Reflections: The Magazine of SVSU - Spring 2016

THE MAGAZINE OF SVSU TEN-YEAR ANNIVERSARY

SPRING 2016

RED PRIDE WORLD WIDE With international student enrollment on the rise, SVSU is becoming a more global campus

EDITOR’S LETTER

Reflecting on the years gone by ...

and those ahead

What do you love most about SVSU? I loved watching theatre productions when I was an undergrad. I purchased my first ticket to an SVSU play in October 1999 to support a friend who landed the male lead in “Cat On A Hot Tin Roof.” He played Brick Pollitt with such escalating tension that I worried the character’s tightening grip eventually would smash the shot glass he carried.

The thought gave me anxiety. An engaging anxiety; the sort felt when you’re caught in the gravity of a good book.

The glass never did smash. Still, “Cat On A Hot Tin Roof” shattered my initial low expectations for SVSU performing arts, and not just because of my friend’s performance. The entire cast played Tennessee Williams’ play to pitch perfection. The set design added character, as did the dimmed-lights serenity of what today is known as Malcolm Field Theatre for Performing Arts. Yes, I loved watching theatre at SVSU, right from that first experience. I never missed another show as a student and continue to buy tickets as an alumnus. I’ve witnessed generations of SVSU theatre troupes, not a single underwhelming performance among them.

Later in this magazine, you’ll read about Julie Berkobien, a 2006 theatre grad and member of one of those generations of troupes that graced SVSU’s stage. Her experience at SVSU played a major influence on her life.

She began a family with a fellow alum, landed a role in “The Dark Knight,” and now is a budding scriptwriter in the scriptwriting capital of the world, Hollywood. Reading about her success likely will appeal to many of us who love SVSU theatre, reinforcing our connection to the program by reminding us why we love it so much.

In a nutshell, that’s the role of REFLECTIONS: To tell the stories that define why we — why you — love SVSU. Since the first issue in spring 2006, REFLECTIONS has told stories about the many ways people love SVSU. Those ways stretch way beyond performing arts.

For those who love the amazing spirit of our students, look to the inaugural publication 10 years ago: That’s when REFLECTIONS detailed the journey of a group of nursing students who traveled to Pass Christian, Mississippi to help a community recover from Hurricane Katrina.

For those who love musing about memorable moments in campus life history, look to the spring 2010 edition: That’s when REFLECTIONS recalled how a 1979 screening of Rocky Horror Picture Show turned into a 75-student snowball fight that attracted law enforcement.

For those who love discovering how SVSU’s outstanding faculty and academic programs are meeting regional needs, look to the spring 2014 issue: That’s when REFLECTIONS profiled the university’s commitment to developing prospective employees for the expanding science, technology, engineering and math industries.

For those who love learning about the ways the university is connecting with the world, look to page 12 of this very issue: That’s where REFLECTIONS will examine how the growing international student population is adding a global depth to the campus culture.

These are stories about people and community, issues and ambitions, a nostalgia for yesterday and the promise of tomorrow. These are the stories that define why we — why you — love SVSU. REFLECTIONS has shared these stories for 10 years now. As the magazine enters its second decade, there are plenty more tales to tell. Mine. Yours. Ours What do you love most about SVSU? Keep reading.

Justin Engel, 2005, B.A.

REFLECTIONS SPRING 2016

EXECUTIVE EDITOR Linda Sims EDITOR Justin Engel, 2005, B.A. MANAGING EDITOR Tim Inman, 1989, B.A.; 1996, M.Ed. WRITERS Jill Allardyce, 2006, M.A. Justin Engel Karen Izzo Ayman Al Marhoon, 2014, B.E. Joey Oliver Jan Poppe, 2001, M.A. Jason Wolverton, 2007, B.A.; 2014, M.B.A. GRAPHIC DESIGN Jill Allardyce Justin Engel PHOTOGRAPHERS Gary Bublitz Tim Inman Michael Randolph Jon Rou

CONTENTS

ALUMNI RELATIONS Jim Dwyer, 1976, B.A.; 1985, M.A.T. Kevin Schultz, 1992, B.A. Pamela Wegener, 2013, M.Ed. CONTRIBUTORS Jason Swackhamer, 1997, B.A.; 2004, M.A. REFLECTIONS magazine is published twice a year. For comments, suggestions and inquiries contact: Justin Engel at Saginaw Valley State University • 7400 Bay Road University Center MI 48710 jlengel@svsu.edu • (989) 964-4883 CONTACT THE UNIVERSITY ADMISSIONS admissions@svsu.edu (989) 964-4200 ALUMNI RELATIONS alumni@svsu.edu (989) 964-4196 SVSU FOUNDATION foundation@svsu.edu (989) 964-4052 CAREER SERVICES careers@svsu.edu (989) 964-4954 BUSINESS RESOURCE & DEVELOPMENT CENTER kmmcquar@svsu.edu (989) 964-7015 CONFERENCE CENTER AT SVSU (Box Office) BoxOffice@svsu.edu (989) 964-4261 DIVERSITY PROGRAMS mtthorns@svsu.edu (989) 964-4068 GRADUATE PROGRAMS gradadm@svsu.edu (989) 964-6096 MARSHALL M. FREDERICKS SCULPTURE MUSEUM mfsm@svsu.edu (989) 964-7125 OSHER LIFELONG LEARNING INSTITUTE jap@svsu.edu (989) 964-4310

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NEWS

Read about changes, achievements and happenings

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taking place at SVSU.

RED PRIDE WORLDWIDE

With international student enrollment on the rise in the last decade, the campus is increasingly transforming into a global community.

BIO-HUNT

SVSU researchers are helping a Saginaw Township

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pharmacist to study bacteria found in every pharmaceutical lab.

FROM SAGINAW VALLEY TO HOLLYWOOD

Theatre alumna Julie Berkobien is finding success in the movie capital of the world.

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A CARDINAL CODA

SVSU’s longtime band leader William Wollner is set to call it a career.

An existential mystery inspired Billy Dexter to retrace his path to success, and the footprints led him back to SVSU.

ALUMNI AMBASSADORS 34

Through their professions, alumni continue to boost their alma mater … and boast about their school pride.

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CLASS NOTES

Stay updated on alumni from all eras of SVSU.

CJ Turnage, a health science major from Ypsilanti, soars in for a dunk during the Elite Eight tournament game in Frisco, Texas against Western Oregon University. Read more about the men’s and women’s basketball team success on page 11.

REFLECTIONS MAGAZINE 3

photo by Michael Randolph

NEWS

White Pine Middle School students use the equipment inside SVSU’s mobile research laboratory. The lab will be used as a STEM education vehicle for K-12 students.

COLLEGE OF SCIENCE, ENGINEERING & TECHNOLOGY

NEW MOBILE LAB AIDS K-12 STEM EDUCATION, RESEARCH Faculty and staff from SVSU’s College of Science, Engineering & Technology hope the university’s new bus-like mobile research laboratory steers the Great Lakes Bay Region toward a better understanding of science, technology, engineering and math (STEM).

SVSU purchased the lab as part of the university’s Dow Science and Sustainability Education Center, which was established thanks to a generous gift from The Dow

Chemical Co. Foundation.

The mobile lab primarily will provide educational opportunities for K-12 students as well as the broader community. It was unveiled to the community during a January press conference on campus.

“A typical day for the mobile lab includes a visit at an area school with at least two SVSU staff members to set up the lab and host a class,” said David Karpovich, SVSU’s

H.H. Dow Endowed Chair.

“Groups of up to 10 students at a time will come on board to perform exciting hands-on science experiments developed

by SVSU faculty, or perform activities as directed by their classroom teacher.”

The vehicle also will be used to participate in SVSU-led scientific studies of the Saginaw Bay watershed as well as research relating to chemistry, biodiversity and alternative energy.

UNDERGRADUATE RESEARCH

STUDENT EARNS REGIONAL HONOR FOR FAMILY STUDY SVSU student Melissa Jones received the Outstanding Undergraduate Oral Presentation award at the Midwest American College of Sports Medicine annual conference in Fort Wayne, Indiana, in November 2015.

The exercise science major from Shelby Township in Macomb County was part of an SVSU research team of 15 students and five faculty members who spent nearly a year gathering, analyzing

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and sharing data as part of the Midland Health Study.

Jones presented evidence that suggested the amount of physical activity children partake in may be influenced by their parents’ demographic characteristics and lifestyle.

“I learned a lot more about the research process and what goes into presenting it so other people can understand it,” she said. “I also learned a lot about how the

community benefits from these types of research projects.”

SVSU conducted the study for the Midland Area Community Foundation and the Health and Human Services Council of Midland County.

For her portion of the research, Jones worked closely with Meghan Baruth, assistant professor of health sciences, and Rebecca Schlaff, assistant professor of kinesiology.

Melissa Jones

PRE-LAW COMPETITION

SVSU’s moot court program continues to gain respect nationally after a second berth — and strong showing — at the American Collegiate Moot Court Association national tournament earlier this year.

In a moot court competition, students act as attorneys in teams of two. They make arguments to a panel of judges using constitutional law and Supreme Court cases. Judges decide winners based on public speaking ability, knowledge of cases and of law, and ability to answer questions.

Two SVSU teams qualified for January’s national tournament in Long Beach, California.

One team — featuring Rachel Cahill, a political science major from Niagara Falls; and Rob Mass, an economics major from Howell — advanced to the second day of the two-day competition before being eliminated by the U.S. Air Force, ranked No. 9 nationally.

A second team — featuring Billie Deshone, a history major from Saginaw; and Mark Babcock, a Saginaw resident who graduated in May 2015 with a bachelor’s degree in psychology and is enrolled in additional courses — was

photo courtesy Julie Keil

MOOT COURT TEAM BUILDS ON SUCCESSFUL MOMENTUM

Members of SVSU’s moot court program who qualified for American Collegiate Moot Court Association national tournament were (from left) students Rob Mass, Rachel Cahill, Billie Deshone and Mark Babcock.

eliminated earlier in the tournament, but not before defeating the No.1-ranked team, the University of North Texas.

SVSU’s program is No. 20 overall in the national rankings and earned a No. 17 finish one year earlier.

“Our teams have worked harder over the past two years to maintain our position and it shows,” said Julie Keil, SVSU assistant professor of political

science and the moot court advisor since the program began in 2010.

“In both years, we have taken our teams into the elimination rounds to compete against schools such as Morehouse College and the Air Force. The fact that SVSU is still competitive shows the quality of our students. They are willing and able to work harder and smarter to develop their skills.”

VOLUNTEERISM

INTERNATIONAL RECOGNITION

OXFORD JOURNAL HONORS PUIA George Puia, SVSU’s Dow Chemical Co. Centennial Chair in Global Business, was among 50 educators worldwide to receive the inaugural Oxford Journal Global Top 50 Educators Award.

Puia — along with two SVSU students and two alumni — attended the 13th annual Global Conference on Business and Economics at Oxford University in England in November 2015 when they presented their research paper exploring links between culture and entrepreneurial development.

“I felt especially honored to receive the award in front of students and alumni who had collaborated with me on some very engaging research,” he said.

Puia joined SVSU in 2000.

photo by Michael Randolph

STUDENT RECEIVES COMMUNITY AWARD An SVSU student in November 2015 was honored by the Women’s Progressive Club of Saginaw with the Hazel Jones Wright Award for Community Service.

Terry Blake, a business management major from Flint, received the award for his service activities Terry Blake on campus and in the community. A senior at SVSU, Blake said his time in college has allowed him to perform community service not only through the organizations he is part of but also out of his love for the community.

“I realized at a very young age that everyone is only a mistake away from needing these services, and I choose to give my all with no regrets in every community service project I am able to do,” he said.

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MEDIA SPOTLIGHT

Military Times recognized SVSU as the highest-ranking college or university in Michigan as part of its Best for Vets: Colleges 2016 rankings, announced in November 2015.

SVSU ranked No. 38 nationally among 125 institutions in the four-year schools category by the independent media organization dedicated to news and information about the military. SVSU was ranked No. 1 in Michigan.

The Best for Vets: Colleges 2016 rankings evaluated many factors that make an organization a good fit for service members, military veterans and their families.

The survey-based initiative involves a comprehensive school-by-school assessment of veteran and military student services as well as rates of academic achievement. It requires schools to document services, special rules, accommodations and financial incentives offered to military and veteran students. The initiative also considers the institution’s culture for veterans on campus.

SVSU provides a Military Student Affairs office for students, located in Curtiss Hall. The office offers services and support to SVSU’s 375 military-affiliated students.

“We work very hard to provide quality service and meet our students’ needs,”

photo by Michael Randolph

SVSU COMMENDED FOR MILITARY PERSONNEL SERVICES

A member of the Marines salutes during SVSU’s Sept. 19 pre-game ceremony with Michigan Tech University.

said Denise Berry, SVSU director of Military Student Affairs. “I think our onestop shop concept where our department handles most things for these students is a big plus.”

SVSU also was recognized recently when it was named to the Military Friendly list of schools for the fifth

consecutive year. Selected by Victory Media, the list honored the top 15 percent of colleges, universities and trade schools that are doing the most to embrace America’s military service members, veterans, spouses and dependents as students, and ensure their success on campus.

BRAUN FELLOWSHIP

GRANT SUPPORTS FACULTY RESEARCH OF DIET AND EXERCISE FOR PREGNANT WOMEN, DIABETES DRUGS Two SVSU faculty members will study common health issues through support from SVSU’s Braun Fellowship.

Meghan Baruth, assistant professor of health sciences, will research behavioral intervention programs aimed at improving the diet and exercise of pregnant women. Jennifer Chaytor, assistant professor of chemistry, will study and modify drugs used to fight Type 2 diabetes.

Through SVSU’s Braun Fellowship, Baruth and Chaytor will each receive research support grants totaling up to $37,500 over three years. Funds may be used for research expenses, equipment and travel.

As part of her research, Baruth plans to publish research papers on a

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pilot behavioral intervention program aimed at improving the diet and exercise of pregnant women.

She also plans to present those findings at national conferences, attend a grant-writing Meghan Baruth workshop by the National Institutes of Health, and pursue grants that would help expand on her findings.

The initiative also will involve research opportunities for undergraduate students.

Chaytor plans to task undergraduates

with helping her study drugs used to fight Type 2 diabetes. The research will involve synthesizing and evaluating compounds based on structures of drugs already on the market while Jennifer Chaytor investigating modifications that could more effectively combat Type 2 diabetes.

Chaytor said she and her students plan to submit research papers for publication in peer-reviewed journals and present at national conferences.

COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT Michigan Campus Compact, an organization that recognizes college students serving as civically-engaged citizens, selected SVSU’s Battle of the Valleys initiative as the recipient of the statewide 2016 Innovations in Community Impact Award. Battle of the Valleys is an annual fundraising competition between SVSU and Grand Valley State University. Students from both institutions since 2003 have raised funds for their university’s respective charity partners during the week leading up to the rival schools’ annual football games. SVSU has won 10 of the 13 competitions — including the last eight — raising $331,329 of the $508,819 total. The university that wins the competition also receives the contest’s “Valley” trophy. Shown here in November 2015, SVSU students once again brought the trophy back to their campus after the football game at GVSU. SVSU won the Battle of the Valleys contest by raising $24,540 for Get Outside for a Healthy Inside, a nonprofit dedicated to advocating physical fitness in Saginaw. Students accepted the award at the Michigan Campus Compact Awards Gala April 7 at Michigan State University.

PHI DELTA EPSILON STUDENTS SUPPORT AILING CHILDREN SVSU students who are members of the international medical fraternity Phi Delta Epsilon raised $7,700 for The Children’s Miracle Network at Hurley Children’s Hospital, which supports improving medical facilities and healthcare for ailing youths.

Students organized a benefit dinner at Horizons Conference Center in Saginaw

Township in November 2015.

This marked the third consecutive year the group has raised money for Hurley Children’s Hospital.

The group has collected more than $26,000.

Phi Delta Epsilon members also volunteered to spend time with 5-yearold Rowan Neumann, who is battling

childhood leukemia and is a beneficiary of the Children’s Miracle Network.

Members accompanied Neumann and his family on a tour of a Saginaw Township fire station.

“These students are great examples of how SVSU gives back to the community in meaningful and genuine ways,” said Heidi Lang, Phi Delta Epsilon’s advisor.

GROUP GATHERS WATER FOR FLINT SVSU students, faculty, staff and partners came to the aid of a Flint community reeling from lead discovered in the city’s water supply.

The university in February sent 9,775 water bottles and 10,000 baby wipes — used by residents as a substitute for bathing — to the city. Two efforts led to the support.

The Office of Multicultural Services coordinated a campaign to collect water bottles as well as funds from students, staff, faculty and others who visited the office.

The drive collected 8,200 water bottles and $1,276, used later to purchase the baby wipes.

Also, members of SVSU’s Great Lakes Bay Youth Leadership Institute collected 1,575 water bottles. The institute is a leadership development program for local high school students.

MUSEUM BENEFITS Children who visit the Mid-Michigan Children’s Museum in Saginaw in 2016 will benefit from a new Play and Learn environment, thanks to the contributions of SVSU occupational therapy students.

The museum worked with SVSU students to identify areas for improvement, making adaptations specifically targeting children with sensory-integrative disorders, physical disabilities, as well as emotional and behavioral disorders.

Ultimately, all children will benefit from these enhancements.

REFLECTIONS MAGAZINE 7

EXPANSION

NEW FACE PLANNED FOR BUSINESS & MANAGEMENT A proposed 40,000-square-foot expansion to the west face of Curtiss Hall would create new space — and new opportunities — for SVSU’s College of Business & Management by 2019.

“In order to provide our students a contemporary business education, it is critical to have the necessary high-tech facilities and spaces on our campus to prepare them for the global workplace,” said Rama Yelkur, dean of the College of Business & Management.

Plans for the space include high-tech laboratories that support integrative learning and team project environments.

The expansion will also include a simulated Bloomberg trading room, said James Muladore, SVSU’s executive vice president for business affairs.

“We are well into the design phase with architects, with many details yet to be worked out,” Muladore said.

“The governor included the project in his proposed fiscal year 2017 budget which, if approved, would cover up to $9.8 million of the estimated $19.5 million total cost.”

He said the preliminary target date for completion is January 2019.

The expansion — along with related

renovations to Curtiss Hall — could serve as home to community-minded programs such as The Dow Entrepreneurship Institute, Stevens Center for Family Business, and the Business Resource and Development Center as well as meeting spaces for the university’s community partners.

“This will provide a centralized space for the college,” Yelkur said.

“We are envisioning collaborative spaces for students to meet outside of the classroom and allow them to access technology in addition to state of the art contemporary classrooms and labs.”

SVSU INVESTS IN $12M ‘MODERN’ LIBRARY RENOVATIONS SVSU’s Board of Control in December 2015 approved spending up to $12 million to renovate Zahnow Library.

“Modern libraries continue to be at the heart of teaching and learning for universities, but the ways in which today’s students study and learn are much different than they were a generation ago,” SVSU President Don Bachand said.

“We know students can be more successful when they have access to flexible study spaces, collaborative learning areas

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and more support service,” said Deborah Huntley, SVSU provost and vice president for academic affairs.

Funding for the project includes a $1.5 million gift from the Harvey Randall Wickes Foundation.

“From our earliest days, the Wickes Foundation has supported SVSU’s determined and persistent quest to provide exceptional learning opportunities for students from our region, our state and our world,” Bachand said. “We are grateful for their continued generous support.”

COLLEGE OF HEALTH & HUMAN SERVICES

For Judy Ruland, the holiday arrived early in December 2015.

Shortly before the winter break, the dean of SVSU’s College of Health & Human Services learned the Commission on Collegiate Nursing Education recognized nursing programs at the university with three accreditations.

“This is a stamp of approval from a national board of experts,” Ruland said. “This says we’re great, and our community thinks we’re an excellent nursing program.”

The Commission on Collegiate Nursing Education, an accrediting agency, granted a 10-year renewal of accreditation both to SVSU’s baccalaureate and master’s degree programs in nursing. The commission also granted accreditation to SVSU’s Judy Ruland doctor of nursing practice for five years and the post-graduate advanced practice registered nurse certificate program for 10.

The commission granted accreditation for the longestpossible time periods it allows.

The Commission on Collegiate Nursing Education sent its accreditation team to review SVSU’s nursing programs in February 2015.

The team featured health and health education professionals from across the U.S. Ruland, who served on accreditation teams during site visits at other universities, said the agency often cites “areas of concern” in reports.

“I’ve never been on a site visit where we didn’t list one area of concern,” Ruland said. “They didn’t list one area of concern for us. That was pretty spectacular, and it speaks highly of our staff and faculty.”

photo by Michael Randolph

NURSING PROGRAMS ACCREDITED

J. Blake Johnson, associate professor of art, works with students. Johnson began Cardinal Solutions in 2015.

COLLEGE OF ARTS & BEHAVIORAL SCIENCES

PROF BUILDS MARKETING ‘SOLUTION’ J. Blake Johnson hopes to turn a simple profit that organizes middle and high school percussion instruments marching idea into a big success with the academic ensembles in Midland, and AHB Tooling & venture, Cardinal Solutions.

Machinery Inc., a Saginaw fabrication and Johnson, associate professor of manufacturing machinists parts supplier. art, launched the program in fall Johnson, who continues to recruit 2015. Cardinal Solutions involves an potential clients for future Cardinal interdisciplinary team of faculty and Solutions projects, envisions the initiative students who assist companies and growing considerably over the next five organizations with marketing issues. years.

Each project can involve a range of work, “I really from designing hope Cardinal a company Solutions website, redesigning a This is something that becomes a logo, writing would be great for the Program of Distinction, like brochure copy community and become a great the Roberts or managing asset on a student’s Fellows,” he data, among said. “This is other potential résumé . something services.

J. Blake Johnson that would be Because SVSU associate professor of art great for the of the wide community and variety of become a great work involved, asset on a student’s résumé.” he teamed with SVSU faculty members To elevate the program, he hopes teaching courses in computer and to seek additional funding. He may information systems, marketing, and also enlist the help of educators in professional and technical writing. They departments not already associated with developed independent study courses Cardinal Solutions. for students interested in joining the “I’m open to any discipline that could program. That group of students and add to what we are doing,” he said. faculty then met weekly in the fall and “All we really need are committed winter to provide marketing assistance students and professors willing to for Cardinal Solutions’ first two clients. support them.”

They were Resonators Drumline, a non-

“”

REFLECTIONS MAGAZINE 9

COLLEGE OF EDUCATION

“

EDUCATION STUDENTS JOIN INTERNATIONAL NETWORK As the need for teachers increases, the need for leadership and training opportunities rise accordingly, SVSU College of Education leaders say. In that spirit, a student group called the College of Education Leadership Team began meeting in the fall under the guidance of Craig Douglas, the college’s dean.

Douglas said “the spirit of the endeavor has been to connect with students who are interested in becoming teachers.”

The group connects students studying to become teachers with leaders within the College of Education, who in turn connect students with resources outside of the university.

“By connecting these undergraduates with local, state and national resources, they can become engaged sooner and dive deeper into the profession,” Douglas said.

“The local experiences include formal opportunities offered in coursework and also informal ones such as volunteering to

”

Michigan public schools need teachers, and the College of Education is positioned well to train future teachers for employment.

Lacreta Clark SVSU associate professor of educational leadership and services

work in an after school program.”

The group tapped into a powerful resource early on, he said.

Lacreta Clark, associate professor of educational leadership and services, in November helped the group register as a local chapter of the Association of Supervision for Curriculum Development (ASCD), a global organization dedicated to excellence in learning, teaching and leading. The ASCD features 125,000 members — a group that includes

superintendents, principals, teachers and professors — from more than 100 nations.

Douglas said the College of Education Leadership Team’s affiliation with ASCD “opens up a ton of possibilities” through networking, including professional development opportunities.

“Michigan public schools need teachers, and the College of Education is positioned well to train future teachers for employment,” Clark said.

COLLEGE OF BUSINESS & MANAGEMENT

STUDENTS RECOGNIZED AT BUSINESS COMPETITIONS the presentation. From the beginning, In January, SVSU was among it seemed their eyes were on us, and 25 teams from higher education they saw we were a very positive and institutions in five continents to dedicated team.” participate in the annual Family The SVSU students participating Enterprise Case Competition at the were Bunny Book, a family University of Vermont. business management The four-day competition major from Gladwin; Ronnell involved each team Burnett, an engineering presenting solutions to technology management three examples of family major from Detroit; and business challenges supplied Dustin Pennington, a by the contest’s organizers. management major from A committee of judges chose Kingston. winners for categories such Book, whose family owns as Most Creative Team, Best Gladwin Machine Inc., said Presenter and awards for the competition was a offering the best feedback Izabela Szymanska rewarding and educational to other teams. experience for everyone in The three SVSU attendance. students in attendance received the “It was nice because we were able competition’s Team Spirit award, to see other regional and global teams given to the team best demonstrating during the competition and learn how positivity, excitement and enthusiasm. they approached various business Izabela Szymanska, SVSU assistant problems,” she said. “I think one of professor of management, served as the biggest lessons I learned at the an advisor to the group and traveled competition is that you have to be with the team to Burlington, Vermont. willing to acknowledge your company’s “We were really surprised when we faults and then accept other people’s won the award,” she said. “I think the ideas for how to fix the problem.” judges saw our dedication throughout

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STUDENT WINS PITCH After students from universities across the state traveled to SVSU in December for the inaugural student elevator pitch competition, a Cardinal earned the first place award.

Joshua Zyrowski, an international business major from Saginaw, won the $1,000 grand prize after pitching the idea of a magnetic travel mug that clings to metallic surfaces.

Students had 120 seconds to present their business idea to a panel of judges.

Students from SVSU, Grand Valley State University, the University of Michigan and Michigan State University signed up to pitch their business ideas.

The Dow Entrepreneurship Institute, part of SVSU’s College of Business & Management, organized the event as part of a series of opportunities for students to engage in the business start-up experience.

The Dow Entrepreneurship Institute at SVSU’s College of Business & Management was funded by the Herbert H. & Grace A. Dow Foundation. The institute stimulates creation of new business ventures, serves as a resource for research activities aimed at business innovation, and provides internship opportunities with area businesses for student entrepreneurs.

photos by Michael Randolph

Alexandra Green, a communication major from East Lansing, cuts down the net after a women’s basketball Feb. 25 victory over Hillsdale College in the O’Neill Arena.

CARDINAL ATHLETICS

MEN’S, WOMEN’S BASKETBALL SCORE IN HISTORIC YEAR For the first time since the men’s and women’s basketball teams joined the NCAA Division II in 1989, both programs advanced to the postseason.

“It was a real treat for fans of SVSU and fans of basketball to see both of our teams play so well in the same season,” said Mike Watson, SVSU’s athletic director.

“Our coaches and players really embodied SVSU’s Red Pride, and delivered a highly-competitive and fun season for our fans to watch.”

After three victories in the NCAA Division II Tournament and the program’s first-ever Midwest Regional Championship, the men’s basketball team traveled to Frisco, Texas, in March to compete as one of the final eight teams in the Elite Eight. The Cardinals ultimately lost to Western Oregon, 81-68.

But the season featured plenty of victories. The Cardinals — which finished with a 25-8 overall record — claimed the GLIAC North

Division Championship and were crowned GLIAC Regular Season CoChampions.

The league title was the program’s first since the 1984-85 season. Randy Baruth was named men’s GLIAC Coach of the Year.

The women’s team marked their first appearance in the tournament in 23 years. After an opening-round victory, the Cardinals lost to Grand Valley State University, 63-56.

The women’s team posted a 22-9 overall record, finishing first in the GLIAC North Division.

This marked a first for the program in the 20 years the league has crowned division winners.

AWARDS SEASON Along with game wins, SVSU basketball won a ton of individual honors in 2015-16.

Men’s basketball CJ Turnage All-GLIAC First Team; NABC All-District First Team, All-Region Second Team

Damon Bozeman All-GLIAC First Team, All-Defensive Team

3Garrett Hall All-GLIAC First Team

Women’s basketball Emily Wendling Division II Midwest Region Player of the Year; GLIAC Player of the Year; GLIAC North Player of the Week; All-American Second Team; U.S. Basketball Writers Association Division II Player of the Week (5 times); CoSIDA Academic All-America Second Team

Halee Nieman GLIAC Freshman of the Year

Katelyn Carriere All-GLIAC Second Team

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COVER STORY

RED PRIDE WORLDWIDE

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With international student enrollment on the rise in the last decade, SVSU’s campus is increasingly transforming into a global community

photo by Michael Randolph

BY JUSTIN ENGEL

Hawra Alkhayyat

REFLECTIONS MAGAZINE 13

photo by Michael Randolph

Imran Khan

T

here’s a strip of astro turfcovered concrete on the southwest corner of campus where Imran Khan dreams of gathering the world.

Last year, the sophomore computer science major from Bangladesh convinced SVSU leaders to pour cement there to serve as the centerpiece for a cricket field, where he and his international student peers planned to play one of the planet’s most popular sports. But, almost simultaneously, a series of global headlines convinced Khan the cricket field could serve some grander purpose.

The Syrian refugee crisis. U.S.Mexico immigration policy debates. A presidential hopeful proposing to close the border to an entire people. Each subject stirred a worldwide conversation centered on a single question Khan and his international student peers answer daily at SVSU: Can people from different cultures co-exist in the same space?

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“Yes,” he said, “and they can learn so much from each other too. Like cricket.”

And so Khan elevated his ambitions from recreational coordinator to cultural mediator. Rather than simply coordinating games with his international peers, he began plans to recruit students of all ethnicities — Americans included — to participate in the games. With enough support, he may organize a full-fledged cricket tournament before year’s end.

“It is a great way to get different people from different backgrounds together, to understand each other and find out all the ways we are alike,” Khan said.

His big idea is a microcosm of the movement underway at SVSU. There, the international student population is growing at an unprecedented rate, increasingly exposing all of its students to a more globalized community.

In fall 2015, Khan was one of the university’s 909 international students,

a group grown about threefold in size since 2005.

The expanding influence of international students has resulted in an intercultural education not included in any campus course catalogue. And the students benefiting from these teachings aren’t all enrolled at SVSU. Some are living in the surrounding community the campus influences.

A TEACHABLE MOVEMENT

Among those students enrolled at SVSU who are influenced — and are influencers — in that intercultural education are Hawra Alkhayyat and Chi Weng.

Like many international students, Alkhayyat and Weng spent their first months at SVSU enrolled in the school’s English as a Second Language program.

Alkhayyat, a native of Saudi Arabia, and

Weng, born in China, knew little English before arriving in Saginaw County. The language and cultural barriers made adapting to the new surroundings difficult at first.

“When I came here, it was really difficult to communicate,” Alkhayyat said. “There was a new language, new cultures. I worried people wouldn’t accept me.”

For instance, Alkhayyat at first feared her Islamic faith — and the hijab she wears on her head as part of that faith — might make her an outcast among her American peers.

That was not the case.

“As I took more and more classes, I realized the students were willing to work with someone with a different background from their own, and I became more sociable,” the Qatif native said. “People wanted to know more about my culture. They would send emails, asking more about my heritage.”

The welcoming air didn’t stop with questions or emails. The support of SVSU students, staff and faculty for the international population included donations of winterwear for those accustomed to warmer climates.

Bicycles were donated to those who don’t own vehicles. Last year, along with the construction of the cricket field, SVSU leaders approved the installation of stations to facilitate Islamic religious practices.

“It’s been such a great experience here,” Alkhayyat said. “People have been so helpful.”

She earned her bachelor’s degree in health science in December 2015, but enjoyed her time — and education — at SVSU so much that she intends to return this summer to pursue a master’s degree in occupational therapy.

Weng, of Shanghai, shared a similar experience. The initial language gap led her to spend many of her first months at SVSU in her on-campus residence.

“I was very shy at first, and I didn’t really talk to anyone,” she said. “Over time, as I learned how to communicate, I started to feel more comfortable and confident. I made a lot of friends.”

She even took on a leadership role when peers elected her to serve as a representative on the student government body, the Student Association.

Weng earned a bachelor’s degree in graphic design in 2013. As with

NEW STRATEGIES, NATIONAL TRENDS BOOST INTERNATIONAL STUDENT ENROLLMENT

BY JUSTIN ENGEL As far back as she can a role in ensuring many of remember, it was Karen those stories are written at Izzo’s ambition to attend SVSU. Analyzing data and college in the United surveys — which provide States. guidance on how best “It’s always been a to attract students from dream to come to the specific nations — help United States to study,” Briggs’ group formulate the São Paulo, Brazil their multipronged native said. “There’s the recruitment approach. thought that this country “We tailor our message provides a better quality depending on where we are Karen Izzo of life and education.” going,” she said.

That “dream” led Izzo to SVSU “For instance, in Canada, we know in 2015, when she began studying a lot of students come here for marketing. That same “dream” also athletics, so a lot of our material likely played a role in the decisions of includes information about our sports the record numbers of international and athletics facilities. In China, it’s all students enrolling in U.S. colleges in about our academic rankings. We’re recent years. very strategic about what we’re saying International student enrollment and to whom we target.” in U.S. colleges reached 974,926 Sometimes that strategy involves during the 2014-15 academic year, refocusing resources. Soon after Briggs according to The Open Doors Report was appointed to her position in March on International Exchange, a U.S. 2014, she eliminated recruitment trips Department of State-supported annual to cities where universities with strong survey of study abroad trends. That worldwide name recognition often represented the largest rate of growth seek students. in international student population “We know we don’t do well at in 35 years, keeping the U.S. firmly in international student fairs,” she place as the world’s top destination for said. “Students go to schools they international studies. recognize. We find they pass us over.”

SVSU experienced its own increase Briggs inherited an international in international enrollment in recent recruitment strategy that years. While the worldwide trend may encompassed 42 nations. Last year, have helped the boost in numbers, the office narrowed much of its a change in the university’s strategy recruitment focus to six countries: abroad also likely played a large role, Bangladesh, Canada, China, India, SVSU’s top international recruitment Nepal and Vietnam. professional said.

“For every country, there’s a Jenna Briggs (front and center) smiles with student employees — many of them different story behind why from overseas — who help international students came here,” said students at SVSU. Jenna Briggs, director of SVSU’s Office of International and Advanced Studies.

Briggs and her staff play

Alkhayyat, Weng enjoyed her stay so much that she decided to extend it.

She will graduate in May 2016 with a bachelor’s degree in computer information systems.

“There are so many great opportunities here.”

— Noor Alam

The variety of cultural backgrounds within SVSU’s international student population creates complex, multilayered communities on campus.

Students from Saudi Arabia, Nepal and China were among the largest groups in SVSU’s international population in 2015-16. Those three countries — out of 42 total — equated to 80 percent of all international enrollment. Many of these students did not speak fluent English when they arrived at SVSU, leading them initially to befriend others familiar with their native tongue.

Alkhayyat belonged to this category when she arrived in 2011. Her first friends on campus were other Saudi Arabia citizens. Early on, they often dined and socialized at each other’s homes, creating a bond formed through the shared experience of coming of age at an American university. They traveled Michigan together, picnicking alongside lakes and visiting Mackinac Island. These friends even experienced their first grocery shopping excursions together at a Walmart near campus.

“If I were giving advice to a new international student, it would be that the most important thing is that you find people who make you feel comfortable here,” Alkhayyat said.

“This will help you discover other cultures. It would have been really difficult to go out and feel comfortable around other people if it weren’t for my friends from Saudi Arabia.”

Weng shared a similar experience with fellow students from China, carpooling with many of them across the region during their first months at SVSU. Eventually, as those students learned English and became more familiar with their foreign surroundings, they integrated into the larger student body.

“You start to feel more confident and more part of the American culture,” said Weng, who now owns a vehicle and counts several Americans among her best friends.

At the other end of the international student spectrum are those who

16 SVSU.EDU

photo by Michael Randolph

INTERCULTURAL IMPACT

more seamlessly adjust to their new surroundings. Karen Izzo, one of 18 Brazilian students at SVSU this academic year, spoke fluent English when she arrived.

“My culture is not that different from America, so coming here was probably not as big of a shock as it was for others,” said the freshman marketing major from São Paulo. “I had a lot to learn about the cultures of other international students though.”

Among her first friends on campus were international students from countries outside of her homeland, including Spain, India and Kuwait.

And campus programming further promoted intercultural learning.

“SVSU does a really good job in sharing the diversity we have,” Izzo said.

Among those campus programs are a

number of annual gatherings including Intercultural Night, a talent show-like spectacle offered since 2002 that features musical performances and artistic demonstrations highlighting international student culture.

Another popular program is the yearly International Food Festival, which transforms SVSU’s dining facilities into a global potluck for one day each November.

Experts say the region benefits from SVSU’s international student population, too. As the international population grows, so does the students’ impact on both the Great Lakes Bay culture and economy.

SVSU international students worship at nearby mosques, churches, and synagogues. They participate in festivals celebrating a variety of cultures. They support businesses

and are regular customers at several markets and restaurants serving ethnic food. The effect both enriches the region’s quality of life and helps grow the economy.

“The local economy has really benefited from having international students at SVSU,” said Bob Van Deventer, president of the Saginaw County Chamber of Commerce. “The international students buy everything locally — TVs, phones, food. They have such a positive impact in this area.”

SVSU estimates its international students add $26 million to the local economy annually.

LESSONS IN HUMANITY

Even with all the international student impact outside of the classrooms, the importance of the education happening inside the classrooms remains a priority for students such as Noor Alam.

Less than one year after starting classes at SVSU, the biochemistry major from Bangladesh began neuroscience research inside SVSU’s Brain Research Laboratory, a program that has bolstered the portfolios of several students later accepted at prestigious graduate programs across the U.S. “There are so many great opportunities here; so many possibilities,” Alam said. “It’s a calm place here, not that crowded, and safe.

It’s very welcoming for international students.”

Alam was among the international students who helped fellow Bangladesh citizen Imran Khan lobby SVSU leaders to build the cricket field on the southwest corner of campus.

Like Khan, Alam sees value in finding ways to bring cultures together, whether they are gathering for a game of cricket or for a college course.

“When you don’t talk to each other, you don’t know that many of these people have the same affection for things, many of the same morals, and that every religion speaks to the same thing: they are for humanity,” he said.

“These are lessons that are important for everyone.”

His experience as an international student at SVSU has provided valuable lessons to Alam and many of his peers.

“It totally opens up your mind,” he said of the international experience underway at SVSU. “It has opened up mine.” o

AN ALUMNUS REFLECTS ON FINDING FAMILY AT A CAMPUS THOUSANDS OF MILES FROM HOME

BY AYMAN AL MARHOON

The day I first arrived in Saginaw was the first day I saw snow.

This was a fitting welcome in many ways. After all, my family’s move to the United States — where my wife, Amani, and I planned to seek an education at SVSU — meant leaving the only place we had ever called home: Safwa City, Saudi Arabia. So, of course, we should have expected to see things we had never seen before. And, of course, we should have expected to experience things we had never experienced before.

That’s exactly what happened. The snowstorm that welcomed our airplane’s arrival in mid-Michigan on Christmas Day 2008 was just the beginning of that amazing journey of self-discovery.

Before we chose SVSU, Amani and I knew we wanted to pursue a college education in the U.S. for several reasons. An academic degree from America opened up so many more opportunities in Saudi Arabia than was offered by the education system there. We also wanted our children to grow up speaking English. When we arrived in Saginaw, we were raising our four-year-old daughter and onemonth-old son, so these were critical years in their childhood development.

When a friend who attended SVSU told us about the school, Amani and I knew the university and its surrounding community were the perfect fit for us. He described an environment that provided a strong academic education, promoted personal growth and offered a comfortable welcome mat for international students adjusting to new surroundings.

As my family and I later discovered, that description was absolutely accurate.

I come from a somewhat closed environment and not a very diverse area, so it was overwhelming for me when I first left the familiarity of

home. But, at SVSU, I found a home away from home. I met students from completely different backgrounds, really opening my eyes to new things.

I learned about different holidays for different religions and countries, ate amazing food from across the world and began dressing in different types of clothing. This was a world-class education from across the globe.

That education included academics.

One of my favorite memories at SVSU came during my graduation in May 2014. This occasion stands out because my family attended, including my father. He traveled outside of Saudi Arabia for the first time in his life to see his son’s college commencement ceremony that day.

It was one of the proudest moments of my life, and I’d like to think, one of the proudest moments of his life as well.

Today, my wife and I are living again in Safwa City. Our SVSU degrees helped us secure good jobs here with National Oilwell Varco, a global company that produces technology for the oil and gas industry. She works in administration while I am involved in manufacturing.

While we enjoy our lives here, we often talk about how we miss SVSU and mid-Michigan. One day, I hope to return to the region, find a job and buy a home. I smile thinking about chasing dreams there again among so many good friends, a welcoming community, an enriching environment and all that beautiful, strange snow.

Ayman Al Marhoon graduated from SVSU with a bachelor’s degree in engineering technology management.

His wife, Amani Al Fraid, graduated with a master’s degree in business administration in 2012. The couple are raising three children: daughter Fajer Al Marhoon, 10; son Hussain Al Marhoon, 7; and daughter Fadak Al Marhoon, 3.

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BIOHUNT A PHOTO ESSAY BY MICHAEL RANDOLPH A community partnership was formed when pharmacist Michael Collins asked James L. McEvoy, SVSU assistant professor of biology, to examine and identify the few bacteria found in the formulation lab at Collins’ Healthway Compounding Pharmacy in Saginaw Township. The results will help Collins create an even more sanitary environment for producing customized medicines. The detective work is underway now. Here is a four-page photo essay with a step-by-step procedural on the work being performed.

STEPS 1-6: 18 SVSU.EDU

1

SAMPLES ARE GATHERED ON SITE IN THE HEALTHWAY PHARMACY LAB.

2

SAMPLES ARE SENT TO SVSU, THEN GROWN IN PETRI DISHES.

3

SAMPLES FOR THE PETRI DISH ARE ADDED TO AN INOCULATION FLUID.

4

4

STUDENTS SUCH AS TIA SOVA, A BIOLOGY MAJOR FROM FRANKENMUTH, USE A MULTI-CHANNEL PIPETTE TOOL TO DISPENSE THE FLUID INTO A 96-WELL PLATE, WHICH IS INCUBATED AT 33 DEGREES CELSIUS FOR SEVERAL HOURS.

5

THE PLATES ARE READ

BY LOOKING FOR COLOR CHANGES THAT INDICATE BACTERIAL GROWTH IN THE WELLS.

6

MCEVOY ENTERS THE DATA INTO A BIOLOG COMPUTER PROGRAM THAT SEARCHES A DATABASE OF ABOUT 2,000 TYPES OF BACTERIA FOR A MATCH.

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1

5

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2

3

6

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ALUMNI PROFILES

FROM SAGINAW VALLEY TO...

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WITH AN SVSU-INSPIRED SCRIPT AND A PRESTIGIOUS SCREENWRITING SCHOOL OPPORTUNITY, THEATRE GRADUATE JULIE BERKOBIEN IS WRITING HER SUCCESS STORY IN TINSELTOWN

BY JILL ALLARDYCE

photo by Jon Rou

D

uring her senior year at Lutheran High School in Rochester Hills, Julie (Bland) Berkobien toured the SVSU theatre department, where she witnessed the making of a prosthetic face for a character in the school’s production of “Man of La Mancha.” At the time, she didn’t know whose face was meant for the mold — but soon she would.

“I had no idea at the time that this was my future husband’s face,” Berkobien, 2006, B.A., said of her future beau, who was an actor in the play.

She met her future husband, Justin Berkobien, 2004, B.A., face-to-face during another SVSU theatre production both worked on about one year later. It was the beginning of a love affair that has led to working together in the performing arts.

More than a decade later, their journey has Julie Berkobien in position as a screenwriter-intraining in the movie capital of the world, Hollywood.

Last year, she was one of only 20 students accepted into the Stephens College Master of Fine Arts in TV and Screenwriting program, a prestigious institution housed in Hollywood’s Jim Henson Studios. There, she is learning the craft of screenwriting from authors of cult classic feature films such as “Legally Blonde” and long-running

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TV shows including “Friends.”

And the lessons she has learned — in life as well as at SVSU — are helping her shape a screenplay inspired by one of her former mentors at SVSU.

PURSUING HER PASSION

(Clockwise) Julie Berkobien celebrates with Ric Roberts, professor of theatre, at her 2006 commencement ceremony.

Berkobien performs in a 2006 SVSU production of “Oliver.”

Berkobien (far right) works with fellow students at a screenplay workshop for Stevens College Master of Fine Arts in TV & Screenwriting last year.

Julie and Justin Berkobien, both SVSU alums, wed in 2005.

24 SVSU.EDU

Berkobien knew what role she wanted to play in life at an early age.

She began performing in theater in the seventh grade and continued through high school with roles in several productions.

When Berkobien enrolled at SVSU in 2002, she was convinced she found her “home away from home” with SVSU’s theater family. Supportive faculty and staff helped empower her with many opportunities.

Those opportunities included the SVSU Foundation Scholars Program, a competitive program for talented students that offers incoming freshman a community environment

for social and academic interaction.

It includes a stipend for travel abroad, which Julie used to study in Dublin for eight weeks. There, she found inspiration in Ireland’s theater scene, including a visit to the historic Abbey Theatre.

Back on campus, her opportunities included playing lead theater roles and writing scripts. She earned roles on SVSU productions such as “The Laramie Project,” “The Velveteen Rabbit,” “Lettice and Loveage,” “Dark of the Moon,” “The Elephant Man,” “Fiddler on the Roof” and “Oliver.”

She also participated in community workshops hosted by Saginaw’s Pit & Balcony Theatre, as well as a touring group from the Chicago-based improvisation school, Second City.

It was during rehearsals for the 2003 production of “The Hobbit” that Berkobien, working stage lighting for the play, met Justin. One day on set, she opened a door he was standing behind, nearly knocking him off his feet. It was a seemingly serendipitous meeting as, eventually, he would

sweep her off her feet.

“We both fell for each other rather quickly. We spent several months working on ‘The Laramie Project’ and getting to know each other as friends before we started dating,” she said.

After graduation, the couple wed and moved to Chicago, where they auditioned for roles in theater and film. “It was our dream to continue to work together as we did at SVSU,” she said.

They landed small roles together in films including “The Dark Knight,” “Fred Claus” and “The Express.” Soon after, she put her career goals on hold to start their family. Their daughter, Audrey, was born in 2008, and the Berkobiens moved to Los Angeles.

THE NEXT CHAPTER

In 2012, Berkobien landed an internship reviewing scripts and

writing at MadChance Productions, a Hollywood company that produces features such as the Clint Eastwood-directed “American Sniper.” The experience inspired her to apply at Stephens College, where she began studies in August 2015.

Berkobien is writing a screenplay inspired by a tragedy from her past at SVSU. The script — untitled for now — is loosely based on her experience grieving the death of a mentor, Marc Gordon, an assistant professor of theatre who died of a heart attack in 2003.

It’s a deeply personal story for Berkobien, who befriended Gordon’s wife and babysat for their three children. This friendship led her to write a story exploring the strong-but-fragile bond between a husband and wife — one that can be so quickly cut short.

“My screenplay is a second love story about two friends who lose their spouses, help each other through their respective crises and

eventually fall in love,” she said.

When she finishes the work, Berkobien’s story as a screenwriter will be far from its closing chapter.

She has several ideas for scripts she hopes to pen.

“I can safely say it would be ridiculously exciting to see one of those scripts up on the big screen,” she said. o

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photo by Michael Randolph

A CARDINAL CODA AFTER 34 YEARS, WILLIAM WOLLNER IS ABOUT TO LEAD HIS FINAL PERFORMANCE AS DIRECTOR OF SVSU’S BAND

BY JASON WOLVERTON

I

t’s a simple thing to ask, but William Wollner, band director and associate professor of music, leans back in his chair and struggles with finding an answer that may be right on the tip of his tongue.

What does music mean to you?

For more than a half-century, music has been a common denominator in nearly everything he loves — from his family to his career. And it’s that career that will come to a close this May as Wollner retires after 34 years

at the university.

One can’t fault him for having to search for the right words. Asking him what music has meant to his life would be like asking anyone else what oxygen has meant to their life.

“Music has basically been everything,” he says, choking back tears. “I’ve been playing or teaching music since I first picked up a French horn when I was 10 years old.”

Wollner arrived on campus in 1982 from Colorado, where he and his wife, Jan, attended graduate school at

the University of Denver. He recalls stepping off the plane and “into a cornfield in the middle of nowhere” for his initial interview at Saginaw Valley College, then returning to Colorado and joking with his wife that he didn’t see any valleys in Saginaw.

But he did see an opportunity in the fledgling college and its music department that excited him. He set out to build a program that would go on to perform in more than 160 halftime shows, 68 concerts, and every commencement ceremony

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28 SVSU.EDU

unique opportunity to play in the band Wollner directs for the last time at SVSU — three decades after Bass’ father performed in Wollner’s first appearance.

Wollner says he has yet to join his fellow faculty members in the pomp and circumstance walk that initiates each commencement ceremony, though this year, he considered asking a colleague to direct the band so he could finally participate. Though he says he would have been honored by the opportunity, ultimately, he knew there was only one place for him.

So on May 7, 2016, Wollner — baton in hand — likely will think of his special university and the previous decades served there now condensed to a stage in Ryder Center.

“It seems not a day has gone by this year where I don’t do something for the last time,” Wollner says.

“So I can’t think of any place I’d rather be than standing in front of the band at commencement, one final time.” o

photo by Michael Randolph

during his tenure, orchestrating a sound of school spirit that grew along with the university.

“Spending my entire career here wasn’t the intention,” Wollner says, “but this was a unique set of circumstances.

The school was also relatively young and it was perfect for someone like me.

I was just starting my career and I could grow with the university.”

Fostering that stability was the reason Wollner and his wife fell in love with the local music community.

Wollner joined the Valley Wind Quintet and the couple both performed with the Midland Symphony Orchestra.

Their children were heavily involved in band and choir, and his wife accepted a job teaching music for Midland Public Schools. She will join him in retirement at the conclusion of the school year, and Wollner says the couple looks forward to becoming better “consumers” of music.

“There’s a lot of things to miss when you retire,” Wollner says. “And one of those is the relationship with students.

I’ve had some great ones.”

Today, 109 students are in the band, more than double the 52 students who were playing when Wollner arrived. One of those original students was Dean Bass, a sousaphone player whose final year of marching band was Wollner’s first as director. Bass was one of three students who served on a student board tasked with meeting the final three candidates for the vacant band director position. Bass says the decision to hire Wollner was a unanimous one.

“Bill was clearly the top candidate in our eyes,” Bass says. “We hoped he’d be there long enough to provide some stability to the program, but we had no idea he’d be there for three decades.”

Wollner has been at the university long enough, in fact, that he’s now instructing one of his first pupils’ children. Bass’ daughter, Emily Bass, a junior accounting major, plays the flute and piccolo.

“Bill is an amazing director,” she says. “He has so much Red Pride and cares about every single student. I am so lucky to have been able to have Bill as a director and get to know him as a person.”

She will perform at May commencement, giving her the

William Wollner and his wife, Jan, celebrate SVSU’s Homecoming during a parade in October 2015.

He was 2015 Parade Grand Marshal and recipient of the 2015 Honorary Alumni Award.

HAPPY 25th WICKES STADIUM

photo by Gary Bublitz

For 34 years, William Wollner, associate professor of music, directed SVSU’s band during performances across the campus for various events, including home football games. That means he served as band director during all the football games played at Harvey Randall Wickes Stadium. The venue, which turns 25 this fall, existed as Cardinal Stadium before $1.2 million in renovations modernized it in 1991. SVSU leaders renamed the stadium in honor of Harvey Randall Wickes, a Saginaw industrialist whose foundation largely funded the improvements. Renovations involved nearly doubling the seating capacity as well as adding a press box, bathrooms, pine trees near the north end zone, and pond frames near the south end zone. The first football game there — a 21-9 loss to Wayne State University — kicked off Sept. 14, 1991. George Ihler coached the Cardinals to a 3-2 home record and 6-5 overall record that season.

During 25 years of Wickes Stadium, the football program’s record is 91-45 at home and 165-112 overall.

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THE LONG ROAD BACK AN EXISTENTIAL MYSTERY INSPIRED BILLY DEXTER TO RETRACE HIS PATH TO SUCCESS, AND THE FOOTPRINTS LED HIM BACK TO SVSU

BY JAN POPPE

30 SVSU.EDU

photo by Michael Randolph

B

illy Dexter has hundreds of stories to tell about his successful life. Those stories focus on positive life lessons, looking forward and never looking back, facing challenges and creating opportunities.

One of those stories involved him earning a bachelor’s degree in history from SVSU in 1984. But it wasn’t until a lesson learned 25 years after his graduation that he was able to tell perhaps the most important story of all: how looking back and reconnecting to one’s personal history — the good and the not-so-good — is what makes a story authentic and truly makes a person whole.

For Dexter, that meant looking back. That meant talking about a place and a past that held as much struggle and pain as it did hope and promise, because “back” was where his truth was. “Back” was where

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all of his adult experiences were shaped.

“Back,” for Dexter, was SVSU.

THE STARTING LINE

As the first in his family to earn a college degree, life at SVSU in the 1980s wasn’t easy for the Detroit native. Determination — a hallmark of Dexter’s life — made success his only option.

Many of his later accomplishments were inspired by lessons learned as a member of SVSU’s 1982 NAIA National Championship-winning men’s track team. It was a fairly simple overture from then-coach Doug Hansen that shaped Dexter’s approach to his entire SVSU experience: if you are willing to work hard and be a team player, you will be welcomed here.

More importantly, the coach told Dexter, you will belong here.

With that sense of belonging, Dexter was inspired to excel at SVSU. Through hard work and dedication, overcoming obstacles was routine for Dexter. From living at Delta College and running to the SVSU campus for classes because he had no car, to missing Christmas with family so he could work to earn money for school, Dexter always kept his eye on the prize: a college degree. And, with his May commencement in 1984, Dexter put his life in “drive,” deciding to journey forward and never look back.

And what a journey.

Prior to his role today as a managing partner of the Chicagobased executive search firm, Heidrick & Struggles, Dexter served as executive vice president and chief diversity officer for MTV Network. He has served on multiple boards in his adopted hometown of Chicago, including the NFL Players Advisory Association.

32 SVSU.EDU

His awards are numerous. They include recognition as one of the “Top 100 Global Diversity Thought Leaders” from the Society of Human Resources Management.

He also was recognized as SVSU’s Outstanding Alumnus for the College of Arts & Behavioral Sciences in 2010, and later, the university’s 2011 Outstanding Alumnus.

HISTORY, REVISITED

Around 2007, Dexter was offered a book opportunity. With the help of a ghost writer, he shared his experiences and advice about the value of networking in creating success. In an early meeting with his co-writer, he was asked to discuss his origins.

Such a simple question, yet Dexter was caught off-guard. He suddenly became emotional.

“I started to talk about how I had applied to 16 colleges. All — even SVSU at first — turned me down,” Dexter said. “I couldn’t get through the conversation. I didn’t understand it, but I thought the next time we talked, I’d get further. But I didn’t. I still choked up.”

Several months went by; nothing changed, and Dexter ultimately was resigned to shelve the book project. As time passed, Dexter continued to struggle understanding why he became so emotional when recalling his past.

So haunting was it that he decided to dig deeper.

A short time later, a professional therapist told Dexter, “You talk about your journey from the time of your first success.

You accomplished so much when there was so little expectation.

You never stopped and you never looked back. What gets you emotional is looking back.”

In that moment, Dexter realized that he had lived his adult life with a philosophy that focused

exclusively on the present. He realized his success story — the one he shared with many people over the years — was incomplete.

It never included looking back.

It never included his alma mater.

THE JOURNEY BACK

As this self-discovery deepened, Dexter received a phone call in late 2009 from Mamie Thorns, SVSU’s special assistant to the president for diversity programs. It took three messages before Dexter returned the call.

“I couldn’t understand why Saginaw Valley would be reaching out,” he said. “I thought maybe I owed money. In the moment, I panicked and thought that maybe I was somehow short on credit hours.”

But it wasn’t anything like that.

Thorns was calling to reconnect and ask if Dexter would participate in a new SVSU program co-hosted by the Office of Diversity Programs and Alumni Relations. The initiative, called Life After SVSU, was an opportunity for alumni to share stories with minority students.

Dexter also was asked to be a part of the assemblage of the new African American Alumni Association Chapter at SVSU. He took time before agreeing to join both. Since then, he’s served as a mentor to several SVSU students.

The reconnection enabled him to more ardently embrace his personal narrative and journey. His story — and his reconnection with SVSU — was compelling enough that Dexter was asked to share it as the keynote speaker during the university’s December 2015 commencement ceremonies.

“It doesn’t matter how long it’s been,” Dexter said. “You can make a difference in the lives of SVSU students and young alumni by simply getting connected … or reconnected.” o

Billy Dexter gathers with members of the African American Alumni Association Chapter at SVSU in 2010.

Dexter participates in a Life After SVSU panel discussion in 2011.

Dexter, shown here with SVSU President Don Bachand, was the keynote speaker at SVSU’s 2015 commencement ceremonies.

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ALUMNI AMBASSADORS THROUGH THEIR PROFESSIONS, GRADUATES CONTINUE TO BOOST THEIR ALMA MATER … AND BOAST ABOUT THEIR SCHOOL PRIDE

BY JASON WOLVERTON

A

lmost 100 miles from where you’d expect to find it, an SVSU track hurdle hangs in an office at Ferndale High School, just outside of Detroit. Its owner, Shaun Butler, 1989, B.A., is the athletic director and assistant principal there, and he proudly displays the hurdle along with the many other mementos he’s accumulated in the more than three decades since he ran cross country at SVSU. In many ways, his office serves as a sort of satellite SVSU 34 SVSU.EDU

admissions office, as any collegebound student who enters is sure to hear his stump speech about why they should consider attending the university he so frequently brags about.

Yet Butler is not alone when it comes to his feelings for his alma mater. SVSU now boasts more than 42,000 alumni, and as that number grows, so does the number of alumni serving as ambassadors for the university from their places of employment.

For Butler, rarely does a workday pass when he’s not serving as an advocate for SVSU.

As chairperson of the Oakland County Track and Cross Country Association, he regularly speaks with area high school coaches and athletes about his experiences as a student athlete at SVSU. He’s also helped a number of Ferndale students get admitted to SVSU and makes it a point to highlight the university whenever the admissions representatives are recruiting at his school.

“SVSU is a place that provided me with so many great experiences that have been beneficial in my teaching,

photo by Michael Randolph

Shaun Butler

“I love providing SVSU students with opportunities to do field work, or advise them on field work in our region.”

— Russ Beaubien

coaching and administrative career,” Butler said. “We host dozens and dozens of universities to speak to our juniors and seniors, but I always make sure to give a special announcement when SVSU is here.”

Just down the road in Dearborn, Gale Ferrell, 1987, B.B.A., also is doing her part to pass on the Red Pride that runs through her veins.

Ferrell is a claims manager for AAA (American Automobile Association) and is actively involved in the area schools. She speaks regularly with parents and students alike about the benefits of SVSU. She recently began working with SVSU Career Services Director Mike Major to help connect students and alumni with internships as well as full-time positions at AAA. “It’s such a good feeling to know you have something positive you can share,” Ferrell said. “College is a wonderful experience and the education and experiences you receive there can never be taken away.”

Other alumni much closer to home are connecting strongly with SVSU from their places of employment.

Mike Tribble, 1987, B.B.A., is a principal at the Saginaw accounting firm Yeo & Yeo. He serves on a business advisory board for the College of Business & Management and was named the college’s Outstanding Alumnus in 2009. Through a close relationship Yeo & Yeo and Tribble maintain with the college, they are able to identify and employ top SVSU graduates.

A total of 22 SVSU alumni are employed at Yeo & Yeo. “I’m very proud that Yeo & Yeo is able to employ alumni from Saginaw Valley,” Tribble said.

“Many SVSU students were born in this area, and I think it’s important that we do our part to keep them in the community after they graduate.”

Russ Beaubien

Russ Beaubien, 1991, B.A., also is using his relationship with SVSU to benefit the community. A project manager and associate with Spicer Group Inc., Beaubien is a former Alumni Association president.

In his role as a civil engineer at Spicer Group, he is focused on keeping surface water free of pollution. Through his work with the Alumni Association, he met David Karpovich, 1992, B.S., who is SVSU’s H.H. Dow Endowed Chair in Chemistry and director of the Saginaw Bay Environmental Science Institute at SVSU. The two partnered to turn the Kawkawlin River into a learning lab. In 2009, Beaubien authored the river’s watershed management plan and Karpovich’s students now gain hands-on experience doing water quality chemistry in the river.

“I love providing SVSU students with opportunities to do field work, or advise them on

field work in our region,” Beaubien said. “I enjoy engaging SVSU in some of my current projects and am always looking to work collaboratively with faculty and staff from the university.”

While Beaubien and his fellow alumni are giving back to the university in different ways, each emphasizes the willingness to do so stems from the fact SVSU gave them so much to begin with.

“SVSU provided me with the confidence I needed to continue my education into a new career path,” said Beaubien, who enrolled in night classes to get his degree after years as a paramedic. “While I was taking classes, I realized what a gem SVSU was in our community.”

Ferrell, meanwhile, emphasizes the family element of SVSU. She originally planned to attend college elsewhere, but when her mother died during her senior year of high school, she decided to enroll at SVSU for a semester because her brother was a student at the time. She fell in love with the university and chose to stay through graduation.

Ferrell connected with professors, met lifelong friends and now looks forward to this fall when her son will attend SVSU for the first time.

“Saginaw Valley is a close-knit family,” she said. “Sometimes when you go to a larger school, everyone is a number. But, at SVSU, you’re a name. You’re an individual.”

At SVSU, you’re also a story. At least, that’s how Butler sees it.

36 SVSU.EDU

photo by Michael Randolph

Michael Tribble

Gale Ferrell

He rattles off names of more than a half dozen professors who helped him get to where he is today, in part, because they took the time to get to know him as an individual.

That mindset has stuck with him throughout his career. Now he encourages his teachers at Ferndale to get to know each student’s story.

“The professors knew what I was about, they knew what I wanted to

accomplish, and they knew what I was capable of,” he said.

Butler says the relationships with the university and some of his professors continue to this day.

“Whenever I drive up north, I love to pull off at the Zilwaukee exit and just drive through campus to see how much it’s grown,” Butler said.

“I just love SVSU. It’s such a special place to me, and always will be.” o

REFER a Ernie Paulick has been a proud advocate of SVSU since the 1980s when his friend, the late Marshall M. Fredericks, asked him to serve on the advisory board for the Marshall M. Fredericks Sculpture Museum. Ernie, a renaissance man with business ties in Michigan’s Thumb region, later joined SVSU’s Board of Fellows and the advisory board for the College of Business & Management.

Ernie remains a member of all three boards today, and his passionate dedication to the university has expanded and grown stronger — just as the university’s passionate dedication to the region has expanded and grown stronger with every graduate added to SVSU’s outstanding alumni base. The university’s role as a support to Ernie’s community is one reason he has committed himself to recruiting new students for the university through SVSU’s easy-to-use REFER A CARDINAL program.

“SVSU is a good fit for a lot of communities in Michigan,” he said. “In the Thumb alone, I see the impact our alumni have on quality of life, on hospitals, on schools, on police departments, on social work programs. SVSU is part of the infrastructure there, and in a lot of places.”

Now Ernie is asking the school’s 42,000 alumni to join his recruitment efforts by using REFER A CARDINAL. How does the program work? It’s simple and only takes a few moments: Go to https://svsu.edu/ referacardinal/ and fill out an online form that helps SVSU’s Admissions staff identify potential future alumni.

“It really takes a village to raise a child, and it takes everyone who has been to SVSU — and who fell in love with this university — to help it continue to grow. The best way to support SVSU is to help increase its student population through REFER A CARDINAL.”

ERNIE PAULICK will...

Will you?

REFLECTIONS MAGAZINE 37

CLASS NOTES We want to hear from you!

Send your Class Notes information and a high resolution photo to: alumni@svsu.edu Mail to: SVSU, Alumni Relations, 7400 Bay Road, University Center MI 48710

Jeff Setzke, 1986, B.B.A.

1960S Dennis Hensley, 1969, B.A., is the author of four novels released recently by Whitaker Publishing House. “The Parker Family Chronicles” is a three-book series

by Hensley, including “The Legacy of Lillian Parker,” “Nashville Nights,” and “The Caribbean Conspiracy.”

A separate novel, “Pseudonym,” is an insider’s look at the world of publishing. Dr. Hensley is chairman of the Department of Professional Writing at Taylor University, where he holds the rank of professor.

1970S Dennis Foley, 1973, B.S., joined the full-time faculty at Chapman University in Orange, California, as a journalism instructor and internship manager for English students.

Don D. Ormsby, 1975, B.S., retired from General Motors as an engineer

38 SVSU.EDU

Andrew Wilson, 1982, B.S.

and maintenance foreman and from the U.S. Army as a W3 chief warrant officer. He now resides in California.

Ronnie Smith, 1972, B.A., published his latest memoir, “TRUE STORIES I Never Told My Kids,” which quickly reached Amazon’s bestsellers list.

1980S Thomas Braley, 1982, B.B.A., recently became a financial investment officer for Wells Fargo Advisors in Saginaw. Braley in 2016 received the College of Business & Management’s Best in Business award for Outstanding Alumnus.

Kathleen Conklin, 1986, B.A., executive director and success coach at Saginaw County Business & Education Partnership, was awarded the Mentor/Career Advocate Award from Great Lakes Bay Business Magazine. She also received the YWCA Great Lakes Bay Region’s 2016 Lifetime Achievement Award.

GUIDE TO DEGREES Bachelor of Arts (B.A.) Bachelor of Business Administration (B.B.A.) Bachelor of Professional Accountancy (B.P.A.) Bachelor of Science (B.S.) Bachelor of Science in Electrical Engineering (B.S.E.E.) Bachelor of Science in Mechanical Engineering (B.S.M.E.) Bachelor of Science in Nursing (B.S.N.) Bachelor of Social Work (B.S.W.) Doctor of Nursing Practice (D.N.P.) Education Specialist (Ed.S.) Master of Arts (M.A.) Master of Arts in Teaching (M.A.T.) Master of Business Administration (M.B.A.) Master of Education (M.Ed.) Master of Science (M.S.) Master of Science in Health Administration and Leadership (M.S.H.A.L.) Master of Science in Nursing (M.S.N.) Master of Science in Occupational Therapy (M.S.O.T.)

Matthew Reinbold, 1998, B.B.A.

Heather Young-Nichols, 1999, B.A.

Keith Jenkins, 1973, B.B.A., 1987, M.B.A., recently moved back to Oxford Michigan after 15 years as professor at Judson University in Elgin, Illinois. He is now the chief information officer at Kensington Church.

Pamela Spencer, 1989, B.S., the scientific director of Toxicology and Environmental Research & Consulting at The Dow Chemical Co., hosted a webinar in February on product safety assessments.

Alissar Langworthy, 1984, B.A., is captain of the Coast Guard designated research vessel, The Phoenicia, which will conduct research to maintain the health of our oceans.

Janet Nixon, 1981, B.S.N., completed her doctorate of health administration from the University of Phoenix.

Jeff Setzke, 1986, B.B.A., former personnel director at General Motors Customer Care Processing Center, was promoted to senior labor relations manager. He is assigned to WHQ in Grand Blanc and is responsible for the Labor Relations activities at all of the GMCCA Michigan Processing Center Locations.

Andrew Wilson, 1982, B.S., became the corporate director of Environmental Health Safety and Security for Acuity Brands in Atlanta. He also finished coaching his 52nd youth sports team.

1990S Matthew Reinbold, 1998, B.B.A., is the vice president of Commercial Lending at Independent Bank. He is serving on the Bay Area Chamber of Commerce, the United Way Financial Review and Community Investment Panels, and is one of the members of the Great Lakes Bay Regional Alliance’s Institute for Leaders Class of 2016. In 2010, Michigan Works recognized him as an MVP for Customer Service in the Great Lakes Bay Region.

Manvel Trice III, 1998, B.A., has moved from his position as a Saginaw County assistant prosecutor to a position as a federal prosecutor for the U.S. Attorney’s Office.

Heather Young-Nichols, 1999, B.A., released her latest novel, “Up For Forever,” in September 2015.

2000S Katie Booth, 2003, B.A.

Katie Booth, 2003, B.A., was named principal of Northville’s Silver Springs Elementary School.

Caroline Cwiek, 2007, B.A., was hired as an autism spectrum disorder teacher at Clawson High School, where she graduated before attending SVSU. Kevin Dobson, 2008, B.B.A., joined Tri-Star Trust Bank as an investment associate.

Corey Haines, 2005, B.A.

Tyler Frank, 2009, B.A., was hired to teach social studies at Montague High School.

Corey Haines, 2005, B.A., was appointed deputy police chief for the Madison Heights Police Department.

Allen Hart, 2005, B.S.M.E., led his driver, Regan Smith of NASCAR, to victory at the Nationwide Children’s Hospital 200 race. The former Cardinal Formula Racing student is now the race engineer for JR Motorsports.

Jennifer McDurmon, 2003, B.B.A.

Donald Haskin, 1984, B.A., 1991 B.A., 2006, M.Ed., was named the Michigan Association of School Administrators’ Region II Superintendent of the Year and was a finalist for the State Superintendent Honor.

Lisa Laventure, 2000, B.A., recently left her teaching position to pursue a career in real estate with Carolina One Real Estate in Charleston, South Carolina.

Christopher Pendleton, 2004, B.A.

Julie Leach, 2009, B.A., was awarded Technology Teacher of the Year by the Michigan

Allen Hart, (right) 2005, B.S.M.E.

Association of Computer Users in Learning.

Nicholas Madaj, 2007, B.A., 2008, M.A., was elected to the City Commission of Mount Pleasant.

Jennifer McDurmon, 2003, B.B.A., is now a community banker for Independent Bank in Saginaw. She has worked with the company for 11 years in various roles.

Brandon Snarey, 2004, B.S.

Joseph McDonald, 2002, M.Ed., 2007, Ed.S., is now serving as secondary curriculum director for Anchor Bay Schools after many years with the district.

Samantha McKenzie, 2005, B.A., was named president and chief executive officer of Hidden Harvest, a nonprofit that distributes food to those in need in the Great Lakes Bay Region.

Susan Merchant, 2000, M.Ed., was one of three keynote speakers at the 22nd annual Women in Sports Leadership Conference in February.

Christopher Pendleton, 2004, B.A., is currently serving as a major in the U.S. Army while working on his master’s degree at Kansas University including the Command and General Staff Officer’s Course.

He previously served as the Military Science Department chair at the University of Wisconsin-La Crosse and has served two tours in Iraq since graduating from SVSU.

Jeff Romback, 2006, B.A., joined Brown & Brown Detroit as an employee benefits manager.

Justin Sherman, 2009, B.S., was hired as a sales representative at LaForce, Inc. in Troy.

Brandon Snarey, 2004, B.S., started his first year as a science teacher and football coach at Brevard High School in Brevard, North Carolina.

Suzanna Williams, 2002, B.A., 2007, M.A.T., was hired to teach special education at Frankenmuth High School.

2010S Jill Braun, 2007, B.A., 2013, M.A.T., was hired to teach special education at List Elementary School in Frankenmuth.

REFLECTIONS MAGAZINE 39

GENERATIONS SUCCEED AT SVSU

— ALUMNI LEGACY SCHOLARSHIP IS THE REASON WHY Marcelina Fulgencio remembers how hard her mother, Lucia, worked to graduate from SVSU in 2008. A mother of four, Lucia’s challenging schedule often meant bringing Marcelina and her siblings to campus. With accommodating professors and a welcoming staff, SVSU set up Lucia for success, and today, she works as a case manager at Saginaw County Community Mental Health Authority.

The story doesn’t end there. Marcelina and her brother Rene, both set to become SVSU freshmen this fall, now are proud beneficiaries of the Alumni Legacy Endowed Scholarship, given to children of SVSU alumni.

“I came to SVSU because this university took such good care of my mom,” Marcelina said. “I knew they would take care of me. It’s like you are family, and they want you to succeed. With the Legacy Scholarship, now I’m ready to succeed.”

Are your children potential candidates for the Alumni Legacy Scholarship? Find out more information at

alumni.svsu.edu/legacy Paul Eory, 2014, B.B.A., recently accepted a position as a planning engineer for the Lansing Board of Water and Light.

Gregory Gaskin, 2015, B.P.A., was hired as an accounts payable analyst with Title Source, Inc. in Detroit.

Nicole Grubaugh, 2014, B.S.W., was hired as a case manager/ social worker for the Sparrow Health Care System in Lansing.

Lindsey Elias, 2015, M.S.N.

Grant Caserta, 2012, B.B.A., 2013, M.B.A., was hired as defensive coordinator and defensive backs coach for Husson University in Bangor, Maine.

William Castle, 2003, B.P.A., 2014, M.B.A., was appointed chief financial officer for Huron Medical Center.

Ashley Chrysler, 2012, B.A., was hired as an associate attorney for Warner Norcross & Judd.

40 SVSU.EDU

Gregory Gaskin, 2015, B.P.A.

Robert Day, 2012, B.A., accepted a position with the Beaverton Police Department as a full-time officer.

Christian Dunham, 2012, B.A., was hired as director of the Bullard Sanford Memorial Library in Vassar.

Lindsey Elias, 2015, M.S.N., joined the MidMichigan Urgent Care team in Clare as a family nurse practitioner.

Kylie Hook, 2014, B.S., has been with Northwestern Mutual in Saginaw as their director of financial planning. She recently passed her Series 6 and 63 certification exams and is now moving to Lansing to take on more responsibilities.

Tiffany Kapeka von Keltz, 2011, M.Ed., was hired as principal for Goodrich Middle School.

Phil Latona, 2010, M.Ed., is now serving as principal of Middle School South in the Anchor Bay School District.

Michael J. Lerchenfeldt, 2012, M.Ed., presented at the Michigan Association of Computer Users in Learning Conference in Detroit.

He represented SVSU as a teacher leader in the Technology Summit at Stanford University.

Lerchenfeldt was selected for the 2015-2016 Michigan Educator Voice Fellowship.

Andrew Licht, 2011, B.P.A., has been promoted to manager for Yeo & Yeo Consulting. He has been with the company since 2011 and is a member of the firm’s agribusiness services team and construction services team.

Gerald Nelson, 1998, B.B.A, 2013, B.P.A., 2015, M.B.A., was appointed city manager of Standish.

Randy Painter, 2006, B.A., 2011, M.A., earned a master’s of public policy from George Mason University and is a workforce analyst with the Employment and Training Administration at the U.S. Department of Labor in Washington, D.C.

Unleash your Passion!

Were you in a student organization while attending SVSU? Were you involved in a club sport?

A fraternity? Were you close to other students in your academic program?

Do you live in a community today with other SVSU graduates? If so, you can help SVSU by creating an affinity group or joining an existing organization.

If you are interested in forming an affinity group or want to see if an existing organization may suit you, contact SVSU’s Alumni Relations office at (989) 964-4196 or email alumni@svsu.edu. Alumni Relations can help those interested to custom design an affinity group that best represents members’ visions while also providing resources to empower their group’s mission.

ALUMNI AFFINITY

FAITH-BASED

FOREVER RED

ALTERNATIVE BREAKS

M U LT I C U LT U R A L

GREEK LIFE

VANGUARD CLUB SPORTS

POLITICAL

THEATRE LGBT

CARDINAL MILITARY ASSOCIATION

VARSITY

Affinity groups are formal — sometimes informal — organizations of alumni whose impact on SVSU extends beyond graduation. The SVSU Alumni Club of Lansing.

The Roberts Fellowship Program Affinity Group.

The Saudi Arabia Affinity Group. Greek Life Alumni.

The Football Champion Society. These are just

a few of the existing groups who remain connected to SVSU. Members have embraced their passion for SVSU, remain engaged with the university and give back to today’s students through mentoring and networking opportunities.

SVSU

Alicia Sweeney, 2014, B.S., is attending Ross University School of Veterinary Medicine in the West Indies with hopes to one day specialize in large animal marine and zoo wildlife medicine.

Bradley Tucker, 2012, B.S., 2014, M.S.H.A.L., has accepted a position as the assistant director at Bickford Senior Living in Saginaw.

Michael J. Lerchenfeldt, 2012, M.Ed.

Alicia Sweeney, 2014, B.S.

Siobion Richards, 2015, B.B.A., has accepted a full-time position as a marketing and communications coordinator with the Kochville Downtown Development Authority.

Effie Spieth, 2015, B.P.A., is now working for Rehmann as a staff auditor out of their Jackson office.

Zachary Rivard, 2012, B.B.A., accepted a position as a financial analyst with the Law Office of Frost & Danielak in Bay City.

Autumn Sacquety, 2014, B.S., has taken on a job with Covenant HealthCare Center for Autism as a classroom behavioral therapist.

Jenna Stauffer, 2015, B.S., accepted a position as human resources specialist for Marlette Regional Hospital.

Rachel Stocki, 2015, B.B.A., was hired as a continuous improvement analyst at Wico Metal Products in Warren.

Rachel Van Slembrouck, 2013, B.P.A., has been promoted to senior accountant at Yeo & Yeo. She joined the firm in 2013 and serves in the management advisory services group. She is also a member of the firm’s Client Accounting Software Solutions team and the Saginaw Valley Young Professionals Network.

Kimberlee Ward, 2012, B.A., graduated with honors from United Theological Seminary with her master’s in Christian ministry.

Dashonda Woods, 2013, B.S.N., is working as a registered nurse at Covenant HealthCare in their Medical Surgical Unit.

EMAIL YOUR ALUMNI NEWS TO: alumni@svsu.edu MAIL TO: SVSU, Alumni Relations, 7400 Bay Road, University Center MI 48710

REFLECTIONS MAGAZINE 41

BABY CARDINALS

OBITUARIES

Jamie (Morris), 2010, B.A., and Jason Vassel, 2012, B.S.N., welcomed a baby boy, Nathan Donald, on July 29, 2015.

Rosalie Buch, 1997, B.A. – Oct. 24, 2015 Rae Buckley, 1998, B.B.A. – Nov. 19, 2015 Jeffrey Buczek, 1984, B.B.A. – Oct. 28, 2015 Shirley Currie, 1982, M.A.T. – Oct. 7, 2015

Stacy (Engelhart), 2011, B.S.N., and her husband Benjamin Younkin, 2010, B.A., 2013, M.A., welcomed their daughter, Lily Grace Younkin, Dec. 23, 2015.

Lily is also the granddaughter of SVSU Assistant Manager of Maintenance Operations Mark Engelhart.

Curt Devendorf, 1976, B.A. – Jan. 13, 2016 Mark Dubs, 1992, B.A. – Jan. 14, 2016 Mark Gorney, 1988, B.B.A. – Aug, 18, 2015 Nathan Donald Vassel

Suleman Haroon, 1987, B.B.A., 1991, M.B.A. – Nov. 20, 2015 Helen Hughey, 1974, B.A. – Nov. 29, 2015 Timothy Keister, 1995, B.S. – Dec. 21, 2015 Barbara Kowalski, 1972, B.A., 1980, M.A.T. – Feb. 1, 2016 Anita Naugle, 2014, B.S.N. – Jan. 30, 2016 Lee Offenbecher, 1987, B.S.N. – Nov. 18, 2015 Steven Parker, 1997, B.A. – Jan. 15, 2016

WEDDINGS Janet Beadle, 1981, B.S.N., and Edward Nixon, 1990, B.S., wed in May 2015 and now reside in Wyoming.

Kayla Bischer, 2015, B.B.A., announced her engagement to Scott Grekowicz.

Tiffany Hammer, 2009, B.S.N., announced her engagement to Cale Jorge Sito. The wedding will take place on Aug. 5, 2016 in Asheville, North Carolina.

Chet LaFave, 2015, M.S.O.T., married alumna Amanda Steenson, 2012, B.A., on July 11, 2015.

Laurel (Mattson), 2014, B.B.A., married Taylor Steward on Sept.

17, 2015 at Wildwood Family Farms in Alto.

Lorraine Perna, 1984, M.A.T. – Oct. 21, 2015 Joyce Petrimoulx, 1994, B.S.W. – Sept. 2, 2015

Michael Mertz, 2012, B.B.A., married alumna Whitney Walding, 2013, B.P.A., in spring 2015. The two then headed to St. Thomas for a honeymoon.

Both accounting majors, the two met on campus at SVSU. Colin Ohl, 2013, B.P.A., married Timothy Zlomak, his partner of 25 years, on Sept. 3, 2015. The couple reside in Lansing.

Brandon Shaw, 2014, B.B.A., is engaged to alumna Emma Robbins, 2014, B.S.W. Their wedding is planned for Oct. 20, 2016.

Matthew Thompson, 2011, B.A., married Haley Daignault, 2012, B.B.A., June 14, 2015 in Howell.

Margaret Sherlund, 1985, M.B.A. – Aug. 17, 2015 Janet Sikkenga, 1986, B.A. – Aug. 18, 2015 Brian Ulicki, 1988, B.S. – Sept. 30, 2015 Harold Young, 1998, M.Ed. – Nov. 10, 2015

Stay Connected On The Go! Alumni have lifetime access to their svsu.edu email account.

SVSU recently changed email providers. All alumni email accounts have been converted to Microsoft Outlook.

Go to svsu.edu/outlook for tips and helpful hints on working with the new email provider.

Kayla Bischer, 2015, B.B.A.

42 SVSU.EDU

Red Pride...

Pass it on!

“SVSU made such a huge difference in our lives, and it still feels like home to us today,” Olivia said. “Adding SVSU license plates to our vehicles is a way for us to support SVSU and show how much we appreciate everything Saginaw Valley did for us.”

— Olivia and Peter LoFiego

Drive with Red Pride and support the Alumni Legacy Endowed Scholarship fund.

Order yours today online at the Secretary of State: Michigan.gov/sos

O

livia and Peter LoFiego are graduates and longtime supporters of the university.

They pass on their Red Pride wherever they travel.

Literally.

Their journey together began in the late 1990s when the couple met while living in SVSU’s residential housing.

Olivia and Peter began dating shortly after earning bachelor’s degrees in general science and history, respectively.

That road led them to marriage in 2005, and today, they are the proud parents of a 5-year-old son, Dominic, and 3-year-old daughter, Giada. Olivia and Peter also both received master’s degrees in educational leadership, and used those academic credentials in their respective careers. Olivia is in her 16th year as a teacher at Byron High School, where she also coaches track and field as well as cross country. Peter has served as principal of Holly High School since 2011.

REFLECTIONS MAGAZINE 43

I returned to SVSU. I reconnected, and it’s been an amazing reunion.

7400 Bay Road • University Center, MI 48710

Reconnect to SVSU, stay current and update your alumni contact information at alumni.svsu.edu/update.

Reconnecting with your Cardinal family will be well worth a few minutes of your time. By providing this information, SVSU also will be able to update you on many exciting perks and benefits, notify you of upcoming alumni events and provide you weekly updates from SVSU President Don Bachand.

Follow me and reconnect with your SVSU family. You belong here. You always have.

— Billy Dexter, 1984 grad, 2015 commencement speaker

$100

alumni.svsu.edu/update

Updat beforee your prof to be e Sunday, Maile ntered y 15, drawin int gift c g to win ao a a r $ d 100 fr SVSU b ookst om the ore.