Spillikin 2014

Alumni Newsletter of Christ College, the Honors College of Valparaiso University Valparaiso, IN 46383

Volume 31, 2014 www.valpo.edu/christcollege

THE CHRIST COLLEGE GLOBAL INITIATIVE If you have had the pleasure of visiting the Valparaiso University campus at any time in the past few years, you may have noticed a remarkable transformation. Beyond the sparkling new facilities and the evolving landscape, there is a more substantive change taking place. Walk the halls of the Harre Union, and you will hear chatter in Mandarin, Arabic, Hindi, Urdu, Spanish, Kurdish and many other languages. The world is coming to VU, bringing myriad blessings to us.

In Christ College, we are very attentive to the increasingly cosmopolitan challenges that our students encounter both on campus and beyond. It is imperative for young people today not only to understand the complexities of the world, but to encounter firsthand the diversity of global cultures. To these ends, we have begun the Christ College Global Initiative.

Our goal is to have all CC students participate in at least one substantive international experience during their undergraduate years. We already sponsor Schweitzer Healthcare Fellowships, which send students to work in medical clinics in Central America; many of our engineers participate in Engineers Without Borders; a significant portion of CC students study in our centers in Germany, Cambridge and Costa Rica, or attend study abroad programs through other institutions.

Yet, it is becoming more and more disruptive for students to take part in the traditional study abroad model. The demanding schedules that confront most undergraduates, with multiple majors and minors and a superfluity of extracurricular activities, continued on page 12

INSIDE THIS ISSUE… Distinguished Student 2014

Christ College is the honors college of Valparaiso University. Established in 1966-1967, Christ College provides interdisciplinary, honors-level study to academically talented students. The curriculum, taught by master teacher-scholars, emphasizes the liberal arts and the humanities––history, literature, art, philosophy, and religion.

The College takes its name from respected colleges established centuries ago. In the tradition of those institutions, Christ College is dedicated to the cultivation of intellectual, moral, and spiritual virtues. The College’s name also suggests its accord with Valparaiso University’s definition of itself as a university in the Christian intellectual tradition.

The Christ College building, named Mueller Hall in honor of its principal benefactor, the late Reverend Ewald H. Mueller, longtime pastor of Bethlehem Lutheran Church, Ridgewood, New Jersey, was dedicated in April 1970.

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Senior Noah Finegan Wins Fulbright 4 Six Seniors Graduate With Tau Beta Pi Honors 4 Christ College Senior James Repp Joins the Peace Corps

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Phi Beta Kappa Inductees

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The Christ College Class of 2014

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CC Seniors Recognized for Leadership

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Alumni Fund Research and Scholarship

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Senior James Repp Receives Donnelley Prize

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Student Scholarship Symposium

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Schweitzer Healthcare Fellowship Sends Christ College Students to Central America

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CC Students Present at VU Celebration of Undergraduate Research

Peter Kanelos Dean

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Christ College Symposium Respond to Student Advisory Board Suggestions 10 Christ College Students Attend NCUR 2014 11 Inspired by her Father’s Stories, Yuan Travels from China to Valpo to Discover Vocation 13

Margaret Franson Associate Dean Spillikin Editor

Jo Ellen Zromkoski Christ College Office Coordinator Spillikin Coordinator Danielle Mueller ’14 Spillikin Assistant Editor

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Christ College Students Win Awards from Wordfest

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Three Postdoctoral Teaching Fellows Selected

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Provost Mark Schwehn ’67 Leaves Office

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Former Dean Piehl Returns to CC Classrooms

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Freshman Haiku Contest

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Victoria Bruick and Eric Smith Named Kemper Scholars

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Christ College Oxford Debates

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2014 Freshman Production: Exit Playwright 21

Christ College Mueller Hall, 1300 Chapel Drive Valparaiso University Valparaiso IN 46383 (219) 464-5022 FAX (219) 464-5159 www.valpo.edu/christcollege/

Alumni Support Students through CC Dean’s Annual Fund

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CC Super Secret Snow Mission 2014

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CC’s New Continuing Education Program

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Alumnus Rick Barton Reads from His Novels 26

The Spillikin is the Christ College newsletter, published annually by the Dean’s Office. Graphic design is by Trish Acton, Acton Design. Photos are by Aran Kessler Photo Imaging unless otherwise identified.

The Bard Takes the Stage at Valpo’s First Shakespeare Week

— T WO— The Spillikin 2014

Christ College Faculty

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DISTINGUISHED STUDENT ’14 Gregory Maher Hometown – Zionsville, Illinois Major – English

Gregory Maher was named 2014 Christ College Distinguished Student by the Valparaiso University Alumni Association this April.

Maher graduated with a BA summa cum laude, and the designation Christ College Scholar. He is a member of Phi Beta Kappa and the National Greek Academic Honors Society Gamma Sigma Alpha. He presented his paper “The Space between Human and Machine in Film” at this year’s Christ College Student Scholarship Symposium and the Butler Conference on Undergraduate Research. At the Butler Conference, Maher also presented his senior English thesis, “Art and the Landscape of Oppression in Lars Von Trier’s Dystopic Duo: Melancholia and Antichrist.”

Maher has been very involved with the literary community at Valparaiso University. Several of his poems have been published in Valpo’s student journal The Lighter. Maher has also served as a committee member (2010-2012), assistant editor (2013), and editor-and-chief (20132014) of The Lighter. He has also pursued his interests working on the online literary journals A Common Thread and the Valparaiso Fiction Review.

Maher also has a strong interest in the visual arts. He has worked at the Brauer Museum and has recently worked on an essay for Professor Nina Corazzo’s publication on the work of artist Jeanette Pasin Sloan. Maher is also a member of the Christ College Visual Arts Group. He has aided Christ College faculty member Professor Gretchen Buggeln with research and editing of her text on postwar Modernist church architecture.

Maher is also heavily involved with the Phi Mu Alpha National Music Fraternity, serving in various leadership positions including historian, inter-fraternity council representative, and president of the local chapter. Maher translated his musical interests into participation in Men’s Choir, the acapella group Hooked on Tonics, and private vocal lessons. Maher was also a CC Tutorial Assistant.

This summer, Maher will continue his study of literature and visual art by writing for The Cresset and doing research at the Brauer Museum on contemporary art. In the future, Maher hopes to continue writing and critiquing visual and performance art as well as attend graduate school to study visual culture or visual anthropology.

Maher is very grateful for the many opportunities provided for him by Valparaiso University and Christ College: “I want to thank Christ College for providing an exemplar of academic life, one which thrives on dialogue, relationships with professors, individual and passionate research, and global learning. I hope the college lives on for many, many years, so many more bright students will find not merely a job or career, but will be transformed as interdisciplinary humans and lifelong learners.”

VUAA’s Distinguished Students from the College of Arts and Sciences included Christ College Seniors: Kelsey Loden, German and chemistry major from Inverness, Ill. James Repp, IECA and humanities major from Carbondale, Ill. Katelyn Stermer, chemistry and ISP major from Barrington, Ill. The VUAA Distinguished Student from the College of Engineering was Christ College Senior Aaron Taylor Baldwin, an electrical engineering major from Fletcher, N.C.

— T H R E E— The Spillikin 2014

SENIOR NOAH FINEGAN WINS FULBRIGHT Noah Finegan ’14 Hometown – Ishpeming, Michigan Major – German

Christ College senior Noah Finegan has been awarded an English Teaching Assestant (ETA) Fulbright Scholarship for the 2014-2015 academic year. Approximately 1,200 American students are offered grants each year to study, teach English, and conduct research in more than 110 countries throughout the world through the Fulbright Program, sponsored by the U.S. State Department. In September, Finegan will begin his work in Austria.

Finegan will teach students at two schools about American culture and help them improve their English speaking skills. Both schools are located in the southern city of Klagenfurt. The schools are bilingual, teaching students in both German and Slovenian.

Finegan is grateful for this opportunity to expand his knowledge of the German language and experience Austrian culture, possibly through participating in a local university choir. Although he has previously been to Germany, this will be Finegan’s first experience in Austria: “I am eager to explore the many nuances that exist between German and Austrian culture.”

Finegan is also looking forward to teaching in a formal setting. He has previously taught both German and English through private tutoring at Concordia Language Villages and Longbridge English Immersion Camp in Switzerland. Through his participation in the Fulbright Program, Finegan hopes to improve his skills as an educator and adapt his teaching style for a wider variety of settings.

According to Finegan, his experiences at Valpo have helped him prepare for the exciting journey that awaits him in Austria: “While at Valpo, I have been quite active in the Valparaiso International Student Association (VISA). This organization has helped me to further my understanding of various cultures around the world. I have also learned to be a much more effective communicator working with non-native English speakers, which I believe will prove a crucial skill as I help Austrian youth to better their own understandings of the English language.”

SIX SENIORS GRADUATE WITH TAU BETA PI HONORS Six Christ College 2014 graduates who earned degrees from the College of Engineering are members of Tau Beta Pi, the Engineering Honor Society. Tau Beta Pi inducts junior and senior students with strong academic achievement and exemplary character, and who foster a spirit of liberal culture in engineering colleges.

Tau Beta Pi is the nation’s second-oldest honor society, founded at Lehigh University in 1885.

There are collegiate chapters at 242 U.S. colleges and universities. Valparaiso’s Indiana Delta chapter was chartered in 1963.

Civil Engineering Sarah Brunsvold (Apple Valley, Minn.)

Ellen Guisfredi (Sylvania, Ohio) Electrical Engineering Taylor Baldwin (Fletcher, N.C.) — F O U R — The Spillikin 2014

Mechanical Engineering Jesse Fosheim (DePere, Wis.) Zachary Schlecht (Loveland, Col.), Andrew Schrader (Eagle, Id.)

CHRIST COLLEGE SENIOR JAMES REPP JOINS THE PEACE CORPS James Repp ’14 Hometown – Carbondale, Illinois Majors – IECA and humanities

Senior Christ College student James Repp has been accepted into the Peace Corps. The Peace Corps was established in 1961 and over 215,000 volunteers have served in 139 countries. Repp will join 7,209 volunteers currently serving in 65 countries. Repp will begin his service in the Philippines. His staging date is July 4th, 2014 and his service will last 27 months.

Joining the Peace Corp has long been a dream of Repp’s: “[Being accepted into the Peace Corps] was the realization of a dream that I’ve had throughout college and about half of high school, so to finally get that invitation was one of the best feelings that I have had in my time here at Valpo.”

Repp applied for the Peace Corps in July 2013 and received his invitation to join in February 2014. To prepare for his service, he has been in contact with current and returned Peace Corp volunteers, including his brother, who is currently stationed in Azerbaijan.

Repp is very enthusiastic about his future in the Peace Corps: “I want to be in the Peace Corps for many reasons: the chance to travel, to live abroad, to represent my country, to understand others more fully, and to understand myself. English teachers in the Philippines are needed, especially those will work without pay, and I am more than happy to step in. I also feel that the Peace Corps is full of people who share my world view and my values, and I want to surround myself with people I look up to and want to emulate. I think that the Peace Corps is the perfect organization for me at this stage in my life.”

PHI BETA KAPPA INDUCTEES This May, eleven Christ College students were inducted into Phi Beta Kappa, the nation’s oldest and most prestigious academic honors society.

Christine Heffley ’14, chemistry and biology, Elk Grove Village, Ill. Suzanne Kawamleh ’14, philosophy, Valparaiso, Ind. Kelsey Loden ’14, chemistry and German, Inverness, Ill. Gregory Maher ’14, English, Zionsville, Ill. Emily Palomaki ’14, biology and chemistry, East Moline, Ill. James Repp ’14, IECA and humanities, Carbondale, Ill. William Scupham ’14, history and political science, Valparaiso, Ind. Katelyn Stermer ’14, chemistry and international service, Barrington, Ill. Diana Stribl ’14, psychology, Oconomowoc, Wis. Chloe Lash ’15, biology and chemistry, Plain City, Ohio Jordan Otto ’15, biochemistry, Geneva, Ill. Phi Beta Kappa was founded at the College of William and Mary in 1776. Fewer than ten percent of higher education institutions in the United States are home to local chapters. The society honors students of the highest academic excellence and scholarly achievement studying in the liberal arts and sciences. Students are chosen for membership based on their broad study of the disciplines of arts and sciences at Valparaiso University.

Christ College has maintained an excellent tradition of student membership in Phi Beta Kappa since the Eta of Indiana chapter was established in 2004.

— F I V E — The Spillikin 2014

THE CHRIST COLLEGE CLASS OF 2014 Fulbright Fellowship: Fulbright Scholar, Klagenfurt, Austria Volunteer Programs and Internships Volunteer Teacher, Teach for America, South Carolina Volunteer, Non-profit organization empowering young women, Nicaragua Field Hospital Volunteer, Syria Holden Village Staff, Chelan, Washington AmeriCorps, Housing Program Volunteer, Eastern Kentucky AmeriCorps Fellowship, Public-Allies, Chicago Peace Corps, the Philippines Intern, Intelligent Medical Objects, Northbrook, Illinois Intern, Church Health Center, Memphis, Tennessee West Pantry Assistant, Lakeview Food Pantry, Amate House, Chicago, Illinois Employment Lead Teacher, Kindergarten, Hilltop Neighborhood House, Valparaiso, Indiana Graduate Assistant, Football Staff, Robert Morris University, Chicago, Illinois Researcher, Contemporary Art, Brauer Museum of Art, Valparaiso University

National Guard, Arkansas Calibration Engineer, Aisin Corporation, Ann Arbor, Michigan Medical Schools and Other Health Care Programs MD, Indiana University MD, Indiana University MD, Southern Illinois University DO, Chicago College of Osteopathic Medicine PhD in Clinical Psychology, Palo Alto University PhD in Biomedical Science, University of South Florida MA in Public Health-Epidemiology, University of IllinoisChicago MA in Clinical Mental Health Counseling, Valparaiso, University MA in International Disaster Psychology, University of Denver Physician Assistant Program, Des Moines University Law Schools JD, Ohio State University JD, Maurer School of Law, Indiana University JD, University of Missouri Other Graduate Programs PhD in Chemistry, University of Alabama PhD in Food Science, University of Illinois at UrbanaChampaign PhD in Nuclear Engineering, Massachusetts Institute of Technology PhD in Biochemistry, Colorado State University PhD in Criminal Justice, Indiana University PhD in Organic Chemistry, Harvard University PhD in Mechanical Engineering, University of Minnesota PhD in Computer Science, North Carolina State University PhD in Chemistry, University of Wisconsin- Madison PhD in Physics, University of Notre Dame PhD in Mechanical Engineering, Georgia Institute of Technology

KEEP IN TOUCH!

We are eager to hear from alumni and share your news and accomplishments with other alumni and friends. Please send your news to: Christ College | Valparaiso University | 1300 Chapel Drive | Valparaiso, Indiana 46383 (219) 464-5022 | christ.college@valpo.edu

— S I X — The Spillikin 2014

PhD in Civil Engineering, University of Illinois at UrbanaChampaign MA in Atmospheric Science, Texas Tech University MA in Education, Valparaiso University MA in Religion, Yale Divinity School MA in Education, Valparaiso University MA in Social Science, University of Chicago MA in Structural Engineering, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign MS in Earth and Environmental Engineering, Columbia University MS in Student Affairs, Western Illinois University MS in Meteorology, Iowa State University MS in Digital Media, Valparaiso University MS in Biostatistics, University of Michigan Ann-Arbor

CC SENIORS RECOGNIZED FOR LEADERSHIP Seven Christ College seniors received the 2014 Student Affairs Outstanding Leadership and Service Award: Samantha Cassell, chemistry and mathematics major from Lino Lakes, Minn.; Katherine Effertz, Spanish major from Hartland, Wis.; Jesse Fosheim, mechanical engineering major from De Pere, Wis.; Kelsey Loden, German and chemistry major from Inverness, Ill.; Michael Mead, English and theater major from Geneva, Ill.; Grace Shemwell, philosophy and English major from Clinton, Iowa; and Katelyn Stermer, chemistry and ISP major from Barrington, Ill. These students were nominated by faculty and staff across campus and recognized for broad participation, leadership, and exceptional dedication and service in the Valparaiso campus and the community.

Samantha Cassell ’14

Katie Effertz ’14

Jesse Fosheim ’14

Kelsie Loden ’14

Michael Mead ’14

Grace Shemwell ’14

Katelyn Stermer ’14

— S EVEN— The Spillikin 2014

ALUMNI FUND RESEARCH AND SCHOLARSHIP Each year, Christ College alumni fund undergraduate creative work and research through many channels, including Student Scholarship Symposium and regional and national conferences. Through opportunities such as the National Conference for Undergraduate Research (NCUR) and spring break travel grants to Central America for experiential learning in healthcare, students not only earn valuable credentials for careers or graduate work in many fields, but also gain the essential experience of engaging with the larger community.

Will Scupham ’14 says of his NCUR experience, “It is hard to

explain just how fruitful presenting to a panel of one’s peers can be. It allows us to see our projects from numerous angles, challenges us with various viewpoints, and prepares us to present research in a professional setting.

Junior Ruyue Yuan also thanked the donors for these opportunities, saying “All these experiences can only happen through the alumni donations. I would have not been able to learn so much from NCUR without the support from CC alumni.”

SENIOR JAMES REPP RECEIVES DONNELLEY PRIZE James Repp ’14 Hometown – Carbondale, Illinois Majors – IECA and humanities

James Repp was presented with Valparaiso University’s Donnelley Prize for his essay “The Oil Problem: The Slow Erosion of Nigeria’s Bedrock.” This prize in awarded annually for the most outstanding student essay on humankind’s relationship with the environment.

A committee of faculty from the College of Arts and Sciences and Christ College selected Repp for the award, which includes a cash prize of $750. The Donnelley Prize was established by Dr. Strachan and Vivian Donnelley to engage Valpo students in interdisciplinary research regarding humans and nature.

In his winning essay, Repp explores the intricacies of Nigeria’s oil industry complex. The essay familiarizes readers with the economic, environmental and political realities currently surrounding the Nigerian oil industry, focusing on the environmental damage and the problems of stolen oil within the Niger Delta. The situation in the Niger Delta is a pressing environmental issue because the Niger Delta has experienced the equivalent of the Exxon Valdez oil spill every year for the past fifty years. Repp applies the Hausmann-Rodrik-Valasquez growth diagnostics tree, a recent developmental economic model, and identifies oil revenues as the “binding constraint” of the industry, and he proposes a combination of embargoes and oil fingerprinting as the beginning of the solution to the environmental crisis.

This July, Repp will begin two years of service with the United States Peace Corps in the Philippines.

VISIT THE CHRIST COLLEGE WEBSITE W W W. VA L P O. E D U / C H R I S T C O L L E G E — E I G H T — The Spillikin 2014

STUDENT SCHOLARSHIP SYMPOSIUM • “Are Chronic Diseases Making the Health System Sick?” by senior chemistry, international service, and humanities major Katelyn Stermer of Barrington, Ill. • “Humanness and the Other: Exploring the Space between Man and Machine” by senior English major Gregory Maher of Zionsville, Ind.

The Christ College Student Scholarship Symposium was held this spring and featured three scholarly papers for presentation selected anonymously by a committee of students. This year’s choices came from a variety of academic disciplines and exemplified the high standards of scholarship associated with Christ College. This year’s presentations included: • “Body Art and the Bible” by senior art major Aaron Wegner of Watertown, Wis.

SCHWEITZER HEALTHCARE FELLOWSHIP SENDS CHRIST COLLEGE STUDENTS TO CENTRAL AMERICA Five Christ College students traveled to Costa Rica and Nicaragua during spring break this year to take part in the Interprofessional Service in Health in Central America course in Valpo’s College of Nursing and Health Professions. For selected CC students their travel is sponsored by the Christ College Dean’s Annual Fund and the Schweitzer Healthcare Fellowship. The fellowship was established in 2003 to support Valparaiso premedical and nursing students as they served rural and urban communities in Costa Rica and Nicaragua. This year, the following students received the fellowship: senior John McCutchan (Aledo, Ill.), and juniors Brett Kelly (Dyer, Ind.), Emily Sallman (Farmington Hills, Mich.), Lauren Hargrave (Cherry Valley, Ill.), and Shari Duval (Green Valley, Ill.).

to the US is what I think that I value the most from the trip.”

Brett Kelly, a chemistry and biology major, also learned from the people he encountered on the trip: “These people challenged our perspectives on our own culture through their strength, wisdom, perseverance, and genuine appreciation for the work we were doing. I believe that each student who went on the trip has been able to take something back regarding the contrast of culture we experienced, and that we will all continue to grow and shape ourselves through this understanding.”

Students also were able to put their education into action and many found the trip reaffirmed their vocations. Kelly found the trip to be essential to his professional development saying, “We were able to put our break from classes to good use through application in our intended career areas. This kind of experience is absolutely necessary for any healthcare student.” Shari Duval also learned from her experiences: “I learned a lot from peers, medical professionals, and the community members of the communities we visited. I especially appreciated the time to interact with patients, getting to know them on a general level while still providing care… We can all learn from each other, and I think that is very important.”

Upon returning from Central America, students described the immense impact the trip had on them both personally and professionally. Emily Sallman, a biochemistry major, was greatly impacted by the people she encountered: “The people in these countries live very happy and joyful lives. They are grateful for all that they do have and the people, such as us, who are willing to help them in necessary aspects of their lives, such as health, that they may be lacking. Being able to apply this grateful and joyous outlook on life after returning

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Experiences with community health were especially important for many of the students. Nursing major John McCutchan commented, “Creating a truly shared partnership with the community was an amazing opportunity and deepened my interest in continuing to be involved in public health at a community level.”

All of the students expressed the enormous influence this trip will have on them for the rest of their lives. Biology major Lauren Hargrave: “I have found multiple occasions of wanting to return. I certainly left a piece of my heart in Costa Rica and Nicaragua.”

— N I N E — The Spillikin 2014

CHRIST COLLEGE SYMPOSIUM RESPONDS TO STUDENT ADVISORY BOARD SUGGESTIONS Initiated by Christ College dean Arlin Meyer in the mid1980s, Christ College Symposium has a long tradition of offering to campus a compelling speaker and convivial discussion on a different thought-provoking topic each week. For 30 years Symposium has been a popular and valuable contribution to life at CC. Under dean Peter Kanelos’s direction, Christ College Symposium will have a new structure and style in 2014-15, responding to suggestions from the CC Student Advisory Board (formerly the Student Steering Committee). In order to preserve the intimate, conversational nature of a true “symposium,” while continuing to offer stimulating public events of the highest order CC will host two categories of symposia: the Symposium Speakers Series and Fireside Symposia.

The Symposium Speakers Series will convene once a month during the academic year, and will feature internationally distinguished guest speakers. These symposia will be lecture-style, intended to reach large audiences from CC, the campus community, and the broader public. They will form a series of events across the year, bringing together exemplary scholars, public intellectuals, and artists who will address a common theme from their distinct disciplinary perspectives.

Fireside Symposia will meet on Thursdays during the other weeks of each month in the Commons of Mueller Hall. We expect these gatherings to be smaller, more casual, and interactive. Our students frequently report that they want to hear more from Christ College faculty—what faculty are researching and writing about; what other things interest them; what moves or delights them. To honor these appeals, CC faculty will usually lead the Fireside Symposia, engaging students in stimulating, intellectually- grounded discussions about topics in art, literature, politics, religion, and society.

Some things won’t change. Christ College will continue to partner with other outstanding campus programming, including the Phi Beta Kappa Lecture, Department of English Wordfest, the Exemplary Practitioners Speaker Series of the Institute for Leadership and Service, and others to provide a wide range of Symposium talks.

Most Symposia will be held on Thursday evenings 6:30-7:30 pm, September through February when the University is in session. But campus venues will vary, and occasionally we will depart from Thursday night to accommodate speaker schedules.

The theme for the 2014-15 Symposium Speakers Series is “What is Beauty?” and our lineup includes Augusta Read Thomas, recently composer-in-residence with the Chicago Symphony Orchestra; eminent British philosopher Roger Scruton, author of Beauty: A Very Short Introduction; poet Mary Szybist, whose collection, Incarnadine, won the 2013 National Book Award; Gary Taylor, editor of The Oxford Shakespeare: The Complete Works; and Fr. Maximos (Nicholas) Constas, scholar of Eastern Christianity and a monk at Simonopetra Monastery, Mt. Athos, Greece, who will discuss the beauty of icons.

CC Alumni have always been among our most popular Symposium speakers and panelists. We will continue to feature them. And, of course, Alumni are cordially invited to attend Christ College Symposium. Details about Symposium and other CC happenings can always be found at valpo.edu/ christcollege.

Do you know high school students who should know more about Valpo?

Submit their names to christ.college@valpo.edu

— T E N — The Spillikin 2014

CHRIST COLLEGE STUDENTS ATTEND NCUR 2014 Six Christ College students presented their recent research projects at the 28th National Conference on Undergraduate Research (NCUR) at the University of Kentucky in Lexington on April 3-8. Seniors Sarah Fingerle, Kelsey Loden, and Will Scupham, junior Ruyue Yuan, and sophomores Evan Arceneaux and Bethany Wiersma presented research. CC students were accompanied by Christ College faculty member and Coordinator of Undergraduate Research, Professor Edward Upton, and staff member JoEllen Zromkoski.

and Technology Corporation Kris W. Kimel, poet Nikky Finney, and Dr. Ernest Bailey of the University of Kentucky’s Gluck Equine Research Center. These varied speeches in combination with the wide variety of student presentations allowed students to explore new ideas in both their own and other disciplines.

Junior mathematics major Ruyue Yuan found the interdisciplinary nature of NCUR to be beneficial: “Since NCUR is an all-subject conference, I have had many opportunities to listen to talks on various areas, which is a rare and valuable experience that benefits my academic experience in both my majors and minors.”

This year’s NCUR brought together more than 3,000 undergraduates from more than 300 colleges and universities across the country to present original research, scholarship, and creative work through oral presentations, posters, visual arts, and performances. All work is competitively reviewed and selected by experts in the field for presentation at the conference.

Students described NCUR as a positive experience. Sophomore English and Spanish major Bethany Wiersma found that the experience extremely rewarding: “It was so satisfying to see my hard work pay off—NCUR reminded me why I work so hard and motivated me to keep on working.” The students also enjoyed the social aspects of the conference. According to sophomore English and music major Evan Arceneaux, “It was fun to be at the conference with Professor Upton, Mrs. Z, and other (older) CC students, all of whom I don’t usually get to interact with for such a long period of time. It was great to be able to share this experience with all of them.”

Student oral presentations included Kelsey Loden’s “Galectin-1 and H-Ras mediate intermediate filament abnormalities in Giant Axonal Neuropathy,” Bethany Wiersma’s “Mechanical Love: Objectification, Emptiness, and Potential for Change in The Waste Land,” and Sarah Fingerle’s “Weather as Science and Literature.”

In addition to attending the presentations of fellow undergraduates, CC students attended plenary talks by Dr. T. Pearse Lyons of Alltech, the president of the Kentucky Science

— E L E V E N — The Spillikin 2014

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Participation in NCUR was made possible by generous gifts from alumni and friends to the Christ College Dean’s Annual Fund.

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along with the challenge that families face meeting the cost of higher education, has led to a significant drop in participation rates for study abroad programs, even as the need for such experiences has grown exponentially.

To address this issue, at the center of the Christ College Global Initiative is the creation of short-term international CC courses to be offered each spring break. Led by CC faculty, students will travel for ten-day immersions to places across the globe, including Greece, Japan, Norway, South Africa and elsewhere. These travel experiences will be embedded in three-credit semester-long courses focused on topics related to each locale. This model will enable students to meet the demands of their curricular requirements, by allowing them to take a full complement of classes at VU. Because they will register for these international courses as part of the spring semester, the cost for tuition will already be covered and all financial aid will apply. Students will also be able to travel to multiple destinations over the course of their years at VU. In March 2014, I had the privilege of traveling with President Mark Heckler and First Lady Veronica Heckler to Israel and the Palestinian Territories to see how VU is expanding its global presence. We met with officials from the Interdisciplinary Center (IDC) outside Tel Aviv and Dar al-Kalima College in the West Bank to discuss faculty and student exchanges, pedagogical collaborations, and programmatic partnerships.

We also met with religious leaders in the Holy Land. President Heckler and I met with Bishop Munib Younan, the president of the World Lutheran Federation, and I was honored to be granted an individual audience with the Orthodox Patriarch of Jerusalem. This trip laid the groundwork for many future collaborations.

In June 2014, I travelled to Athens to investigate further opportunities for international alliances. Meeting with faculty from the University of Athens, I began working to establish a joint seminar on “Antiquity and Early Christianity” between

CC students and students at the University of Athens, to be held in consecutive years in Athens and at Valpo. I also investigated several potential sites for a Christ College summer course, split between Greece and the Holy Land, entitled “Athens Meets Jerusalem.”

These efforts are only the beginnings of the Christ College Global Initiative. There is already a tremendous ferment of international activity in CC: Professor Julien Smith is working with contacts in Jerusalem on a new Arabic –language edition of some of Marin Luther’s seminal writings; Professor Slavica Jakelic just returned from Croatia where she is conducting research for her next book; Professor David Western recently participated in a summer seminar in Northern Ireland; Professor Gretchen Buggeln presented her work in Prague and Oxford this year; and Professor Jeni Prough conducted field research in Kyoto this summer. It is our goal to bring these vibrant encounters with the globe to our students as well.

Christ College has long been considered one of the most innovative honors colleges in the United States. As we move deeper into the twenty-first century, we are preparing to establish ourselves as one of the most internationally-engaged institutions in the world.

Stories about current Christ College international connections in this Spillikin include 2014 graduates teaching English in Austria under the Fulbright Fellowship Program and serving in the Philippines as a Peace Corps volunteer; and nursing, pre-medical, and pre-dental students aiding underserved rural and urban communities in Costa Rica and Nicaragua during Valpo’s two-week spring break. See also a profile of one of CC’s international students, Ruyue Yuan, on page 13.

— T W E L V E — The Spillikin 2014

INSPIRED BY HER FATHER’S STORIES, YUAN TRAVELS FROM CHINA TO VALPO TO DISCOVER VOCATION

By Kristin Knoerzer This story appeared originally in VALPO, the alumni magazine of Valparaiso University. Vol. 29 No.3, Spring 2013 Growing up in Hangzhou, China, many children enjoy listening to legends of West Lake, a place where the White Snake, a spirit whose attempt at becoming a goddess failed, has been trapped between mortal and divine realms for more than 1,000 years.

For Ruyue “Julia” Yuan, a somewhat different tale resonates.

Looking back to her childhood in Hangzhou, Yuan remembers her father’s stories of his own life adventures, and one experience in particular has played a large part in shaping his daughter’s path — his time spent at Valparaiso University.

Yuan’s father was a visiting scholar at Valpo in the early 1990s, and his experience was so profound that he encouraged his daughter to study hard so that she, too, could one day come to Valpo. Now a Christ College student majoring in math with minors in engineering and applied statistics, Yuan has found Valpo to be a truly extraordinary place.

“I just love Valparaiso University,” Yuan said. “You have so many people who care about you.” Yuan was looking for a school that would challenge her intellectually while providing the support she needs to thrive. And in Christ College — The Honors College, Yuan has found an environment that stimulates learning, with professors who challenge her to grow academically and are there to encourage her and give her confidence along the way.

“I really enjoy studying in Christ College,” Yuan said. “Besides my interest in humanities, I just really love the way that they challenge you. That’s the thing I really love, and that’s the way I can improve.”

Aside from challenging and stimulating academics, one of Yuan’s favorite things about being at Valpo is the closeknit community, which enables her to develop meaningful relationships with other students and with her professors.

Many children grow up hearing stories from their parents and dream of one day making these dreams become a reality. For Yuan, her father’s tales of Valparaiso University inspired her to travel around the globe to pursue her education and prepare for her career. And just as her father had told her growing up, Yuan has found Valpo to be a truly special place — a place where she has found her calling, and a place where she now shares that joy, that enthusiasm with others as they discover their own vocations.

Spillikin Update, August 2014 Ruyue Yuan will spend fall semester 2014 in Budapest, Hungary, participating with North American undergraduates in the competitive Budapest Semesters in Mathematics program. There she will study under the tutelage of eminent Hungarian scholar-teachers who are members of Eötvös University, the Mathematical Institute of the Hungarian Academy of Sciences, and Budapest University of Technology and Economics, the three institutions known for having educated more than half of Hungary’s highly acclaimed mathematicians.

Yuan’s mentor in mathematics at Valpo is Lara Pudwell ’03, associate professor of mathematics and computers. Pudwell was a Christ College Scholar and graduated with a BS in math and a BA in computer science and a minor in humanities before completing her PhD in mathematics at Rutgers University. Recently Pudwell was named a 2014 winner of the Henry L. Alder Award for Distinguished Teaching by a Beginning College or University Mathematics Faculty Member. In 2013 she was chosen to receive a Math and Computer Science Mentoring Award from the Council on Undergraduate Research to honor faculty for their success in mentoring undergraduate students in research.

And what started professor Lara Pudwell on this path? Perhaps her own participation the Budapest Semesters in Mathematics program in 2002!

Professor Lara Pudwell ’03

— T H I R T E E N — The Spillikin 2014

Ruyue Yuan ’15

CHRIST COLLEGE FACULTY

GRETCHEN BUGGELN

MARGARET FRANSON

Associate Professor of Art History and Humanities

Associate Dean, Christ College

WILLIAM OLMSTED

MEL PIEHL

Senior Research Professor in Humanities

Professor of Humanities and History

SAMUEL GRABER

SLAVICA JAKELIĆ

PETER KANELOS

JOHN NUNES

Assistant Professor of Humanities and Literature

Assistant Professor of Humanities and Social Thought

Dean, Christ College

Emil and Elfriede Jochum Professor and Chair

JENNIFER PROUGH

MARK R. SCHWEHN

JULIEN SMITH

EDWARD UPTON

Provost and Executive Vice-President for Academic Affairs, Professor of Humanities

Assistant Professor of Humanities and Theology

Lecturer in Humanities

Assistant Professor of Humanities and East Asian Studies

CC STUDENTS WIN AWARDS FROM WORDFEST

DAVID WESTERN Assistant Professor of Humanities and Political Thought

Each year the Valparaiso University English Department hosts Wordfest, a series of events dedicated to writing including workshops, readings, lectures, and discussions. Among the activities is the annual writing contest. Students of all majors may submit in the categories of poetry, short story, critical essay, and creative nonfiction. This year eight Christ College students recieved Wordfest awards: Gregory Maher ’14 – Anna Zink Springsteen Prize, Wordfest Critical Essay Award Third Place (“Art and Landscape in Lars Von Trier’s Dystopic Trio: Melancholia, Antichrist, and Europa”) Carl Colvin ’15 – Wordfest Poetry Award Second Place (“The Blues”), Wordfest Poetry Award Honorable Mention (“Survivor”), Wordfest Short Fiction Award First Place (“KTV”), Wordfest Creative Nonfiction Award Honorable Mention (“Daddy”) Rebecca Grischow ’17 – Wordfest Poetry Award Third Place (“Pianist”) Victoria Bruick ’17 – Wordfest Poetry Award Honorable Mention (“Winter Shores”) Rebecca Werner ’14 – Wordfest Creative Nonfiction Award Second Place (“Metamorphosis”) Jessica Kok ’16 – Wordfest Creative Nonfiction Award Honorable Mention (“Layer Between Worlds”), Wordfest Critical Essay Award Honorable Mention (“The Elegant Mother Earth: A Dichotomy of Civilization and Wilderness”) Michael Mead ’14 – Wordfest Critical Essay Award First Place (“Godwin vs. Gandhi”) Paul Kendall ’16 – Wordfest Critical Essay Award Honorable Mention (“America: Land of the Free (Market)” — F O U R T E E N —

The Spillikin 2014

THREE POSTDOCTORAL TEACHING FELLOWS SELECTED Three new Lilly Fellows in the Humanities and Arts have been appointed for the 2014-2016 academic years.

Jennifer Illig

Joshua Kercsmar

Kenneth Pearce

Jennifer Illig graduated as valedictorian from Molloy College with a BA in theology and English and a minor in history. She went on to earn an MA in Theology from Fordham University. She is currently completing her doctorate at Fordham with her dissertation, “Through a Lens of Likeness: Reading English Wycliffite Sermons in Light of Contemporary Sermon Texts.” In it, she argues that the English Wycliffite Sermons, which were written by dissenters in late medieval England, are best understood in the context of late medieval liturgical cycles and preaching. Illig’s teaching and research interests include medieval theology, history, preaching, and heresy. In addition, she is interested in monasticism in both its historical and contemporary forms.

Joshua Kercsmar earned his BA in theology from Wheaton College, a MDiv (summa cum laude) from Gordon-Conwell Theological Seminary, and a ThM in American Religious History from Harvard Divinity School. He is currently completing his PhD in US History at the University of Notre Dame.

His dissertation explores how Britons used their experiences raising five prolific animals—cows, sheep, horses, pigs, and dogs—to understand, implement, and question the enslavement of humans in America between 1550 and 1815. Kercsmar’s teaching and research interests span early America, environmental history, the history of slavery, religious history, and human-animal interactions.

Kenneth Pearce received his BA in philosophy and classical studies and BAS in computer science from the University of Pennsylvania. His honors thesis in philosophy, “The Semantics of Sense Perception in Berkeley,” was later published in Religious Studies. He received his PhD in philosophy from the University of South Carolina in May of 2014. His dissertation, Language and the Structure of Berkeley’s World, explores the relationship between metaphysics and philosophy of language in relationship with metaphysics, theology, and philosophy of science in 17th and 18th century European thought. He has also published articles in contemporary analytic philosophy of religion, and has broad teaching interests in analytic philosophy and the history of Western philosophy and science.

The three new fellows join these continuing postdoctoral scholars:

Ian Clausen

Katherine Steiner

Ian Clausen graduated summa cum laude from the University of Illinois (Urbana-Champaign) with a BA in English and religious studies. He was awarded the British Marshall scholarship for postgraduate education at the University of Edinburgh, where he received a Masters in theology and is currently completing his PhD in theology and ethics. His thesis, “The Weight of Love in St. Augustine,” explores themes of moral theology and psychology in the thought of the Bishop of Hippo, giving particular attention to Augustine’s Christian philosophy of education. Clausen’s teaching and research interests span all aspects of Augustine’s thought and legacy, as well as contemporary ethical challenges related to technology, politics, and communications. In Fall 2014, Clausen will be teaching the CC Seminar “Perspectives on War.” Katherine Kennedy Steiner holds a BMus from Wheaton College and an MAR in liturgical studies from Yale Divinity School. She completed her PhD in musicology at Princeton University in November 2013.

Her dissertation, “Polyphony and Liturgy for the Céli Dé of Medieval St. Andrews” is a bibliographic and liturgical examination of a collection of polyphonic music for mass and office. In it she uncovers the political and ideological struggles between clergy at the cathedral of St. Andrews, expressed in the new and rare liturgical music gathered for the bishop’s clerks. Steiner’s research interests extend from medieval music and liturgy to film music, including multimedia, ritual, and communal practice. In Fall 2014, Steiner is teaching the CC Seminar “Music and the Movies: Listening to a Visual Art.” — F I F T E E N —

The Spillikin 2014

PROVOST MARK SCHWEHN ’67 LEAVES OFFICE Mark Schwehn ’67 served as Valparaiso University’s provost and executive vice president for academic affairs 2009-2014.

He has been a member of the faculty since 1983 and served as dean of Christ College from 1990 to 2003.

Schwehn is founder and project director of the Lilly Fellows Program in Humanities and the Arts at Valpo and serves on the boards of several major institutions addressing religion, education, and American public life. During his tenure as provost, he has overseen the development of Valpo’s academic plan, part of the University Strategic Plan, and the expansion of academic programs in all of the University’s colleges.

In 2007, he was honored with the Distinguished Teaching Award, presented annually by the Valparaiso University Alumni Association. In 2008 he was named to the Dickmeyer Professorship in Christian Higher Education. He is author of Exiles from Eden: Religion and the Academic Vocation in

America (Oxford University Press, 1993) and editor of three additional books. His articles on faith-based education have been published in numerous publications, and he is frequently invited to speak at institutions and associations for higher education throughout the United States.

Schwehn and his wife, Dorothy Bass, PhD, Director of the Valparaiso Project on the Education and Formation of People in Faith, will spend the 2014-2015 academic year on sabbatical at St. John’s College in Collegeville, Minnesota. After that we will welcome him back to the Christ College classroom.

At Valparaiso’s May 2014 Commencement Schwehn received the Lumen Christi Medal, the highest award Valparaiso University can bestow. He gave a remarkable address to the Class of 2014, their families, friends, and the University faculty.

We reprint it for you here.

COMMENCEMENT ADDRESS Valparaiso University May 17, 2014 Mark R. Schwehn, Provost

Mr. Kraegel, President Heckler, faculty and staff members, family members and friends of Valparaiso University, and of course especially you members of the class of 2014, all of whom deserve warmest congratulations from all of us on this splendid day.

In 1984, about nine years before most of you were born, a very popular film about teaching and learning was released by Columbia Pictures. It was called The Karate Kid, and I suspect that many of you have seen the film, since it is frequently shown on various movie channels and it has maintained a large following for thirty years now. The central relationship of the film features a high school senior named Daniel LaRusso, who has recently moved from the East coast to the West coast, and an Okinawan immigrant named Kesuke Miyagi, a handyman who serves the apartment complex where Daniel lives. Being new in the neighborhood, Daniel soon falls victim to vicious attacks by local tough guys until Mr. Miyagi dramatically defends him, single-handedly defeating five young men in a spectacular display of martial arts. Daniel then asks Mr. Miyage to teach him karate so that he can defend himself and compete successfully in a karate tournament.

So begins what seems like a very strange teacher/student relationship. Daniel is keen to learn karate. Instead of teaching the martial arts, however, Mr. Miyagi prescribes all kinds of chores for Daniel to perform. Daniel grudgingly agrees to do the chores, believing that they are simply advance payment

for eventual karate instruction. He waxes cars, stains fences, paints houses, hauls fertilizer, and sands walkways, all things worth doing in and of themselves. But no karate instruction seems forthcoming. Daniel believes he has become a slave, not a student. When at last Mr. Miyagi throws a few punches at Daniel, Daniel discovers that he can easily repel them, largely because the several chores were actually exercises to build muscle tone and quicken reflexes. Daniel has been learning, without realizing it, defensive blocks through the muscle memory he has built up during his work. As you might guess, Daniel eventually goes on to vanquish his foes and win the karate tournament.

I am here to tell you today that, over the course of the last few years, you have all been LaRussos and the people seated to my left and to my right have all been your Miyagis. These brightly clad people have required you to do all sorts of things like read novels, balance equations, memorize vocabularies of foreign languages, complete group research projects with students very different from you, work in new and sometimes strange environments, attend art gallery lectures, write up experimental results, compose essays, comprehend the workings of the United States government, appreciate religions different from your own, sing in a choir, craft logically sound arguments, and learn the meaning of weird words like hermeneutics, marginal utility, and exegesis. Most of you would agree that it is a good thing to be able to write well and to make logical arguments. But, like the karate kid, you

— S I X T E E N — The Spillikin 2014

have been occasionally impatient to receive instruction that is directly and obviously relevant to what you think you most want to do, and some of you have probably even grumbled from time to time about being asked to complete tasks that you were quite sure had no possible connection to the rest of your life.

On many of the days that lie ahead of you, you will discover, as the karate kid discovered, that many of those exercises that you often questioned and sometimes dreaded or despised have enabled you to do wonderful things. And those wonderful and important things will turn out to be the source of your success and happiness during the rest of your lives. As you look back over your years here two or five or ten or fifteen, or instead of fifty years from now, you will again and again conclude that you benefited most in life from what you may have valued least in your college studies. Taken singly your several assignments may have often seemed pointless. Taken together, they made you wise.

A month ago, I was with an alumnus who had come back for a meeting of the National Council of his college here at the University. He had become the CEO of a major bio-tech company. He had spent the morning visiting some of his old teachers in our chemistry department. As we talked, he indicated that one major key to his success was his capacity to make good appointments to important positions in his company based on his ability to judge character. He told me that he had just come from a meeting with a billionaire whom he had once convinced to buy about 15M shares in his company. As they grew to know one another, the billionaire told him that he had decided to invest within the first five minutes of their meeting. This had NOTHING to do with balance sheets and with the overall measures of the health of the company and everything to do with the investor’s confidence in the CEO’s character. So I asked the CEO where he learned to read character. Here at Valparaiso, he said. “But in which class?” I asked. “I learned to do it inside and outside of the classroom and from the variety of tasks I had to perform and the variety of people I grew to know. I am very glad I was required to do and to study lots of different things.” In other words, he learned good judgment, an important part of wisdom, by living fully in a special community of learning.

All of higher education today, not just your own experience of it, feels the challenge of the Karate Kid problem. Students, their parents, and the general public very reasonably want colleges and universities to justify their costs. Why should students who just want to be accountants spend so much money learning to read novels, learn about world religions, and write interpretative essays? Often the best answer that Valparaiso University can provide is to point to its high job placement rate and to the high level of job satisfaction its students report after they have been employed for a year or two. But each of you individually can do better than that. So I am giving you the first of two assignments.

The first assignment is this. As you go forth from here, think over the years about the connections between those studies and other activities you undertook here at Valpo and the things you find yourself doing well that both give you the greatest satisfaction and that enrich the lives of others whom you will serve. This will help you both to maintain growth in self-knowledge and to give shape to your sense of your own lives. You will, I think, be constantly surprised as you make these connections over the years, just like the CEO I told you about earlier and just like the karate kid. And you will make some interesting discoveries along the way. For example, the karate kid discovered that the humble handy man who taught him martial arts had won the Congressional Medal of Honor during WWII. You will learn, as many of our alumni did this year, that your teachers, the very ones who required you to do all of those peculiar things whose purpose you could not discern at the time, are similarly decorated. For example, Jeff Will, one of our Professors in the College of Engineering was just named by the American Society for Engineering Education the best professor in all fields of engineering in the United States. Another professor, Lara Pudwell from our Mathematics Department, was named by the Mathematical Association of America, the largest collegiate level association of mathematicians in the world, one of two 2014 winners of the Henry L. Alder Award for Distinguished Teaching by a Beginning College or University Mathematics Faculty Member.

— S E V E N T E E N — The Spillikin 2014

Your second assignment will be more challenging than your first one. We began this ceremony by thanking your parents and other relatives and friends for all they have done to support your education. And we should have. When the benefits are clear and immediate, as they are today, it can be relatively easy to say thanks. But what if the gifts are not so obvious and not so immediate? What if you have to take on faith, as I asked you to do earlier, that many of the gifts bestowed upon you by your teachers will not become known to you for years? Can you learn to be grateful now for things as yet unseen? Can you cultivate within yourselves, if you will, a general attitude of gratitude?

This is your second assignment, and it will not be easy to carry out. But it will be vitally important to your peace and wellbeing.

On the whole, the academy in the United States today does not work to instill the virtue of gratitude in young men and women.

On the contrary, the academy inadvertently encourages students to believe that social progress and individual wellbeing come about purely as the result of the disciplined exercise of their own powers. If we are flourishing, so many students across this country come to think, it is the result of hard work, intellectual discipline, scientific knowledge, political savvy, and equality of opportunity. I certainly do not doubt that all of these things are part of what leads to human happiness. But Valparaiso University strongly suggests to you in many ways from the moment you walk down the center aisle of the Chapel at your first opening convocation that the most important things in life come to you as gifts, not primarily as the result of your own exertions. But you cannot always see this truth directly. So we ask you to have faith, to believe that you and your work are held ultimately in the hands of heaven.

If you all complete these two assignments, you will continue to develop your Valparaiso University education every day of your life. The first assignment requires you to think carefully and critically, to discover connections between what you learned in the past and what you are doing in the present, to give inner shape to the unfolding story of your own life. This assignment belongs to what we sometimes call the realm of human reason, since it requires you above all to use your memory, your imagination, and your capacity to put things together carefully and well. The second assignment belongs to the realm of grace, for gratitude is the proper response to the gifts you have received even if, as we have suggested in the case of your teachers, you cannot yet see them.

you discovered that gracious and generous intentions mean nothing unless you possess the relevant knowledge and skills.

The daily walking back and forth between the library and the chapel dramatized, perhaps for many of you unconsciously, the larger rhythms of believing what we question even as we question what we believe. And the hymns you sang together during convocations and other assemblies gave voice to the relationship of reason and grace through the symbolic geography of Athens and Jerusalem.

In closing, I must warn you once more that the second of the two assignments I have set before you will not be easy to carry out. We are not especially good at giving gifts, but we are often even worse at receiving them graciously and gratefully. I already told you that the virtue of gratitude is in short supply in the American academy generally. I tell you now that it is in short supply in our wider culture. That culture celebrates independence; gratitude acknowledges our dependence. That culture encourages pride in achievement; gratitude humbly acknowledges how many of our achievements are not fully our own. The culture celebrates me, me, me; gratitude celebrates others, giving thanks first and finally to almighty God. So you are going to have to continue something difficult that you hopefully began already to cultivate here. And habits, including the habit of gratitude, some only through practice, not through mere thought: a union of mind and spirit is required.

So let’s begin that practice now. In just a moment I am going to conclude this address by inviting you all to join with me by standing together to thank these faculty members for bestowing upon all of you and upon me during my service here as provost, gifts as yet unseen. As we applaud, let us resolve that this is the first of countless exercises of the virtue of gratitude for things as yet unseen. We are about to complete a circle. Most of you began your life here at this University by marching through two parallel rows of robed faculty stretched between the Harre Union and the Chapel of the Resurrection. As you walked between these rows, the faculty applauded all of you as a gesture of welcome to this community of learning. Graduates! Please stand. Let us now close this address together by returning that magnanimous gesture of the faculty by applauding all of them for all that we know they have done for us and for many gracious gifts that we can accept only by faith.

Reason and Grace: their powers and their limits. These are mere abstractions for most students across the country.

But not for you. Over the years here, you have learned all about these things. When you stood in silent vigil to mourn with your fellow students of many and various beliefs and background the tragic death of one of your classmates, you felt how feeble is the reach of unaided reason when it seeks to grasp the mysteries of life and death. And so you turned elsewhere for consolation: to communities of faith. On the other hand, when you sought on a trip to Nicaragua to bestow the gift of health on others while working in a volunteer clinic, — E I G H T E E N — The Spillikin 2014

FORMER DEAN PIEHL RETURNS TO CC CLASSROOMS Former Dean of Christ College Mel Piehl ‘68 will return to Valparaiso and the Christ College classroom beginning this fall. Piehl was on sabbatical for the 2013-2014 academic year.

He spent the year as Visiting Scholar in Catholic Studies at Seattle University, a Jesuit, Catholic university of about 5,500 students in the heart of the city.

As Visiting Scholar, Piehl participated in the launching of Seattle University’s new Institute for Catholic Thought and Culture, and helping advance its agenda of enhanced Catholic Studies on the campus. Primary activities included leading an SU Faculty Reading Group on American Catholicism, delivering public lectures on American Catholic history, and contributing to the Arrupe Seminar on Jesuit Higher Education, where he was invited to compare Lutheran perspectives to the Jesuit tradition.

He also was involved in Seattle University’s “Colleagues” faculty program, which included engagement with notable national and international scholars such Philip Renczes of the Gregorian University (Rome), Vincent Sekhar (India), Jose Casanova (Georgetown University-U.S.), and Heru Prekosa (Indonesia). Piehl also taught an SU undergraduate course on the history of American Catholicism, and did guest lectures and presentations in other courses.

Piehl’s own research centered on twentieth century American Catholicism, especially post-World War II Catholic writers and intellectuals and others associated with them. His focus is on figures like Garry Wills, Sidney Callahan, Peter and Margaret Steinfels, and others who moved beyond pre-Vatican

II Catholicism’s largely isolated stance and became a part of American mainstream culture. As Catholicism underwent its own transformations, its deeper encounter with American thought was fraught with debate about the relative importance of faith commitments, intellectual perspectives, secular social goods, and “the American project” itself. While considering how American values of liberty, democracy, equality, human rights, and “the pursuit of happiness” deeply affected historic American Catholicism and fostered internal Catholic debates about their implications for the Church, Piehl is also examining the ways that diverse Catholic perspectives in turn began to shape American public debates about matters of politics, human dignity, human rights, immigration, social order, and culture.

Besides the larger project, Piehl completed an article for publication on the influence of religion in twentieth century American history, and is developing another on the writer and critic James Agee.

He contributed an article titled “Exiles’ Return” to a special edition of The Cresset, Valparaiso’s review of literature, the arts and public affairs, honoring the work of Dorothy Bass, Director of the Valparaiso Project on the Education and Formation of People in Faith, and former Christ College dean Mark Schwehn ‘67. (The Cresset is on line at www.thecresset. org) Piehl also participated in the Lilly Fellows Program in Humanities and the Arts conference devoted to the 20th anniversary of the publication of Schwehn’s pathbreaking book Exiles from Eden: Religion and the Academic Vocation in America (Oxford University Press, 1993).

FRESHMAN HAIKU CONTEST Every October, Christ College freshmen compose poems in competition for the honor of lighting the fire of the hearth in the Mueller Hall Commons. This autumn, a committee declared exploratory major Abby Styck of Grand Haven, Michigan the author of the best Freshman Program haiku: Reading the Ethics I fear this dreadful sentence; “Let’s begin again.”

PHOTO PROVIDED

Allison Nolan was first runner-up: Fall has come at last.

Pumpkin spiced everything means Fuel for our papers.

Abby Styck ’17

Samuel Brandt’s poem was second runner-up: Die Socrates, die!

Aeschylus writes soap operas Corrupting the youth.

— N I N E T E E N —

The Spillikin 2014

VICTORIA BRUICK AND ERIC SMITH NAMED KEMPER SCHOLARS Valparaiso University is honored to be among just 16 colleges and universities nationwide to participate in the Kemper Scholar Program. Since 1948, this innovative program has been sponsored by the James S. Kemper Foundation of Chicago with the mission of preparing students for leadership and service, especially in the fields of organizational administration and business. Kemper believes that a strong liberal arts education is the best preparation for a life and a career.

At Valparaiso, Kemper Scholars are selected from members of the Christ College freshman class. This spring Kemper chose two CC first-year students: Christ College freshmen Victoria Bruick and Eric Smith.

Victoria Bruick Hometown – Bakersfield, California Majors – English and music

Victoria Bruick is an accomplished clarinetist and a member of the Valparaiso University Symphony Orchestra. As a member of Social Action Leadership Team (SALT) Bruick was a co-leader of the World Relief Campaign that that helped raise money to provide work, child care, and educational support to Kenyans living in Kibera, the largest urban slum in Nairobi, Kenya.

Eric Smith Hometown – Dearborn, Michigan Majors – international relations and international economics and cultural affairs

Eric Smith is first chair violinist in the Valparaiso University Symphony Orchestra. He is a member of the Valparaiso Mock Trial Team which develops oral skills, case preparation and presentation, and understanding of the ethical issues involved in trial advocacy.

“Kemper Scholars represent the best undergraduates from a group of sixteen exemplary liberal arts colleges around the country,” said Dr. Ryan LaHurd, President and Executive Director of the James S. Kemper Foundation. They are selected because they are committed to their studies and because they

Victoria Bruick ’17

Amanda Master ’14

have exhibited leadership and well-rounded, ethical character.

Throughout over six decades of the program, scholars have gone on to make outstanding contributions as leaders in organizations around the country.”

Kemper Scholars receive annual scholarships of up to $10,000 based on need during their sophomore, junior, and senior years of college. Kemper Scholars also receive stipends to cover the costs of their work as interns in major nonprofit organizations in Chicago during the summer following their sophomore year. Scholars are placed in full-time administrative positions where they can learn about such areas as financial management, organizational strategy, fundraising, and nonprofit administration. During the Chicago summer, scholars live in the same apartment residence hall and participate in a weekly seminar while exploring the cultural, historical, and entertainment aspects of the city.

During the summer following their junior year, scholars receive summer stipends to cover the costs of a learning opportunity in an internship in a for-profit corporation.

Each year all Kemper Scholars attend a national conference to discuss their summer projects, meet with former Kemper Scholars, and consider topics in administration, leadership, and business. They periodically read and discuss major works on leadership, service, ethics, and business; and they have frequent contact with Kemper Foundation staff to discuss the scholars’ academic and professional goals, as well as their hopes for future careers and learning opportunities.

Other Christ College Scholars include Amanda Master (named Kemper Scholar in 2012), and Michael Mead (named Kemper Scholar in 2011). Master spent summer 2013 with the non-profit Rogers Park Business Alliance in Chicago and will spend this summer at Fitness Forum Heath & Wellness in Plymouth, Ind. Mead had his non-profit organization placement at the Silk Road Rising theatre project in Chicago, Ill., and his for-profit placement at Wells Fargo Bank.

Michael Mead ’15

— T W E N T Y — The Spillikin 2014

Eric Smith ’17

CHRIST COLLEGE OXFORD DEBATES This year’s Freshman Debates underwent a change in format and name. In the new Oxford Debates, the audience voted both before and after the presentation of arguments. Prior to the debate, the audience voted based on their opinion, indicating whether they agreed with the pro side or the con side. After the debate, the audience voted on which side presented the most compelling argument during the debate.

Following tradition, members of the audience voted with their feet – leaving the Refectory through the door labeled “PRO” if they believed the pro side presented a more compelling argument or through the door labeled “CON” if the arguments of the con side were superior.

The 28th annual Oxford Debates topics and results were: RESOLVED: The United States Congress should pass the Development, Relief, and Education for Alien Minors (DREAM) Act. Opinion Votes: PRO: 76% CON: 24% Argument Votes: PRO: 71% CON: 29%

RESOLVED: The National Security Agency should not be allowed to search the phone records of Americans without a warrant based on probable cause.

Opinion Votes: PRO: 59% CON: 41% Argument Votes: PRO: 34% CON: 66% RESOLVED: The National Interscholastic Athletic Administration Association (NIAAA) recommends that tackle football should be eliminated from high school athletics.

Opinion Vote: PRO: 44% CON: 56% Argument Vote: PRO: 38% CON: 62% RESOLVED: The United Nations Security Council should authorize the use of military force against the government of President Bashar al-Assad of Syria.

Opinion Vote: PRO: 38% CON: 62% Argument Vote: PRO: 45% CON: 55%

2014 FRESHMAN PRODUCTION: EXIT PLAYWRIGHT The 41 st annual Christ College Freshman Production, Exit Playwright, transported audiences into the mind of a promising playwright, giving insight to the creative process.

Exit Playwright focuses on Arthur Caprice, a playwright whose career and personal life have imploded. Seeking to write a play that can save his career, Arthur uses a magic pen given to him by his former teacher to create the town of Melville and transports himself into the world he created. Melville is a fairy-tale like town where the hero saves the damsel in distress. continued on page 27

— T W E N T Y-O N E — The Spillikin 2014

ALUMNI SUPPORT STUDENTS THROUGH CC DEAN’S ANNUAL FUND ensuring that present and future students benefit from the same intellectual and spiritual experiences alumni enjoyed in the past.

Since its establishment, the Dean’s Annual Fund has supported many long-standing programs and new initiative that have made Christ College the unique intellectual community it is today. These programs include the Freshman Production, Christ College Senior Banquet, attendance at the National Conference on Undergraduate Research (NCUR), and many more experiences for students.

Peter Kanelos Dean

In 1998, at the Homecoming meeting of the Christ College Alumni Advisory Board, the Board advised the creation of an annual fund to provide a regular opportunity to alumni to express their gratitude and appreciation for Christ College by

1965 Mary Mortimore Dossin Kenneth Schmitt

1971 David Elseroad Randy Hackbarth C. Stephen Hitchcock 1966 David Blado Judith Hoshek Dennis Collins Gail Anderson Ludwig Mark Gaertner Rosemond Knifton Kenneth Jacobsen Scherpelz Sharon Werfelmann Reichel Jonathan Schonsheck Sharon Haug Rosenkoetter Carol Severino Eugene Schroeder Kathryn Franzen Wood 1967 Karen Schalla Grossart Michael Hron Mark Schwehn

Many thanks are due for the contributions of all sizes alumni and friends have made this year to the Dean’s Annual Fund.

Your generosity is appreciated by the entire Christ College community, and we hope for you continued support.

1977 Lynn Fraedrich Aho David Piehler David Schreiber James Wehrenberg 1978 Christine Bekemeier James Beres Janis Homer Loegering Mary Rieckman Shear Susan Peters Rosborough Judith Kohlmeyer Strasen Paul Strasen

1972 Thomas Baerwald Kathryn Wernicke Baerwald 1979 Elizabeth Boehringer Mark Ilten Kevin Boettcher Paula Diko Strietelmeier 1968 Terry Rader Dunbar Michael Korba John Strietelmeier Peter Lutze Terry Schnell Margaret Polzin Wehrenberg Mel Piehl Mary Burce Warlick Marcia Mainland Rotunda 1973 David Christian 1980 Dan Friedrich Kuni Nuechterlein Strange Scott Cook Susan Bass Tabatsko Walter Hinck 1981 Jay Finke Judith Meyer Wagner Judith Krause Hinck Marcia Weller Weinhold Kathryn Sayers Ledig Karen Husby Michael Lochmann Kurt Kroenke 1969 Thomas Hecht Susan Lange Mehl Ruth Shaw McCormick Stephen Helmreich Carolyn Riehl 1982 Hilda Demuth-Lutze Mark Knoblauch Robert Vollmann Thomas Lake Nanette Howard Dost 1974 Kristin Gehring Kathryn Hill LaMar Donald Driscoll David Nord Susan Jenny Ehr William Michalek Richard Schiming Kirk Freudenburg Peter Santogade Peter Schmalz Catherine Boehringer Isaza Linda Gebhard Scheimann Steve Lochmann Vicki Whoolery Seeck 1970 Rick Barton Katharine Green Olah Richard Thiede Ruth Fuchs Doty 1975 Kathleen Betterman 1983 Timothy Meinzen Richard Mueller Ronald Neustadt Carole Nuechterlein David Drews Alan Rider Suzanne Trzos Roberta Mahr Drews Robert Scherpelz Charles Wilde John Spear Pamela Carey Sieving 1976 Margaret Harkness 1984 Renee Engman Paul Sieving Michael Tieman Heather Bost Guess Dan McAdams Jane Knetzger Rebecca Pallmeyer Donald Prough Paul Schmidt

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Michael Rickman Susan Vrahoretis 1985 Mark Bruns Gerald Cleaver Anna Eifert Jodi Medley McMahon Stephen Volz 1986 Laura Blair McKnight Brian Piazza Beth Murphy Schomber 1987 Jennifer Barricklow Tamara Smith Charvat 1988 Cynthia Oppliger Baker Deborah Petersen Bernard Cynthia Gardels Burreson Kent Burreson Jane Houghtaling Walker 1989 Deanine Paulson Mann Laura Nuechterlein William Reiser Cheryl Wendt 1990 Celeste Duder Domsch Jill Schlueter-Kim 1991 W. Chris Kreicker Cindarae Hupert Malin Heidi Sherer 1992 Elizabeth Lewis Blondia Susan Drake Victoria Flood Robert Hewitt Heather Pralle Schroeder Philip Spahn 1993 Meridith Brand Michael Chasar Andrew Fields

Heidi Nafzger Fields Christopher Hanson Jennifer Kraft Hewitt Kristin Bierlein Keltner Kelly Hodgson Kline Krista Mildenburger Shelton Erik Varness 1994 Ann Harding Ashmon Matthew Christian Paul Cook Sean Hoyer Marc Riedl Sara Steinbrueck Angela Taraskiewicz Loretta VanEvery Jennifer Ray Yap 1995 Michelle Martin Giese Gregory Karpenko Karen Zima Karpenko Virginia Bowden Lehmann Brent Moritz Kathryn Kitzmann Varness 1996 Lisa Miller Cook Gregory Grossart Christopher Lehmann Anzara Norton Miller Albert Pionke Sarah Scherschligt Travis Scholl Tiffany Oelschlaeger Tibbs Tina Yarovsky

LeeAnn Machosky Pomrenke Russ Schumacher 2002 James Brand Christine Dale Brand Rachael Carbone Sarah Mutch Hinck John Lofgren Kevin McCusker Maryn Olson Laura Felch Puckett Gretchen Eelkema Rasmusson Judith Welling Steven Zittergruen

2003 Kathy Cooksey Melissa Peronto Fisher Nicolas George Linnea Hruska Jennifer Lee Raymond Palasz Samuel Peterson Aaron Stamper 2004 Sara Boedecker-Johnston Robert Duclos Katharine Harmon Peter Hinck Jessica Warneke Marciniak Jonathan Niketh Benjamin Stellwagen Rebecca Bird Wolf Andrew Wolf Lisa Holmes Zittergruen

1997 Christina Dunklau Gaertner 2005 Eleanor Goetsch Sophia Hunt Evan Gaertner Whitney Tyson Schaefer Erin Core Goffette Katherine Dueringer Goodman Elizabeth Tatro Grossart 2006 Jason Hallman Caleb Sancken Lisa Metzger Mugg Kristin Thomas Sancken Sara Manske Powell Matthew Schaefer Jane Wollin Regan Tamara Carnahan Weaver Erin Shoemaker Steven Wilco Jill Stevenson 1998 Bradley Jessen Anne Daubendiek Muskopf Laura Nordstrom Christine Rinne 1999 Christine Skultety Bateman Lindsey Hillesheim Andrew Makowski Nicole Dekker VanKalker Elizabeth Tull Wright 2000 Jay Karlin Emilie Owens Karlin Jessica Amrozowicz Kerins Mark Kerins Leslie Moses Price Alexia Kruger Rivera Jill Van Dalen Erica Kaufman West Mark Williamson 2001 Michelle Boswell Vanessa Burrows Russell Chibe Marla Wood Kay Lauren Caywood Miller

2007 Karl Aho Keith Anderko Sarah Benczik Katie Benjamin Jeremiah Dost Benjamin Eckert Michelle Eckert Jennifer Butz Forness Philip Forness Jessica Freburg Gordon Elizabeth Hanson Kara Felde Koschmann Mark Koschmann Sara Mar Andrew Mutka Leah Phillippi Isaac Schoepp Sabrina Stradtner Laura Springmire Venstrom

Kayla Robertson Claire Rueffer Schoepp Adam Shull Peter Schwich James Strasburg Amanda Spangler Ryan Taber Erin Dalpini Strybis Kathryn Schmidt Woock Colleen Tichich Brandon Tomlinson Johanna Brinkley 2011 Krysta Gumbiner Tomlinson Katelyn Holub Susan Van Dyke Robin Lehninger Joshua Weinhold George Lessmann Andrew Schwich 2009 Benjamin Finke Bonnie Keane 2012 Danijela Bukur Jennifer Graham Erin Moeller Brianne Osburn Brittany Popa Ruth Moberg-Foster Krista Schaefer Popkin Ellen Wilson Kurt Woock 2013 Christine Albain 2010 Kelly Bylica David Cyze Matthew Cook Tyler Holle Abigail Lange Groth Quinn Huebner Megan Hamilton Stephanie Sepiol Courtney Heitkamp Patrick Slattery Janet Pfister Lucien Zane Winter Ellen Orner Thomas Platte 2014 Christine Heffley

Friends of Christ College Vincent and Rosanne Acciaioli Dorothy Bass Kenneth and Pamela Boswell Eleanor Buggeln Edward and Susan Concilla Vivian Donnelley Margaret Franson Samuel Graber and Anna Stewart David Holub and Ruth Vance Natalie Jenne Robert and Jeanie Johnson Andrew and Kathryn Jones Robert Lagerlof Judy Wolff Low James and Linda Mueller Florence Oppliger Russell and Betty Prough Henry Rowold Mary Ellen Sanders Barbara Schmidt Charles Sheid Robert and Annette Schunter James and Katheryn Slattery Norma Sorenson Thomas Spahn Garry Sparks and April Lewton Raymond H and Florence L Sponberg Foundation Patrick and Patrice Weil Robert Wendelin Randall and Jo Ellen Zromkoski

2008 Nicole Koehler Busarow Hannah Cartwright Katherine Krueger Matthew McCuen Jeffrey Sauter Megan Mallette Sauter

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CC SUPER SECRET SNOW MISSION 2014 Christ College students are known for their academic success and service to the community, but now due to the Super Secret Snow Mission they are also known for their snow sculpting skills. This February, students put the drifts of snow outside Mueller Hall to work as they created unique snow sculptures.

The sculptures were judged by Jack Frost himself (former CC Dean Mel Piehl) and the winning team of students was awarded a gift certificate to the restaurant of their choice.

The winning sculpture was the “Christ College Mini Cooper”

by Myles Hayden, Jesse Greenhagen, Chase Greenhagen, and Matt Stoughton. The fabulous car has a great air conditioning system but no heating. As stated by the sculpters, “Any student who buys this amazing car will be sure to drive into success as defined by Aristotle and Kant.”

Other sculptures included “Starry Night” by Colin McGregor and Elizabeth Hostetler and “The Year of the Horse” by Jonathan Mack and Michele Helen Reyes. Julia Jenks, Breanna Strauss, Brittany Barkus, and Nura Zaki created a sculpture dedicated to the female authors in the spring semester Freshman Program. The lighthearted sculpture reads “I don’t need sno’man!” Team Lutheran chose to reflect Valparaiso University’s Lutheran heritage with their sculpture “The

Mighty Fortress.” Team Lutheran included Kelsey Ennis, Abigail Bouwma, Samantha Schmidt, Emily Robinson, Rachel Rockey, and Kenneth Bouman.

Seniors Ben Averill, Kelsey Smith, Erik Nelson, and alumnus Diana Stutzman built “Mini Muller Hall,” and MacKenzie Rennick and Beth Robin constructed “Snowtivity Scene.” A team including Aura Lee Harper-Smith, Chloe Lash, Lauren Hargrave, Sarah Black, Hannah Kaitschuk, Tommy Dixon, Shari Duval, and Kelsey Larson sculpted “Puff the CC Dragon” in honor of the Lunar New Year. Expressing the desire of many CC students for warmer weather, Alexandra Spiroff, Erica Hegarty, Sarah Hansen, Laura Knuth, Kathryn Fogleman, Lindsey Vander Aa, and Genevieve Dornemann created “Snowman Summer.” Peter Crapitto, Rachael DeVries, Petr Hayden-Roy, and Aaron Roggow introduced their sculpture of Jesus riding a seal, and Rebecca Grischow, Michael Mead, Aaron Wagner, and Allison Grishow created “In Thy Light We See Light.”

All the sculptures displayed creativity and fun. Weather permitting, Super Secret Snow Mission is expected to become an annual event.

Christ College Super Snow Sculpture Winner “The Mini Cooper”

— T W E N T Y- F O U R — The Spillikin 2014

CC’S NEW CONTINUING EDUCATION PROGRAM This fall, Christ College and Valparaiso University’s Graduate School will sponsor a new program that offers continuing education opportunities for the larger Valparaiso community. The Masterworks Program at Christ College consists of a two-semester sequence of courses in the “Great Books” tradition, pioneered at such places as the University of Chicago and Columbia University.

Classes will meet weekly for one and a half hours and may be taken for continuing education or graduate credit. Upon completion of this two-semester sequence, continuing education students will earn a certificate from Christ College, and will be invited to take part in topics seminars that focus on particular authors or themes, such as Jane Austen or modern poetry.

At the end of April, community members were invited to an afternoon reception at Christ College, where they could learn about and offer suggestions for the developing program. The Masterworks motto, “Great Books. Great Conversations,” proved fitting as invitees pondered and discussed a famous Robert Frost poem over coffee and dessert. Attendees, many of whom characterized themselves as “life-long learners,” were excited about this new opportunity and helping forge another link between the university and wider Valparaiso community.

One participant shared her enthusiasm for “read[ing] books I’d like to return to or finally read. It’s an opportunity to sharpen my

mind.” Another attendee remarked on “the opportunity to have stimulating discussions and the chance to read or reread some books when I am a different person because of life experiences.”

“How will these works impact me now?” she mused.

Program coordinator and instructor Anna Stewart looks forward to exploring and answering this question with the first group of Masterworks participants in the fall. “This program will promote and facilitate a rich and dynamic intellectual community that extends beyond the university,” she said. “I feel privileged to be a part of it.” Dean of Christ College, Peter Kanelos, envisioned Masterworks after years of experience at other universities, where he worked with and developed initiatives bridging “town and gown.”

The first semester of The Masterworks Program, offered this fall, will focus on classic works of Western civilization from the ancient Greeks to the Renaissance while reflecting on the central question, “What is a good life?”. The discussion-based seminar will emphasize how great literary works engage enduring issues such as the individual’s place in community, the importance of faith, ritual, and tradition, and the role of creativity and imagination in the pursuit of a good life. Texts in the first semester range from Plato’s works on the trial and death of Socrates to Shakespeare’s The Tempest.

The second semester of The Masterworks Program, available in spring 2015, will continue this exploration by examining later works from the Renaissance to the modern period.

Spanning the last four centuries, the course begins with Shakespeare’s Macbeth and moves through a series of classic authors, such as Jane Austen, Frederick Douglass, and Virginia Woolf. Through these readings, participants will consider how the search for a good and meaningful life changes and is challenged by experience in the modern world.

For more information on The Masterworks Program at Christ College, please visit www.valpo.edu/christcollege/masterworks… or contact program coordinator Anna Stewart at christcollege. masterworks@valpo.edu or anna.stewart@valpo.edu.

Anna Stewart

Anna Stewart graduated summa cum laude from the honors college at the University of South Carolina, with a BA in English and Spanish. She received her Ph.D. in English in 2012 from the University of Texas at Austin, where she also earned her MA. Her dissertation, “Beyond Obsolescence: The Reconstruction of Abolitionist Texts,” analyzes abolitionist writings. Stewart’s teaching and research interests focus on the relationship between literature, contemporary political debates, and communities of readers as well as on how notions of race, gender, and citizenship developed in a culture of reform.

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ALUMNUS RICK BARTON ’70 READS FROM HIS NOVELS It is always a special privilege for us to welcome home to their alma mater CC alumni. And when they agree to speak at Symposium, our delight increases 100-fold because students get to greet them, too.

Award-winning novelist, essayist, and film critic Fredrick Preston Barton joined us in January to read from his work and talk about his life as a writer. Rick earned his BA from Valparaiso in 1970, and in 2009 Valpo awarded him an honorary doctorate for his achievements as a writer, for his career in higher education, and his service to the University.

That service includes being a founding member, and now chair, of the Christ College National Council.

Rick Barton is currently Writer in Residence and University Research Professor in the Creative Writing Workshop, which he led for many years at the University of New Orleans. He has

also served UNO as professor of English, dean of liberal arts, and provost during the period in which Hurricane Katrina ravaged much of the city and his campus.

He is the author of seven books, including the volume of essays, “Rowing to Sweden,” and the novels The El Cholo Feeling Passes, Courting Pandemonium, Black and White on the Rocks, and A House Divided, which won the William Faulkner Prize. Other awards include the Award of Excellence from the Association of Religious Journals for his feature essay “Breaches of Faith” about New Orleans recovery efforts after Katrina. His fifth novel, In the Wake of the Flagship, will be published later this year.

Rick was kind enough to sit in on a CC Senior Colloquium during his visit. In that course, seniors reflect on their college experience and consider how they discovered and now think about their vocations or careers. Students read for class an autobiographical narrative that forms the introduction to Rick’s essay collection, Rowing to Sweden. Midway through the piece Barton writes: “In college, rather than English, where I have spent my professional career, I majored in history as my father had, (although my Valparaiso University teachers will likelier testify that I majored in anti-war demonstrations.)” “ . . . I taught high social studies and humanities and coached basketball at Lutheran High School South in St. Louis immediately after college, subsequently did several years of graduate work in history at UCLA, and eventually finished an MFA in fiction writing at the University of Iowa. Had I listened to my heart a little better I might have saved myself some time in finding’s my life’s work. I well remember the visceral reaction I felt when I saw [the movie] American Graffiti during my first year at UCLA. The epilogue to that picture reveals that Richard Dreyfuss’ Curt Henderson character has moved away from his hometown and become a writer. A writer! That’s what I wanted to be, I thought: a writer. But I wouldn’t reach the place from which I would dare such a thing for several years yet.”

We are grateful he did ultimately reach that place.

VISIT THE CHRIST COLLEGE WEBSITE W W W. VA L P O. E D U / C H R I S T C O L L E G E — T W E N T Y- S I X — The Spillikin 2014

THE BARD TAKES THE STAGE AT VALPO’S FIRST SHAKESPEARE WEEK In his first year as CC Dean, Peter Kanelos has already made an impact on the Valpo community by establishing Valparaiso University’s Shakespeare Week in collaboration with the Departments of English and Theatre. The annual event was held March 17-24 and featured Actors from the London Stage.

Next year the event will be held in February and will again feature this acclaimed group of performers.

While in residency at Valparaiso University, the Actors made classroom visits and three performances of Shakespeare’s comedy As You Like It. In classroom sessions, students learned many things from the experienced actors including speaking with inflection, engagement with the text, and body movement. Other performances and activities included Shakespeare’s Music and Poetry presented by the Departments of English and Music, a performance of Hamlet and Shakespeare, Abridged presented by the Department of Theater, and an alumni dinner buffet sponsored by the Office of Alumni Relations before the final performance of As You Like It. The events were open to both students and the public.

Shakespeare Week was a resounding success. Over 1,000 people participated in Shakespeare week including university students, faculty, high school students, and community members.

Christ College senior English and theatre major Michael Mead found Shakespeare Week to an amazing experience: “I think Shakespeare Week exemplifies Valparaiso University’s devotion to a diversified learning experience, which is the crux of a liberal arts education. I sincerely hope that the event grows with each year and more and more people from different academic backgrounds get involved.”

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However, Arthur is not content with the world he created and uses his power as the playwright to change the story, making himself the hero. As Arthur rewrites more and more of his story to suit his desires, unfinished character Shep decides to take her story into her own hands by eliminating the playwright. In order to save himself and his play, Arthur must rediscover how to give up control and learn to trust his characters.

Exit Playwright wowed audiences with its use of lighting and sets. Of particular note was the song “Not a Tragedy,” which used intricately choreographed projections to illuminate the status of Arthur’s mind as he brainstormed his new play. The art design, sets, props, and brought to life the town of Melville and its colorful residents, showing both the character of Arthur and the freshman class’s ability to create an engaging fantasy world.

Exit Playwright was directed by Isaac Schoepp ’07 with assistance from associate director Kari-Anne Innes VU ’93, ’01, script and lyrics consultant Jacob Just ’12, and assistant director and music consultant Alison Grischow ’15.

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HOMECOMING 2013 Homecoming 2013 Panelists: Christopher Koetke ’88 Vice-President, Kendall College School of Culinary Arts, Chicago, Illinois Kelly Hodgson Kline, MD ’93 Pediatrics, Gundersen Health Systems Tomah (WI) Clinic Joshua D. Lee ’98 Attorney and Partner Schiff Hardin, LLP, Chicago, Illinois Jessica Pleuss ’03 Assistant Professor of Psychology Morningside College, Sioux City, Iowa Peter Kanelos Dean, Christ College

YOUR CRUSADER PRIDE HOMECOMING AND REUNION WEEKEND 2014 CHRIST COLLEGE HOMECOMING SYMPOSIUM ALUMNI PANEL THURSDAY, OCTOBER 9, 6:30-7:30 PM | MUELLER HALL REFECTORY JILL SCHLUETER-KIM ‘90 Executive Director Girls on the Run of Northwest Indiana

JESSICA AMROZOWICZ KERINS ‘00 Professor, Department of Biology Eastfield College, Mesquite, Texas

MARK KERINS ‘00 Professor, Division of Film and Media Arts Southern Methodist University, Dallas Texas

KAREN CARSON ‘05 Teacher, English Literature and Composition Concordia Lutheran High School Fort Wayne, Indiana

CHRIST COLLEGE ALUMNI RECEPTION

SATURDAY, OCTOBER 11, 3:30-5:00 PM | MUELLER HALL COMMONS The Spillikin 2014