Muskingum Update Fall 2024

UPDATE

Students enjoying Welcome Weekend activities on the Quad

FALL 2024

President Hasseler and David McDonald with international students

UPDATE Editor: Michelle Shaver Contributors and Photography: Bryce Bronner, Tom Caudill, Juan Dunlap, Annette Giovengo, Brianna Kasinecz, Paul Kotheimer, Emilee Mulhall, Michelle Shaver Online Archives: muskingum.edu/updatemag Comments and Questions: theupdate@muskingum.edu (740)826-8134 Address Changes: alumni@muskingum.edu (740)826-8131

@Muskingumalumni

TABLE OF CONTENTS

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From the President's Desk

Class of 2028 enhancing learning opportunities with micro-credentials Universal opportunities through orbit media

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in the room where it happens 20 years of criminal justice: serving excellence

athletic skills meet academic success distinguished service and emerging alumni awards

Copyright © 2024 Muskingum UPDATE is published by Muskingum University, 260 Stadium Drive New Concord, Ohio 43762-1837

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Alumni Dive in: Leaving an impact Minute with a muskingum society member Journeys made possible through giving

From the President's Desk Dear Muskingum Alumni and Friends, As President of Muskingum University, it is always a privilege to share updates on how your alma mater continues to thrive and prepare students to think critically, excel professionally, grow personally, and contribute ethically to our world.

Our commitment to providing exceptional value and opportunity remains steadfast.

For the past two years, Muskingum has been recognized as the #1 Best Value School among Ohio universities in the Regional Midwest by U.S. News & World Report. This award reflects our ongoing dedication to ensuring high quality educational opportunities and affordable access for students of all ages.

At the heart of our work are the values that define us: creating opportunity, cultivating innovation, building community, and providing access. We are expanding experiential learning, reconfiguring every academic program and co-curricular opportunity to meet the needs of today’s learners, and introducing new ways of using technology to better support learners who are balancing education with life’s demands. With new micro-credentials and embedded certificates, we are equipping every student to excel in a rapidly changing world.

We could not achieve these milestones without the enduring support of our alumni. Your commitment strengthens our vision for the future, ensuring Muskingum remains a beacon of excellence. Together, we are advancing an institution where students thrive, and the spirit of the Long Magenta Line shines.

Thank you for your dedication to Muskingum. We look forward to continuing this exciting journey into the future with you.

Warm regards,

President Susan S. Hasseler

President Hasseler with RAs

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Class of 2028

We opened the fall 2024 semester by welcoming our newest Muskies, the Class of 2028.

They are enthusiastic, energetic, and already making their impact across campus and in the community!

NEW MUSKIES 355 35%

First Generation Students

48% Female 52% male

18 States

27 222 29 44

3.49

Average High school gpa

National Honor Society members Volunteer leaders

High school class officers

Legacies

246

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Student Athletes

At least one family member also a muskie

207 Schools

Enhancing Learning Opportunities

with Micro-Credentials Muskingum University enhances student learning with opportunities outside the classroom. These learning opportunities include internships, clinicals, student teaching, research, and study abroad. The University has recently added micro-credentials, which stemmed from one of the priorities of a U.S. Department of Education Title III Strengthening Institutions grant.

One area of focus for the Title III grant was to strengthen the financial stability of our students. Having taught a course on financial literacy, Instructor of Mathematics Holly Moore created a Financial Literacy program that empowers students to make informed financial decisions.

The program, which is online, has eight modules that students complete throughout their academic career.

Students receive digital badges when they complete individual modules as well as the entire program.

“Digital badges are a way for students to show what they have learned,” Holly said. “At that time, digital badges were new to Muskingum, so I attended webinars on digital badges and the software used to support them.”

The Financial Literacy program was a pilot initiative, and with her experience in its creation and implementation, Holly volunteered to lead a task force on the expansion of enhanced learning opportunities through microcredentials.

Micro-credentials represent the completion of focused learning modules that complement but differ from certificates and degree programs in that they are smaller and more concentrated, designed to provide skills, knowledge, and experiences. Digital badges are the way students show they have the skills and knowledge.

The task force began with University faculty and staff who were interested in the creation of micro-credentials.

They not only defined what makes up a micro-credential, they also created a process for other faculty and staff

LEARN MORE

who are interested in creating them. Micro-credentials can be stand-alone programs, enrichment programs, or course embedded.

As shared in the summer 2024 issue of Muskingum Update, Executive Director of Applied Leadership Dr. Robert McManus and Associate Director of Applied Leadership Dr. Henry Stanford, launched the Leadership Academy, a four-semester leadership education program that takes the students through leadership as a process. The Leadership Academy is an enrichment micro-credential that awards students with digital badges at the completion of each semester and the entire program.

Director of Cultural Engagement & Inclusion Valerie Smith applied for and received a grant to create a microcredential on Diversity and Inclusion. Similar to Financial Literacy, this is a stand-alone program that is 100 percent online. It is unique in that it is available to the entire campus community, not just students.

“We want to make this a community of belonging and expose our campus to this topic, so we opened it up to faculty, staff and students,” said Valerie. “It is an 8-hour commitment and feeds nicely into any inclusivity training we offer at the University.

And with it being online, our adult learners can complete it.”

The program launched in spring 2024 with faculty and staff and is now being promoted to students. “Since this is an overview of diversity and inclusion, I am open to expanding the program to focus on specific topics and populations,” said Valerie. “Expansion will be driven by participant interest.”

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Associate Professor of Political Science Brian King began exploring the possibility of creating a micro-credential for members of the John and Annie Glenn Public Service Fellows. However, as part of that exploration he recognized the need for civic education among all students.

“This micro-credential could not only be for students, but also for the entire community,” said Brian. “What would it take for someone to become more civically engaged in their community, to be more active in their community, and to become more knowledgeable about what it takes to leverage their own power as a citizen to make their community a better place.

“Civic engagement should be a tangible part of what we do at Muskingum. While we do it, it is not centralized. This micro-credential will teach our students the skills that employers are looking for.”

As he develops the curriculum, Brian is working with the task force to determine the feasibility of offering the micro-credential to the community at large.

Assistant Professor of Political Science and Department Chair Jason Kehrberg is taking a different approach with enhanced learning by developing a course-embedded micro-credential connected to his statistics courses.

“We need ways for students to highlight their skills,” said Jason. “While a statistics course will be on a student’s transcript, it tends to be an introductory course, so I am developing this micro-credential to enhance their classroom knowledge with specific skills that an employer will need.”

The skills focus on five quantitative areas. The additional training gives students the opportunity to take what they learn in the class and apply it to real-world problems. “The ultimate goal is for an employer to be able to come to our students with ‘this is the question we have, this is the data we have, can you answer the question for us?’ Not only would students be able to answer the question, but also communicate it in a meaningful way,” Jason said.

The micro-credential, which also will be online, is the first one that is partially embedded into an academic course.

It gives those students who are flourishing in the course an additional challenge. The Statistics in Excel microcredential will launch spring semester 2025.

During the fall faculty conference, these members of the task force presented on micro-credentials, the types of micro-credentials that can be developed, and the role they can play in enhancing students’ overall education and experience. The task force serves as a resource for anyone who is interested in developing new programs for the campus community.

“Micro-credentials not only enhance our students’ learning, they also increase their marketability when they leave college,” Holly said. “It sets our students apart and better represents the skill set they have learned at Muskingum.”

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UNIVERSAL

Opportunities through

Orbit Media

Muskingum’s Orbit Media rebrand aims to deliver high-impact learning experiences to benefit students across all majors, not just media studies.

Muskingum has always been committed to offering students experiential learning opportunities that align with the skills employers are looking for.

A prime example of this commitment is Orbit Media, a program designed to give students practical, hands-on experience in radio and television.

Since 1961, Orbit Media has offered students the opportunity to host radio shows, create programs for television, broadcast campus events like sports and commencement, and more, setting them up for long-term career success in their field upon graduation.

As the media continues to evolve, a task force of Muskingum faculty has come together to ensure students are provided with engaging, hands-on experiences that match today’s media.

Although it has always been accessible to all students, the organization is now focusing on encouraging a wider range of participants beyond just those in media studies.

Dr. Robert Sharp, professor of philosophy and Orbit Media task force chair, noted that many students are unaware of the opportunities available that the Orbit Media organization offers, such as participating in radio shows, creating programs, starting their own blogs, and engaging in other media-related activities.

“Working in media in general, it’s always changing. You have to adapt,” said Assistant Professor of Media Communication and Orbit Media Faculty Advisor Michael Carvaines.

“Every year we always think what we could do differently. We’re always trying to grow.”

“We determined that a lot of students aren’t aware of these opportunities, and they think of them as belonging to only media majors or people who are minoring in journalism,” Robert said. “The truth is that it’s open to everyone. So, the reimagining is to make sure students feel really involved in media whether they are participating directly, doing interviews themselves, or whether they just have a project they want to talk to someone about and they want to promote it. They can use some of our media services for that.”

Robert highlighted that since the organization is not limited to one division, students and faculty across all divisions can contribute to the expansion.

“We’d also like to see people who are doing science projects get covered.

Doing research in biology or chemistry. People who have business projects that they’re working on in that department; they could also talk about that and promote it. There are so many programs on campus that can actually be taking more advantage of our media offerings to promote what they’re doing and to make sure more students are aware of it, and the community at large,” Robert explained.

A key aspect of raising awareness for the revitalization is establishing a strong campus presence. Current Orbit Media students are also actively working toward this goal. You’ll often spot these students at major campus events—such as graduation, sporting events, and homecoming— filming or assisting behind the scenes to ensure everything runs smoothly.

“Over the summer we had a presence at the Muskie Previews,” said Michael. “We had Orbit Media students come in over the summer, which you know is not always easy, but we did. We set up a table during the preview days. We signed up people there, too. We started early.”

Professor of Journalism and Magenta Journal Advisor Natascha Noelsgaard. This allows students who have an interest in multi-media journalism that includes non-fiction reporting, writing and photography to participate.

“Being able to contribute to an article in the Magenta Journal, which will also appear on the web, social media, etc. is a great way to get your voice out there.”

“There’s a lot of different ways people can have their voices heard and not all of those is literally speaking.

We have a lot of talented writers on campus. We’re a liberal arts university and the Magenta Journal really leans into that,” said Robert.

Robert went on to stress the importance of creating high-impact experiences for Muskingum students.

To have this kind of experience, he encourages all students to do something new—something they would have never done—and emphasized that “our students have these high-impact experiences,” adding that “media offerings are a great way to do that.”

The task force is excited to share this opportunity with the Muskingum community and show there are no hard barriers for students, and that “anyone can join at any time.”

At the Involvement Fair on the quad, the organization kept up its outreach efforts by welcoming new Muskingum students, introducing themselves, and answering any questions, channeling their recent slogan of “anyone can join at any time.”

Along with radio and television, students can also get involved in the Magenta Journal, the newly imagined Black and Magenta, with Assistant

To stay up to date on the latest news and events scan the QR code or go to www.orbitmediaonline.com.

Follow us on social @Orbit907News

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In the room where it happens Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg once stated, “Women belong in all places where decisions are being made.”

Ruth Wasem ’76 has been one of those women throughout her career, beginning with her time at Muskingum.

As a National Presbyterian Scholar, Ruth could attend any Presbyterian college in the United States, but she chose Muskingum because she felt she would be accepted and fit in since she was from the small, coal-mining town of Cadiz.

When talking about her three majors – history, political science, and psychology – Ruth commented, “I liked everything, and I like to explore new things. For me, there were so many things I was interested in doing, and I wanted to maximize what I could do at Muskingum. I always took the maximum number of courses you could take each semester.”

In addition to her classes and jobs on campus, Ruth also was a member of FAD, Interclub Council, and Student Senate. As a member of these organizations, she emerged as a leader advocating for the clubs and their members. After serving on Student Senate since her freshman year, she became the first woman student body president at Muskingum.

“I learned the importance of one-on-one conversations, and that you have to be methodical when you are trying to make change,” Ruth said. In addition to those lessons, “the coursework and relationships with faculty were invaluable. I liked the diversity of the liberal arts and the commitment to the broader community.”

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“My dissertation was on Congress, so I was committed when I landed a position at the U.S. Library of Congress’ Congressional Research Service,” said Ruth, who spent more than 25 years there. “I loved working at Congressional Research Service, and I feel fortunate to have had that job.”

When Ruth retired, both the U.S. Senate and U.S. House of Representatives honored her. As part of honoring her service, Hon. Zoe Lofgren of the U.S. House of Representatives wrote, “Dr. Wasem's extensive knowledge in immigration policy and her keen ability to frame and analyze issues of paramount concern to Congress often made her a prominent point of contact for Congressional staff. Her encyclopedic knowledge of immigration law and policy was on display during the past decade when Congress attempted to pass comprehensive immigration reform legislation. Dr. Wasem provided an innovative view of the major categories of immigration issues and the key elements involved in reforming the nation's immigration system.”

With the encouragement of her professors, Ruth continued her education obtaining her Master of Arts and Doctor of Philosophy degrees in history from the University of Michigan. As she made those decisions, she always asked herself, “which options maximize my future choices, my future potential.”

The two recognitions also highlighted Ruth’s career and impact. Ruth joined the Congressional Research Service (CRS) as an analyst in social legislation, where she worked on teenage pregnancy, youth policy, homelessness, and immigration policy. She moved into immigration policy, where she became a leading expert in the field. She provided substantial legislative support to members and congressional staff on immigration and social welfare policy. Ruth’s work was used by Congress in hearings, legislative development, markups, and preconference negotiations.

As a Public Health Services Fellow, Ruth worked in Washington D.C. at the Office of Population Affairs while earning her doctorate. Working full time, she did her research during her lunch hour and in the evenings.

She then transitioned to the United Way of America as a researcher, while she finished her dissertation.

In addition to writing over 300 analytic and concise reports for Congress, she also testified before congressional committees numerous times throughout her tenure at CRS, providing testimony on issues ranging from asylum to unauthorized migration to immigration and social policy data.

Ruth not only served as an expert for Congress, she also has been an opinion contributor for the TheHill.com and her commentary has been heard on NPR’s “All Things Considered”, PRI’s “The World” and other major media outlets. She was recently featured on a PBS “NewsHour” report on the U.S. immigration system.

Despite her success at CRS, Ruth’s work on immigration stemmed from the organization’s desire to have a generalist on staff who was knowledgeable on human and social services. When immigration became a national issue, that became her focus, and when Sept. 11 happened, her expertise was in demand. As the immigration expert, she was in the rooms when legislators went on immigration retreats, policy was drafted, and when legislation was negotiated and heard.

“I did a lot of work with members of Congress, and I was trusted to be in the room to explain the technical provisions of amendments,” Ruth said. “I sat through all three weeks of the Senate markup of what became Obama Care because 150 of the amendments were immigration related. Senators Graf and Baucus from Montana both required my attendance throughout the markup in case questions came up.”

While she spent the majority of her career at CRS, Ruth always wanted to be a college professor like the ones she had at Muskingum. She began teaching at the University of Texas at Austin’s Lyndon B. Johnson School of Public Affairs before retiring from CRS. Upon her retirement, she relocated to Austin and served as a professor of policy practice.

“I always dreamed of being a college professor, and I wrote a book while at CRS with that in mind,” Ruth said. “That was a great transition for me, and I started writing more academic articles and papers.”

Ruth moved back to Ohio during the pandemic and serves as a Senior Fellow at the Levin College of Public Affairs and Education of Cleveland State University. She also is a Fellow in Immigration at the Bipartisan Policy Center in Washington, D.C. and a member of the Leadership Council of the Center for Global Migration Studies at the University of Maryland.

She still gets calls about immigration, but today, Ruth focuses on the scholarly aspect of immigration. Ruth also spent her adult life volunteering, focused on serving the homeless, supporting public schools, and racial reconciliation, and she continues to spend time giving back to her community working on inter-faith initiatives, civil rights, religious freedom, and quality of life.

Ruth was the fall semester Opening Convocation speaker, sharing words of encouragement to incoming students. When reflecting on what advice she would give to students, Ruth said, “Maximize what you can get out of Muskingum, all aspects from academics to athletics.

Stay focused and agile; that is what I have tried to be. Finally, get that balance in life, so you don’t burn out. Develop life habits that sustain and nurture you, so you can do what you want throughout your life.

“I hope your college life is wonderful, but what you want is that it prepares you for an abundant life, which I have had, where the ups and downs are supported along the way by the people you meet at Muskingum.”

: E C I T S U J L A N I M I R C F O 20 YEARS ce n e l l e c x E g n i v r Se Muskingum’s Criminal Justice program is proudly celebrating 20 years of offering a forward-thinking and invaluable education that prepares students for successful careers.

The groundwork of the program began when many, now-retired, Muskingum faculty saw the need for a criminal justice program for the University.

Dr. Scott Pray, associate professor of criminal justice and founding director of the criminal justice program, began working on the program’s development in 2004, following his hiring.

“I did some research when we were first creating the program and looking at what colleges and universities offer in terms of criminal justice,” said Scott. “I looked at basically everyone in the state of Ohio – what they offered and how they did it. What I found is that there’s very few dedicated criminal justice programs.”

The criminal justice program continues to grow and promote experiential learning opportunities for students. One opportunity being the American Criminal Justice Association on campus.

When Dr. Samantha Bennett began her role as assistant professor of criminal justice at Muskingum in 2020, she aimed to enhance and revitalize the criminal justice club.

Her efforts have successfully led to the club offering students substantial real-world career experiences.

“One of my biggest goals on campus was to revive the criminal justice club. Last year was the first year we brought it back, and they (students) were able to tour Noble Correctional Institution. They spoke with someone convicted of murder and toured the grounds including the bunks, mental health department, and cafeteria. They also learned about treatment and vocational programs offered by the prison, with one being the Canine Care Program, where the inmates are full-time caregivers and provide obedience training to dogs from the Guernsey County Dog Shelter. Students loved that,” said Samantha.

Muskingum’s criminal justice students consistently gain valuable real-world career experience in and out of the classroom.

This past summer, senior Emily Mason completed an internship with the Springfield Police Division.

“I worked alongside detectives and went and did a search warrant,” said Emily. “You had to glove up and I got to search. We were searching for a gun that was used in a shooting. We had to tear apart the house; it was crazy.”

Emily's hands-on experiences with the Springfield Police Division also involved seeing the crime scene unit where evidence is stored, undergoing EMS training with the SWAT team, and accompanying officers on a ride-along during a drive-by shooting. During her ride-along, she worked on reporting nine car break-ins, where the officer had to complete a report for each individual break-in.

“Dr. Pray has all his upper-level classes as a writing unit. I never understood why until I went on my ride-along and the officers were in their cars typing reports,” said Emily. “Even the Sargent had asked me if I knew how to write. I said, ‘yes, actually my one professor really harps on it,’ and he said, ‘good because you need to know how to write for this job.’ I was like okay, Dr. Pray was right.”

After Emily’s internship ended, her supervisor described her as a “breath of fresh air” and the Springfield Police Division would love to have her back upon graduation.

When Scott emphasized the importance of writing in criminal justice, he explained it’s crucial for writing data entries correctly. To help students practice report writing, he organizes a class activity where students role-play as probation officers collecting information. Additional hands-on learning includes mock crime scenes and fingerprint collection across campus.

"Paws on Patrol" Samantha also provides hands-on learning for students partnering with local law enforcement.

“We often bring in professionals from the field to speak with the students. For instance, last semester officers from Cambridge Police Department conducted a K-9 demonstration on the quad. We’ve done a student-faculty crime mapping project with the Zanesville Police Department, where they gave us their arrest data from the last 10 to 15 years. Students coded the data and plotted it on a map of Zanesville to detect hotspots of high-crime areas and provided recommendations to best use their resources. Students were able to present their findings to the mayor of Zanesville and the Zanesville Police Department. It was a really good experience,” Samantha said.

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Scott advises students to actively network, make connections, and stand out. Lane Hunt ’19, followed this advice and is now employed as a Secret Service agent at the White House.

Lane was encouraged to attend Muskingum by his high school football coach, who is an alumnus. During an overnight stay with the Muskingum football team, Lane formed a friendship with a mentor student, who later helped him secure his first job after graduating with a degree in criminal justice at London Correctional.

“When I graduated, I definitely needed a job. I had another friend who played football at Muskingum; he was two years older than me, but we still played video games. When I got out (of school) he was like, ‘hey the prison is having a hiring event if you want to come.’ It was the same day I took one of my finals. So, I took the final, left that morning, and did an open interview at the prison.”

Three years later, Lane ended up in the Secret Service, thanks to a recommendation from another Muskingum friend. With two former football teammates already in the Secret Service and living in Washington, D.C., he applied, completed the necessary training, and now works full-time at the White House while residing in D.C. Lane described the program’s 20th anniversary as “pretty cool” and that he didn’t realize it's been around this long.

“It doesn’t feel like I’ve been out of school that long,” Lane said. “Just starting off, you could see it grow more. I still keep in contact with some friends that graduated from Muskingum. The class under me and my class – they’re local cops and you can see them going around and doing well in their careers, so it’s pretty cool to see everyone grow and to say we all got our foundation at the school.”

Scott expressed his pride in the confidence he has in his students and the strong connections he has developed with each one.

“We know our students. We see them, talk to them. It’s more than just ‘hey I attended Dr. Pray or Dr. Bennett’s class, its ‘hey I actually know them.’”

Athletic Skills Meet Academic Success With determination and hard work, the Fighting Muskies achieve success that reaches beyond the game itself. Muskingum’s student-athletes perform highly in their sport but also in their education with the help of coaches, faculty, and teammates.

With a strong tradition of excellence in both athletics and academics, Muskingum student-athletes uphold a positive and supportive culture amongst their community.

“The culture in our department is comparable to a large family. We are making it a priority and a focused effort to support one another through the ups and downs that go along with academic and athletic success,” said Muskingum Athletic Director Kari Winters ’08 ’10. “Our students and coaches show up for each other, and that is really important to us.”

Junior baseball player and history major Sam Palmieri is just one of the many student-athletes part of that culture. He described the baseball team like “a second family” and that the culture is competitive but fun.

Kristen Vejsicky McLane ’01 also recalls the athletic culture as “one big family” during her time at Muskingum. She played volleyball and developed strong bonds with her team and athletes from other sports, such as the football team.

“You cross paths in the training room, going back and forth from the rec center, going up and down the hills with the football players or soccer players. When you come in for preseason and you move in early, it’s just you (athletes) and in the dining hall together you complain about being sore,”

”

We’re always doing stuff together. I can say that’s good for every sport here too. I see a lot of them together and having fun.

It’s definitely like one big family.

You’ve got people supporting each other and going to each other’s games. It’s a strong community. We’re different teams, but ultimately one team with one goal.

- Sam Palmieri

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she laughed. “I ended up marrying a football player, so I found myself at plenty of football games, and he found himself at plenty of volleyball games. We’d support each other through the wins and losses. I still like to brag about how we had more wins than him.”

Kari mentioned student-athletes highly respect each other and their lifestyle. She continues to encourage their on-going support of each other, not just through social media, but going to their games and, “being visible and loud while you’re there.”

Junior softball player and engineering major Cara Taylor laughed while sharing that during some of her games, other athletes will bring couches and sit in the outfield to watch, supporting her team.

Part of being a student-athlete is learning how to balance homework, exams, practices, and games. Cara manages this by staying organized and creating to-do lists. Between her own schoolwork, softball, and social life, Cara also tutors other students in math and engineering classes.

“You have to be very organized, but school always comes first and then softball,” Cara explained. “Every day I make a to-do list of what I need to get done for the day, and once I cross that off, I know I can get my extra reps or whatever else I need to do for the day. Right now, we have two to three team practices a week and I am hitting at least twice a week on my own.”

Kristen also learned the importance of time management and planning and was successful in doing so.

While being a student-athlete, Kristen won many awards like Verizon College Division III Academic AllAmerican in 2000, Clyde Lamb Scholar-Athlete Award in 2001, William G. Moore “Outstanding Senior Female Athlete Award” in 2001, and several others.

Both Sam and Cara are also top scholars, winning many awards for their academic and athletic achievements. Sam has been awarded CSC Academic All-America, Academic All-OAC, Honorable Mention All-OAC, and Hitter of the Week. Cara has also been awarded CSC Academic All-District, Academic All-OAC, First Team All-OAC, First Team NFCA Division III All-Region, OAC Hitter of the Week, and OAC All-Tournament Team.

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All athletic coaches guide their athletes to perform well in their sport, while also ensuring they stay on track with their education through study tables and player-coach academic meetings.

“They push you to be the best you can. They keep you on track. If they see you slipping, they’ll help you get back on track,” Sam said. “They want you to prioritize school and get a good education because I know that’s what we’re here for as well as to play baseball. They’ve been great.”

When school schedules conflict with games or practices, coaches ensure that players stay in communication with faculty and put their academic responsibilities first.

“First and foremost, we are all here to help our students achieve a degree and to help them continue to develop as young people. We are committed to helping our studentathletes achieve the same success in the classroom as we are on their competitive surface during practices and games. Setting standards in our department that can be used in both environments has become a priority of ours, and I love that our teams celebrate academic victories as loudly as athletic accomplishments. Our Student-Athlete Academic Policy has helped us showcase our expectations around academic success and has kept our students motivated across all programs,” Kari said.

Muskingum faculty also support student-athletes during away games. Cara explained that athletes share their schedules with professors in advance and plan their semester accordingly. Faculty can also be seen supporting their students during their games, showing their Fighting Muskie pride.

“You’ll see a lot of our professors out there; I’ll actually see Dr. Daquila standing out there in center field. The next day you’ll walk into the room, and they’ll be like ‘hey I heard you did this and this and this,’” Cara said with a smile.

Kari added, “It starts with recruiting. Our faculty are huge advocates for us during the process of recruiting prospective student athletes to Muskingum. They support us not only academically, personally, and professionally, but they also come out to our games and practices. The faculty and staff support that we have here, I feel, is special to Muskingum. Our professionals are a part of our student-athletes’ lives, and vice versa. That’s really something to hang your hat on. Our faculty and staff show up to support our Muskies no matter the weather and no matter the outcome.”

Being a student-athlete at Muskingum holds significant meaning for both current and former athletes. It’s about representing the University with pride when wearing the uniform or honoring the tradition and legacy.

“It means a lot to me; I’m very proud of it. It means having a strong community behind you, whether that be your coaches; the professors here are amazing and supportive. You’ll see a lot of them at your games, which is pretty awesome,” Sam said.

A lot of my friends have come through baseball.

Forming those connections and making friends you’ll probably have the rest of your life is huge.

- Sam Palmieri

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Distinguished Service Awards

The Distinguished Service Awards recognize and honor alumni who have distinguished themselves through their professional endeavors and exemplary service to mankind.

CHRISTINA KATONA CANFIELD ’86

Christina’s career in family medicine at the Fisher-Titus Medical Center in Huron County has encompassed leadership roles including Chief of Staff, Chief of Practice, and Chief Medical Officer for outpatient areas. During the pandemic, she welcomed visiting nurses from the Philippines, assisting them with transitioning to life in rural Ohio. She is active in her community and her church, and has traveled on numerous international medical mission trips. She earned her bachelor's degree in chemistry and her M.D. from The Ohio State University.

CHRISTOPHER HAVEL ’04

As Sea World San Antonio’s Senior Aquarist, Christopher helped create the park’s Turtle Reef and Aldabra Island Tortoise exhibits. Dedicated to species conservation and freshwater turtle research, he has helped rescue more than 600 endangered sea turtles in the wild. He earned his bachelor's degree in biology and first discovered his passion at age five when he found two turtles near his Mentor, Ohio home. They still reside with him, his wife Erin, and their three children in San Antonio.

JOHN W. GARDNER ’68

John has led a distinguished career in financial management for the manufacturing industry. He holds a BA in History cum laude, MBA from Indiana University-Bloomington, and honorary Muskingum Doctor of Humane Letters degree, and he was a U.S. Air Force Captain. He is Vice Chair of the Stratford Festival of America Board, and serves on the Boards of First State Bank of Middlebury, Bethel College, and Muskingum. He and his wife Therese reside in Mishawaka, Indiana and are generous philanthropic supporters of the University.

G. ALLEN (AL) MCFARREN ’52

Al inspired generations of teachers as a social studies education faculty member from 1965-1990 at Buffalo State College (New York). A Korean War Army veteran, he earned his Muskingum bachelor's degree in history, master's in education from Kent State University, and Ph.D. from The Ohio State University. Al and his late wife Jean Finney McFarren ’54 shared 10 extended family members in the Long Magenta Line, and their generous scholarship philanthropy helps support current and future Muskies.

ANN HAVEN THOMPSON ’87

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A radio and television journalist in the Cincinnati, Ohio area market for more than 30 years, Ann is currently Digital Media Producer at WCET-TV, where she leads “Brick

by Brick,” a public affairs initiative partnership with Dayton’s WPTD-TV dedicated to bringing solutions to long-standing housing issues in the metro areas. She was heard for 25 years on WVXU where she was a regular NPR contributor. She earned her bachelor's degree in speech communication, and she and her husband Scott reside in Cincinnati.

Emerging Alumni Awards

The Emerging Alumni Awards recognize and honor alumni, who in the first 15 years of their careers, have made significant contributions to their profession and the world.

DALLAS ALLEN ’17

The Suicide Investigations and Postvention Specialist for the Franklin County Forensic Science Center (Columbus, Ohio), Dallas is the first person nationally to hold this role. He conducts psychosocial investigations, provides grief support to individuals, facilities suicide fatality reviews, and is the co-creator of a statewide guide for community prevention strategies. Dallas earned his bachelor's degree in criminal justice. He and his wife Jaedyn Wentz Allen ’19 welcomed their son Kohen in May.

SARAH GOTSCHALL ’17

An outpatient art therapist and counselor, Sarah serves Southeastern Ohio young people with needs including mood disorders, severe trauma, and LGBTQ+ issues. She has done service work with youth in Nepal, Peru, and the Cheyenne River Reservation. She earned her bachelor's degree in psychology and art and an master's in counseling and art therapy from Ursuline College. She has completed Nature and Forest Therapy Guide training and is a 200-hour registered yoga teacher.

SHECKY BAPTISTA HALLIDAY ’12

A summa cum laude graduate of Muskingum’s first bachelor of science in nursing class, Shecky is Clinical Operations Manager II for international nurse staffing company Avant Healthcare Professionals (Orlando, Florida). Nurse-Executive Board Certified and a Progressive Care Certified Nurse, she represents Avant nationally and co-chairs the Avant Daisy Committee. She volunteers with her community foodbank and supports events for the National Alliance on Mental Illness.

She and her husband Corey share their lives with Aussiedoodle, Kingston, and cat, Jimi.

KINSI CARPENTER KING ’06

Named both a New Teacher and Teacher of the Year, U.S. Holocaust Museum Teacher Fellow, and Echoes and Reflections Teacher Leader, Kinsi integrated Holocaust-based learning into her district’s curricula and developed state curricula for Holocaust education and pandemic online platform English. She holds her bachelor's degree in English, Curriculum Specialist master's degree from Appalachian State University, and National Board Certification. The co-founder of Three Branches Education and Events, she and her husband Scott and their three children reside in Charlotte.

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Alumni Dive in:

Leaving an Impact Muskingum’s Alumni Council is making waves throughout the University and encouraging other alumni to dive in and make an impact too.

The Alumni Council’s goal is to create a long-lasting impact on the University. They operate through five subcommittees, known as swim lanes. These swim lanes—Invite, Mentor, Promote and Attract, Contribute, and Transform—each partner with a Muskingum staff member to advance the University’s objectives and projects.

“Last year we wanted to kind of try and expand beyond financial contributions, so we looked at contributing time. We did a service project where we had alumni in the Cincinnati area work at the food pantry for an afternoon. It was a good event and then we had some social time afterwards to network. We’re going to try and do more of those events,” Chris said.

Alumni Council President Chris Bennington ’01 expressed the immense pride he has of the council and the impact they are actively making on the University. One way is partnering with the Impact Center through the mentor swim lane to create networking opportunities for students and alumni.

“Now that we have the Impact Center, that’s been a good touch point for the council,” he said. “We can work with the Impact Center with their initiatives. At the Khanna Career Connections Conference, council members were actively involved in that and many of them participated as alumni.”

In addition to working with campus partners, the council also finds different ways to contribute its time and efforts for the University.

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Vice President of the Alumni Council Laura Yoder DeCoste ’94 added that there are many ways alumni can give back and stay involved without being a council member, no matter your schedule or location.

“You don’t have to be a council member to be involved with your alma mater,” she said. “You can nominate a fellow alum for the annual Emerging Alumni Award and Distinguished Service Award. That’s a way to contribute that will take you a certain amount of time, and then you’re done. You can volunteer for Homecoming. If you are interested in mentoring students or networking, that’s another way you can get involved. I just think there are so many ways alumni can get involved without living close by, being on the council, or being a board member.”

Chris also added, “I know everyone can’t commit to being on the council, but if alums would like to participate in our events, I would definitely encourage them to make sure they’ve signed up for all the emails from the alumni office so they will know when there are events. They can also monitor social media feeds from the alumni office and the University so they can see if we’re doing a service event or holding a social hour in their area. I do think we will have more events in different places in the future than we have before.”

The council also values having alumni from various decades, class years, and ethnic backgrounds, having a diverse representation of the alumni community.

For their meetings, council members from across the country and internationally attend in-person or via Zoom.

“In terms of class years, we go back to the ’70s and have every year after that. I love that we have recent alumni on the council. I know when you’re a new graduate you have so many other things on your plate like starting a new career or family, but we really have an impressive number from the last 10 years on the council. That gives me a lot of hope for the future,” he said.

The Alumni Council meetings also give them a chance to share their experiences, discuss change, and connect their time on campus to now, throughout the decades.

Laura continued to say that she really enjoys getting involved and getting to know other Muskies more closely. This also helps the council get an overall, deeper perspective of the University.

The Alumni Council is always looking for new members and encourages those interested to reach out to Muskingum’s Office of Institutional Advancement.

Get in touch with Institutional Advancement Dive in with your fellow Muskies and make an impact. Contact us to learn about more ways to get involved.

Email us at advancement@muskingum.edu or call us at 740-826-8130

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MINUTE

WITH A MUSKINGUM SOCIETY MEMBER

Chris ’83 and Elaine ’85 Easterling met at Muskingum and have carried the lessons they learned there throughout their careers and in raising their children. “We know God had a plan for us, and the blessings we received from the education we had and the opportunities that having a college education has presented to us,” Elaine said.

Chris, who grew up in Akron, Ohio, came to Muskingum to play basketball.

“No one in my family went to college, so I knew I was going to go to college,” he reflected. “My basketball coach knew the assistant basketball coach at Muskingum, which is how I ended up at Muskingum.

“When I came to Muskingum, Coach Burson was that father figure I needed at the time,” Chris said. “When I first got there, I struggled with grades and basketball and came close to leaving. Coach Burson believed in me and encouraged me to stick it out, and I am thankful I did.”

Elaine learned of Muskingum from her niece and her high school boyfriend, who played football at Muskingum.

During her senior year in East Palestine, Ohio, she frequently came to Muskingum to watch football.

“When I arrived at Muskingum, I took off on my own with my own independence,” Elaine said. “Fortunately, I met Ron Mazeroski, who invited me to work in the Admission Office, so I was indoctrinated into Muskingum early on when I arrived.”

Elaine was a cheerleader for the basketball team, and Chris recalls seeing her on the court and telling one of his teammates, ‘I am going to marry her someday.’ “I was very lucky to meet Elaine. I didn’t come from a church background; Elaine did. I didn’t come from a family focused on education; Elaine did. I got the love of my life!

“Coming to Muskingum as a scrawny kid, but through the process of the confidence and dedication – and the fact I grew 4 inches – I felt like I had to prove myself and get better, and I took that with me,” Chris said about his Muskingum experience. “Muskingum taught me how to get better. I loved the computer science field, and when I started my first job at Goodyear, that’s where I really took off.”

With majors in political science and psychology with a minor in history, Elaine worked the summer between her junior and senior year enabling her to graduate early. This allowed her to go back to her hometown and work before she went to law school at the University of Akron.

“Muskingum indoctrinated me into the importance of education, and that is how I raised our children,”

Elaine said. “The whole body of people that work at Muskingum – from professors and residence life staff, to the staff in the cafeteria – were warm and welcoming.”

When they were young right out of college, they started giving to Muskingum. They also started returning to Muskingum for alumni games, so they could introduce their three children to college life. They knew it was important for their children to see where they went to college.

In 1999, they moved to North Carolina, at which point they focused on raising their children and lost touch with the University. They reconnected when they came to Homecoming after the Library and Caldwell Hall were constructed. They saw the changes and were impressed with how the University was handling things. They learned about the history of the University, and how it had struggled in the past, even when they were students.

“It is important for our generation to ensure that Muskingum still exists and is able to grow,” Elaine said.

“It was exciting when the College became Muskingum University. We want to make sure other young people have the same opportunity we had.

“We love the new basketball coach; his outreach and sending emails allowing us the opportunity to know what the needs are and what his plans are having definitely made us step up our financial giving,” Elaine said. “We want to make sure he has the means to grow the program as he sees fit.” That is why they became Muskingum Society Members.

They also encourage other alumni to come to Homecoming. “You are surprised who comes and who you get to see,” Elaine added. “Let the institution speak for itself. When you walk onto campus, you see all the things that have changed and improved, yet it is still a small campus and a great place to get your education.”

Journeys Made Possible

Through Giving A Father's Journey

I discovered Muskingum University through the John Glenn Scholarship while searching for a small school to continue my soccer career. A high school classmate's mother, a Muskingum alumna, recommended the University for its competitive scholarship program. Receiving the JG Scholarship sealed my decision to attend. This generous award transformed my college experience: • Enabled me to excel both academically and athletically • Provided a rich, well-rounded education • Freed me from the burden of student loan debt before medical school

A Son's Opportunity

Thirty years later, I watched with pride as my son, Sam, earned the same JG Scholarship. For him, this award: • Recognized his dedication and hard work in high school • Offered a chance to explore his interests without a predetermined career path • Provided the same "small school experience" that shaped my own journey • Allowed him to pursue his passions in literature and history without financial strain

A Son’s Perspective (In Sam’s Words)

Receiving the John Glenn scholarship was a moment of immense pride and joy. It validated years of hard work and dedication, inspired by my dad who introduced me to Muskingum and this opportunity. His constant motivation pushed me to excel academically. As a John Glenn scholar, I can fully immerse myself in my education and college experience without financial worries. I don't have to juggle long work hours or stress about future student loan debt.

This four-year scholarship has given me the freedom to explore diverse academic fields and enjoy a comprehensive college experience. Instead of rushing through my degree to save money, I can take my time to discover my passions. It's also allowing me to look ahead, focusing on finding the right graduate program that aligns with the skills and knowledge I'm gaining at Muskingum University.

A Legacy of Impact

The JG Scholarship gave Brad and Sam the freedom to craft their own unique Muskingum experiences, three decades apart. It opened doors, fostered growth, and laid the foundation for their future success. From motivating academic excellence to enabling diverse educational exploration, this scholarship continues to shape the lives of students across generations.

Scan the QR code to learn more about supporting the John Glenn Scholarship Fund and other important initiatives.

Questions?

Email advancement@muskingum.edu or call 740-826-8130

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260 Stadium drive New Concord, OH 43762-1837 Muskingum.edu

UPDATE

Students making connections at the Impact Fair