Around Campus
Around Campus
YSU President David C. Sweet and Lin Zhengfan, president of Hangzhou Normal University in Hangzhou, China, take a moment to pose with colorful dragons during Sweet’s visit to China and Taiwan this spring.
T
homas J.
C
avalier
YSU’s Distinguished Citizen
Thomas J. Cavalier, chair, president & CEO of Butler Wick Corp. and its subsidiary, Butler, Wick & Co., Inc., since 1985, has been selected for YSU’s Distinguished Citizen Award. “The Distinguished Citizen Award has become a cherished tradition throughout its 27-year existence,” said Shannon Tirone, director of the Office of Alumni Relations. Cavalier, a 1976 YSU graduate with a bachelor of science degree in education, was chosen for YSU’s highest mark of distinction for his exceptional service to the greater community, for outstanding professional achievement and personal commitment for helping to enhance the interdependence between the economic and educational institutions of society. He began his career at Butler Wick in 1975. Since he became president, Butler Wick has formed Butler Wick Trust Co., Butler Wick Investment Management Group, Butler Wick Capital Markets Group and Butler Wick Insurance Group. Butler Wick Corp., through its two subsidiaries, has 200 employees in 19 offices throughout Ohio and Pennsylvania. In addition to his position at Butler Wick Corp., he also serves on the board of Butler Wick Trust Co., a Butler Wick Corp. subsidiary, and on the board of United Community Financial Corp., a bank holding company.
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The delegation from YSU included Sweet’s wife, Pat; George McCloud, special assistant to the president for university advancement, who has fostered many of the university’s current Far East exchange programs; and Florence Wang, who has spearheaded YSU’s relationships with universities in Taiwan and China. Travel expenses were financed through private funding. This was Sweet’s first trip abroad in his seven-year presidency. The stops included Beijing Technology and Business University in Beijing, and Hangzhou Normal University in Hangzhou and Lunghwa University in Taipei, Taiwan. While in Taiwan, the delegation also visited an elementary and high school, met with the Taipei Chamber of Commerce and hosted a dinner for YSU alumni. In 2005, YSU and Lunghwa University signed a contract of cooperation to exchange students and faculty members. Four Lunghwa students were enrolled in undergraduate courses at YSU last spring.
Youngstown State University
He’s the current chair of the board of the YSU Foundation and a member of the University Housing Corp. In 2005, the YSU Board of Trustees nominated Cavalier as the YSU community member to the board of Northeastern Ohio Universities College of Medicine (NEOUCOM), and he currently serves as vice chair of that board and chairman of the finance, fiscal policy and investment committee. He serves on the board of the Butler Institute of American Art and is a past president of that board. He also serves on the board of the Tri-County Regional Board of MakeA-Wish Foundation. Cavalier is a member of the Securities Industry and Financial Markets Association (SIFMA) Regional Firms and a member of the SIFMA Group A CEO Roundtable. Cavalier and his Thomas J. Cavalier wife, Christina, reside in Canfield and have five children and one grandchild.
Studying Abroad in India
From left – Norma Watson, President David C. Sweet and Frank Watson. The Watsons were selected as 2007 Friends of the University.
Frank and Norma Watson are the recipients of YSU’s 2007 Friends of the University award. The award was started in 1997 to recognize alumni, friends and donors who have had a significant impact on YSU. The Watsons have supported YSU for more than 30 years. The All Sports Complex campaign, the Watson Sports Media Center, the Scholarship Loge program and the YSU Foundation are just a few of the projects that have benefited from their contributions. Watson, who has a bachelor’s degree in mechanical engineering from YSU, spent most of his career with Youngstown Welding and Engineering Co. He served in the Navy in the Pacific during World War II. Upon his retirement from Youngstown Welding and Engineering, he was city manager of Canfield from 1989 to 1991. He served on the YSU Board of Trustees from 1978 to 1987 and is an original member of the YSU Foundation Board and continues to serve in that capacity today. He received an honorary doctor of science degree from YSU in August 2003, the same year he was selected as the Distinguished Citizen by the YSU Office of Alumni Relations. Mrs. Watson has devoted her life to her family and community, serving as a volunteer for many area organizations, including the Federated Women’s Club and the Fellows Riverside Gardens. The touring exhibit of “Love Makes a Family: Portraits of Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, and Transgender People and their Families” visited YSU in June. The exhibit came to the university with the help of YSUnity (YSU’s Gay-Straight Alliance), and the offices of Equal Opportunity and Diversity and Student Diversity Programs. The Youngstown Area PFLAG (Parents, Families, Friends of Lesbians and Gays) chapter, and the Pride Center of Greater Youngstown, in partnership with the Equality Ohio Education Fund, also helped bring the exhibit to YSU.
The Williamson College of Business Administration offered a 10-day study tour to London, England, Dublin, Ireland, and Bombay, India, in January. Five faculty members and 22 students spent their semester break participating in the study tours. This is the second year YSU students have traveled abroad to visit businesses. Last year, WCBA students and faculty went to Italy, Hungary, Brazil, Czech Republic and Turkey. “A critical component of our students’ business education is the opportunity to develop knowledge and skills beyond the classroom,” WCBA Dean Betty Jo Licata said. During the trip to India, three faculty members and 11 YSU students toured Infosys, the leading software company in Bangalore, India; the World Trade Center at Bombay; the Bombay Stock Exchange; the Securities and Exchange of India; the National Stock Exchange; and the Small Industries Development Bank of India. The trip was part of the WCBA’s Emerging Market Initiative Grant, supported by the U.S. Department of Education. In London, two faculty members accompanied 11 YSU students to the Microsoft EMIA Headquarters in Ireland, and the BP Corporate Headquarters and IPC Systems, Inc., also in London. IPC Systems Inc. is part of the Mountbatten Internship Programme, which provides a range of practical training opportunities during a one-year work assignment in or near London with a British-based sponsor company.
From left – Scott Domes, Victoria Lerman, Courtney Means, Rosanna Zarzycki-Miller, Lindsay Berger, Dr. Stanley Guzell, Joel Evans, Dr. Ram Kasuganti, Michael Perry and Timothy Moyers stand outside the Taj Palace Hotel in Bombay during a study tour to India, sponsored by the Williamson College of Business Administration.
Summer 2007
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