly any other academic program. This blend of degrees provides an enhanced, interdisciplinary understanding of what data language is and how it can be used in myriad ways to better lives in an increasingly complicated world.

To shine brightly, polishing is sometimes in order and, to that end, the Mount has never looked better. This spring we unveiled Catamount St. Joseph, a bronze female mountain lion sculpture that pays homage to the University’s foundresses, legacy, and natural history. Catamount St. Joseph has a powerful stance, and looks as if she’s ready to unleash her full potential. It is my hope that when students walk by Catamount St. Joseph they see a part of themselves—the heart of a lion.

Additional updates include the Mater Dei Chapel—new wooden pews, updated kneelers, and a restored floor shine in the soft light that floods through its stainedglass windows. We also hired a restoration artist to restore the tile mosaics depicting the Stations of the Cross. This spring the Archbishop Alter Library will be completely refreshed with new paint and flooring, and upgraded technology and furniture.

The second-floor balcony will be enclosed in glass and there will be a new service desk, offices, and group-study rooms. Finally, the University is also in the designdevelopment stages of constructing a new baseball stadium.

Athletically, the Mount has had a tremendous year. Cornell Beachem Jr. won the Mount’s first National Championship, in wrestling, and Justin Dreyling ranked nationally on the track field. The MSJ Lions’ Softball Team won its first-ever regional championship. Additionally, as I write this, the Football Team remains undefeated, and the Women’s Volleyball and Soccer Teams are unbeaten in the HCAC! In closing, let us all approach our work and lives with the Heart of a Lion, climbing ever higher to reach our full potential so that we may light the way for those most in need. May God continue to bless all of us—and may God continue to bless Mount St. Joseph University!

Sincerely,

Scan the QR code or visit www.msj.edu/lighttheway to see our Light the Way video.

H. James Williams, Ph.D. President

CONTENTS AROUND THE QUAD

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FACULTY & STAFF UPDATE

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LIONS’ CORNER

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ALUMNI UPDATES

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LEGACY OF A LION

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HEART OF A LION

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A ROARING SUCCESS

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HOMECOMING WEEKEND

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IN MEMORIAM

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PUBLISHED BY

Mount St. Joseph University 5701 Delhi Road Cincinnati, OH 45233-1670 513-244-4200 | 1-800-654-9314 www.msj.edu

LIGHTING THE WAY 8 Meet five MSJ alumni who, with Hearts of a Lion, have risen from their own hardships and challenges to pursue their passions, choosing careers in service of others. Today they are each sharing their light with others, locally and globally, and are shining examples of the transformative and purposeful journeys that can be found when you devote yourself to a culture of ethics and service in everything you do.

EDITORIAL TEAM

Kathleen Scanlan Cardwell ’87 Morgan Carpenter ’20 Greg Goldschmidt ’07 Amanda Gratsch ’15 Blake Watson ’19

DESIGNER

Amanda Absher ’08

CONTRIBUTORS

Jessica Baltzersen ’13 Tabari McCoy Zachary Petit Richelle Thompson

MANAGING EDITOR

A BEACON TO THE REGION 14 Grounded in the vision of its founders, MSJ faculty and students always have believed that a light lit is a light meant to be shared. Two new initiatives are turning passion into action by serving as beacons to the region—and beyond. The Center for Reading Science is transforming the lives of children across the Nation and the new Pro Bono Physical Therapy Clinic is helping fill a longneglected gap for the underinsured.

Kara Gebhart Uhl

MISSION STATEMENT

Mount St. Joseph University is a Catholic academic community grounded in the spiritual values and vision of its founders, the Sisters of Charity. The University educates its students through interdisciplinary liberal arts and professional curricula emphasizing values, integrity, and social responsibility. Members of the Mount Community embrace: excellence in academic endeavors; the integration of life and learning; respect and concern for all persons; diversity of cultures and beliefs; and service to others.

LION-HEARTED MENTORS 22 We’ve always cheered on our MSJ student-athletes with resounding roars at the conference, district, and national levels. We must also acknowledge the MSJ coaches, who like lionesses in a pride caring for their cubs, have long provided eversteady lights, serving as mentors and guides. Here we shine a spotlight on three coaches who have greatly affected the lives of student-athletes, on and off the field.

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AROUND THE QUAD CAMPUS UPDATES RAYSHAWN EASTMAN ‘08 RECOGNIZED ON FORTY UNDER 40 LIST Chief Diversity & Inclusion Officer/Title IX Coordinator Rayshawn Eastman, Ph.D., has been recognized as one of Cincinnati Business Courier’s Rayshawn Eastman, Ph.D. Forty Under 40 Rising Leaders. Since 1995, Cincinnati Business Courier has recognized the region’s young talent through its Forty Under 40 awards. Each year through its open nomination process, the Courier seeks individuals who are making a difference in business and community, with an emphasis on leadership and leadership potential.

“I am honored to be named to this year’s Cincinnati Business Courier’s Forty Under 40 Class,” Eastman says.

“This recognition would not be possible without the great people I have the privilege of working with at Mount St. Joseph University. I am grateful to be part of a community that invests in the success of all its members. I hope to continue bringing value to Mount St. Joseph University and the greater Cincinnati region.”

NEW SCHOLARSHIPS Lions 1st Scholars Award Beginning in fall 2023, first-generation college students who participate in the Lions 1st Scholars Community as firstyear students or mentors will earn a $1,000 scholarship each year.

MOSAIC Scholarship Beginning in fall 2023, students in the MOSAIC Scholars Program, committing to a deeper understanding of, and appreciation for, diversity, will earn a $2,500 scholarship each year.

Joe Lion Scholarship Beginning fall 2023, students who are recruited and/or complete the standard application process and serve as the MSJ Mascot, Joe Lion, will be awarded a general Room and Board Scholarship.

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NEW PROGRAMS Online Management & Leadership The Mount recently launched its new Management & Leadership Program offered in traditional (face-to-face) and online (asynchronous) formats.

Students enrolled in this flexible major will learn and apply the latest insights from business theory and practice, assess and develop their management and leadership skills, and chart the next steps in their leadership journey. Throughout the curriculum, values-based leadership is emphasized. Management & Leadership majors interested in pursuing an MBA also may enroll in the 4+1 MBA Program during their senior year. This option enables students to graduate with two degrees in five years: a Bachelor of Science in Management & Leadership degree, and a Master of Business Administration.

Social Computing This exciting program (formerly

EDUCATION SUMMIT In October 2022, more than 100 high school students who aspire to enter a career in education attended the Mount’s sixth annual Summit on Teaching Professions. The event began with an address from President H. James Williams, Ph.D., followed by keynote speaker Brian Neal, CEO of Accelerate Great Schools, a nonprofit multimillion-dollar fund to increase access to high-quality schools for underserved students across Cincinnati.

Neal discussed how we can all advocate for causes that promote educational opportunities for children and adolescents living in underresourced areas and talked about his efforts which have led to statewide policy changes, Ohio-specific public-private partnerships, and strong local and statewide community collaborations.

High school students attended breakout sessions and interacted with MSJ faculty and students.

From top: Brian Neal, students with Joe Lion, Dean Laura Saylor, Ph.D. Photos by Melanie Pace.

known as Natural Language Processing) allows students to pursue a double major in social computing and any other major of their choice. Blending degrees offers students an enhanced, interdisciplinary understanding of what data language is and how it can be used to meet the demands of today’s world.

Master of Speech-Language Pathology The Department of Speech, Language, and Hearing Sciences now offers a graduate program for Master of Speech-Language Pathology. This program prepares students for rewarding careers as speech-language pathologists, working with families across their lifespans to prevent, diagnose, treat, and research speech, language, and swallowing disorders in a variety of settings, including schools, hospitals, private practices, skilled nursing facilities, and early intervention programs.

AROUND THE QUAD CAMPUS UPDATES MISSION AMBASSADORS PILGRIMAGE MSJ Mission Ambassadors have made a couple of recent pilgrimages. Last year, they visited the Maria Stein Shrine of the holy relics in Maria Stein, Ohio. The shrine is home to the largest display of holy relics in the U.S., housing 1,200 relics of the Saints and the True Cross. During their visit, MSJ students learned about the history of the shrine’s structure and walked the halls that the Sisters of the Precious Blood lived in not so long ago.

In May, 15 Mission Ambassadors, along with Chief Mission Officer Sister Karen Elliott, C.PP.S.; Mission Integration Assistant Director Michelle Arnold ’19; Coordinator for Mission Ambassadors Maria DiTullio; Sister Barbara Davis, SC; and two additional Sisters of Charity, visited Baltimore, Emmitsburg, and Gettysburg. “These three historic places set the stage for learning not only about our Nation’s history, but also the history behind the founders of Mount St. Joseph University, the Sisters of Charity,” says Mission Ambassador Leadership Team Leader and Mission Integration Co-op Emily Etris.

Mission Ambassadors at Maria Stein Shrine of the Holy Relics in Maria Stein, Ohio.

“Our recent pilgrimage to places that were major stepping stones in the life of St. Elizabeth Ann Seton reaffirmed our devotion to the mission. By taking part in touring historic places and participating in educational endeavors, we learned more about St. Elizabeth Ann Seton’s life in an immersive way.

Through this way of learning we were able to put ourselves in her shoes and relate to her and the Sisters of Charity who began the mission in a way that made us grow exponentially.”

THE MOUNT VISITS THE VATICAN FOR ROME SEMINAR President H. James Williams, Ph.D., First Lady Carole Williams, and Chief Mission Officer Sister Karen Elliott, C.PP.S., attended a Rome Seminar at the Vatican, sponsored by the Association of Catholic Colleges and Universities, this summer.

“Dr. Williams and I were invited to the Congregation for Catholic Education, where we spoke about Mount St. Joseph University’s programs and highlighted enrollment; service; diversity, equity, and inclusion; reading science; outreach to our students in need; and Mission Ambassadors,” Sr. Karen says.

During the seminar, they also listened to Scripture readings and a short teaching from the Holy Father, all of which were translated into several different languages.

First Lady Carole Williams, President H. James Williams, Ph.D., and Sister Karen Elliott, C.PP.S.

First Lady Carole Williams (3rd from left), President H. James Williams, Ph.D. (4th from left), and Rev. John Amankwah, Ph.D. (far right).

THE MOUNT JOURNEYS TO GHANA This June, President H. James Williams, Ph.D., First Lady Carole Williams, and Rev. John Amankwah, Ph.D., associate professor of Communication & New Media Studies, journeyed to Ghana to meet with members of Wisconsin International University College of Ghana to explore the possibilities of future educational cooperation and partnership, first, in the universities’ nursing programs, and, later, in the universities’ business administration programs, with a focus on the Master of Science in Organizational Leadership.

The goal of these partnerships is for the two institutions to work together to exchange information to improve the quality of offerings and to help strengthen international networks.

“Our journey was to seek something that would be good and beneficial for the Mount, that is, to open the Mount to another country and share our values in the area of education,” Fr. John says.

“Further, as an institution that has been in existence for 100 years, it was time to venture into the unknown to explore, discover, and engage other academic institutions and learn about their academic culture, offer our expertise, and humbly receive theirs; and to do all these things on an equal basis.”

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AROUND THE QUAD CAMPUS UPDATES ANTHONY MUÑOZ COMMENCEMENT ADDRESS This spring, Anthony Muñoz, a former NFL offensive tackle for the Cincinnati Bengals, addressed the graduate, doctoral, and undergraduate classes at the 2022 May Commencement Ceremony. Considered by many as the greatest offensive lineman in NFL history, Muñoz has a record of excellence that is unrivaled in professional football.

An 11-time NFL Pro Bowl selection, Muñoz is the only Pro Football Hall of Fame inductee in Cincinnati Bengals history. Despite his skill and brilliant performance, Muñoz battled multiple injuries that almost ended his career. His faith, family, and sheer will helped him overcome the setbacks, and his diligent

workout routine and commitment to fitness paved the way for a remarkable career.

“When you’re committed, you find a way,” Muñoz remarked to the graduating class.

“When you’re interested, you find an excuse.

When you’re committed, you do whatever it takes. Anthony Muñoz speaks at the 2022 Commencement Ceremony. Photo by Mark Byron.

When you’re interested, accountability, when you’re interested, you do what’s convenient. When you’re you point fingers and shift blame. As committed, you do it consistently, when I look out to the graduating class of you’re interested, you do it occasionally.

2022, my bet would be on the word, When you’re committed, you take ‘committed.’”

NIKKI GIOVANNI SPEAKS AT THE MOUNT American Poet Nikki Giovanni, who was a creative writing professor at the Mount in 1985, returned to her old stomping grounds in April to celebrate National Poetry Month.

Performing alongside Giovanni was poet William Roberts, who emphasized this opportunity as a monumental experience. A poet, writer, commentator, activist, and educator, Giovanni’s work touches on topics such as race and social issues, defining the African American voice since the 1960s.

SPECIAL RECOGNITIONS For a third consecutive year the Mount was named one of the best colleges in the 2022 Nation to work for, according to The Great Colleges to Work For® program. The results, released in a special insert of The Chronicle of Higher Education, are based on a survey of 212 colleges and universities. In all, 68 of those Honor Roll

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Nikki Giovanni speaks to the MSJ Community.

institutions achieved “Great College to Work For” recognition for specific best practices and policies.

The Mount won honors in eight categories this year: professional development; mission & pride; supervisor/department chair effectiveness; confidence in senior leadership; faculty & staff well-being; shared governance; faculty experience; diversity, inclusion & belonging. The Mount was also named to the Great Colleges Honor Roll, a status granted to only 42 colleges each year that are highlighted most across the recognition categories.

The Mount also won in the Education: Colleges/Universities category of Cincy

Magazine’s third annual 2022 Greater Cincinnati Nonprofit of the Year Awards.

Established to recognize the nonprofit organizations that are making an impact in the region, winners were determined by thousands of people who voted online.

Additionally, the Mount ranked No. 2 out of 10 for Niche’s 2023 Best Value Colleges in the Cincinnati area.

“When I was a student here, I knew the Mount was a special place,” reflects Teri Compton ’89, chief human resources officer. “Now, as an employee, I have the privilege of seeing how the University rallies around both its students and employees by intentionally cultivating an environment for growth, servant leadership, and belonging.”

AROUND THE QUAD CAMPUS UPDATES OPENING DAY PARADE + BLINK The Mount’s school spirit has been shining brightly throughout the Cincinnati region, first, through the University’s participation in the city’s beloved Findlay Market Opening Day Parade, which celebrates the start of the Cincinnati Reds baseball season.

In October, a collaborative application between MSJ Theatre Arts and Band presented a moving constellation of light and sound during BLINK’s opening parade. BLINK is one of the largest light art shows in the Nation, with buildings and city blocks decorated in largescale projection mapping, murals, and interactive light sculptures.

Claudia Covarrubias and Louie Tallarigo in a scene from “Almost Maine.” Photo by Mark Byron.

A SPOTLIGHT ON THEATRE MSJ Theatre Arts and University Band participated in BLINK’s opening parade. Photo by Mark Byron.

University Band and MSJ Dance Team participated in the Findlay Market Opening Day Parade. Photo by Ross Van Pelt.

NEW FACE AT THE MOUNT Sydney Prochazka has been named vice president of institutional advancement.

A native of Wisconsin, Prochazka Sydney Prochazka brings a wealth of development experience, most recently serving as philanthropy advisor and alumni outreach manager at the University of Saint Mary of the Lake/ Mundelein Seminary, in Mundelein, Illinois.

“I am excited to put my skillset to good use and help make higher education more accessible and affordable for all students who seek it at the Mount,” Prochazka says. “I look forward to building relationships with Mount St. Joseph University partners to create new possibilities that best serve our students and the University going forward.”

Prior to her position at Mundelein Seminary, Prochazka was the director of major and planned giving at St. Catherine’s in Racine, Wisconsin, and director of development for the Little Sisters of the Poor at their Sacred Heart Home in Oregon, Ohio.

“We are thrilled to appoint Sydney Prochazka as our new vice president for institutional advancement,” says President H. James Williams, Ph.D. “Her past accomplishments in development and her proven leadership skills will have an immediate and positive impact on our current and incoming students.”

Prochazka earned a Bachelor of Arts Honors degree from Xavier University in Cincinnati where she later served as an adjunct professor in the political science department. She also has a Master of Arts in Public Policy with a concentration in philosophy and social policy from George Washington University.

This spring, the Mount presented “Almost Maine,” an ensemble play about nine different couples in various stages of falling in or out of love. The Mount kicked off the holiday season in early November with “Miss Bennet: Christmas at Pemberley,” under the direction of a new theatre arts director, Lauren Carr. Upcoming performances include a reintroduction of musical theatre with “You’re a Good Man, Charlie Brown,” March 24-25 and April 1-2, and the staged reading production of the world premiere “Letters from the Santa Fe Trail,” which MSJ Theatre Arts commissioned from local playwright Maggie Lou Radar, May 4.

TRACKING LATE-ARRIVING PERIODICAL CICADAS Dean of Behavioral and Natural Sciences Gene Kritsky, Ph.D., called upon his roughly 200,000 citizen scientists who had downloaded the hugely popular Cicada Safari app to help track 2022 spring and summer stragglers from the 17-year Brood X. Kritsky worked in partnership with the Center for IT Engagement to create the Cicada Safari app, which has proven to be an effective mapping and tracking tool. It allows anyone with a smartphone to search, photograph, video, and help map cicadas. This past spring and summer, Cicada Safari users were able to contribute vital scientific research by determining the distribution of the emerging cicadas, enabling scientists to assess the status of cicada broods.

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AROUND THE QUAD CAMPUS UPDATES CATAMOUNT ST. JOSEPH History was made this spring with the unveiling of Catamount St. Joseph, a female mountain lion sculpture that pays tribute to the Mount’s founders while providing an on-campus point of pride and inspiration for generations to come.

Created by famed Cincinnati sculptor Tom Tsuchiya, co-sculptor Gina Eradi, and John Cline, owner of Casting Arts and Technology of Cincinnati, Catamount St. Joseph is a bronze statue that is more than twice the size of a mountain lion. Standing eight feet tall at the highest point and 12 feet long from head to tail, the sculpture is located near Eileen Ennis Mechley Plaza, the entrance to the Centennial Field House. The Mount intentionally chose a female lion in homage to the University’s foundresses, the Sisters of Charity of Cincinnati, and its legacy as the first Catholic college for women in the region.

“Catamount St. Joseph reflects the DNA of our students, many who are first-generation college students who must overcome challenges to Climb Higher on their journey to graduate,” says President H. James Williams, Ph.D. “As we say at the Mount, everything we do, we do with the Heart of a Lion.”

Tsuchiya, a nationally renowned artist who created the bronze figures of Cincinnati Reds greats on the plaza at Great American Ball Park and the Cheetah Angel at Cincinnati Zoo & Botanical Garden, specializes in realism and motion.

Catamount St. Joseph also tells the natural history of the Mount, where mountain lions once roamed before Delhi was settled. The sculpture also features realistic fossils from the Ordovician strata and several Brood X cicadas.

“We are always seeking to tell the Mount’s story in new and exciting ways,” says Greg Goldschmidt ’07, creative director. “This sculpture tells the story of our heritage and our natural history, and showcases the strength and courage found among our alumni, students, faculty, and staff—the Heart of a Lion.”

Catamount St. Joseph.

Art Guild students who helped in the creation of Catamount St. Joseph, pose with the sculpture.

Tom Tsuchiya, sculptor of Catamount St. Joseph, speaks at the unveiling ceremony.

Gina Eradi, Greg Goldschmidt, Tom Tsuchiya, President H. James Williams, Ph.D., and John Cline, the team that helped make Catamount St. Joseph a reality, at the unveiling ceremony. All photos by Mark Byron.

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AROUND THE QUAD CAMPUS UPDATES HELP US IMPROVE LEARNING OUTCOMES FOR STUDENTS The purpose of the Archbishop Alter Library is to serve as a guiding light for improving learning outcomes for students by providing information resources and technological infrastructure that supports collaboration, reflection, and scholarly research. However, it has been more than 30 years since the last large-scale library renovation. Scott Lloyd, director of Library Services, says that while the digital resources of the library have improved significantly over this time, the physical library has lagged behind. Updates and renovations need to be made to meet the needs of current and future students.

“The library is first and foremost an academic support service, and as such, we want to update the library facility so that it can support learning and research,” Lloyd says. “We want to make sure that the library is a welcoming and inspiring place where students can find the services and resources they need to be successful learners.”

With hopes for generous alumni support, the entire library will be refreshed, beginning in mid-March 2023. Finishes (such as paint and flooring), technology, and furniture will be updated throughout. The second floor balcony will be enclosed with a glass wall for a quieter environment. There will be a new service desk in the library lobby, new offices on the first floor where students can receive research assistance from librarians, and six new group study

Concept art for the updated library.

rooms on the first floor.

“There will be new design features that will make the second and third floors much quieter places to study,” Lloyd says. “At the same time, we will have new group study spaces of varying sizes, outfitted with new furniture and technology to facilitate collaborative learning. I think our new quiet and collaborative study zones will be tremendous benefits to students.”

There are several ways you can support these renovations and improve learning outcomes for students. High giving levels will allow for a naming opportunity, and the addition of an Alter Library Maintenance Endowment gift, which will support the maintenance of these renovations for years to come.

For more information, please contact Sydney Prochazka at 513-244-4611 or sydney.prochazka@msj.edu.

YOUR GIFT WILL HELP US RESTORE MATER DEI CHAPEL As part of Ohio Open Doors, sponsored by the Ohio History Connection to celebrate Ohio’s historic and significant landmarks, Mater Dei Chapel opened its doors this September to the general public. Sister Karen Elliott, C.PP.S., director of Mission Integration, gave a detailed guided tour, assisted by MSJ Mission Ambassadors and Honors Program students.

The tour highlighted recent updates to Mater Dei Chapel, including new pews, updated kneelers, a restored floor, and restored tile mosaics depicting the

Stations of the Cross. However, more work needs to be done to update a failing sound system, antiquated lighting, and a non-functioning organ. An anonymous alumna and her spouse are offering a matching gift opportunity to meet these needs. If the Mount raises $30,000 by January 4, 2023, the couple will match the gift, up to $30,000. To give to the Mount’s Chapel Restoration Fund, visit www.msj.edu/renew-chapel.

Mater Dei Chapel

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LIGHTING THE WAY

By Jessica Baltzersen ’14

They say that by lighting a path for yourself, you light the way for others.

Rising from their own hardships and challenges, these MSJ alumni have taken their experiences and chosen careers that emulate a life of service—one that’s rooted in the Mount’s mission of living a life of integrity and social responsibility.

Following their own passions, these alumni have found ways to be leaders in their communities, locally and globally. They are beacons, proving that when you help others succeed, you improve the world around you. Read on to learn more about their inspiring journeys.

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LIGHTING THE WAY

Photo by Mark Byron.

HELPING TEEN PARENTS LIVE A LIFE OF LEGACY At 16, most high school students have plenty on their plates, from school work to extracurriculars, to their after-school jobs and looming college applications—but becoming a parent typically isn’t one of them. However, for Rosemary OglesbyHenry ’13, it very much was. By the time Oglesby-Henry was 17, she was a new mother, living on her own, and having to make a very rapid transition from childhood to adulthood.

But she refused to be a statistic. With a history of teen pregnancy in her family, she knew she wanted to end the generational pattern with her daughter.

In 2006, Oglesby-Henry transferred to the Mount with her associate degree from Cincinnati State Technical and Community College. Due to other circumstances, she had to pause her education but returned in 2012—two years before her daughter graduated from high school. It was at this time Oglesby-Henry conceptualized what would later become Rosemary’s Babies Co. (RBC)—an impact organization (501c3) committed to helping teen parents master the concepts of selfleadership to leave a long-lasting legacy.

“I wanted to help teen moms,” she says. “I wanted to be able to help them in a way that nobody helped me. I also wanted teen moms to understand that they don’t have to go on welfare, they don’t have to stay in income-based housing, they don’t have to allow the things that other people say to them to change the trajectory of their life.”

When Oglesby-Henry continued her education at the Mount, pursuing her Master of Science in Organizational Leadership, she brought the concept of Rosemary’s Babies Co. to fruition.

“When I realized we had to do a project I decided I was not

going to spend two years researching someone else’s work,” she says. “I found this to be an exceptional opportunity to accomplish two goals at one time: complete my degree while structuring my calling.”

A year after graduating, Oglesby-Henry spent a year with teens and the teen parent population ensuring that there was still a need for her work. She found that many teen parents were still facing the obstacles she met as a young parent.

“When I started this organization, I wanted it to be a nojudgment zone,” she says. “I wanted teen parents to be able to walk through these doors and know that there’s someone there that cares and listens and that understood what they were going through… because I can relate.”

Seven years after its inception, RBC serves more than 200 families per year by offering online resources, one-on-one mentoring, peer support, confidential care, education, and more. In 2022, Rosemary’s Babies Co. purchased a 6,900 square-foot facility, called the Holloway House & Resource Center, to expand its programming to include supportive housing for teen parent families.

Oglesby-Henry’s ambition to change the outlook and stigma of teen parenthood has led her to share her mission on local as well as national platforms. To date, she has been recognized with more than 35 honors.

“My vision is to become a global corporation that supports teen parents, changing policies and legislation nationally while at the same time creating a future where teens, if they choose to parent, will no longer be ostracized but receive the care they need to be successful,” she says.

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LEADING TO UPLIFT THE DEAF COMMUNITY For more than 22 years, Angela Frith ’96 has worked for the St. Rita School for the Deaf. The MSJ education alumna started as a substitute teacher in the classroom, then moved into Development, working in public relations, marketing, and donations. She then became associate executive director, and in 2018, was appointed by the Archdiocese of Cincinnati to lead the school as the executive director.

Even before her career started at St. Rita, Frith had strong ties to the school. Her mother, who is part of the deaf community, graduated as a student from St. Rita. And as a little girl, Frith frequented the school to visit her father, who worked at the school for 47 years and also served as executive director.

St. Rita opened nearly 108 years ago with 11 students staffed by the founder, Fr. Waldhaus, and three Sisters of Charity.

Eventually, it would become the first accredited high school for the deaf in Ohio.

“St. Rita has evolved over the years,” Frith says. “Twenty years ago we started accepting hearing students because they need a language, and using our hands and that part of the brain is sometimes easier than spoken English.”

Under Frith’s leadership, St. Rita has continued to adapt to meet the special communication needs of the students, whether they are deaf or hard of hearing, have apraxia of speech (a speech sound disorder), an autism spectrum disorder, or Down syndrome.

“By having a diverse range of students at the school, we have advocates for deaf children who can share their journey and experiences that others can learn from,” Frith says. “Being a member of the St. Rita community has opened my eyes to another culture and world that is a lot of times not recognized.

It’s been a journey and I’ve never stopped learning.”

For Frith, it’s people’s stories that really impact what she does on a daily basis.

“There’s a lot of education and advocacy that has to happen in order for people to understand [the deaf community],” she says. “The more we talk and share, the more understanding we become.”

Her favorite part, though, is seeing the transformation happen within the classroom.

“Our faculty and staff are amazing to me,” she says. “They do the hard work. I have the easy job of sharing the story. But they’re the ones day in and day out making a real impact and difference.”

As a leader, she’s adamant about championing the teachers with their work and guiding them in the impact that they make.

“When I get a snapshot of what’s happening in the classroom I love to be able to walk away changed,” she says. “I then usually send the teacher a note as a reminder that what they do is so important.”

The school is growing, and Frith says there are still more great things to come.

“We’re more than that building on I-75 that people drive by all the time,” she says. “Once you step inside, it’s a whole different world. My goal is that when you leave you learn something new that you never knew, that we keep learning and sharing our stories.”

Photo by Mark Byron.

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LIGHTING THE WAY SERVING UP STRONG COMMUNITY TIES Established in 1892, O’Malley’s in the Alley proudly holds the title of the “second oldest bar in Cincinnati.” For Juan Imeroni ’96, though, who purchased O’Malley’s in 2012, it holds the title as the “first bar he ever owned”—the one that inspired Imeroni to start Ignite Entertainment, a parent company that houses specialized entertainment destinations throughout the diverse communities of the Queen City.

“When [the opportunity to purchase] O’Malley’s came along, I thought, Why not? I can do this! I worked in a nightclub as a young man—how hard could it be?” Imeroni laughs.

Before the purchase of O’Malley’s and many other wellknown establishments to come, Imeroni moved from Argentina to Cincinnati in 1991 to attend the Mount as an international student.

“I came to the Mount because of their art programs and because Cincinnati sounded like a cool place that was doing some really cool stuff,” he says. “Coming to school in America was a dream come true. I have always had a passion for the arts and being creative and working with my hands. It was such an amazing experience to come here and learn about the culture, while also becoming educated as an artist. I apply what I learned then to what I do now, every day. I’m very particular about the way our [establishments] look and feel, and I constantly reference my education in my decision-making process.”

His path to success was not a linear one, nor was it always easy.

“Raising my daughter, Sophia, as a single father was a challenge,” Imeroni says. “But she is my greatest joy and accomplishment in life.”

When Sophia was young, Imeroni lost their home in a devastating fire that left them with nothing. At the time, Imeroni was also hand-crafting large, ornate rugs. Then, when the recession hit in 2008, luxurious and high-priced items like

his rugs took a nosedive.

“I had to rethink my business plan and transform it into something else,” he says.

Imeroni began purchasing properties, revitalizing them, and selling or renting the spaces. When the opportunity to purchase O’Malley’s came along, he says he couldn’t pass it up.

Today, he’s the owner of 13 establishments, including The Blind Pig, Lola’s Coffee + Bar, The View at Shires’ Garden, Pampas (which pays homage to the Pampas region of Argentina), and Dog Haus, located just down the street from the Mount, on Pedretti Ave. Honoring his cultural roots, Imeroni also got into the restaurant business with his former business partner and fellow Argentinian, Alfio Gulisano. In 2016 they opened Ché OTR, featuring specialty empanadas, and Butcher and Barrel in 2017—a more upscale destination “featuring what Argentina is known and loved for—steak,” Imeroni says.

As the humble leader of these restaurants, Imeroni emphasizes that “Ignite is more than just a bunch of businesses—we’re a family.”

In 2020, when COVID-19 hit, the industry changed completely.

“We’ve had to learn how to do business in different ways to be able to survive, but with the help of my team we worked together to be resourceful in navigating the circumstances,” he says. “We’ve been creative, authentic, and strong, and we have been united in how we managed the challenges. The future is five minutes from now and 10 years from now, and it changes every second along the way—I just want to continue to do what we do—foster the community through engaging experiences in unique destinations, to offer great food and drinks, and friendly, professional service that makes you feel like family too.”

Photo by Mark Byron.

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CHANGING THE LANDSCAPE OF HOMELESSNESS Danielle Amrine ’07 came to the Mount as an adult student looking for evening classes. She obtained her Bachelor’s degree in Social Work with a minor in Psychology. She returned to the Mount from 2009-2012 as an adjunct instructor teaching classes like “addictions” and “social policy.”

In 2017, Amrine became the CEO of Welcome House of Northern Kentucky, an organization that offers a holistic approach and range of services aimed at ending homelessness.

“I wanted to help people the same way other people have helped me growing up,” Amrine says.

The mission of Welcome House is close to Amrine’s heart.

When she was 18, she personally experienced homelessness.

“I’ve been there,” she says. “I’ve experienced it. I know what it’s like. And I know how impactful services that help people who are experiencing homelessness can be.”

Amrine’s work is on a macro level, introducing new services to the organization, and connecting and working with legislators on changing laws that assist the population they serve.

“To me, this is the most important part, being able to have a say and a hand in developing and bringing more services to those who need them the most,” she says.

Welcome House offers a continuum of services, with 28 programs, from addressing the root causes of homelessness to medical street outreach, all the way to housing stability. The continuum is made up of three main service areas, including housing, service coordination, and outreach and stability.

“We’re looking to not only provide a handout but a hand up,” she says. “We are housing first, which means it’s the first priority we work on. We don’t have complicated qualifications to get them a place to live. We believe housing is a basic human right.”

Welcome House offers three shelters: one for veterans, one for two-parent families, and one for women and children. In the spring of 2023, they’ll welcome a new facility in Covington, Kentucky, that will accommodate the expanded population of single parents, including single dads and their children.

Above all, Amrine is fighting to eliminate any stigmas.

“People often think that people experiencing homelessness are violent or have a drug addiction, or that it’s their own fault,” she says. “When we see people on a street corner, we often put a onesize-fits-all filter over homelessness. That’s not really the case.”

According to a survey from Bankrate, 56 percent of Americans are only one $1,000-emergency away from needing to borrow money or sell something. With a nation of people so financially close to the edge, stats like this one put into perspective the possibility of how many people are one unexpected circumstance away from homelessness. Amrine has seen teachers, nurses, and many people with degrees experience homelessness. She’s also seen people who have experienced many challenges, but at the end of the day, everyone, no matter their background, is an individual.

“They’re human beings who have stories and when you sit down and talk to them, it dissolves the judgments we’ve made up about them,” she says.

One day, Amrine says she’d love to be out of a job. “My hope is to see numbers go down and provide comprehensive care that eliminates homelessness altogether.”

Photo by Mark Byron.

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LIGHTING THE WAY

Photo by Jenna Fisher.

ANSWERING THE CALL OF MEDICAL HEALING When Sebastian Paz ’19 was accepted to the Mount to pursue his Master of Science in Nursing (MAGELIN) Degree, he was deployed to Qatar and had to put his education on temporary hold. Paz had served in the U.S. Military for eight years and duty called once again. As a member of the U.S. Air Force, he started out as a firefighter medic and found a calling responding to medical calls. Later, he transferred to become a flight medic, flying missions all over the Middle East, Afghanistan, Iraq, Kuwait, and Sudan.

Paz often thought about life after the military and what his transition to civilian life would look like. At 32, married with two children, he decided the Mount would be the place to explore a career in nursing.

“I wanted the best route where I could earn a living, provide for my family, and still do what I love,” Paz says.

After he returned from his deployment in 2017, he was able to begin his MAGELIN studies.

“My time at the Mount was great… the educators, staff, and facilities were all awesome,” he says.

The MAGELIN Program, though, is intensive and takes an immense amount of dedication, perseverance, and discipline.

Throughout his time at the Mount, Paz worked hard to support his family while also co-owning a nonprofit organization, Vetwod. Vetwod is community-focused, with a mission to serve military veterans and first responders who are combatting mental health issues.

“We want these people to know that self-destructive behaviors or isolation is not the solution to coping with trauma, and they don’t have to do it alone,” Paz says.

To get Vetwod off the ground, and with little free time for an extra job, Paz frequently donated his plasma to get additional income for starting his nonprofit.

“I remember going to donate plasma, while also studying and listening to lectures… it was definitely a busy time,” he says.

Paz was later recognized as a recipient of the Brother Ignatius Perkins Award—a designation given to a MAGELIN student who consistently demonstrates outstanding achievement in the practice of nursing.

Working with his preceptor, Paz knew he wanted to specialize in emergency medicine.

“I’ve always known what I wanted to do. It’s what I’m passionate about, but it’s definitely not for everyone,” he says.

“Not a lot of people can handle it.”

Paz was able to transition into a new role in an emergency department and was later hired at the hospital after he graduated. When COVID-19 hit, he decided to quit his job at the hospital and become a traveling nurse while living in a recreational vehicle (RV) with his wife and kids.

“The reason I got out of the military was so I could spend more time with my family,” Paz says. “My wife was the one who really wanted this adventure, so we packed up everything and sold the house.”

To Paz, though, no matter where he is, he wants to continue helping people.

“I don’t know what I’d be doing if I wasn’t taking care of patients,” he says. Paz continues to support and heal different communities using his experience to live out his calling.

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A BEACON to the Region Educating and serving with a higher purpose, MSJ faculty and students put passion into action, sharing their light to help build a better world.

By Zachary Petit

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For one preschooler at Holy Family P.E.A.C.E.: School, it started with milk.

PROJECT FOR EXCELLENCE Principal Katie Puthoff says English is & ADVANCEMENT OF CATHOLIC a second language for 70 to 75 percent EDUCATION of her Cincinnati, Ohio, school’s 225 In short: There’s a shortage in students, and that figure likely skews the teaching force at large. Dean of higher when looking at preschool classes Education Laura Saylor, Ph.D., says there alone. But this particular student wasn’t has always been a deficit in certain areas, speaking much of his native language but now it extends across the board, and at school—and he wasn’t speaking any school districts are going without key English at all. Soon, he would be in roles. During such shortages, Catholic kindergarten, where he would be starting institutions tend to take a bigger hit at a disadvantage, behind the rest of the because they’re smaller and often class. pay a bit less. So the Mount is doing The education system has long needed something about it. With the brand-new tools to help get all students on a level P.E.A.C.E. Program, the goal is to help playing field, so they can truly thrive and Catholic schools grow their own crop share the same opportunities for success of teachers. Working alongside area when they reach kindergarten. And schools, when they identify individuals that’s exactly why Amy Murdoch, Ph.D., who are not licensed yet but are great assistant dean of Reading Science, created contributors to the community, the the Project Ready! curriculum: to get Mount will work to help them reach students ready. It launched within Holy their licensure moments so they can Family in 2019, and it didn’t take long for continue their vital work and broaden its impact to be felt. the reach of their impact. It’s a critical “We piloted this program and started program—especially for Cincinnati, seeing such amazing results as our where Saylor says more students are students were leaving preschool, and enrolled in Catholic Archdiocesan watched their language skills really schools than Cincinnati Public Schools. flourish,” Puthoff says. “The parents were really pleased. The teachers were really pleased. And, of course, the students loved what they were learning.”

Students excitedly told Puthoff about caterpillars, chrysalises, and butterflies— using those words. They were truly absorbing the concepts and vocabulary placed before them, and, well, “that was something that we just had never seen before,” Puthoff says.

Project for Excellence & Advancement Moreover, for one little boy, it meant of Catholic Education that he no longer had to say “moo” to get his milk at lunchtime. Now, he asked for it directly.

The Mount’s mission has long coupled an interdisciplinary liberal arts education with social responsibility, and faculty and students involved with two brand-new hubs—the Center for Reading Science and the Pro Bono Physical Therapy Clinic—are sharing the flames of their curiosity and passion to light a beacon for the community like never before.

P. E . A .C . E.

THE PROJECT READY! REVOLUTION The Mount has long been a prominent champion of the science of reading, which harnesses proven research-based methods to teach a vital skill. The thing is, “we don’t want to be unique,” Murdoch says. “We want every university to prepare their teachers in the science of reading, because that’s one of the key ways we’re really going to Photo by Don Denney.

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Amanda Rice working with a student at Holy Family.

Photo provided by Local 12 WKRC-TV.

SCHOOL OF EDUCATION PARTNERS WITH C.O. HARRISON In the Oak Hills Local School District, about 100 MSJ education students are Lighting the Way to give back to young students in a classroom setting before graduation. Twice a week they visit C.O. Harrison Elementary School, working alongside teachers and with students in K-3 classrooms, gaining realworld experience. Additionally, the MSJ football team visits C.O. Harrison twice a year. The program has been featured on Local 12 WKRC-TV and in Cincy Magazine.

Junior Cam York completed his practicum in 2021. He says completing the practicum helped solidify his decision to pursue the teaching profession.

“When I got into the classroom and started working, and, you know, talking to the kids, having interactions with different kids, it just set in stone,” he said to Jenna Cisneros, a reporter for Local 12. “I [thought], ‘You’re doing the right thing… this is what you want to do,’ and I felt like as soon as I walked out this door there was a golden beam of light that was just on me.”

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change reading outcomes for children.”

To that end, Murdoch and her team have launched the Stronger Together: Alliance for Reading Science in Higher Education (STARS-HE) for professionals to collaborate across institutions, and they hosted a sold-out Reading Science Summit this past summer—which served as a soft launch for the Mount’s Center for Reading Science.

Here, Murdoch and her colleagues work to support local and national educators, and preside over Project Ready!, which has been Murdoch’s passion for years. She began the work while doing her dissertation years ago, and formally launched the project during her sabbatical in 2019, alongside Project Ready!

Project Manager/Early Learning Specialist Rosie Warburg ’12.

Dean of Education Laura Saylor, Ph.D., was excited when Murdoch decided to focus on the initiative and was touched by her commitment to young children. Murdoch’s goal is to provide an open-source resource for anyone who wanted to use it, so it could have the widest possible reach and fewer barriers to entry, especially for schools that lack the budget to purchase curricula.

“This is just not typical,” Saylor says. “Her vision of impacting that kind of change and not looking for any big monetary payment, but just wanting to do the right thing to make the world a better place, permeates her program, permeates her Center, and it permeates all of us who get to work with her. It really is phenomenal.”

For Murdoch, the vexing thing is that reading science isn’t new—it’s established, and has been for some time. In other words: We know how to teach kids to read, yet there are still so

BEACON TO THE REGION

many students who are not given the same chance at success.

“We have really abysmal national data around reading, really for all kids, but especially for children who are living in poverty and for children who are Black and Brown,” Murdoch says.

Warburg says the program consists of roughly 12 units, and the aim is to develop two years of programming because many children attend preschool for that duration. Science and social studies are the basis for the main topics of the curriculum, with a focus on imparting broad academic knowledge and vocabulary. Teachers can cover about one unit per month, and each has an overarching theme, such as kindness. There is also group work focused on oral language, and a critical alphabet component where students learn letter names and sounds, serving as building blocks and preludes to words and sentences.

“We’re not expecting children to come out of preschool reading because that’s not appropriate, but we’re putting all of those skills in place so that when it is appropriate, they have all

of that background knowledge and can really take off,” Warburg says.

The team piloted the program at Holy Family, shaping and adjusting it in real time so that it would be achievable by an extremely busy preschool teacher. Now in Phase 2, Murdoch and her team are working with 11 classrooms across a variety of schools.

Principal Puthoff says it has become a staple at her institution, and she can’t imagine her preschool without it.

“I can’t say enough about the Project Ready! team in general,” she says. “I think if we were trying to implement any project of this size without a great team, it wouldn’t work. The people that put this curriculum together and are working with our teachers truly make all the difference. They believe so much in what they’re doing that it’s hard to not have that excitement spread.”

As for highs of the program, one of Murdoch’s favorite stories involves a group of students who came to a Project

Vanessa Julca reading to students at Holy Family.

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BEACON TO THE REGION Ready! school from a privileged high school to help out in the classroom. One of the high schoolers informed a student that Mexico is in South America—and the preschooler pointed out that, actually, it is in North America.

“I thought, how powerful that this little 4-year-old was correcting a high schooler,” Murdoch recalls.

For Warburg, one of her favorite moments came when a parent asked if her child could keep a book from the astronomy unit, because he loved it so much that he would read it to himself every night and fall asleep with it.

There’s also a broader impact. Murdoch says that at the end of every year, her team solicits feedback from teachers. One reply from an educator: it redefined how her students thought about

the future, and what they want to be when they grow up.

Before the curriculum, Murdoch says this particular educator said the students wanted to be a mommy or a daddy or a garbage truck driver or a fireman, which are all good things. Now they’re talking about wanting to be an astronaut or an engineer or Jane Goodall.

Murdoch explains, “Those are things we’re exposing them to in our program. That’s really what it’s about. We want to make sure their worlds are big because they deserve all the options that every kid gets. That’s really the heart of why we did this, is making sure kids have lots of options.”

It may start with milk, but it can lead to brilliant places, indeed.

Jasmine Luna Villa helping a student with an art project.

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Ashley Klosterman works with a client at the Pro Bono PT Clinic while Makenzie Meyer (left) and Dylon Neff (right) observe. Photo by Mark Byron.

A GAME-CHANGING CLINIC FOR THE UNDERINSURED On an evening brimming with energy in mid-September, the Mount’s Pro Bono Physical Therapy (PT) Clinic opened its doors for the first time… but not everything went according to plan.

The students running the clinic hit some snags with the medical records process. As it turns out, though, that was probably ideal—because things don’t go perfectly in the real world. Forget simulations. This is true on-the-job training with real patients and real scenarios.

“Students are involved in the logistics, the day-to-day, the leadership, and they get an opportunity to really experience what it’s like,” Dean of Health Sciences Darla Vale, Ph.D., says.

“Just dealing with reality is valuable exposure that very few programs have.”

Like the Center for Reading Science, the Pro Bono PT Clinic is a brand-new initiative that takes the Mount’s progressive learning models and brings them into the community to make true impact, while benefiting students in the process. And it’s an innovation that’s years in the making.

“It’s been a 20-year odyssey,” Associate Professor Karen Holtgrefe says.

Over the years Holtgrefe and others have pursued various strategies to try to make it happen—but with the Mount’s current leadership and strategic vision of serving as a beacon to the region, the stars aligned and the team got to work at their new space on Neeb Road.

The location is situated directly across the street from the

Delhi Fire Department, where an in-house social worker has been helping to recruit patients and offering the team insights, such as how the number of runs the department has had to make for falls or to assist people in getting up, skyrocketed during the COVID-19 Pandemic. Moreover, right down the street is an apartment building for low-income seniors. With falls and other incidents, what happens to patients after they’re back from the hospital?

The DPT crew says the Good Samaritan Free Health Center in Price Hill does a fantastic job of meeting the needs of the uninsured. But when it comes to the underinsured, there is a true gap in support—and that’s where the clinic can really make an impact.

“The Pro Bono PT Clinic itself is really there because our current healthcare reimbursement and finance [system] is just simply broken,” DPT Chair and Professor Lisa Dehner, Ph.D., says. “It’s not for us to fix today, but what we know is that there are folks that are very underinsured with respect to therapy.

They might be able to get their immediate medical needs met, which obviously is a first priority, but as far as their ability to live their life well—where physical therapists might come in—a lot of times they’re very underinsured.”

The DPT department has been working to spread the word about the clinic far and wide. They’ve sent out flyers. They’ve gotten it in the newsletter of a fitness center. They attended the Delhi Fire Department Open House and talked to more

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than 200 people about the clinic. They’ve sent word to local PT clinics, alumni, social media, and even MSJ students. Anyone with any injury, provided they can leave their home, is eligible for care.

“All are welcome,” Dehner says.

The team envisions the clinic serving the community yearround, in 10-week rotations. Students work a week of shifts from 6–8 p.m. on Tuesdays and 9–11 a.m. on Saturdays, then alternate with their colleagues, returning five weeks later to follow up with patients for another week. Every student thus gets four shifts at the clinic.

Dehner says the schedule provides a critical challenge to students: They’re going to see a patient twice, and then they won’t see them for another five weeks. How does that change their approach to the therapy, and how do they empower patients to work on their challenges solo in the meantime?

Ultimately, it’s the students who are in charge. And two of those are second-year DPT student and Pro Bono Clinic director Maegan McCarthy and her first-year co-director, Morgan Rouff.

“I chose PT because I was a competitive gymnast growing up, and due to all my injuries, I was not a stranger to the physical therapy clinic,” McCarthy says. “Through my interactions with my therapists, I grew to love the idea of helping others get back to activities that they enjoyed like my therapists did for me. From there it really just became my life’s goal to become a PT.” Already, Holtgrefe has witnessed the students solving problems in real time, in one case seamlessly dividing and sharing responsibilities based on who had done inpatient and outpatient work, and taking the documentation issues that arose in stride. “I thought it was brilliant,” Holtgrefe says.

McCarthy says she has been impressed with her classmates’ flexibility, and the ways in which they’re integrating the skills they have picked up in the program while showing great professionalism with patients.

Rouff, meanwhile, loves the collaborative vibe of the Clinic.

“Both the students and patients have the ability to benefit, and it is a great space for lots of teamwork and leadership to occur,” she says. “It has been successful in the short time that it has been open, and I think we have so much more to share within our community.”

Like the Center for Reading Science, the sky’s the limit when it comes to the possibilities of the program—and growth is the goal.

In the future, the team hopes to include other students in the School of Health Sciences, such as those in the new Speech, Language, and Hearing Sciences Program and the established Physician Assistant Studies Program. Their ultimate aspiration is to have a Health Sciences building with a comprehensive clinic, and to connect the community with all of the Mount’s programs, offering support to anyone regardless of whether they’re seeking physical therapy, speech therapy, to go from couch to 5K, or any ground in between.

Such an offering shouldn’t just be the domain of schools

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Stephanie Peter uses lessons learned at the Mount to assist a client. Photo by Mark Byron.

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BEACON TO THE REGION

that have a hospital attached, Dehner says, and this is how a private school with a strong Health Sciences Program can really support the community.

Vale concurs.

“I was a clinician,” she adds. “I’m a nurse. I was a critical care nurse for many, many years… but in education, you can have almost an exponential impact.”

In addition to the new Pro Bono Clinic, the DPT Program also has a fresh mission statement: Engaging students in a personalized and collaborative learning environment that empowers them to become physical therapists who have a commitment to lifelong learning, a passion for serving others, and a dedication to interprofessional practice that inspires them to optimize the health and well-being of the community.

As any Pro Bono PT Clinic patient would likely attest: That beacon is indisputably lit, and they’re well on their way.

MSJ STUDENT-RUN PRO BONO PT CLINIC 672 Neeb Road, Cincinnati, Ohio 45233 513-244-4282 For the most up-to-date business hours, or to schedule an appointment, visit www.msj.edu/pt-clinic or scan the QR code.

Alan Quisido helps a new Pro Bono PT Clinic client while Nate Schmeusser observes. JJ Fischer takes detailed notes. Photo by Mark Byron.

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LION-HEARTED MENTORS Meet three MSJ coaches who light the way for athletes, on and off the field.

By Tabari McCoy

Coaches Tina Blakley ’15, Charles Mason Jr., and Beth Goderwis in front of Catamount St. Joseph. Photo by Mark Byron.

In the words of two-time Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame inductee and College Basketball Hall of Fame member John Wooden, “Young people need models, not critics.” MSJ students often shine in their athletic feats, their accomplishments akin to a grand firework display that’s met with a resounding roar. All the while models— MSJ coaches—have provided an eversteady light, also serving as mentors, surrogate parents, cheerleaders, and, in some cases, at the end of a studentathlete’s career, friends.

Here we spotlight how three coaches shine brightly every day in the hearts of MSJ student-athletes.

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Coach Tina Blakley encourages MSJ runners during a race. Photo by Don Denney.

Coach Tina Blakley and members of the MSJ track & field team. Photo by Don Denney.

TINA BLAKLEY ‘15: CROSS COUNTRY AND TRACK & FIELD Glancing over at her résumé, Tina Blakley’s career path seems unlikely. Initially wanting to be a police officer, Blakley worked for an investment firm and was a personal trainer before becoming head coach of the Mount’s cross country and track & field teams. How? One might call it destiny.

“I had a person I worked with who was a member of the YMCA who had just gotten hired as the head coach of cross country and track & field here at the Mount,” she says. “He knew I had a strength-and-conditioning background and approached me saying, ‘Hey, I just got hired as the head coach, would you like to come and be a seasonal coach for me?’ I thought he was kidding but after weeks of him continuing to ask me about it, I agreed. When I tell you this, this is exactly how it happened, it’s the truth: I showed up on campus for the first time, stepped on the track and I immediately fell in love with it.”

Now in her 12th season at the Mount, Blakley took over head coaching duties when the coach who hired her left for a Division I job. A soccer player growing up, Blakley has steadily learned the ins and outs of track & field as well as cross country. But those discoveries pale in comparison to the life lessons coaching has given her that she now uses in mentoring her student-athletes.

“When I worked in the investment firm, I was so excited to be able to help people invest in their future,” she says. “When

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I transitioned from financial investments to investments in people’s lives by becoming a coach for these college students, I was able to help them understand the value of their education that they were getting here and the opportunity that they were getting to be a collegiate athlete. Every one of them is coming from different walks of life with different reasons and paths for being here.”

That’s why Blakley says she doesn’t try to sell prospects on the Mount. Instead, she works to make sure both her team and the University are the right match for them. That’s what she says helped land Justin Dreyling, who transferred from the University of Findlay in Findlay, Ohio, to the Mount.

Dreyling became a standout in his first season at the Mount, breaking the school’s triple jump and long jump records several times during the 2022 season en route to earning All-American honors.

Calling him “an amazing young man,” Blakley says having a student-athlete like Dreyling makes her entire team better, herself included.

“He’s a peer leader on our team—I can’t say enough things about him,” she says. “When it was all said and done and we’re congratulating him, he was just his normal self. He just carried himself so well through that whole experience. As his coach, it really was a learning experience about how you can handle pressure and have success at it and be humble about it.”

Dreyling, however, credits Blakley for making it easy to be humble because she has helped set him on the road to success.

“She is familiar with the University which allows athletes to go to her for a sense of direction or advice,” Dreyling says.

“She also made sure to surround me and the team with a full coaching staff that has a lot of experience and knowledge.

This allowed me and the team to train, improve, and compete at our best.”

Striving to always get better herself, Blakley hopes to use her position to inspire others to do the same.

“Being a good coach, that’s a lifelong journey—you can’t just achieve that,” Blakley says. “When I think back on maybe some of the decisions that I made and situations I was in, I would have given anything to be on a team [with this type of] support system. I continually, on a day-today basis, try to identify areas where I can be a better person to them, give them a voice, advocate for them, and just be a support system.”

BETH GODERWIS: WOMEN’S SOFTBALL Beth Goderwis, who went from high school to working for Toys “R” Us, eventually running a $15 million store, did not have a traditional path to coaching. But when she heard the Mount was looking for an assistant softball coach, Goderwis, a manager trainer for her former employer, jumped at the opportunity to showcase her teaching skills in a new field.

Now the field at Mount St. Joseph University Softball Complex has become a second home for Goderwis and the scores of young players she has helped mentor for 21 seasons and counting.

“She has taught me so much when it comes to softball, but it’s the life lessons I appreciate more,” says senior outfielder Cassandra “Casey” Bramble, a member of the Lions’ team that won the first regional championship in school history this past season. “Having a good mentor in life is an important thing to have—in women’s sports, however, it’s even more important.

This life is hard enough as it is but having someone in your corner that is constantly fighting for you helps tremendously.”

Bramble says, without Goderwis, she wouldn’t be graduating in the spring with a degree in secondary education and math, getting a job as a high school teacher, nor would she have played four years of a college sport.

Goderwis cites building relationships as one of her top personal successes and key qualities that make someone a good coach. She also finds fulfillment in watching impressionable student-athletes grow into successful young adults.

For evidence of her commitment, simply visit the softball complex, which she and her husband, Alan, built by hand— including the dugouts, press box, and hitting cages. They also turfed the bullpens and even built the block wall around the backstop.

“As the field was being built in 2007, the project went over budget, so they started to cut things,” Goderwis says. “I started to find people that were willing to donate money or product to build the dugouts. We had a player on the team whose dad was the accountant for Sardina Concrete and he was able to get the concrete for the walls donated. We had several other people that donated money so that we could buy the building materials, so once we had everything my husband and I went to work. I want this program to have the best, so if it means putting in some hard work, then that is what I will do to give our players the best

Coach Beth Goderwis leads a team huddle at an MSJ softball game. Photo by Don Denney.

Coach Beth Goderwis at an MSJ softball game. Photo by Don Denney.

experience they can have.”

Goderwis says the player and coach bond is one she believes someone must experience first-hand to truly appreciate.

“One of the biggest things is that people just don’t understand how much time we truly put into the program,” Goderwis says. “We might get a phone call from a kid that’s homesick at midnight or be talking to a recruit at nine o’clock at night. It’s not just a nine-to-five job.”

Ask Goderwis about her favorite career moment, and the Mount’s regional championship last season is an understandable choice. Junior pitcher Casey Kemp, the pitcher who was on the mound when the Mount clinched that championship, says that ending like those wouldn’t be possible without Goderwis.

“Coach Goderwis has had a very big impact on me both as an athlete and a young woman,” Kemp says. “She is always supportive and knows how to push me and has helped increase my pitching skills, confidence on the mound, and overall drive as an athlete. She has made an impact on me that will stick with me forever.”

While she might be in coaching for “maybe just a few more years,” Goderwis says she looks forward to the future.

“The fact that they continued to stick with me, even in those years where it wasn’t great, showed me how loyal to me they were and I wanted to be just as loyal to them,” she says.

“With our current president and new people coming into various positions, they have the vision of what they want to make Mount St. Joseph to be. The exciting things that Dr. Williams and people in some of the vice president positions are doing have me really looking forward to the future to build Mount St. Joseph.”

FALL 2022

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LIONHEARTED LIONS’ CORNERMENTORS

CHARLES MASON JR.: WRESTLING Since becoming the Mount’s head wrestling coach in 2018, Charles Mason Jr. has racked up some impressive accolades.

The 2018-19 season resulted in him being named the National Wrestling Coaches Association (NWCA) National Rookie Coach of the Year. In 2020, he was named the NWCA Division Central Region Coach of the Year. This past season saw one of his student-athletes, Cornell Beachem Jr., become the first national champion in any sport in the Mount’s history.

But for Mason, the accolades he is focused on are always yet to come—because for him the best success is watching others succeed.

“Wrestling is my tool to give back with,” Mason says. “It’s just a part of life, man, if you’re not sharing what you learn through your journey back to someone, you will lack fulfillment. I find true fulfillment in being able to take everything I learned through my journey—a lot of ups and downs in my life that I had to grow from and eventually pass it back down to someone else.”

A team captain and All-American wrestler himself at DII Notre Dame College in Cleveland, Ohio, Mason says he has wanted to be a coach since his youth. While his father coached baseball, his mother, Linda Crawford, ran what he calls a community house, providing kids throughout the neighborhood with guidance and love. Mason now applies the same mix of stern concern with genuine care and concern to coach his student-athletes.

The awards he’s won only serve as more motivation to bring more success to those around him.

“I’m not real big on awards,” he says. “I don’t like being put on ahead of anything because I’m just a small part. I have to keep good assistants around me and I really appreciate them because they carry me when I need to be carried.

Without my assistants, my wrestlers, and learning from them, I wouldn’t win any award—it’s a team effort all the way around.”

Gary Powell Jr., who was a freshman member of the Lions’ wrestling team last year, says that mentality is why Coach Mason has meant a lot to him as a young man and athlete.

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Coach Charles Mason with Cornell Beachem Jr. at the NCAA DIII Nationals.

Coach Charles Mason and team at a 2019 wrestling match. Photo by Don Denney.

“Having a mentor like Coach Mason is very important for helping a student-athlete like myself on and off the field because he puts the student part first,” Powell says. “For example, last year I had a crucial exam the next day and instead of making me just worry about practice, Coach Mason allowed me to miss so I could study and connect with a tutor to make sure I passed. Not many coaches will allow that; all they care about is winning, not the success of their athlete’s future. From the athlete’s perspective, Coach Mason knows what it means to win… competing is in his blood. He wants us to succeed just as much as we want to see ourselves succeed.”

Student-athlete Beachem agrees.

“Coach Mason has just been a great role model and he just teaches me everything I need to know in wrestling and pushes me to become better daily,” Beachem says. “In life, Coach Mason is just always there for you and someone to talk to and he doesn’t accept mediocrity and that’s huge as a coach and he just pushes me in every aspect of life. Every program needs someone like Coach Mason because he is just a great mentor, doesn’t set low standards, and everything we do is to become better young men in life. He just proves that there are still great human beings in the world and they are hard to come by.”

Mason became a father with the birth of his son in October and he hopes to keep inspiring others for as long as the Mount will have him.

“We have a 99 percent [career placement] rate, which means we’re getting people jobs, putting people in positions to be successful once they leave,” Mason says. “The Mount wants to see you grow as a professional, an individual. Having a championship person makes it easier to translate into a championship athlete and I want to see the best version of them as people.”

Want to see the

LIONS in action?

Find Schedules, Ticket Information and more at msjlions.com View livestream home events on the official MSJ Athletics YouTube Channel

If you are interested in supporting one of our athletic programs, scan the QR code to find out more!

FALL 2022

27

FACULTY & STAFF UPDATE CAMPUS UPDATES LIVING THE MISSION: 2022 ST. ELIZABETH ANN SETON MISSION AWARDS By Richelle Thompson The Mount recently bestowed its highest mission honor to four faculty and staff members who animate the University’s commitment to values, integrity, and social responsibility through their care for students and peers, and their commitment to the community and the common good.

The St. Elizabeth Ann Seton Mission Award recognizes individuals for “daring to risk a caring response” in their service to the MSJ community. It is named in honor of St. Elizabeth Ann Seton, foundress of the Sisters of Charity, the congregation that established the Mount in 1920 and continues to sponsor it today. First given in 2001, the award expanded this past year to include not only two staff members but also two faculty members.

The 2022 award winners are: • LeRie Dover, manager of custodial services • Greg Goldschmidt ’07, director of creative services • Jim Bodle, Ph.D., professor of psychology, School of Behavioral & Natural Sciences • Beth Corbo, Ph.D., assistant professor, School of Education “There are bright shining stars in every constellation, and these four people are bright shining stars for the Mount Community,” says Sister Karen Elliott, C.PP.S, chief mission officer at the Mount.

Award winner LeRie Dover takes bright and shining to a new level. As manager of custodial services, she and her team ensure that students LeRie Dover and faculty live, learn, and work in a safe, clean, and healthy environment. It’s a challenging task in everyday situations but the Pandemic presented enormous hurdles. As a testament to Dover’s commitment to the University, she and her team worked tirelessly to keep the campus safe, even cleaning and disinfecting all the bathrooms three times a day.

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Fran Feldman, office manager for building and grounds, says Dover has a customer-first attitude. “She’s always working hard to make sure the campus is ready to present the best first impression, to showcase Mount St. Joseph for the great institution that it is.”

First—and lasting— impressions are also a focus for award winner Jim Bodle, Ph.D. When he stepped on campus to teach his first class in 1996, he never Jim Bodle, Ph.D. imagined being an MSJ Lion more than 25 years later. But he continues to relish the opportunities to support students and build community.

“Like many of our students, I was a first-generation college student,” Bodle says. He recalls how a professor took him aside during his college days and encouraged him to consider a career in academics. “I didn’t even know being a professor was a job.”

Because of his background, Bodle says he can relate to students, helping them identify barriers and discover opportunities for growth and success.

These relationships extend beyond the classroom.

“We have such a strong sense of community here,” Bodle says. The faculty and staff feel like family—the same is true with the students. “We often end up sitting in the classroom for an extra half hour talking.”

Still, Bodle admits he was shocked to learn about the award.

“I cried,” he says. “It was an ugly cry.

But it means so much to me. I have always felt connected to the mission of this school. I have a passion for the history of this institution as a place that was founded for the education of

women so they could reach underserved populations. I want to continue to ignite that spark in students, so they become lifelong learners who appreciate the value of diversity and service.”

The other award winners include Beth Corbo, Ph.D., who joined the Education Department at the Mount in 2014. Guided by a fervent belief in Beth Corbo, Ph.D. the importance of reading, Corbo uses research-based initiatives to guide and train teachers, with the goal of seeing every child transformed by the power of reading.

The award honored Greg Goldschmidt’s commitment to seeking new and innovative ways to tell the Mount’s story. As director of creative Greg Goldschmidt services, Goldschmidt is one of the Mount’s biggest cheerleaders, combining a passion for his Catholic faith and higher education with the University’s mission of service and lifelong learning.

“The mission award honors people who do their work in an exemplary fashion, and that’s true for these four amazing humans,” Sr. Karen says. “LeRie takes care of our Institution in such an exemplary way. You could point to her and say, ‘She’s the mission.’ When you look at Greg’s work or watch him interact in a meeting, you look at him and say, ‘He is the mission.’ The way these individuals teach, engage students, and care for our community shows us examples of how the mission needs to be lived. They are making a tremendous difference in the Mount Community.”

“There are bright shining stars in every constellation, and these four people are bright shining stars for the Mount Community.”

—Sister Karen Elliott, C.PP.S.

FACULTY & STAFF UPDATE CAMPUS UPDATES PROVOST DIANA DAVIS TO RETIRE Diana Davis, Ph.D., provost and professor in the Department of Chemistry, has announced her retirement after 25 years of service to Diana Davis, Ph.D. the Mount. Davis received her Ph.D. in biochemistry from Colorado State University in 1995 and joined the faculty at the Mount in 1997 as an assistant professor of Chemistry.

As a faculty member, she had an active career as a researcher and published on protease secretion in pathogenic fungi and the biomechanics of fungal spore dispersal. Prior to her career in academics, Davis traded government

securities for private accounts. During her 25 years at the Mount, she has served as a department chair, dean of the School of Behavioral & Natural Sciences and as interim and acting provost. She was appointed provost in July of 2017.

“On behalf of the Mount Community, I am happy to congratulate Diana— and thank her for her many years of service and leadership at the Mount!” says President H. James Williams, Ph.D. “We will miss her sorely; she is a great colleague and friend. We wish her retirement is as long, fruitful, inspirational, and fulfilling as her career with the Mount has been. May God continue to bless her and her family.”

DEAN GENE KRITSKY TO RETIRE Gene Kritsky, Ph.D., dean of the School of Behavioral and Natural Sciences, has announced his retirement after 40 years of service to Gene Kritsky, Ph.D. the Mount. Kritsky received a Bachelor of Arts degree in Biology from Indiana University, and his Master of Science degree and Ph.D. in Entomology from the University of Illinois. He received a Fulbright scholarship to teach at Minya University in Upper Egypt, where he visited 94 archaeological sites and was even locked inside an Egyptian tomb.

Kritsky joined the Mount in 1983 and taught many courses including Biology I and II, Entomology, Evolution, Marine Biology, and Dinosaur Biology. His research interests include periodical cicadas, the history of beekeeping, insects of ancient Egypt, paleobiology,

SHINING A LIGHT ON THE MSJ BOOKSHELF Have you checked out the new MSJ Bookshelf? Visit www.msj.edu/bookshelf to find diverse books, journals, articles, videos, and other materials written and produced by MSJ faculty and staff.

and Charles Darwin. He has written 10 books, published more than 250 papers, and served as editor of American Entomologist for 15 years.

Kritsky is a Fellow of the Entomological Society of America, the American Association for the Advancement of Science, and the Indiana Academy of Science, and has received Distinguished Scholar awards from the Indiana Academy of Science and twice from the Mount.

“Gene is a consummate storyteller and a tireless promoter of the Mount,” says Provost Diana Davis, Ph.D. “During his long and distinguished scientific career he has made major contributions to the field of entomology and is considered an international expert on cicadas. While his most important discoveries about insects seem to peak every 13 or 17 years, his impact as a teacher has been continuous.”

FIRST-EVER ENDOWED PROFESSORSHIP WITH YOUR HELP “Don’t ever disappoint me and never dream small.” Those are the words I’ve said on the first day of class to my students for many years. Now, I find myself reflecting on what I want to say to the greater Mount Community as I wrap up my 40th year of teaching. I came here at 29 years old, and I made a life here. I taught over 10,000 students and watched many of them follow my initial words of advice, becoming doctors, scientists, entomologists, physical therapists, taxonomists, and teachers. I recognize the lessons I have taught them have shaped their communities, and so my legacy lives on in them, just as the professors who helped me achieve my dream live on in me.

As a thank you for my many years of teaching, the University has offered me $1,000 towards my retirement party. But why have a retirement party when I am not “leaving” this place? I’m a part of the Mount as much as it is a part of me.

Therefore, I let the University know that I would prefer the $1,000 be invested towards a new scholarship.

Then, I was reminded of my own advice: Never dream small.

The Mount lacks an endowed professorship. An endowment would allow the Mount to fund in perpetuity a paid faculty professorship in the Biology Department by drawing on the interest of the raised funds. To endow a professorship, we would need to raise $1 million. I believe in dreaming big and I want this to happen.

You haven’t disappointed me yet, so will you help me realize my dream of endowing a professorship? Alone, we are a single cicada, but together, we can be a large emergence! If you will support my dream, please visit www.msj.edu/cheers.

Let’s Climb Higher together,

Gene Kritsky, Ph.D.

FALL 2022

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LIONS’ CORNER

By Tabari McCoy

THE CHAMP IS HERE In the heat of the moment, Cornell Beachem Jr. proudly hoisted his daughter above his head much like a scene from Disney’s “The Lion King.”

He is now the first MSJ athlete to bring home a national championship.

Beachem made history this March, winning the 174-pound final as a junior at the NCAA DIII Wrestling Championship in Cedar Rapids, Iowa. Coming into the tournament undefeated, the odds-on favorite did not disappoint, defeating Johnson & Wales University’s Michael Ross 5-1. The HCAC took notice of Beachem’s efforts, naming him the 2021-22 HCAC Athlete of the Year for men’s sports this June, an award he first won in 2020.

Beachem was joined at the tournament by his senior teammate Antonio McCloud, a 2018 All-American, who

competed in the 184-pound bracket, winning his first match before suffering two consecutive losses to end his run.

McCloud was 18-1 coming into the tournament.

While he describes his journey as “chaotic,” Beachem credits believing in his dreams and setting objectives to make them reality as the keys to his success.

“To be the first wrestler to win a national championship feels wonderful because I’m the first to do it, but it would be much better this year if we could win a football championship, or to win a team wrestling championship would be great,” says Beachem, who is also a member of the Lions’ football roster.

“I am honored to represent the school and my last name as the first national champion as a male athlete.”

Cornell Beachem Jr. winning the national championship.

RIGHT ON TRACK

at the NCAA DIII Track and Field Championships in May, breaking his own triple jump record for the fourth time in the process.

He has big plans for his junior season at the Mount.

“The track facility is the only indoor track in the Cincinnati area and gives me the opportunity to train and compete year-round, especially during indoor season during the winter,” Dreyling says. “I also get the opportunity to play multiple sports and be a part of the football team, so I knew this would be a good fit for me because the coaches encourage me to compete in both sports.

For next track season, I hope to qualify for nationals in the long jump and the triple jump. I hope to win a national championship.”

Justin Dreyling competing in April 2022. Photo by Rooted Creative.

Justin Dreyling credits the Mount’s admission staff and his advisor for making his transfer a harmonious one, ensuring he stayed on track with his degree. Following his initial efforts as a member of the men’s track & field team, his coaches and teammates are likely to keep singing his praises.

A native of Reading, Ohio, Dreyling transferred to the Mount after spending two years studying at the University of Findlay where he won two NCAA DII Great Midwest Athletic Conference triple jump championships. That success would follow Dreyling to the Mount in 2022, breaking both the University’s triple and long jump records during the regular season. He later earned All-American honors by placing fourth

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DANCE, DANCE REVOLUTION

MSJ Softball Team at the HCAC Regional Championship game.

choice but to suppress my emotions and go out and pitch the way I knew how,” Kemp says. “As we made the final out, there was an unexplainable feeling in the air. We had finally done it. The feeling of making that final out is something that can never be taken from any of us.

I know many of us will carry it with us throughout our lives as a very special moment.”

Outfielder Casey Bramble, now a senior, agrees.

“The best thing about being a part of this team is the people,” Bramble says.

“I have made amazing friendships with people who have impacted me and will continue to impact me for years to come.

Just being able to take the field with my sisters day in and out means more than the accomplishments and awards will ever mean.”

LOT 41

IRON PIN N: 407,077.97

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864

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Following Delhi Township Board of Trustees’ unanimous approval of a letter of intent this May, the Mount is in the exploration stages of the construction of a new baseball stadium at Delhi Park. Vice President for Institutional Advancement Sydney Prochazka says the stadium push is a combination of collaboration coupled with opportunity.

Director of Athletics Melanee Wagener, MSOL, ’21, says 2024 would be the earliest the stadium—currently estimated as a $6 million project spanning seven to 10 acres—would debut.

Prochazka says the University would hope for some prominent MSJ alumni to contribute financially to the project; however, she was pleased to say the first gift to the stadium came as a surprise

CONTROL POINT CROSS NOTCH N: 407,060.79 E: 1,369,760.29

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What’s better than a historic season?

For the players of the Lions’ softball team, it’s the memories and friendships formed en route to winning the first-ever regional championship in the program’s history.

The Lions defeated Babson College 5-3 in the HCAC Regional Championship game on Sunday, May 15, in Geneso, New York, advancing to the Super Regionals in the process.

The Lions’ winning efforts landed four athletes on the All-Tournament team including Casey Kemp, Kamryn McCool, Kelsi Stevenson, and tournament MVP Elizabeth Ivers.

A dual threat on the mound and at the plate against Babson, Kemp says being part of the history-making team was “a very special experience.”

“When the time came, I did not have a

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IN A LEAGUE OF THEIR OWN

For Middletown, Ohio, native Miranda Calhoun, the new head coach of the Mount’s dance team and coordinator of the Joe Lion Spirit Squad, the position is a dream job.

Hired in May, Calhoun spent the previous 14 years at Bowling Green State University, the last 10 primarily as head coach of its dance team. She is joined by new hires Winter-Noelle Grant, head cheerleading coach, and Emily Kaltenbach, stunt and tumbling coordinator, in August. Calhoun hopes to grow her team to a dozen-plus members.

Calhoun already has ideas of how she and her new co-workers will bring spirit to the Mount.

“The cheerleaders are the ones who pump up the crowd, so you’re going to see them doing stunts or some tumbling work,” she says. “You’re going to see them doing chants to pump up the crowd, you’re going to see them throw t-shirts and so forth. Cheerleaders are the ones who bring spirit through words. The dance team, on the other hand, they bring more of the spirit and more of the energy through movement and different songs.”

Don’t expect the same old song and dance, however, once the teams hit the floor.

“We’re really excited to be out there, for everyone to see what the spirit program has been working on and how well we’ve been pushing these collegiate athletes,” she says. “Get ready for new spirit on campus with more appearances from cheer, dance and Joe Lion.”

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RAMP OPTION - PLAN | MOUNT SAINT JOSEPH UNIVERSITY | MSJ BASEBALL FIELD | 10/31/22 COPYRIGHT MICHAEL SCHUSTER ASSOCIATES INC.

Concept art of the proposed new baseball stadium at Delhi Park.

and was $50 from someone who believed in a permanent home for MSJ baseball.

As the project progresses, a strategic initiative to raise funds will occur.

“We’ve had baseball for almost 30 years and they’ve never had a home field,” Wagener says. “We’re excited to be able to give that to the program.”

MSJ Cheerleaders.

Photo by Mark Byron.

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Dear Mount St. Joseph Alumni, When I arrived on the campus of Mount St. Joseph University in the fall of 2017, I had no idea of the journey that I would embark on—as a student, as a professional, and as a person. I enrolled at the Mount because I wanted a small school where I could know my professors by name, and make real connections with my classmates.

Coming from a small high school, I felt at home on the Mount’s Morgan Carpenter ’20 campus. I dove into student organizations, proudly cheered on the Lions as a member of the MSJ Dance Team, and immersed myself in coursework and the Honors Program. As part of my degree in Communication and New Media Studies, I needed to find a cooperative education experience. Working with the Career & Experiential Learning Center on campus, I was able to land two different internships—both in Human Resources. I quickly learned that the world of recruiting wasn’t necessarily for me, so I applied to the Institutional Advancement co-op position back on campus. I hoped that this position would help me decide where I wanted to go next with my career.

In November of 2018, I joined the Institutional Advancement (IA) team. From writing and editing grant applications to planning Homecoming and Reunion activities—and a lot of data entry—I was slowly learning the world of higher education advancement. Surrounded by great mentors, I saw the impact that the IA office made on the University, on our alumni, and on the students. I saw grant dollars provide the funding for programs that directly impact and better the lives of students, events that brought classmates from 50 years ago back together to reminisce and share in their MSJ memories, and transformational gifts made that will help generations of MSJ students Climb Higher. All of this was done before my eyes, every day. I knew that I wanted to continue to be a part of something important at the University that I loved.

After graduation in May 2020, I was hired as the content specialist, and over the past two years I have worked my way up to manager of alumni relations, and now director of alumni engagement. But I would not be here without my team, and the support I received from my current and past vice presidents, and President H. James Williams, Ph.D. I am blessed to work at the Mount alongside my amazing alumni relations staff, Mikayla Courtney and Brooke Rouse ’22, and my teammates in Institutional Advancement. Together, we are hosting events that bring alumni back to campus for milestone occasions and the everyday, we are creating programs that provide value to our alumni years after graduation (e.g., our Alumni ID discounts), and we are continuing to look ahead at how we can Light the Way for future generations of MSJ students.

We hope that you will stay engaged with the Office of Alumni Relations and the Mount. There is so much to be excited about at the Mount, so please continue to read our monthly Around the Mount e-newsletter, and stay connected with us on social media @msjalumni!

Best, Morgan Carpenter ’20 Director of Alumni Engagement

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OFFICE OF ALUMNI RELATIONS STAFFING UPDATE Mikayla Courtney received her Bachelor of Business Administration in Marketing from Eastern Kentucky University (EKU) in Mikayla Courtney 2019. While a student, Courtney worked in the EKU Office of Alumni Engagement and served as President of the EKU Student Alumni Ambassadors. Following graduation, she worked as a marketing specialist for EKU’s online academic programs. In 2021, Courtney joined the Mount as the coordinator of young alumni and annual giving before stepping into her current position as the manager of alumni relations and annual giving. Her favorite part of her job is connecting with alumni and having the daily opportunity to live out the mission of the University.

MASTER THE SCIENCE OF ORGANIZATIONAL LEADERSHIP

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ALUMNI UPDATES ROYAL MOUNTEES & PLANNED GIVING

Royal Mountees at the Royal Mountee Alumnae Luncheon.

ROYAL MOUNTEE ALUMNAE LUNCHEON On August 9, the Office of Alumni Relations at the Mount was thrilled to welcome more than 70 alumnae back to campus for the Royal Mountee Alumnae Luncheon. The day consisted of celebrating Mass together in Mater Dei Chapel, a luncheon in Fifth Third Bank Hall with an address from

President H. James Williams, Ph.D., and tours provided by the Mount’s Office of Admission. It was amazing to see the pride our alumnae have in their community and to hear an enthusiastic performance of “Mount St. Jo’ Girl.”

Thank you so much to all who attended and made this incredible day possible.

The Presentation of the Pin First Lady Carole Williams welcomed the class of 1972 back to the Mount, honoring their Golden Anniversary with the Presentation of the Pin, officially welcoming these alumnae into the ranks of Royal Mountees. The pin’s core is the University shield. It’s surrounded by a wreath of lily branches, symbolizing St. Joseph, our patron saint. Together these symbols serve to meld the past and the present, and serve as a symbol of the Mount’s love and affection for its Royal Mountees.

PLANNED GIVING Your Act Of Generosity, Our Longevity “I believe strongly in the values and philosophy of Christian and Catholic education. Mount St. Joseph University has demonstrated that all students can enjoy excellent academics integrated with all the benefits a larger university has to offer but on a smaller campus with more personalized attention. Everything a student needs is convenient and made affordable, due to financial aid programs. When I visit campus I can see that the growth has not diminished the soul and spirit that is Mount St. Joseph!”—Carolyn Scheve, Class of 1963 A planned gift to the Mount serves as a guiding light for tomorrow’s leaders, educators, and change-makers. Your generosity provides MSJ students with a top-tier education, through interdisciplinary liberal arts and professional curricula emphasizing values. When you share your planned gift intentions with the University, you are enrolled in our Heritage Society, which is comprised of alumni, parents, faculty, staff, and friends of the Mount. Through planned giving, the light of your legacy is passed on, shining bright as students graduate and live out the Mount’s mission, serving as beacons to the region.

If you would like to learn more about creating a legacy that will last forever and influence generations of students to come, please contact Sydney Prochazka, vice president for institutional advancement, at sydney.prochazka@msj.edu or by phone at 513-244-4611.

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ALUMNI UPDATES LEGACY OF A LION weather but some kind MSJ seniors.

“I was quite the teary freshman calling home that night,” she said. “I had never been to the Mount. I had never been to Cincinnati. But that’s how people did it then.”

Empowered by the Mount’s supportive environment, the move filled Robyn with confidence and she flourished.

She played the bassoon in the orchestra, and in student government, served as a representative for two years, then as vice president and president. She also served on a committee to help select the successor for Sister Adele Clifford, SC. Robyn served breakfast Robyn Ruede Caponi’s senior picture. Photo credit The 1972 College of in the cafeteria, the 6 a.m.

Mount St. Joseph Yearbook. clock-ins softened by the heavenly smell of the donutREFLECTING ON THE MOUNT making machine.

She remembers the 50 YEARS AGO AND A LIFE LIVED popular Saturday night steak night ACCORDING TO ITS MISSION when students could treat a date to a

By Kara Gebhart Uhl $2 steak dinner and phone duty in the lounge—when someone called you ran “Being under the influence of the to find the recipient or took a message.

Sisters of Charity definitely influenced Christmas was always special, she says, my way of looking at the injustices of with a concert, dinner, and decorating the world,” says Robyn Ruede Caponi contests. And as soon as the temperature ’72. “You have a responsibility to other hit 60° everyone would spread out towels people, to God, and to yourself to be the on campus in an area known as “Seton best kind of person you can. So educate Beach” to work on their tans. yourself and contribute something.”

One memorable event was an all-girls’ The oldest of six children, Robyn was flag football game at Xavier born in Salt Lake City, Utah, and later University’s football field. moved to Pueblo, Colorado, where she Sue Macbeth ’72 was the attended Pueblo Catholic High School quarterback and the Mount which became Seton High School. won by one touchdown There the Sisters recognized the name on a trick play. That “Ruede” and Robyn’s father discovered spring, Robyn, serving as a he had two first cousins, Sister Florence waitress for a private dinner and Sister Marion, who were Sisters between Sr. Adele and Rev. of Charity (Cincinnati). The Sisters Paul O’Connor, chancellor encouraged Robyn to attend the Mount of Xavier, overheard them and Robyn won a Seton Scholarship. talking about the game— In August 1968, Robyn’s parents drove they couldn’t remember her to Denver, dropped her off at the who won. Robyn wanted airport, and told her they’d see her at to set the record straight.

Christmas. After changing planes in St. “Excuse me,” she said.

Louis, she arrived in Cincinnati to find “The Mount!” her luggage lost and unbearably humid

Robyn met Lynn Lewandowsky Casey ’72, her best friend to this day, at the Mount. And she met Vince Caponi at a mixer early freshman year. She debated attending—she was wearing jeans and studying, and at the time students were required to wear skirts and nylons outside of the dorms. But she thought she might meet someone interesting. As soon as the elevator doors opened, there was Vince.

“That was probably the best decision I ever made,” she says.

During her time at the Mount the dress code was relaxed and the curfews were dropped.

“It was the end of the ’60s,” she says.

“It was that whole kind of vibe in the society that things were changing.”

Speakers such as Gloria Steinem visited, impacting Robyn greatly. Steinem spotted a poster advertising a party for engaged seniors during her visit “and Gloria took one look at that poster and wanted to know where was the party for the girls who were going to law school and graduate school,” Robyn says. “It gave us something to think about.”

Robyn says despite the changing times, many of her classmates also enjoyed community-building traditions, such as singing the “Mount St. Jo’ Girl” song.

Robyn and Vince married the summer of 1972 (and celebrated their 50th anniversary this year). Robyn started out as a math major, switched to social studies, was a student teacher at Oak Hills High School and upon graduation was hired by Oak Hills to teach social

Robyn Ruede Caponi with now-husband Vince at prom in 1971. Photo credit Mount St. Joseph University archives.

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ALUMNI UPDATES LEGACY OF A LION studies. After one year she and Vince moved to Owosso, Michigan, where she taught junior high social studies and English for six years.

Vince began working as a Catholic healthcare executive, and the family moved several times—Greenville, Michigan; Augusta, Georgia; Birmingham, Alabama; and Indianapolis, Indiana. They have three daughters— Gina Caponi Parnaby, Kristen Caponi Darmody, and Cara Caponi. Robyn was a substitute teacher, volunteered in the schools and worked on parish committees. She’s also been a docent at the Indianapolis Museum of Art, served on the Alumni Board of the Mount, and has volunteered at the St. Augustine Home, run by the Little Sisters of the Poor. A strong advocate for social justice, Robyn has also been actively involved with the Ignatian Solidarity Network for 20 years; she and Vince also served on its national board.

“I have such deep gratitude and love for the Sisters and the college,” she says. “It had a huge impact on my life.

And that’s why I support places like the Mount. Because we need this kind of faith-based, values-based education— not just learning how to have a profession but to have a purpose in life and to understand how you fit into God’s plan and where does God fit in your life.

That’s important.”

Robyn (bottom, center) and friends. Photo credit The 1971 College of Mount St. Joseph Yearbook.

Robyn with Sister Adele Clifford SC. Photo credit The 1972 College of Mount St. Joseph Yearbook.

Robyn’s answer to the question “Do you think the voting age should be lowered to 18?” in The Seton Journal, 1969-01, Vol 46 - No 7.

Current family photo. Photo credit Sam Guerpo Photography.

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ALUMNI HEART OF A LION Whenever a project seemed formidable—or even impossible—Mary Ellen Cashman Ivers ’71 would lean over to her friends and, with a twinkle in her eye, say: “The Sisters are whispering to me: Keep going.”

“Mary would tell me, ‘When you volunteer to support an organization, there are things that are easy to do and others that can be challenging,’” recalls Jennifer Damiano, a friend who served with Ivers on the Mount’s Board of Trustees. “She really felt the gravitas of the Sisters’ legacy in believing that they had more work to do, and it was up to us to carry it forward.”

This tenacious persistence extended to Ivers’s other endeavors as well, including the founding of the Cincinnati chapter of Dress for Success in 1999. Ivers took the mission of her alma mater seriously and dedicated her life to building up others, especially women, and creating opportunities for success and well-being.

Although Ivers passed away in February at the age of 72, she planted seeds both at the Mount and in the city of Cincinnati that continue to bear fruit.

“Mary believed completely in the mission of the Mount, and she dedicated her life to finding out what the community needed and discovering ways to help prepare students to meet their needs and be successful,” says longtime friend Janet Castellini, who also served with Ivers on the MSJ Board of Trustees. “Once Mary had a cause, she really sank her teeth into it.”

When the Pandemic struck, Ivers organized a food pantry for students.

She was instrumental in developing

programs at the Mount for first-time college students who might need support. And in the early years of Dress for Success, she drove around town, picking up donated shoes, clothes and handbags. In the 23 years since Ivers founded Dress for Success, the organization has served 20,000 women in the Queen City.

“There are so many people who are grateful that she brought this amazing resource and support for women to Cincinnati,” Mary Ivers. Photo credit Mount St. Joseph University archives. says Lisa Nolan, executive director couldn’t say no. It would be like telling of Cincinnati’s Dress for Success chapter. the Blessed Mother no. She was that kind “We’ve continued to build and grow of person.” from her original vision, and we are Part of what made Ivers’s invitations honored to be able to carry forward her so irresistible was that she was deep in legacy through Dress for Success.” the trenches doing the work too. She Among Ivers’s many gifts was never asked someone to do something an uncanny, savvy ability to make that she wouldn’t do, Castellini says. connections, tapping into people’s “Whether it was the casserole at the passions and extending opportunities kitchen door or serving as the head of a to give to the community. That fed into committee or founder of an organization, another of her personality traits: No one Mary went into everything with the could say no to Mary, Damiano says. same care and enthusiasm,” Castellini “She had this way of inviting people says. “More than just serving as chair of in,” Damiano says. “She would say, ‘Join events, she was the force behind it, doing me in this work together.’ And you the work and coming up with ideas.”

HEART OF A LION:

MARY IVERS

By Richelle Thompson 36

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Several years ago, Ivers recruited her daughter, Carrie Ivers Reeuwijk, to participate in an annual fundraiser and fashion show. Carrie recalled walking the runway in a bathing suit and giant inner tube.

“We didn’t all have to walk down the aisle of a fashion show with an inner tube, but Mom was always able to get others involved in her passion for generosity and giving,” Reeuwijk says. “She was the connector. She didn’t have to be in the center of things, but she was able to successfully engage all kinds of people in the community to chip in and contribute—their finances, time, resources, even coming in to stuff envelopes.”

Ivers’s hospitality was legendary. A gourmet cook, she frequently opened her home for parties and fundraisers.

“She would gladly host any gathering, large or small,” Damiano says. “Mary loved to feed people and to welcome them. She remembered everyone’s name and made you feel like you were her sister or her daughter… Nobody makes you feel the way that she did. She wasn’t tall, but she was like a beam of light in the room.”

Deanna Hoskins is a former Dress for Success client who knew Ivers personally. Before encountering Ivers at Dress for Success, Hoskins says she was a single mom struggling with drug addiction and the criminal justice system. She says Ivers was one of the first people who saw her as a human being and not as a person who was coming from a correctional facility.

“I knew I wanted a different way of life, but I didn’t know how I was going to get there,” Hoskins says. “No matter what your situation was, Mary saw the human dignity in you.”

Sandy Schnur, another former Dress for Success client agrees. “[Mary] left a legacy of lifting women up, giving them a safe place where they could regain their dignity,” Schnur says. “I’ve regained… my sense of self and of knowing that I’m valued and am valuable. It was nice having someone who believed in me.”

As committed as Ivers was to the community, her family always came first.

“The amount she gave to the Mount pales in comparison to what she gave to her family,” Reeuwijk says.

“I can never imagine filling her shoes, not even a tenth…

She supported me through every wild adventure. I would come up with these crazy ideas, and she always had my back. I couldn’t have done anything in my life without her support.”

The Mount has always played a central role in Reeuwijk’s life, from those runway days to hanging out at the library while her mom was volunteering. Her parents got married in the Mount’s chapel and over the years, her mother served several terms as a trustee and led numerous initiatives, particularly in development and fundraising. She also received an honorary doctorate from the University and served as a commencement speaker.

“My mom was very committed to the underlying philosophy of the school,” Reeuwijk says. “She believed greatly in the power of education to change lives.”

Reeuwijk takes comfort in her mother’s vast and profound contributions to the community at large and to the Mount Community that she held close to her heart.

“Students should take incredible pride in graduating with a degree from the Mount,” Reeuwijk says. “I know my mom did.

She went on to change the world and did incredible things. I want them to know that as a graduate of Mount St. Joe, they have the same opportunity to go out and change the world.”

Bill and Mary Ivers.

Mary and her daughters Kate Ivers (left) and Carrie Ivers Reeuwijk.

Mary Ivers, founder of the Dress for Success nonprofit foundation, lends a hand with other volunteers in getting the group's 4th Street Boutique College Hill ready to open Sept. 8, 2011. Enquirer file photo. Used with permission from The Cincinnati Enquirer.

For more information about our Heart of a Lion profiles, and to submit your own nominations, visit www.msj.edu/heartofalion.

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ALUMNI A ROARING SUCCESS A GRAMMY-NOMINATED ARTIST

By Richelle Thompson Dale Doyle ’91 began spinning vinyl when he was five years old, and he spent hours listening to music and poring over the album covers and liner notes.

A Cincinnati native, Doyle hoped to design an album cover one day. But that young kid who treasured the covers of Led Zeppelin, R.E.M., and Björk never imagined his work would be among the top in the industry, receiving a Grammy nomination for best package design for the album cover of “Serpentine Prison”

by Cincinnati native Matt Berninger.

“It’s always been my dream to design an album cover,” Doyle says. “I just didn’t imagine it would ever happen with such an award-winning artist.”

Berninger, lead singer of the Grammywinning band, The National, reached out to Doyle after seeing his work on Instagram and asked if he’d be willing to design his solo album. Doyle contacted figurative painter Michael Carson to

Album cover for “Serpentine Prison” by Cincinnati native Matt Berninger, designed by Dale Doyle.

bring to life his vision for the cover.

“Once I was nominated for the Grammy, everyone said, ‘You need to stop now. You’re batting 1,000,’” Doyle says.

Even though he didn’t win the Grammy, Doyle is now a member of the Recording Academy. He’s also hard at work on several exciting projects with his design firm, Holotype, where he serves as creative director and founding partner. Holotype works primarily with start-up companies that are “doing great things in the world,” Doyle says.

The Mount played a pivotal role in Doyle’s Grammy-nominated journey.

“I remember conversations with counselors at the Mount about how I could make a career out of art,” he says.

“They gave good guidance and helped me see that my fine art could really be a part of graphic design.” Doyle also credits now-retired Art & Design faculty members Dan Mader and Kathy Salchow with pushing him to excel.

“Because of being on a small campus and receiving such individual attention, there was always a sense that as students, we weren’t just a number, but that everyone was pulling together to enable our growth and help us succeed.”

custom shoes. He eventually launched his business, called D’s Heat Customs.

Using plain white tennis shoes as his canvas, Young develops a design.

While many are sports-based, Young has featured beach scenes, cartoons, and even M&M candies, depending on the clients’ wishes. He paints the base coat, creates stencils for customization, and then hand paints or airbrushes the designs. Young finishes the shoe with an acrylic spray to protect the art.

While his shoes have already taken center stage on one of the biggest playing fields in sports, Young hopes other athletes will soon walk in his shoes, too.

His dream feet: Bengals’ quarterback Joe Burrow and Cincinnati Reds baseball star Joey Votto.

“I’d love to turn this into a full-time business,” Young says. For now, he’s making his home in Cincinnati, near the Mount. “You get the best of both worlds here—and there are people wearing some pretty cool shoes.”

Devin presents Cincinnati Bengals running back Joe Mixon with a custom pair of shoes. Photo provided by Devin Young.

Dale Doyle. Photos provided by Dale Doyle.

DESIGNING SPORTS STARS’ SHOES

By Richelle Thompson The Mount helped Devin Young ’22, ’21 get a step up in his career—and in style.

The former Lions’ hoops star designs and paints custom shoes, and his work has caught the attention of both avid fans and professional sports stars. A pair of Young’s custom cleats even made their debut at last year’s Superbowl, with offensive lineman Quinton Spain sporting the classic orange and black colors of the Cincinnati Bengals.

The Mount is “great at bringing the real world into the classroom,” says Young, who earned his undergraduate degree in marketing and his master’s degree in business. “From what I learned in the classroom about marketing, I’ve been able to grow my brand and get more engagement on social media.”

Young began combining his passion for art with his love of sports in high school.

Like many teens, he coveted trendy sneakers like Air Jordans, but found they were often too pricey. So Young devised his own solution of creating unique,

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ALUMNI HOMECOMING WEEKEND RECAP HOMECOMING 2022 The Mount would like to thank all of our alumni and Mount Community for joining us at this year’s homecoming events. Every fall, students, faculty, staff, and alumni reconnect to reminisce about the past and make new MSJ memories. The annual Thirsty Thursday kicked off the weekend with alumni gathering at West Side Brewing. The 2022 Athletic Hall of Fame Class was honored Friday evening. This year’s class included Dr. Veronica Huck Guilfoy ’93, Jeannie Kirch Hilvert ’96, Mike Cronin ’02, and for the first time in MSJ history, an entire team—the 1992 Women’s Basketball Team. Dr. Robert Burger was awarded the Steven F. Radcliffe Champion Award. The celebration included an hour-long reception followed by the Ceremony at Fifth Third Dining Hall on campus. Saturday was a fun-filled day with a Homecoming Tailgate followed by watching the undefeated MSJ Football Team beat Bluffton University, 70-21. We were thrilled with how many of you returned to campus, and if you didn’t make it this year, we hope to see you in 2023.

All photos by Mark Byron.

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ALUMNI IN MEMORIAM

A PRAYER FOR OUR DEPARTED MSJ FAMILY Gracious and loving God, we join in prayer for our departed brothers and sisters entrusting them to your divine charity and mercy. We pray with Mary the Mater Dei, Saint Joseph, Saint Elizabeth Ann Seton, along with all of the angels and saints that you will welcome them with your divine and loving embrace for all eternity.

Eternal rest grant unto them, O Lord, and let perpetual light shine upon them. May their souls and the souls of all the faithful departed, through the mercy of God, rest in peace.

Amen.

ALUMNI PASSINGS Jerre Gibbs Singer, ’41 Elizabeth “Betty” Brown Hoffman, ’44 Mary Lou Dulle Boylan, ’49 Mary Luebbe, ’50 Betty Bauer, ’51 Sr. Rita Schmutte, SC, ’51 Suzanne Andrews Arnold, ’52 Sr. Claire Foken, SC, ’52 Joyce Neumann Guenthner, ’52 Dorothy Fritsch Harmeyer, ’52 Alice Griffiths Henkel, ’52 Jane Schmid George, ’54 Mary Ann Frey Hogan, ’54 Vivian Stubbers Willging, ’54 Jeanne Spraul Masset, ’55 Mary Ball, ’56 Marie Moore Fay, ’56 Marie Cloran Gossett, ’58 Barbara Prochaska Zettler, ’58 Sr. Marie Evelyn Dow, SC, ’59 Mary Ann Robinson Barlage, ’61 Sr. Mary Laura Miceli, SC, ’61

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Mary Sue Schafer Kues, ’63 Susan Noonan Perry, ’63 Joan Weingartner, ’63 Sr. John Michael Geis, ’64 Nancy Carrig Hearn, ’64 Frances Little Booth, ’65 Noreen Flaherty Linneman, ’65 Kathleen Tierney Ware, ’66 Kathleen Bradley Perkins, ’67 Marcia Grasse McCain, ’70 Margaret McDonough, ’70 Mary Cashman Ivers, ’71 Kathleen Espelage Donohoue, ’74 Julianne Foy Baechtold, ’75 Ann Water Berghausen, ’76 Jeanine Lesko Derler, ’77 Julia O’Brien Everett, ’77 Gary Thomas Fay, ’79 Donna Gust DeFranco, ’80 Carol Ann Dreyer Tedesco, ’81 Catherine Servizzi, ’82 Sharon Lee Jones Haas, ’83

Lois Lonnemann Neltner, ’83 Sandy Warner, ’83 Linda Chambers Eberhart, ’84 Mary “Cathy” Meyer McDonald, ’84 Agnes Moran Cox, ’86 Cynthia Koenig Holmstrom, ’86 Leona Walsh, ’86 Linda Dapper Eppert, ’87 Grace Shelley Smith, ’87 Rita Hamley, ’89 Sarah Jacobs, ’89 Ronnie Rutherford, ’92 Kimberly Burton, ’94 Donna Dutro Vilas, ’98 Patricia Ann Sammons, ’00 Sandra Weiskittel, ’01 Donald Glankler, ’02 Beverly Bushman Graves, ’08 Robert Oberjohann, ’09 Gina Damman, ’09 Shawn Jones, ’12 Passings listed are current as of press time.

REMEMBERING TWO ALUMNI STAFF MEMBERS

ONE LAST THOUGHT

Cathy Meyer McDonald ’84 passed away August 3, 2022, from complications due to a glioblastoma brain tumor. After earning a degree in elementary education, she married Jim McDonald and was a teacher and stay-at-home mother. In 2001, McDonald returned to the Mount as secretary for Cooperative Education and Service Learning. In 2010, she became a co-op coordinator.

“Cathy’s strong faith was evident in everything she did and Cathy Meyer everyone she touched,” says Kathy Grant, program manager for McDonald ’84 community engagement and professional development. “Her thoughtfulness was never-ending. She was committed to family and always put them first. Her strength came from God, yet her kindness was ever-present. Students relied on her expertise, amazing follow-up, and follow-through in the classes she taught and when she served the Mount as a co-op coordinator. You had only to meet her to know that she would listen, care, and become your support person. Her legacy was in the connections she made with students who then reached back to her as alumni to support our students.

Assistant to the Provost Maggie Davis, Ph.D., echoes these sentiments. “Cathy was a dedicated member of the Career & Experiential Education Center (CEEC) for many years, and cared deeply about the students,” she says. “She worked hard to make CEEC events outstanding, and to create good relationships with faculty and employers that yielded good placements that the Mount was proud to offer. Her smile and willingness to serve our students will be missed.”

Brandon Raabe, MBA, ’19 passed away January 20, 2021, after having been diagnosed in January 2020 with Stage 4 pancreatic neuroendocrine cancer. Raabe earned his master’s degree in Business Management from the Mount, and served as an admissions counselor at the Mount for nearly four years. In August, the Mount honored the life of Raabe with a gathering of family and loved ones, and dedicated a bench in his honor.

Brandon Raabe, ’19 “Brandon had such a passion for life, he enjoyed working hard and playing harder,” says Dean of Admission Peggy Minnich. “Brandon loved meeting people and traveling to new destinations, always with a smile on his face and a kind word to share.”

Many of you may remember the Commissioning Ceremony in the Mater Dei Chapel as you embarked on your MSJ journey during your freshman year. The University President lit a candle from the Paschal candle and then carefully passed the light of Christ on to the Dean of Students who then shared that beautiful light with the Assistant Director of Mission Integration (or Campus Minister). The light of Christ was then passed on to each and every one of you. Light given is not light lost, as was exemplified when the Chapel was soon filled with candlelight. Many of you may remember the ritual being repeated during the Baccalaureate Mass, signifying your new journey— taking your light out into the world. In this issue we share how MSJ alumni, students, and faculty have Climbed High with Hearts of a Lion to Light the Way, serving as beacons, contributing to the greater good. It is our hope that within these stories you find a way to let your own light shine, remembering the illuminating ripple effect that happens when you simply tilt your candle, sparking another flame.

ALUMNI

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Mount St. Joseph University (“the University”) is committed to providing an educational and employment environment free from discrimination or harassment on the basis of race, color, national origin, religion, sex, age, disability, sexual orientation, gender identity, veteran status, or other minority or protected status. This commitment extends to the University’s administration of its admission, financial aid, employment, and academic policies, as well as the University’s athletic programs and other University-administered programs, services, and activities.

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