Mount News Spring 2019

MOUNT NEWS MOUNT ST. JOSEPH UNIVERSITY

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SPRING 2019

THE MOUNT ‘SHAPES UP’ Transformation 2025 continues apace with the construction of a state-of-the-art Recreation & Fitness Center.

ONLINE AND ONWARD

Learn how change continued to define the Mount during the 1990s.

RESTORING HISTORY

The Mount works to return the Mater Dei Chapel to its original beauty.

PRESIDENT’S MESSAGE

L to R: Joe Lion; Emma O’Dell, President, Student Government Association; Jason Niehaus ’98, Chairperson, Board of Trustees; H. James Williams, Ph.D., President; Sister Elizabeth Joan Cook, SC, ’64, President, Sisters of Charity of Cincinnati; Steve Radcliffe, Director, Athletics & Recreation; Raye Allen, Vice President, Division of Institutional Advancement.

Dear Alumni: Throughout the decades, the Mount has experienced a steady expansion of campus facilities, academic programs, student and alumni support services, instructional technology, and more—all to ensure that our community remains a thriving institution where learning, spiritual well-being, and community service are paramount.

In this issue of Mount News, you’ll read about the first bold step in our Transformation 2025 Strategic Vision.

In addition to featuring new spaces and the latest equipment for students and alumni to engage in athletics and other activities, the new Recreation & Fitness Center will symbolize a fundamental focus of our plan—to nurture the mind, body, and spirit of each member of the Mount community. Expected to be completed in fall 2020, this significant

construction project has the loyal financial support of so many of our generous donors, partners, and alumni— all who wish to be part of the Mount’s incredible future. If you’re interested in contributing to the newest part of the Mount’s campus (above is a photo from the April 29 groundbreaking), please contact Kelby Siler ’97, the Mount’s new executive director of alumni engagement, at kelby.siler@msj.edu or at 513-224-4359.

Alongside our newest expansion comes the restoration of one of our most revered campus locations—the Mater Dei Chapel. In this issue, you’ll also learn about the precise and delicate work involved in refurbishing this cherished site, as well as the dedicated MSJ employees who work to ensure it remains a sound and sturdy spiritual home for decades to come.

In addition, check out the latest in our ongoing series of retrospectives recounting the Mount’s history. In this issue, we focus on the 1990s—another

decade of growth in academic programs, enrollment, technology, and more. This was also a defining moment of campus expansion, with the construction of the Jean Patrice Harrington Student Center and Thomas L. Conlan Center. It was also the decade in which the Mount celebrated its 75th anniversary!

On a final note, anticipation continues to build as the Mount’s Centennial approaches. I hope you will join us on Saturday, September 14, for a Founders Day Mass and Centennial Celebration Kickoff—the first of many festivities to honor our 100-year legacy. Check this issue of Mount News for details and savethe-date information on these and other exciting events to come.

Best regards,

H. James Williams, Ph.D. President

CONTENTS Around the Quad

2

Lions’ Corner

24

Faculty & Staff Updates

26

Alumni Updates 29 Profile 31 Making an Impact 32 Passages 32 Classnotes 33

THE MOUNT ‘SHAPES UP’ 6

This first-ever dedicated fitness space for the Mount community aligns with the University’s Strategic Vision, Transformation 2025. The new center is also symbolic of the plan’s goal to focus on developing the mind, body, and spirit of each MSJ student.

PUBLISHED BY

Division of Institutional Advancement Mount St. Joseph University 5701 Delhi Road Cincinnati, OH 45233-1670 msj.edu

EDITORIAL TEAM

Amanda Absher ’08 Raye Allen Tara Byrd ’18 Kathleen Scanlan Cardwell ’87 Greg Goldschmidt ’07 Trevor Griffith Kelby Siler ’97 Michelle Olmsted Blake Watson ’19

ONLINE AND ONWARD: PAVING THE WAY FOR A NEW CENTURY 12

Change defined the 1990s at the Mount—a new mission, technology, buildings, sports, academic majors … and this little thing called the Internet. But as MSJ faculty, staff, and students embraced technology, they did so thoughtfully, ensuring that they never lost sight of the college’s core values.

DESIGNER

Karin Samoviski

CONTRIBUTORS

Jessica Baltzersen ’14 London Bishop ’19 Darien Bradley ’18 Sasha Feldmann (student) Anya Rao Kara Gebhart Uhl

MANAGING EDITOR Michael Schiavetta

RESTORING HISTORY 20

The Mater Dei Chapel is a centerpiece of campus, with the iconic Corona Tower and its three bells visible from points across the grounds of Mount St. Joseph University. It has recently been restored to its original beauty—a labor of love for all involved.

CONTRIBUTING COPY EDITOR Arlene Werts

All photos by Don Denney unless otherwise noted. Historical photos are courtesy of the Sisters of Charity and Mount St. Joseph University Archives.

If you would like to contact a member of the editorial team, call 513-244-4330 or 800-654-9314. If you would like to submit a letter to the editor, please email alumni@msj.edu.

Recreation & Fitness Center renderings are courtesy of BDHP Architecture and Moody Nolan.

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, 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.

The University has designated the chief diversity and inclusion officer, (513) 244-4467, Office of Diversity and Inclusion, as the individual responsible for responding to inquiries, addressing complaints, and coordinating compliance with its responsibilities under Title IX of the Education Amendments of 1972 and other applicable federal and state civil rights laws. The University has designated the director of Learning Center & Disabilities Services, (513) 244-4524, as the individual responsible for responding to inquiries, addressing complaints, and coordinating compliance with its responsibilities under Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973.

SPRING 2019 1

AROUND THE QUAD NEWS

NEW ASSOCIATE PROVOSTS JOIN THE MOUNT Mount St. Joseph University has appointed Christa Currie, Ph.D. (above left), as its associate provost for academic affairs and welcomes Heather Crabbe (above right) as the associate provost for academic support.

Dr. Currie will support the Center for Teaching and Learning Excellence, assessment of student learning, travel course development, and academic program review.

Crabbe will provide leadership for the academic support offices, including the Academic Advising Resource Center, Career and Experiential Education Center, Learning Center, library, Project EXCEL, and Office of the Registrar. Both will work with Provost Diana Davis, Ph.D., on the development of new programs, maintenance of regional accreditation, course scheduling, budgeting, and other vital university functions.

Dr. Currie earned her Ph.D. in Analytical Chemistry from the University of Cincinnati in 2009 and has been at the Mount full-time since 2008. She has served as an analytical chemist and faculty member in the Department of Chemistry. In 2015, she was promoted to associate professor and became department chair. Dr. Currie has also served on many university committees, including the Committee on Curriculum and Educational Policies and the Executive Committee of the Faculty Assembly. She serves on the Implementation Team and as a member of the Strategic Planning Steering Committee.

Crabbe earned a Bachelor of Science in Human Resource Management and Economics from Western Kentucky University in 2004 and a Juris Doctor from the Northern Kentucky University, Salmon P. Chase College of Law in 2007. In 2017, she received the On the Rise–Top 40 Young Lawyers Award from the American Bar Association.

Crabbe has also served as the assistant dean of students at the Northern Kentucky University, Salmon P. Chase College of Law.

STUDENT WINS ‘SMART’ $10K ESSAY CONTEST

Student Chrissy May (pictured left), administrative assistant in the Provost’s office, won $10,000 in smart home technology from Humana Go365’s Be Smart Be Healthy essay contest. Her 250-word essay on how smart home technology can lead to a healthier lifestyle was chosen from thousands of entries across the country. She credits her success to the writing skills she honed from Jeff Hillard (pictured left), professor of English.

According to its website, Humana Go365 is a wellness and rewards program rooted in behavioral economics and actuarial science. Go365 provides tools and support to help more than five million members worldwide live healthier lives and reduce health care costs.

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AROUND THE QUAD NEWS

CALL FOR PAPERS AND MORE INFORMATION

WWW.MSJ.EDU/VWOOLF2019 POSTER DESIGN BY MARIA TEDESCO

Conference poster designed by alumna Maria Tedesco ’14.

MSJ TO HOST INTERNATIONAL VIRGINIA WOOLF CONFERENCE

The 29th Annual International Conference on Virginia Woolf will be hosted by Mount St. Joseph University, under the direction of Drew Shannon, Ph.D. (left), associate professor of English.

The conference will take place June 6–9, with the theme of Virginia Woolf and social justice. As a writer who focused on the distribution of power, wealth, education, privileges, and opportunities, Virginia Woolf remains a relevant and sustaining voice on issues of social justice,

politics, equality, pacifism, the dangers of fascism and totalitarianism, and inequality. The conference is expected to welcome nearly 175 scholars from across 13 nations on five continents.

Attendees will also include faculty and students from Harvard University and other Ivy League institutions, as well as a recent Kentucky Poet Laureate. The event will be open to the public and includes a performance of Leonard Woolf ’s play “The Hotel,” directed by Ellen McLaughlin (Broadway’s “Angels in America”), as well as a discussion regarding the future of the humanities and Woolf scholarship.

MISSION (AMBASSADOR) ACCOMPLISHED

The Mount has recognized Monica White (above center) of Seton High School (Cincinnati) with its first-ever Mission Ambassador Award. The $1,000 per semester scholarship is given to incoming freshmen who are actively involved in a faith tradition, exhibit an openness to persons of other faiths, and express a desire to serve as a Mission Ambassador while enrolled at the Mount.

The Mission Ambassador Award will provide opportunities for Monica and future students to serve as student campus ministers through the Office of Mission Integration. Students will serve as leaders of interfaith prayer, assist with student retreat experiences, serve as prayer leaders for our athletic teams, engage in service activities, and assume leadership for other campus ministry events throughout the academic year.

SPRING 2019 3

AROUND THE QUAD NEWS

HEALTH SCIENCES FACULTY HELP IMPLEMENT $2M FEDERAL GRANT Darla Vale, Ph.D., R.N. (above left), dean of the School of Health Sciences, and Patrick Cafferty, M.P.A.S., P.A.-C. (above right), professor and founding

chair of the Physician Assistant Program, are joining other distinguished health care professionals as part of a $2 million federal grant from the U.S. Health

CINCYSINGS CHOIR REACHES FINALS

Mount St. Joseph University was invited to compete in ArtsWave’s CincySings, a choir competition between businesses and organizations across the Greater Cincinnati region, which helps to build community through song. The Mount’s CincySings choir is comprised of faculty and staff members. They competed in the preliminary round on March 17 and advanced to the final round on April 9 at Cincinnati Music Hall.

L to R: Kathy Grant, Colleen Pfeiffenberger, Warren Grove, Cathy Steinriede ’00, Mark Fischer, Peter Robinson, Bridget DuMont, Katrina Kenton ’88, Buffy Barkley ’70, and Colleen McSwiggin.

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Resources and Services Administration.

Ultimately, the outcomes of this grant are expected to address the gap between the needs of underserviced patients and the expertise of primary care providers (PCPs). The grant, jointly awarded to the Mount’s Physician Assistant Program and the University of Cincinnati Department of Family and Community Medicine, will fund a new, five-year project, known as Transformational Fellowship Training for Community Primary Care Champions (primarycarechampions.com). The faculty-development fellowship program will enable early-career PCPs to be trained in leadership, health care transformation, and education, through a curriculum built on quality improvement, the social determinants of health, substance use disorders, collaborative mental health care, medical education curriculum, and provider wellness.

Cafferty will serve as a principal investigator while Dr. Vale will be coinvestigator.

A MOUNT DEGREE = CAREER OPPORTUNITY

A survey report by the Mount’s Career and Experiential Education Center has found that 98.2 percent of graduates from August 2017, December 2017, and May 2018 have found full- or part-time employment, are pursuing graduate education, volunteering full time, or have entered into military service within six months of graduation.

In addition, the schools of Arts & Humanities, Health Sciences, Business, and Education all achieved a 100 percent Career Outcomes Rate among those reported.

Furthermore, the number of undergraduate students seeking further education increased to 17.9 percent of the graduating class, compared with 11.6 percent in 2017. Over half of those students seeking graduate degrees are returning to Mount St. Joseph University to continue their education.

The knowledge rate (response rate) for the survey was 89.3 percent.

AROUND THE QUAD NEWS STUDENTS LEARN THE “ROLL” OF RESEARCH

At first glance, the Mount’s Communications Research Methods class seems like a typical undergraduate class. But rather than pursue traditional research methods and qualitative analysis, students are attempting to answer the ageold mystery—is a hot dog a sandwich?

Taught by Lisa Crews, Ph.D., assistant professor and chair of the Department of Communication and New Media Studies, the class drafted a research study exploring how different members of the

EMPLOYEE RECEIVES HIGHEST HONOR FROM THE SISTERS OF CHARITY OF CINCINNATI

The Sisters of Charity of Cincinnati awarded the Congregation’s highest honor, the Elizabeth Ann Seton Award, on Saturday, April 27, 2019, in the Immaculate Conception Chapel at the Mount St. Joseph Motherhouse. The award recognizes individuals outside the Congregation for their significant contributions in furthering the mission of the Sisters of Charity to act justly, build loving relationships, share resources with those in need, and care for creation.

Colleen McSwiggin, chemistry lab manager at the Mount, received this prestigious recognition. She is deeply committed to the care of creation, as evidenced by her initiation of many

projects that the faculty, staff, and students have engaged in for the past 10 years. Her collaborative projects include: facilitating the University Sustainability Committee; initiating the Beyond the Bin Recycling Program and semi-annual electronics recycling days for Delhi and the surrounding community; organizing a Sustainability Expo/Career Fair; creating sustainability goals for the University; repurposing the Community Garden into a Meditation Garden; and coordinating campus efforts for recognition as a Laudato Si’ Community by the Diocese.

News courtesy of Erin Reder, assistant director of communications, Sisters of Charity of Cincinnati.

Mount’s community defined the idea of a sandwich. The purpose of the exercise was to build students’ research skills and test different methods of analysis.

Their survey had a response goal of 100 people. Instead, their “dogged” efforts garnered more than 300 responses. Dr. Crews will present the results of her students’ research and its potential for engaging students in research methods at the 2019 Lilly Conference at Miami University.

MSJ RECEIVES FOUNDATION GRANTS

The Mount’s School of Education has been awarded a $17,000 grant from the Greater Cincinnati Foundation. This will support the school’s faculty in creating Project Ready: an Early Learning Program to Close the Readiness Gap for Children Living in Poverty. Spearheaded

by Amy Murdoch, Ph.D., the project aims to reduce the literacy gap between children experiencing poverty and more privileged children in the Cincinnati area. It will develop a comprehensive literacy instructional program for preschool children in poverty and their families, as well as incorporate teacher training and family education.

The University also received two grants totaling $10,000 from the Willard and Jean Mulford Charitable Fund of the Cambridge Charitable Foundation for its Student Philanthropy Project and the Digital Pianos for Students Program.

The first grant will fund philanthropy courses in which students will learn to evaluate nonprofit organizations and make strategic investment decisions.

The second will fund the purchases of three Yamaha P120 Digital Pianos for the music department, which will help expand class sizes and provide a greater opportunity for students to fulfill their core arts/music requirement.

Front Row, L to R: Christa Currie; Sister Annette Muckerhide, SC, ’63, Colleen McSwiggin; Sister Joyce Richter, SC, ’64; Sister Nancy Bramlage, SC, ’67.

Back Row, L to R: Sister Caroljean Willie, SC; Sister Joan Cook, SC, ’64.

SPRING 2019 5

THE MOUNT ‘SHAPES UP’ Transformation 2025 continues apace with the construction of a state-of-the-art Recreation & Fitness Center.

By Jessica Baltzersen ’14

“It is our time to step forward.

It is our time to reinvigorate our legacy. It is our time and it is our turn to ‘get in shape’ for the 21st century.”

President H. James Williams, Ph.D.

A field of grass often symbolizes growth and expansion—its verdant pigmentation embodies abundance, health, and freshness. It seems only fitting then that the grass enclosure to the right of the Jean Patrice Harrington, SC, Student Center is the designated development plot for a new Recreation & Fitness Center set for completion in fall 2020.

This first-ever dedicated fitness space for the Mount community is in alignment with the University’s strategic vision, Transformation 2025. The new center is also symbolic of the goal to focus on developing the mind, body, and spirit of each MSJ student.

“The facility was identified as a top priority of the Mount’s Transformation 2025 master plan, so we wanted it to make a strong statement for the school’s vitality and its commitment to the health and wellbeing of students,” says Mike Habel, president and CEO of BHDP Architecture, the firm tapped to complete the design of the project.

Habel recently completed his term as a member of the Mount’s Board of Trustees and is currently serving on the Campaign Committee for the new Recreation & Fitness Center. In the initial stages, before any conceptual design was initiated, students, faculty, and administration met with design team members to identify opportunities and share their needs, ensuring that all University stakeholders were included in the creation of the new development.

SPRING 2019 7

TRANSFORMATION 2025

“I really see it as a place where athletes and students can come together to more holistically experience the Mount.”

Board of Trustees Chairperson Jason Niehaus ’98

8 MOUNT ST. JOSEPH UNIVERSITY

“Anyone can utilize the space…I really see it as a place where athletes and students can come together to more holistically experience the Mount; it is therefore going to allow for the community to better experience the Mount as well,” says the Mount’s Board of Trustees Chairperson Jason Niehaus ’98.

MEETING THE NEEDS OF A GROWING STUDENT POPULATION

More than 60 percent of the Mount’s freshmen students participate in athletic activity, with 44 percent involved in one of the University’s 22 NCAA Division III teams. Because of the continual growth in athletics and group recreation events, the Recreation & Fitness Center will help alleviate the overcrowding of current facilities and accommodate not only

athletes but the entire MSJ population and nearby community members.

“We don’t have many facilities equipped to really meet the needs of our student-athletes,” says Niehaus.

“Many times, our student-athletes are having to go offsite to even practice. That is additional time that those students are away from campus, away from their studies, or away from social engagement.”

The center will bring that functional component of accessible resources back to campus. One of the more expansive features will be the fieldhouse, a sizeable indoor practice and training space to accommodate multiple teams, including track and field, softball, baseball, lacrosse, and soccer. The new space will also house an NCAA regulationsize track made up of six 200-meter

JUST THE FACTS: THE MOUNT’S NEW RECREATION & FITNESS CENTER COST: $18 million GROUNDBREAKING: April 2019 EXPECTED COMPLETION: Fall 2020 CAMPAIGN CO-CHAIRS: Don Bush and Mike Habel HONORARY CAPITAL CAMPAIGN CHAIR: Sister Jean Patrice Harrington, SC ADVANCEMENT COMMITTEE CHAIR: Kathy K. McMullen CAMPAIGN COMMITTEE: Donald J. Doyle Jr. ’89 Sister Barbara Hagedorn, SC, ’71 Timothy J. Schroeder Kenneth W. Stecher

SPRING 2019 9

TRANSFORMATION 2025

“I am very enthusiastic about the new center because it shows Mount St. Joseph University is growing and transforming.”

Tina Blakley ’15, head coach for the Mount’s cross country and track and field team lanes, complete with long jump, high jump, and an interior space within the track that will enable the Mount to host communal indoor track and field events.

The fitness area will feature stateof-the-art workout and cardiovascular equipment, such as treadmills, stair climbers, stationary bicycles, and elliptical and rowing machines, as well as a multi-purpose space for fitness classes and activities, including yoga, crosstraining and dance.

“Aesthetically, its architectural appearance will be in harmony with the existing campus’ horizontal massing,

10 MOUNT ST. JOSEPH UNIVERSITY

masonry detailing, and welcoming entrance,” adds Habel.

From a sustainability perspective, the building aligns with the Sisters of Charity’s environmental focus and has been designed with many energy-efficient features, including a photovoltaic panel system on the roof, low-flow plumbing fixtures, large glass windows that incorporate natural light, and an electrical vehicle charging station.

The facility will accommodate up to five teams, each with their respective locker rooms. Amenities to round

out the extensive center include the celebrated MSJ Athletic Hall of Fame and spirited exterior banners and signage to showcase school spirit.

“The new Recreation & Fitness Center will impress prospective students during their campus visit, perform well as the campus epicenter for athletics, and become a valued community asset by enabling members of the Mount’s staff, many of whom are members of the Delhi community, to enjoy the facility,” says Habel.

“We are leveraging [the center] in recruiting 2020 [student-athletes] right

now,” adds Jason Susshine, head coach of the men’s lacrosse team. “I am excited to have a spot on campus that will be readily available for my team to use out of season.”

“Personally, I am very enthusiastic about the new center because it shows Mount St. Joseph University is growing and transforming,” says Tina Blakley ’15, head coach for the Mount’s cross country and track and field team.

“In my 30 years here at the Mount, this will be the third groundbreaking I have participated in. I couldn’t be more proud about everything the Mount has accomplished. I couldn’t be more excited about the Mount’s future,” says Steve Radcliffe, director of athletics.

FIT FOR THE FUTURE

Prior to her passing in July 2017, former MSJ president Sister Jean Patrice Harrington, SC, agreed to serve as the honorary chair of the Transformation 2025 campaign. She remains the honorary chair, and the University will continue her legacy by dedicating the campaign in her name.

In keeping with Sister Jean’s lifetime of service, the Recreation & Fitness Center aligns with the Sisters of Charity’s mission to empower students as wellrounded, compassionate individuals who will make a meaningful impact on the world. Physical health and well-being are essential to this mission, which is also complemented by the Mount’s growing field of health-care focused academic majors such as the physician’s assistant and health and wellness degrees.

“I think the new facility will go handin-hand with the developing academic programs. It’s all coming together to build the Mount for the future,” says Sister Barbara Hagedorn, SC, ’71. “This is the perfect attraction for students who want a smaller school with the advantages of a bigger school.”

The momentum for Mount’s new ventures comes from Transformation 2025’s originator, President H. James Williams, Ph.D. “It is our time to step forward,” he says. “It is our time to reinvigorate our legacy. It is our time and it is our turn to ‘get in shape’ for the 21st century.”

HISTORY IN THE BREAKING (GROUND)

What an exciting time to be at the Mount! On April 29, the University made history when it broke ground on its Recreation & Fitness Center, the first new building in more than 15 years. The atmosphere on campus was electric as community members heard a blessing from Sister Joan Cook, SC, ’64, followed by words of inspiration from MSJ Board Chair Jason Niehaus ’98, President Williams, Student Body President Emma O’Dell ’19, and Director of Athletics Steve Radcliffe. Joe Lion and the University Band were also on hand to energize the crowd with music and cheers.

The Recreation & Fitness Center will be a place to gather, practice, compete, and reach personal fitness goals. The building will stand as a welcoming home for athletes and non-athletes alike, and for local alumni who want a new place to work out or host unique events. It is our hope that this state-of-the-art, net-zero energy building will also attract new students, as well as draw more people from the Cincinnati area and beyond to learn all about the Mount.

I look forward to offering MSJ alumni hard hat tours as the building is constructed. In addition, we are exploring ways to keep everyone informed of the progress, including video streaming. Clearly, excitement is growing and will continue so in the years ahead.

Now I ask all our generous MSJ alumni to step forward and support this university. Please prayerfully consider a gift that will solidify our future. In this issue of Mount News is an envelope where you can designate a gift to the Mount Annual Fund or directly to the construction of the new Recreation & Fitness Center. The needs are many—however, the rewards are great! We cannot do this without your help.

Sincerely, Raye Allen, Vice President for Institutional Advancement

SPRING 2019 11

ONLINE AND ONWARD: PAVING THE WAY FOR A NEW CENTURY Change defined the 1990s at the Mount—a new mission, technology, buildings, sports, academic majors … and this little thing called the Internet.

By Kara Gebhart Uhl

The fall 1990 issue of The Mount Magazine—with the cover line, “Innovation and Tradition”—perhaps best sums up the University’s leap into the 20th century’s final decade. The cover featured an image of a personal computer, and on its screen, another image: a woman, in a fluorescent green and black sweater, reading a book against a backdrop of encyclopedias.

MSJ faculty, staff, and students were embracing technology quickly but thoughtfully, ensuring that they never lost sight of the college’s core values.

INCREASED ENROLLMENT, INCREASED NOTORIETY

“As I reflect on where the Mount has been, in this 70th anniversary of the founding of the College, I see innovative ideas and creative solutions: from boldly opening the College’s doors in 1920 as a Catholic college to educate women; to the development of a curriculum rooted

1990

Nelson Mandela is released from prison.

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in the liberal arts and rounded out with a career orientation …” wrote President Francis Marie Thrailkill in that same issue of The Mount Magazine.

The good news? Enrollment was up. Bad news? There was not enough campus parking to accommodate an influx of new students. Due to increased enrollment (2,648 for the 1990-91 school year with a 17 percent increase in the freshman class) and an unexpected number of non-traditional students registering for classes during daytime hours, the Mount fell about 70 parking spaces short. A new 120-space lot was eventually approved, much to the delight of anyone with an MSJ parking permit.

In the 1989-90 school year, more than 140 local employers hired more than 250 co-ops. Students launched their own campus radio station, Radio Free Mount.

The school’s no-smoking policy was expanded. The women’s volleyball team earned a trip to the semi-finals of the

1990

MSJ football begins.

NAIA District 22 competition. Students, who in the year prior had created the Social Awareness Club, joined a peaceful demonstration at P&G and fought for the rights of women in the Catholic church. Campus ministry held peace vigils for the Gulf War and donated to Operation Orange Ribbon. Students initiated a campus recycling program.

Motorists’ complaints ended the longloved annual Tub Toss, where students would stand in an actual bathtub on wheels at the four-way intersection of

1991

Operation Desert Storm takes place in Iraq and Kuwait.

On Sept. 15, 1990, the Mount’s first football team—an NAIA Division II team—won its season opener against Rose-Hulman. Also during this decade: new admission standards were adopted, a math/computer science major was announced, the Division of Information Services and Support was formed, and a new honors program was launched.

Delhi and Neeb Roads to collect money for charity. Finally, a new, more fiercelooking mascot was created.

In 1991, a couple members of the Mount’s faculty became local celebrities.

The May 20, 1991, edition of The Cincinnati Enquirer featured a large close-up photo of Dr. Gene Kritsky with the headline: “Spiderman, Batman, He-Man, Superman, Cincinnati’s got Gene Kritsky … CICADA MAN.” John Johnston wrote: “He keeps frozen insects in his refrigerator. He’s had

1992

Bill Clinton elected president.

enough play in the local media the past 10 days to rival George Bush’s thyroid.

He never met a cicada he didn’t like.

He’s Gene Kritsky, chairman of the Biology Department at the College of Mount St. Joseph and adjunct curator of entomology at the Cincinnati Museum of Natural History.” Also making headlines was Beth Murray, Ph.D., ’86, honored as 1990-91 Teacher of the Year, who appeared in local media after researching more than 200 pounds of human bones buried between 1813 and 1834 beneath an elevator shaft at Music Hall.

Incoming freshmen participated in a two-day orientation with their parents.

This included a liturgy celebration, picnic supper with faculty and staff, meetings with academic departments, a “class sampler,” and a tour of Cincinnati with MSJ alumni. In 1991, Seton Hall opened a co-ed floor, divided with enforced visitation hours. The 1991 “All Mount Christmas” included a dinner

1993

Honors Program established.

for faculty, staff, and resident students followed by a sock hop in the Social Center, with entertainment provided

by Ziggy and the Fordomatics, a group comprised of MSJ faculty and students.

The Student Government Association hosted the 1991 Springfest in the east parking lot on Neeb Road. It included food, games, raffle booths, a dunking booth (featuring faculty and staff), and live entertainment.

A ROOKIE FOOTBALL TEAM WITH A LEGENDARY COACH

On Sept. 15, 1990, the Mount’s first football team—an NAIA Division II team—won its season opener against Rose-Hulman. Nicknamed the Mountain Lions and sporting yellow, blue, and white, the team played a 10-game schedule with three home games played at Oak Hills High School stadium. Head coach John Pont (former head coach at Yale, Indiana, Northwestern, and Miami University) surprised many by applying

1993

The Mount awarded largest grant in its history ($1.7 million).

SPRING 2019 13

ONLINE AND ONWARD for the head coach position, and stories about the move appeared in The New York Times, Sports Illustrated, and on CBS’ Sunday Morning with Charles Kuralt.

In Sports Illustrated’s Sept. 27, 1990 issue: “Pont, 62, thereupon built— literally, in some respects—the Lion football program. He designed and stained lockers and helped lay carpeting for the school’s first men’s locker room.

He got a local surgeon to donate training room equipment. Although he had little to offer high school prospects except playing time (Mount St. Joseph, an NAIA Division II school, awards no athletic scholarships), Pont sent out 1,000 recruiting letters and got 300 players to visit the school. Largely because of football, male freshman enrollment at the Mount nearly tripled this fall, to 90. (Overall, the student body is still 78 percent female.)”

A March 1991 press release stated that the college would expand the AthleticRecreational Field into a regulation size athletics field to accommodate football, softball, and other recreational programs. On Sept. 7, 1991, Coach Pont earned his 100th career victory while at the Mount. At a January 20, 1993 news conference, Pont announced he was stepping down as head coach to coach a football team in Japan. Ron Corradini, the Mount’s first head wrestling coach, was appointed to fill the position.

“It’s hard to imagine the Mount as we know it today without some of the buildings and the many services they house that arrived during this decade,” says Buffy Barkley ’70, professor of English and chair of the Department of Liberal Arts. “The Sports Complex and Schuler Field raised the level of fun, and noise, around the campus. … One of my favorite memories was the devotion of some of the Sisters of Charity who

1994

New model for Service Learning implemented.

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1995

The Mount celebrates its 75th birthday.

showed up at nearly every home game to cheer the team on and to chat with the students, staff, and alumni. Among the most loyal, sitting through rain and cold some weekends, were Sister Elizabeth Cashman, SC, one-time dean of students and later assistant to the president, and Sister John Miriam Jones, SC, ’54, academic dean. Even after they left their positions on campus, they faithfully showed up for games.”

SERVICE LEARNING, HONORS, AND A 75TH BIRTHDAY

In 1992, new admission standards were adopted, a math/computer science major was announced, and the Division of Information Services and Support (ISS) was formed. Paula Gonzalez, SC, ’52, began envisioning Earth Connection, a “model structure for the new century and a learning environment in which people can find out about living lightly on this Earth” in an old garage on Neeb Road.

A new honors program soon followed. Among the initial goals of the program were “to call forth the best intellectual effort of talented and motivated students; to match their needs and abilities with suitable learning experiences; to develop … a sensitivity to the complexity and multidimensional nature of many contemporary issues and the development of a global view; to develop some sense of community among honors students and to provide opportunities for significant interchange … to give impetus to the fostering of excellence in the college as a whole; to help students see the relationship among disciplines,” says Peter Robinson, Ph.D., professor of history and director of the honors program since 2013. “These remain just as core to the mission of the program today.”

1996

The Mount debuts on the World Wide Web at www.msj.edu.

“It’s hard to imagine the Mount as we know it today without some of the buildings and the many services they house that arrived during this decade.”

ONLINE AND ONWARD

Buffy Barkley ’70, professor of English and chair of the Department of Liberal Arts Still to this day, the honors program requires a culminating honors project, designed to connect curricular work to the Mount’s learning outcomes and performance indicators, Robinson adds.

“Students broaden their knowledge by working collaboratively in dedicated honors courses, expand their global view by traveling … and develop relationships with faculty who mentor them through personalized honors projects in their courses.”

Along with new programs came new sources of funding. The Mount received a $1.7 million Federal Title II grant in 1993. Also that year, the Charlotte R. Schmidlapp scholarships for women in mathematics and science was established, the American Bar Association approved the Mount’s only accredited four-year paralegal studies program in the Cincinnati area, tuition increased 5 percent, and Weekend College celebrated its 15th anniversary.

In 1994, the Service Learning program began offering students the Plus One Option, earning students one free credit for service work related to classroom learning. The science building was renovated and the Archbishop Alter Library was automated, paving the way for full networking on campus.

1997

New Health Sciences Instructional Suite opens.

In addition, that year marked the Lion’s first baseball season, the Triad Program worked to strengthen diversity in the classroom, and the Mount joined the Higher Education Roundtable.

The Mount celebrated its 75th anniversary in 1995, and awarded an honorary degree to its founders, the Sisters of Charity. The Mount also instituted its St. Elizabeth Seton Medal, recognizing women for theology contributions. New majors in physical therapy, psychology, and sociology were announced. The Wellness Center also opened, combining counseling, student health, and faith formation services.

In 1995, Steve Radcliffe, who was hired as head athletic trainer and instructor in 1990, accepted the director of athletics position, a job he still holds today. “I saw it as a different way to help people,” he says. “Instead of taking care of just the physical well-being of students, I was charged with directing the coaching—it was just a different kind of problem solving on a bigger level.”

At the start of his career at the Mount, Radcliffe witnessed a cultural shift taking place, with more men attending, due in part to sports. The investment in technology improved the athletic department considerably, he adds,

1997

The first Harry Potter book is published by author J.K. Rowling.

1998

Jean Patrice Harrington, SC, Student Center opens.

SPRING 2019 15

ONLINE AND ONWARD

particularly with record keeping and statistics.

SPEEDING DOWN THE INFORMATION SUPERHIGHWAY

In 1996, the Seton Center went online for the first time, allowing residence hall computers to connect to the Internet. The Mount offered its first online distance learning course, new apartment-style suites opened in the Residence Hall, the Center for Innovative Teaching opened, the Recital Hall was updated, and www.msj.edu was launched. In the January 1996 issue of MSJ Dateline: “The information superhighway is now ready for MSJ students to merge on and cruise. This is thanks to cc:Mail, an intra and inter campus communications network, which includes the availability of e-mail mailboxes.”

Technology continued to transform the campus with new multimedia

1998

Google is founded.

16 MOUNT ST. JOSEPH UNIVERSITY

computer and instructional labs and classrooms. The first groundbreaking since 1960 took place during Reunion Weekend in 1996 when construction of a new student center began.

“When computers started appearing on faculty desks, the line between what Scott Hartley labels ‘the techie’ and ‘the fuzzy’ was clearly drawn,” Barkley says.

“The former, who had already embraced technology in their personal worlds, rejoiced that we had arrived in the 20th century, a little late. The latter—who had lived content for years with just pen and paper and typewriter—knew a steep learning curve lay ahead.”

Following a few years of decline, enrollment began a steady climb with 2,307 students attending in the 199899 school year (40 percent male). An October 1998 press release stated: “the Mount’s enrollment is nearly double the increase at Ohio private colleges this fall.” The Mount introduced men’s

1999

Thomas L. Conlan Center opens and students can register for classes online.

basketball and the Lion’s Roar Marching Band and Guard, and new majors in computer science, natural history, and paralegal studies for nurses. The 1991 Strategic Plan, known as Vision 2000, yielded $20 million by the end of 1998, surpassing a $10 million goal. This allowed for new academic programing, scholarships, renovations, increased technology and the in-progress student center. “The ultimate goal was to raise the quality of academics,” said President Sister Francis Marie Thrailkil, OSU, in a Dec. 8, 1998, Cincinnati Enquirer article.

JEAN PATRICE HARRINGTON, SC, STUDENT CENTER

The highlight of 1998 was the Aug. 24 dedication and grand opening of the 75,000-square-foot Jean Patrice Harrington, SC, Student Center, complete with ribbon cutting, the Lion’s Roar marching band, tours, activities, performances from the guard and dance

1999

New mission statement announced.

ONLINE AND ONWARD teams, and students carrying placards recognizing donors. The center housed new facilities for student clubs and activities, the Wellness Center, a food court, game rooms, bookstore, lounges, indoor running track, and new facilities for recreation and athletics, including a 2,000-seat gymnasium.

The Children’s Center also moved to the Harrington Center. “Since moving, we have become more engaged with the campus community,” says Jenny Bishop, a toddler teacher since 1995.

“We’ve had the opportunity to work with other departments such as the education, physical therapy, art, and music departments.

Manager Janet Baltzersen says the center offers a service to students that no other local university provides.

“We offer onsite, affordable, quality childcare for students while they are in class or doing anything Mount related,” she says. “We not only care for the children, but we form a real bond with all of our parents. We try to give the support and encouragement they need to be successful as parents and also as students.”

When looking back at the 1990s, Barkley says the Children’s Center had a big impact in enrollment and opening education to all. “Many students told me they would not have been able to afford this level of childcare,” she says. “Some of them were single parents who said the Mount was the only area college offering this service, so it was possible for them to complete a college degree.”

A NEW MISSION FOR A NEW CENTURY

In 1999, concerns over the Y2K bug were everywhere. ISS tested the Mount’s PCs, examined the hardware that supported the campus network, walked around identifying time-sensitive noncomputer equipment, and held meetings galore to ensure that when the clock struck Jan. 1, 2000, campus computers would still function normally. Also in 1999, student artists from the Mount’s Art Senior Seminar Class transformed the underground breezeway connecting the Library and Administration

buildings with a mural called “Sky from Sunrise to Sunset.” Recreational therapy became a new major. The Mount’s LifeLearn Program, for people age 55 and older, continued with courses on everything from “King Lear” to how to explore the Internet. The Thomas L. Conlan Center was dedicated in March.

In April, students registered for their classes online for the first time.

Finally, the 1990s paved the way for a new era at the Mount, which included the adoption of a new mission statement.

“After a year of drafts, discussions, and feedback from students, faculty, staff, and trustees, the document was approved in 1999 by the Board of Trustees,” Barkley recalls. “So much has changed in the last 20 years at the Mount, but not the mission and

widespread commitment to it. It has been at the heart of major strategic initiatives over the years, giving a coherence to decisions and goals. The conclusion of the 2015 Higher Learning Commission visiting evaluators was heartening: ‘Mount St. Joseph University is a deeply mission-driven organization.’”

Radcliffe, who will celebrate 30 years with the Mount next year, says his longevity with the University goes beyond people. He adds: “The people are important but I think what the Mount stands for—its mission and its core values—determines the type of people who are here.”

SPRING 2019 17

ONLINE AND ONWARD

“This program will integrate into the curriculum the vision and perspective unique to women. It will complement the perspective of men on which academic programs have traditionally been based.”

1991:

BY THE NUMBERS Here’s a little snapshot of the Mount in 1991:

2,493

undergraduate students

- Sister Victoria Marie Forde, SC, Ph.D., ’62

155

graduate students

WOMEN’S STUDIES GETS ‘MAJOR’ ATTENTION In 1973, Sister Victoria Marie Forde, SC, Ph.D., ’62, along with three colleagues, proposed “A Projected Plan for Ways to Develop the Concept of Christian Womanhood Within the Academic Community” to MSJ faculty.

It was not well-received. So Forde pushed for acceptance at a smaller level.

She, along with others, began adding more women’s history and literature into general classes. In 1976, “Women as Person” was taught as its own course.

Eventually, Forde and others had created enough courses to offer a women’s studies certificate. In 1985, women’s studies as a minor was approved and finally, with an unanimous faculty vote on Feb. 23, 1990, women’s studies became a major. At the time, the Mount was the only college in the area to offer that particular degree at the bachelor’s level.

“This program will integrate into the curriculum the vision and perspective unique to women,” said Forde, then a humanities professor and coordinator of the women’s studies program. “It will complement the perspective of men

18 MOUNT ST. JOSEPH UNIVERSITY

on which academic programs have traditionally been based.”

What inspired Forde to continually elevate women’s studies? “To teach the contribution of women, their insights, achievements, so often neglected in textbooks and courses,” Forde says.

“To help students to understand the truth about the unjust inequality of women and men in almost every area.

To have them graduate with increased self-confidence and self-respect, new perspective on life and learning, and women’s impact on law, government, ministry, and the arts.”

Until her retirement in 1992, Forde worked tirelessly with faculty in all departments to ensure the inclusion of women’s roles in all class topics.

The Mount’s literary magazine, Perspectives, was written, edited, and designed by female students. “We also published a newsletter with the help of two former students who had their own successful publishing business,” she says.

Today, Forde still meets with graduates of the Mount’s Women’s Studies Program for lunch.

216

full- and part-time faculty and staff

40

bachelor’s degree programs

2

master’s degree programs

70

areas of concentration

3

intercollegiate women’s teams

2

intercollegiate men’s teams

$3,800

tuition per semester

$1,845

room and board per semester for basic double with 21 meal plan.

CAN’T GET ENOUGH MOUNT NEWS? Check out our online archive at msj.edu/mountnews!

ONLINE AND ONWARD

CO-OP LEADS TO 20-PLUS YEARS OF CAREER SUCCESS In 1998, The Mount Magazine featured communication arts major Jackiedra (Jackie) Wilson ’98 as one of the school’s Outstanding Co-op Students of the Year among 129 students employed at 110 organizations.

In addition to practicing her public relations and marketing skills at the American Lung Association and WLWT-TV 5, the article noted how Wilson had honed her writing skills at Applause! Magazine and in the Public Information Office at the Mount. Before graduating, she married her high school sweetheart, Emmanuel; the couple has two children.

After graduating summa cum laude,

she was hired full time as a corporate communications specialist for Messer Construction Co. While she left Messer after six years, she returned in 2015 and today, Wilson serves as the company’s senior manager for marketing and corporate communications.

Wilson recalls how she enjoyed how faculty and staff at the Mount all knew her by name. “I liked the fact that you weren’t a number,” she says.

Though she commuted most of her years at the Mount, Wilson was still involved in the Black Student Union, served as a campus ambassador, tutored at the Writing Center, and wrote for Dateline, the student newspaper.

In 2008, Wilson went back to the Mount for her masters in organizational leadership. All of this led to a 20plus year career in communications

and marketing. At Messer, she is responsible for strategic planning and implementation of internal and external communications. A 15-year breast cancer survivor, Wilson is an avid volunteer, a member of the Urban League’s Urban Leader Institute Class 26 and a board member of the IABC Greater Cincinnati chapter, where she chaired its March 2019 Challenge Accepted! event, a celebration of communications excellence.

Regarding her co-op memories at the Mount, Wilson says: “I was able to gain a ton of experience, especially writing and editing. And I worked in different places, helping me confirm my major was the right one for the type of career I wanted.

Even today, I see the value in co-op work and how much it did for me.”

For more than 35 years, students have been gaining real-world experience and sharpening their career skills through the Mount’s Cooperative Education Program. Top employers include Cincinnati Children’s Hospital Medical Center, Kroger Company, Western & Southern Financial, TriHealth, Cincinnati Reds Hall of Fame, and Procter & Gamble.

SPRING 2019 19

RESTORING HISTORY Returning the Mater Dei Chapel back to its original beauty was a labor of love.

By Anya Rao

The Mater Dei Chapel is a centerpiece of campus, with the iconic Corona Tower and its three bells visible from points across the grounds of Mount St. Joseph University. The chapel serves as the spiritual and communal heart of the university. Students begin and conclude their undergraduate careers at the chapel candle lighting ceremonies. Within the chapel walls, nursing students hold their pinning ceremonies. In addition, medical field grads have their white coat ceremonies at the chapel.

Finally, education students have their commissioning at this revered location.

Sister Karen Elliott, C.PP.S., the Mount’s director of mission integration, began to assess how to spruce up the chapel, which had not had a large-scale restoration since its construction was completed in 1962.

A TEACHER’S LEGACY

All of the artwork in the chapel— mosaic stations of the cross, 28 stainedglass windows, mosaic behind the altar, crucifix, statues, and more—was designed by artist and teacher Sister Augusta Zimmer, SC, ’40, who founded and ran the Mount’s Art Department; three of her students (Margaret Rolfes Brungs ’60, Judy Dettenwanger Ebbeler ’61, and Marlene Hoffman ’61); and two other Sisters of Charity (Sister Ann Austin Mooney, SC, ’42, and Sister Loretto Ann McCarty, SC, ’38).

Zimmer’s studies in Florence, Italy,

where she earned her Master of Fine Arts, strongly influenced the artistic style and elements in the Mater Dei Chapel, notably the Venetian glass mosaics found throughout the chapel.

With the exception of a few elements in the chapel, the women helped direct the artistic aesthetic of the entire space.

“You’d be hard pressed to find something else that was completely designed and created by six women in the 1950s,” Elliott says.

The chapel is a sacred space and a hallmark of the MSJ community.

Its treasure trove of artwork crafted by graduates and faculty adds to its significance. “When you have something that is that unique—it’s historic, it’s part of our legacy, and it’s our heritage—that is something that you have a tremendous responsibility to care for,” Elliott says.

“We have been given the opportunity to be stewards of the tremendous legacy of these women.”

AN ANSWERED PRAYER

The efforts to refresh the chapel began when Sr. Elliott and Sister Barbara Davis, SC, ’65, began cleaning out the sacristy and storage areas of the chapel.

The pair spent more than 50 hours cleaning and organizing. “Sacred items had to be archived or properly disposed of—you can’t just drop them off at a donation center,” Elliott explains. Some of the chairs in the chapel were restored or replaced; the presider’s chair was

replaced; a new ambo (lectern) was designed; and the original candlesticks created by the sisters were restored to a useable condition. A stand was created for the decorative, handcrafted wooden cross so it could become the processional cross for Mass.

During this work, Sr. Elliott knew that something needed to be done with the 56 wooden pews and kneelers, many of which had dried out or partially cracked, but the cost to completely replace the pews was staggering.

“I kept praying and asking Sister Augusta Zimmer and St. Elizabeth Ann Seton, SC, to help me figure out a way to take care of this beautiful space that was created to honor and give glory to God,” she says.

One afternoon, in the midst of her cleaning projects in the chapel, Elliott says her prayers were answered. “I accidentally kicked this block of wood and it went spinning under one of the pews. I had to kneel down on the floor to get it and I saw this complete crack on one of the support beams under one of the pews,” she recalls. “I thought, ‘Oh my goodness, we cannot have this; this pew could fall apart!’ I took a picture of it and showed it to President Williams and CFO Jeff Briggs. They began immediately helping me to make this project happen.”

Restoring the chapel was vital because the space is a physical and spiritual touchstone for all who learn and work

“The chapel is so very important to the University’s culture.

It provides alumni, students, faculty, staff, and visitors a place for solace and solitude, for reflection and prayer, for celebration and ceremonial rites.”

- President H. James Williams, Ph.D. 20 MOUNT ST. JOSEPH UNIVERSITY

Fun Fact:

“Mater Dei” means “Mother of God” and was inspired by the words of Pope John XXIII during the Second Vatican Council, when he called on the Mother of God “to watch over the church during the work ahead.”

The Mount would like to thank all of our generous donors to the Mater Dei restoration project. Benefactors included couples who were married inside its walls throughout the decades. If you would like to make a contribution, please email Raye Allen at raye.allen@msj.edu.

SPRING 2019 21

TLC in action: some glass tiles had fallen out of the mosaics over the years and were restored. In addition, the pews were removed and transported for a two-month-long repair.

With the pews gone, the Mount’s building and grounds team was tasked with the challenge of stripping, cleaning, applying three coats of wax, and buffing the original stone terrazzo floors.

at the Mount. “The chapel is so very important to the University’s culture.

It provides alumni, students, faculty, staff, and visitors a place for solace and solitude, for reflection and prayer, for celebration and ceremonial rites,” says President Williams.

EFFORTS UNDERFOOT

The pews were removed and transported for a two-month-long repair at Quality Wood Products, a woodworking company in Michigan.

With the pews gone, the Mount’s building and grounds team was tasked with the challenge of stripping, cleaning, applying three coats of wax, and buffing the original stone terrazzo floors.

The project presented some challenges and potential safety hazards, such as floor voids where the HVAC vents were removed and pew bolts sticking up out of the floor, says Lynn Miller ’14, who has been working at the Mount since 1986 and serves as manager of custodial and administrative services. Miller coordinated the project, and Debbie Bartles, lead custodian, directed the floor care process with the custodial team and provided training to some of the custodians.

“The flooring restoration required a larger than normal group of staffers to complete, and it was more labor intensive and time consuming than a typical flooring project,” says Bartles.

22 MOUNT ST. JOSEPH UNIVERSITY

Portions of the floor care process around the steps, the areas surrounding the floor voids and pew bolts, and the curved wall base required use of handheld floor buffers that were not needed for other projects prior to refinishing the floor in the Mater Dei Chapel. The required use of handheld floor buffers was viewed as an opportunity for on-the-job learning and training, Miller adds.

Stripping the many layers of built-up wax required more hours and effort than most heavy-duty floor care projects.

“We stripped the old wax off the floor, scraped the wax up, reapplied new wax, buffed out with a white pad to give it a high gloss, and cleaned up everything afterwards,” says Carol Wolf, a 30-year custodial staffer. “It takes a lot of work and preparation to strip it and put the wax back on it to look nice,” adds fellow custodial staffter Janet Dean, who is also approaching her 30th year working for the Mount.

For Dennis Jones, a 14-year veteran of the building and grounds department, the chapel happens to be his favorite place on campus. “It’s a beautiful place for prayer and reflection, made all the more beautiful by the restoration, which I am proud to be a part of,” he says.

The flooring project, which spanned five weeks and required 18 staffers, was completed in mid-February. The repaired pews and updated kneelers were reinstalled in mid-March.

ARTIST’S TOUCH

The art pieces crafted by Zimmer and her students required some TLC. As can often happen with aging mortar, some glass tiles had fallen out of the mosaics over the years. In February, Jim Foltz of the Radiant Arts Company repaired and restored the tile mosaics depicting the Stations of the Cross. “When the restoration artist was here, he kept saying to me about the Stations: ‘these are so beautiful, they are just exquisite,’” Elliott says. “And he travels all over the country restoring art—and he was impressed.”

Elliott, who is planning a summer visit to a hospital in Trinidad, Colo., that features a mural created by Zimmer, says she gets emotional thinking about those women in the 1960s who created the beautiful artwork that fills the Mater Dei Chapel, as well as the many people that made the restoration possible today.

“These women were all obviously great artists,” she says. “Some people make art for an art museum, these women did it for the honor and glory of God and I think it shows through in this sacred space.”

She adds: “The beautiful thing is that it’s part of our history and legacy at the Mount, but it’s also part of the present, and this restoration ensures that it will be part of our future.”

RESTORING HISTORY

Fun Fact:

Since it was consecrated in 1962, the Mater Dei Chapel has hosted more than 450 weddings of students, alumni, faculty, and staff.

DEBBIE BARTLES

Role: Lead Custodian Time at the Mount: 41 years Why I like working at the Mount: “The friendly environment and appreciation shown toward the students who are here to achieve a higher education.”

Favorite place on campus: “I think it’s a beautiful campus inside and out.”

JANET DEAN

Role: Custodial 1 at the Sports Complex Time at the Mount: 29 years Why I like working at the Mount: “‘My kids,’ as I call them, know me and respect me for giving them a clean place, helping them out when I can, and cheering them on in their (sporting) events.”

Favorite place on campus: “The Lions Park to eat lunch and enjoy the outside. It’s peaceful and relaxing after work to just be outside enjoying the weather.”

Caretakers and Contributors Debbie Bartles Jimmy Burdette Cheryl Christophel Janet Dean LeRie Dover James Gibbs Lisa Ginandt Nesta Hampton Jaclyn Hoeffer Dennis Jones Shirley Sanders Beth Schatzman Kim Sellmeyer Ben Stanton Joanie Taulbee Christy Thamann Greg Wandstrat Carol Wolf

DENNIS JONES

Role: Custodial 1 Time at the Mount: 14 years Why I like working at the Mount: “The appreciation of the students who are here and committed to their goals of achieving a degree in higher education, and being a part of that by helping to being a part of that by helping to keep the MSJ campus clean and looking great.”

Favorite place on campus: “Mater Dei Chapel.”

REMEMBERING COLLEAGUE LES MARET

CAROL WOLF

Role: Custodial 1 Time at the Mount: 30 years Why I like working at the Mount: “I like my job and the people I work with.”

Favorite place on campus: “The Seton Lobby, since I’m there all the time.”

The Mount community will remember the life of Les Maret, a treasured member of the building and grounds team for 13 years.

Les, age 70, passed away on April 20, 2019, after a long, difficult battle with cancer. He leaves his daughter, Amy, his ex-wife and friend, Marlene, his brother, Michael, his numerous grandchildren and friends, and his colleagues. Les will be fondly remembered for his positive attitude, his wonderful sense of humor, and his love for the Mount.

SPRING 2019 23

LIONS’ CORNER ATHLETICS

READY PLAYER FUN!

As collegiate esports continues to sweep campuses nationwide, the lower floor of Seton Center—decked out in MSJ colors and souped-up gaming computers—is home to the newest MSJ team. The new Lions Esports Program welcomes students who will compete on pixelated playing fields under the tutelage of their head coach, Tim David.

A 2018 graduate of Northern Kentucky University, he studied abroad in South Korea, where Esports has grown into a national pastime (and pro gamers are treated like rock stars). Seeing its vast cultural and economic influence in that nation, particularly around competitive online games, such as League of Legends, inspired David to become part of this global phenomenon. An accomplished League of Legends player himself, David has coached amateur esports teams and was so dedicated to this competitive arena that he would often drive overnight to Boston and New York to play in live tournaments.

The Mount is one of the few colleges in the Cincinnati area that has adopted an Esports program, partnering with the National Association of Collegiate Esports. The Lions are currently recruiting players for Fortnite, League of Legends, and Rocket League for the fall 2019 semester. As the roster expands, the team expects to also include popular games, including Overwatch, Super Smash Bros., and Apex Legend.

Incoming freshmen who wish to be part of the Mount’s Esports Program might be eligible for a scholarship. For more information, please contact tim.david@msj.edu.

24 MOUNT ST. JOSEPH UNIVERSITY

FRESHMAN WRESTLER NAMED ALL-AMERICAN For the first time in five years, the Mount’s wrestling program had a wrestler qualify for the NCAA DIII National Championship. Freshman Antonio McCloud, wrestling in the 197-pound weight class, qualified for nationals by winning the Central Regional Championship at Wabash College in Crawfordsville, Ind., in late February.

McCloud entered the national tournament as the No. 5 seed and as the highest ranked freshman in the tournament. His first win earned him a quarterfinal matchup with fourth seed Keajion Jennings from Millikin University in Decatur, Ill. Despite wrestling an outstanding

match, Antonio fell 13-10 to the eventual national runner-up. The loss moved Antonio into the consolation bracket, where he would need one more win to qualify for the top eight.

Antonio wrestled his best match of the tournament, defeating his opponent 14-7. Finishing in the top eight at the NCAA National Championship earned McCloud the honor of being named an All-American.

"It was just an amazing experience, being the only freshman in a weight class full of seniors," McCloud says. "I was just overcome with joy in that moment. After the heartbreaking loss in the quarter finals, I knew I had to come back and wrestle to the best of my ability."

LIONS’ CORNER ATHLETICS

HOOPS STAR SCORES 1,000TH POINT

MSJ senior women's basketball player Lainee Studer (pictured left) became the newest member of the exclusive 1,000-point club in a game against Spalding. The 5’7” senior eclipsed the 1,000-point mark with a free-throw shot during the third quarter. The game was stopped briefly to recognize Studer for her accomplishment, with Coach Dan Benjamin ’93 presenting her with a commemorative game ball.

Her achievements did not end there.

Studer was also awarded Second Team All-Heartland Collegiate Athletic Conference (HCAC) honors, averaging 12.3 points-per-game, 6.8 reboundsper-game, 4 assists-per-game, and anHCAC-high 3.9 steals per game.

TWO LIONS EARN HCAC ALL-DECADE HONORS The HCAC announced its All-Decade Team in December 2019, with the Mount’s Lauren Hill (above left, No. 22) and Steve Matre ’14 (above right, second from left) being honored as members of the women's and men's teams, respectively. The HCAC's 201819 edition is its second all-decade announcement in league history. The conference officially began competition in 1998-99 and is currently celebrating its 20th anniversary.

A promising young basketball player.

Hill was diagnosed with Diffuse Intrinsic Pontine Glioma, an inoperable form of

pediatric brain cancer. She had a dream to play in a college basketball game wearing an MSJ jersey with the number 22. Hill would see that dream come true and later received an honorary degree in humane letters from Mount St. Joseph University. In April 2015, her long battle with cancer ended and two years later, she was posthumously inducted into the Mount’s Athletic Hall of Fame as a Champion Award winner.

Her final career statistics: four games played, 10 points scored, and millions of lives touched.

Matre joined the Lions in fall 2006

after a standout pitching career at Purcell Marian High School in Cincinnati. He improved quickly under the late MSJ pitching coach, Mike Maundrell. Matre’s two-year run during the 2008-09 seasons was one of the most dominant runs in the history of Division III baseball by a relief pitcher during his Mount career.

He was later drafted by the Los Angeles Dodgers and spent three seasons in Minor League Baseball, where he recorded 59 appearances, 91.0 innings pitched, 32 saves, 110 Strikeouts, 51 hits allowed, and a 1.29 ERA.

SPRING 2019 25

FACULTY & STAFF UPDATES ACCOMPLISHMENTS Jamie Bayliss, D.HSc., M.P.T., P.T., ’05, ’04, assistant professor and director of clinical education in physical therapy, worked on a national physical therapy clinical education task force for two years.

Her work included a literature review and recommendations for a change in standards related to physical therapy integrated clinical education experiences.

She was a second author on an article published in the Physical Therapy Journal in January.

Michael Bindis, Ph.D., assistant professor of education, presented “Encouraging Young Females to be WISE,” at the National Science Teachers Association Area Conference in National Harbor, Md., in November 2018. This work is related to the Women in Science Experience program he co-created with Christa Currie, Ph.D., associate provost for academic affairs. Dr. Bindis also presented "So you think you can run a summer science camp for high school females?” at the Science Education of Ohio Science Symposium, held in Lewis Center, Ohio, in January. In December and January, he judged presentation proposals for the Posters on the Hill event that is sponsored by the Council of Undergraduate Research.

J.W. Carter II, Ph.D., associate professor of criminology, was selected to be a 2019 Cincy Magazine Outstanding Educator. He was also awarded the 2019 Sister Adele Clifford, SC, Award, the most prestigious teaching honor presented to a full-time member of the Mount’s faculty.

B.C. Charles-Liscombe, Ed.D., A.T., A.T.C., athletic training department chairperson and associate professor, was awarded tenure in December 2018. As a member of the Great Lakes AT Association (GLATA) Education Committee, he led a clinical skills lab for an annual meeting of 1,400 athletic trainers and AT students in Chicago, Ill., in March. Dr. Charles-Liscombe and several athletic training students from the Mount also provided hands-on clinical skill instruction and a simulation learning lab to credentialed athletic trainers and students from regional athletic training programs. Instructors of physical therapy Mike Obert, M.P.T.,

26 MOUNT ST. JOSEPH UNIVERSITY

STAFF PROFILE: MARIANNE PUGH RECRUITING THE NEXT GENERATION Marianne Pugh loves nothing more than interacting with students, so it seemed only fitting that she be in charge of helping recruit them. As assistant director of traditional recruitment, she interacts with prospective students from all over the country, and oversees admission counselors and lead campus ambassadors.

Pugh graduated from Wilmington College in 2010 with a bachelor’s degree in sports management. She went on to earn her Master of Business Administration from Ottawa University.

Pugh wanted a job where she would be able to promote something she believed in. “That’s what the Mount’s admission team does really well,” she says. and Eric Schneider, M.P.T., ’06, ’05, also presented “Advanced Techniques in Manual Therapy.”

Harrison Collier, M.Ed., director of clinical experiences and assessment coordinator, Kate Doyle, Ph.D., assistant professor and graduate special education program director, and Laura Saylor, Ph.D., dean of the School of Education, presented “The Development of a Dual Licensure Program within PK-12 Partnerships” at the Ohio Deans Compact Conference, in Columbus, Ohio, in January.

As part of a national competition the trio also presented “Using Action Research Methodologies to Support the Development of a Dual Licensure Program within PK-12 Partnerships” at the Council for Exceptional Children Teacher Education Division Conference, in Las Vegas, Nevada, in November 2018.

Clara do Amaral, Ph.D., assistant professor of biology, was awarded the 2019 Emerging Scholar Award, which the Mount bestows on an associate or full professor who has been nationally and/or internationally recognized for scholarly achievement.

“Because we believe in the Mount, we can connect with prospective students, and they feel what we feel for this place.”

In addition to her recruitment role, Pugh has been on the Coordinating Representatives of Staff Assembly for the last three years, a committee that takes part in shared governance of the University. She has also been a part of the Employee Campaign Committee for three years, joining colleagues to give to the Mount Annual Fund.

Meeting prospective students and their families is her favorite aspect of her job.

“This generation of students is becoming more caring about each other and about the world,” Pugh says.

“They want civic engagement and service learning, and a place where they can make a difference. The Mount is a great fit for them.”

Mary Kay Fleming, Ph.D., professor of psychology, completed a chapter titled “The Larger Impact: Culture and Society,” to be published in Generally Speaking: The Impact of General Education on Student Learning in the 21st Century. She also participated in a phone interview for TV talk show MeTime With Frangela for an episode titled “Do you ever feel like you’re touched too much as a mom?” which aired in January. Dr. Fleming published several writings, including: “How to Survive a Newly Retired Spouse” and “Did Your Child Just Get Engaged? A Cheat-Sheet on the New Wedding Etiquette” on nexttribe. com; “Holding On for Dear Life” on pulsevoices.org; “List: Beloved Children’s Books Vandalized by Curmudgeons” on pointincase.com; “The Mother of All Makeovers” on humorwriters.org; and “Single Steps” on pulsevoices.org.

Dr. Fleming, with MSJ colleague Kim Hunter, M.B.A., director of instructional technology, gave a webinar on “Aligning Assessment with Goals and Content” for the BITS (Blackboard Innovation in Teaching Series) webinar series in March.

FACULTY & STAFF UPDATES ACCOMPLISHMENTS Amy Gamble, ’06 associate director of admission and technology, was awarded the 2019 Sister Elizabeth Ann Seton Mission Award, which recognizes members of the administrative and support staff who have demonstrated individual commitment to living out the mission in service to students and the University.

Kathy Grant, M.Ed., career development coordinator, and Nicole Rottmueller-Jones, M.S.Ed., career and co-op coordinator, presented "Past, Present, Future: Maximizing Relationships for the Best Hire,” to the Northern Kentucky Society for Human Resources Managers in February.

James Green, Ph.D., associate professor emeritus, has been named a Wilbur Fellow for the 2018-2019 academic year by the Russell Kirk Center for Cultural Renewal. He was also awarded a grant to complete a book (in progress) titled Redeeming the Academy: Russell Kirk on American Higher Education.

Tyler Hopperton, M.Ed., ’12, head football coach, was selected as a 2019 member of the American Football Coaches Association's (AFCA) 35 Under 35 Coaches Leadership Institute. The institute’s aim is to identify and develop future leaders in the football coaching profession. Hopperton attended the AFCA Convention in January 2019 in San Antonio, Texas. He was also the keynote speaker for the 52nd Annual National Football Foundation’s “That’s My Boy” Awards banquet held in Mason, Ohio, in February. The annual event recognizes the top high school football studentathletes in the Cincinnati area.

Jeffrey Hillard, M.F.A., M.A., professor of English, had his second novel, Shine in Grit City, published in February, part of a young adult series.

As former writer-in-residence of the Public Library of Cincinnati and Hamilton County, he served on a panel in January with the library's four, recent resident writers, where the discussion included creative writing, publishing, and marketing in 2019. Hillard was also awarded the 2019 Distinguished Scholar Award, which the Mount bestows on

an associate or full professor who has been nationally and/or internationally recognized for scholarly achievement.

Eric Johnson, Ph.D., associate professor and department chair of chemistry, received a stellar review of his book, Anxiety and the Equation: Understanding Boltzmann’s Entropy, MIT Press, in Inside Higher Ed Magazine. The book tells the story of Ludwig Boltzmann, the anxiety-plagued 19th-century physicist who contributed significantly to our understanding of the second law of thermodynamics. Dr. Johnson was also named the Cooperative Education Faculty Coordinator of the Year by the Career and Experiential Education Center.

Marlene B. Lang, Ph.D., assistant professor of religious and pastoral studies, was a speaker at Chestnut Hill College in Philadelphia, Penn., in November 2018.

Her topic was “White Lament Matters: A Recommendation for Cultural Healing.”

Dr. Lang also had her article, “Catholic Curricula and the Invisibility of Native Americans,” published in the January issue of America magazine.

Keith Lanser, M.A., manager of service learning and civic engagement, successfully wrote the Mount's application for the Voter Friendly Campus Designation that is awarded by Student Affairs Professionals in Higher Education. Mount St. Joseph University, designated as a Voter Friendly Campus in March, is the only university in the region to have secured the Voter Friendly Campus Designation for 2019-2020.

Linda Liebau, director of corporate and foundation relations, was awarded the 2019 Sister Elizabeth Ann Seton Mission Award, which recognizes members of the administrative and support staff who have demonstrated individual commitment to living out the mission in service to students and the University.

Tim Lawson, Ph.D., has been named one of the top psychology professors in the nation by the American Psychological Association.

Charles Mason, B.S., was named the National Collegiate Wrestling Association (NWCA) Division III National Rookie

Coach of the Year. He took charge of the Mount’s wrestling program for the 2018-19 season, having spent the previous season as the team’s assistant coach under former Head Coach Elliott Spence. Together, they were able to recruit 21 wrestlers into the program, the biggest incoming freshman class in over a decade.

Sandy Matthias, M.S.N., assistant professor of nursing, presented "Using Interprofessional Education to Address the Social Determinants of Health" at the Lilly Conference on College and University Teaching at Miami University in Oxford, Ohio, in November 2018.

Presenting with Matthias were Kristin Clephane, D.N.P., R.N., assistant professor of nursing and RN-BSN program director, Donna Glankler, D.N.P., R.N., ’84, assistant professor of nursing, and Erin Hofmeyer, D.P.T., M.P.T., B.S., ’08, ’03, ’02, instructor of physical therapy and assistant director of clinical education.

Jan Maltinsky, M.Ed., clinical faculty for the School of Education (graduate education), has been appointed chair of the scholarship committee of the Ohio Valley Branch of the International Dyslexia Center.

Elizabeth Murray, Ph.D., ’86, was awarded the Anthropology Section’s 2018 "T. Dale Stewart Award" at the American Academy of Forensic Sciences (AAFS) 71st Annual Scientific Meeting in late February.

Mary Orloff, B.A., biology laboratory manager, presented information about hereditary breast and ovarian cancer to students in the Physician Assistant Program during Dr. Andy Rasmussen’s Genetics and Disease Screening Class in February. She is a volunteer Peer Support Group Leader and Outreach Coordinator for FORCE (Facing Our Risk of Cancer Empowered). In March, Orloff visited fifth- to eighth-grade students in their science class at St. Anthony School in Taylor Mill, Kentucky, where she guided the students in dissecting cow eyes and looking at human eye models.

Bob Pennington, Ph.D., assistant professor of religious and pastoral studies, delivered his presentation titled

SPRING 2019 27

FACULTY & STAFF UPDATES ACCOMPLISHMENTS NEW HIRES "The Methodological Turn toward a Preferential Option for the Poor: The Cardijn Canon-From Rome to Latin America and Back Again?" at the Center for Social Concerns Conference in March, held at the University of Notre Dame in South Bend, Ind. Jamal A. Rashed, Ph.D., M.A., M.S., dean of the School of Business, has been invited to serve as a keynote speaker on the topic of “The Global Energy Industry, Markets, Shares & Prospects” during the 35th Business & Economics Society International Conference, held in Vienna, Austria, in July 2019. He also had an article titled “The Role of Business Intelligence in a KnowledgeBased Economy—The Case of Saudi Arabia” accepted for publication in the International Journal of Business & Economics Research.

Nicole Rottmueller-Jones collaborated with the Professional Ally Affinity Group and several student organizations to launch the #UnityThroughCommunity poster campaign. Its goals were to highlight misconceptions and stereotypes that students face every day, while also putting a face to those students, faculty, and staff who are allies on our campus to all of our diverse student populations. The Office of Diversity and Inclusion provided

the funding for the posters, as well as the culminating event held in February.

Laura Saylor, Ph.D., dean of the School of Education, and two colleagues jointly authored “Teacher-Centered Mentorship as Meaningful Professional Development” in the November 2018 issue of Journal of Montessori Research. She and a colleague coauthored “Creating a Math-talk Learning Community with Pre-Service Teachers” for School Science and Mathematics. Dr. Saylor, Amy Murdoch, Ph.D., associate professor and director of reading science program, and a colleague, presented “The Montessori Method and the Science of Learning to Read” at the American Montessori Society National Conference in Washington D.C, in March. Their work was selected as part of a national competition. Lastly, Dr. Saylor attended Safe Zone Ally Training in January.

Laura J. Valle, D.N.P., APRN-CNM, assistant professor of nursing, will give two presentations at the Normal Labour and Birth Conference in Grange Over Sands, England, in June: “Waterbirth and Neonatal Outcomes: An Integrative Review and Toolkit” and “Shared Decision Making: Implications and Application in Maternity Care.”

STAFF PROFILE: ANDREW ROSENDALE A PENCHANT FOR PESTS Andrew Rosendale, Ph.D., is nearing the end of his first year at the Mount, where he’s been busy teaching Introductory Biology, Anatomy & Physiology, and Biology Seminar.

But there’s more to this professor than meets the eye. With doctoral and master’s degrees in zoology, as well as a growing list of published scientific articles, he considers himself to be both a molecular physiologist and vector biologist. His current research work is centered around understanding how climate change affects the distribution of vectors, which are organisms that carry and transmit diseases. For example, Dr.

28 MOUNT ST. JOSEPH UNIVERSITY

Rosendale has recently authored papers on bed bugs, mosquitoes, and tsetse flies.

So, what else makes Dr. Rosendale tick? Well, actually, it’s ticks and tickborne diseases in the Cincinnati area. Dr. Rosendale studies the physiology of ticks and a variety of insects to identify novel and effective ways of controlling them.

His work was the subject of extensive research he conducted with scientific colleagues at the University of Cincinnati.

Their study, which has led to further work in thermal tolerance and pesticide resistance of ticks, was published in the journal, Molecular Ecology, in fall 2018.

“My recent work has uncovered that ticks can withstand a wide range of stresses; extreme temperatures, dehydration, and long periods of starvation,” says Dr. Rosendale.

Welcome to the following new faculty and staff members at the Mount:

Deiashia Byrd, Timothy David, Jessica Mazzei ’14, and Renee Rodriguez-Merino, admissions Kevin Koo and Christian Russ, campus police/public safety Donald Gilbert, James Glines, David Rohe, and Kera Ann Whitt, facilities Zachary Cooper and Tim Schroer, football Kelby Siler ’97, institutional advancement Heather Crabbe, provost’s office Jill Hulsman, student administrative services Kharis Cottrell, student engagement/student success program Amanda Absher ’08, university communications Brenna Lonneman ’18, women’s soccer

“Hopefully, my research will allow us to more fully understand these fascinating creatures and help control and avoid ticks and the diseases they carry.”

Looking ahead, he sees his immediate future busy with additional research about ticks, which includes creating a seasonal tick forecast for the Cincinnati/tri-state area. Dr. Rosendale’s first year of teaching at the Mount has resulted in a few other new discoveries.

“I was amazed at how friendly, supportive, and helpful all of the faculty, staff, and students are,” he says. “It has been a pleasure joining such a close-knit community. Also, the dynamite chicken sandwiches in the Harrington Food Court are pretty awesome.”

ALUMNI UPDATES MESSAGES

A MESSAGE FROM THE EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR OF ALUMNI ENGAGEMENT

Sincerely,

Kelby Siler ’97 Executive Director of Alumni Engagement

L to R: Matt Taske ’14, ’09, Emily Joyce, and Kelby Siler ’97.

NEW FACES JOIN ALUMNI RELATIONS TEAM

The Mount’s Office of Institutional Advancement welcomed two alumni to its team— Executive Director for Alumni Engagement Kelby Siler ’97 and Manager of Annual Giving Matt Taske ’14, ’09. They join Institutional Advancement Event Coordinator Emily Joyce to form the Office of Alumni Relations, where they will develop a collaborative engagement program for MSJ graduates. The group plans to focus on opportunities for volunteerism, service, and personal and professional development, as well as events and programs for students and alumni to enhance loyalty, dedication, and financial support for Mount St. Joseph University.

“We have a group of passionate individuals who are invested in the Mount,” Siler says.

“Each of us has unique skill sets that allow the group to shine. Our ability to provide creative solutions and new ideas is a key to the group’s success.”

Taske brings experience and new ideas from both on- and off-campus experiences, including serving as an admissions counselor focused on the Mount’s graduate business programs.

Joyce joined the Mount in September 2017, after graduating from Wright State University with a degree in organizational leadership. Along with planning events and fundraisers, she has been instrumental in advancing the group’s social media and student outreach.

100% FACULTY AND STAFF CITED FOR GENEROUS GIVING RATES

20

I’ve always been able to say I was placed at the Mount for a reason. I recall the drive up Delhi Pike for my initial visit. The Mount gave me great roommates and lasting friendships.

Today, I look out an office window and across a Quad to the Seton Center where I spent four years in the residence hall. I met my wife, Tiffiny ’99, in the Fifth Third Bank Hall.

We completed our Mount merger in Mater Dei Chapel in 2000.

As a Class of 1997 alumnus, I take pride in supporting the Mount. In my new position, it is a privilege to serve nearly 20,000 living graduates.

It’s an opportunity to learn all of your stories and foster connections between today’s students and our alumni leaders.

Graduates of the Mount identify with those who helped mold them and want to know what current students are learning. We offer multiple outlets as a way to keep you informed and involved.

Please bookmark msj.edu, participate in a presidential webcast, read our monthly e-newsletter, connect with us via social media, accept an invitation from President Williams when he travels to your area, or attend an athletic event. There are so many ways to get involved with your alma mater!

Questions, comments, and suggestions are encouraged.

Remember the door to the Mount’s Office of Alumni Relations is always open. Thank you for everything you do for the Mount, and stay in touch!

18 One Mount.

One Mission.

95.2% Participation in the Employee Campaign

At its February 2019 meeting, the Mount’s Board of Trustees adopted a resolution read by President H. James Williams, Ph.D., commending the 94 percent of full-time employees and 99 percent of full-time faculty participation rates of the 2018-19 Employee Campaign.

Note: graphic depicts participation percentage at time of printing.

SPRING 2019 29

ALUMNI UPDATES ALUMNI NEWS DESIGNING FIONA

WCPO Cincinnati profiled the work of Wardrobe Mistress Noelle Wedig ’05 of the Cincinnati Ballet and her colleagues as they built a custom-made Fiona costume for the Cincinnati Ballet’s production of "The Nutcracker" last fall.

Named after the famous baby hippo born premature at the Cincinnati Zoo & Botanical Garden, "Nutcracker" Fiona required 100 hours across four weeks before she could take the stage.

Not surprisingly, designing a ballet tutu for the costume's 61-inch waist was trickier than it sounds, Noelle noted.

“She has to be cute at all angles,” Wedig told WCPO. For details, visit https://bit.ly/2FB1heT Photo courtesy of The Cincinnati Ballet Wardrobe Department.

SAVE THE DATE! HOMECOMING/REUNION 2019

UNLEASH YOUR INNER LION with an MSJ LICENSE PLATE Ohio residents can upgrade to an official Mount St. Joseph University license plate for just $35 more than the standard BMV fees. $25 of your purchase will go directly to supporting students through the Mount Annual Fund.

It’s easy to upgrade! Simply: • visit oplates.com and select “Ohio Plates” to exchange your current plates.

• visit your local Deputy Registrar license agency.

• mail the BMV using the address on your license plate renewal notice.

30 MOUNT ST. JOSEPH UNIVERSITY

Make plans to join us at the Mount for Homecoming/Reunion Weekend, Friday, October 4 through Sunday, October 6. We’re also excited to welcome the classes of 1969, 1974, 1979, and 1994—plus Royal Mountees for reunion events; and Athletic Hall of Famers for the Induction Ceremony. Here’s a rundown of some of the activities: Friday, October 4

• 10th annual Hall of Fame Dinner and Induction Ceremony Saturday, October 5

• MSJ Lions vs. Defiance Yellow Jackets Football Game and Tailgate

• Alumni Mass

• Alumni Awards Ceremony and Dinner

• Golden Anniversary Celebration for the Class of 1969 Guided tours of campus are available throughout Homecoming/Reunion Weekend.

For more information about Reunion Weekend 2019, please contact the Office of Alumni Relations at 513-244-4359 or visit msj.edu/homecoming.

ALUMNI UPDATES PROFILE FIGHTING SPIRIT: AARON HANCOCK ‘01

For Aaron Hancock ’01, the Mount was more than books, classrooms, and football games—it taught him a philosophy of life.

“The Mount built my competitive spirit that continues to stay with me now,” says the acclaimed Wyoming High School head coach. “Everything I did there was so I could be a better person.”

Recruited by Rod Huber ’99 (former defensive line football coach and later football head coach), the Northwood, Ohio, native played football and was recruited to wrestle at the Mount during his student-athlete days under the supervision of Ron Corradini, head coach of both programs in the mid1990s. The life of a student-athlete was busy enough juggling classwork and team practice. On top of that balancing act, Hancock worked 30 hours a week at a local Walmart. Never one to run away from a challenging situation, he persevered in his studies, athletics, and work.

Then in his sophomore year at the Mount, an injury on the field wiped out his entire season. “They told me I shouldn’t play football anymore,” Hancock says. “Another concussion and I’d be done.”

He refused to give up and found a way back to the field after learning he could wear a specialized helmet that provided extra protection. Hancock played his next 20 games for the Lions as a healthy middle linebacker while pursuing his Bachelor of Arts in Education.

Shortly after graduation, he landed the job he continues to have today after 18 years—at Wyoming High School in Cincinnati, where he teaches physical education in addition to serving as head coach of the Cowboys. The team finished their 2018 season as undefeated Ohio High School Athletic Association State Champions with a 15-0 record, in addition to going 39-2 across the last three seasons.

“We’ve always had a successful program in Wyoming,” he says. It’s quite the understatement. The school, in fact, boasts the all-time winning percentage in Ohio high school football

Aaron Hancock ’01 and wife Alisha with their three children.

history, with 703 wins over 100 years, 34 conference championships, 24 playoff appearances, five regional titles, and two state titles. During Hancock’s seven seasons as head coach (after serving 11 years as assistant coach), the team has a record of 72-13.

Taking it to the next level—and leading them to their first state title in 41 years under his watch—required specialized mentoring that focused on emotional and physical development, even during the off season. “When you’re winning regional and state titles, I believe it’s 100 percent based around ways you motivate and get everyone moving in the same direction. It’s about team and family.”

His secret to successful coaching?

“I’ve really taken the great experiences I had at the Mount and applied them in how I teach high school athletes,” says

Hancock. “I’m really just passing along the torch.”

He recalls his days at the Mount studying psychology, theology, and more.

“I received a great education that prepared me well for teaching.”

Not surprisingly, his winning coaching style also draws from his experiences as a former Lion. “I was always impressed by the dedication of coaches Huber and Corradini,” says Hancock. “Anytime we needed something, they were there to help us.”

That commitment to serving others is now passed along to the students of Wyoming High School. “I want to prepare, push, and challenge them,” says Hancock. Like he was taught by coaches Huber and Corradini, “I’m here to provide the right tools and instruction to ensure my students are working to be the best they can be.”

SPRING 2019 31

ALUMNI UPDATES MAKING AN IMPACT MAKING AN IMPACT: MICHELLE (DOOGAN) MENNER ’99, ’98 During her junior year of high school, Michelle (Doogan) Menner ’99, ’98 sprained her ankle sliding into second base playing softball. As a result, she had to receive physical therapy—a fate that would lead to her future career.

“When I walked out of my first physical therapy appointment, I said, ‘I’m going to do this when I grow up,’” says Menner. Shortly after she recovered from her injury, Menner, 16 years old at the time, began volunteering at the very physical therapy center that helped her rehabilitate.

In 1994, the Mount began recruiting its first cohort of physical therapy students. Her decision to enroll in the program was a “no brainer” as Menner puts it.

After graduating in 1999 among the first cohort of physical therapy students, she had her eyes set on working at Cincinnati Children’s Hospital, so she called them once a month until a position became available. Menner has been employed there ever since.

As a physical therapist in the Outpatient Neurorehabilitation Team, Menner works with children who have acquired neurological brain or spinal cord injuries. Her various roles also include aquatic therapy and home care.

“It’s incredibly rewarding to see children make progress toward their goals,” she says. “I have the opportunity to impact the family’s quality of life and the child’s quality of life. If I can be just a small piece of improving both, then it’s a job well done.”

Menner is also a clinical instructor at Cincinnati Children’s Hospital, and she is very much aware of where her students come from. “I like to work

32 MOUNT ST. JOSEPH UNIVERSITY

with Mount students because they are well-prepared, professional, and have a solid foundation of their physical therapy skills,” she says. “What’s most impressive is [the Mount] focuses on the whole person—the students have a high emotional intelligence as well as book smarts.”

In addition to mentoring students, Menner served as an MSJ adjunct lab assistant teaching neuro-rehabilitation and pediatrics. She enjoys providing them with real-world experiences, both in the classroom and at Cincinnati Children’s Hospital.

To honor the 20th anniversary of the Mount’s physical therapy graduating class, a special alumni board was formed to foster engagement, facilitate professional networking, and support current students.

For Menner, this offered another great opportunity to stay involved at her alma mater. “I’m truly appreciative of what the Mount has done for me,” she says. “The alumni board is my way of serving the Mount in an another way because I’m forever grateful for my education that allows me to do what I love.”

REMEMBERING DONNA EBY

The Mount community will fondly remember Donna Eby ’81, who passed away on Jan. 21, 2019, one week shy of her 60th birthday.

She was a partner in Sanger & Eby Design, a successful Cincinnati design firm she founded in 1988 with her fellow alum Lisa Sanger ’83.

Together, they grew the company into one of Cincinnati’s largest women-owned businesses.

Eby once served as president of the MSJ Alumni Board and also served as chair and vice chair of the Mount Jubilee Scholarship Benefit. She was the recipient of the Mount’s Alumni Volunteer Recognition Award and the Alumni Career Achievement Award in 2006.

Eby and Sanger were passionate supporters of the Mount’s art programs.

They funded the Sanger & Eby Design Studio in the remodeled Art Building, and, in 2016, funded 3-D printers in the Art Department.

The Mount community is grateful for Eby’s leadership and generosity to her alma mater. She will be dearly missed.

ALUMNI PASSAGES Agnes DeVaney Fogarty ’38 Helene O’Brien Martin ’41* Eileen B. (Bensman) Harriman ’48 Mary Ann Kenning Heffernan ’48 Mary Nock Umina ’49 Elizabeth Anne (Betty) VonderBrink Baron ’49 Mary Lee Knox Nourse ’52 Catherine Schlichte Arnone ’54 Ann Moore Keane ’54 Miriam Clare Glandorf, SC, ’55 Jane Groshheider, SC, ’57 Marian Ruede, SC, ’58 Carol Phelan Hacala ’59 Mary Paula Renne, SC, ’59 Rose Ann Engler ’62

Gail Stucke Schimpf ’62 Marianna Dryden Bridge ’64 Joan Clare Stewart, SC, ’64 Mary Ellen Quay Sullivan ’67 Helen Attenweiler, SC, ’68 Catherine Shoppell Ridenbaugh ’70 Mary Lou Knapke, SC, ’71 Janet Gildea, SC, ’78 Darlene Kirchheiner ’78 Donna Eby ’81 (see above) Patricia Higgins Murdock ’83 Katherine Lemon ’91 Tina Mills ’94 Passages listed are current as of press time. *Non-grad alumni or social class year.

ALUMNI UPDATE CLASS NOTES 1960s

Mary Beth Hausman ’67 of Plymouth, Mich., took her family to Glacier National Park to celebrate her 50th anniversary with her husband, Gerald.

1970s

Kathyleen “Kathy” Clarke Kunkel ’73 has been appointed as secretary for the New Mexico Department of Health in January 2019. Previously, Kunkel served as the department’s deputy director, overseeing the bureau of behavioral supports, regional offices, litigation management and employment support in the Developmental Disabilities division.

Juliann Dorff ’74 received the Lifetime Achievement Award from the National Art Education Association. This honor recognizes those who have made a unique and lasting impact of art education on the lives of people with special needs.

1980s

Martha Undercoffer ’82, Karen Beaumont Dusing ’82, Christine Wallenhorst Richardson ’82, Mary Grace Bernardine McMullen ’82, Jennifer Husart Magro ’82, and Nancy Ellen Remely Windel Russell ’82 spent a fun weekend together in Cincinnati, catching up and enjoying each other’s company.

1990s

Michael Perin ’91 relocated from Cincinnati to Secaucus, N.J. Nicole Lindsey ’99 completed her second graduate degree, a Master of Library and Information Sciences with K-12 school librarian certification, from Kent State University.

2000s

Mike Lind ’00 and wife Amy welcomed their daughter, Corinne, on March 5, 2019.

Sara Espenscheid Hughes ’01 and husband Kevin welcomed their second son, Isaac Michael, in May 2018.

I received from the entire Mount community,” she says.

Steven Von Hertsenberg ’11 and Kelsey Von Hertsenberg ’11 welcomed their first child, Grace, on June 12, 2018.

Ashley Lear Gault ’12 of Fairfield, Ohio, and her husband welcomed their first Eric Johnson ’03 serves as executive child, Myana Gault, on Jan. 22, 2018. In director for CASA in Tulare County, addition, she works for Landmark Health California.

Systems as a care coordinator in the Catherine Maloney ’04 earned her M.B.A. Cincinnati region. from Morehead State University in 2009 Kayla (Cornette) Taske ’13 and Matt and currently manages her own business Taske ’14, ’09, welcomed their daughter in the residential housing industry.

Adalynn Shea Taske on April 22.

Amy Talbert ’04 of Fort Mitchell, Ky., Emily (Berning) Bargiel ’14, of and husband Doug adopted three-year Columbus, Ohio, has been promoted -old Annistyn and two-year-old Levi on to senior manager of girl experience for May 14, 2018.

Girl Scouts of Ohio’s Heartland. She has served the national organization for Joni Huber ’05, of Batesville, Ind., was five years, with three being at the recognized as one of 39 Hoosier Women Heartland office.

Artists competition honorees for her piece "Colored Currents," a mixed media Veteran Benjamin Zeinner ’14 was collage created with acrylic paint. featured in Search & Employ for his work Angela (Timmons) Goldschmidt ’06 and at Cincinnati Children's Hospital Medical Gregory Goldschmidt Center. The article was part of a series that highlights career opportunities for ’07, welcomed their veterans, with his successes as a registered fourth daughter, Lucy nurse demonstrating how military Therese, on Jan. 23. experience can aid in healthcare careers.

She joins big sisters Kaitlyn, Ava, and Cecilia.

Ashley Eilers Conners ’15, ’14, who works as Assistant Editor for Bea Broder-Oldach ’09 has authored the book, Diamond Pin Stories from the Street, RecruitMilitary LLC in Lebanon, Ohio, was also featured in Search & Employ, which shares the experiences of a where she detailed the careers available in chaplain engaged in street ministry and the health care industry for veterans. shares the deep humanity and resilience of people experiencing homelessness Tiffany Henson ’16 relocated to and poverty.

Pearl City, Hawaii, with her husband, Dalton Driehaus.

2010s

William J. Beach II ’10, of Beverly, Mass., serves as corporate manager for the Greater Boston Walk to End Alzheimer’s.

Summer Hamilton ’17 was married in the Mater Dei Chapel on Nov. 17, 2018.

Eucabeth Mose ’10 just earned her M.D. from Rosalind Franklin University of Medicine and Science. She now treats patients at the Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minn. “All this would not have been possible without the support

Amanda Merz ’17 serves as a human resources coordinator under the Board of County Commissioners of Hamilton County.

Tell us a story: Share your personal and professional accomplishments with the entire Mount community.

You can submit stories and photos online at msj.edu/classnotes.

SPRING 2019 33

ALUMNI UPDATES JUBILEE

PRESIDENTIAL SPONSORS Don J. Doyle, Jr. ’89 Sisters of Charity of Cincinnati TRUSTEE SPONSOR Cincinnati Financial Corporation UNIVERSITY SPONSORS Elaine (Busch) ’72 & David Billmire Mary (Mazza) ’76 & Mark Clement Messer Construction Co. The Kroger Company AVI Food Systems Fort Washington Investment Advisors Inc. Modern Office Methods Inc. U.S. Bank CAMPUS SPONSORS Bahl & Gaynor Investment Council CTI Clinical Trials and Consulting Services Education At Work CENTENNIAL SPONSORS 1919 Investment Counsel George and Jeane Elliott Fifth Third Bank Frost Brown Todd PK Financial Group Inc. Bernadette ’67 and Norman Plair USI Insurance Company Mark and Lisa Weadick Dr. H. James Williams, President & Mrs. Carole C. Williams, First Lady PATRONS Cincinnati Coin Laundry Company McGill Smith & Punshon Maribeth S. Rahe Eric & Marty Thiemann AV & STAGING SPONSOR Prestige AV and Creative Services PRINT SPONSORS Deerfield Digital Printing Graphic Village CATERING SPONSOR Chef ’s Choice Catering FLORAL SPONSOR Dale’s Designs & Florals MEDIA SPONSOR Cincinnati Business Courier VIDEO SPONSOR BIG Media Creative

34 MOUNT ST. JOSEPH UNIVERSITY

A JOYOUS JUBILEE

Faculty, staff, alumni, and friends of the University gathered on April 5 at Cincinnati Music Hall for the University’s annual scholarship benefit, the Mount Jubilee Gala. The event also honored individuals and organizations that have made a significant impact on the Mount.

All proceeds from the evening’s festivities help provide scholarships to students. For more information, visit msj.edu/jubilee.

Save the date for the next Mount Jubilee Gala, Friday, April 3, 2020!

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Today’s Date

Graduation Year(s)

MSJ Degree(s) and Program(s)

Please submit your memories of academics and courses, clubs and activities, traditions, events, sports and athletics, campus hangouts, residence hall or commuter life.

IT’S TIME TO CELEBRATE AND SHARE MSJ MEMORIES!

As part of the Centennial Celebration, we want to collect great stories from our alumni. Use this form to share your memories and stories about the places you used to hang out on campus, favorite traditions, memorable events, etc.

You can submit as many stories as you wish, but please follow these guidelines: • 500 word limit • Photo attachments should not exceed a total of 20 MB Due to space limitations, selection and editing decisions made by staff are considered final. All stories submitted will be catalogued for placement in the Mount’s Archives.

Our first goal is to showcase 100 stories at the Founder’s Day Celebration/Centennial Kickoff on Saturday, September 14, 2019. We hope to then continue sharing stories through various print and electronic channels during the Centennial.

You may also submit your story online at: msj.edu/memories.

Questions? Contact Cathy McDonald ’84 at 513-244-4486, or cathy.mcdonald@msj.edu.

Your Story

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Celebrating a Century of Memories, Mission, Education, and Service to Others. msj.edu/msj100

SATURDAY, SEPTEMBER 14

Studio San Giuseppe Art Gallery Gallery Reception, 2 - 4 p.m.

Highlighting the mission and vision of the Sisters of Charity and the Mount.

Founders Day Mass 4:30 p.m., Mater Dei Chapel Celebrated by Archbishop Schnurr Founders Day Celebration Join us after Mass for food trucks, fun, and fireworks.

SATURDAY, OCTOBER 5

Homecoming Tailgate 11:30 a.m. - 1:30 p.m.

East Parking Garage and Lions Park

Homecoming Football Game MSJ Lions vs. Defiance Yellow Jackets 1:30 p.m., Schueler Field MSJ alumni free with MSJ I.D. Alumni Mass 5:30 p.m., Mater Dei Chapel

WEDNESDAY, NOVEMBER 6 Seton Medal Presentation Noon, Mater Dei Chapel

Event details subject to change.

Visit msj.edu/msj100 or call Katrina Kenton at 513-244-4327 for updates.

ONE LAST THOUGHT

LETTER TO THE EDITOR To Whom It May Concern:

When reading the article featuring Judi Heile ’85 (“The Mount’s Legacy Blooms,” Fall 2018 issue of Mount News), I noticed some discrepancies. Pat Murdock was also involved with writing the federal grant for the Cooperative Education Program.

It was Pat who was the first director of cooperative education at the Mount and served in that role until she accepted a position with what is now called the Division of Institutional Advancement. At the time, a couple of very important changes were made in the Cooperative Education Department and Continuing Education Office.

They merged to form the Career Planning and Placement Office, and Judi became the director of the combined programs.

I was the first secretary of cooperative education and was present through all of the changes.

Sincerely, Nancy K. Batchelor ’90 Letters are edited for length and clarity.

2019 Mount Jubilee Gala Award Winners Top row, L to R: Wolohan Master’s Academy Members, Karen A. Carrol ’79 and Susan School Schiller ’71; Anne Rasche Award Winner Jan Gross McNerney ’71; Trustee Award Winner Kenneth W. Stecher; Corporate Partner Award Winner V. Ruth Klette.

Bottom row, L to R: Alumni Impact Award Winners Craig Davis ’10, Mary Danner Wineberg ’14, and Heather Couch ’13.

Learn more and help spread the word about Mount St. Joseph University on social media. @MountStJosephU MountStJoseph

@msj1920

SPRING 2019 37

IMPORTANT DATES June

6-9

21-22 24-28

29th Annual International Conference on Virginia Woolf New Student Orientation Summer Art Camp

July 4 Independence Day (University Closed) 8-12 Theatre Works 19-20 New Student Orientation

August 16 19 21-22 23-31 26

Summer Semester Ends Adult Transfer Orientation New Student Orientation Welcome Weekend/Welcome Week Fall Semester Begins

September 2 Labor Day (University Closed) 14 Founders Day Celebration/Centennial Kickoff 27-29 Family Weekend

October 4 4-6 4

11

Athletic Hall of Fame Induction Homecoming and Reunion Weekend “The Defamation Experience� (info at defamationtheplay.com) Mid Semester Holiday (University Closed)

November 6 Seton Medal Presentation 27-29 Thanksgiving Recess (University Closed) For complete calendar listings, visit msj.edu/calendar For MSJ Lions schedule, visit msjsports.com For Centennial Events, visit msj.edu/msj100

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.

If you have received Mount News in error or wish to update your mailing preferences, please contact us at alumni@msj.edu or call 513-244-4871.