Ursuline Voices Magazine - Spring 2021

Voices

spring 2021

t he u r s u l in e co l l ege m ag a zi ne

Women of Biology Change the world

p3 President receives national award p14 Celebrating our 150th Anniversary

president’s message

Dear Alumnae/i and Friends: In March, The Chronicle of Higher Education, a news magazine covering colleges and universities across the country, reported that COVID-19 has cost higher education $183 billion, once expenses, lost revenue, and expected state funding cuts have been tallied. As dramatic as that number is, though, it pales in comparison to the human cost, the loss of loved ones, the lingering effects of infection, the economic uncertainties, and the pervasive anxiety of the past year.

That number falls short in another way too. It fails to account for what we have learned from the pandemic, the strengths we have discovered, the endurance of families, and the kindness that we have shared with friends and strangers.

Ursuline College has seen those unexpected graces shine throughout the year. Sister Helen Prejean, CSJ, inspired us with her virtual presentation in November when we named her our 2020 “Women Who Light the Way” recipient, while our students inspired us daily with their dedication and determination to succeed.

Contributors president Sr. Christine De Vinne, OSU, PhD ’73 vice president for institutional advancement Richard J. Konisiewicz editor Ann T. McGuire Director of Marketing and Communication editorial contributors Ashley Moysaenko Assistant Director of Marketing and Communication

To match their commitment, we have expanded our growing edge in healthcare and the arts. We share new partnerships with Cleveland Clinic and the Howley Foundation for nursing education and with Lake Erie College of Osteopathic Medicine for a pathway to medical school. We initiated a new degree in wellness and a new class in telehealth, while we prepare to launch a Physician’s Assistant program, answering a need for primary care providers in our communities.

Lynne Redman Dewyre

We proudly sent our first team of pre-law and legal studies students to the national Moot Court competition, and we became one of only a dozen affiliates nationwide in a multiyear project titled “Legacies of American Slavery: Reckoning with the Past.” Inclusive excellence is embedded in our mission.

Erin Gay Miyoshi

In June, we will kick off our pandemic-delayed sesquicentennial celebrations with a blessing ceremony for our refreshed St. Angela Garden and Wasmer Gallery. As vaccination rates increase and community spread decreases, we look forward to seeing many of you back at your campus home. Together, we will celebrate the resilience of our Ursuline College family and our pride in its past and its future.

Sincerely,

Director of Alumnae Relations and Annual Fund Sheila Elo Alumnae/Development Database Manager

Director of Development Brandon Stewart Sports Information Director graphic design Monica Mussulin Graphic, Digital and Print Designer photography Robert Muller Matt Schiffler ON THE COVER

Sister Christine De Vinne, OSU, PhD

Biology major Cyann Myasia Moyer graduated in May 2021.

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voices | spring 2021

Inside this issue

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2 Campus News 10 Faculty & Staff News 12 Events

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Grant funding enables College to promote student mental health

Mark your calendar for our 150th anniversary celebration

18 Athletics 28 Alumnae/i News 33 Class Notes 36 In Memoriam

on the cover

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Ursuline biology graduates are leaders, mentors, and role models 1

campus news

Campus News Ursuline chosen as affiliate for “Legacies of American Slavery” project Ursuline is one of a dozen colleges and universities from across the country named institutional affiliates in a multiyear project titled “Legacies of American Slavery: Reckoning with the Past.”

Spearheaded by the Council of Independent Colleges (CIC), this initiative is designed to help CIC member institutions, their students, and their communities explore the continuing impact of slavery on American life and culture. The project will support campus-based research, teaching, and learning as well as community-based programs about the multiple legacies of slavery.

"This project truly centers on the importance of humanities perspectives in addressing, examining, and working towards solutions for complex topics like the legacy of American slavery," said Katharine G. Trostel, PhD, assistant professor and chair of English and humanities. Dr. Trostel will serve as the faculty lead for the project.

"Participating in this national network will allow us to interrogate as an institution how we teach our rooted history of racial segregation in a specifically Rust Belt context. We will work together with local and regional partners to amplify community dialogue, engage cultural organizations, and encourage our students to leverage their voices to activate social change. In doing so, we are able to highlight Cleveland and build upon previously established partnerships, such as our work with the Anisfield-Wolf Book Awards—the only juried book prize in the nation focused on uplifting and honoring authors addressing issues of racism and diversity," Dr. Trostel said.

In addition to the institutional affiliates, CIC named seven partner institutions, which will serve as the primary hubs of national networks. Each partner school will focus on a specific theme that has both local and national significance, organizing regional activities while contributing to a national conversation about race, equity, freedom, political power, and cultural resilience.

Legacies of American Slavery is directed by Pulitzer Prize winning historian David W. Blight, who notes, “Because slavery is so central to the history of the United States—its origins, economic development, society, culture, politics, and law—it has left in its wake a wide array of legacies that seem ever-present yet ever-changing in our world.” (His essay on this topic, and further information on the project, are at www.cic.edu/LegaciesofSlavery.)

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Ursuline president receives national leadership award Ursuline College President Sister Christine De Vinne, OSU, PhD, was awarded the Council of Independent Colleges’ 2020 Charles W.L. Foreman Award, the highest honor given by the organization’s State Councils, in a virtual ceremony on April 27, 2021.

The award is presented annually to a college president or corporate trustee who has demonstrated an outstanding record of service, leadership, and commitment that distinguishes the recipient from his or her peers in support of the CIC’s State Councils’ mission to promote independent higher education.

Bill Spiker, president of The Ohio Foundation of Independent Colleges (OFIC), nominated Sister Christine.

“Sister Christine is a founding committee member of our Women’s Scholarship Initiative which raises money in support of non-traditional age female students,” Spiker wrote. “She has a giving spirit and very welcoming, engaging attitude and approach to her support of independent higher education across the country, of The Ohio Foundation of Independent Colleges on the state-level, and mostly with her impactful, insightful, and devoted leadership of her alma mater, Ursuline College.”

Institute for Women, Wellness and Work gains momentum, offers subscriptions When the pandemic forced daycare centers to close and schools to switch to virtual learning, women began feeling overwhelmed and leaving the workforce – by choice or by lay-offs – in historic numbers.

Ursuline’s new Institute for Women, Wellness and Work could not have been more timely.

The articles, podcasts, video, and workshops offered through the Institute have attracted a growing following. With titles like “Designing your Career to Fit your Life,” it’s easy to see why. “I loved the variety and the various modes of delivering the messages,” wrote one woman of her Institute experience. “I took away learnings and actions that I can continue to apply to my work/life balance. It was a great opportunity to meet and network with others outside of my company, which is especially challenging now with the pandemic,” wrote another.

The newest dimension of the Institute is subscriptions now available for corporations and individuals, enabling access to even more resources aimed at creating a rich, inclusive environment of continuous learning for all women, regardless of background or life stage. Go to www.ursuline.edu/wellness and explore the offerings. campus news

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campus news

Telehealth for Health Care Professionals One-credit course launched for caregivers In a sign of the times, the College is offering a new, graduate-level, one-credit, online course titled Telehealth for Health Care Professionals.

The offering is a graduate nursing course open to any health care professionals interested in learning more about how to use telehealth effectively. The intended audience includes but is not limited to physicians, advanced practice nurses, social workers, and counselors.

Participants will develop strategies for engaging patients and gain awareness of appropriate etiquette during virtual visits. The course also covers billing and coding requirements for medical record documentation for optimal reimbursement.

The course starts next on July 12. Once they start, students progress at their own pace through five asynchronous course modules that make learning flexible and convenient. Students receive a certificate upon successful completion of the course and a transcript documenting the completion of NR 500 Telehealth for Health Care Professionals. Tuition is $535.00.

Registration is at www.ursuline.edu/telehealth.

Nursing program receives Ohio innovation award Ursuline’s Breen School of Nursing and Health Professions together with Cleveland Clinic received the 2021 Ohio League of Nursing (OLN) Innovation Award in recognition of a perioperative immersion experience jointly developed for nursing students.

The award was officially presented by Dr. Deborah Lindell, Chair of the OLN Awards Committee, at the OLN Virtual Awards Ceremony on April 8, 2021.

“The OLN’s Nursing Innovations Award is a fitting tribute to the group effort, led by Associate Professor Laura Goliat, DNP, APRN, FNP-BC, to expose our students to the perioperative environment, from scrub-in, to operating room, to recovery,” said Patricia A. Sharpnack, DNP, RN, CNE, NEA-BC, ANEF, FAAN, Dean and Strawbridge Professor. “Dr. Goliat and her colleagues continually seek innovative ways to bridge the gap between nursing education and nursing practice so as to advance our profession and ensure that our graduates are as prepared as possible to launch their careers as members of health care teams.”

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Grant funding enables College to promote mental health Recent grant funding has enabled the College to respond meaningfully to the needs of students experiencing increased stress related to the pandemic.

On top of the typical anxieties of college life – exams, assignments, homesickness – add the worry over contracting COVID and spreading it to family members, the threat of a mandatory quarantine or isolation period for anyone testing positive or exposed to someone with COVID, and the longing for old-fashioned opportunities to connect with others.

“Students face multiple factors, all piled on top of each other, but one of the biggest problems is the socialization that students are missing,” said Campus Psychologist, Anita Forsberg Culbertson, Psy.D. “Since COVID hit, people are just cherishing interpersonal connectedness.”

While Ursuline resumed face-to-face instruction in the fall 2020, campus community members are asked to maintain social distancing, most residence hall rooms are now single occupancy, and in-person extra-curricular events are rare.

To help address students’ mental health needs in this troubling time, the College applied for and received a grant through the State of Ohio's Coronavirus Relief Fund, and a separate grant from the Ursuline Sisters of Cleveland's Ministry Fund.

The state funding (which came through the Ohio College Initiative at Prevention Action Alliance, the Ohio Department of Mental Health and Addiction Services, and the Ohio Department of Higher Education) and the generous grant from the Ursuline Sisters have helped to fund an increase in staffing in the Personal Counseling Office from one full-time and one part-time counselor to two full-time counselors.

In addition, the funds have enabled the College to develop creative remedies, including:

• “Q Kits,” gift bags filled with art supplies, puzzle books, snacks and more for students quarantined in their dorm rooms

• “RA Uber Service,” in which resident assistants deliver snacks to students in quarantine

• Weekly DIY craft kits provided by Programming Board that students pick up from campus and then work on together, either in person or via video conference, to restore social contact

• Weekly personal development and self-care programs offered by the Women’s Center

• Domestic violence awareness sessions

• Guest speakers and other programs hosted by the offices of Campus Ministry, Student Activities, and Diversity “At Ursuline, we’re all about relationship building and making connections and that has been difficult in this time of COVID,” said Deanne Hurley, Vice President for Student Affairs. “We have tried to connect students with a variety of experiences with social, spiritual, diversity and inclusion elements.”

One silver lining of the pandemic, said Hurley, has been seeing the college community come together for the benefit of students. “Whenever I have to quarantine a student, the faculty just respond right away with the supports and the virtual accommodations the student needs. And staff from Athletics, Residence Life, Campus Ministry, the Women’s Center, Metz (the campus food service provider) and other departments have all worked together, more than ever, to provide engagement and connection opportunities for our students. It’s been very rewarding to see.”

campus news

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campus news

FPO

Ursuline College has welcomed seven new members to its Board of Trustees They are, from left to right, top to bottom, • Elizabeth McIntyre, Executive Editor, Crain’s Cleveland Business • Ramya Ramadurai, MBA, Global Program Manager, Rockwell Automation • Martin Rodriguez, MBA, Senior Vice President- Head of Capital Markets, First Mutual Holding Company • Michael Santelli, MBA, Director and Portfolio Manager, Microcap at Ancora • Amy Cheatham Tye, JD, Judicial Staff Attorney, 8th District Court of Appeals • Sheronda L. Peterson ’10 MMT, Alumnae Board President, IT Associate Project Manager, Progressive Insurance • Sister Ritamary Welsh, OSU, MEd, President, Ursuline Sisters of Cleveland

Future lawyers make it to national Moot Court competition The Ursuline College Moot Court team of Pre-Law and Legal Studies students Shalva Davidovich and Elizabeth Bena won a bid to the American Moot Court Association National Tournament in January. The first Ursuline team to make it to this competition, they were seeded 59 out of 100 teams.

While Davidovich was not available to compete, Anthony Trantham was allowed to step in as a substitute. “The students spent a tremendous amount of time studying the law, becoming experts on two dozen cases, and learning all aspects of the First Amendment,” said Anne Murphy Brown, J.D., associate professor and director of the Legal Studies Program.

“As the team members prepared to compete at the Cleveland-Marshall Regional Tournament, they were able to support and challenge each other. Shalva and Liz making it to the National Competition was a victory for the whole moot court program. I am so proud of our students.”

The three-day competition was hosted by Cleveland-Marshall College of Law for the American Moot Court Association.

Ursuline was among elite schools in this tournament, including University of Chicago, Yale University, University of Virginia, Duke, Georgetown, and University of Pennsylvania.

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Partnership gives students a leg up on medical, dental, or pharmacy school Thanks to a new Early Acceptance Partnership (EAP) with Lake Erie College of Osteopathic Medicine (LECOM), qualified students can gain acceptance to both Ursuline and LECOM, the nation’s largest medical school, and they have a 97% board pass rate for first takers.

Application to the EAP can occur as early as the senior year of high school or as late as the start of the third year at Ursuline College. LECOM is reserving up to 5 spots per year for Ursuline students. Read about sophomore Addisen Holt, the first Ursuline student offered LECOM early acceptance, at ursuline.edu/lecom.

Office of Mission is alive & well (again) Thanks to grant funding, the College has reinstated its Office of Mission, under the direction of Sister Virginia DeVinne, OSU. Collaborating with the Assistant Dean for Diversity and the Director of Campus Ministry, Sister Virginia will provide oversight of the myriad ways the College integrates Ursuline values in every facet of its daily life and outreach to alums and the broader community.

“As we mark the College’s 150th anniversary year, it is especially appropriate that Sister Virginia is charged with focusing on the mission of the college and ensuring that it is articulated publicly and operationalized throughout the institution,” said Richard Konisiewicz, vice president for institutional advancement.

Dr. Tim Kinsella, chair of the Department of History and Civic Engagement, served on the interviewing committee that unanimously chose Sister Virginia for this position. He said he “was impressed especially with Sr. Virginia’s thoughtful and thorough answers to our questions in addition to her calm demeanor. The college is blessed to have her.”

The mission of the Ursuline Sisters of Cleveland is to "transform lives through contemplation, justice and compassion." Sr. Virginia noted, "I find such compelling evidence that the ministry at the College is rooted in this spirit. It is my hope that we celebrate and strengthen our commitment to Gospel values as we prepare our students, in the words of the College's mission statement, '. . . for service, leadership and professional excellence.' " campus news

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campus news

Philanthropy Cleveland Clinic, Howley Foundation partner with Ursuline to expand Nurse Scholars Program Cleveland Clinic and The Howley Foundation are partnering with Ursuline College to expand the ASPIRE Nurse Scholars Program to offer college scholarships to underrepresented students interested in pursuing registered nursing careers.

The ASPIRE Nurse Scholars Program, established by Cleveland Clinic and supported by a $10 million gift from The Howley Foundation, is a local high school and college program that seeks to increase diversity in healthcare, address opportunity gaps and reduce health disparities in the community.

Approximately 25 students per year from Cleveland-area high schools enter the ASPIRE program as high school juniors and are taught relationship-based care, research and evidence-based practice, simulation healthcare and more. Seniors in the program now have the opportunity to earn a scholarship to pursue a Bachelor of Science in Nursing degree from Ursuline after high school.

Patricia Sharpnack, DNP, RN, Dean of Ursuline’s Breen School of Nursing and Health Professions, said, “We are committed to providing the resources and wrap-around services that will ensure student success in the program.”

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Ursuline’s Breen School of Nursing and Health Professions is ranked the # 2 nursing program in Ohio by Nurse.org.

The program has a 100% employment rate, post licensure.

A recent study by the American Enterprise Institute ranked Ursuline #1 nationally for its record of moving students from low-income into higher income groups.

Last fall, Ursuline welcomed 11 ASPIRE students. Most are 2020 high school graduates. Some transferred from the associate’s degree program at Cuyahoga Community College.

Below: Students in the ASPIRE Nurse Scholars Program see what it would be like to be a nurse in an operating room.

Photo courtesy of Cleveland Clinic.

Nontraditional scholarship fund assists nontraditional students In 1990, John G. Wittman Jr., James W. Likly, and Frank G. Likly established an unusual scholarship fund at Ursuline: it is designed to support undergraduate students age 25 and older, nontraditional students, in today's parlance.

For 30 years, the Likly-Wittman Endowed Scholarship Fund has been doing just that, helping nontraditional students to meet their college expenses.

While Ursuline was a trailblazer in the movement to encourage adults to finish college, nontraditional undergrads were far less common in 1990 than they are today, and scholarship support specifically for such students, even more rare.

The men created the scholarship in honor of Margaret Mary Sords Wittman ’29, mother of John Wittman; Marguerite E. Wittman Likly, mother of James and Frank G. Likly; and Jeannette A. Wittman ’30, aunt of all three men.

Their family continues to contribute to the fund, which this year assisted 13 students.

“When my brother John and our cousins James and Frank established the Likly-Wittman Endowed Scholarship in 1990, it gave my family a fitting opportunity to honor my mother (Margaret Mary) and my aunts Marguerite and Jeannette in perpetuity by contributing to the mission of the college that was While Ursuline was a trailblazer in the so dear to each of them,” said Thomas V. Wittman. “Call it partial payback for those Baby Days hosted by Ursuline on the Hill back in movement to encourage adults to finish the late 40s and early 50s.”

(Baby Days were held annually to give alumnae opportunities to gather with one another on the former Cedar Hill campus with babies and children in tow.)

college, nontraditional undergrads were far less common in 1990 than they are today.

“We are very grateful for the family’s longstanding support of Ursuline College and our mission in educating students for service, leadership, and professional excellence,” said Erin Gay Miyoshi, director of development. “Approximately 35% of our undergraduates are 25 or older and the Likly-Wittman Endowed Scholarship Fund is pivotal in providing financial support and encouragement to the recipients, many of whom are balancing work and family responsibilities while completing their degrees.” campus news

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faculty & staff news

Jackie Amos, Senior Administrative Assistant, Ursuline Studies Program, is a 2020 winner of the Sister Pat McCaffrey, OSU Staff Award in recognition of her outstanding work and contributions to the Ursuline community.

Janet Baker, DNP, APRN, ACNS-BC, CPHQ, CNE, Associate Dean, Graduate Nursing programs; Mary Lind Crowe, PhD, RN, Adjunct Faculty, Nursing; Sr. Kathleen Flanagan, OSU, MSN, RN, former director of undergraduate nursing; and Amy Petrinec, MSN ’04, PhD, RN, published their research titled: “HealthRelated Quality of Life of Older Women Religious: Negative Influence of Frailty,” in the Western Journal of Nursing Research from MNRS. Also see Zeni.

Alaric Best, Head Coach of Track and Field, has been inducted into the State University of New York at Delhi Athletics Hall of Fame. A star athlete, he was a member of the Class of 2008.

Mary Jo Cherry, PhD, Professor, Education, served as an Ambassador for the American Cancer Society fund drive, ResearcHERS: Women Fighting Cancer of Northern Ohio. The drive raised funds to support cancer research projects led by women.

James Connell, PhD, Educational Administration Director, has been selected by the Ohio Department of Education to be a reader for the new round of RemotEDx grants. This series of grants is for non-profit and communitybased student learning and remote education partners.

Gina DeMart-Kraus, Director of Housing and Residence Life, is a 2020 winner of the Sister Pat

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McCaffrey, OSU Staff Award in recognition of her outstanding work and contributions to the Ursuline community.

Sister Virginia DeVinne, OSU, Director of Mission, was elected Vice-Chair of the Incarnate Word Academy Board. She also serves on the Governance Committee of the board.

Also see page 6.

Kimberly Dillon-Bleich, PhD, RN, Associate Dean and Assistant Professor, Nursing, along with Ursuline faculty members Laura Goliat and Patricia A. Sharpnack, and 11 other Northeast Ohio nurse leaders, coauthored a paper titled "Reducing Barriers for RN-BSN Education: The Assessment Competency Evaluation," which was published in Nursing Education Perspectives, the journal of the National League for Nursing.

Cynthia Glavac, OSU, PhD, ’78, Professor Emerita, retired after teaching literature and composition courses at Ursuline for 26 years (1992-2018). She has since assumed the role of archivist for the Cleveland Ursuline Sisters.

As an archivist, Sr. Cynthia makes available for research the legacy of the Ursulines by maintaining historical documents and artifacts that also include a large collection on Dorothy Kazel, OSU. Laura Goliat, BSN ’79, DNP ’14, APRN, FNPBC, Associate Professor, Nursing, along with Phyllis Kronk, and Patricia A. Sharpnack presented a webinar for the American Hospital Association titled “Same Storm, Different Boat: Using TeamSTEPPS Strategies to Navigate the Unchartered Waters of Virtual Learning.” Along with three other Northeast Ohio nurse leaders, Goliat co-authored a paper titled “Implementing

TeamSTEPPS to Facilitate Workplace Civility and Nurse Retention,” published in the Journal for Nurses in Professional Development.

Molly Haaga, PhD, ATR-BC, LPC, Assistant Professor, Art Therapy, is the 2020 winner of the Part-Time Teaching Excellence Award.

Jessica Headley, PhD, LPCC-S, Assistant Professor, Counseling & Art Therapy and Co-Director, Women’s Center, earned her supervisory designation (the “S”) and now holds the highest licensure for her profession. She is working with her colleagues on publications and presentations related to teaching, creativity, social justice, and feminist counseling practice.

Linda Heigel, MSN, RNBC, NEA-BC, Nursing Instructor, passed the Nurse Executive, Advanced Certification Examination, a certification that is accredited by the Accreditation Board for Specialty Nursing Certification.

Barbara Helms, MBA, Registrar and Director of Academic Operations, joined the staff. She comes to us from Lake Erie College where she was registrar for 14 years.

Robert Hunt, MA ’00, Adjunct Faculty, Education, and Superintendent of Schools for Chagrin Falls, Ohio, was named Superintendent of the Year by the Buckeye Association of School Administrators.

In July he assumes the role of superintendent of the Barrington 220 Community Unit School District in Chicago.

Deanne Hurley, Vice President for Student Affairs, became a certified COVID-19 Contact Tracer through an online, noncredit course authorized by Johns Hopkins University

and offered through Coursera. The certificate is offered through the Bloomberg School of Public Health.

Jennifer C. Johnson, DNP, RN, CNE, Assistant Professor, Nursing, was selected to serve a two-year term on the Ohio Board of Nursing Advisory Committee for Nursing Education. She earned a Certificate in Nursing Education from the National League for Nursing.

Phyllis Kronk, DNP, Assistant Professor, Nursing, see Goliat.

Lynn Lucas, MBA, Institutional Research Coordinator, joined the staff this year. She has worked in institutional research for the past two decades.

Ethlyn McQueen-Gibson, BSN ’83, DNP ’17, Adjunct Faculty, Nursing, had an article titled “The Healthy Meal Program: A food insecurity screening and referral program for urban dwelling older adults” published in Public Health Nursing.

She co-authored two articles in the Journal of Prevention & Intervention in the Community, “Creating Structural Community Change Around Racial Equity and Homelessness,” and “If You Build It, Will They Come? The Association between Location Preference for Receiving Mental Health Support and Substance Use in African Americans 50 and Older.” She won the Virginia Nurses Foundation 2020 Year of the Nurse Award. She also participated in a Virginia Department of Health panel discussion on the COVID-19 vaccine.

Gina Messina, PhD, Associate Professor, Religious Studies, presented a webinar in January on navigating

grief for Hope Squad, a nation-wide schoolbased suicide prevention program. She was invited to present by Abigail Allard ’20, communications specialist for the organization.

Gretchen M. Miller, MA ’99, ATR-BC, ACTP, Adjunct Instructor, Counseling and Art Therapy, guest edited a special issue dedicated to Online Art Therapy for the International Journal of Art Therapy. This special issue includes research and practice papers highlighting the emerging field of online art therapy.

Stacey G. O’Brien, DSW, MSSA, LISW-S, Assistant Professor, Social Work, completed her doctoral work and has been awarded the degree of Doctor of Social Work. Her qualitative research explored the implicit curriculum of a bachelor of social work program.

JoAnne Podis, PhD, Professor Emerita, English, was the featured (virtual) speaker at the December meeting of the Connecticut Region of the Jane Austen Society of North America.

Entitled “Teaching Jane: Adaptation and Engagement in the 21st Century,” her talk focused on the value of film adaptations of Austen’s works and on ways to engage students whose lived experiences are vastly different from those of her characters.

Regina Prosser, PhD, RN, Adjunct Associate Professor, and her Lakeland Community College colleague, Kathleen Gravens, PhD, RN, co-authored an article titled "Beyond Traditional RN-BSN Programs: Partnership for Dual Admission Progression Programs"

for “Nursing Education Perspectives,” the journal of the National League for Nursing.

The article highlights the collaboration between Ursuline and Lakeland to develop and implement the RNBSN Dual Admission Progression pathway in the traditional RN-BSN online program.

Patricia Sharpnack, BSN ’84, DNP, RN, CNE, NEA-BC, ANEF, FAAN, Dean of The Breen School of Nursing and Health Professions, and Joan Kavanagh, PhD, MSN, RN, NEA-BC, associate chief nursing officer, Cleveland Clinic co-authored an article, "Crisis in Competency: A Defining Moment in Nursing Education," published in The Online Journal of Issues in Nursing, the scholarly journal of the American Nurses Association.

Sharpnack and six other Northeast Ohio nurse leaders, co-authored a paper titled “Beyond Articulation Agreements: Expanding the Pipeline for Baccalaureate Nursing in Ohio," which was published in Nursing Education Perspectives, the journal of the National League for Nursing. Also see Goliat.

Lynn Ulatowski, PhD, Assistant Professor, Biology and Faculty Athletics Representative, was nominated to represent the Great Midwest Athletic Conference (GMAC) at Women Leaders X, a two-day women’s leadership conference held virtually in October.

Featured were seminars by inspirational women’s leaders including Brene Brown. Robin Roberts was the keynote speaker.

Dr. Ulatowski and her advisee, junior Marina Marusic, were two of 500 individuals who

participated in the 8th annual Rally for Medical Research 2020.

Caitlin Yeager, PhD, RNC-NIC, Instructor, Nursing, successfully defended her PhD dissertation at Villanova University and was recognized by the Ohio March of Dimes as a Nurse of the Year in the education category on the same day.

Lita Yu, PhD, Associate Professor, Biology, is the 2020 winner of the FullTime Teaching Excellence Award.

Laurel Yuratovac, Academic Advisor, UCAP, is the 2020 winner of the Advising Excellence Award.

Mary Beth Zeni, ScD, RN, EBP-C, Associate Professor, Nursing (Principle Investigator), and Janet Baker, DNP, APRN, Associate Dean and Associate Professor, Nursing (Project Coordinator), with colleagues from the University of Pittsburgh, presented their research abstract, titled “An Innovation in Education: The

Integration of Medication Assisted Treatment (MAT) Experiences into a Graduate level Nurse Practitioner Program,” at the virtual 2021 Trinity Health and Education International Research Conference sponsored by the Trinity College School of Nursing & Midwifery in Dublin, Ireland. Zeni also co-presented a Learning Institute on program evaluation prior to the American Public Health Association annual conference. She was invited to join the inaugural Overdose Fatality Review Quarterly Stakeholder group organized by the Cuyahoga County Medical Examiner’s Office. And she was invited to join the Elder Services Institute LLC Subsidiary Board of the Benjamin Rose Institute on Aging.

faculty news

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events

Events

College honored Sister Helen Prejean with its Women Who Light the Way award Ursuline College honored author and social justice activist Sister Helen Prejean, CSJ, with its Women Who Light the Way award in a virtual event on Nov. 17, 2020, the 149th anniversary of the College’s founding. Traditionally, the College hosts a donor appreciation event in celebration of Founder’s Day. Based in New Orleans, Sister Helen rose to international prominence with the publication of her 1994 book, “Dead Man Walking: An Eyewitness Account of the Death Penalty in the United States,” which was made into an Academy Award winning movie. A tireless advocate for human dignity, she published a book last year, “River of Fire: My Spiritual Journey.”

Ursuline's Women Who Light the Way award recognizes women who have risen to leadership roles in their field and inspired future generations of women. This biennial award was presented for the first time to the late journalist and author Cokie Roberts in 2018.

To read more, including a list of our generous sponsors, go to Ursuline.edu/sisterhelen.

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Wasmer Gallery presented New Masters 2: Women Artists of Northeast Ohio

Summer exhibition to showcase faculty, staff talent

The creative vision of Northeast Ohio women artists were on display in “New Masters 2: Women Artists of Northeast Ohio,” in Ursuline’s new Florence O’Donnell Wasmer Gallery November through January.

All works from the show are viewable at ursuline.edu/newmasters2.

Take in the Legacy: the 2021 Ursuline College Faculty & Staff Exhibition this summer.

In-person visits will be available on Tuesdays, Wednesdays, and Thursdays, 12:00-5:00 p.m., by appointment only, after June 10.

To schedule your visit, contact Gallery Director Anna Arnold at aarnold@ursuline.edu or 440-646-8121. Or visit virtually at flickr.com/photos/ursulinecollege/ albums

One hundred thirty-six Northeast Ohio residents submitted a recordsetting 337 art works for consideration. Juror Mary Urbas, director and curator of The Gallery at Lakeland Community College, selected 47 works from 39 artists. "Patron Saint of Stone," by MANDEM, won Best in Show and the Purchase Prize. MANDEM is Maize Arendsee, Kitsuko and Moco Steinman-Arendsee.

Glenmede, an independent investment management firm, provided a $5,000 grant to partially fund the juror stipend, award prizes, and other expenses related to mounting this exhibition. The College thanks Board member and Glenmede Managing Director Linda M. Olejko for her advocacy. Cuyahoga Arts & Culture also provided a $5,000 grant and additional funding came from the Ohio Arts Council and individual friends of the gallery.

Stay up to date on our upcoming events by visiting ursuline.edu/events events 13

events

CELEBRATING

150 YEARS

Joyful 150th anniversary festivities planned Ursuline College was founded on November 17, 1871, which means 2021 is our 150th anniversary, or sesquicentennial year. We were planning great celebrations when the pandemic pushed everything back. Now, with a mix of optimism and caution, we are beginning to schedule safe, appropriate events.

Please mark your calendar for: St. John College Celebrations June 25-26, 2021 Ursuline campus & Lockkeepers Details on page 30 Homecoming 2021 September 24-25, 2021 Class years ending 0, 1, 5, and 6 Details on page 30 Mass of Thanksgiving Nov. 14, 2021, 10:30 a.m.

Cathedral of St. John the Evangelist Reception to follow Sesquicentennial Gala April 30, 2022 Cleveland Museum of Art Mark your 2022 calendar… if you have one!

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150th Cash Raffle

Win

Ursu Feeling lucky?

Celebrate the sesquicentennial safely – and support student scholarships – by participating in the UrsuWIN raffle.

First Prize: $5,000 Second Prize: $1,500 Third Prize: $150 (we’ll award three)

The suggested donation is $25 per ticket or 8 tickets for $150 – that’s 2 bonus tickets to help us celebrate 150 years! Simply fill out the tickets mailed to you and mail them with your check made out to Ursuline College, to: Ms. Heather Pettit Ursuline College 2550 Lander Road Pepper Pike, Ohio 44124 The UrsuWIN drawing will take place here on campus on Wednesday, June 30, 2021. No need to be present to win. Please remember, you can’t win if you don’t play, and you can support Ursuline students if you do! For additional tickets, contact Sheila Elo at selo@ursuline.edu.

events 15

events

CELEBRATING

150

Honor a special person

YEARS

or memory Sponsor an ad in the sesquicentennial issue The spring 2022 issue of VOICES magazine will be a commemorative, sesquicentennial issue. Watch for details in the Fall 2021 issue for purchasing an “ad” to honor a family member, classmate, graduating class, a special memory, or to congratulate the College.

full page ad - $800 8" x 10"

half page ad - $400 8" x 4.875"

quarter page ad - $200 3.875" x 4.875"

tenth page ad - $100 3.875" x 1.8"

Follow us on social media!

Ursuline College Ursuline College @ursulinecollege @ursulinecampus

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voices | spring 2021

You are

the pride of

Ursuline’s past.

Annual Fund Ad

Help shape

the voices of our future.

Your support makes all the difference.

Your generosity helps Ursuline connect students to respected programs, real-world partnerships, and forward-thinking worldviews that transform lives and accelerate professional success.

Give today at ursuline.edu/give 17

athletics

Adapting to uncertainty with Arrows class A fall season that was supposed to be filled with two-a-days, conditioning, and the excitement surrounding the start of games for soccer, volleyball, and cross country quickly turned to nasal swabs, temperature checks, and uncertainty.

Ursuline College and the Great Midwest Athletic Conference have made the health and safety of student-athletes the highest priority. Every tough decision made by the conference, school presidents, and Athletic Directors has been made with that in mind.

On August 10, 2020, the Great Midwest Athletic Conference announced that soccer and volleyball would have their seasons postponed until the spring 2021. Cross Country was the only fall sport that would compete on its regular schedule.

The first competition of the year took place on September 12 when the Arrows traveled to Hillsdale, Michigan. The shortened season also featured meets

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voices | spring 2021

at The University of Findlay and Tiffin University, and concluded with the Great Midwest Championships late in October.

At Hillsdale, senior Gabrielle Post knocked 30 seconds off her personal best time and finished in a time of 26:55. The team finished sixth overall in the opening meet of the season after a limited pre-season.

The conference announced spring schedules for soccer and volleyball late in the fall. Volleyball season began in late January while soccer began competition in March. Both teams played shortened seasons and all student-athletes were given the opportunity for an extra year of eligibility.

The start of basketball season was also pushed back due to the COVID-19 pandemic. The team started practicing on October 15 as normal, but games would not begin until early December. The early portion of the season featured a five-game winning streak that saw the Arrows defeat Findlay twice in a matter of two weeks, a win over Hillsdale on the road and a win at

home against Lake Erie College. The Arrows capped the winning streak with an 87-66 win over then second place Ohio Dominican at home on January 9.

The Great Midwest basketball tournament began the first week of March and the NCAA Tournament followed.

Even given the multitude of schedule changes, the constant testing, and truly not knowing what the next few hours might bring, let alone the next day, our student-athletes have persevered through this exactly as we would have expected. They have handled all the changes with class and they have demonstrated a tremendous amount of strength during uncertain times. Their passion to compete and represent Ursuline College in the classroom and on the field, court, course, or track is always on display.

As busy as spring semester was, we were excited that our student-athletes had opportunities to compete in the sports they love. Volleyball and basketball overlapped in the

winter, while soccer, softball, lacrosse, tennis, and track all started in the spring. It was a hectic race to the finish line but one we took gladly… and carefully!

Special congratulations go to Arrows Lacrosse Coach Lauren Simko, who was named GMAC Coach of the Year, and Grace London, who was named GMAC Freshman of the Year!

Visit ursulinearrows.com for the latest in Ursuline Arrows news.

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cover story

Women of Biology change the world Ursuline biology graduates are leaders, mentors, and role models

Story by Cindi Deutschman-Ruiz Photos by Robert Muller and Matt Shiffler

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voices | spring 2021

Lab manager D’Arbra Blankenship was a non-traditional student with a young daughter when she entered Ursuline. She had little confidence in her abilities until her professors helped her see herself through their eyes.

They drew attention to her accomplishments, helping set her on the road to success.

Biology teacher Janett Korb was the single parent of a young son when she started at Ursuline. She grappled with a learning disability that made it hard to read well and manage numbers, but Ursuline’s small class sizes and one-on-one attention provided the immediate feedback and support she needed to thrive. cover story 21

cover story

Women’s Imaging Radiologist Katie (McConnell) Davis came from a blue-collar family, and neither of her parents went to college. Ursuline’s dedication to educating women drew her to the college, which prepared her well for the rigors of medical school. She credits her devotion to her patients to the core values she learned at Ursuline.

Podiatrist Erica Witherspoon had planned to become a doctor from a very young age. She chose Ursuline for her undergraduate work because, after a brief visit, “the place felt like home.” Professors really “knew you,” she says. “It made things intimate in a way where you didn’t fall through the cracks.”

These women took different paths to Ursuline and went in different directions after graduation, yet they speak as if in one voice, describing a faculty dedicated not just to their success but also their enrichment; not only to their learning but also their love of learning; and not simply to their growth as people, but also their development as engaged members of a larger community.

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voices | spring 2021

D’Arbra Blankenship’s

love of science blossomed soon after she started at Ursuline, extending even to “the vocabulary of science.” It was so much fun, she says, “like learning another language.”

She used technical terminology so often in class that her professors privately wondered if she knew what all the words meant. So, they banned her from using any scientific jargon, “unless I could explain what I was talking about in common language.”

It was just one example of how her professors “really saw who we were, and they would often challenge us in a way that was specific to what we needed,” Blankenship says.

Equally important was the faculty’s approach to teaching biology, which had students applying their learning in real-world lab settings.

“We didn’t just memorize information; the companion lab work really emphasized hands-on application,” Blankenship says.

At Ursuline, she cultured samples and learned to use and care for lab equipment properly, which prepared her so well that she landed her first lab manager job at Case Western Reserve University during her junior year.

Blankenship delayed completing her degree by a decade as she worked full time, finally finishing at the direct urging of Ursuline faculty who had stayed in contact.

“ Everything I’ve accomplished – I don’t think I could have done it without the Ursuline experience.”

D’Arbra Blankenship

Over nearly two decades at Case, Blankenship has managed projects ranging from research into new uses for existing pharmaceuticals to the development of a rapid testing device for malaria. She is now working toward a master’s degree in positive organizational development and change.

She credits Ursuline with playing a pivotal role in all that she has achieved, and she remains connected to Ursuline as an active member of the Alumnae/i Board.

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cover story

Ursuline was such a great fit for Janett

“ I received the extended time I needed, while my professors maintained very high expectations.”

Janett Korb

Korb that, after earning

her bachelor’s degree in biology, she came back to complete her master’s degree in education.

She says the support of peers and professors was critical to her success, and that even the design of the biology facilities at Ursuline supported cooperative and engaged learning.

Korb and her classmates would congregate “right in the middle of professors’ offices,” she says. Whenever she encountered a stumbling block, she says, help was always available: “I would just get up and knock on somebody’s door.”

In class, too, Korb got the support she needed to succeed. Professors “provided immediate feedback and a lot of our lessons were roundtable discussions,” she says, rather than traditional lectures that would have made learning harder for her.

“It felt more like an apprenticeship,” Korb says, and, in a way, it was exactly that for her. She takes the same approach to teaching biology at Heights High School that she experienced at Ursuline – creating a hands-on learning environment, where kids can learn “to love science through just doing it.”

There is yet one more connection between then and now – the relationships forged between Korb and Ursuline’s faculty have held strong. Faculty “still reach out to let me know how I can get my high school students involved in Ursuline programs,” she says, and she knows that if she ever has a question, they will be there for her, ready for her knock on their door.

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voices | spring 2021

Katie Davis credits Professor

Lita Yu (who asked her mid-way through her first-semester microbiology class to consider changing her major) with her decision to switch from nursing to biology.

“Her very small suggestion made a huge impact on my life,” ultimately leading Davis to become a doctor and educator at Vanderbilt University Medical Center, where she educates women on their own health and trains medical students, radiology residents, and women's imaging fellows.

Professor Yu “embodies the values, as an educator, of developing really strong female professionals,” Davis says, but her approach to teaching was no anomaly.

Across the college, Ursuline professors were “passionate about our learning and invested in our personal success,” Davis says, and it showed.

She remembers the time her biology professor took students outside for a botany lesson, having them mark off a plot of land and identify all the tree species within it, and the time her music history professor organized a field trip to Severance Hall, so students could enjoy a performance by the world-renowned Cleveland Orchestra.

However, Ursuline did not simply educate women well, says Davis. “There was an underlying desire to give them their own voice in society.”

Since graduating and becoming a doctor, Davis has risen to a place where her voice is widely heard, and she is doing what her time at Ursuline trained her to do, “finding those

“(Before Ursuline), I never experienced an institution that emphasized giving women powerful tools to be successful.”

Katie (McConnell) Davis

who need a mentor and elevating them,” she says, “always trying to pay it forward.”

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cover story

Erica Witherspoon had settled

on becoming a doctor early in life, so getting on the pre-med track at Ursuline was a straightforward decision to make.

Like other students, Witherspoon loved Ursuline’s small class sizes, in part because they “really made you accountable,” she says.

“If you were out sick, professors would check on you and make sure you were okay.”

Those close relationships with faculty were important in her day-to-day life as a student, but they proved vital for Witherspoon when she faced a situation that devastated her and her family.

During her time at Ursuline, Witherspoon’s brother got into “a really tragic car accident,” she says. “I had assignments due; it was a really difficult time for me. Having that close relationship with my professors and being able to talk with them – that really helped me through.”

Such a terrible event is exactly the kind of thing that could easily derail a student, for whom focusing on coursework

“ They gave me that little bit of grace to get back where I needed to be.”

Erica Witherspoon

would not only be terribly difficult but might even seem irrelevant given what was going on in their family’s life.

It is the “grace” that the Ursuline community provided that helped Witherspoon stay on track and graduate, which set her on the path to completing her medical education.

Witherspoon recently established a mobile podiatric practice, traveling to nursing homes and assisted living facilities to treat her patients, her career quite literally on the move.

Although well behind her now, her time at Ursuline remains present, Witherspoon says. People are “automatically intrigued to hear more” when they learn she graduated from Ursuline.

The Ursuline name “holds value and brings a sense of pride,” she says.

“I’m grateful for everything I learned there.”

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Changing Times, Changing Biology

What do you think sets the Ursuline experience apart?

What are some emerging trends in biology education?

It really comes down to community. Our classes are small, so we get to know our students and they get to know us. Being small also allows us to be flexible. If a student needs advanced microbiology for a pre-requisite, for example, we can make sure to provide that at Ursuline.

A Q+A with Professor Jenise Snyder, chair of Ursuline’s Biology Department.

There are really two things. One is incorporating service learning and community engagement. We currently have students working on a variety of service projects. One student is creating TikTok videos to teach viewers about environmental issues. Another made educational pamphlets on wastewater treatment.

Also, because we are so small, our students get to use the real deal equipment, the appropriate equipment for the field, so they get to really hone their skills. It helps them train for jobs and gives them the skills they need to move to the next level.

The more big-picture change is in how we teach our discipline; it’s becoming more holistic. We’re not changing learning outcomes but are incorporating broader conversations, for example, about why we are learning what we’re learning.

What’s new with Ursuline’s biology facilities?

Most of our labs have been renovated over the past four years. Having updated facilities and equipment for our students is a big deal, and we are very grateful for the funds that came through for that.

When we were notified that we were being bestowed these wonderful gifts, we were given the choice in the design. For the most part our designs have involved updating equipment and making sure to keep lab safety up to date.

Super Cool Professor – Associate Professor and Biology Department Chair Jenise Snyder, PhD, participated in “The School of Ice: Ice Cores and Climate Change,” in 2016. This professional development program was developed by the U.S. Ice Drilling Program Office, a National Science Foundation-funded organization providing oversight of US scientific drilling efforts at both poles, in partnership with the American Meteorological Society. Snyder and fellow participants processed ice cores at the National Ice Core Laboratory (above), among other activities.

Cindi Deutschman-Ruiz is a writer and professor of communications at several Northeast Ohio colleges and universities. She lives west of Cleveland.

cover story 27

alumnae/i news alumnae/i news

Dear Alumnae/i and Friends,

Alumnae/i Board

The year I was born, The Byrds released Pete Seeger’s song, “Turn! Turn!

Turn!” I remember singing the song in choir in our elementary school’s spring concert. Even as a young child, I knew what the words meant. Everything has a purpose under heaven. There is a time for sorrow, but there is also a time to dance.

officers president

Sheronda L. Peterson ’10 MMT president-elect/ chair-reunion committee Nikki Lee MacPherson ’08 immediate past president/ chair-membership committee Suzanne Marie Beucler Fortuna ’92, ’03, ’17 DNP secretary Patricia L. Isenstadt ’11 development chair D’Arbra Blankenship ’13

As I compose this letter, I have received my first COVID vaccination and, as I have spoken to many of our alums, I know many of you have received both!

Several of you have shared stories of silver linings this year, but we also experienced much heartache personally and as a country. I have spoken to alums who have lost dear family members and friends. I too lost one of my friends, Gail, who survived breast cancer twice, only to succumb to COVID. On a much lighter note, our youngest graduated from college last spring with no pomp and circumstance, just like many of you experienced.

2021 is the 150th anniversary of the founding of Ursuline College. What a reason to celebrate! 150 years of “transforming students for service, leadership, and professional excellence!” These are not just words in our mission; this is who Ursuline College is.

Katherine Brett ’04

If you are reading this magazine, you are a part of the 150-year history and success of this College.

student engagement chair

But there is a season (turn, turn, turn).

alumnae engagement chair

Jocelyn J. Jones ’17, ’18 MBA alumnae recognition chair Aimee E. Pearce ’16 spiritual life chair Mary Ellen Iffarth Downs ’72 150th anniversary committee chair Janice T. Roccosalva ’71, ’95 MA

members Kelly Lynn Berry ’05, ’13 MBA Rebecca N. Bittala ’13 D’Arbra Blankenship ’13 Kathleen Barr Bodnar ’00, ’14 MBA Jane R. Chabrand ’18

The Alumnae Board of Ursuline~St. John College has been meeting throughout the pandemic via Zoom and board members are looking forward to the future. As you will read in this section of the magazine, their dream of resurrecting the all St. John College gathering is coming to fruition on June 26. We will have a special, but smaller, Homecoming gathering for the reunion classes of 1970 and 1971 along with other golden year classes on September 25. Make a Difference Day will return in the fall of 2021 for alums, students, faculty, and staff to give back to the community.

These future events will be planned with an abundance of caution and we will require RSVPs. As the song says, now is the time to plant, laugh, dance, heal, and soon, a time to embrace.

Lynne Redman Dewyre

Emily Caswall Devey ’79 Miesha Wilson Headen ’12 MMT Kathy Pelz Hoag ’85 Jo Ann Doller Lane ’62 HBM Kay Brown Malec ’57 SJC HBM Ann Moley Monastra ’56 SJC HBM Dana Nunez ’09 Jodi Capuiso Olivo ’90 Barbara L. Vance ’18 28

voices | spring 2021

Director of Alumnae Relations and Annual Fund

2021-2022 Alumnae Awards Call for Nominations Do you know a graduate of St. John College or Ursuline College whom you believe deserves recognition for his or her accomplishments professionally, in their community, to the College, or for extraordinary accomplishment as a recent graduate? Please consider nominating an alum for one of the three Alumnae Awards: • Rising Arrow Award • Crystal Award • Amadeus Rappe Outstanding Alumnae/i Award Please note that the Amadeus Rappe Award name has changed to include the word “Outstanding”. Read more about this and the other awards and make your nomination at www.ursuline.edu/alum-awards. Questions?

Please contact the Alumnae Office at 440.646.8370 or email Alumnae@Ursuline.edu. Nominations are due June 30, 2021.

Gonzaga Medal winner is thoughtful, intentional, and accelerated Rebekah Hardy entered Ursuline at age 16, completed her studies in three years, graduated with Bachelor of Arts degrees in Psychology and Education, and this summer begins a doctoral program in cognitive neuroscience at George Washington University. While her academic career has been accelerated, her demeanor is “thoughtful and intentional,” in the words of one of the people who nominated her for the 2021 Gonzaga Medal.

Rebekah said that Ursuline’s history, including Saint Angela Merici’s “service-oriented lifestyle and writings,” influenced her choices of involvements at the College. She held leadership positions in the Sister Dorothy Kazel Club for Social Justice and the College’s chapter of Psi Chi, the international honor society in psychology. She served for three years as an assistant in the Title IX office and made the President’s or Dean’s List each semester at Ursuline.

The Gonzaga Medal is awarded by the Ursuline ~ St. John College Alumnae Association Board to a graduating senior considered to exemplify the personal qualities of refinement, dignity, integrity, and sincere concern for others. The award is named in honor of Sister M. Gonzaga Haessly, OSU, who served the College beginning in 1922, and from 1932 to 1968 as Dean.

alumnae/i news 29

alumnae awards

Save the Dates September 25, 2021 Ursuline College Homecoming Weekend So much to celebrate! Golden Years classes ending in 0, 1, 5, and 6 will be celebrating their reunions on Saturday, September 25, 2021 with a nod to the 150th Anniversary of Ursuline College.

Alumnae from classes of 1971, 1970 and previous classes will receive special invitations in the mail. Stay tuned for more information about the weekend’s events.

Due to COVID, RSVPs will be required.

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voices | spring 2021

June 25 & 26, 2021 Two Ways to Celebrate St. John College Please mark your calendar and plan to join with other alums and friends of St. John College for a weekend of celebrating the legacy of the former St. John College.

•

Friday, June 25, on the Ursuline College campus, will be an afternoon open house and tour of the Breen School of Nursing and Health Professions especially for all St. John College graduates (regardless of major). Come see the living legacy of St. John College in the nationally recognized Ursuline College nursing program.

Saturday, June 26, at Lockkeepers in Independence, will be an All St. John College Brunch.

St. John College alumnae will be receiving invitations in the mail in late spring with exact times. Due to COVID, RSVPs will be required. If you have a St. John College friend who does not receive information from Ursuline College, please have her go to ursuline.edu/update.

alumnae/i news

31

July 22, 2021

Ursuline College / Cleveland Baseball Night On Thursday, July 22, the alumnae office will have a night of Cleveland baseball! Sit with fellow alums and their families to cheer on our team against the Tampa Bay Rays. An email was sent to alums with a special link to purchase tickets. All tickets will be electronic and purchased through the MLB Ballpark app. Not on our emailing list? Go to ursuline.edu/update.

Alumnae Board offers a sweet welcome back The Alumnae Board of Ursuline ~ St. John College was delighted to welcome the students back to campus after Christmas break with boxes of mini donuts for the student to decorate with icing and blue and yellow sprinkles or tiny M&Ms. “Members of the Student Outreach Committee of the Alumnae Board know how hard these last few months have been for the students. They wanted to outreach to the students somehow and show them that they cared. What better way than with mini donuts?” asked Alumnae Director, Lynne Dewyre. She and the chairperson for the Student Outreach Committee, Jocelyn Jones ’17, ’18 MBA, set up in the Bishop Anthony M. Pilla Student Center and gave away over 100 boxes to students during the common lunch hour.

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voices | spring 2021

Class notes 60s

Mary Ann Johns Koncal ’69 reports that her daughter, Carolyn, recently published a book about her journey with cancer. Titled “Faith, Hope and Cancer: The Journey of a Childhood Cancer Survivor,” it offers encouragement to other cancer survivors. https://leukemiagirl.com Linda Lehmann Masek ’69 has had her 15th book, “Horsemasters in Love,” published by Lux/Fireside books. The novel is a love story set in the horse country of Chagrin Falls and is available at bookstores and on Amazon.

70s

Sister Paulette Kirschensteiner ’71, HM, was profiled in The Catholic Exponent, a publication of the Youngstown Diocese.

The October 2020 article touched on her career as an art teacher, her artwork, and her faith.

Patricia Jean SmithymanZito ’74 SJC recently wrote a 40-day self-help-journal book titled “Living in the Now: The Secret to Making Each Day Your Best Day.” It includes 30 original songs and 40 original poems.

90s

Gabrielle Koczab ’03, DO q published her first book, "The Sick Doctor" (Parafine Press), about her experiences as a physicianturned-patient battling invasive breast cancer.

She is happy to report is “thriving and doing well!”

David Stec ’07 MA, currently the principal of Padua Franciscan High School in Parma, Ohio, will become the school’s first lay president on July 1.

Dana Nunez ’09 q and Karl Toussaint welcomed their daughter, Noel Nunez Toussaint, in December 2020.

Lanny K. Hollis ’95 MA, PhD, was appointed Superintendent of Schools for the Diocese of El Paso, Texas.

Amy Backos ’97 MA, PhD, published her first solo book, “Post Traumatic Stress Disorder and Art Therapy” (Jessica Kingsley Publishers).

00s

Angela Niro DelPrete ’00 is Executive Director of Public Relations & Marketing at Lake Erie College.

Renee’ DeGennaroBaur ’04 is a Career Development Specialist with United Labor Agency in Lake County.

Allyson Jackson Harvey ’05 is a registered nurse in the Pediatric Intensive Care Unit at University Hospitals.

Amber Smith Gano ’06 is a board-certified art therapist at the Cleveland Clinic Akron General McDowell Cancer Center.

10s

Katherine Polefko Alexander ’10 has begun her own cookie-decorating business called “Coast to Coast Sugar Cookies” in Chesapeake, VA. Amber Scimone ’10 has been promoted to Global Investigator with Walmart.

class notes 33

class notes Brittney Hayes ’12 BSN,  along with her team members, was honored to give a virtual tour of their vaccination site at State Farm Stadium in Arizona to President Biden and Vice President Harris. Brittney is helping to vaccinate Arizona residents against Covid-19 and said, “We’re instilling hope. A ‘dose of hope’ is what I’ve been calling it.”

Denise Andres ’03, MBA ’14 q is a Global Privacy Manager, Global Records and Information Management, at Sherwin-Williams.

Hannah (Patka) Mey '11 BSN q is Associate Vice President and Senior Technology Specialist, Clinical Technology Solutions, at Hoefer Wysocki, an architecture, planning, and interior design firm in Dallas that focuses on healthcare, among other sectors.

Kristin Kozar Conteen ’13, ’16 MBA is the Campaign Manager for LaunchBoom.

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voices | spring 2021

Khala Bush ’14 is a Consulting Coordinator with Halloran Consulting Group, Inc. Jordan Leventhal ’15 q married Julie Steinbauer Leventhal in September 2020 with family and friends joining in virtually from around the world. Jordan is a Marketing Project Manager at Universal Orlando Resort.

Randa Payne '17 q earned her law degree, cum laude, from Case Western Reserve University School of Law, passed the Ohio Bar Exam, and joined the law firm of Gallagher Sharp LLP as an associate in the firm’s Business & Employment, Professional Liability, and Transportation Practice Groups.

Jaclyn Milosevic ’19 BSN, University Hospitals Ahuja Medical Center Emergency Department nurse, earned UH’s DAISY Award for Extraordinary Nurses.

From her nomination: “[She] is extremely dedicated, detail-oriented, self-aware and compassionate.”

20s

Abigail Allard ’20 became a Communication Specialist at Hope Squad, a peer-topeer suicide prevention program active in more than 950 schools in the U.S. and Canada.

Gina Rosshirt ’18 is an Associate Banker with Chase.

Christine Steele ’15 MA, ATR, LPC has joined Mindfulness Counseling and now is a private practice counselor and art therapist.

She has also completed EMDR training and will be fully certified soon.

Shanell Harris ’17  earned a Master of Science in Social Administration (MSSA) degree from Case Western Reserve University’s Mandel School of Applied Social Sciences in August 2020.

She was recently promoted to Lead Trauma Recovery Coach at MetroHealth Medical Center.

Helen Jazzar '17 passed the Ohio Bar Exam in December 2020.

Congratulations to Rachel Stucke Pearce ’18 and Aaron Pearce ’19  on their marriage August 8, 2020.

Polly Lynam Bloom ’20 MA has joined Perspectus Architecture and the historic studio team formed from the merger with Chambers Murphy & Burge. She works on strategy development and historic preservation.

John Porter ’20 is a Purchase Consultant for Quicken Loans/Rocket Mortgage.

Joshua Beacorn ’19 BSN, a Medical Intensive Care Unit nurse for Cleveland Clinic, received the Outstanding Graduate RN Award at the virtual 2020 March of Dimes Nurse of the Year Program.

Johnna Buenaventura '21 is the Women’s Housing Manager at Stella Maris, a drug and alcohol treatment agency.

Support Ursuline in transforming

future generations.

With your planned gift, you will become a member of the Ursuline College Heritage Society, defining your legacy at the College. Heritage Society members ensure their contribution leaves a lasting impact on future students. Planned giving options available include: bequests, gifts of stock, retirement, life insurance, charitable remainder trusts, real estate, charitable lead trusts, and IRA charitable rollover.

For more information on planning your gift, please contact Richard Konisiewicz at 440.646.8124.

440.646.8124 35

❧ In Memoriam ☙

as of March 1, 2021

our alumnae/i ’47 Doris Smith Birt ’47 Patricia Clark McFarland ’48 Ella McDermott Gaul ’49 Patricia Fournier Shaw ’50 Sr. Marie Michelle Gouttiere, OSU ’51SJC Sally A. Lanigan ’51 Mary-Margaret Birkbeck O'Donnell ’52 Charlene Auckley Raby ’52 Doris Gibson Simonis, Ph.D. ’53 SJC Sr. Jean Marie Dick, SND ’53 SJC Nancy Knapp Rosche' ’53 SJC Joan Sturmi Wright ’54 Rosemary Clarke Cozzens ’54 Carol Code Hammer ’54 SJC Ann Sheridan Hmelar ’55 Sr. Ann Kelly, OSU, Ph.D. ’55 Jeanne Pischel Winters ’56 Margaret Lenehan Bruening ’56 SJC Catherine F. Dwyer ’57 Nanette Rees O'Callaghan ’57 SJC Elizabeth Hayes Snyder ’57 SJC Frances Molnar Zavesky ’58 Faye Petersen Hollis ’58 Eileen Donahue Kelly ’58 SJC Virginia Lucci Kovach ’58 SJC Mary Eleanor Reilly ’60 Mary Ann Kruse ’61 SJC Sr. Wilma G. Apack, CSJ ’61 Frances Ryan Comiskey ’61 SJC Sr. Virginia Lang, OSU ’61 Barbara Borges Walker ’62 SJC Diana Young Barhyte

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voices | spring 2021

spouse of ’62 Helen Jean Cerne Bartkowski ’62 Veronica M. Dever ’62 SJC Joan M. Dworznik ’62 SJC Sr. Gemma Stracka, OSU ’63 SJC Sr. Judith Cauley, CSJ ’63 SJC Lauretta Sinkosky ’65 Marilyn Maher Kennedy ’66 Peggy Sinnott Brock ’66 SJC Therese Gornik Harris ’66 SJC Sr. Hedy Marie Olesky, SND ’66 SJC Kathleen Miller Unetic ’66 Veronica A. Zofchak ’67 SJC Regina M. Collette ’67 Mary “Jan” Crowley Hall ’68 Anne Smilanich Bellone ’68 SJC Nancy Terry Nirosky ’69 Nancy Garrick Sollitto ’72 SJC Sally Ann Csejpes ’74 SJC Barbara Streck ’76 SJC Sr. Mary Rochelle Guertal, OSST ’76 SJC Kathleen Omahen Kelly ’77 Virginia Gonsalves Mulvany ’79 Edith Hauser Isaacs ’85 Dorothy Chapon Kazel ’85 Mildred S. Tibbs ’86 Elizabeth Burnham Curtis ’87 Ann C. Terrell ’89 Nancy Lee E. Braham ’96 Mary Grant Casey ’98 Eliza Coleman Hosea ’01 Barbara Reese Halliday DNP ’08 Christina Hewston McConnell

’52 Gloria Dominguez Janson ’53 SJC Connie Yuhas Beltakis ’53 SJC Elizabeth Hlubik Skerl ’56 Pamela Bourque Meyer ’58 Dorothy Holicky Caine ’59 Kathleen Byrne Schuerger ’61 Milena Osenar Gobetz ’61 Betty Hannon McGreal ’65 SJC Margaret McGuinness Malenich ’66 Daria Yurkiw Celebrezze ’66 Mary Blanche Sawhill Kendel ’69 SJC Ann Marie Keffler Kozak ’69 Janet Barragate Rice ’70 Jo Ann Murray Borzy ’72 SJC Rose Anne Durante Berila ’72 Elaine Shepherd Volpi ’75 SJC Sue Berlan Schmidt ’77 Marie Sullivan Harlan ’79 Aulikki Kallinki Dieglio ’79 Goldie Markis Weiss ’81 Linda Lisi Melchior ’82 Anne Waldorf Bonner ’82 Lois Buchman McCartan ’87 Judith Friedel Heile ’89 Eleanor Ilenin St. John ’90 Megan Hubman Scherson ’96 Elizabeth Corr Olson ’98 Evelyn Brolli Sindyla ’01 Barbara Reese Halliday DNP ’05 Paul F. South, Ph.D. ’06 Patricia A. Mulhall ’08 Dorene Bode Kray ’10 Bridget Birt O'Donnell

Ursuline Mission Ursuline College offers holistic education that transforms students for service, leadership and professional excellence by providing undergraduate and graduate programs that foster lifelong learning and personal wisdom in an environment characterized by:

• Catholic and Ursuline heritage

• Women-centered learning

• Values-based curricula

• Inclusive, global perspective

mission 37

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