Mount News Summer 2016

MOUNT NEWS MOUNT ST. JOSEPH UNIVERSITY | SUMMER 2016

CHANGE MAKER H. James Williams, Ph.D., joins the Mount as our new president—and he’s ready to get down to business.

CHANGE MAKER Meet H. James Williams, Ph.D., the Mount’s new president

By Michael Schiavetta

On his way to Mount St. Joseph University for what would be his final interview for the job of Mount president, H. James Williams, Ph.D., stopped at St. Philip Catholic Church in Franklin, Tenn.

He took out his bible and prayed, preparing himself for what he’d hoped would be the final step before joining the Mount community.

It was only hours after he’d left that Williams noticed his bible—which also held his itinerary for his Mount St. Joseph visit—was missing. He called the church and spoke to a woman named Kim who said she’d found it. When Williams returned the next day to pick it up, he learned that Kim was actually Mount alumna Kim Leisinger ’92.

It was a sign of good things to come, he noted. Coincidences, as the saying goes, are God’s way of remaining anonymous.

“Right away, we hit it off,” says Williams with a friendly smile. “And she prayed for me to get the job.”

Those prayers were answered in February 2016, when the Mount announced the former Ernst & Young accountant and business school dean as its seventh president. He officially assumed the role on March 15 amid enthusiastic support from the entire Mount community. His credentials include two degrees from Georgetown University Law Center, a Ph.D. from the University of Georgia, an M.B.A. from the University of Wisconsin and serving as president of Fisk University in Nashville, Tenn.

“Where much is, much is expected,” Williams told audience members at his Feb. 29 welcome ceremony, recalling the words spoken to him by a middle school educator in his hometown of Winston-Salem, N.C. “We have a responsibility to those around us …

We have been entrusted with the past, present and future of Mount St. Joseph University.”

BUILDING OUTREACH

Among his leadership priorities is enhanced outreach to Mount graduates. “Alumni relations is critically important, and the University cannot be at its best without the support of its alumni,” he says. “We want to reach out, find opportunities and be as transparent as possible.”

Williams is working with the Mount Alumni Association to create activities that further engage graduates. He also plans to host one-hour private webcasts (two during spring and two during fall semesters) for alumni where they can ask any questions they want.

To prospective college students, Williams wants to emphasize the crucial role of education to shape their careers.

“These days there is so much negative commentary about college education and its importance,” he says. “But students need to know it’s worth the effort and expense—there is value in a college degree.”

Promoting the Mount to high involved with student activities and school students and working alumni programming, but also professionals, Williams adds, help connect students to the will include showing how community. One of the the University’s liberal things I like to do is “He’s going arts foundation, work with Habitat for to figure out sewn throughout its Humanity, where the how to make the academic programs, Mount already has a University a bigger provides “an student chapter.”’ presence and integrate understanding Of her husband, it into the business and appreciation she adds: “He is 110 of all the different percent devoted to community. That dimensions of life, the Mount, with a life will serve students especially critical that revolves around very well.” thinking, writing, his family, his work and research and other his faith. And he has the intellectual skills, to put biggest laugh ever.” them in a better place to adapt to TAKING CARE today’s changing dynamics.”

FIRST LADY OF THE MOUNT

Joining Williams at the Mount is his wife of 28 years, Carole CampbellWilliams. They have two children, Michelle and Garrett. She recalls her first steps onto the Mount campus and how clean and well-kept it is. In particular, Carole remembers her initial experience with the Mater Dei Chapel. “When you walk past it and see stained glass mosaics, you have to take a deep breath and relax,” she says. “It’s such a beautiful chapel. I always have to stop over there.”

She plans to help bridge a stronger connection between the Mount and the city of Cincinnati. “I would like to get

OF BUSINESS

Outreach to the Greater Cincinnati area is a paramount concern for the Mount’s new president. With a strong business background, Williams is eager to deepen connections and build mutually beneficial relationships.

“He understands that a university like the Mount is going to thrive only if it more deliberately makes itself part of the bigger business conversation in town,” says Jill Meyer ’93, CEO of the Cincinnati USA Regional Chamber.

“He’s asking all the right questions.

And it’s clear to me that he’s going to figure out how to make the University a bigger presence and integrate it into the business community. That will serve students very well.”

President H. James Williams, Ph.D., and his wife of 28 years, Carole, have two children—Michelle and Garrett. Among his priorities at the Mount are building outreach to alumni and the city of Cincinnati.

SUMMER 2016 • 1

CHANGE MAKER

REIGNS OF LEADERSHIP President Williams joins a distinguished group whose leadership and vision have steered the Mount for nearly a century.

Mother Generals of the Sisters of Charity (1920-1959) Served ex officio as president of the College of Mount St. Joseph until 1959, when the separate Office of the President was established.

Sister Maria Corona (1959-1967) Served as dean since 1933 and was the Mount’s first official president. She oversaw the building of a new campus that opened in 1962.

Sister Adele Clifford (1967-1972) During her tenure, the Sisters of Charity separately incorporated the College of Mount St. Joseph under a board of trustees and retained the role of sponsor.

Robert Wolverton (1972-1977) Had the distinction of serving as the first lay president of the Mount.

Sister Jean Patrice Harrington (1977-1987) Directed the College’s expansion into adult and graduate education.

Sister Francis Marie Thrailkill (1987-2008) A member of the Ursulines of the Roman Union, she led the Mount’s transformation into a fully coeducational institution, expanded student services and the intercollegiate athletics program from 4 to 21 sports, strengthened the curriculum and oversaw the largest campus expansion.

Anthony Aretz, Ph.D. (2008-2015) Led the change in designation from college to university status, which broadened the educational experiences and opportunities at the Mount.

President Williams greets John Young, chair of the Mount St. Joseph University Board of Trustees, at the Feb. 29 presidential welcome ceremony.

SHARED VALUES

One of the key factors that attracted Williams to the Mount is its connection to the Sisters of Charity and, consequently, its commitment to a university education centered around faith.

“Faith is important along many dimensions,” he says. “It sustains the University and informs who we are and what we do. And because it’s fundamental to who we are, it explains our culture in large measure. That’s a direct result of our mission, vision and values as informed by our faith.”

“When I first met him during his interview in January, I asked him how the sponsorship of the Sisters of Charity impacted his interest in the position,” said Sister Joan Cook ’64, SC president, at the announcement of Williams’ presidency. “He responded that the values, spirit and mission of the Sisters of Charity are the heart of what this university was, is and hopes to be.”

The Mount’s core beliefs resonate with Williams on a family level as well. His mother and father are both retired pastors. He also has two sisters who are ministers and an extended family replete with ministers and pastors.

FINDING THE RIGHT LEADER

To find its seventh president, the Mount appointed John Young, chair of the Board of Trustees, to lead the search process in May 2015, following the resignation of Anthony Aretz, Ph.D., the Mount’s sixth president who led its transition from college to university status. His legacy includes the creation of new academic programs, as well as the Center for Ethical Leadership, the Vision2020 strategic plan and the career preparedness initiative known as the Talent Opportunity Program.

The search committee solicited feedback and comments from the entire Mount community. “We spoke with students, faculty, the Sisters of Charity, staff, donors and other supporters,” says Young. By fall 2015, qualified applicants were being reviewed with interviews commencing in December—but one candidate stood out.

“Right from the start, the information Dr. Williams provided was very well put together,” says Young. “When we met him, what he had on paper was very consistent with the way he presented himself. He was very authentic and devoted to the mission of the University and the entire community. It’s also connected to the way he runs his life.”

Young and his colleagues on the search committee took special interest in Williams’ business education. “It was important that his heart and soul was with the University but where the rubber meets the road, you also need someone with good business practices,” he says. “We wanted someone who could lead not only in terms of recruitment, enrollment and philanthropy, but someone who knew the business of running a university.”

2 • MOUNT ST. JOSEPH UNIVERSITY

MOUNT NEWS MOUNT ST. JOSEPH UNIVERSITY | SUMMER 2016

MOUNT TAPS BREWING BOOM:

Explore Cincinnati’s rich history with beer— and how the Mount is playing its part in today’s thriving industry.

ALL THE WORLD’S A CLASSROOM:

Mount students embrace global perspectives through international travel.

page 18

page 22

STARTUP SUCCESS Alumni entrepreneurs share tricks of the startup trade page 10

PRESIDENT’S MESSAGE

Dear Mount Alumni, As the seventh president of Mount St. Joseph University, I am honored to serve this great institution and look forward to meeting as many of you as possible in the months ahead. From the first day my wife, Carole, and I stepped onto the Mount campus, we’ve been overwhelmed by the enthusiastic support of students, faculty, trustees, staff, graduates and friends of the University. Truly, we are blessed to be part of such a special community.

But we’ve been busy as well. Meeting with the Sisters of Charity, Mount administration, Board of Trustees and external partners has given me a greater appreciation of Mount St. Joseph University and its potential as I set key priorities in my leadership agenda. These include the following: • fortifying our financial and operational resiliency; • building a sustainable community at the Mount, while nurturing good governance; • enriching our relationships throughout the Greater Cincinnati region—especially among alumni and donors—to stimulate philanthropy and provide new experiential learning opportunities for Mount students; • evaluating our academic programs to ensure they meet the needs of our students and the demands of the 21st-century global marketplace; • boosting enrollments to 3,000 students by 2020 (up from our current enrollment of 2,100 students) as we develop strategies with Ruffalo Noel Levitz, a leader in enrollment management consulting for higher education; and • renovating facilities, beginning this summer, to accommodate new programs such as our new physician assistant program that will launch in 2018.

As you can see, we’ve much to do in the months ahead. Look for updates in upcoming issues of Mount News, our website (at msj.edu) and our alumni newsletter, Alumni Connections. Along those lines, I hope you enjoy this latest edition of your alumni magazine. Our feature highlights in this issue include a story on graduates who’ve embraced entrepreneurial thinking to launch their own businesses. They share their success stories as well as the challenges of being small business owners in today’s economic climate.

We also examine Mount study abroad trips that promote much needed global perspective and broaden multicultural experiences for our students—essential traits in today’s highly competitive job market. Our last feature focuses on the history of Cincinnati beer brewing and how the Mount’s contribution to this rich legacy is being further defined by our faculty and alumni.

In closing, we hope the University has given you—our valued graduates—the skills, tools and experiences that have led to your own spiritual and professional fulfillment. It’s no secret that one of the best benchmarks of any university is the quality of its alumni. The Mount graduates I’ve had the pleasure of meeting to date are truly an inspired group of leaders, innovators and professionals. Your successes only boost the reputation of our institution and further ensure that people associate a Mount degree with successful careers and personal distinction.

Please enjoy this latest issue of Mount News. My prayers and best wishes are with our entire community as you enjoy safe travels and spend time with family and friends during the summer months.

Best Regards, H. James Williams, Ph.D.

4 • MOUNT ST. JOSEPH UNIVERSITY

CONTENTS

Around the Quad news 6 academics 8 Lion’s Corner

STARTUP SUCCESS

10

Alumni entrepreneurs share tricks of the startup trade.

26

Faculty/Staff Report 28 Alumni Updates news 30 making an impact 31 classnotes 32 passages 34 alumni profile 36

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

MOUNT TAPS BREWING BOOM

MOUNT EDITORIAL TEAM

Explore Cincinnati’s rich history with beer—and how the Mount is playing its part in today’s thriving industry.

Jessica Baltzersen ’14 Gina Bath Tara Byrd Kathleen Lundrigan Cardwell ’87 Jill Eichhorn Greg Goldschmidt ’07 Trevor Griffith Sandy Oldendick Mark Osborne Jim H. Smith Kara Gebhart Uhl Colleen Weinkam

18

DESIGNER Natalie Broering ’05

MANAGING EDITOR Michael Schiavetta

ALL THE WORLD’S A CLASSROOM

22

Mount students embrace global perspectives through international travel.

CONTRIBUTING COPY EDITOR Arlene Werts Cover illustration copyright: Allevinatis, istockphoto.com. All photos by Mark Byron, Don Denney and Amanda Onady unless otherwise noted. If you would like to contact a member of the editorial team, call 513-244-4871 or 800-654-9314. If you would like to submit a letter to the editor, please email alumni@msj.edu.

JOIN THE CONVERSATION

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 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 compliance and risk officer, 513-244-4393, Office of the President, 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.

SUMMER 2016 • 5

AROUND THE QUAD

news

ALWAYS BANK ON MOUNT STUDENTS

GRAPHIC DESIGN CO-OP CREATES “EMOJOES” “EmoJOEs” are now available for download thanks to former Mount graphic design co-op Alyssa McCreadie ’16. She created the Mount version of emojis (small digital images to express emotion) through her hand creation of an animated Joe Lion, the Mount’s mascot.

Students are helping the Mount community through counseling work at the University’s Ohio Bank Benefit office.

Last fall, students in Associate Professor Judy Singleton’s Community/Organizational Development class established the Mount’s first Ohio Benefit Bank (OBB) program to help the campus community with food assistance, child care assistance, health coverage and other financial support. Singleton, Ph.D., took the necessary steps to become an OBB counselor who in turn trained a class of students to become counselors as well. Once the students went through the training and passed the OBB counselor test, they were issued a certificate. As a result of their efforts, the students are now certified counselors and staff the Ohio Benefit Bank office on campus.

The program will continue each fall semester moving forward, as more Mount students receive training and serve as counselors.

“I like bringing things to life,” says McCreadie. “I like to give them emotions and create stories around them.” An avid cartoonist, she drew 12 different Joe Lion emojis to represent a variety of expressions— angry, sad, laughing, snoozing—and added different features like sunglasses and a halo. Then she digitized them through Adobe Illustrator so they could be downloaded to devices and used for texting and social media.

McCreadie’s drawings are inspired by video games, Japanese animation and graphic novels.

“I love forming universes and characters that I can weave together to create interesting stories,” she says. “I draw to make people happy. I evoke emotions through various forms of storytelling, whether it’s a single image or a host of panels meant to convey a string of events.” McCreadie plans to use her graphic design degree to create a graphic novel series with her own cartoon creations.

The Mount’s EmoJOEs are free and available for anyone to use. Visit msj.edu/emojoe for downloading instructions.

NEWS BRIEF: Scholarship Awarded to DPT Student Lauren Cain, a D.P.T. student from the Class of 2018, earned a $1,000 scholarship from the Association for Professionals in Aging, a Cincinnati Tri-state organization focused on geriatric care. She works as a therapy aide at Gateway Rehabilitation Hospital working with older adults. “I am interested in working with older adults because I want to help them maintain or regain their independence,” Cain says. “Too often I feel that older adults are stigmatized as frail or weak, and I want to make sure they receive the care they deserve in order to return to their normal daily lives.”

MOUNT BIOLOGY STUDENTS PLACE IN REGIONAL COMPETITION

Biology majors Mary Wright (left) and Elizabeth Crow scored high honors at the annual NE-4 regional TriBeta Convention.

Mount biology major Mary Wright took first place in the Molecular, Cellular, and Microbiology category for her project, “Testing for Depression-like Behaviors in Mice Lacking Phosphodiesterase 1B” at the annual NE-4 regional TriBeta Convention held at Ohio University in Athens, Ohio. Wright also won the Frank G. Brooks Award, earning the chance to present at the national biennial TriBeta Conference at Bethel University in St. Paul, Minn. Mount biology major Elizabeth Crow also placed in the competition with second place in the same category for her project, “The effect of reproductive hormones on breast cancer cell migration.” Upon graduation, Crow will pursue post-graduate work in physician assistant studies and Wright will work in research at Cincinnati Children’s Hospital.

6 • MOUNT ST. JOSEPH UNIVERSITY

FINE ARTS DECISION ADDS UP TO FIRST PLACE HONORS Up until her first year of high school, Olivia Dean wanted to be an accountant. She had always excelled in her math classes and it made sense for her to pursue a career in numbers. But things changed after she was persuaded by a friend to take an art class. “To me, there is nothing better than sitting in my room, listening to music and drawing or painting for hours,” says Dean. “I ended up loving it and from that point on I knew that art was what I wanted to do.”

Now a junior at the Mount, the fine arts major was awarded first place in the Summerfair Emerging Artists competitive exhibition at the Clifton Cultural Art Center for her acrylic/encaustic painting (pictured), “Let’s Not Talk About Size More Often.”

No longer interested in accounting, Dean still uses logic and analytical reasoning in her creative process. “I enjoy taking the time to plan out projects and lay them out mathematically, requiring constant time and attention to detail,” she says. After finishing her undergraduate degree, Dean plans to pursue a certificate in animation, with an aspiration to be an animator for Disney’s Pixar.

Also exhibited in this distinguished juried exhibition was work by two senior art education majors: photographs by Christopher Walters and portrait oil paintings by Chrisanne Neumann.

NEWS BRIEF: Smart Solution Lifts Career Fair Fifty-six employers and 250 students participated in the Spring 2016 Career and Co-op Fair—a significant increase in attendance over last year thanks in part to the success of the new MSJ Career Fair app for smartphones.

The app includes detailed information on each of the represented organizations, an interactive floor plan and resources such as tips on how to dress, interview and more.

“The app provided an easy way for students to prepare and feel comfortable at the fair,” says Julie Keller, prior learning assessment coordinator of the Career Center. Since today’s students grew up in a world dominated by the Internet, social media and mobile computing, the Career Center team believed it was best to adapt to their needs.

“It’s all about meeting the students where they are,” says Linda Pohlgeers, director of the Career Center, “and the app is a perfect example of that.”

NEW CENTER FOSTERS STUDENT COLLABORATION A new Student Organization Center has been built in the Harrington Center as a collaborative space for student groups to meet and facilitate gatherings. The yearlong project was completed in January 2016 with an opening ceremony. The center provides a common ground for different organizations to work together and a space for students to study and socialize. Included in the space are white boards, a TV for presentations, two conference spaces, five work stations and a corkboard for event advertisement.

“The space is for all students as a hub for all groups to work with each other,” says Stephen Craig, assistant dean of student engagement and leadership.

“Students need spaces dedicated to them that show how the Mount administration values the hard work that they do.”

NEWS BRIEF: Students Join Habitat for Humanity Collegiate Challenge Following the Mount’s 97th Commencement on May 7, 10 students traveled to Charleston, S.C., to take part in building two family homes for Habitat for Humanity. They constructed the shell of one home and helped build the interior of another home. The students also had the chance to check out a Charleston Mud Dogs baseball game and explore the historic city. The Mount’s Habitat for Humanity chapter is one of the most active student groups on campus and takes part in building homes throughout the Greater Cincinnati area during the school year.

SUMMER 2016 • 7

AROUND THE QUAD

academics

NEWS BRIEF: New Computer Science Degree Connects Students to Tech Opportunities In fall 2015, the Mount launched a computer science major for undergraduates looking to pursue careers in the technology field. Options include a degree in computer science with a required minor in one of 11 different disciplines, or a web and mobile application development degree with a choice of a minor in graphic design or mathematics. The minor options offer students the opportunity to apply their computer science knowledge and skills to a discipline that interests them specifically.

NEWS BRIEF: Mount Celebrates Neighborhood Bicentennial Delhi Township celebrates 200 years of rich history and growth in 2016, with yearlong sponsored events and activities.

In honor of the neighborhood’s bicentennial, the Mount will be involved in several upcoming events including the MSJU 5k on Sept. 23, Delhi Day at the Mount’s football game Sept. 24 and an open house at the Sisters of Charity/Bayley Place and the Mount’s campus on Sept. 25. Mount students will also be involved in several Delhi Historical Society sponsored events, including Pioneer Day on Aug. 27.

Visit delhitownship2016.org for more information.

At its annual scholarship benefit, Jubilee, the Mount honored 2016’s Future Five Award winners for professional excellence and dedication to their communities.

JOY AND JUBILEE Mount St. Joseph University’s annual scholarship benefit, The Mount Jubilee, took place at Music Hall Ballroom in downtown Cincinnati on April 27. The event honored individuals and organizations that have made a significant impact on the University. This year, more than 350 people attended, which included alumni, students, faculty and staff. Proceeds helped provide scholarships to assist Mount students with financing their education and realizing their professional goals.

In addition, Jubilee awards were presented to distinguished members of the Mount community (visit msj.edu/jubilee for more): • Ann Rasche Alumni Award—Robin Ruede Caponi ’71 • Trustee Award—SC Ministry Foundation • Corporate Award—The Robert H. Reakirt Foundation, PNC Bank, Trustee, and The Josephine Schell Russell Charitable Trust, PNC Bank, Trustee • Future Five Awards (pictured above, from left)— Nick Messinger ’08, Tim Prince ’10, Debra Weber ’04, Cat Perlson ’12 and Chris Eckes ’00

SCHOOL OF BUSINESS GETS THE GOLDHAHN TOUCH The Mount welcomed Anna Goldhahn, Ph.D., as the new assistant dean and director of graduate programs in the School of Business. She brings nearly 20 years of experience in marketing research and loyalty marketing in Cincinnati.

After teaching a fall 2015 course in the Master’s of Science in Organizational Leadership program, Goldhahn knew she wanted to be a part of the Mount. “I was so impressed with the program and the students that I knew I wanted to be more involved in the school’s graduate business programs,” she says.

Goldhahn holds a Bachelor’s of Science in Psychology and Communications from Carroll College in Helena Montana, a Ph.D. in Social Psychology from Miami University and an M.B.A. from Xavier University.

8 • MOUNT ST. JOSEPH UNIVERSITY

SCHIZOPHRENIA ORAL HISTORY PROJECT Tracy McDonough, associate professor in the Department of Psychology, was selected to share her experiences with The Schizophrenia Oral History Project with the #CincyStoryTellers of the Cincinnati Enquirer on May 4. Lynda Crane, professor emeritus at Mount St. Joseph University, came to McDonough in 2011 with a proposition—to tell the life stories of people with schizophrenia. Through this project, men and women with schizophrenia are given a voice to provide understanding and reduce the stigma associated with mental illness.

The Schizophrenia Oral History Project has received national recognition with placement in The New York Times and U.S. News and World Report, among others. McDonough continues to work on this project through a small grant and has created a new practicum in which select Mount psychology students will devise and conduct their own projects connected to the research while deepening their knowledge of social justice issues and stigmatized groups in society.

NEWS BRIEF: New Bachelor’s Degree for Liberal Arts in Fall 2016 The new Bachelor of Arts degree in Liberal Arts combines the fundamental disciplines of English, history, religious studies and philosophy to promote research practices, writing and critical thinking skills. It replaces the individual history, English, religious/pastoral studies and philosophy majors at the Mount, offering students a singular interdisciplinary learning curriculum that spans wide academic interests and prepares students with the diversified skillset needed for the 21st-century marketplace in addition to further professional study.

PA PROGRAM GETS THE WRIGHT STUFF Creighton B. Wright Sr., M.D., has been named the first medical director of Mount St. Joseph University’s physician assistant studies (PA) program that is set to be launched in 2018. A highly respected thoracic and cardiovascular surgeon in the Cincinnati area, he serves as vice president of medical affairs for Mercy Health-West Hospital and president of the American Heart Association Great Rivers Affiliate. As a scientist and educator, Wright has written more than 200 publications, including four books. He remains a well-respected physician in Greater Cincinnati and is the recipient of the Daniel Drake Humanitarian Award from the Academy of Medicine and Becker’s Hospital CMO Top 100.

“The PA program established by my mentor, Dr. Eugene A. Stead, while I was at Duke, is currently the number one program in the country,” says Wright.

“I believe we can emulate that success at the Mount through relationships with our many wonderful health systems and mentors in Greater Cincinnati.

I look forward to helping the excellent faculty at the Mount establish this needed program to enhance access and care in our region.”

HILLARD NAMED LIBRARY FOUNDATION’S NEW WRITER-IN-RESIDENCE Associate Professor Jeff Hillard of the Department of English was named the Library Foundation’s Writer-in-Residence for 2015-2016. Growing up in Cincinnati, he spent lots of time in the Reading Branch of the Public Library of Cincinnati and Hamilton County. Now as the writer-in-residence, Hillard conducts writers’ workshops, speaks at community events and participates in library promotions during his residency, which runs until September 2016.

SUMMER 2016 • 9

STARTUP SUCCESS Alumni entrepreneurs share tricks of the startup trade

By Colleen Weinkam It’s no secret the Cincinnati region has become a hotbed for startup activity.

It’s home to The Brandery, a nationally ranked startup accelerator; HCDC, a nationally recognized startup incubator; CincyTech, one of the Midwest’s leading seed-stage investors; Queen City Angels, the longestrunning organized angel investor group in the region; and the relatively new OCEAN, the country’s first independent, faith-based accelerator.

In July 2013, Entrepreneur magazine featured Cincinnati as an “unexpected hub for tech startups,” noting that while the Silicon Valley might see the most venture capital, startups there don’t receive the same support from large firms that new, homegrown companies in Cincinnati do. And, just last year, The Huffington Post told Cincinnati to “take a bow” for its “claim to a growing and vibrant startup ecosystem.”

That startup mentality is important considering how entrepreneurship plays a vital role in the growth of the U.S. economy. According to the U.S. Small Business Administration, small companies have accounted for 40 percent of net new jobs created over the past two decades.

To learn more about Cincinnati’s startup scene, Mount News sat down with several alumni entrepreneurs to reveal their stories, discover what drives them and even uncover some tricks of the trade.

T H E M AR K E T I N G M A STE RS Donna Eby ’81 and Lisa Sanger ’83 met while they played in the orchestra at the Mount—Eby on the trombone and Sanger playing baritone—and also worked together on the Student Government Association—Eby as treasurer and vice president and Sanger as class officer and SGA representative.

In 1988, they went into business together, co-founding Sanger & Eby, a design and marketing firm that later expanded to include Web design and mobile app development.

“We wanted to control our future and our growth,” Eby says.

“Owning your own business gives you freedom and autonomy, and there is unlimited potential to what you can accomplish.”

Today, the business employs 16 people and works for several high-profile clients, including Macy’s, 20th Century Fox, Ethicon, Fifth Third Bank, Atrium Medical Center and the Mount.

Q: How did you fill an unmet need in the industry when you started Sanger & Eby? Eby: When we started 28 years ago, pure design firms were relatively new (compared to traditional advertising agencies).

We felt we could provide a fresh, strategic approach to communication challenges.

Ad agencies were focused on advertising campaigns using multiple platforms, including newspaper, magazine, radio and TV components. Although design was certainly part of their offering, it was not the focus. Design studios (at the time) were focused

on print—creating corporate identity/branding, annual reports, collateral—and, essentially, creating print pieces that evoked emotion and told the story in a more engaging and creative way.

Q: How have you managed to stay relevant? What are you doing today that you weren’t doing when you first started S&E? Sanger: To stay relevant, we must continue to learn, especially in our ever-changing field. We are constantly evaluating new technology and methodologies and adapting as appropriate for our services and client needs.

We started as a print design firm in 1988 and now offer content strategy, user experience and user interaction, Web and application development, search engine optimization, motion graphics and social media.

As this digital landscape we live in gets more cluttered and our clients’ needs change, we continue to innovate and evolve our expertise so that our solutions are ones that bring a significant ROI to our clients.

Relevancy is not just about the tools or methods that you use in our business because they are everchanging. It is about having the insight into the behaviors of the consumer, the on-point strategy to engage, the foresight of what is next on the horizon and the ability to leverage each for the most effective message and delivery. sangereby.com

SUMMER 2016 • 11

STARTUP SUCCESS

THE VIDEO M AV E N One day, Mark Schrantz ’99 decided 10 years was too long to be working for someone else.

He’d always wanted to own his own business, so, in 2012, Schrantz left his job as an art director at Hearst-owned Cincinnati TV station WLWT and started HLM Productions, a video production company based in Loveland.

“I thought it was time for a change and took a leap of faith,” he says.

At first, Schrantz addressed an underserved market by producing market research videos for companies, such as Illumination Research in Mason, Ohio.

“My neighbor owned the company and he was the person who encouraged me to start my own business,” he says.

“I knew video but he taught me about market research. We are still doing work for his company today.”

HLM has since expanded to offer commercial production, corporate videos and graphic design services and some of his biggest clients include Paycor, the Mount and the advising firm, Strategy to Action.

Q: Why did you see a need for your business? What sets you apart?

Schrantz: There are a ton of market research companies here in Cincinnati, and I figured if I could just get a share of the business I would do OK. I knew I wouldn’t be happy just doing regular video work. Doing the market research work along with other types of video projects keeps the work from getting stale.

I would say what sets us apart from our competition is that we’re always polite and nice and helpful with our clients, even when it’s a stressful situation.

Q: What are some words of wisdom you would give to someone who wants to be an entrepreneur?

Schrantz: Once you make that decision to make that leap of faith and go out on your own, it’s “go time.” There’s no more playing around. It’s not hypothetical anymore. It’s sink or swim, and you need to swim. It is 100 percent on you. If my company fails, it’s because I failed.

And it truly is 24 hours a day, seven days a week. I’m constantly thinking about work, but the difference is, I enjoy thinking about it. And the sky’s the limit. My business will go as far as I want it to go and push it to go.

hlm-pro.com

12 • MOUNT ST. JOSEPH UNIVERSITY

THE PHO Getting married after graduation— each with a bachelor’s degree in fine arts and a concentration in photography— wasn’t the only big decision Melanie Tracy ’05 and Adam Pace ’05 made in those first post-college years.

They also decided to work together and started Loft3 Photography in 2005.

Adam and Melanie were both working full-time jobs and shooting on the side when Melanie became pregnant with their first child and quit her job as a teacher to focus on photography.

Today, they shoot portraits three to four times a week and between 12 to 15 weddings a year. Adam also is in charge of all the technical and design factors that affect the business, such as website design, blog design and wedding album design.

With four children 6 years old and under, “it’s a constant struggle for us to balance work/kids/general life,” Melanie Pace says. “I’m a self-admitted workaholic and it’s really hard for me to say ‘no’ to people. That’s where Adam comes in. He keeps me from booking too many sessions.”

TO PR OS Q: What is one of the biggest challenges for you as an entrepreneur?

Adam: The biggest challenge in photography is the saturated market. Everyone thinks that having a nice camera and taking a few good pictures means you can become a pro overnight. You have to be able to set yourself apart from the rest. We believe this is true no matter what industry you’re in.

I’d also advise entrepreneurs to get some basic business courses under their belts. In hindsight, we both agree that would’ve helped us feel more comfortable.

Q: What was your scariest moment as entrepreneurs?

Melanie: The biggest leap of faith for me was quitting teaching full time.

Back then, our business was doubling year to year so I was praying the trend would continue and keep us afloat for the years ahead. Luckily, it did! loft3photography.com

T H E P O D C A S T G URU For Todd Uterstaedt ’12, the decision to become an entrepreneur started as a solution to a problem—he was working as a corporate vice president for Right Management Consultants in Blue Ash and his wife was working as an OB-GYN when they found out they were expecting their first child.

“Our two schedules were just crazy,” he says. “We decided that maybe we could launch our own company and create a lifestyle better suited to our family.”

In 2005, Uterstaedt and Atlanta-based Kyle Steele co-founded executive coaching firm Baker & Daboll (named after their grandmothers) from their homes.

Since then, Baker & Daboll has launched two online platforms: Daughters in Charge, which helps prepare women to take over their family-owned businesses; and From Founder to CEO, which helps develop leadership skills among CEOs who founded their own companies.

Uterstaedt also hosts a weekly podcast for From Founder to CEO. To date, he’s recorded more than 130 episodes since the podcast launched in March 2015.

Q: What do you think about Cincinnati as a place for entrepreneurship?

Uterstaedt: Our region is experiencing a great renaissance and part of that has a lot

to do with young entrepreneurs. I want to keep that going as much as possible.

The startup ecosystem in Cincinnati has a growing number of elements that help to boost and catalyze the success of young entrepreneurs. For example, the highly rated accelerator, The Brandery, provides money, housing and expert mentorship to increase the success of new startups. Various organizations like Bad Girl Ventures, Startup Weekend and Startup Grind bring entrepreneurs together for learning, development and networking. And, organizations like CincyTech are helping to fund highpotential startups.

Q: How did the Mount help prepare you to become an entrepreneur?

Uterstaedt: I chose to enroll in the MSOL (Master of Science in Organizational Leadership) program after launching Baker & Daboll. The program appealed to me because it focused on the things I wanted to sharpen, it was a flexible program that allowed me to continue growing my business and I could use the final project to positively influence the direction of my company. fromfoundertoceo.com

SUMMER 2016 • 13

STARTUP SUCCESS

14 • MOUNT ST. JOSEPH UNIVERSITY

THE STUDENT ENTREPRENEUR

T HE S TR E A M I N G S PEC IA L I S T After graduating from the Mount, Laura Hornsby Duerring ’05, ’10 had a job teaching junior high English language arts at a local parochial elementary school while her husband, Brian, worked as an executive in the corporate world.

In the evenings, they collaborated on an idea for a business—an automated live streaming service for churches in the Cincinnati area. They came up with the concept after their pastor was late to meet with them because he had been playing his recorded sermons at a nursing home for residents who had been unable to make it to church that day.

“We saw an opportunity to develop technology solutions to allow churches and synagogues to reach those who could not attend services due to difficulty or distance,” Duerring says. “The fact that the StreamSpot platform doesn’t require any onsite staffing from clients to manage equipment has been a game-changer for those who don’t have a dedicated media staff. This continues to give our customers universal outreach beyond their four walls.”

What started growing organically and locally to other churches in the area by word of mouth has

now spread to Jewish synagogues and Christian churches across the United States and 10 countries— as far away as Australia. It’s also created a full-time job for Duerring and her husband, who run StreamSpot with five full-time employees and an evolving roster of 10 contractors.

Q: How does StreamSpot work exactly?

Duerring: Our customers use a series of online tools called MyStreamSpot to schedule their stream in advance of their event.

Onsite streaming equipment then syncs with that schedule and starts the live stream to deliver their content to any Internetconnected device. Within minutes of the broadcast concluding, an on-demand archive is posted for viewers who missed it live.

Q: What is required of an entrepreneur in today’s world?

Duerring: You need to reason with yourself and make sure a risk is worth taking and then take it.

It’s essential to network within your field, as well as outside, too.

We’re very fortunate in Cincinnati to be a part of the #StartupCincy movement and have engagement with others starting businesses here. streamspot.com

StreamSpot was a nominee in the Cincinnati Business Courier’s 2016 Innovation & Technology Awards for best software product.

At age 21, Mount junior Joseph Williams has already logged three years as an entrepreneur.

While pursuing a degree in business administration, Williams also owns a 10-acre farm in Moores Hill, Ind., called Circle J Farm, where he raises sheep, ducks and llamas.

Right now, Williams owns 28 sheep, 35 ducks and three llamas. When he started the farm in 2013, he had three sheep, six or seven ducks and not a llama in sight.

To adjust, Williams had to start devoting more of his time to the farm, and learn how to run a business.

“I grew up knowing animal husbandry,” he says. “It was more of the business angle that was hard for me.”

Williams credits his course work at the Mount for teaching him business.

He has taken marketing classes that have taught him how to sell his product faster and at better prices while still enabling his farm to grow. He also learned how to design spreadsheets so he can create programs that keep track of his costs and revenue.

Williams also uses Facebook to post pictures and ads about animals for sale, and to update his followers on new animals or recent show wins.

“Learning how to market my sheep and ducks through social media really helps,” he adds.

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STARTUP SUCCESS

T HE A R T T E AC H E R For landscape painter Kay Hurley ’74, the inspiration to become an entrepreneur came in the late 1970s when she was working at what was then Frame and Save in Hyde Park (now The Framery).

Hurley was serving as the artist-inresidence at the store when she received an overwhelmingly positive response to her first show.

“That started it for me,” Hurley says.

“From then on, I always wanted to have my own gallery.”

Now, Hurley likes to bring aspiring artists to her 900-square-foot studio on the seventh floor of the Pendleton Art Center overlooking Over-the-Rhine to spark in them the same passion that was sparked in her when she was 18 and visited the home of Lela Cooney, a multitalented local artist in the 1950s who created oil paintings and sketches.

“It wasn’t that the visit sparked a passion for art as much as it was the artist herself that inspired me,” she says. “Lela became a role model for me, devoted in every way to her art. She had so much energy and enthusiasm, and was so different than any woman I had met. That was transforming to me, and it’s now part of my mission statement to pass on that type of inspiration to younger artists.”

Q: What does it take to be an entrepreneur in this day and age?

Hurley: You have to have people skills, computer and social media skills and time management skills. You wear so many hats, and it’s important to know how many you can wear because you can’t do everything and do it well. If you want to have a family life and a life in general, you can’t do it all yourself. Something has to give. Everything gets sacrificed to some degree if you try to do it all.

Q: What else inspires you?

Hurley: I paint landscapes exclusively because that’s what inspires me. It gives me a sense of awe. As a landscape painter, I’m not necessarily trying to copy the landscape but to capture its essence, its spirit.

My children also inspire me. I have three children who are very, very creative people. My daughter is a writer and the director of a cancer foundation in Chicago. My son is a musician in Portland, Ore., and my youngest son is an entrepreneur at a small startup in San Francisco. In addition, my husband, Jens Rosenkrantz, is a photographer and motivates me. We love to collaborate on shows inspired by our travels and the people we meet along the way. mkatherinehurley.com

16 • MOUNT ST. JOSEPH UNIVERSITY

THE SCA LI John Herman ’99, founder and president of Worthy Endeavors, made the decision to become an entrepreneur when he started thinking of his life as a story.

“I thought, if I were to read a book about myself 30 years from now, what kind of story would it be?” he says.

“Would it be engaging? Would it be a good story?”

In 2010, Herman made the leap to entrepreneurism and joined the ranks of Epipheo, which works with clients to tell their stories through digital video. Herman became a fifth partner at Epipheo, and was brought on as CEO/ COO to scale the business.

From the five people working for Epipheo in 2010, Epipheo today has grown to 55 people. It’s produced more than 6,000 videos for 2,500 clients, including Google, Procter & Gamble and Microsoft.

In May 2016, Herman made another leap, this time to launch a venture on his own. His new company, Worthy Endeavors, is a leadership and management consulting firm that helps small to midsize businesses grow by leveraging his passion for marrying purpose, process and people.

N G WIZARD Q: What are the risks of entrepreneurship?

Herman: You need enough runway to see the vision through. So you have to scale down your personal expenses to the bare minimum at the beginning. Also, because the entry point to building many online and technology-based businesses is low (a good thing), there’s more competition coming after you as well, so it’s a double-edged sword.

Q: What advice do you give to new entrepreneurs?

Herman: Consider your business partners and investors very carefully.

The only reason to bring on other partners or investors is to offset any gaps you might have in expertise. If you’re going to bring on a partner into your business, it’s because they’re either going to bring a skill you don’t have or investment dollars. It’s an incredibly important decision to take on partners. And once you have them, you’re stuck with them. Make sure you know your prospective business partners well. aworthyendeavor.com

A L E AD E R AM O N G L E A D E RS To be a leader, it’s essential to be curious.

That’s what Lisa Gick ’87 learned after 25 years of working with leaders—and as a leader herself—at Macy’s.

In 2014, Gick saw the opportunity to take what she’d learned to help other companies. That fall, she founded [curious], a leadership and change agency that supports companies in developing and activating strategies to strengthen leader impact and work culture.

“Our goal is to support leaders in this contemporary workplace, which is very different from the workplace of years past,” Gick says. “If we have not yet shifted to more contemporary ways of thinking about leadership, now is the time. It’s important to transition from more traditional mindsets of leading to those that are more compelling and effective given the growing complexity organizations face today.”

Q: What are some of the payoffs of entrepreneurship?

Gick: First, it is highly gratifying to hold the awesome responsibility of shaping purpose and work in ways meaningful to you while being uniquely in service to others.

Also, even though I’m working with just as much intensity as the demands my corporate work required, I have more flexibility with my time, and, for me, that’s

a great payoff. It allows me to fill my life in ways that otherwise might be more difficult.

Q: What are some of the risks you’ve faced?

Gick: It’s so important to be open to what is yet to be learned. I find that I really have to be intentional about leaving myself open space to recognize and make meaning of what’s available to me in learning as I engage with others and our work.

Also, I recognized that though I may have a plan, I try not to hold it so tightly that I can’t shift and grow in a different way than I originally intended.

Some of our greatest growth at [curious] has been in leveraging the unexpected. Of course, in entrepreneurship, some might suggest there’s the risk of not succeeding, but that’s not even on my radar. thecuriousagency.com

Mount Graduates: If you’re an entrepreneur, we’d love to hear about your success.

Please email us at alumni@msj.edu so we can share your story with the entire Mount community.

SUMMER 2016 • 17

18 • MOUNT ST. JOSEPH UNIVERSITY

photo copyright: velllena, istockphoto.com

MOUNT TAPS BREWING BOOM Explore Cincinnati’s rich history with beer—and how the Mount is playing its part in today’s thriving industry

By Kara Gebhart Uhl

Many liken Cincinnati’s recent beer that mimics the craft beer movement brewing renaissance to the beer boom and a current cultural love of local of the 19th century—and several goods in other cities, in part due to Mount alumni are riding this current brewing experimentation, innovation wave. In the 1800s, Cincinnati beer and collaboration, along with better boosted almost every industry in the ingredients, resulting in better-tasting city’s thriving economy. The reason? beer. But Cincinnati has an edge.

It wasn’t just the brewers who were “We here in Cincinnati have this doing all the work. Beer production amazing brewing heritage—you flowed from farmers and cooperages to can experience it in person,” says bankers and marketers and businesses Steve Hampton, executive director that manufactured beer-making of the Brewery District Community equipment. Workers transported beer Urban Development Corporation, a via river and street, and bars, saloons nonprofit dedicated to preserving the and beer gardens all needed staff to city’s unique brewing history. “There serve thirsty customers. are 4,000-some craft brewers across “It was plentiful,” says Peter the country, and they’re all making Robinson, Ph.D., associate professor great beer. But what we have here in in the Mount’s Department of Cincinnati is a real, honest connection to History. Breweries ranged from our past and almost nobody has that.” small storefronts to large Many Cincinnatians have compounds. Smokestacks benefited from the industry’s ” what we were everywhere. Tunnels resurgence, including were buried into the Mount grads. Their have here in hillsides to help keep connections illustrate Cincinnati is a real, the beer cool. “It kind the varied ways beer honest connection of grew up organically production permeates to our past and not just because of the an economy, even today.

German immigrants Take, for example, Mike almost nobody who brought with them Stokes ’01, who studied has that.” their love of beer, but also business management at the the geographic landscape,” Mount and is now president Robinson says. In addition to and founder of Cincy Brew Bus. surrounding fertile farmland was the In 2013, Stokes noticed a large Ohio River, Cincinnati’s superhighway number of taprooms in Cincinnati, of the time. and thought brew buses, which could Then came 1919 and with it, educate people on how beer is made, Prohibition; the beer industry came what the equipment does and how to to a halt. By the time Prohibition was properly taste it, as well as talk about repealed in 1933 and city breweries Cincinnati’s beer history, would be a began to chug along once more, the logical next step. His business plan, beer industry quickly moved on to now a reality, has been a great success. other parts of the country. “The party “We run anywhere between seven had essentially left Cincinnati,” says to 15 tours a week, 100 to 200 people Robinson. a week,” Stokes says. “We have done But in the last decade, there’s been over 500 tours since we started and we a shift—from homebrewers to a huge are now at 11,000-plus guests.” The resurgence of small, nano breweries Cincy Brew Bus also conducts winery, and large breweries alike popping distillery and bourbon tours. up all over Cincinnati. It’s a trend

SUMMER 2016 • 19

MOUNT TAPS BREWING BOOM

left to right: Mike Stokes ’01, president and founder of Cincy Brew Bus; BRW 101: Beer Brewing and Appreciation, taught by Mount professors Andrew Rasmussen, Ph.D., (left) and Tim Lawson, Ph.D.

Tony Gilardi ’96, ’97, ’01 studied art, graphic design and education at the Mount. In addition to being an art teacher at Colerain High School, he has designed two tap handle labels for MadTree Brewing’s Identity Crisis and Joy Ride. He’s also working to develop the logo and brand identity of a new brewery opening in Cincinnati. And in summer 2015, he participated in the Mount’s new class, BRW 101: Beer Brewing and Appreciation, taught by Mount professors Andrew Rasmussen, Ph.D., and Tim Lawson, Ph.D. “I wanted to improve my brewing skills, especially with the more advanced method of brewing known as all-grain brewing,” Gilardi says. “This is the process which commercial brewers follow to brew beer, and although it is more complex and demands greater effort and skill, I knew the results would make it all worth it.” Gilardi says the course more than met his

expectations, thanks to Rasmussen as well as others,” Remmel says. and Lawson’s rigorous and “The initial plans include a large thorough curriculum. common space along with a connected The creation of BRW 101 was the but separate street-front area with result of a hobby turned to passion. more of a traditional bar feel.”

About five years ago Rasmussen, then Remmel has sought critiques on a fledgling homebrewer, learned his homebrew recipes from that Lawson homebrewed in Rasmussen and Lawson. the 1990s. The two decided Jessee Smith ’99, ’10 to brew together. “He is yet another example.

Beer is knows a lot more about With a background in one of the the appreciation and style natural science and most appealing stuff, and my background experience working as a is biology, so between microbiology lab tech, applications of the two of us working Smith was eager to take microbiology. together we’ve got quite a the class in summer 2015. system going,” Rasmussen “Beer is one of the most says. Indeed: Five of Lawson’s appealing applications of homebrew beers recently won microbiology, so that was a draw awards (including a Best-of-Show award) for me,” Smith says. “I never realized in official homebrew competitions this how much the various strains of yeast past spring. contribute to the scent, flavor and In 2014, Lawson considered mouthfeel of different beers, or how developing a course devoted to beer factors like mash temperature or the styles and brewing. He teamed up timing of adding hops can subtly affect with Rasmussen and, to gauge interest, the outcome of the brewing process.” a class devoted to beer brewing and The class was such a success that appreciation was born.

Rasmussen and Lawson are offering “It’s kind of neat because we were the course again this summer. The hoping it would bring in people from duo hopes to offer a six-class brewing outside the college who don’t normally certificate program, focusing on the take classes here,” Rasmussen says. art, chemistry and microbiology of “And that’s what it did. We also had a beer brewing. Already they’ve been number of alumni come back and take in discussions with local brewers to the course.” see what particular skills they seek Like Gilardi, Kurtis Remmel ’08, in future employees and to discuss who earned a chemistry/mathematics internship opportunities. dual degree with a focus in chemistry Just as 19th-century Cincinnati at the Mount, also took the BRW 101 witnessed an economic boost in many in summer 2015. Currently, he’s in industries because of beer brewing, the process of creating a microbrewery 21st-century Cincinnati is proving with a goal of opening in spring 2017. the same. And the Mount is proud to “We are planning on serving our beer be a part. As Robinson says, “It’s come full circle.”

Designer and homebrewer Tony Gilardi ’96, ’97, ’01

20 • MOUNT ST. JOSEPH UNIVERSITY

A BEERFUL OF CINCINNATI HISTORY • 1812: Englishman Davis Embree opens first commercial brewery, featuring porters and ales, on the banks of Ohio River.

• 1830s to 1840s: Cincinnati becomes fastest growing city in the nation and sees influx of German immigrants. By 1840, it’s estimated that eight breweries exist.

• Circa 1860: 36 breweries now exist, with Jackson Brewery, Christian Moerlein Brewing Company, John Kauffman Brewing Company and J.G. John & Sons Brewery dominating.

• 1870: George Wiedemann Brewing Co. opens in Newport, followed by Bavarian Brewing Company in Covington.

• 1885: Hudepohl Brewing Company founded.

• 1889: 1,841 saloons and 23 breweries exist in Cincinnati.

• 1893: Cincinnatians consume 40 gallons of beer annually for every man, woman and child (2.5 times the national average).

• 1919: Prohibition brings the beer industry to a halt as local brewers virtually disappear overnight.

• 1933: Prohibition ends; six breweries return, several new ones open.

• 1937: Heidelberg Brewery damaged in Ohio River flood, which also left 1 million people homeless across Ohio, Illinois, Kentucky and Indiana.

• 1971: Detroit-based Stroh’s brewery becomes Reds radio sponsor, preventing local Cincinnati breweries from advertising their beer during baseball games.

• 1979: Homebrewing federally legalized.

• 1981: Hudepohl introduces “Hu Dey” cans for Bengals’ Super Bowl appearance.

• 2003: Cincinnati Brewery District created.

• 2005: Nonprofit Brewery District Community Urban Redevelopment Corporation established.

•2 015: BRW 101: Beer Brewing and Appreciation launched at Mount St. Joseph University.

• 2016: Cincinnati experiences decade-long resurgence in large- and small-scale breweries not seen since before Prohibition.

Top, right: Christian Moerlein Brewery; bottom, left: interior of John Kauffman Brewing Company (photos courtesy of Brewery District Community Urban Development Corporation)

SO WHAT ARE THEIR FAVORITE BREWS • Steve Hampton, executive director of the Brewery District Community Urban Development Corporation: Hefeweizen. “The wheaty flavor, with just a bit of orange, is perfect for summer days.”

•T im Lawson, Ph.D., chair and professor in the Mount’s Department of Psychology: Founder’s Double Trouble.

“It’s a double IPA, so it’s strong, bitter and hoppy.”

• Andrew Rasmussen, Ph.D., assistant professor in the Mount’s Department of Biology: MadTree Brewery’s Galaxy High. “It’s a high-hopped, high alcohol, Imperial IPA that features two New Zealand hop varieties—Topaz and Galaxy. It’s full of in-your-face citrusy and tropical overtones, with enough dank character to round out its intense aroma. It’s big and bold but tastes clean, and finishes quite dry for such a high-gravity beer.”

• Jessee Smith ’99, ’10: Belhaven Brewery’s Twisted Thistle. “It’s an IPA with Scottish ale roots. It has a full-bodied, smooth, malty base with a hint of fruitiness and an appealing deep copper color, with just enough hop character to lend it some floral fragrance and clean, refreshing bitterness. It’s a good balance between traditional and trendy, without the high IBUs of many IPAs currently on the market.”

• Tony Gilardi ’96, ’97, ’01: American pale ales. “I know this doesn’t sound terribly adventurous, but pale ales just have all that I’m looking for when I’m not in the mood for stouts, brown ales, IPAs or whatever. It’s a style I brew often, trying to improve my recipe, but Sierra Nevada Pale is hard to beat, and locally MadTree’s PSA and Rhinegeist’s Pure Fury are beers I frequent.”

• Kurtis Remmel ’08: IPAs. “I’d have to say the aroma and the dry bitterness of the IPA style really has grown on me. I enjoy the fruity/citrusy aroma of the late addition hops and dry hops, while the cold refreshing dry flavor makes it an all-year-round beer.”

• Peter Robinson, Ph.D., associate professor in the Mount’s Department of History: Christian Moerlein Zeppelin. “A smooth but distinctive pale ale that, for me, embodies the long history and artistry of the Cincinnati’s brewer’s craft. My favorite overall is Shipyard Export Ale. Inspired by classic British pale ales, it’s as crisp and refreshing as a spring morning on the coast of Maine, where it’s brewed.”

• Mike Stokes ’01: West Coast Style (fruitier, more tropical) India Pale Ale. “Locally Truth and Sabertooth from Rhinegeist, Citra and Galaxy High from MadTree, Mt. Carmel Imperial IPA, Punch You in the IPA from Fifty West, and I love non-locals like Green Flash West Coast, Pliny the Elder and Ballast Point Sculpin.”

SUMMER 2016 • 21

ALL THE WORLD’S A CLASSROOM Mount students embrace global perspectives through international travel

By Jim H. Smith with crimson throat pouches, and endangered The sun was diving toward the immense blue-footed boobies. western horizon one day in the spring of 2008, “When we went on the island, we almost when Mount student Michelle Duennes ’08 found immediately saw the boobies doing their amazing herself afloat upon the Pacific Ocean some 2,700 mating dance,” recalls Duennes. “A little while miles southwest of Cincinnati. As her boat bobbed later, we observed an owl hunting and capturing gently offshore, Duennes stared, incredulous, at kestrels in flight. It was surreal to be in North Seymour Island, one of the Galapágos. the place where Darwin formed his “It was like no other place I’d ever theory and to see all these forces of seen,” she says. “I thought I could “I came natural selection at play. I was so be observing the surface of Mars.” overwhelmed I started crying. I In contrast to the sparkling back from couldn’t contain my emotions.” turquoise water in the channel the Galapágos So powerful was the experience, between the island and its knowing I wanted in fact, that it convinced Duennes neighbors, Seymour’s sandy to study evolution to commit to a career in soil was black as anthracite. entomology, the study of insects.

And growing out of it was a rich and conservation She is currently a post-doctorate carpet of sesuvium, a sparkling red biology.” scholar at the University of California, succulent through which slithered Riverside, where her research focuses on plump iguanas the gray color of Ohio the alarming decline of bees, which have River clay. experienced significant population reductions all North Seymour is barely three-quarters over the world in recent years. “I came back from of a square mile in area—but it is home the Galapágos knowing I wanted to study evolution to a large population of marine birds, and conservation biology,” she says. including swallow-tailed gulls, frigate birds Through study abroad programs, Mount’s global footprint extends to the Galapagos, Paris, Rome, Berlin, Japan, London, the Netherlands—even eastern Kentucky and Cherokee, N.C. (image copyright: giorgos245, istockphoto.com).

22 • MOUNT ST. JOSEPH UNIVERSITY

A Broader World View

Duennes was in the Galapágos with a group of Mount students, alumni and faculty led by Gene Kritsky, Ph.D., professor and chair of the Department of Biology, and Dan Mader, professor of art and design. Longtime faculty members, both are inveterate travelers and have taken groups of students abroad many times.

At the Mount, the educational experience of international travel arguably begins with Mader, a longtime faculty member who enjoys dual citizenship with England. “In 1979, I decided I wanted to take students overseas during spring break,” he says.

“Many of them have never traveled outside the Cincinnati region. I think it’s important for young people to learn about the world, and to do that they really need to travel.”

Mader led his first group of students to Paris and Rome that year.

During their 10-day immersion into great European cultures, they visited museums and historic sites, experienced local cuisine, met local residents and broadened their global awareness.

Mader says the students returned to Cincinnati more self-confident, with a decidedly broader world view and a

greater passion for their studies. On the strength of that success, he led subsequent groups overseas for several years and soon became the Mount’s “go to guy” on all things having to do with international travel. Eventually other faculty members, in a wide range of academic disciplines, followed his lead.

Global Perspectives, Global Benefits

Study abroad has a host of salutary effects. “Study abroad is an educationally enriching and potentially life-changing experience,” noted the National Survey of Student Engagement (NSSE) in “Promoting High-Impact Practices: Maximizing Educational Gains,” a 2013 research brief. “Students who study abroad often expand their perspective on world affairs, better comprehend diverse cultures and languages and grow in self-understanding.”

A survey of 1,499 seniors from 58 colleges and universities, conducted by NSSE in 2007, showed that “Students who studied overseas engaged more frequently in educationally purposeful activities upon returning to their home campus, and reported gaining more from college compared with their peers who have not had such an experience.”

Such benefits have been known for a long time. In 2012, the findings of a long-term study of alumni of the Institute for the International Education of Students (IES), a leading organization that has been facilitating study abroad for more than half a century, were reported on in Transitions Abroad magazine. Large majorities of respondents asserted that their experiences as students overseas enhanced their personal growth, serving as a catalyst for increased maturity and self-confidence, enabling them to better tolerate ambiguity. Moreover, 95 percent of respondents said their experiences traveling abroad had a lasting impact on their world view.

“Few other experiences in life have proven to net such a positive and sustainable impact,” the authors wrote. “With study abroad offering so many life-changing and enduring academic, career, intercultural, personal and social benefits, students should carefully consider studying abroad when searching for a college or during their collegiate career.”

Galapagos trip (image courtesy of Gene Kritsky, Ph.D.); inset photo: Galapagos marine iguanas (photo courtesy of Michelle Duennes ’08).

SUMMER 2016 • 23

ALL THE WORLD’S A CLASSROOM

Egypt trip led by professors Dan Mader and Gene Kritsky, Ph.D. (image courtesy of Gene Kritsky, Ph.D.).

“The learning experience of international travel addresses an important aspect of Mount St. Joseph’s mission,” says Maggie Davis, associate provost for academic support. “Our mission calls for 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. Mount students who travel abroad regularly report that they have developed a different, more embracing view of the world as a result of those experiences.”

Maxwell Baltzersen ’16 spent the fall 2015 semester studying in England. He also used his time off from classes to travel extensively throughout Europe, visiting Ireland, France, Italy, Germany, Hungary, Poland and the Czech Republic. “While studying in London, I was taking a class called International Human Rights,” he says. “It was about social injustices that occur in the world, and we looked at them through different theoretical perspectives—for example, farmers in India and their ongoing poverty due to international trade laws.

“The class was interesting, because it wasn’t taught through the traditional American perspective,” he adds. “My peers in the class included students

from the Middle East, Northern Africa, society” in the German capital since Asia and all parts of Europe. It was a Germany’s unification in the 19th moment where my parochial view of century. Visiting a wide range of America was challenged. One of the significant buildings and institutions, best consequences of travel abroad is the the excursion explores how Berlin ability to experience how other people was impacted by Bismarck, Hitler, throughout the world live and think.” the world wars and other key events, “I recommend studying abroad to and how it has evolved. anyone who wants to experience different • Jennifer Morris, associate professor cultures, get great life experience and of history, has led several similar make new friends from all over the courses to Japan. “The goal is world,” says Aaron Willis ’16, who to expose them to all aspects of studied in England with Baltzersen.

Japanese culture,” she says, including Mader and Kritsky, who was art, history, politics and economics. a Fulbright scholar at Egypt’s •D rew Shannon, associate professor Minya University, led the of English and Modern first of several trips to Languages and an expert Egypt. Duennes was on Virginia Woolf and Mount a participant on one the Bloomsbury students who such excursion, the Group of influential travel abroad regularly year before her trip early 20th century report that they have to the Galapágos.

British writers, has In the past led several trips to developed a different, decade several other England that have more embracing view professors have explored Woolf’s life of the world as a mounted their own pointedly and British result of those adventures abroad: culture broadly.

• Ulli Brinksmeier, Daily walking tours experiences. associate professor take students to key sites of music, has led four in London and beyond, groups to Berlin, where they affording opportunities to study, in her words, “what it takes understand the relationship between to be a capital; a comprehensive Woolf’s life and her work. consideration of all aspects of

24 • MOUNT ST. JOSEPH UNIVERSITY

Global studies at the Mount continue to be developed. Last fall, the Department of Physical Therapy (D.P.T.) hosted representatives from the International Health Care School at The Netherlands’ Hanze University for a discussion of ways the two schools might collaborate in the future. The meeting was the result of a teaching and research collaboration between Lisa Dehner, a professor in the D.P.T. program, and several members of the Hanze faculty.

During the spring semester, Mount students have engaged with Hanze students in a Skype exchange of ideas about healthcare for refugees.

“It’s a very ambitious topic,” says Dehner, “and one that lends itself to a productive dialogue between our students and theirs.” Going forward, she says, the relationship between the two schools may result in student exchanges.

London Calling

Georgana Taggert, professor and chair of the Department of Paralegal Studies, has led three tours of London that explored the English system of jurisprudence. Students attended trials and met with judges, barristers and police officials.

Edward Lewis ’10, now completing his law degree at Capital University Law School in Columbus, accompanied Taggert on one of those excursions, before he graduated from the Mount.

“It was my first trip outside the United States and it was a great opportunity to compare cultures,” he says. “I was especially interested in the overview of the British legal system and our discussions of how our laws were influenced.”

“It was a wonderful learning experience,” says Kaitlyn Brannon ’14, who also traveled to England with Taggert. Now a background check coordinator with First Group America, a large transportation company, Brannon says, “Traveling to England gave me a greater sense of confidence, and it cemented my desire to travel.”

“When you go abroad, you have to trust other people,” adds Morris. “You become more resilient and resourceful.

I’ve had many students tell me that travel really makes them look at the world differently. Mount students come back to America changed.”

EXPERIENCING WORLDS NOT SO FAR FROM HOME Michael O’Brien ’08 wasn’t sure what he wanted to do with his life, and it made choosing a major difficult. He’d dabbled in various disciplines, but nothing seemed to quite fit.

Then, in 2006, when he was a Mount sophomore, he met John Trokan, Ph.D., associate professor of religious and pastoral studies, and signed up for an interdisciplinary studies cultural immersion experience in the spring semester.

For a week, he would join other Mount students and peers from other colleges and universities Michael O’Brien ‘08 is helping local in impoverished eastern Kentucky. There, in a communities through the Christian program led by Trokan and Dave Scharfenberger, Appalachian Project. a longtime adjunct faculty member, and hosted by the Christian Appalachian Project (CAP), an interdenominational, nonprofit Christian organization serving people in need in Appalachia, O’Brien would not only provide service to local residents but live with them and learn from them.

“My assignment that week was to help build a new home for an elderly lady,” O’Brien recalls. “She had endured many losses in her life, but she was still very positive.

I learned a lot from her about what is really important in life.”

All of the participating students were required to keep journals of their experiences. One night, O’Brien read from his journal: “I feel like this is a piece of a puzzle that I didn’t know was missing.”

“Thanks to my cultural immersion experience with Associate Professor Trokan, I found what I was looking for.

This is my dream job.”

Over the next two years he returned to Kentucky, finding himself increasingly attracted to the region and the work of CAP—and, eventually, finding the woman who would become his wife, Juliana, another CAP worker. Since 2012, he has been a manager with the organization.

“Thanks to my cultural immersion experience with Associate Professor Trokan, I found what I was looking for,” says O’Brien. “This is my dream job.”

While they don’t involve travel abroad, service learning programs like Trokan’s annual pilgrimage to Kentucky and a weeklong program in Cherokee, N.C., led by Marge Kloos, SC., Ph.D., former professor of religious and pastoral studies, where students interact with and learn from native Americans, addressing some of the same issues. Students come to see the world more broadly and accept its diversity.

“It’s a rich experience,” says Kloos. “The students learn about others and how people in a small, tight-knit community embrace the common good.”

Visit msj.edu/travel-study to learn more about study abroad and cultural immersion opportunities at the Mount.

SUMMER 2016 • 25

LION’S CORNER

athletics

HUBER CELEBRATES 100TH WIN For Head Coach Rod Huber, 59-7 equals 100.

That was the winning score when the Lions defeated Finlandia University at home on Nov. 14, 2015—and it marked a milestone for the 26-season Mount football coach as he celebrated his 100th win.

Charles McCall opened with a 9-yard touchdown five minutes into the game. Finlandia countered with a 25-yard pass play to tie the game two minutes later, but it would be the only points Finlandia would score in the game. McCall scored again with 43-yards giving the MSJ Lions the lead with five minutes left in the first quarter. For the next three quarters, the Lions conquered 25 first downs and 572 yards of total offense. Standouts included starting quarterback Mike Williams who threw for two touchdowns, and Charlie Mullins who replaced him to throw for another two touchdowns and 118 yards passing. McCall finished with 228 yards, a career best by 60 yards.

Freshman wide receiver Garrett Weaver caught three touchdowns to take his 2015 total to 17, with five total catches for 76 yards. Weaver was named the Hero Sports Rookie of the Year after setting an NCAA freshman record for 17 single-season touchdown receptions. The MSJ football season finished 7-3 overall and 6-2 in the Heartland Collegiate Athletic Conference.

For Huber, the landmark win against Finlandia was a family affair—and then some. “It was a very special day for my wife, Sandy, our three daughters, my six brothers and sisters, and their families,” he says.

“They’ve supported me for over 30 years and it was nice to share the win with everyone who loves me.”

Huber credits the 100-win achievement to the growth of the program, the hard work of his teams over the seasons, and those who have supported him throughout his career. “What’s great is that I got to share this victory with a good young team who have put us back in the top tier of the Heartland Collegiate Athletic Conference (HCAC) and

26 • MOUNT ST. JOSEPH UNIVERSITY

positioned us to make a run for another championship in the near future,” he says.

Huber joined the university in 1990 as assistant football coach and intramural director. Over the years, he created the Mount’s first-ever club teams for men’s basketball, baseball and soccer. “I realized that if I worked hard and paid my dues I may someday get the opportunity to become the head coach of Mount football,” says Huber.

In 2000, he was named head coach of the Lions and has led the team across 16 seasons. Over the years, Huber has seen the football program mature into a HCAC contender.

“What has been the most memorable has been witnessing the culture of the University change from an all-women’s college with three very successful women’s teams, to what we are today, a coeducational 21-sport and very respected NCAA Division III institution,” he says, “I believe Mount athletics is in great shape moving forward.”

SPORTS BRIEF: Five Lions Honored at Academic All-Conference

SPORTS BRIEF: Basketball Nets HCAC Championship

The Heartland Collegiate Athletic Conference honored five Mount athletes for their academic and athletic performance this season: sophomore Maria Sams and senior Erica Walsh from the women’s basketball team; sophomore Elizabeth Shumate and junior Sean McElroy from the women’s and men’s indoor track team, respectively; and senior Travis Combs from the men’s basketball team.

The men’s basketball team won the HCAC tournament, defeating Rose-Hulman Institute of Technology in overtime 93-88, which led to their first NCAA Division III appearance in the program’s history. Senior Travis Combs led the Lions with 26 points and seven rebounds.

Senior Femi Thompson scored 18 points and sophomore Andrew Finley and senior Joel Scudder each had four steals.

Thompson and Scudder earned All-HCAC Tournament Team honors and Combs was named tournament Most Valuable Player.

WOMEN’S LACROSSE EARNS CONFERENCE HONORS, SETS MOUNT SCORING RECORD Four women’s lacrosse players earned conference honors at the Ohio River Lacrosse Conference (ORLC)— and one netted an all-time feat.

Sophomore defender Maria Sams earned First-Team honors after a season in which she scooped up 52 ground balls, generated 24 turnovers, and scored eight goals. Junior attacker Courtney Gleason and senior midfielder Erica Walsh (below) were named to the ORLC Second Team. Gleason scored 17 goals and had 23 assists. Walsh became the all-time leading women’s lacrosse scorer in Mount history after netting her 130th goal. She finished her career with 136 goals and led the team with 47 this year. Junior Kerstin Franken was named to the All-Sportsmanship Team.

PAR EXCELLENCE In 2008, 12-year-old Ryan Korengel was playing golf with his friends in Cincinnati when his skull was crushed from a falling limb off an oak tree. He arrived at the hospital in a coma with a shattered skull and swollen, bleeding brain. Following years of rehabilitation, he had to relearn every function. Korengel endured five brain surgeries during that first year. Golf, and the opportunity to return to the game he loved, was one of Korengel’s main motivating factors in recovery.

Today, the Mount junior (pictured above, left) sports just below a 4.0 GPA while he keeps swinging for the Lions golf team. For his dedication and spirit, Korengel has been named recipient of the David Toms Overcoming Adversity Award, named after the PGA pro golfer and presented by the Golf Coaches Association of America.

Paralyzed on the left side of his body and only able to see center-to-right in both eyes, Korengel has constant double vision. When told he could not use his left shoulder for golf, he taught himself to swing one-handed.

His perseverance impressed Lions golf coach Joe Sparhawk that Korengel was offered a roster spot on the team.

“It’s really an honor to receive the David Toms Award,” says Korengel.

“I feel so blessed to be playing golf at all, so it is amazing to be recognized for all of my hard work.”

SPORTS BRIEF: Soccer Kicks Into Postseason The women’s soccer team finished third place in the regular season and made their first postseason appearance since 2010 in the HCAC tournament. The team finished the season 10-6-3 and 5-2-2 in the HCAC. Freshman Kaylan Gruber, sophomore Taylor Clark and seniors Morgan Froehlke and Mackenzie Money have earned spots on the women’s soccer All-HCAC teams, and senior Kayla Eiben has been named to the All-Sportsmanship team.

msjsports.com

SUMMER 2016 • 27

FACULTY & STAFF UPDATES

accomplishments

John Ballard, Ph.D., professor of management, was selected as the winner in the career category by the Next Generation Indie Book Awards for his book, Decoding the Workplace: 50 Keys to Understanding People in Organizations.

Elizabeth Bookser Barkley, Ph.D., ’70 professor of English, reviewed The Nones Are Alight: A New Generation of Believers, Seekers, and Those in Between

by Kaya Oakes, for the St. Anthony Messenger Magazine.

Michael Bindis, Ph.D., assistant professor of education, and Christa Currie, Ph.D., professor of chemistry, presented “Learning to be WISE: Planning, Execution, and Reflection on the Mount St. Joseph University Women in Science Experience Summer Camp” at the Lilly Conference on Teaching and Learning in Oxford, Ohio.

Robert Bodle, Ph.D., associate professor of communication and new media studies, presented his paper, “Social Media, Self-Segregation and the Spiral of Silence,” at the National Communication Association’s annual convention in Las Vegas in November. He also participated in the High-Level Meeting of the World Summit on the Information Society (WSIS+10) United Nations General Assembly in New York City.

Nancy Bramlage, SC, ’67 director of mission and ministry, received a NetVUE grant to fund The Quotes Project, which is the placement of quotes from people who were influential in the history of the Sisters of Charity of Cincinnati. She also helped develop a series of panels that hang in the hallway next to Mater Dei Chapel that depict the history of the Sisters of Charity of Cincinnati.

Ulli Brinksmeier, M.M., associate professor of music, presented a paper titled, “Immigration: Achievements and Perils at the Core of Our Nation,” at the International Conference on Education, Psychology and the Liberal Arts in Taipei, Taiwan.

Janet Cox, M.A., dean of students, presented at the National Association of Student Personnel Administrators BACCHUS Initiatives Assembly, held Nov. 12-14 in Reston, Va. She facilitated the Founders Panel Program for the 40th anniversary and co-presented a program, “Careers in Student Affairs.”

Richard Davis, Ph.D., professor emeritus of biology and geology, chaired two sessions at the annual meeting of Region 8 of the Ohio Local History Alliance held at the Cincinnati Observatory.

Mark Fischer, Ph.D., professor of chemistry, co-wrote an article, “Mushrooms as Rainmakers: How Spores Act in Nuclei for Raindrops” which was published in PLOS ONE. Mary Kay Fleming, Ph.D., professor of psychology and academic assessment coordinator, won the Erma Bombeck Humor Writing Competition. The prize included $500 and free registration to the Erma Bombeck Writers’ Workshop.

Erin Hofmeyer, D.P.T., instructor and assistant director of clinical education, presented “Successful Mobility of the Geriatric Patient Undergoing Lower Extremity Total Joint Replacement: Current Prehabilitation and Rehabilitation Mobility in Practice” at the Ohio Physical Therapy Association Annual Conference.

Terri Hurdle, Ph.D., director of diversity and inclusion, was the honoree of a Tower of Strength Award by the University of Cincinnati’s African American alumni affiliate.

Paul Jenkins, M.A., director of library services, wrote a bibliographic essay, “The Beatles: Will You Read My Book” in the May issue of Choice: Current Reviews for Academic Libraries. The essay reviews the 100 best books ever written about the Beatles.

Nazneen Kane, Ph.D., assistant professor of sociology, published “The Myth of the Play/Learning Dualism” in the fall/ winter 2015 issue of Renewal: A Journal for Waldorf Education. She also wrote “The Play-Learning Binary: U.S. Parents’ Perceptions on Preschool Play in a Neoliberal Age” in the 2015 issue of Children & Society.

Gene Kritsky, Ph.D., professor of biology, presented a lecture and held a book signing for the Friends of the Petrie Museum of Egyptology at London University in England in January.

His book, Tears of Re: Beekeeping in Ancient Egypt, was published by Oxford University Press.

28 • MOUNT ST. JOSEPH UNIVERSITY

Charles Kroncke, Ph.D., professor of business, is a Fulbright Scholar at the University of Tartu and was invited to present “Free Markets and International Health Care” at the Ragnar Nurkse School of Innovation and Governance, Tallinn University of Technology.

His presentation was based on his collaborative work with Ron White, Ph.D., professor of philosophy.

Keith Lanser, M.A., coordinator for service learning, worked collaboratively to secure a $5,000 renewable grant in October from the Cambridge Charitable Foundation to support the Mount’s new student philanthropy program that will begin in fall 2016.

Kate Lassiter, Ph.D., assistant professor of religious and pastoral studies, co-authored an article on ministry and gender that was published in the International Journal of Practical Theology. Her monograph, Recognizing Other Subjects: Feminist Pastoral Theology and the Challenge of Identity, was published by Pickwick Publications.

Jamie Leslie, Ph.D., assistant professor of nursing, received a grant from the Omicron Omicron chapter of Sigma Theta Tau for her research project, “Normo-carbohydrate Nutrition.”

Craig Lloyd, M.F.A., associate professor of art, served as a judge for the 2016 Association of Independent Colleges and Universities of Ohio Award for Excellence in the Visual Arts, as well as a Career Services Mentor for artists’ portfolio review, at the College Art Association annual conference in Washington, D.C. He also had work included in two exhibitions: DAAP Made at the Malton Gallery April; and the South West Ohio Plein Air Association Exhibition, Westheimer Gallery, Sharonville Fine Arts Center.

Bill Lonneman, D.N.P., associate professor of nursing, wrote an article describing his doctoral research titled, “Teaching Strategies to Increase Cultural Awareness in Nursing Students,” in the November/ December 2015 issue of Nurse Educator.

Tim Lynch, Ph.D., professor of history, served as an external evaluator for an Ohio Humanities grant that sponsored a conference on “The Cooperative Economy: Building a Sustainable Future,” held at Xavier University.

Dan Mader, M.A., professor of art and art history, spoke about being a professional artist at Finneytown Middle School.

Tracy McDonough, Ph.D., associate professor of psychology, and Lynda Crane, professor emeritus, were invited to submit an article, “Challenging the Stereotypes of People with Mental Illness: The Schizophrenia Oral History Project,” for the June issue of The Journal of Oral Studies, published in China.

NEW HIRES

RETIREES

The Mount welcomes new faculty and staff members: • H. James Williams (president)

We also congratulate members of the Mount community who recently retired:

• Margaret Ascolese (education)

• John Ballard (business)

• Stephanie Bogess (nursing) • Stephen Claytor (campus police)

• Michael Klabunde (English and modern languages)

• Nancy Collins (fiscal)

• Kathy McFarland (fiscal)

• Claire Dean (wellness)

• Lynn Poynter (arts and humanities)

• Julie Dryer (health sciences)

• Judy Schapker (education)

Jennifer Morris, Ph.D., associate professor of history, was honored by the City of Wyoming for her work on the Historic Preservation Commission.

• Greg Goldschmidt (marketing)

For the books they authored in 2015, Beth Murray, Ph.D., ’86 professor of biology, Gene Kritsky, Ph.D., professor of biology and John Ballard, Ph.D., professor of management, were honored by the Ohioana Library at the annual Public Library of Cincinnati and Hamilton County celebration.

• Paul Hare (math faculty)

Laura Saylor, Ph.D., assistant professor of education, was invited by The American Montessori Society to present at their national conference on “Developing Critically Reflective Pre-Service Teachers through Clinical Supervision” last March in Chicago.

Garrison Song, Ph.D., assistant professor of business, presented “Going Public or Not— Private Firm’s IPO decision and IPO LongRun Underperformance” at the Academic and Business Research Institute international conference in San Antonio, Tex. Cynthia Veraldo, Ed.D., assistant professor of sport management, co-authored “Applying the Theory of Planned Behavior to the Advancement of Women in Senior Management of Intercollegiate Athletics” for Sport, Business and Management: An International Journal.

Karl Zuelke, Ph.D., director of the writing as well as the math and science centers, delivered the keynote address at the West Virginia Association of College English Teachers conference held at Potomac State College in Keyser, W.Va.

• Anna Goldhahn (business faculty) • Colleen Good (education) • LaQuana Gordon (mail services) • Tamiika Hurst (Upward Bound) • Nick McDonald (institutional technology) • Rebekah Moore (physician assistant studies)

Correction: In the fall 2015 edition of Mount News, we mistakenly “retired” Michael Klabunde, Ph.D., a year too early, citing his departure in 2015.

He is now “officially” retired as of May 2016, and we wish him all the best in his new endeavors.

• Erin Mulligan-Nguyen (institutional research) •C hrissy O’Hara (athletics and recreation) • Cynthia Schmid-Perry (library services) • James Snyder (buildings and grounds)

A CALL TO HEAL Faculty Spotlight on Patrick Cafferty Patrick Cafferty knew he wanted to be a doctor, even as a 9-year-old old growing up in “the projects” on Castle Hill Avenue in South Bronx, N.Y. “That was the plan,” he says. “I didn’t know there was anything else—just nurses or doctors.”

The problem was the money. Cafferty didn’t have any saved up for college, and his parents couldn’t help either.

So Cafferty left New York to join the Army at 17. He trained to be a medic, earned his undergraduate degree in microbiology and worked at Walter Reed Medical Center. But it was when he helped a friend’s father that he realized his love for healing others.

“He was having a heart attack, so I did CPR while we waited for the ambulance,” he says. His army training as a medic took over and, as he puts it, “It was a good feeling being able to help someone.”

Cafferty’s journey to become a physician assistant (PA) took him to the University of Kentucky for his master’s degree, then to Yale University for a post-graduate surgical residency program. He stayed to help teach new PA students until he was recruited to be a PA in neurosurgery in Paducah, Ky. While Cafferty loves helping others, he enjoys the teaching side as well. After helping launch the PA program at Bethel University, he joined the Mount to do the same. He is currently developing the curriculum for the program’s official start in January 2018 (visit msj.edu/pa for details). The impact Cafferty makes through education continues to reinforce his commitment to training a new generation of health care practitioners—and even the smallest gestures of appreciation don’t go unnoticed.

“When a student texts you a thank you for providing the skills they needed to learn how to handle a situation, that gives me great satisfaction,” he says.

SUMMER 2016 • 29

ALUMNI UPDATES

news

REUNION ROUNDUP FROM THE OFFICE OF ALUMNI RELATIONS Our new president, H. James Williams, Ph.D., looks forward to meeting alumni in the tri-state area and nationwide in the months ahead. President Williams values the relationship that Mount graduates share with their alma mater. He is excited to collaborate with us as we pursue new ways to engage and connect with our Mount alumni.

If you are interested in hosting an alumni gathering in your area, please email alumni@msj.edu.

Mount classes of 1966, 1971, 1976, 1981, 1986 and Royal Mounties (those who graduated prior to 1966) came back to campus to celebrate their friendships and experiences at their alma mater. Events included an awards reception, a luncheon with President and Mrs. Williams, tours of campus and various class gatherings.

For more photos and a recap, go to msj.edu/reunion-weekend.

We encourage you to stay connected with the Mount by participating in the various events throughout the year. You may also receive an email survey in the weeks ahead that will give you the opportunity to provide feedback for future alumni programming—please let us know what you think!

As the Mount Office of Alumni Relations keeps you informed in a timely manner across digital communications (one of the ways we support efforts to go green), you can expect to receive more email correspondence as we decrease our print pieces in 2016. Please keep us updated with your current email at msj.edu/alumni (just fill out the contact form) or email the Office of Alumni Relations at alumni@msj.edu. You can also like us at facebook.com/msjalumni and follow us at twitter.com/msj_alumni.

We appreciate your efforts to stay connected to the Mount!

Sincerely, Gina Bath Associate Director of Alumni Relations gina.bath@msj.edu | 513-244-4298 Mark Osborne Coordinator of Young Alumni and Annual Giving mark.osborne@msj.edu | 513-244-4892 Top to bottom: Class of 1966; Class of 1971; Class of 1976; Classes of 1981 and 1986

30 • MOUNT ST. JOSEPH UNIVERSITY

PLAY BALL! Mount alumni celebrated a “Night at the Reds” on April 22.

1

2

3

4 1.) Jim Perry, Mount Alumni Board Secretary Cynthia Schmid-Perry ’82 and Mount President H. James Williams, Ph.D. 2.) Natalie Kallmeyer ’14 and Chris Kallmeyer celebrated their 21st wedding anniversary with fellow alumni and friends.

3.) (Left to right) Lorenzo Berry, Mount Alumni board member Rosemary Oglesby-Henry ’13, ’15 and Ron Oglesby-Henry.

4.) Back (left to right): Mark Naltner, Christopher Harrison ’10 and Luke Dell.

Front (left to right): Steph Thomas ’09, Rachael Harrison ’12 and Tiffany Godlove ’09.

MAKING AN IMPACT: BUILD A MOUNT LEGACY WITH PLANNED GIVING For high school teacher Mary Pat (Brennan) Simmers ’83, setting up a planned giving endowment was just keeping things in the Mount family.

Her mother, Patricia (Emmons) Brennan, was a Class of 1949 graduate with her own giving arrangement with the University. Together with her husband, Scott, Simmers set up a joint fund in conjunction with the University of Cincinnati (his alma mater)—the Scott and Mary Pat Simmers Endowment Fund—in which they pledged a portion of their life insurance to be donated to the Mount.

As with all planned giving arrangements with the Mount, the couple designated how they wanted their gift spent, allocating their endowment toward students who are pursuing religious studies and either the child or grandchild of a Mount graduate Mary Pat (Brennan) Simmers ’83 and if possible.

“We’re very blessed financially and lucky all the way husband Scott are helping Mount students through a planned giving around,” says Simmers. “We’re just trying to pass that endowment fund. on to the next generation.”

For Mary Mehmert ’64, who taught social studies for 45 years at Mount Notre Dame High School in Cincinnati, giving to her alma mater was her own way of saying thank you after her passing in January 2015. In her will, she contributed a generous portion of her estate to the University.

“Mary was very devoted to the Mount,” says Janet Reder, whose family was close friends with the Mount alumna. “She loved her years at the Mount and made wonderful lifelong friends there like my sister, Phyllis, who passed away a month after Mary.”

Reder’s brother, David Eveleigh, doesn’t remember a Christmas day without Mehmert’s laughter filling their home. Of her selfless nature, he adds: “When you were with Mary, it was never about Mary.”

Planned giving takes many forms, and doesn’t necessarily involve financial contributions made after a donor’s passing. Forms of giving include bequests, life income such as gift annuities and charitable trusts, lead trusts, insurance and other giving vehicles.

As these charitable gifts usually involve major assets and require thoughtful consideration, the Mount is ready to ensure that a donor’s financial situation is always the top priority.

“We always work with Mount donors to make certain their planned gifts make financial sense for them,” says Lisa Hinger-Odenbeck ’80, executive director of development.

“Informing the Mount about your planned gift allows you determine the impact of the gift, and the University to express our gratitude as well as plan for the future.”

For more information, visit msj.giftlegacy.com.

Planned Giving Primer Want to start a planned giving fund? Here are a few things to think about: • What you would like to accomplish with your gift? What aspect of the Mount’s academic, student life and professional development programs appeals most?

• Consider your assets, especially appreciated assets, and how they work into your family and other financial obligations.

• Contact the Mount’s Planned Giving Office at (513) 244-4475 or (800) 654-9314. But also check with your family’s financial advisor to determine the best giving arrangement.

• After a planned gift is established, we’re happy to share the good news with the Mount community. You’ll be an inspiration to students, faculty, staff, alumni and fellow donors—and your philanthropy will leave a lasting legacy on the future of our University.

SUMMER 2016 • 31

ALUMNI UPDATES

classnotes

MAD ABOUT FOREVER 22

1960s

1970s

Mount alumnae from the Class of 1967 (below) shared a wonderful reunion in Casco Bay, Maine, in September 2015 to celebrate their 70th birthdays. They recalled many special Mount memories, held a memorial service for deceased classmates, shared amazing family updates and discussed ideas for their 50th class reunion in 2017.

Mount alumnae from the 1970s and 1980s (below) gathered for Pat Shibinski’s 85th birthday party.

Shibinski is a former Mount athletic director and retired professor.

The first Mount Madness was held on Jan. 23. Alumni joined students, faculty, staff and the community to celebrate the women’s and men’s basketball teams. Nearly $8,000 was raised from T-shirt sales, raffles and split the pot. All proceeds from the event went to the Forever 22 Scholarship Fund in honor of student Lauren Hill, a Lions basketball player and Mount student who passed away from a brain tumor in 2015 (see fall 2015 issue of Mount News at msj.edu/ mountnews for more information).

Robyn Ruede Caponi ’72 of Indianapolis was the recipient of the 2016 Ann Rasche Award at The Mount Jubilee. She serves on the Board of Trustees of the Ignatian Solidarity Network, a national group dedicated to mobilizing people as social justice leaders.

After working 17 years as an elementary school teacher, Jan Santi Shandera ’72 of Port Orchard, Wash., is running an organic farm as well as her own small business, Cardinal Concepts, which provides educational materials to students with dyslexia.

HOMECOMING UPDATE Save the Date for the 2016 Homecoming Weekend on Oct. 21-22.

Inductees to the Mount Athletics Hall of Fame will be announced in the upcoming months (the ceremony will take place on Oct. 21). Please join alumni, students and friends for the Homecoming Tailgate on Oct. 22. We invite all class years back to campus to reconnect with friends and current Mount students.

Get updates at msj.edu/homecoming or facebook.com/msjalumni.

TELL US A STORY Got married? New job? We want to hear from you! Share your personal and professional accomplishments with the entire Mount community in an upcoming issue of Mount News.

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

Bernadette Coutain Plair ’67 of Centerville, Ohio, was a 2016 inductee into the Georgine Wolohan Masters Academy at The Mount Jubilee. The Georgine Wolohan Academy enriches the Mount’s student experience, better prepares students for life and career and provides a way for continued and meaningful alumni and community engagement. She joins fellow alumna Peg Bradley-Doppes ’79 of Denver, another 2016 inductee.

32 • MOUNT ST. JOSEPH UNIVERSITY

Martha Santi Heil ’73 of Fairfield, Ohio, is enjoying retirement after working 20 years as a registered medical technologist and 18 years as a beverage lab tech and beverage scientist in the flavor industry.

Kathy Beaumont Moore ’73 of Portsmouth, Ohio, welcomed her second grandchild, Annika Rose Helmbrecht, on Oct. 23, 2015. She joins her big brother, 22-month-old Christian.

Attorney Carol Hughes Roe ’75 of Cleveland Heights, Ohio, was elected to a seat on the Cleveland Heights City Council in November 2015.

She is also a founding member and chairperson of the Ohio Nurses Democratic Caucus.

Peg Bradley-Doppes ’79 of Denver was a 2016 inductee into the Georgine Wolohan Masters Academy at The Mount Jubilee.

The Georgine Wolohan Academy enriches the Mount’s student experience, better prepares students for life and career and provides a way for continued and meaningful alumni and community engagement.

1980s Joseph Schultz ’89 of Canal Fulton, Ohio, an eLearning coordinator and licensed real estate agent, won the Canal Fulton mayoral race in November 2015. He formerly served on the Canal Fulton Park Board.

Wendy Zureick Smith ’96 of Cincinnati is the athletic director at Seton High School.

2000s Sarah Gramann ’00 of Cincinnati participated in Miami University’s Earth Expeditions global field course in Baja.

Robb Stohlman ’01 of Cincinnati (below) and his wife, Natalie, welcomed the birth of their second child, Robert Anthony Stohlman V, on May 28, 2015.

1990s Tony Hemmelgarn ’91 of Cincinnati is the athletic director of Oak Hills High School. He previously served as the athletic director of Turpin High School.

Terry Miller ’92, ’00 and his wife, Hiroko Nishiguchi Miller ESL ’97, of Moores Hill, Ind., have operated Tri-State Battery in Lawrenceburg, Ind., for seven years. They have three children ages 5, 10 and 15.

Amy Siegel Hausfeld ’96 of Cincinnati is the executive director of medical and surgical specialties for Mercy Health-Cincinnati’s affiliated doctor group. Her responsibilities include developing and supporting specialty service lines to help improve the overall health of patients seen by Mercy Health Physicians in Cincinnati and Springfield.

Michael Niederhausen ’96 of Strongsville, Ohio, is pursuing his Master of Library and Information Science at Kent State University. He works as a technology trainer at the Cuyahoga County Public Library.

Robert Starkey ’03 and Kelly Essen Starkey ’03 of Cincinnati welcomed their daughter, Molly Elyse Starkey, on Oct. 23, 2015.

Melanie Pace ’05 of Cincinnati was the recipient of the Sr. Peg McPeak Alumni Award for the School of Arts and Humanities at Mount St. Joseph University. She received worldwide attention for her series of photographs re-creating some of the images of her late sister’s wedding.

Ashley Culler Ellis ’07 of Sidney, Ohio, welcomed her first child, Joseph Augustine, on July 15, 2015.

Angela Timmons Goldschmidt ’06 and Greg Goldschmidt ’07 welcomed their third child, Cecilia Ann, on Dec. 14, 2015.

Kyle Prosser ’08 of Cincinnati is the Oak Hills High School head football coach. Previously, he was part of the Thomas More College football staff as the junior varsity head coach, linebackers coach, and the recruiting and special teams coordinator.

Marcus Pryor II ’08 of Cincinnati received his juris doctor in May 2015.

In January 2016, he argued a case before the Ohio Supreme Court.

Patrick Sloane ’08 and Heather Bailey Sloane ’08 of West Chester, Ohio, welcomed their second child, Abram Joseph, in October. He joins his sister, Norah.

Kendra Thayer ’08 of Greensburg, Ind., is a social studies teacher at Jac-Cen-Del Jr./Sr. High School.

Andrew Beardslee ’09 of Cincinnati was the 2016 recipient of the Alumni Physical Therapy Leader Award from the Department of Physical Therapy at Mount St. Joseph University. He is the clinical director and co-owner at the Blue Ash location of Premier Physical Therapy Services, where he treats patients with neurological conditions including spinal cord injury, brain injury, stroke and multiple sclerosis.

John Lich V ’12 of Indianapolis was the recipient of the 2016 Alumnus of the Year award from Mount St. Joseph University’s School of Business. He is also the presidentelect of the Mount’s Alumni Board.

2010s Emily Kirby ’13 of Winchester, Ky., authored The Blue Codex, a sequel to The Silver Codex. She has also published several other books over the years.

Jason Harris ’14 of Cincinnati is the co-founder of Jason’s Connection, an online resource for individuals and their families with disabilities.

Jennifer Luebbering ’15 of Cincinnati welcomed her daughter, Evelynn “Evie” Donna Mae Luebbering, on Aug. 26, 2015.

Hollie Wimmers ’15 of Cincinnati is a clinical research coordinator for Cincinnati Children’s Hospital Medical Center.

SUMMER 2016 • 33

ALUMNI UPDATES

passages

ALUMNI Dorothy Hehman Koprowski ‘39 Mary Healy Backherms ‘40 Mary Elizabeth “Betty” Tuchfarber Thayer ‘43 Dolores Seaman Bell ‘45 Jean Christoph Goetz ‘45 Jane Montgomery ‘46 Margaret Stier McAndrews ‘47 Helen “Kandy” Kane McGoff ‘47 Carol Bueker Cooper ‘48 Marjorie Rauf Long ‘48 Bernarda “Beanie” Matthews Simendinger ‘50 Esta Milford Magnin ‘50 Carolyn Child Scheben ‘52 Joan Woelfel Frey ‘52 Catherine Neuhoff Blankemeyer ‘53 Pat Armstrong Ottman ‘53 Evangelyn Trout Blasing ‘55 Mildred Shaver, SC, ‘55 Mary Andrea Friedman, SC, ‘56 Ann Marie Schneider Ramler ‘56 Rosemary Robers, SC, ‘56 Joan Pawlak Karp ‘57 Marian Hart, SC, ‘57 Celestia Koebel, SC, ‘58 Joan Guntzelman ‘59 Mary Rita Ash Bockhorst ‘60 Claire Ann Steinmetz Mersch ‘60 Edward Rielage, SC, ’60, ‘05 Marjorie Thiel Ryan ‘60 Mary Cecilia Grafe, SC, ‘61 Geraldine Glockner Green ‘62* Sally Anne Mahrt Cadol ‘63 Lucia Anne Roney, SC, ‘63 Judith Hogenkamp Murphy Dugan ‘64 Teresa Stadtmiller, SC, ‘64 Anne Maureen Maher, OSU, ‘65 Elizabeth Kay Willenborg, SC, ‘65* Teresa Atencio, SC, ‘69 Sharon Shinkle Rauch ‘71 Nancy Anne Bialkowski ‘73 Lois Latscha ‘78 Julie Wood Liggett Becker ‘80 Gary Horton ‘80 Marguerite McHugh, SND, ‘80 Betty Louise Nuss Rauen ‘81 Sally Groves Tutt ‘81 Cathy Hirth Bardua ‘82 Stephanie Bonfield ‘84 Marilynn Miller Roe ‘86 Cynthia Brown Silva ‘87 Timothy Gierach ‘89 Teresa Scholl ’89 Anne Hogan Hughes ‘92

Thomas Wohlwender ’92, ‘93 Martha Murphy DeRonde ‘93 Nancy Ann Easterday ‘95 Joseph Kappa ‘96 Terry Bachman ‘99 Shirley Jean Eversole Keating ‘12

FATHER OF Carol Bauer, SC, ’65, Jean Bauer Geers ’68 and Rose Bauer Koch ‘76 Genie Ernst Clark ’69 and Pat Ernst Bevan ‘73 Kathy Wissel Kitts ‘71 Nancy Perzel Rosenfeld ‘72 Karen Kluener Curry ’72 and Janet Kluener Hellman ‘74 Linda Stalf Antus ‘73 Ruth Bedinghaus, SND, ‘73 Joanne Brockhoff Sigmon ‘73 Barbara Noeth Wuestefeld ‘73 Lynda Fallon Clayton ’73, ‘88 Margaret Strasser Murphy ‘74 Lisa Dawson ‘77 Kathy Weber ‘80, M.D. Tina LaScalea Sehlhorst ’80, ‘89 Gretchen Vaughn ‘81 Tina Siereveld Fehn ‘83 Sue Schmitt Olberding ‘83 Connie Hierholzer Voss ‘83 Suzanne Hils Hauck ‘84 Diane Ackerman Schmutte ‘85 Sally Sisson Anderson ‘88 Mary Ann Coors ‘89 Patricia Ann Schroeder Froese ‘89 Maria Olding Seitz ‘89 Don Doyle Jr. ’89 and Dale Doyle ‘91 Mary Stetter Monahan ‘90 Beth Panko Hoffman ‘91 Michael Perin ‘91 Robert Pride ‘91 Kathleen Longo Grady ‘92 Carol Buerger Meisman ‘92 Greg Tekulve ‘92 Kathy Fox Schroeder ’92, ‘93 Penny Perkins Bridges ’93, ‘96 Madeline Foote Heffner ‘94 Gary Jennison Jr. ‘94 Patrick Conwell ’94, ‘96 Deborah Dorsey ‘95 Lee Ann Taylor ‘95 Amanda Coughlin Picou ‘96 Kate Bachus Carmosino ‘97 Glenna Stucker Klei ‘97 John Tallarigo ‘97 Maria Bonno Moya ‘98

34 • MOUNT ST. JOSEPH UNIVERSITY

Paul Allen Ulmer ‘99 Jenny Hendley ‘00 Anita Weigand Freeman ‘01 Barb Pegg Ferry ‘01 Robin Ficke Behrmann ‘02 Melissa Katsetos Hensley ‘02 John Mersch ‘02 Trica DelFavero Wirthwine ’02, ‘03 Marcheta Johnston Woodward ‘03 Lori Dees Wortylko ‘03 Nikki Meyer Forgue ‘04 Jamie Hoffman Haussler ‘04 Ashley Culler Ellis ‘07 Brandi Steagall ’07 and Angela Steagall Gilmore ‘14 Lori Strotman Kraft ‘08 Jordan Noyes ‘13 Gina Saalwaechter Rice ‘13 Sara Heltman Brunner ‘14 Michael Milligan ‘14

MOTHER OF Charlotte Strange Scarcelli ‘65 Karen Goetz Centner ‘71 Barbara Healy Santilli ‘71 Janice Santi Shandera ’72 and Martha Santi Heil ‘73 Deborah Barone Jablonski ‘73 Joanne Brockhoff Sigmon ‘73 Judith Jansing Vitucci ‘74 Deborah Ann Cook Naber ‘75 Judy Brinkmann Hagedorn ’76 and Barbara Brinkmann Greiner ‘78 Kathryn Backherms ‘77 Michelle Hauser Hils ‘78 Elizabeth Lamping Hollstegge ‘78 Karen Pohlman Hills ‘79 Amy Adriano Berning ‘80 Jean Marie Nordmeyer Cross ‘80 Julie Simon ‘80 Michele Hiltenbeitel Main ‘81 Martha Undercoffer ‘82 Sally Aerni Rosiello ‘83 Anne Schenden Pape ‘84 Charles Kessinger Jr. ‘84 Sandy Wood Owen ‘84 James O’Shaughnessy ‘85 Pamela Kelley Walsh ‘85 Constance Juengling Vogel ’85 and Pamela Juengling Sheaf ‘86 Marcy Hemmert Hughes ’87 and Julie Hemmert Weitz ‘98 Holly Ann Washburn McIntosh ‘88 Kimberly Nolte Nichols ‘89 Harry G. Voll Jr. ‘90 Janel Schlaudecker ‘91 Karla Hess Horstman ‘92

Jill Peddenpohl ‘92 Karen Blasing Pradhan ‘92 Norma Corcoran Krusling ‘92 Amy Ulm ‘92 Jennifer Hudepohl Morris ‘93 Mary Beth Rieder Wash ‘93 Karen Wilson Broshears ‘93, ‘95 Pam Van Treese Donohue ‘94 and JoAnn Van Treese Fisher ‘00 Cynthia Dean Daugherty ‘96 Karen Bailey Wallace ‘96 Stacey Kidwell ‘96 Diane Mohs Menzer ’96, ’02, ‘03 Tina Stevens Davis ‘00 Maureen Ball Eller ‘00 Melissa Zimmer Hess ’00, ‘01 James Purcell ‘01 Sharon Tully Mattfeld ‘02 Kim Selby Goedde ‘04 Beverly Kahny Wetterich ‘05 Eve Frank Holland ‘07 Stephanie Pike ‘10 Mary Pat O’Neill Burke ‘11 Patty Fricker Kern ‘11 Samantha Scholl ’13 and Danielle Scholl Bramhurst ’15 Mary Elizabeth Cooper Otis ‘14 Cindy Beck Oser ‘15

WIFE OF John Campbell ‘02

HUSBAND OF Mary Ann Niedhamer Deye ‘53 Marian Tarr Leonard ‘56 Ann Krauser Bechtold ‘57 Carole Ann Sieve Brown ‘58 Patricia Ball Powers ‘58 Leann Nicholson Ward ‘58 Kathryn Carnes Boylan ‘60 Rose Marie Behrens Obert ‘60 Marjorie Thiel Ryan ‘60 Carole Myers Bonno ‘61 Carletta Poth Claxton ‘64 Laani Cook Wuest ‘65 Kathie Rolfes Brater ‘67 Ann Wolf Maddox ‘67 Roberta Mary Sheerin Warndorf ‘67 Rita Glockner Loewe ‘68 Brenda Saurber DelFavero ‘71 Barbara Naltner Williams ‘71 Susan Hester Foley ‘79 Deborah Veid Horton ‘79 Catherine George Kappa ‘79 Gayle Schwain Reichert ’82, ‘83 Valerie Van Valkenburg Walden ‘83 Victoria Busse McKee ‘85

Deborah Kroeger Bachus ‘88 Sharon Grohs Bachman ‘91 Bridget Murray Tenhundfeld ‘00

SISTER OF Jane Stier, OSU, ‘48 Evelyn Sanker Worpenberg ‘51 Mary Rose Burkhart Hart ‘54 Bette Bueker Voelkel ‘54 Ann Koebel, SC, ‘55 Jeannette Rauf Melching ‘55 Susan Sanders Adams ‘58 Margie McHugh Duffy ‘60 Marie Vincentia Roney, SC, ‘60 Grace Schwietering, SC, ‘60 Mary Grafe, SC, ‘61 Marlene Schneider Doran ‘64 Cecelia Elsaesser Anderson ‘65 Peggy Wainscott Kessler ‘66 Joseph Ellen Noppenberger, SC, ‘67 Rita Glockner Loewe ’68 and Sara Glockner Pihir ‘70 Jane Hartz Neville ‘72 Judy Walmsley Cordes ‘72 Connie Gutzwiller Kolish ’87 Michele Nuss Drennan ‘80 Maria Rinck Knueven ‘87 Joyce Eppensteiner ‘89 Arlene Schwab Diersing ’90, ‘95 Mary Larmann Schuckmann ’91, ‘94 Linda Fronk ‘95 Regina Dixon Jasinoski ‘01 Connie Conner Griffin ‘09 Daniel Garber ‘10

BROTHER OF Eileen Conway ’47 and Maureen Conway Lorenz ‘58 Julia Mary Deiters, SC, ’48 and Joan Deiters ‘63 Patricia Delany Schloemer ‘51 Patricia Frolicher ’51 and Jean Frolicher ‘52 Jean Ackerman Lohman ‘58 Marlene Sheffer Terry ‘60 JoAnn Martini, SC, ‘64 Barbara Dolan Meinert ‘66 Timothy Ann Schroeder, SC, ‘66 Susan Rahn Patten ‘71 Lynne Teismann ‘76 Mary Ann Rizzo Meale ‘78 Ronald Newcomb ’82 and Joseph Newcomb ‘01 Angela Burt Sowders ‘94 Lauri Reder Sullivan ‘94 Mark Hart ‘08 Brendan Haehnle ‘14

SON OF Mildred Meyer Bauer ‘41 Mary Rose Burkhart Hart ‘54 Linda Hendley Mitchell ‘89 Debbie Breitenstein Wolterman ‘11

DAUGHTER OF Karen Fogarty Comello ‘65 Elaine Schmidt Kroger ’95

FORMER TRUSTEE Sherwood McIntire *Social Class Year

Passages listed are current as of press time.

On Feb. 26, 2016, the Mount lost an old friend. Werner Coppel, a survivor of Auschwitz, died at the age of 91. Since 1978, he had visited the Mount to speak at Sister Peg McPeak and Fran Harmon’s Holocaust classes. At the end of each course, Coppel shared the riveting story of his experience as a young German Jew caught up in the horrors of Nazi attempts to exterminate every last Jew in Europe. He beat the odds, survived a death march and eventually moved, as a refugee, along with his wife and young son, to Cincinnati in the early 1950s.

In 2000, Coppel was awarded an honorary doctorate by the Mount, for which he was extremely proud and grateful. Due to Nazi restrictions, he had not been formally educated beyond the eighth grade. Today, that degree hangs at the Cincinnati Center for Holocaust and Humanity Education.

With his loss, the Mount has lost a good friend and great promoter of tolerance and human dignity.

Rest in peace, Werner.

By Fran Harmon Retired Mount professor

SUMMER 2016 • 35

ALUMNI UPDATES

profile

D I A M O N D D O C K AT H Y W E B E R Batting leadoff for the Major League Baseball Team Physicians Association (MLBTPA) is Kathy Weber ‘80, M.D.—the first female president in the organization’s history. A sports medicine physician at Midwest Orthopaedics at Rush and assistant professor of orthopedics and medicine at Rush University Medical Center in Chicago, Weber is also a team physician for the Bulls, White Sox, Chicago Force Women’s Football, and DePaul University teams, and serves on the LPGA Medical Advisory Board and the MLB Research Committee.

Her latest all-star honor at MLBTPA stems from a career rooted in sports medicine, which had its beginnings when Weber was a nursing major at the Mount.

“I liked the atmosphere and the opportunities I could gain from a small liberal arts college,” Weber says of her time at the Mount. When she wasn’t studying, you could find her running alongside fellow Lions as a member of the women’s track team.

Weber chose nursing because she wanted a degree “that could open doors” for her career.

from left: Chicago White Sox radio broadcaster Ed Farmer, team physician Kathy Weber ‘80, M.D., St. Louis Cardinals radio broadcaster John Rooney and team physician Chuck Bush-Joseph, M.D., at the 2005 World Series.

“This helped me develop my bedside manner,” she says. “And it still helps me as a physician today taking care of patients.”

Those patients include some of the biggest names in sports. Though she was always a Bears fan (thanks to her father, Carl), Weber’s familiarity now spans multiple Windy City teams across a 15-year career of treating “Nursing today has a major impact collegiate and professional athletes, on the field of health care,” Weber in addition to board certification in says. “As a nurse, you have sports medicine and internal an opportunity to interact medicine. As president with patients and families of MLBTPA, Weber that is unique. You’re “I’m there oversees efforts to involved in their for the athletes ensure professional day-to-day care baseball teams receive and make decisions and different aspects the highest quality for them and not of their well-being.” medical care. This the organization.” includes research and As a nursing student, recommending policies Weber did rotations at to prevent injuries such Good Samaritan Hospital, as concussions.

Children’s Hospital and other Cincinnati Children’s Hospital Medical Center locations.

36 • MOUNT ST. JOSEPH UNIVERSITY

Off the field at Midwest Orthopaedics at Rush, she treats everyone from generations of families to “weekend warrior” athletes to arthritis patients just looking for the best quality of life. “My day-to-day practice runs the gamut of musculoskeletal injuries,” Weber adds. Her areas of research include stem cells, arthritis and a plethora of sports-related topics. She describes her work as “pretty busy but fun.”

The key difference between treating families and superstar athletes is, of course, that the latter can get traded to other teams. Regardless, this doesn’t impact how sports physicians like Weber treat them. “You want to develop relationships and let them know you’re there to provide the best medical care for them,” she says. “I’m there for the athletes and make decisions for them and not the organization.”

one last thought

EXPANDED WEB EXCLUSIVES Can’t get enough Mount News?

Visit msj.edu/mountnews for web exclusive material and digital editions of this and past issues.

PARTING WORDS For me, the fall 2015 issue of Mount News was a welcomehome tour. It was good to read about faculty—what they’re teaching, publishing, involved in, and I enjoyed the photos of activites on campus.

I also learned details about program changes and additions.

An outstanding example is the focus on interdisciplinary interaction among students enrolled in various programs of the Mount’s School of Health Sciences and the resulting benefits to patients and community in general. An article about a campus-wide commitment to diversity and inclusion made me smile, and I was touched by the tasteful tribute to Lauren Hill and the goals she achieved in a tragically short amount of time. Oh, and I was really pleased to be introduced to the Alumni Board through the mini-bios and photographs.

Thank you for a remarkable visit to the Mount. What I saw and read bodes well for the future.

Sincerely, Sharon Holzschuh ‘81

The 97th Commencement of Mount St. Joseph University was held on May 7 in the Harrington Center. Speakers and honorary degree recipients included Sister Jeanne Bessette, president of DePaul Cristo Rey High School; Jill Meyer ‘93, president of the Cincinnati USA Regional Chamber; and Westside legend Donald “Buddy” LaRosa, founder of LaRosa’s Pizzeria.

If you’d like to share your thoughts about this issue of Mount News, please email alumni@msj.edu.

SUMMER 2016 • 37

AUGUST 17-18: Orientation 19-27: Welcome Week

NONPROFIT ORGANIZATION US POSTAGE PAID CINCINNATI OHIO PERMIT NO 7116

IMPORTANT DATES

SEPTEMBER 3: Knowlton Kickoff Classic 5: Labor Day (University Closed) 23-25: Family Weekend 23: 5K Run (Delhi Bicentennial) 24: Delhi Day Football Game (Delhi Bicentennial) 25: Open House Sisters of Charity/Bayley Place and

Mount St. Joseph University (Delhi Bicentennial)

6: 7: 12: 21: 22: 22: 26:

Duffey Conway Ethical Leadership Series Mid-Semester Holiday (University Closed) Leadership in Nursing Awards Athletic Hall of Fame Homecoming Tailgate and Game Get Acquainted Day Community Trick or Treat (Delhi Bicentennial)

NOVEMBER 3-6: Fall Theatre Production 10-13: Fall Theatre Production 23-25: Thanksgiving Holiday (University Closed)

DECEMBER 8: Commencement 23: Christmas Break (University Closed) 26: Christmas Break (University Closed) 31: New Year’s Eve (University Closed)

Division of Institutional Advancement 5701 Delhi Road Cincinnati, Ohio 45233-1670

OCTOBER

For complete calendar listings, visit msj.edu/calendar.

For Mount Lions schedule, visit msjsports.com.

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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; service to others.

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