UMUC Achiever Magazine, Fall 2006

FALL 2006

the magazine of university of maryland university college

View from the Top

COPYRIGHT © 2006 BY MARK FINKENSTAEDT

12

Dear Friend:

Features

8 To Catch a Criminal

COVER STORY

16 Excerpt: A Wartime Sequence

The Future in the Far East

18 Barry West’s Meteoric Rise

Robert Goodwin is UMUC’s resident expert on China— one of the most dynamic business environments in the world.

This is his story.

22 Class Notes 26 Stay Connected COVER PHOTOGRAPH: COPYRIGHT © 2006 BY MARK FINKENSTAEDT.

At UMUC, our focus is you.

Our curriculum is developed with you in mind—your wants, your needs, your opportunities, your challenges. Our faculty members are professionals as well as academics and know the importance of practical instruction rooted in the realities of the workplace. Our quality secures your investment.

I’m proud of that focus at UMUC. I think you’ll see evidence of it in this issue of Achiever. Here, you’ll read the story of Dr. Robert Goodwin, who comes to his UMUC classroom with more than 30 years of international corporate experience in China, one of the most dynamic business environments in the world today. You’ll read about Barry West, 44, who used our graduate-level executive CIO certificate program to accelerate an already fast-rising career.

(When he isn’t overseeing his $1.5 billion budget, he also teaches at UMUC.) And you’ll find a fascinating description of our investigative forensics program, one of our newest undergraduate majors and the steppingstone to a vital new career field.

ILLUSTRATION © 2006 BY LOU BEACH

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18

News and Updates

4

Kushner Receives the Marie Curie Award

4

Lech Walesa Visits UMUC

5

Middle States Gives UMUC a Thumbs Up

6

Patz Receives UMUC President’s Medal

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Women’s Conference Brings Alumnae and Students Together

Most importantly, I hope that you think of UMUC first when it’s time to launch a new career, dust off your résumé, or upgrade your skills. I hope that you support UMUC—by donating to our Annual Fund and our many scholarship programs and also by spreading the word to your friends and family. I hope that some of you even consider sharing your knowledge and experience by teaching at UMUC.

Susan C. Aldridge, President Marilyn Eisenstadt, Director of Communications Chip Cassano, Senior Writer and Editorial Director

After all, UMUC is your university—one of which you can be deeply and justifiably proud.

Sincerely,

Cynthia Friedman, Art Director The Achiever is published three times a year by Marketing and Communications at University of Maryland University College, Adelphi, Maryland. Call 240-582-2509 with your comments and suggestions or send e-mail to ccassano@umuc.edu. University of Maryland University College subscribes to a policy of equal education and employment opportunities.

Achiever | 2 | University of Maryland University College

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Those are just a few examples of how UMUC works to bring your goals closer and make your dreams come true; you’ll find dozens more in “Class Notes,” “News Updates and Briefs,” and “Faculty Kudos.” I trust that you’ll come away with a better understanding of this dynamic university, its mission, and the opportunities it provides.

UMUC Virtual Dragons Bring Home Gold COPYRIGHT © 2006 BY DANUTA OTFINOWSKI

SUSAN C. ALDRIDGE PRESIDENT UNIVERSITY OF MARYLAND UNIVERSITY COLLEGE

www.umuc.edu | 3 | Achiever

News and Updates Walesa Visits UMUC, Challenges U.S. to Moral, Political, Economic Leadership KUSHNER RECEIVES THE MARIE CURIE AWARD

BY CELESTE RYAN

Jack Kushner, a 1990 graduate of University of Maryland University College (UMUC), received the Marie Curie Award at Oxford University in England in July 2006.

Kushner, a neurosurgeon turned businessman, was chosen for his contributions to neurosurgery and the emerging field of medical technology.

“It’s a validation of what I’ve been doing the past 10 years,” Kushner said simply.

After almost 30 years as a surgeon, Kushner, fed up with the bureaucracy of medical insurance companies, enrolled in UMUC as a graduate student in 1987 and ultimately earned a Master of General Administration. In the course of his studies, he thought of merging medicine with technology; after graduating, he began to explore the possibilities offered by telemedicine—the practice of medicine through electronic means.

Kushner established and sold two businesses—a medical transcription company and a company that taught physicians how to switch careers. In 2001, he started a business with surgical simulators, a new way to teach doctors surgery.

“Surgical simulation uses virtual reality so doctors are able to practice surgery before they actually do it,” Kushner explained. “It was nonexistent at the time; no one was doing it.”

That didn’t seem to bother Kushner, who searched for

those who could do it, searched for funding, and brought it to the fore. Now his company, Second Opinion, practices telemedicine in 17 countries. Another company, Second Opinion USA, offered postoperative care via telemedicine but couldn’t win the support of U.S. insurance companies.

That hasn’t discouraged Kushner, who has gone on to explore the possibilities of robotic surgery (for prostate and cardiac surgery), possibilities that he says are now “coming of age.”

Kushner, who once practiced at Anne Arundel Medical Center and Washington Hospital Center and taught at Johns Hopkins Hospital and George Washington University, has no regrets a decade after leaving the operating room.

In fact, he has become the quintessential entrepreneur and philanthropist.

He served for six years as a member of the American College of Surgery Committee of Emergency Technology, and he’s involved with Tulane University’s alumni association board, where he’s also been helping the school recover from the devastation of Hurricane Katrina.

At the same time, he’s helping another alma mater— Britain’s University of Sheffield—with a fundraising campaign.

Meanwhile, he’s building yet another company— American Opportunity Portal (www.americanopportunityportal.us)—which works to bring companies to America to hire Americans.

“It’s the reverse of outsourcing,” explained Kushner, who has traveled the globe

Achiever | 4 | University of Maryland University College

BY ALLAN ZACKOWITZ

NOBEL LAUREATE LECH WALESA—Poland’s first democratically elected president—visited UMUC March 29, 2006, as a featured guest in the university’s Academic Speaker Series. Speaking in his native Polish through an interpreter, Walesa discussed, “Democracy: The Never-Ending Battle.” He captivated a standing-room only audience with his firsthand perspective on history, telling the story of his own rise from an unknown electrician in the Gdansk shipyards to an organizer of the 1980 strike that led to free labor unions in Poland and eventually to the forefront of the Solidarity movement that led Poland out of communism in 1989. His actions are often cited as instrumental in the fall of communism in Europe and the end of the Cold War, and he was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize in 1983 and elected president of Poland in 1990.

At UMUC, Walesa looked more like a kindly, gray-haired grandfather than the fiery revolutionary who twice appeared on the cover of Time magazine in the 1980s, and his wry and often self-deprecating humor drew repeated laughter from the audience. He modestly attributed much of his success to fate and a confluence of circumstances, including the strong independent spirit of the Polish people who survived World War II, the election of a Polish Pope, certain reform-minded—if bungling—Soviet leaders, and his own determination to continue trying in the face of many failures.

looking for partners. “We help with contacts, help find contracts, and execute business plans.”

Somehow, Kushner still makes time for one more important task: teaching.

Twice a term, he can be found delivering guest lectures at UMUC. And what’s his advice for today’s students?

“I tell them to prepare for the unexpected,” he said, “because things happen in

life and in the environment over which we have no control and about which we can do nothing. I tell them that they’re doing the right thing by going to UMUC and getting another degree. I tell them they need to think about what they’ll do if they lose their job, change jobs, or aren’t happy with their jobs. I tell them to make a decision, go forward, and don’t look back.”

Turning serious and shifting his focus to the present, Walesa argued that no other generation has had the opportunity that the current generation enjoys in the new millennium.

Recognizing that many 20th-century institutions don’t work as well in the 21st century, he suggested that it is up to the United States—the only remaining superpower—to help choose the best solutions and provide the right platforms for making peace and prosperity a real global possibility. He challenged the United States to move beyond mere military leadership and provide the wise and just economic, political, and moral leadership the world really needs. He went on to outline some of the major questions that America should ask to help “arrange” the world and warned that, “if you do not act, others will arrange the world for you.”

After his talk, Walesa took several questions from the floor and then stayed to mingle with the crowd at a reception held in his honor. His status as a historic icon was in clear evidence as admirers crowded around to shake his hand and pose for photographs. Some even brought vintage Solidarity posters for him to autograph.

To view an archived webcast of Walesa’s address, visit http://polaris.umuc.edu/cvu/mmedia/events/walesa.ram.

SAVE THE DATE Mary Robinson, the first woman president of Ireland, will discuss “Human Rights and Ethical Globalization” in the next featured event in the UMUC Academic Speaker Series, November 1, 2006. Robinson, who served 1990–1997 as Ireland’s president, has more recently served as the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights. She has spent most of her life as a human rights advocate and currently chairs the board of the Ethical Globalization Initiative.

For more information and event details, visit www.umuc.edu/events.

MIDDLE STATES GIVES UMUC A THUMBS UP

BY BETH BUTLER

On June 22, 2006, The Middle States Commission on Higher Education acted to reaffirm UMUC’s accreditation and to commend the university for the quality of the self-study report developed in preparation for the accreditation

review. UMUC has been accredited by Middle States— the regional accrediting body for colleges and universities in the mid-Atlantic region— since the university was founded; the current accreditation is valid through 2015. “[Accreditation],” said UMUC President Susan Aldridge, “serves as a seal of approval for the institution and an assurance to the student that the institution will

live up to its promise to deliver a quality educational experience based upon a common set of standards.”

Besides reaffirming accreditation, the commission’s evaluation report identified 51 significant accomplishments that UMUC demonstrated across the 12 standards on which it was judged. It was a fitting culmination to more than two years of preparation under the guidance of co-chairs Lawrence Leak, vice provost, academic affairs, and Kimberly Kelley, vice provost and dean, academic support services, combined with the efforts of more than 80 members of the UMUC faculty and staff, stateside and abroad, who served on a series of committees and subcommittees.

The committees’ work was documented in a 140-page self-study report, which was delivered to the Middle States evaluation team in December 2005. The team, headed by Joseph Moore, president of Empire State College, followed up their review of the document with on-site visits in March and April 2006. Two representatives visited Europe and two others visited Asia before the entire 10member team came to UMUC’s Adelphi, Maryland, headquarters, where they met UMUC staff and faculty in individual and small-group meetings and an open forum.

At the end of the visit, Moore provided a preliminary report of the team’s findings.

In his summary remarks, Moore first acknowledged UMUC’s leadership position in distance learning and went on

SELFSTUD Y

Prepared for the Middle State s Commission on Higher Edu cation

Sp r i n g 2 006

to commend UMUC’s administrative structures and leadership—particularly in the smooth transition from an interim presidency—as well as its solid budgetary process, commitment to assessment, development of faculty roles, and efforts in developing shared governance.

Moore also noted that UMUC’s excellence itself brought challenges. “We believe that with your . . . growing and deserved reputation, the expectations of service to this state and its increasingly diverse population are going to very much add to the demands on UMUC. That’s a consequence of a job well done,” he said.

At the conclusion of the visit, Aldridge wrote, “While I have been part of the reaccreditation process at UMUC only in the past two months, I take enormous pride in our success. . . . We took a very thorough look at ourselves, wrote an honest evaluation of our progress and plans, and had that vision confirmed by the visiting team.”

www.umuc.edu | 5 | Achiever

News and Updates

PATZ RECEIVES UMUC PRESIDENT’S MEDAL

BY AMANDA AGATSTEIN

Doris Patz—founder of the UMUC Maryland Artists Collection—received the prestigious UMUC President’s Medal during the May 13, 2006, commencement ceremony at the Comcast Center in College Park, Maryland.

This award, bestowed only in special recognition of outstanding service to the university, was presented to Patz for her efforts, dating back 25 years, to make personal contact with Maryland artists on behalf of the collection.

“At the tender age of 94, I have finally donned cap and gown for a college graduation,” Patz declared proudly, following a heartfelt introduction by UMUC President

Susan Aldridge.

Recalling her idea to create this innovative collection, Patz told the crowd, “My dream was to create a gallery that would house and celebrate Maryland artists.” Through her passion for art and dedication to cultivating relationships with artists across Maryland, UMUC has amassed a collecDoris Patz received the prestigious UMUC President’s tion of more than Medal at commencement on May 13, 2006.

350 pieces.

“The President’s embrace and follow their Medal . . . represents not so dreams—an approach to life much my accomplishments, that she has practiced for but the graciousness and generosity of the artists with whom years.

“If you can believe in it, I was in touch,” Patz said.

Patz concluded her remarks you can achieve it. It all starts with a dream,” said Patz. by urging the graduates to

WOMEN’S CONFERENCE BRINGS ALUMNAE AND STUDENTS TOGETHER

BY CAROL KAGAN

UMUC hosted it’s third annual Women’s Career Development Conference April 1, 2006, featuring a keynote address by UMUC alumna Ovetta M. Moore, director and chief information officer of the Maryland State Department of Business and Economic Development. This year’s program—“Career Development: Within and Beyond the Organization”—focused on different career development paths for women in today’s workplace and brought together UMUC alumnae, undergraduate and graduate faculty, and staff to share personal experiences and

UMUC VIRTUAL DRAGONS BRING HOME GOLD AND BRONZE IN 2006 The 2006 UMUC Virtual Dragons celebrate their second gold-medal performance in as many years, placing first in the 250meter category.

BY CHIP CASSANO

The UMUC Virtual Dragons won gold and bronze medals May 20–21, 2006, in the 250-meter and 500-meter categories, respectively, of the 2006 Dragon Boat Festival races.

This marks the fifth consecutive year that UMUC has participated in the colorful races and the second year in a row

Achiever | 6 | University of Maryland University College

that the Virtual Dragons have brought home a gold medal.

Each year, dragon boat races are held around the world as a way to introduce Chinese customs to other cultures. The tradition commemorates the death of Chu Yuan, a poet and minister of state during the Chu Dynasty, who protested a corrupt government and was stripped of his office. He wandered the countryside, dejected, and eventually fell into a river. When local fishermen realized what had happened, they raced out in their boats to try to save him, beating drums to scare off the fish they thought would eat the poet’s body.

This scene is reenacted every year during dragon boat races worldwide.

“We’re very proud of the three teams that represented UMUC in the 2006 Dragon Boat Festival races,” said UMUC President Susan Aldridge. “These teams are made up of UMUC staff, faculty, alumni, and friends who represent the teamwork and spirit that makes UMUC great. I hope that everyone sends them many thanks and congratulations.”

insights with current women accounts for space control students in undergraduate systems at Integral Systems, programs.

Inc., discussed strategic riskUMUC President Susan taking by sharing her career Aldridge welcomed the group decisions, while Clarissa and thanked those who came Peterson, chief people officer as “mentors to provide wise at U.S. of DLA Piper Rudnick counsel and support” to the Gray Cary, addressed stratestudents. “You are giving gic networking and encourback in ways I hope that all aged women to seek out the people who are building employers that offer protheir careers grams that can give back address their some day,” she needs. said.

“It was gratiIn her keynote fying to hear address, Moore speakers affirm described her what we teach own career in management path, explaining courses—that the decisionthe motivation making process to work hard she followed in and do well making career is not always changes. Whenabout the ever she could, salary,” said Moore said, she Diane Bartoo, gave advice and a professor helped others. in UMUC’s “Helping others Graduate made others School of want to help Management UMUC alumna Ovetta M. Moore, me,” said Moore. director and chief information officer and TechnoThe panelists of the Maryland State Department of logy. Bartoo Business and Economic Development. said that it was at the conference were all especially UMUC alumnae. Anna rewarding to hear alumnae Doroshaw, manager of leadtalk about their personal and ership development proprofessional journeys and grams for the Department of about the importance of the Veterans Affairs, spoke about part their UMUC education “intrapreneurship”—develop- played in their success. ing an idea inside an organi“Alumnae are perhaps the zation. “Find out what needs most powerful and important to be done and do it,” role models for our students Doroshaw said. and I appreciate their willingShondraya Grant-Levy, a ness to participate in this consenior budget analyst with the ference and support our stuIRS, talked about personal dents,” said Mary Ellen Hrutka, missions and said “a strategic dean of UMUC’s School of plan is your road map to sucUndergraduate Studies. “I cess. How will you know you hope our current students will have reached your destination be inspired to continue their if you don't know where it is?” education and eventually Constance MacDonald, become mentors for students manager of strategic who follow them.”

Knowledge Is Power; Share It Teach for UMUC— Part-Time, Full Time, Anytime UMUC's faculty members are unique in that most are working professionals who come to the classroom with current expertise in their fields, as well as impressive academic backgrounds. Our faculty members also receive extraordinary support— training and resources that help them address the special needs of the online classroom and of adult learners.

Experience the Following Advantages ◗ Teach for an accredited global leader in online education ◗ Choose a teaching format—on-site or online— that fits your professional life ◗ Receive support and guidance—including training to teach online ◗ Enjoy a collegial environment, with peer mentors, development workshops, and faculty teaching awards UMUC seeks individuals who hold terminal degrees from regionally accredited institutions, although exceptions may be made for professional or industry accomplishments, achievements, awards, and teaching experience.

Apply to teach for UMUC at www.umuc.edu/facultyrecruit

To Catch a Criminal

UMUC students learn to uncover the hidden secrets of crime scenes with investigative forensics.

By Amanda Agatstein

BANG! A gunshot sounds and a bullet smashes through

the heads of two mannequins seated back-to-back, splashing red and blue paint spatter across the tabula rasa of the laboratory wall.

Gil Grissom puts down the gun and holds up a photo of the blood spatter from an actual crime scene for comparison. The patterns match almost perfectly, and he turns to Sara and, with a dramatic flourish, informs her that there is a simple reason that she found only one DNA type in the bloodstains from the crime scene: the two victims were actually twins.

And the credits roll.

As any fan of the procedural crime drama CSI knows, a mere double murder mystery is no match for lead forensic scientist Gil Grissom and his team. Grissom—the witty, hard-nosed leader of the Las Vegas, Nevada, crime scene investigation unit—does it all, from arriving first on the crime scene and collecting fresh evidence to sleuthing out the single, apparently inconsequential clue that cracks the case.

Illustration by Lou Beach Achiever | 8 | University of Maryland University College

www.umuc.edu | 9 | Achiever

To help students improve their investigative technique, Blankenship also worked to develop a “virtual crime scene”— a computer game instructors use to teach students to collect the best evidence from a range of possible crime scenes. The game— which won the Association for Continuing Higher Education (ACHE) Creative Use of Technology Award—provides a scenario, including basic information about the victim and the location of the crime scene, as well as simulated images of the scene. “[Forensic scientists] need to collect evidence, but they can’t collect everything. If you took everything from a crime scene, the evidence technician would kill you! [Students must learn] to pick what has value,” said Blankenship.

THE SIMULATION GAME UMUC’s new and award-winning virtual crime scene simulator (above) awards points to students when they identify key pieces of evidence. The simulator allows students to replay scenarios and investigate different scenes—a vast improvement over models (bottom right) from the 1950s, which only offered one set of circumstances and evidence. Students can also identify suspects from a virtual lineup (top right). These “suspects” just happen to be UMUC course developers who built the game.

But in the real world of forensics, you rarely find a Gil Grissom; instead, you find an army of professionals working together to investigate and solve crimes. Unlike CSI, real-world investigative forensics thrives on the dynamic interplay between many different people—law enforcement officers, forensics experts, litigators, and others, each with a range of specializations. Most have backgrounds in criminal justice, laboratory science, or computer science, but all use their unique skills to analyze a wide variety of evidence found at crime scenes.

Now, thanks to a new undergraduate degree program in investigative forensics, UMUC students can prepare for a career on the investigative side of criminal justice. Graduates can work as crime scene liaisons, laboratory technicians, police officers, detectives, and special agents in criminal investigation units. Careers are available outside of law enforcement, too, as investigators for insurance companies.

While a background in biology or chemistry is a plus, the program does not require a scientific background. In fact, Susan Blankenship, a forensic scientist with the Hagerstown police department, is developing a new investigative forensics lab class, CCJS 325 Criminalistics Laboratory, geared specifically toward non-scientists.

“I’ve been teaching for many years, and whenever I assign a lab project, everyone groans,” said Blankenship. “Some people hate and fear science. Not everyone’s brain works that way. This lab class was designed specifically to prevent students from feeling Achiever | 10 | University of Maryland University College

In the game, students earn or lose points based on their selections, then write a report analyzing their findings. Because for many students the game is their first encounter with a crime scene, Blankenship thinks it’s a great way to help them slowly learn the ropes of criminal investigation.

“With the game, they can mess up and start over,” said Blankenship.

“They can practice. Of course, that is not real life. But they will learn the best way to collect evidence, so that when they’re out there working, they’ll have a real basis for how to handle the situation.”

overwhelmed by scientific facts or big words.” The lab focuses on teaching the methods for analyzing criminal evidence, including fingerprints, handwriting, footwear impressions, and blood patterns. Experiments build on theory students learn in CCJS 320 Introduction to Criminalistics, a prerequisite for the lab.

The game and lab assignments help students focus on the reality of investigative forensics. And although it might not be quite as glamorous as the life depicted on CSI, graduates will enjoy a strong sense of camaraderie between scientists and law enforcement officers instead of the animosity they frequently see on the television show.

“The great thing is that they learn the Henry Classification of fingerprinting [see sidebar, p. 11] in Introduction to Criminalistics, and then they come to this class and actually go through the system themselves—lifting prints, dusting, and comparing them in the lab,” said Blankenship.

“The thing I really don’t like about CSI is the way the [forensic scientists] treat the detectives,” said Blankenship. “It’s like they’re on different sides! That’s not how it really is; we all work together to get the same result and most of us are actually friends.”

Students also learn how to analyze patterns of blood spatter at a crime scene—evidence that can tell a trained investigator a great deal about what actually happened at the scene. Students learn to take a blood-like substance—either a combination of paint and water or expired animal blood—and drop it on the same type of surface it landed on during the crime. They also learn to simulate different kinds of trauma to help understand chaotic and sometimes seemingly random events.

“We hit bloody sponges with baseball bats to simulate how blood spattered,” said Blankenship. “We apply the laws of physics to understand the angle and speed of the impact, which can also tell us where the assailant was standing and if anything has since been moved at the scene. Yes, they have to use a little science—but they also get to pound on a sponge with a bat!”

Other investigative forensics courses—most of which are adapted from UMUC’s current criminal justice curriculum—walk students through other aspects of criminal investigation and theory. Many of the courses explain the legalities of the investigative process, with a focus on the ins and outs of the U.S. Constitution.

“Anyone going into law enforcement needs to first understand the constitutional basis of forensics,” said Laura Gwinn, prosecutor and chief of the Prince George’s County violent crimes unit.

Gwinn is developing CCJS 234 Criminal Procedure and Evidence in an online format for the criminal justice program. “They need to know about search warrants and how to use evidence. They need to be able to go into court and testify as an expert. To do that, they have to understand criminal investigation and its constitutional parameters.”

THE HENRY CLASSIFICATION FOR FINGERPRINTING Until the late 19th century, the only ways to identify a criminal were by finding eyewitness accounts or comparing physical measurements. Both techniques were unreliable and often led to mistakes.

ARCH In 1896, Sir Edward Henry created an identification system based solely on a suspect’s fingerprints. Henry’s classification system assigned a value to each individual finger. Fingers one and two— the right thumb and index finger—held a value of 16; fingers three and four— the right middle and ring finger—held LOOP a value of eight; and so on.

Whenever a fingerprint contained a whorl pattern, the corresponding value was added to the base value of one. Henry used a fraction-type primary classification, which took the accrued values of the even-numbered WH0RL fingers as the numerator and the accrued value of the odd-numbered fingers as the denominator.

According to Henry’s system, a person with the fingerprint patters loop, loop, arch, whorl, loop on the right hand and whorl, loop, whorl, loop, loop on the left hand would have a fingerprint classification of 15 over one. A person with no whorl patterns would have a primary classification of one over one. This classification system, which allowed for 1,024 primary groupings, was instituted in India in 1897 and was in worldwide use by the early 20 th century.

Gwinn’s online course will prepare students to take on real-life cases. By providing scenarios that investigators encounter on a daily basis, students will learn the legal methods of conducting investigations. They will study real search warrants before creating their own—warrants that must be legally viable and able to hold up in court.

According to Gwinn, this trial-and-error approach to learning is the best way to give students a feel for what investigation is really like.

“You can’t just tell them how to do everything; not everything in investigation is black and white. They have to figure things out based on the information they are given. This way, they learn how it’s really done on the street. And then, when they are out there solving crimes, they’ll know how to process new situations as they occur. And that’s when they’ll say, ‘Thank you, Ms. Gwinn!’” www.umuc.edu | 11 | Achiever

THE

FUTURE IN THE

FAR EAST ROBERT GOODWIN

IS

RESIDENT EXPERT ON

UMUC’S CHINA—ONE

OF

THE WORLD’S MOST DYNAMIC BUSINESS ENVIRONMENTS.

THIS

IS HIS STORY.

BY COPYRIGHT © 2006 BY MARK FINKENSTAEDT

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CELESTE RYAN

PHOTOGRAPHS BY MARK FINKENSTAEDT

www.umuc.edu | 13 | Achiever

R

obert Goodwin’s firsthand understanding of Chindex had $8 million in annual revenues. Today it trades on Asian culture dates back to the 1960s, when the NASDAQ and has annual revenues of $100 million. he served a three-year stint in the Peace From his vantage point at Chindex, Goodwin witnessed firstCorps, doing development work in a small hand China’s evolution from a government-dominated business village in rural Thailand. “It taught me how environment to a private sector one. “They’ve come a long way,” to live in a different culture,” he recalled. “I think my experihe said. “When I began working there, business was totally ence there influenced me more than I realized at the time.” state-run.” Though still powerful, China’s government today He headed home to study international law, but his fascination only runs about a third of the businesses. “I’ve seen a change in with the Far East continued. Though he began his law career attitude, in the social structure, and in how so many of the peowith the U.S. government, he eventually founded a law firm with ple have moved from largely rural areas to urban areas,” said clients who were doing business with overseas companies.

Goodwin. “They’ve had to adapt to rapid change because the When the opportunity came in 1978 to return to Asia, he economy is growing an average of 10 percent each year, and took it. At the time, Goodwin was assistant general counsel for that’s been true for many, many years now.” international trade and emergency preparedness for the U.S. Goodwin said that China—where Chindex operates hospitals Department of Energy. He traveled to China with a delegation and clinics in Beijing, Shanghai, and beyond—is being touted as led by then-Secretary of Energy James Schlesinger. the production center of the world. “They produce many of the “I was the legal official on the trip,” said Goodwin. During the world’s electronic goods, clothes, and toys. Their next goal is tour, he noticed how focused the Chinese were on developing automobile production.” their country—which was only then opening to foreign busiThat makes China a prime focal point of business opportuness—and how interested they were in new ideas and interaction nity now and in the years ahead, and it makes Goodwin a with foreign companies. “I thought it would be a fascinating prime asset in UMUC’s Graduate School of Management and place to do business, so I looked for opportunities,” Goodwin Technology, where he accepted a full-time position as program said. Thirsty for knowledge, he studied director for international management in the country, researching its law and talkthe business and executive programs ing to Chinese and international lawyers department after serving for 15 years as an about the changing nature of the Chinese adjunct faculty member. He brings more ATHER legal environment. Though unable to than 35 years of experience to the job, speak or write Chinese, he soon made including more than a decade as connections in China and other counChindex’s executive vice president and THAN JUST tries like Thailand, Japan, and Mexico, general counsel (he still works as a conwhere his clients needed his expertise. sultant with the company).

LOOKING IN In 1981, Goodwin met two New At UMUC, his goal is to work with his Yorkers—Roberta Lipson and Elyse colleagues at the graduate school to help Silverberg—who shared his passion for teach business students to think globally FROM THE China. “They went to China to study and have the ability to flourish in a foreign and decided to stay and start a compacountry. He believes his international expeOUTSIDE ny,” he explained. That company was rience greatly enhances his ability to teach.

Chindex International, Inc., a medical“Along the way, I’ve picked up a certain equipment sales company. Goodwin amount of knowledge on the economy, the WE WANT soon began handling all of Lipson’s and country, and on the people and how they Silverberg’s contracts and other legal think and react to things,” he said. That is STUDENTS TO work. As the company grew, so did their important, he continued, because “the legal needs, and Godwin joined Chindex world is globalizing, and to be successful in full-time in 1992, becoming one of the business, you need to be quick on your feet GAIN FROM four people who managed the fledgling and know how to deal with a culture differcompany. ent than your own.”

EXPERIENCE He also served as a board member and He emphasized how his various internawas on hand two years later for the comtional careers have given him experience in pany’s initial public offering. At the time, managing a company and dealing with the

“R

,

.”

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different regulatory issues characteristic of international business.

At the same time, they’ve helped him learn to manage people in a cross-cultural environment.

“When doing business in a foreign country, you often approach it from your point of view,” said Goodwin. “But if you’ve really absorbed another culture, you can see it from theirs.”

Problem-solving for people with different points of view was a daily factor in Goodwin’s work at Chindex. “I could see it in e-mail from employees every day,” he recalled. “The types of problems that arise with 1,000 employees in a foreign country are multiple and very complex. They thought about problems in different ways and solved them in different ways.”

To teach his students to succeed in similar environments, Goodwin draws from those situations. “I use examples from my experience, including the problems I’ve faced in the real world,” he explained. In addition, he and colleagues are making contacts and taking students on trips overseas to work on projects with students from foreign universities. One group recently returned from Argentina while another was on its way to Budapest. A project in India is planned, and of course Goodwin is working on a trip to China.

“Rather than just looking in from the outside, we want students to gain from experience,” he said. “We want UMUC to become known as a truly global university. We’re well on our way.”

www.umuc.edu | 15 | Achiever

AN EXCERPT FROM UMUC’S LITERARY JOURNAL,CONSTELLATION: AN INTERNATIONAL LITERARY REVIEW

A WA R T I M E SEQUENCE

BY ROY WATKINS The grass is long. I can’t go.

“Go on!” Mam says. “He’s an American. They’re nice.

Say, Have you got a stick of gum, chum? and he’ll give you some chocolate. . . .”

Cousin Eric clambers through the back fence in his gas mask. He’s Mickey Mouse. That’s a trick to fool the Germans. I’ve got Donald Duck. Grandma says they’re in the flicks . . . in the flicks . . . in the flicks . . .

“Will I like the flicks, Grandma?”

Why will he give me chocolate if I ask for a stick of gum?

Anyway, the grass is long. He smiles at me, leaning over the wall. The grass is long. I can’t go.

A morning, a bright day in our backyard, everybody out enjoying sunlight. Then flashes of tracer in the sky: a Messerschmidt flees toward the sea with a Spitfire after it . . . a Spitfire or a Hurricane, nobody’s sure . . . but it’s one of ours.

“Be off!” Grandma shouts, shaking her fist at the sky.

“Be off wi’ you! Let honest folk alone!”

The mothers are cheering in the backyards, and I watch the long wisps of white smoke slowly dying against the blue.

Achiever | 16 | University of Maryland University College

“Aye, I daresay!” She says. “Though it’s nobbut silliness . . .”

Back kitchen cold . . .

Snow falls, big flakes, out of the hazed dark. I’ve got the back door open to watch it build on the back step.

“Gives me rheumatics just to look at it!” Grandma says.

Toc toc toc . . . I make the brown stool wobble. Flame hisses in the mantle. The garden hisses, crackling with snow. It goes on forever, too far to think about, on and on . . . toc toc toc toc toc . . .

Near and far . . .

Little thud of Uncle Hugh’s bike down the passage.

How do we know it’s him? He’s on his way. Stamp stamp stamp around the water tank, boot on back step, legs go past . . .

Snowflakes settle on my shoes. I’m thinking about matches, the matches that burn in Liverpool and the fire in Uncle Hugh’s hands. . . .

“Set thee by t’fire, Hugh!” Mam says. She speaks like that to Uncle Hugh. We all speak like that to Uncle Hugh. We speak like Grandma. Mam doesn’t speak like that to me. And Grandma says: “Not fit fer a dug!” Toc toc toc. I laugh. Not fit fer a dug. That’s Grandma!

“It’s a long road to the marshes, and you have to put sommat in your stomach.” (Mam says this, handing him something on a plate.) That’s where he goes, Uncle Hugh, up Ralph’s Wife’s Lane, riding his bike to the guns. The rest of them scoot off when they see him coming with that stump of candle in his bikelamp, for he looks like a ghost, he rides that slow. They think it’s Ralph’s wife with her lantern, still looking for Ralph after a hundred years. . . .

“Eh, Hugh,” Aunty Kitty giggles, “is it true you’ve put a stump o’ candle in your bikelamp?”

“You can come aht nah,” he shouts. “It’s only me wi’ a stump o’ candle in me bikelamp. . . .”

Cheaper than a battery. Toc toc toc uneven on the kitchen flags. Clink of cups and teapot, cup of tea for Uncle Hugh, I don’t mind if I do, ha ha . . .

Aunty Kitty laughs, she rocks and laughs. . . .

“Roy . . .” he says. Roy. My name.

“They’re more scared o’ Hugh wi’ his stump o’ candle than they are o’t Nazis. . . .”

Black grate, little fire . . .

“Are you sure you want to out the’ere in’t kitchen, love?” asks Aunty K, bending her nose towards me. Toc toc toc I nod. She pulls the door, not shut, though, not quite shut.

“No need to pull t’bloomin’ blind, anyroad,” says Mam. “It’s better than a blackout, this, isn’t it?”

A plane, high up in the dark, throbs, throbs.

His cousin burned to death. They were little. Right in front of his eyes. Her dress went in the fire, long dresses they wore back then, right in the fire. It was in the parlor. He caught hold of it and tried to squeeze the flames out of it, like wringing out the washing. But he couldn’t save her.

And now he sits there, saying nowt, leaning his elbows on his knees, fire showing through his hands. And outside the snow . . . one one one forever . . .

Never do I have to go to bed.

“That on’s lost!” Uncle Hugh says. “Heinkel one one one by t’ sound on it!”

“Be ’ome!” says Grandma. Aunty Kitty listens with her eyes, swaying inside her arms. Lost. Looking for Liverpool docks.

Roy Watkins has taught English for UMUC Europe since 1975.

This excerpt is from a longer work, entitled Simple Annals, parts of which have been published elsewhere.

The Constellation staff will accept submissions for the 2007–08 issue of the journal September 15–December 15, 2006. For submission guidelines or to be added to the Constellation mailing list, send an e-mail to constellation@umuc.edu. Download a copy of the journal as a PDF file at www.umuc.edu/constellation (you will need Adobe Acrobat to view it).

www.umuc.edu | 17 | Achiever

S ’ T S E W E Y S I R R R BA EORIC T E M

SE Z RO I H Y W N LOG E T, I O G R D .

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BAR . He is no ned by th E TRU omputer ow mmerce.

www.umuc.edu | 19 | Achiever

EW N E TH CIO F O D BREE BE O T HAS F A O E MOR DER A E L SS E N I BUS A N A H T AL C I N TECH N,” O S PER E S T. W SAID

“

Achiever | 20 | University of Maryland University College

COPYRIGHT © 2006 BY DANUTA OTFINOWSKI

forefront of the efforts to maintain the reliability and expand the reach of the agency’s critical information management capabilities, both during and after the hurricane that struck the U.S. Gulf Coast region in August 2005.

Prior to joining FEMA, West held a number of high-level government IT posts, including with the National Weather Service, the U.S. General Services Administration, the U.S. Census Bureau, and the National Technical Information Service. He started his government career as a weather specialist in the U.S. Air

Force, where he was named Weather Specialist of the Year. His IT career dates back to when he worked for Tab Books, Inc., and led the company’s effort to convert from a manual information storage operation to a completely automated data management system.

According to West, however, the job of today’s CIO isn’t just information technology and data and computer systems. New legal requirements for corporate and government accountability have drastically changed the CIO’s role.

“The new breed of CIO has to be more of a business leader than a technical person,” said West. “The CIO has to be a strategist who can sit down at the table with other executives and hash out the corporate implications of personal privacy laws, Sarbanes-Oxley, Gramm-Leach-Bliley, and a growing number of other state and federal acts. On the government

side, we’ve got new mandates, too, such as the Klinger-Cohen Act, the E-Government Act, the Paperwork Elimination Act, and a bunch of others.”

With a Bachelor of Science in information systems from Northern Michigan University and a Master of Science in Administration from Central Michigan University, West certainly has the educational foundation to handle the IT part of his job. But he credits his UMUC programs with providing much of the preparation he needed to tackle the CIO jobs, first at the National Weather Service and FEMA, and now at Commerce. He earned his UMUC Executive Master of Science in information technology at the university’s Shady Grove Center in Rockville, Maryland, and in 2002 he completed UMUC’s chief information officer executive certificate program—a recognized program offered through the Federal CIO University, which is administered by the GSA. “The CIO program really laid out the competencies needed to be a government CIO,” West explained. “I learned that the most important requirements are to be an excellent communicator and

listener, have the strength to be a leader, and then be a technical person when necessary.”

A native of Smithburg, Maryland, West said he had always been a “big Maryland fan,” so UMUC—and its convenient Shady Grove location—was a natural choice for his advanced learning needs, especially with the demanding schedule he keeps. In addition to his “regular job” duties, West has managed to have a broader impact on federal IT, working with the full scope of technology all across the government. He was instrumental in developing FirstGov.gov, the government’s official Web portal, and assumed a leadership role in the government’s early public-key infrastructure (PKI) efforts.

West also lectures throughout the country and, for the past three years, he has served as an adjunct assistant professor in UMUC’s Graduate School of Management and Technology, teaching the capstone course in the project management specialization of the Master of Science in technology management program. He also serves on a UMUC advisory panel set up by the provost, and two years ago he was asked to sit on the State of California Information Technology Council—by the personal invitation of California Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger.

As if all that wasn’t enough to keep one person busy, West is president of the nonprofit American Council for Technology (ACT), whose mission is to bring together leaders in government, industry, and academia to improve the acquisition and use of IT resources in the government.

“ACT provides a place for the free exchange of information and concepts that can help improve the overall technology industry,” West said. As ACT president, he is also the U.S. representative to the International Council for IT in Government Administration (ICA), the major international organization of government IT officials.

Interviewed during the hectic transition period between CIO positions, West volunteered that his plans and goals going into the Commerce Department are not significantly different from the plans and goals he pursued during his tenure at FEMA. His priorities remain IT security and integrity, program registration, system certification and accreditation, an enterprise architecture program, and advancement of the e-government initiative. He will also, of course, be responsible for ensuring that the department’s programs make full and appropriate use of all available leading-edge technologies to carry out its mission, by improving products and services at the lowest cost.

When asked how his new job at Commerce would differ from his old position at FEMA—the descriptions are similar—West replied, “At FEMA, my budget was $81 million. At Commerce, it will be $1.5 billion. I think that alone will be enough of a difference to keep things interesting.”

www.umuc.edu | 21 | Achiever

CLASS NOTES

1970

John McGee ’70

s Montgomery, Alabama, wrote, “My UMUC degree and subsequent master’s degree prepared me well for stewardship opportunities in a 38-year federal financial management career, which included tours of duty as base comptroller for the Naval Air Station Bermuda, Naval Station Ingleside, Navy Support Facility Diego Garcia, Naval Air Station Pensacola, and Naval Support Activity Bahrain, following service as a staff accountant in the office of the Comptroller of the Navy.”

Nathaniel Alston ’77 Columbia, Maryland, earned his degree with a specialization in criminology and criminal justice. He wrote, “My UMUC degree helped me to get my position in 1977 as director of public safety at Bowie State University.”

1980s

Terry L. Williams ’81

Temple Hills, Maryland, currently serves as the administrative officer for the Terrorism Risk Insurance Program in the U.S. Department of the Treasury.

Bruce Allen Koehler ’82 Franklin, North Carolina, went on to earn a Master of Public Administration in 1989 and retired from the U.S. Air Force in 1993. He now owns his own computer services company and enjoys his time in the mountains of western North Carolina.

Patricia Toregas ’84 & ’91 Pasadena, Maryland, earned both her undergraduate and graduate degrees from UMUC while raising four children and pursuing a demanding career in the telecommunications industry. She retired from Verizon after a 32-year career and has served on the Alumni Association board in various capacities for about 10 years, including a term as president. She wrote, “UMUC has been so good to me I can’t seem to leave!”

David C. Meeks ’85 Colorado Springs, Colorado, was recently promoted to assistant vice president of business and finance at Transportation Technology Center, Inc., a transportation engineering and research firm specializing in full-scale rail vehi-

cle testing. He is responsible for all of the company’s business and finance functions.

Charles “Chuck” Doig ’89 San Antonio, Texas, a retired U.S. Air Force master sergeant, currently works for Booz Allen Hamilton’s San Antonio office as an associate. He wrote, “The educational opportunities afforded me by UMUC Europe helped me achieve great success, both in my Air Force career and in my career since retiring from the Air Force.”

1990s

Janice Reilly ’90

Bethesda, Maryland, wrote, “UMUC allowed me to enhance my career in the career management consulting business. I gained many new alumni friends who have become a part of my life. And I had the honor of serving as president of the Alumni Association, in which I am still active.”

Cheryl Adams ’91 Marriottsville, Maryland, is interested in international business and travel, as well as real estate investment. She wrote, “My involvement in these different industries has offered me extensive global experience and opportunities. My UMUC professors were interested in seeing me succeed in higher education, and their encouragement and good teaching skills were motivating. I am proud to be a UMUC alumnus.”

Pamela Carroll Axsom ’91 Charlotte, North Carolina, recently graduated with honors from Troy University, where she earned a master’s degree in public administration and was inducted into the Pi Alpha Alpha National Honor Society for public administration and policy on June 10, 2005. She worked for North Carolina as a probation and parole officer and hopes to be a doctoral candidate in public policy at the University of North Carolina, Charlotte, in the fall of 2006.

William Kevin Fisher ’92 Manchester, Tennessee, graduated from the University of the South, with honors, in May 2005, earning a Master of Divinity degree. He is currently enrolled in the PhD program in religion and personality at Vanderbilt University.

James Barnes ’93 Boise, Idaho, finished his BS in Guam and went on to earn an MS in management from

Baker University in Topeka, Kansas. He returned to school and earned a second BS, this one in computer science, from Webster University in St. Louis, Missouri. He is now retired from the U.S. Coast Guard and works at the veterans hospital in Boise, Idaho.

Russell L. Knight ’94 Pasadena, California, received his PhD in artificial intelligence from UCLA in 2005. He currently works in artificial intelligence research for NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Pasadena, California.

Kenneth McClure ’94 Pensacola, Florida, wrote, “I would not have been able to complete my four-year degree without UMUC. My job and responsibilities in the military prevented me from taking the last year of classes, but distance education gave me the chance I needed. I regularly recommend the program to others who need the same flexibility in their schedules.”

Mary L. Hindal ’95 Saint Helens, Oregon, graduated in June 2004 with a master’s degree in speech language pathology from Portland State University. She now works as a speech pathologists with adults who have neurological injuries due to stroke or traumatic brain injury. She wrote, “Graduate school was very demanding, but I was well prepared, thanks to UMUC!”

Gloria Brooks ’97 Riverdale, Maryland, wrote, “UMUC’s graduate track in human resource management has broadened my knowledge of human resources, as well as of the general business environment.

Courses in strategic planning and the management project helped improve my long-range planning and implementation skills, which are crucial to my career in human resources. It’s a great program, and I highly recommend it for the full-time working adult.”

Information Center and Teleserve Unit of the Chattanooga Police Department. He has served as president of the Tennessee District Exchange Clubs and is a volunteer field representative for the National Exchange Club. He is married to Delores Beery-Norwood.

2000s

Andrew H. Lowe ’02 College Park, Maryland, recently became an information security officer with the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency in Washington, D.C. He wrote, “I’m not a paper pusher. I also lead a team in conduct-

ing risk assessments and technical vulnerability assessments. I took most of my classes on-site and was grateful for all the accommodations provided to me as the only deaf student in the room. I miss my professors and classmates.”

James A. Allender ’00

Oakland, Missouri, retired from the U.S. Air Force in 2001 and moved to Missouri, where he began working for the National GeospatialIntelligence Agency (NGA)—a U.S. Department of Defense agency—as a satellite imagery intelligence analyst. He wrote, “My UMUC degree was one of the main reasons the agency hired me. I feel as if every day I’m using the skills and knowledge I acquired from UMUC. My degree is much more than just book knowledge. The faculty and staff helped me to develop analytical skills that I’m putting to use in continuing to serve my country.”

Adil Baloch ’01 Germantown, Maryland, recently passed the uniform CPA examination from the Maryland Board of Public Accountancy.

Latashia Kuhl ’01 Copperas Cover, Texas, is currently pursuing an MBA in the management track at NOVA Southeastern University in Fort Lauderdale, Florida. She served on active duty in the U.S. Army from 1998 until the spring of 2006 as a mental health technician.

Timothy Kevin O’Linn ’01 Choctaw, Oklahoma, completed his second tour of duty—in June 2006—with Operations Iraqi and Enduring Freedom; he also participated in combined joint task force Horn of Africa operations. He has completed about half of the requirements of a dual master’s degree program from Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University.

Dennis Norwood ’98

Philippe Vélu ’01

Chattanooga, Tennessee, graduated from UMUC and retired from the U.S. Air Force in 1998. He returned to Chattanooga and went to work for UnumProvident Corporation for three years as a senior business learning partner.

He is currently manager of the Police

Levallois, France, earned his master’s degree in international management and business administration and wrote, “UMUC helped me gain the knowledge required to run an international business.”

Make a Difference Today and Tomorrow Give a gift to UMUC. At UMUC, your dollar goes farther and does more to improve the lives of deserving men and women—and to strengthen the very fabric of society—in Maryland, across the United States, and around the world.

At UMUC, we focus on real-world challenges and practical solutions. ◗ Innovative programs like Better Opportunities Through Online Education, along with our wide variety of scholarship options, offer low-income workers and others access to the American dream. ◗ Our award-winning National Leadership Institute offers the professional development tools and coaching that today’s leaders need to succeed. ◗ Our acclaimed online coursework and flexible scheduling options put higher education within reach of anyone with Internet access. ◗ Our careful research identifies the needs of the job market—in vital fields like homeland security management, investigative forensics, information assurance, health care administration, and project management—and our quality coursework positions our students to respond.

UMUC makes a difference in the lives of men and women everywhere.

You can make a difference, too, today and tomorrow. Your tax-deductible gift can help UMUC continue to lead, grow, and innovate. Call now or make a convenient and secure donation online.

800-888-UMUC ext. 5100 • www.umuc.edu/donate Achiever | 22 | University of Maryland University College

CLASS NOTES Fa c u lt y K u d o s

Write Your Own Success Story AT U N I V E R S I T Y O F M A R Y L A N D UNIVERSITY COLLEGE Are you thinking about embarking on a new career or advancing in your current field? If so, now may be a good time to check out all the new programs and courses offered at UMUC. We’re constantly updating our programs to give you the tools you need to succeed in today’s competitive job market and global economy. Explore the new ways UMUC can help you write your own success story. ◗ Three new majors—investigative forensics, lab management, and political science—expand an already extensive selection of undergraduate degree programs. ◗ Three specializations—homeland security management, information assurance, and project management—tailor our popular master’s degree programs for today’s vital careers. ◗ More than 80 career-enhancing undergraduate and graduate certificates—in everything from accounting to the brand-new global management—are perfect for part-time students. ◗ Plus, our award-winning National Leadership Institute (NLI) offers mid- and senior-level managers the leadership development programs and executive coaching they need to compete and win in business today.

800-888-UMUC • www.umuc.edu/yourstory

Achiever | 24 | University of Maryland University College

George E. Ruff ’03

Erica Sansbury ’04

Conway, South Carolina, has taken UMUC classes in Canada, the Philippines, and the United States. He wrote, “UMUC is helping me realize my dream of completing my undergraduate degree—which I began 38 years ago. And UMUC is a great university to work for; the past nine years with UMUC have been great!”

Takoma Park, Maryland, graduated in May 2004 with a BS in gerontology and is now working on her master’s degree in education.

She hopes to graduate in May 2007. She wrote, “I have two beautiful daughters—Monique, seven, and Dottie, 19 months—and I would have never been able to do this without the wonderful teaching in the online classrooms at UMUC. I love UMUC.”

Pamela Stokes ’03 Greenbelt, Maryland, was born in Washington, D.C., and raised in Columbia, Maryland. She earned her undergraduate degree in criminology and went on to earn an MS in management, with a concentration in interdisciplinary studies, and an MBA in management, as part of UMUC’s dual-degree program. For the past 14 years, she has worked in the fields of criminology, social science, substance abuse, and performance management. Currently, she serves on the UMUC Alumni Association Board of Directors as vice president for outreach and chapter development.

M. June Taylor ’03 Suitland, Maryland, returned to college after dropping out to raise a family. She earned a BS in business administration and computer studies.

She wrote, “Going to UMUC has helped me achieve my goals by offering evening, weekend, and online courses for degree-seeking adults such as myself.”

Letria Hall ’04 Clinton, Maryland, graduated from UMUC with a BS in computer studies and a minor in criminal justice. She has since accepted a position in the federal government and taken classes to complete her master’s degree in January 2006.

Loraine K. Hunsaker ’04 Stafford, Virginia, published a novel, her second, in June 2006. She wrote, “The degree I earned from UMUC led to my becoming network coordinator for Dr. Dee Preston-Dillon, a sandplay therapy instructor. This part-time job allows me to further my work on my writing while connecting with others in the field of psychology. I invite other UMUC graduates to visit my Web site and blog—www.lkhunsaker.com— and drop me a note. I would love to reconnect with those in any of my classes and make new connections with others.”

Amber Allen ’05 Indian Head, Maryland, wrote, “Attending UMUC has given me the chance to be who I am in my professional life while taking into consideration my family life. I would not have been able to finish my bachelor’s degree without the help and support of this university. I appreciate and will always recruit others to UMUC to further their personal and professional goals.”

April Beckett ’05 Chapmanville, West Virginia, serves as a bereavement coordinator with Dignity Hospice and also works as a substitute teacher and homebound instructor in Logan County, West Virginia. She wrote, “I majored in psychology with my elective hours in education. When I arrived in West Virginia, I applied for and received my K–6 teaching certificate. With my educational background, I have the opportunity to provide some psychological support with the hospice and also to teach. It’s great! Thank you.”

Fernando Bonilla ’05 Shangrila, Uruguay, took classes from UMUC Europe and Asia, earning an AA in business and management and certificates in accounting and management. He is currently pursuing a career as an auctioneer and valuer.

Elizabeth Heath ’05 Willow Spring, North Carolina, wrote, “Great news! I completed my bachelor’s degree from UMUC in August 2005 and decided to begin working toward my graduate degree. I began classes in the spring of 2006. I’m so thankful for UMUC. Without the opportunity to take classes online, I would never have been able to achieve my educational goals.”

Iliana M. Hernandez ’05 Eglin Air Force Base, Florida, started her studies in Spangdahlem, Germany, where her husband

DIANE FINLEY, who teaches psychology in UMUC’s School of Undergraduate Studies and also serves on the faculty of Prince George’s Community College, won the Two-Year College Teaching Excellence Award of the Society for the Teaching of Psychology. Finley received the award, a plaque, and a check for $750 on August 12, 2006, during this year’s American Psychological Association (APA) Convention in New Orleans, Louisiana. The teaching award winners will also be announced in the October 2006 issue of Teaching in Psychology.

MELISSA KLEMENS, who teaches in UMUC’s computer information systems and technology program, ascended to the bench as an administrative law judge in the District of Columbia in June 2006.

BARBARA PUFFER, who teaches communications courses online in UMUC’s School of Undergraduate Studies, is a public relations consultant and community leader on a major communications portal—www.communitelligence.com. A number of students from her JOUR 331 Public Relations Techniques course were prominently featured on the site, sharing their picks for best-practice honors in persuasive public relations campaigns among well-known organizations and companies.

was stationed for five years. She majored in criminology and criminal justice and is now pursuing a master’s degree in education, also from UMUC. She hopes to finish that degree and become a teacher in Texas.

Quintina J. Mckinney ’05 Germany, wrote, “I am a wife and the mother of three, so being able to attend school was a challenge. UMUC helped me out through online education. Not only was I able to earn my AA, but I also received my BA in humanities. UMUC offered all of the classes I needed and the professors were well-prepared and sharp. UMUC is a wonderful school. I really enjoyed my time there.”

Theresa Poussaint ’05 Washington, D.C., earned a BS in communications from UMUC and chose to return for graduate studies because of UMUC’s reputation as a leader in online education and a trendsetter in distance learning. She wrote, “UMUC also fit my lifestyle—working fulltime as a loss prevention analyst with HMSHost and raising my two daughters, ages 10 and 17. While I was earning my MBA, like many UMUC students, I was also working and balancing personal responsibilities. Along the way, I acquired a wealth of knowledge through networking and volunteering. I serve as president-elect of the UMUC Alumni Association and mentor in

UMUC’s MBA program. My past positions include vice president of the Alumni Association’s communications committee as well as of the outreach and chapter development committee. The experiences I have gained as a student and volunteer for the Alumni Association are invaluable and have given me the opportunity to grow and meet so many great people.”

Michelle M. Riesser ’05 & ’06 Virginia Beach, Virginia, is the owner and creative director for Michelle Riesser Events. Her company specializes in full-service planning for weddings and corporate events, serving the southeast United States, including Washington, D.C., and Maryland. Her Web site is www.michelleriesserevents.com.

Quentin B. Jackson ’06 Germany, wrote, “UMUC has allowed me to keep my business and interpersonal skills current. Also, it has broadened my views of our global society. What a great vantage point to have!”

Bernard Naft ’06 Nashville, Tennessee, wrote, “At UMUC, I am pursuing a BA in communication studies.

I also hold two technical associate’s degrees.

My pre- and post-conferment interests are in white papers with aerospace industry subject matter.”

www.umuc.edu | 25 | Achiever

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The University of Maryland University College (UMUC) Alumni Association, founded in 1990, is committed to fostering a lifelong relationship between its members and the university community. The Alumni Association provides you with opportunities to stay connected with fellow alumni, students, and faculty through volunteer service, social events, and philanthropy. Benefit programs and resources include career services, affinity partner discounts, special alumni events, on-site library access, and chapter activities.

Membership is free and open to all UMUC alumni.

Go to www.umucalumni.org to activate your membership.

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Alumni Committees

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Alumni committees meet monthly to plan and assist in implementing activities that support the goals outlined in the Alumni Association’s strategic plan. Committee members serve a one-year term and may choose to serve additional terms. Committee volunteers are a primary source in the selection of new members of the Alumni Association Board of Directors.

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Have you moved? Married . . . or remarried? Started a new job?

Won an award? Share your good news with the UMUC community.

Complete the form below and return it today—with a recent photograph, if possible—or visit www.umucalumni.org, click on “Stay Connected,” and complete the Stay Connected form. We’ll update your records and you just might see your name in a future issue of Achiever magazine. (Entries may be edited for length and style.)

Yes, I want to stay connected and receive e-mail notices of alumni benefits, services, and future events. Add my contact information to the Alumni Association’s mailing list.

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A L U M N I I N F O R M AT I O N F O R M

You’re eligible for the following alumni benefits when you join: ■

NEW STUDENT WELCOME PROGRAM: Alumni volunteers call to welcome newly enrolled students who are beginning their studies at UMUC. This has proved valuable for both new students and alumni alike. Volunteers are asked to call 20 to 25 students during a two-week period, beginning several weeks after the start of the fall and spring terms. Orientation is provided.

Credit Union of Maryland, Inc. (SECU). National studies show

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Free Subscriptions and Access

Alumni Association members can join State Employees

WE WANT TO HEAR FROM YOU!

Apply for Maryland license tags displaying the UMUC logo for cars registered in Maryland. Call 301-985-7306 for an application.

COMMUNICATIONS COMMITTEE coordinates with staff and other committees to increase alumni and business community awareness of association programs and successes.

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Purchase a UMUC class ring from Herff Jones at 800-631-0392.

GET INVOLVED! The Alumni Association allows those individuals who believe in the mission and goals of UMUC to play an integral role in sustaining the university’s competitive advantage. Many alumni volunteer groups work with the Board of Directors to support UMUC and Alumni Association activities. You can choose to volunteer in a variety of ways.

OUTREACH AND CHAPTER DEVELOPMENT COMMITTEE promotes the interests and welfare of UMUC and develops programs and events that enrich the professional, cultural, and personal lives of alumni while representing alumni interests and concerns.

ALLIES MENTORING PROGRAM: The Allies Mentoring Program is designed to assist students who transfer to UMUC from local community colleges. It provides a “human touch” to students during their first term so that they feel supported by and connected to UMUC and learn the traits that create successful university students. Each mentor is matched with a small group of three to five students. Mentors are asked to facilitate discussions among mentees via weekly group e-mails for 10 weeks. Orientation is provided.

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STUDENT RELATIONS COMMITTEE helps students, alumni, and the academic community enjoy a successful UMUC experience and an enhanced relationship among the university populations by providing opportunities for growth and development, information exchange, and easy interaction.

Maryland, College Park.

Mentoring Programs

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Stay connected . . . join today! www.umucalumni.org

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UNIVERSITY OF MARYLAND UNIVERSITY COLLEGE OFFICE OF ALUMNI RELATIONS 3501 University Boulevard East Adelphi, Maryland 20783-8008 Phone: 800-888-UMUC ext. 5125 or 240-684-5125 FAX: 240-684-5120 06-MCOM-11

Mailing address: UMUC ALUMNI ASSOCIATION, UC 310, 3501 University Boulevard East, Adelphi, MD 20783-8008

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3501 University Boulevard East Adelphi, MD 20783-8080 USA 800-888-UMUC www.umuc.edu â–

] BOLD G LO B A L

LEADERS H I P

Save the Date!

Friday, February 9, 2007 Join us for the inauguration of Susan C. Aldridge, fifth president of University of Maryland University College.

Presidential inauguration in the morning; black-tie inaugural gala in the evening.