It’s because of the volunteer support of countless alumni and friends –spirited people like Jim and Beverly Blackford –that Northwest continues to thrive.
“Beverly and I are blessed to belong to a four-generation family of Bearcats. We’re proud and, at the same time, grateful for that legacy, which encourages us to look for opportunities to give back to Northwest with our time and resources. Living our entire married life in the Maryville community has afforded us unique ways to stay connected with the campus and experience firsthand the exciting vibrancy inherent with the beginning of each new academic year. Close proximity makes volunteering to support the Northwest mission more convenient while providing access to a number of diverse engagement opportunities. Through our participation, we have come to realize that regardless of the level of involvement – Foundation Board, alumni activities, town and gown community projects, sponsorship of a student organization, classroom presentations or being a substitute “mom and dad” to a Northwest student – we cannot out-give all that Northwest has provided us. It is our privilege to join others in serving the Bearcat family.”
Jim ’72 with Beverly Blackford Maryville, Mo.
If you are interested in volunteer opportunities at Northwest, contact the Office of University Advancement at alumni@nwmissouri.edu or 660.562.1248.
Northwest, city of Gladstone, North Kansas City schools gather to break ground on Northland Innovation Campus
The milestone efforts of a unique partnership initiated in 2014 were realized in May as representatives of Northwest, the city of Gladstone, Mo., and North Kansas City schools gathered to break ground on the site of the Northland Innovation Campus, a 90,000 square-foot research and education complex in Gladstone.
Representatives of Northwest helped break ground May 19 at the site of the Northland Innovation Campus, a 90,000 square-foot research and education complex being built at N.E. 69th Street and North Oak Trafficway in Gladstone.
When completed for the fall of 2016, the Northland Innovation Campus will be nestled in the re-gentrified heart of the emerging neighborhood of Gladstone’s downtown. More than 100 Kansas City-area leaders from local schools, businesses and higher education joined the groundbreaking ceremony to signify the start of construction for the $20 million project.
The connection to higher education with Northwest creates additional synergies for K-12 programming, along with attracting employees and students from the Kansas City metro and regional area. In April, Northwest’s Board of Regents authorized the University to enter into a lease agreement to occupy 18,529 square feet of the facility during a 10-year term, with an optional renewal.
“We are proud of this public-private partnership and know this is significant, but only one piece to our disrupting from a position of strength as we drive continued strong performance, connect to and implement strategy, accentuate strengths, ensure relevant profession-based learning and provide for organizational viability and
vitality,” Northwest President Dr. John Jasinski said.
Northwest will offer seven undergraduate completion programs at the facility in the areas of recreation and wellness, elementary education, special education, early childhood education, computer sciences, business and marketing along with graduate programs in education and business.
Northwest also will offer dual credit coursework as part of its partnership with Northland CAPS, a professionbased educational program serving high school students in seven northland school districts and in partnership with Northwest, Metropolitan Community College and dozens of Kansas City-area businesses.
The facility is projected to open in August 2016. n
Economic impact study finds Northwest’s regional impact generates $617.5 million in income, jobs, taxpayer benefits
Northwest generated $617.5 million in added regional income – the equivalent of creating 9,465 jobs – in fiscal year 2014, according to a third-party study conducted on behalf of the institution and released in May.
The study, conducted by Idaho-based Economic Modeling Specialists International, investigated the economic impacts Northwest creates in the regional business community and the benefits the University generates in the state in return for investments by stakeholders.
The study addresses the impacts of new economic activity in the region that is attributable solely to Northwest through its day-to-day operations; the spending of out-of-region students; the spending of out-of-region visitors; and the human capital of former students employed in the regional workforce.
Key findings from the study included:
Operations spending impact: The University’s total payroll of $55.3 million largely remains in the region to pay for groceries, eating out, clothing and other household expenses.
Student spending impact: About 26 percent of Northwest students come from outside the region. Students taking courses at Northwest spent $13.1 million on purchases such as groceries, rent and transportation, the study found.
Visitor spending impact: Northwest annually attracts thousands of visitors from outside the region for events such as commencement ceremonies, athletics, lectures, concerts and theater performances. The off-campus expenditures of visitors to the region generated a net impact of $1 million in new income.
Human capital impact: About 69 percent of alumni remain in the region and generated $516.4 million in added income for the region during fiscal year 2014.
Additionally, the study analyzed the ways Northwest benefits its graduates, the state of Missouri and taxpayers. The average bachelor’s degree earner at Northwest, for example, will earn $22,200 more per year than an individual whose highest level of education is a high school diploma, the study reported. n
University, Maryville celebrate completion of Fourth Street project
The Northwest and Maryville communities in June celebrated the completion of three years of planning, design and construction on the Fourth Street corridor connecting campus with the city’s downtown. An estimated 400 people attended the ribbon-cutting and block-party style event that included food, live jazz music, kids activities and giveaways.
The Fourth Street Improvement Project features a gateway arch at the intersection of Fourth and Buchanan streets with branded medallions commemorating Northwest and the city of Maryville. Other enhancements to the thoroughfare include decorative lighting; an 8-foot wide bicycle-pedestrian and ADA-compliant trail along the entire north side of the corridor; brick pillars that match the downtown and University landscape; and a reconfiguration of the intersection at Fourth and Dunn streets. Newly planted trees and shrubs along the corridor also serve as an extension of the Missouri Arboretum, a state designation that makes its home on the Northwest campus.
The project was made possible through funding partnerships with Northwest, Missouri Department of Transportation, Missouri Department of Economic Development and Capital Improvement Sales Tax Funds.
Board of Regents approves launch of School of Health Science and Wellness
Northwest will launch a School of Health Science and Wellness this fall that will prepare students to pursue graduate studies in health sciences as well as manage and provide preventative health and wellness care and services.
“We reached this point through numerous discussions internally and with our regional partners, and with the goal of meeting the needs of our students, region and a new, emerging national health care system,” Northwest President Dr. John Jasinski said. “We have a solid foundation in place with established programs in pre-professional health and wellness, and the School of Health Science and Wellness will further enhance our health programming and profession-based education.”
The multi-disciplinary structure of the new school will help Northwest strengthen its robust health and wellness programming by consolidating existing programs and adding new and innovative programming in the months ahead that map to regional and national needs, Northwest Provost Dr. Timothy Mottet said.
Mottet added that occupational projection data from the Missouri Economic Research and Information Center indicates there will be an “above average” increase in health and wellness positions between 2010 and 2020. Specifically, the data indicates increases in the specialty areas of dietetics and nutritionists, health care practitioners, recreational therapists, health coaches and educators, and communication and social service specialists – all of which will be a part of the offerings for the new school.
Northwest’s current health and wellness programs include:
• Three bachelor’s degree programs in wellness, including foods and nutrition/dietetics, physical education and recreation
• Four bachelor’s degree programs in natural sciences including radiologic science, clinical lab science, biology and psychology, and a biomedical track
• A bachelor’s degree program in behavioral sciences in human services
• Three master’s degree programs in applied health and sport science; health and physical education; recreation, sport and exercise psychology
• Eight minors in coaching, food service, gerontology, health education, nutrition, recreation, sport management and sport psychology
Graduates of the new school will work in a wide variety of health-related fields including health communication, health coaching, nutrition and dietetics, health information management, athletic training, patient advocacy, sport psychology and therapeutic recreation. The school will also offer pre-professional opportunities to serve clinical programs and professional schools for healthcare practitioners including doctors, nurses and medical technologists.
With the launch, Northwest will rename its Department of Health and Human Services as the School of Health Science and Wellness. Curriculum and instruction will originate from a variety of departments including the departments of Natural Science and Behavioral Sciences, making it a free-standing professional school that resides outside the College of Education and Human Services, which previously provided oversight of the Department of Health and Human Services. n
National contest places Northwest in top 10 for energy reduction
Northwest, which continues to strive for energy efficiency and conservation, is ranked among the top 10 universities in the nation, according to results of the 2015 Campus Conservation Nationals, marking the second time in three years that the University has earned the distinction.
Northwest saved 65,706 kilowatt-hours, averted 123,593 pounds of carbon dioxide and saved $3,942 during the fourweek competition. That is the equivalent of greenhouse gas emissions from nine passenger vehicles, CO2 emissions from 5,089 gallons of gasoline and CO2 emissions from electricity use in four homes for a year. The totals are based on the energy-savings of Northwest residence halls Hudson-Perrin, Dieterich, Franken, Millikan, South Complex, Roberta and Tower Suites.
Throughout the academic year, Northwest encourages its students and employees to take energy-reducing actions as simple as closing windows tightly, disconnecting plugs to electronics and appliances when they’re not in use, and shutting off lights when leaving rooms.
“It’s important for students to recognize they can have a positive impact on their environment by doing something as simple as flipping a switch and making a conscious effort to conserve,” Northwest Energy Manager Daniel Boyt said.
Northwest’s sustainability efforts date back to 1982 when the University established a biomass energy system utilizing wood chips. Since then, Northwest continues to enhance its energy program through the addition of discarded paper products and animal waste to its alternative fuel processes while
Northwest,
KCP&L
collecting food waste for composting.
In February, for the third time in four years, Northwest received the Missouri State Recycling Program Annual Award in recognition of its recycling and sustainability efforts. Northwest also participated during the spring trimester in Recycle Mania – a nationwide contest to increase student engagement in recycling and waste reduction – and recycled 109,225 pounds of materials to rank second in Missouri and 51st in the nation among 394 participating institutions. Northwest’s recycling total prevented the release of 149 metric tons of carbon dioxide equivalent into the atmosphere, which is the equivalent of the annual emissions of 29 cars or the energy consumption of 13 households.
“Since 2012, recycling at Northwest has evolved from an added environmental benefit of our alternative fuels program to a stand-alone effort that, along with composting food service organics, has helped the University divert 282 tons of waste from the landfill this school year alone,” said John Viau, sustainability coordinator for Northwest.
In April, Northwest Facility Services and student organizations, in collaboration with the city of Maryville, organized Big Green Move Out, an annual effort encouraging students to donate clothes, foods, furniture and appliances to reduce the amount of waste that goes to local landfills. This year’s push sent four box trucks of furniture to Habitat for Humanity’s Restore, 600 pounds of food to the Maryville Ministry Center, and nearly 3,000 pounds of clothing and household goods to Big Brothers Big Sisters of Nodaway County. n
partner on electric vehicle charging stations
KCP&L, through a partnership with Northwest, now offers electric vehicle charging stations on the Northwest campus.
Three electric vehicle charging stations, serving six parking spots in two different lots, have been installed on the Northwest campus as part of the KCP&L Clean Charge Network. Beginning this fall, the locations will be reserved for electric-vehicle-only parking.
Under the agreement, KCP&L provides the equipment and installation, and Northwest pays the cost for the electricity consumed for two years. During the first two years of the program, vehicle owners will be able to charge their electric vehicles at no cost.
“This has the potential to be a great benefit for faculty, staff and students who com-
mute a modest distance,” Northwest Energy Manager Daniel Boyt said.
Dr. Robert Dewhirst, professor of political science, is one Northwest faculty member who owns an electric vehicle and is excited about the installation of the charging stations.
“I love my electric car and am pleased that Northwest is taking the lead in supporting alternative energy vehicles,” Dewhirst said. “I hope this provides a further incentive for everyone on campus to drive an electric vehicle.”
KCP&L has assisted Northwest in funding several energy conservation projects, providing more than $200,000 in incentives since 2013. The projects have improved building control and reduced energy and maintenance costs at Northwest. n
Northwest now offers three electric vehicle charging stations, like this one outside of Valk Center, through a partnership with KCP&L. During the first two years of the program, vehicle owners may charge their electric vehicles at no cost.
The route to Northwest
When he packed up his Ford Galaxie after graduation day at Northwest in 1974, Faust had no idea his accounting major would turn into a career in writing.
The oldest of five children and the first in his family to attend college, Faust decided to attend Northwest after a college night at his Atlantic, Iowa, high school. He heard pitches from multiple college admissions officers, but Faust only remembers the one he heard about Northwest. “I have a picture in my mind of the Northwest presentation, so it must have made an impression.”
With a scholarship to entice him, Faust was one of 12 students from Atlantic’s class of 1970 to enroll at Northwest that fall. After some misfires with other majors, Faust declared himself an accounting major during the spring term of his second year at Northwest – a decision he attributes to Dr. Elwyn DeVore’s intro to business course. “He was a very good lecturer, and all of a sudden the lights went on,” Faust said. “I’m surprised it took me so long to figure that out because when I was a kid I was always involved in making money.”
Faust had invested in his first shares of stock in grade school with money he earned from delivering the Omaha World-Herald. He also earned money by performing magic shows in his family’s garage as a child, charging 5 cents to patrons under age 6 and 10 cents for everyone else.
“I believe it was my younger brother, Bill, who encouraged me to put on a show,” Faust said. “But it was my idea to have intermission. I took my piggy bank money to the five and dime store to buy candy, which was marked up about 100 percent for the concession stand run by Bill and my sister, Patricia. Mom provided the popcorn for free. We’d make about $5 from the admission and $15 from the concessions, and I’d split the profits with my ‘employees.’”
Faust maintained his work ethic as a student worker at Northwest’s Student Union cafeteria. He quickly rose to supervisor, earning about $120 a month – a big help at a time when tuition was about $300 a semester.
He worked at the cafeteria until his graduation. On his last day, campus dining manager Del Simmons presented Faust with a plaque that reads: “Mike Faust, all-time best supervisor.” It resides in a prominent place in his home office.
“That’s the most meaningful award I’ve ever gotten in my whole life because I know it’s sincere, and I did do a good job for them, no doubt about it,” Faust said.
Constructing a career
Faust accepted his first post-graduate job in a computer sales role at Unisys in Omaha. From there, he moved to Mutual of Omaha, where he started as an insurance underwriter and later transitioned into the personnel department.
But Faust found the construction industry more appealing. Thinking his college summer job as a welder might be a plus on his resume, he applied for a job at steel structures manufacturer Chief Industries in Grand Island, Neb. That company wasn’t interested, but construction and mining giant Kiewit Corporation was, and in 1979 Faust became employment manager for Kiewit’s Omaha headquarters.
“Having to settle for my second choice was the luckiest bit of bad luck ever,” Faust said.
Kiewit, ranked No. 286 on Fortune Magazine’s list of the 500 largest U.S. companies, generates more than $10 billion in annual revenues from operations in most U.S. states, Canadian provinces and in western Australia. Worldwide, the company employs about 25,000.
Faust became one of the employee-owned company’s 3,000some shareholders, and in 1981, Kiewit promoted him to personnel and training manager, expanding his duties to include some training and teaching duties. Then in December 1983, Walter Scott Jr., who became Kiewit’s CEO after Peter Kiewit’s passing four years earlier, asked Faust to become assistant to the chairman, managing administrative tasks for Scott and other senior executives.
The offer changed the trajectory of Faust’s career. At the time, he was pursuing an MBA at the University of Nebraska Omaha, but Faust dropped out of the program to focus his energy on the new job.
Faust’s childhood interest in magic arose from his late father’s hobby. This April 1956 photo was taken in Faust’s birthplace of Oelwein, Iowa.
Photos of Kiewit construction projects adorn the wall of a conference room near Faust’s Kiewit Plaza office. Faust was a speechwriter, managed civic programs and administered charitable giving through the company’s foundation.
Faust spends time working in his home office. Prominently displayed on his shelf are a plaque honoring his service as president of the Northwest Foundation and a 1974 plaque naming him “All Time Best Supervisor” at the campus cafeteria.
Becoming a ghostwriter
The next year was Kiewit’s centennial, and Scott was in demand to speak to community groups about the company’s history and traditions. Because his own speaking style was more extemporaneous, Faust had never written a speech when Scott tapped him to write his keynote address for the University of Nebraska’s engineering week.
“I had always excelled on essay tests and term papers at Northwest, so I gave it a shot and learned that once you write a good speech you can never get out of the job,” Faust said. “It turned out to be one of the most enjoyable parts of the job.”
Faust succeeded in the role and took great pride in his writing assignments. Taking minutes at board meetings also allowed him to listen to the CEO and other senior executives. He learned the role of an executive speechwriter is not to put words into a speaker’s mouth.
“If you do it well, you are using their own words and their own thoughts and writing in their own voice,” he said.
Service leadership
Faust took on other responsibilities at Kiewit through the years. He became an instructor at the Kiewit University training facility, contributing editor to the company’s quarterly magazine, and managed the company’s corporate foundation, which annually donated millions to charities in Omaha and throughout the country.
He also took the lead in the company’s political relations and began representing Kiewit in community affairs, serving on non-profit boards such as United Way and Omaha Community Foundation. For 10 years, he served as a director of the Greater Omaha Chamber of Commerce, including four years on its Executive Committee.
Faust says his most interesting volunteer role may have been his service on the steering committee for Warren Buffett’s golf benefit, which drew senior executives from Wall Street and other prominent people from around the country – including Boone Pickens, Charles Schwab and Rush Limbaugh – while raising millions of dollars for children’s charities during its 10-year run.
Yet, Faust’s favorite philanthropic interest in Omaha is its world-class zoo, which he became heavily involved with, in part, because Scott’s late wife was the first executive director of its foundation. Faust served as a division leader of the annual membership campaign and capped his service as general chair of the overall campaign. The donor wall at the zoo’s Desert
Dome bears Faust’s name for his leadership-level gift to that project.
“Our senior people are getting on a plane every Tuesday and flying off to our field offices, so their time is limited and I often had to support them in their charitable activities, but I also enjoy doing some on my own, too,” Faust said. “Serving on community boards makes you feel connected to the community because all of a sudden, you know what’s going on.”
Reconnecting with Northwest
While the zoo is Faust’s top philanthropic interest in Omaha, Faust calls Northwest his No. 1 overall philanthropic interest.
He began making regular contributions to the Northwest Foundation in the late 1980s, but it had been years since he returned to the campus. In 2001, while returning to Omaha from directing a training video Kiewit was filming in Lenexa, Kan., Faust decided to take a detour and visit Maryville and Northwest.
“The latest issue of the Alumni Magazine had arrived, and it noted that Chuck Veatch (the former executive director of the Northwest Foundation) was retiring,” Faust said. “I remembered him from my time on campus so I decided to stop by and wish him well.”
Veatch was away for the University’s Thanksgiving break, but Faust left his business card at the Alumni House. That led to an invitation to be guest speaker at the Booth College’s scholarship banquet the next spring. Shortly thereafter, former Foundation Board President Craig Kelley ’83 and former Foundation Board member Bill Mackintosh ’76, both fellow Omaha residents, asked Faust to consider joining the Foundation Board.
Prior to the expiration of Faust’s second term as a board member in 2008, the late Chuck Place ’72 was making plans for leadership transition. Place had asked Jim Blackford ’72 to follow him as Foundation president and Faust to succeed Blackford. Faust agreed and served as president from 2008 to 2010.
Faust stepped down from the Board in 2012 after completing his term as an officer but was asked to rejoin the Board in 2014 to assist with the launch of Northwest’s Forever Green campaign, now in its quiet phase. He currently serves as chair of the Advancement Committee.
Faust says his service on the Northwest Foundation Board ranks as his most rewarding charitable experience.
“It takes you back to your youth to be back on campus,” Faust said, adding he also was influenced by Scott’s interest in education. “Walter would often say that education was the greatest investment you can make in yourself and the greatest gift you could bestow on someone else.”
Paying it forward
When Faust joined the Foundation Board, Northwest was in the quiet phase of its first-ever comprehensive campaign, The Campaign for Northwest.
For his gift to that campaign, Faust established an endowed scholarship to assist students who come to Northwest from his hometown. Today, the fund has grown considerably and eligibility has been expanded to graduates of any high school in Iowa.
“The cost of college is not going to go down, and we need to, as alumni, help the young people of today get the same Northwest education we had,” said Faust, who also has helped nieces and nephews with their college educations. “I think the most exciting parts of this campaign are the things we’re doing to advance academic excellence.”
For Northwest’s Forever Green campaign, Faust is one of a growing number of alumni who have made a seven-figure commitment, part of which is an additional gift to his existing endowed scholarship fund. “One of my passions for Northwest is enrollment and making sure that freshmen have the opportunity to come here,” he said.
Additionally, Faust offered a gift to support construction on the Robert and Virginia Foster Fitness Center – a contribution tied to Faust’s fondness for Dr. Foster, who was Northwest’s president while Faust was a student. “When I was staffing the faculty dining room in the cafeteria, he would engage me in conversation and ask what I was studying and where I was from. He just genuinely had an interest in students,” Faust said. “You’d see him walking down the Long Walk in front of the Student Union and rather than just hurrying along or talking to the professor he was walking with, he’d be saying hi to the students. I just had a lot of respect for Dr. Foster and wanted to make sure that something with his name on it was really spectacular.”
In June, with a portion of Faust’s pledged gift still undesignated, he asked development officer Teresa Darrah Gustafson ’97, ’05 to look for a need in the School of Communication and Mass Media “because as an accounting major, I basically made my career in communications.” As a result, Faust decided to underwrite the relocation and remodeling of the School’s multimedia lab, which had been housed on the lower level of Wells Hall and was prone to water leaks after significant rainfalls. Faust is covering all construction and furniture costs for the project, which is targeted for an August completion.
Return to Northwest
Upon accepting the offer from Jasinski and Mottet, Faust began his work as visiting dean of the Booth College on March 1.
“Due to my respect for both of those University leaders and a deep affection for my alma mater it was an offer I could not refuse,” Faust said. Faust’s assignment, during a 15-month term, is to employ his outside business perspective and help the Booth College’s academic areas transition from a department structure to professional schools. He also is assisting with an accreditation upgrade for the School of Business, conducting benchmarking studies of peer universities, identifying and prioritizing longer-term private funding opportunities, and helping to strengthen the Booth College’s industry relationships.
The work entails research and relies on Faust’s writing skills to articulate ideas – something Faust is well-accustomed to doing.
“I was fortunate that my originally planned career path didn’t work out,” he said. “Everything led to a far more interesting and successful path, and it all began with the decision to attend Northwest.” n
To view additional photos of Mike Faust for the Northwest Alumni Magazine, click on this story at www.nwmissouri. edu/magazine.
Faust treats a herd of giraffes to some mulberry branches at Omaha’s Henry Doorly Zoo and Aquarium. Faust, having served as a division leader of its annual membership campaign and general chair of its overall campaign, ranks the zoo as his top philanthropic interest in Omaha.
Above, Faust talks with Northwest faculty and staff during a reception at the Gaunt House. Below, Faust and Northwest President Dr. John Jasinski talk strategy in preparation for a presentation to a business leader.
Alumni Chapter News (continued)
For more information on how to get involved with your local chapter, please contact the Northwest Alumni Association at alumni@nwmissouri.edu or visit www.nwmissouri.edu/alumni
Northwest community gathers to celebrate Ehlers’ 35 years of campus ministry
A standing-room-only crowd of Northwest students, alumni, faculty, staff and community members filled the Wesley Student Center May 31 to celebrate Rev. Dr. Don and Rev. Dr. Marjean Potter ’72 Ehlers who retired this summer after 35 years as co-directors of the Wesley Foundation and 40 years in campus ministry.
Elizabeth Price Landgren ’07 poses for a photo with Rev. Dr. Don and the Rev. Dr. Marjean Potter Ehlers ’72 during a May 31 celebration honoring them for their 35 years of campus ministry at the Northwest’s Wesley Student Center.
“The memories say it can’t be 40 years, and yet it has been 40 years,” Don said. “If I don’t look in the mirror, it doesn’t feel that way at all because I still have the enthusiasm that I did. I still have the drive for what we’ve done through these years, but when we talked with each other years ago, we said, ‘Well, we think we’ll know when the time is right.’”
The Ehlers came to Maryville in 1980 to lead the Wesley Student Center. Since then they have contributed to the well-being and successful paths of countless university students while administering and leading programming such as the Wesley Student Center’s midweek worship. The weekly gathering engages students through uplifting music and messages of hope and faith.
The Ehlers also developed a multitude of programs at Wesley while showing a knack for adapting to changing times and students’ needs. A clergy internship they launched 14 years ago gives students opportunities to lead Sunday worship services at area churches. In recent years, they started a four-on-four basketball ministry.
They have officiated numerous weddings for couples who met through the Wesley Center and come to know students whose parents were once active in Wesley activities.
“Campus ministry has given me the opportunity to have an impact on our young adults in their important life decisions as they pursue a degree,” Marjean said. “I have been privileged to be involved in that process of many students’ lives.”
Travis Dimmitt ’98, ’09 succeeded the Ehlers as director of the Wesley Foundation in July. Dimmitt most recently was principal at North Nodaway Middle/High School in Hopkins, Mo. In addition to his duties as an educator, Dimmitt has served as a lay minister to five United Methodist churches in rural Nodaway and Worth counties since 2009. He and his wife, Elizabeth Keane Dimmitt ’00, an instructor of psychology at Northwest, live in Maryville with their two children. n
Members of the Central Iowa Alumni and Friends Chapter and Southern Iowa Alumni and Friends Chapter attended an Iowa Cubs game in Des Moines.
Members of the Kansas City Alumni and Friends Chapter gathered for the annual Snake Saturday Parade in North Kansas City.
PUBLIC SERVICE AWARD
Shoba Mansukhani Brown
Shoba Mansukhani Brown ’71, a native of India, continues to serve Northwest by recruiting international students in India and working with the Missouri Hope disaster response field training exercise. She began volunteering with the American Red Cross in 2005 after the death of her husband, Everett Brown, and serves on its board of directors. She has been on more than 30 national deployments, assisting others on behalf of the American Red Cross. She is a former member of the Northwest Foundation Board of Directors and received the 2014 Clara Barton Award for Meritorious Service. Shoba resides in Maryville.
TURRET SERVICE AWARD
Susan Johnson Hockensmith
Susan Johnson Hockensmith ’72 was instrumental in chartering the St. Louis Alumni and Friends Chapter in 2008. As its co-president, her enthusiasm welcomes members of all ages in the St. Louis area. She displays Northwest suitcase tags and
wears green and white attire as she promotes the university in daily conversations. She also served on the Northwest Alumni Board of Directors. Hockensmith and her husband, Dana, are co-owners of Lakeside Children’s Academy in West St. Louis County and co-founders of Pony Bird Inc., for which they serve on the Board of Directors. She resides in Manchester, Mo.
YOUNG ALUMNI AWARD
Thomas Sanchez
Thomas Sanchez ’02 is an innovator and entrepreneur focused on the intersection of marketing and technology. The founder and CEO of Social Driver, an award-winning digital innovation agency with offices across the United States, he was named a Minority Business Leader by the Washington Business Journal and was among the “50 on Fire” by DCInno. Sanchez has been a featured speaker at Mobile Commerce World, MoDev and The National Press Club. He also mentors young entrepreneurs as a judge for The George Washington University Business Plan Competition, a contest his team won in 2011. He lives in Washington, D.C. n
2016 Alumni Awards call for nominations
The Northwest Alumni Association annually recognizes alumni, faculty, retired faculty and friends who have brought distinction upon themselves, their profession and Northwest, and your nominations are essential to the process. Individuals nominated should personify Northwest’s tradition of excellence through their service and achievements.
Award nomination deadline: March 1, 2016
Nominations must be submitted on forms provided by the Alumni Association and will not be considered unless the entire form is complete. The Award Nomination deadline is March 1, 2016, and the Alumni Association Board of Directors will select recipients at its 2016 spring meeting.
Contact Brenda Untiedt for a nomination form at 660.562.1248, email alumni@nwmissouri.edu or complete the appropriate form located at www.nwmissouri.edu/alumni/events/awards/nominations.htm
Distinguished Alumni Award
Recognizes Northwest alumni for exceptional professional and personal achievement and extraordinary distinction in their chosen field
Distinguished Faculty Emeritus Award
Recognizes a former faculty member for outstanding teaching, service or research contributions at Northwest
Distinguished Faculty Award
Recognizes a present faculty member for outstanding teaching, service or research contributions at Northwest
Honorary Alumni Award
Honors Northwest friends who have served, promoted and loved the university in the tradition of a loyal graduate
Public Service Award
Recognizes outstanding service-minded alumni or friends of Northwest who have devoted their time and energy to public service or the advancement of higher education
Turret Service Award
Acknowledges alumni whose significant contributions of time and talents benefit and promote Northwest and its Alumni Association
Young Alumni Award
Honors graduates of the last decade for exceptional achievements in career, public service or volunteerism that bring honor to Northwest
Northwest Foundation Board welcomes seven new members
The Northwest Foundation Inc. recently appointed seven new members as directors of its Board to help guide Northwest’s advancement and grow private support.
The new members are Brian Heath ’84, Dr. Jacqueline Vincent Henningsen ’66, John Moore ’78, Angela Booth Moskow, Linda Nichols Place ’72, ’09, Dr. Carol Blom Spradling ’88 and Gary Thompson ’76.
The Northwest Foundation, a 501(c)(3) not-for-profit corporation, is responsible for receiving, investing, stewarding and disbursing private support on behalf of the donors of Northwest Missouri State University for the benefit of the institution, its students, faculty, staff and alumni.
The 2015-2016 Foundation Board is led by President Mark
NORTHW EST
A LUM NI
MISSION:
The Northwest Alumni Association fosters lifelong relationships through initiatives and opportunities that advance the University and its alumni, future alumni and friends.
2015-2016 Alumni Association
Board of Directors
President
Linda Nichols Place ’72, ’09, Albany, Mo.
Vice President
Paula Rector Davis ’91, Lee’s Summit, Mo.
Past President
Kory Schramm ’95, Johnston, Iowa
Members
Karen Logullo Bader ’86, ’95, Aurora, Mo.
Dennis Bunch ’69, ’76, Johnston, Iowa
Randy Cody ’99, Carson, Iowa
Mark DeVore ’71, Branson, Mo.
Abby Stephens Elliott ’06, ’08, Diagonal, Iowa
Allison Kreifels ’06, ’11, Wahoo, Neb.
Marsha Alsbury Leopard ’71, ’76, Chillicothe, Mo.
Jay Liebenguth ’80, Louisburg, Kan.
Joyce Seals Roddy ’75, St. Peters, Mo.
Faith Spark, Des Moines, Iowa
Bob Stalder ’88, Kansas City, Mo.
Anitra Germer Svendsen ’05, ’07, St. Joseph, Mo.
Rich Tohkeim ’82, Omaha, Neb.
Jeremy Waldeier ’97, ’09, Maryville
Dustin Wasson ’03, Perry, Mo.
Ex-Officio Board Members
Mike Johnson ’85, Vice President of University Advancement
Mark Doll ’80, President, Northwest Foundation, Des Moines, Iowa
Lori McLemore Steiner ’85, Finance Officer
Bob Machovsky ’15, Director of Alumni Relations and Annual Giving
Melanie Robinson Smith, Alumni and Donor Relations Specialist
Brenda Untiedt ’00, ’09, Alumni Relations and Advancement Communications Specialist
Doll ’80, of Des Moines, Iowa; Vice President Arnold Johnson ’77, of Houston, Texas; and Immediate Past President Holly Murphy-Barstow ’81, of Omaha, Neb. Board members may serve up to two three-year terms.
The Foundation, governed by a 31-member volunteer board, is staffed by members of Northwest’s Office of University Advancement. It has nearly 6,800 donors and awarded more than 1,000 scholarships last year, with an average value of $641 per student.
Additional information about the new Board members is provided below. For more information about the Northwest Foundation, visit www.nwmissouri.edu/alumni/foundation/. n
Brian Heath has accumulated more than 20 years of leadership and project management experience and is an underwriting section manager at State Farm Insurance Companies in Winter Haven, Fla. He joined State Farm in 1988 as an auto claim representative in Independence, Mo., and worked for 15 years in human resources roles in California, New Jersey and Pennsylvania. He received his bachelor’s degree in public relations from Northwest in 1984.
John Moore retired in 2014 after working for the Federal Reserve Bank for 34 years. After advancing to an officer of the bank in Kansas City in 1985 and later transferring to the Los Angeles office of the Federal Reserve Bank of San Francisco, he became chief operating officer in 1996. He also served on the national board of the Community for Education Foundation for 15 years. He earned his bachelor’s degree in business finance from Northwest in 1978 and resides in Raymore, Mo.
Dr. Jacqueline Vincent Henningsen
is a consultant and advisor in applied analytics, risk management and STEM workforce development. She retired in 2014 from the United States Air Force as director of studies and analysis, assessments and lessons learned after 16 years in the Senior Executive Service. She contributed analytic leadership to major defense reviews for the Department of Defense and was awarded the Department of Defense Distinguished Civilian Service Awards in 2001 and 2009, as well as the Presidential Distinguished Executive Rank Award in 2012. She earned her bachelor’s degree in mathematics education from Northwest in 1966 and resides in Arlington, Va.
Angela Booth Moskow
Linda Nichols Place is the incoming president of the Northwest Alumni Association. Since 2012, she has been an active member of the Alumni Association Board. She resides in Albany, Mo., where she retired after a successful career in teaching and education consulting. She earned her bachelor’s degree in elementary education in 1972 and a master’s degree in education in 2009, both from Northwest.
Gary Thompson worked for The Hartford Financial Services Group Inc. for 37 years, retiring in 2013. He became executive vice president in 2005 and served in that role for the last eight years of his career. He earned his bachelor’s degree in finance and business management from Northwest in 1976 and resides in Princeton, Mo.
is a vice president at Sanofi US, leading the Center for Chronic Disease Prevention and Wellness in the Corporate Affairs Division. Her department works to play a key role in moving the U.S. healthcare system from one that treats sickness to one that promotes and incentivizes wellness. She also serves as co-chair of the Alliance for a Healthier Generation Leaders Advisory Board, which works to reduce childhood obesity and improve healthy lifestyles among youth. A friend of Northwest, she is the daughter of Melvin ’67 and Valorie Booth and resides in Basking Ridge, N.J.
Dr. Carol Blom Spradling is an associate professor of computer science and information systems at Northwest, having joined the faculty in 1988. The recipient of the 2012 Governor’s Award for Excellence in Education, Spradling currently teaches courses that include database systems, project management and professional practice skills. She also was part of a faculty team that advises Knacktive, Northwest’s student-led, interdisciplinary, strategic communications agency. She earned her master’s degree in school computer studies from Northwest in 1988.
Alumnus pledges support to liberal arts programs
Bernard “Barney” Brinkmann ’79 came to Northwest from St. Louis in 1974, looking for something new and different. Although many of his friends remained close to home, Brinkmann was ready for the challenge of going to school more than five hours away.
Brinkmann graduated from Northwest with a degree in psychology, and for the past 37 years has worked for AT&T as the manager of outside plant planning and engineering design, processing high-speed data orders.
“My education from Northwest helped me shape who I am today,” Brinkmann said. “The University made me approach situations from different angles and assisted in problem-solving. Having a degree built my confidence and ensured I was prepared for my career.”
Through the years, Brinkmann and his wife, Colleen, have traveled to parts of the world including her native country, India.
“For a country to compete in the world market, we need to be competitive both academically and financially,” Brinkmann said. “Education is so valued in India, and it is a
tool to get people out of poverty.”
With the value of education in mind, Brinkmann has pledged a portion of his estate to Northwest and to support the future needs of the College of Arts and Sciences in the area of liberal arts.
“Deferred giving provides an opportunity for alumni to leave their legacy to Northwest,” Northwest Senior Development Officer Steve Sutton ’71 said. “Barney’s gift will assist future students in achieving their goal of earning a college diploma.”
Brinkmann and his wife understand the importance of philanthropy and how financial assistance and scholarships can make a difference for a student. Knowing firsthand the cost of a college education and its worth, Brinkmann wants future students to succeed and have the same opportunities he had.
“Northwest offers a solid and affordable education,” Brinkmann said. “Because of its size and location, each student has the opportunity to find their place. I hope my pledge helps future Bearcats.” n
Former president, first lady pledge $100,000 to scholarship fund
Decades before becoming Northwest’s ninth president, Dr. Dean Hubbard was a first-generation college student working to realize his aspirations of attaining a college degree and doing it with little financial support.
As he neared the completion of his bachelor’s degree at Andrews University in Berrien Springs, Mich., Hubbard was the beneficiary of one farmer’s financial gift to the institution.
“I didn’t have money and was working 40 hours a week plus going to school,” Hubbard said. “I’m well aware of the value of education to start with and the need students have for financial support.”
As Northwest’s president from 1984 until his retirement in 2009, Hubbard, with his wife, Aleta, helped shape the University as a leader in Missouri higher education and worked to make it afford-
able for people lacking the financial means to work toward a college degree.
The Hubbards continue to fulfill that mission and recently pledged $100,000 to assist deserving scholars through their namesake scholarship and the Dr. Joe Willey & Dr. Barbara J. Orr-Willey Fund. The Aleta & Dean Hubbard Scholarship was established in 2003 through a cash gift by the Willeys, who are longtime friends of the Hubbards. Multiple scholarships are awarded annually to entering Northwest freshmen.
recent recipients of the Aleta & Dean Hubbard Scholarship.
“Scholarships have always been close
to my heart. I can’t think of anything better for someone to do than to help a young person get an education in this day and age,” Hubbard said.” n
Bernard “Barney” Brinkmann shows his Bearcat pride in Kauai, Hawaii. To help Northwest alumni compete and be successful in the workplace, Brinkmann recently pledged a portion of his estate to support liberal arts.
Jessica Kelley, a sophomore biology major from Blue Springs, Mo., (left) and Gregory Unkefer, a freshman computer science major from Pleasant Valley, Mo., (right) are pictured with Dr. Dean and Aleta Hubbard at Northwest’s spring academic celebration. Kelley and Unkefer are
Ag sciences garners support
Northwest is in preliminary planning stages for an $8.5 million Agricultural Learning Center, encompassing 24,000 square feet of multi-use space that will include a lecture hall, laboratory, meeting facilities and an exposition hall, all designed to meet the needs of the University and its students, the agriculture industry and the broader community.
The proposed Agricultural Learning Center is being largely funded by donors and will be north of the Northwest campus on the University’s 448-acre R.T. Wright Farm, which is home to beef, swine, dairy, poultry and sheep herds as well as row, silage and hay crops.
In addition to supporting the University’s agriculture programming at the Wright Farm, the facility will support FFA and 4-H youth functions, including educational activities and contests; agricultural industry meetings, training workshops and events; equipment and product demonstrations; local, regional and national livestock shows and sales; agricultural literacy training; food processing; agricultural banquets and other events of interest to agricultural commodity groups in Missouri, Iowa and beyond.
Northwest to receive state funding for ag facility
Northwest is the recipient of $250,000 in matching funds released by the office of Gov. Jay Nixon to support construction of the University’s planned Agricultural Learning Center.
Northwest President Dr. John Jasinski praised state legislators and encouraged them to continue seeking avenues for matching funding.
“The Agricultural Learning Center and our agricultural sciences program are strategic priorities,” Jasinski said. “This matching gift helps us leverage other gifts from donors and illustrates the state’s commitment to agricultural sciences, Northwest, our students and ag-related partners. The match also will assist in moving us closer to the construction phase as we continue to be the regional leader in agricultural education, partner with ag producers and growers, and provide outreach to youth and a variety of organizations. n
Wells Bank gives $120,000 to support Agricultural Learning Center
Wells Bank, headquartered in Platte City, Mo., is demonstrating its commitment to the success of Northwest and its students with a $120,000 gift to support the Agricultural Learning Center.
“Several employees and directors have ties to Northwest and realize the importance of the University community,” Robert Barmann ’84, the chairman of Wells Bank, said. “Their connections with Northwest have provided the basis to be successful in their lives and careers. From a business standpoint, we’ve had the privilege to serve many alumni in our market area over the years.”
Rod Barr ’87, ’95, ’09, director of the School of Agricultural Sciences, said, “Relationships with industries are vital for this project and the success for the School of Agricultural Sciences. We are appreciative of Wells Bank and its contribution in helping further the University’s mission of student success – every student, every day. We believe the Agricultural Learning Center will have a significant impact on our students, community and the agricultural industry as a whole.” n
Bostwick, 5 student-athletes, two teams to enter M-Club Hall of Fame
A legendary Northwest coach will be posthumously inducted into Northwest’s M-Club Hall of Fame this fall with five outstanding former student-athletes, an undefeated wrestling team and a dominate women’s tennis team.
The Class of 2015 will be inducted during the annual banquet at 6:30 p.m. Friday, Oct. 23, in the J.W. Jones Student Union Ballroom. Tickets are $25 each and may be purchased by contacting Michele Steinmeyer at 660.562.1977 or msteinm@nwmissouri.edu by Friday, Oct. 9. Inductees also will be recognized during the Homecoming football game Saturday, Oct. 24.
The 2015 class will bring the total number of individual inductees to 130. The M-Club Hall of Fame was established for individuals in 1980 and its first teams were enshrined in 1989.
Scott Bostwick
Northwest football defensive coordinator, 1994-2010; named 18 th head football coach in Northwest’s history in 2011 before passing at age 49; teams won 12 MIAA championships, appeared in seven title games and won three NCAA Division II championships during his tenure; 2007 AFCA Assistant Coach of the Year.
Steve Coppinger ’98
Football, 1994-1998; first-team AllAmerican in 1998; first-team All-MIAA and All-Region in 1997 and 1998; started every game during his four-year career.
Karen Hopewell Jacobsen ’86 Softball, 1983-1986; first-team All-MIAA in 1985 and 1986; MIAA Most Valuable Player in 1986 is first and only selection in Northwest program history; first all-time in assists for a season (195 in 1985) and for career (463).
Josh Lamberson ’06
Football, 2002-2005; second-team All-MIAA in 2004 and 2005; third-team All-American in 2005; twice named to first team Academic All-American in 2004 and 2005; CoSIDA and ESPN The Magazine Academic All-American of the Year in 2005.
Xavier Omon ’07
Football, 2003-2007; Northwest’s leader in career (7,073) and single season (2,337) rushing yards as well as career rushing touchdowns (92); earned multiple firstteam All-American honors in 2007 (AP Little AllAmerica, D2Football.com, Daktronics/CoSida, AFCA, Don Hansen Gazette).
Allen Packer ’67
Wrestling, 1962-1966; had a dominate career, highlighted by All-American honors in 1964; won program record 35 consecutive dual matches at one point in his career; notched 29 career pins, and his 10 during the 1964-1965 season tied a school record at the time.
1996 women’s tennis
Went 20-5 overall and 5-0 in MIAA to earn conference championship, finished No. 20 in nation; the team’s 58 combined doubles wins is tied for third in school history; featured four MIAA individual champions (Kim Buchan ’99, Sherri Casady ’98, Maria Groumoutis Leonard ’98, Lia Ruiz Bradley ’96, ’98).
1963-1964 wrestling
Recorded a 12-0 record; finished ninth at the NCAA Division II Tournament; two wrestlers earned All-America honors (Harvey Hallum ’69, Allen Packer ’67). n
Josh Lamberson ’06
Xavier Omon ’07
Karen Hopewell Jacobsen ’86
Scott Bostwick
1996 women’s tennis team
Steve Coppinger ’98
Bearcat Sports 27
2015 spring sports recap
Golf
Seniors Taylor Gard and Ashley Powers led the Northwest women’s golf team to a pair of top-six team finishes this season. The Bearcats placed fifth at the University of Nebraska at Kearney Invite in Axtell, Neb., with Gard shooting a team-low 79 in the second round, which was good for a fourth-place overall tie individually. Powers carded an 81 to post a tie for 20th. Northwest finished in sixth place at the MIAA Championship Tournament in Lawrence, Kan. Both women improved their final round scores in the championship; Gard clinched eighth place individually with a 75, and Powers notched a 79 to tie for 17th
Gard and Powers each received MIAA honorable mention accolades. Gard was named an MIAA Scholar Athlete, and Powers was one of eight Bearcats to be named to the MIAA Academic honor roll.
Softball
For the sixth consecutive season, the Bearcat softball team (26-24) earned a trip to the MIAA Tournament and secured tournament victories over Missouri Western and Central Oklahoma to finish with multiple postseason wins for the first time since 2008. Junior pitcher Kendle Schieber recorded a team-best 2.28 ERA, the third lowest in the MIAA among qualifying pitchers. Senior first baseman Stephanie Mark finished with a .395 batting average and a .722 slugging percentage while crushing 13 home runs.
Tennis
Bearcat head tennis coach Mark Rosewell recorded his 1,000th career win and guided the men’s tennis team to its 10th straight NCAA Tournament appearance. Rosewell finished 2015 with 1,013 wins and received his 25th MIAA Coach of the Year award. He has now won 24 MIAA regular season titles, seven MIAA tournament titles and advanced 34 teams to the NCAA tournament. The men’s team finished with a 19-7 record and a sixth straight sweep of the regular season and tournament MIAA titles.
Mark received AstroTurf/MIAA Hitter of the Week honors on two occasions and was the NFCA National Player of the Week for games played March 2-8. Schieber and Mark were honored with secondteam All-MIAA accolades, while sophomore second baseman Torri Blythe and sophomore third baseman Chantel Adams received honorable mention awards.
Baseball
The Bearcat baseball team narrowly missed the MIAA Tournament for the second straight year, finishing 10th in the league standings. Northwest (20-28) experienced an impressive mid-season run that included 12 wins and three series ties. Senior second baseman Paul Johnson concluded his Northwest career with his best offensive season, leading the team with a .364 batting average, seven doubles, three triples and three home runs in 45 starts. Senior first baseman Steven Garber smacked seven home runs, 43 RBI and 59 total hits, which tied Johnson for the team lead.
Johnson earned second team All-MIAA baseball honors, while Garber was named third team All-MIAA. Junior shortstop Nick Gotta and two pitchers, sophomore Anthony Caenepeel and senior Carson Smith, garnered honorable mention accolades.
Northwest sophomore Romain Boissinot was the MIAA Men’s Player of the Year and earned one of three first-team All-MIAA selections for the Bearcats. The Intercollegiate Tennis Association named Rosewell Central Region Men’s Coach of the Year and graduate assistant Lluis Altimires was Assistant Coach of the Year while awarding women’s senior Camila Quesada with the Most Improved Player of the Year award. Quesada, the nation’s No. 35-ranked singles player, earned second team All-MIAA honors at No. 1 singles.
The women’s team finished the season with an 18-8 overall record and its first berth in the NCAA Championship tournament since 2009. Both teams combined for 13 student-athletes honored by the MIAA for their academic achievements.
Track and Field
Two Bearcat track and field athletes qualified for the NCAA Division II Championships this season. Northwest junior Chloe Wichmann qualified for the 2015 NCAA Division II Outdoor Track and Field Championships in Allendale, Mich., and the U.S. Track & Field and Cross Country Coaches Association awarded her with AllRegion team honors in the heptathlon and the long jump. Wichmann also broke her own Northwest school record in the heptathlon, and she finished 10th in the event at the NCAA Championships. Senior Alexis Boyd also set a Northwest record in the 400-meter dash. She placed 12th in the event at the NCAA Division II Indoor Track and Field Championships in Birmingham, Ala.
Overall, the Bearcats had four studentathletes earn MIAA Scholar Athlete honors while 59 earned MIAA Academic Honor Roll accolades. As teams, the Bearcat men captured a seventh-place finish at the MIAA Indoor Championships while the women finished ninth. At the MIAA Outdoor Championships, the Bearcat women placed seventh, while the men finished tenth. n
Romain Boissinot
Chloe Wichmann
Anthony Caenepeel
Stephanie Mark
Ross ensures Mayan students are equipped for school
Chris Ross ’77 was approached in 1985 by long-time Northwest geography instructor Dr. Byron Agustin to take a trip to the Yucatan and visit the Mayan ruins. He had no idea it would turn into a lifetime journey.
On that first trip, Ross noticed children trying to play baseball with sticks, old tennis balls and plastic cups. So he returned the next year with baseball equipment.
He didn’t end his journey there. For the last 30 years, Ross has traveled to the Yucatan, annually delivering school supplies to Mayan children.
Each packet a child receives consists of a cross, candy, books, pencils, ink pens, coloring books, toys and crayons to last them a year until Ross returns.
“When I arrived in the first village, I was amazed to see how they were trying to teach the children,” Ross said. “No electricity, no running water. The schools had dirt-floor huts. Dark and dingy.”
Ross has changed thousands of students’ lives in the Yucatan. He raises money to create the school supply packets with the help of churches, civic groups and donors. Through fundraisers, he has traveled more than 50,000 miles, visited more than 1,000 villages and reached more than 36,000 children.
His impact on Mayan people has not gone unnoticed. Once he went on a company trip to
Puerto Vallarta and heard a young man across the street calling his name.
“He told me his name and that he was from the village of Ek Balam in the Yucatan, and when he was in school I delivered him a packet every year. He finished high school in Valladolid, Yucatan, and studied business in Mexico City. He was the manager of the restaurant and wanted me to have a meal with him.”
Ross said it was like handing a packet to someone in New York and seeing him in California.
In 2008, one village threw Ross a surprise party to celebrate his years of visits to the Yucatan.
“The teachers from all the villages came, some traveled many miles and honored me with certificates, awards and gifts. Many of them are printed in Mayan and I treasure them. They were telling me how much my work meant to the children and the Mayan people.”
Nothing has stopped Ross from getting school supplies to help educate and improve the lives of Mayan children. He is planning a fundraiser to return in 2016.
“The greatest gift you can give someone is the gift of inspiration,” Ross said. “I have been blessed to be able to do this as long as I have, and I never get tired of the hugs and kisses I receive from the children when I hand a packet to them.”
Ross is employed as a premier dealer for Producers Hybrids, a seed company based in Battle Creek, Neb. When he isn’t traveling to the Yucatan, he enjoys fly fishing at his cabin in the sand hills of Nebraska, attending and helping with the College World Series in Omaha, and spending time with his family, which includes his wife, Terri Reiter Ross ’77. n
Chris Ross ’77 has traveled to the Yucatan for the last 30 years, annually delivering school supplies to Mayan children.
Jeff Gude ’12, ’13 and Tiffanie Jacobs Gude ’14 were married May 30 and were treated to a special appearance by Bobby Bearcat. The wedding party included six other Northwest alumni: Tia Jacobs Singleton ’12 (back second from left), Scott Singleton ’12 (back third from right), Derek Lowery ’13 (back right), Paul Kite ’12 (in front of Scott), Chase Anderson ’13 (front right), Chris Franz ’12 (in front of Bobby); and current student Arianne Bredlow (back left). The groom is employed at Gronewold, Bell, Kyhnn and Co., CPA’s in Atlantic, Iowa, and the bride is an insurance coordinator at Duke Aerial Inc. in Atlantic.
1. Earl ’40 and Ethlyn Heriford (attended) McCleave
2. Shirley Catlett ’80
3. Peggy and Kurt ’84 Suchomel
4. Britany Bahr ’12 and Payden ’10 Harris
1940
Earl McCleave and Ethlyn Heriford McCleave (attended) celebrated their 75th wedding anniversary April 4. Earl is a retired attorney, and Ethlyn worked as a teacher and government worker. They live in Gladstone, Mo., near where the Northland Innovation Campus will be located. (Editor’s note: Earl McCleave passed away July 31)
1942
Helen Johnson Ackerman lives in Alexandria, Va., and is a retired professor of educational technology.
1950
Gerald Cox is a retired private investigator who has recently published “Rescued by the Grace of God,” a sequel to his Irish novel, “Adventures of Sean McCauley from Ireland to Scotland Yard.” Jerry and his wife, Vivian Kowitz Cox ’51, a retired teacher, have relocated from Colorado to Kansas City, Mo.
1957
James Joy and Patricia New Joy ’58 live in Rogers, Ark. James is a retired brigadier general from the U.S. Marine Corps and Patricia retired from teaching elementary school.
1963
Alice Burgett Ramsay is a business and elementary educator. She lived in Colorado for 37 years before moving to her farm in Iowa in 2000. She recently relocated to Colorado to hike, swim and ski. 1
Allenbrand helps disabled farmers stay independent on their land 1967
Janice Rhodes is a retired elementary teacher living in St. Louis. She taught for Kirkwood R-7.
1971
Edward Day retired after 41 years with Navistar and the Navistar Truck Dealer Network. In 2014, he was Illustrious Sir of the Midian Shrine Center in Wichita, Kan., part of Shriners International, which operates 22 children’s hospitals in the U.S., Canada and Mexico. Edward lives in Valley Center, Kan.
Larry Mannasmith was presented the Orpheus Award by Northwest’s Upsilon Chi Chapter of Phi Mu Alpha Sinfonia. He received the award, given for significant and lasting contributions to the cause of music in America, following the performance of Northwest’s Celebration Spring Show on April 24, at the Ron Houston Center for the Performing Arts. Larry is a retired choral music teacher and currently works as an admissions representative for Northwest.
1980
2
Shirley Catlett retired in May 2015, after teaching for 31 years. She taught the last 20 years in Savannah, Mo., and for the last four years has been accompanied and assisted in her life-skills curriculum for special needs students by Annabelle, her 3-pound Chihuahua, who dresses to match her every day. Shirley and Annabelle plan to continue to teach on a substitute basis.
Jackie Allenbrand ’91 proudly walked across Northwest’s commencement stage to accept her degree in elementary and special education and thought she would teach forever.
After eight years of teaching fourth and sixth grade students and serving as a high school girls basketball assistant coach, she learned she developed an immune system disorder. Her doctor recommended she find another career.
Today, Allenbrand and her husband, Chris, can be found on a farm in Stanberry, Mo., connecting dogs with disabled farmers. She developed Pets Helping Agriculture in Rural Missouri, or P.H.A.R.M. Dog USA, in 2005
Jackie Allenbrand ’91 turned her attention to training dogs for disabled farmers after an immune system disorder forced her to reconsider her teaching career.
when a friend, who had a partially amputated leg, discussed the benefits of having his border collie assist with herding his cattle. Allenbrand launched P.H.A.R.M. Dog USA as a non-profit organization to match dogs with disabled farmers throughout the country.
To be eligible, farmers or their family members must have a disease or disability and a continued desire to farm their land. “We are farmers helping farmers while saving a dog’s life, and improving the life of farmers,” Allenbrand said.
Allenbrand and volunteers train two breeds of dogs – border collies (herding dogs) and Labradors (service dogs) – that are saved or adopted from shelters. The training for herding dogs can take as long as a year and a half prior to placement with a farmer, and service dogs can take up to two years. Dogs are trained based on the needs of the farmer.
The primary responsibility of a border collie is to assist farmers with herding livestock. Service dogs aid farmers with tasks like retrieving tools, helping farmers walk, and opening and closing gates. Depending on the needs of the farmers, dogs also are trained to be near fourwheelers, gators and tractors. “One of our dogs is even laser-trained,” Allenbrand said. “The farmer can shine the laser on a tool and the dog will retrieve it.”
Once the dog is trained, Allenbrand and a trainer stay with the farmer for four to five days to teach commands and help the dog and farmer adapt to each other. “We also have to ‘dog break’ the livestock – meaning, we teach the livestock to respect the dog,” Allenbrand said. If required, additional training is available after the dog is placed with the owner.
To date, P.H.A.R.M. Dog USA has placed 12 dogs with farmers, and The Kansas City Star has featured the organization in a story highlighting opportunities for disabled farmers.
Although Allenbrand couldn’t continue her dream of being a teacher, she fulfills the dreams of disabled farmers who want to keep farming.
To learn more about P.H.A.R.M. Dog USA or how to donate, visit www.pharmdog.org n
Nelson feels connection with community through Camp Quality
Adam Nelson ’02, ’06 is helping to change lives annually at Camp Quality – a non-profit organization that provides year-round companionship and programming at no cost to children who have been diagnosed with cancer and their families.
Nelson, of Cameron, Mo., has worked with the camp for 18 years and has been the co-executive director for five years. His job involves public relations and fundraising at Camp Quality Northwest Missouri, the original and largest of 16 camps in the United States.
Nelson has always had a passion for helping others. In high school, he chaperoned some Cameron students to the Missouri State Special Olympics and realized he wanted to get involved with Camp Quality. Through the years, many Northwest students have volunteered and gained education experience by working with children at the camp.
“Camp Quality has made me who I am,” Nelson said. “Helping others gives me a sense of belonging, and camp has allowed me to continue that for many years.”
Founded in 1986, Camp Quality has grown immensely, and an average of 105 campers annually attend the main event, a week-long summer camp in June outside Stewartsville, Mo.
“The northwest Missouri community has been very important to Camp Quality, and I feel blessed to be raised in an area where I truly feel we are able to live by our tagline of ‘letting kids with cancer be kids again,’” Nelson said.
Nelson earned his bachelor’s degree in elementary education and mental disabilities as well as a master’s degree in education leadership and secondary administration, both from Northwest. He also received his certification in K-12 cross categorical special education through the Missouri Department of Elementary and Secondary Education.
Aside from his work at Camp Quality, Nelson is a special education teacher for the Platte County R-III School District and attributes his success to instructors he had at Northwest.
“Not only did they teach me the curriculum, but they also took me under their wings and helped me learn the importance of build-
ing relationships with my students and their families,” Nelson said. At Northwest, Nelson was involved with Kind Individuals Dedicated to Students (K.I.D.S.). He also was a residential assistant for two years and a member of Delta Sigma Phi fraternity.
1983
John McGuire ’99 (master’s) is one of the co-editors of “The ESPN Effect: Examining the Worldwide Leader in Sports,” which will be released this fall by Peter Lang publishing in New York. Dr. McGuire, an associate professor in the sports media program at Oklahoma State University, is currently at work on a textbook about the business of sportscasting.
Christopher Hughes was promoted to the rank of major general in the U.S. Army. He had served as deputy commandant at the U.S. Army Command and General Staff College and deputy commanding general for leader development and education at the U.S. Army Combined Arms Center in Fort Leavenworth, Kan., and was reassigned to serve as chief of staff at U.S. Army Pacific in Fort Shafter, Hawaii.
“Northwest taught me how to become a community leader,” Nelson said. “I attribute a lot of my ability to be the co-executive director of Camp Quality Northwest Missouri to Northwest and how the University guided me to become active in the community.”
Nelson said Northwest also taught him how to be an effective communicator, which is important for his position at Camp Quality. He says meeting new campers and their families is one thing he enjoys most.
“Each year before the camp week, I go and meet the new camper families so they have a familiar face to see before camp,” Nelson said. “I have made some really strong connections with our new campers and enjoy getting to learn about them even before each one steps foot on the grounds for their first camp week.”
For Nelson, the people he meets through Camp Quality keep him actively involved and inspire him to continue his work there.
“I have this whole family I have made through camp, and they truly care about me and each other as much as I care about them,” Nelson said. n
1984
Kurt Suchomel has been in the pre-engineered building business since 1986 and has been with American Buildings Co. since 2007. In 2011, he was named district manager of the year in the Midwest Division, and in 2013 he ranked No. 5 in shipments in the country. Kurt and his wife, Peggy, reside in ‘old’ downtown Lee’s Summit, Mo.
1989
Rick Gustafson is interim principal for Trinity Lutheran School in Boone, Iowa. He has been substitute teaching for the Ogden Community Schools since his retirement in 2010. Rick serves on the Board
3 continued on next page
Adam Nelson ’02, ’06 is co-executive director for Camp Quality, a program for children diagnosed with cancer.
Payden Harris and Britany Bahr ‘12 were married March 14. Britany is a fifth grade teacher with the North Kansas City School District and Payden is an account executive with Digity Media.
Elliott Ludy and Elizabeth Most Ludy ‘11 live in Steamboat Springs, Colo., where he is a certified public accountant for A. Scott Colby, P.C., and she is a lighting associate with Lightworks of Steamboat.
2014
Amanda Curtis is a learning management systems administrator at Missouri Southern State University, where she recently received the Champ Service Award. She and her daughter, Averi, 3, live in Webb City, Mo. n
What’s new with you?
New job? New child? New spouse? New address? Send your latest news to the Northwest Alumni Association at alumni@nwmissouri. edu, use the enclosed envelope or complete the online class notes form at www. nwmissouri.edu/ alumni/magazine/ classnotes.htm
You may also submit a photograph. Please include a selfaddressed envelope for the photo to be returned, or email it, in high resolution, to alumni@nwmissouri. edu. n
Houts, Bush co-author picture book to celebrate love of mother, child
Memories of their own mother-child bond inspired award-winning author Amy Farber Houts ’91 and her daughter, Emily Dettmer Bush ’04, to co-author “What Do Moms Do?”
Sweet examples and funny animal illustrations – including a mother skunk sitting by the bathtub while her child takes a bath – help tell the story of the everyday ways moms show their love. The book, created with award-winning illustrator Lisa Thiesing, is geared for children ages 3 to 5, and is available in paperback.
Houts and Bush decided to write the book after discussing some of the little sacrifices that moms make that seem trivial but make everyday routines special.
“We just started laughing about these funny things and small sacrifices that moms make for their kids,” Houts said. “So I started writing them down and, being a children’s author, I thought this would be a really cute book.”
Added Bush, “It was particularly fun to work on this book because it allowed us to reminisce about my childhood and relate it to raising my sons.”
An author of more than 60 books, Houts started a publishing company, Houts & Home Publications LLC, in 2011 with Bush’s help, and the two continue to partner on a number of writing projects.
Houts’ books have earned the Moonbean Children’s Book Award-Gold Medal, Creative Child Magazine “Seal of Excellence” Award, Dr. Toy Best Vacation Children’s Product Award, Missouri Writers’ Guild Best Juvenile Book Award, was a Midwest Book Award Finalist, and was a BookSense 76 Pick. Visit www.amyhouts.com for more information. n
n Recruit future Bearcats to Northwest
n Attend a chapter event in your area
Connect professionally with other Bearcats
Emily Dettmer Bush ’04 and Amy Farber Houts ’91 are co-authors of “What Do Moms Do?”
In Memoriam
David Anderson ‘70 73, of Omaha, Neb., died Jan. 1 at the Douglas County Health Center in Omaha. He served in Vietnam and taught high school business classes in Shelby and Council Bluffs, Iowa. In 1979, his family relocated to Charition, Iowa, where he owned and operated a radio station until he returned to teaching in Denison, Iowa, in 1984. He taught at Denison High School for 20 years, retiring in 2004.
Richard “Dick” Carothers ‘50
80, died March 30 at Ridgewood Nursing and Rehab Center in Ottumwa, Iowa. He served with the U.S. Army in Korea and moved to Ottumwa in 1963 to work for the Iowa Department of Human Services. For 24 years he worked for the Southern Iowa Mental Health Center, serving as director for 20 years and retiring in 1997.
Paul Carson ’41 96, of Brookings, S.D., died June 22. He was principal of the Bolckow Public Schools in Missouri prior to serving three years in the U.S. Army during World War II. He joined the faculty of South Dakota State University in 1948 and retired in 1984 as professor of plant science and a member of the graduate studies faculty.
Andrea “Andi” Schauper Dykstra ‘73 64, of Maxwell, Iowa, died April 1 at the University of Iowa Hospital in Iowa City. Andi worked as a senior director for Telligen for 28 years.
Patricia “Pat” Erman Eppenauer 77, of Callao, Mo., died March 19 at the Macon Health Care Center in
Macon, Mo. She taught 38 years at various levels of education, including Northwest.
James Galloway (attended)
72, of Coon Rapids, Iowa, died Dec. 30, 2014. Jim was a farmer and seed corn dealer.
Mary Gentry (attended) 60, died Feb. 1 at Nurse Care Rehabilitation Center in Shreveport, La. She was a licensed alcohol and drug addiction counselor for Chemical Dependency Services of Shreveport, where she worked until 1989. Mary then started her own business, conducting individual, group, couple and family counseling for 25 years.
Eva Huff Goforth (Horace Mann ‘41) 91, of Savannah, Mo., died May 20 after a brief illness. After graduating from Horace Mann High School, Eva worked as an office manager for a local auto dealership. She and her husband, Byrl, farmed and raised their family in Guilford, Mo.
Nadine Royston Graham ‘55 84, of Warrensburg, Mo., died Dec. 15, 2014. Nadine taught elementary school at Rockport, St. Joseph and Independence, Mo., and Atchison, Kan. She was a school librarian at Savannah, University City and Knob Noster, Mo.
Ron Hargin ‘50 84, died April 16. He served in the Air Force during the Korean Conflict. Ron began his career as a high school teacher but spent the bulk of his career as an electronic production manager for Western Electric Inc. the manufacturing division of AT&T. He retired from
Pacific NW Bell in 1985.
Anne Harter ’95, ‘97 49, of Red Oak, Iowa, died May 12 at her home. She started her teaching career at Northwest. Anne taught at Villisca, Iowa, schools and later ran the Villisca Review newspaper. She returned to teaching at the Clarinda Academy, Shenandoah schools and Red Oak Community Schools, all in Iowa.
Mindy Povenmire
Hempler ‘96
40, of Holt, Mo., died Jan. 21 at her home. She worked as a sales representative for Bayer Crop Science and then for Syngenta.
Walter Hicks ’76 (master’s)
74, of Goose Creek, S.C., died Feb. 14 at the Medical University Hospital in Charleston. Walt was a commissioned U.S. Army Officer and served 21 years of active duty, retiring as a lieutenant colonel in 1983. He was a senior aviator and an airborne paratrooper. After retiring from the Army, Walt lived in California for 20 years, working in the defense industry, managing chemical and biological detection projects.
Nadyne Jurjevich
Justin ’70
91, of St. Joseph, Mo., died March 4. She taught in Stewartsville, Mo., and later became the an administrative assistant in the Department of Music at Missouri Western State University for 27 years until retiring in 2007.
Janet Welch-Marshall ’67, ’75
69, of St. Joseph, Mo., died March 7 at Mosaic Hospital after a brief illness. She taught for 30 years at Hyde Park Elementary.
After retiring, she pursued her interests in travel and genealogy, and authored several books.
Frank Merenghi ‘50 91, died April 10 at the Missouri Veterans Home in St. James, Mo., where he was a resident for the past three years. Frank served in the U.S. Army from 1943 to 1945. Frank worked part-time as a student at the Maryville Daily Forum and later was advertising and business manager there before being named publisher of the Nevada (Mo.) Daily Mail. He later returned to the Daily Forum as publisher where he ended his 30year newspaper career. An avid bowler, he belonged to multiple bowling boards and associations and was inducted to three bowling hall of fames, including the Missouri State Bowling Hall of Fame in 1997.
Irma Jensen Merrick ‘70
87, of Maryville, died May 17. Irma taught at Eugene Field Elementary School, Horace Mann Laboratory School and Northwest, where she was the faculty sponsor for Sigma Sigma Sigma sorority. After retiring from teaching, she went to work for Campus Dining as a cashier for many years and enjoyed staying connected with Northwest students and employees.
Let us know
If you learn of the death of a Northwest graduate, please submit in writing or via news clipping the name of the deceased (and maiden name, if appropriate), year(s) of graduation from Northwest, date of death, age, city of death, city of residence and a brief listing of career accomplishments. In addition, submit your relationship to the deceased and your daytime telephone number to the Office of University Advancement, 800 University Dr., Maryville, MO 64468-6001, fax to 660.562.1990 or email alumni@nwmissouri. edu. Submissions may be edited for length and clarity. n
Northwest Missouri State University Office of University Advancement 800 University Drive
Maryville, MO 64468-6001
Stay in touch with us: www.nwmissouri.edu/alumni
660.562.1248
Contact us by email:
Address changes: alumni@nwmissouri.edu
Class notes: alumni@nwmissouri.edu
Letter to the editor: mhorn@nwmissouri.edu
the Tourin’ Bearcats on one of these two upcoming trips
April 28–May 2, 2016
start at $2,629 per person*
Trip Highlights • Two Broadway Shows
Greenwich Village
Wall Street
Metropolitan Museum of Art
Statue of Liberty
Ellis Island
*Prices are per person, based on double occupancy. Includes roundtrip airfare from Kansas City, air taxes, hotel transfers; three breakfasts; two dinners; transportation from Maryville to Kansas City International Airport
Sept. 7–14, 2016
start at $3,099 per person*
Trip Highlights
• Buckingham Palace
• Big Ben
• Stonehenge
• Salisbury
• London Eye
• Shakespeare’s Globe Theatre
• Traditional Pub Dinner *Prices are per person, based on double occupancy. Includes roundtrip airfare from Kansas City, air taxes, hotel transfers; five breakfasts; two dinners; transportation from Maryville to Kansas City International Airport • $250 per person deposit due at booking
Final payment due Feb. 28, 2016 • $250 per person deposit due at booking
