Widener Leadership Works

Widener Magazine
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Volume 25
Number 01
Spring ’15
Widener Leadership Works
Every day, Widener graduate students gain
a competitive edge by earning the specialized
skills their job requires.
Offering more than sixty graduate degrees—from physical
therapy to business administration, education, and
more—Widener University graduate programs combine
stimulating classroom material with experiential learning
opportunities to further enhance your professional
knowledge. With full and part-time programs available
in the evening, on weekends, in accelerated and online
formats, Widener can help take your career to the next
level, on your time.
You already know the value of a Widener education. So,
when it comes to choosing a graduate program that’s right
for you, look no further than the school you trusted first.
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Grand Game Plans:Widener’s
Strategic Vision Page 12
widener.edu/graduate
Although much has changed on Widener’s campus due to
the success of Taking the Lead—The Campaign from Widener,
including new landscaping, the traditional cherry blossoms
between the Kapelski Learning Center and the Wolfgram
Memorial Library still bloom resplendently each spring.
ON THE COVER
Taking the Lead—The Campaign for Widener ended as a tremendous success, far exceeding the
university’s goal and tripling the endowment. This magazine celebrates the people of the campaign—
both the donors who made it possible and the students and community members who are benefiting
from campaign-funded programs.
10 14
18
WIDENER UNIVERSITY
Widener University
One University Place
Chester, PA 19013
Phone: 1-888-WIDENER
Website: www.widener.edu
Published by the Office
of University Relations
CONTENTS
4
An Era of Pride and Progress
A look back at the thirteen-year tenure of
Widener President James T. Harris III.
8
On Campus
10
Widener Leadership Working
Gifts of more than $7 million—including the largest gift in
the university’s history—established the Oskin Leadership
Institute, home to many leadership development programs.
14
One Fruit Fly at a Time
A campaign gift enables Widener faculty and students to
conduct extensive scientific research.
18
Celebrating Success
A ten-page special section celebrates the success of
Taking the Lead—The Campaign for Widener, breaking down
the numbers and profiling a handful of donors and
students who have benefited.
Executive Editor:
Lou Anne Bulik
Editor:
Sam Starnes
Class Notes Editor:
Patty Votta
Proofreader:
Jeanine Rastatter
Contributing Writers:
Mary Allen
Kathleen Butler
Dan Hanson ’97
Allyson Roberts
Photographers:
Ryan Donnell
Melanie Franz
Bud Keegan
Magazine Advisory Board:
Gerry Bloemker ’98
Lou Anne Bulik
Kathleen Butler
Denise Gifford
Dan Hanson ’97
Tina Phillips ’82, ’98, ’03
Meghan Radosh ’00, ’02, ’13
Sam Starnes
Brigitte Valesey
Stephen Wilhite
Visit Our Blog—
widenermagazine.com
Please join the conversation
by posting your comments
and letters to the editor
online.
Find us on Facebook
at www.facebook.com/
wideneruniversity.
2
PRESIDENT’S MESSAGE
28
Help on the Home Front
Widener’s Veterans Law Clinic has recovered millions of
dollars in benefits denied to American military veterans by the
Department of Veterans Affairs—including a Navy veteran
who had been forced into “starvation mode.”
32
Here and There: Collaborations with China
Extensive partnerships with Chinese universities send Widener
students and faculty to China and bring Chinese students,
faculty, and executives to the Main Campus in Chester.
36
Class Notes
43
Chapter Notes
44
The Back Page: A Lasting Gift from Graduating Seniors
The annual Senior Class Gift leaves an enduring legacy for
alumni and the university.
Seven years ago Widener
embarked on an ambitious
campaign, setting a fundraising
goal of $58 million, a lofty
target that was almost
double what the university’s
endowment totaled at the time.
After a few transformative
gifts in the beginning, we
launched the campaign in
2011, reaching out to all
alumni and our friends.
I’m thrilled to report that together we reached that goal
and then some, raising more than $64 million for the university.
Taking the Lead—The Campaign for Widener has tripled Widener’s
endowment to more than $90 million despite a period where
our national economy weathered some stormy seas. This success
has enabled the university to double financial aid awards to
students, attracting Widener’s largest and most diverse student
body in our history.
We could not have done this without the support of our
alumni, faculty, and friends. You are all to be congratulated
heartily on playing your part in making Widener a stronger,
more dynamic university. This magazine celebrates the success
of that goal and highlights much of the fantastic work that our
students and faculty are doing as a direct result of funds raised
for the campaign.
I hope you enjoy the stories in this issue that focus on
the people of Widener who made the campaign a success and
how your gifts enabled us to implement significant projects
addressing the four pillars of the campaign: Academic
Excellence, Leadership, Civic Engagement, and Global
Awareness.
As you’ll read in the pages following, I am leaving Widener
after thirteen years as president. I have relished my time here,
and the move is quite bittersweet. I’m both proud and thrilled,
however, to depart with the knowledge that we worked together
in this very successful campaign to build a bright future for
Widener students for decades to come.
Dr. James T. Harris III, President
TWO NEW LAW SCHOOLS, TWO NEW DEANS
Beginning in July, Widener University’s School of Law will
become two distinct schools: Widener University Delaware Law
School and Widener University Commonwealth Law School.
The American Bar Association in March approved the
university’s plan to establish separately accredited law schools
on the existing campuses in Wilmington, Delaware, and
Harrisburg, Pennsylvania. “Both schools will benefit from this
change as it will allow each campus to showcase its strengths
and individuality,” said Widener President James T. Harris III.
“This change will allow us to enhance our student services and
educational offerings with separate law school administrations
dedicated to the different locations.”
Each school will have a new dean, replacing former School
of Law Dean Linda L. Ammons who retired in 2014.
Rod Smolla, a former president of Furman University and
noted attorney and award-winning author, will serve as dean
in Delaware. Smolla also has served as the dean of University
of Richmond School of Law and the Washington and Lee
University School of Law.
Christian A. Johnson, a professor who holds an endowed
chair at the University of Utah S.J. Quinney College of Law,
will become dean in Harrisburg.
For more information, the schools have new web sites:
harrisburglaw.widener.edu and delawarelaw.widener.edu.
Rod Smolla, left, will become the dean of the Widener
University Delaware Law School, based in Wilmington;
Christian A. Johnson, right, will serve as dean of the Widener
University Commonwealth Law School, based in Harrisburg.
3
An Era of Pride and Progress
President James T. Harris III leaving Widener after thirteen years to lead University of San Diego
What has changed since Dr. James
T. Harris III stepped into the Widener
University president’s office in 2002?
● Widener’s financial situation
strengthened while weathering the worst
national economic crisis since the Great
Depression. The endowment tripled to
more than $90 million, with most of that
coming from the more than $64 million
raised in Taking the Lead—The Campaign for
Widener.
The university’s focus on civically
engaging with the city of Chester and
surrounding communities earned Widener
recognition as a nationwide leader from the
United States President’s Higher Education
Community Service Honor Roll, the
Carnegie Foundation, and national media.
● The university focused on a
commitment to leadership, opening the
Oskin Leadership Institute, and developing
a broad range of leadership programs.
● Global awareness programs expanded
greatly, with faculty and students traveling
●
to and studying and researching in more
than forty countries. Widener’s campuses
also welcomed more students and faculty
from around the world than ever before.
But beyond these facts about his
administration’s accomplishments, how
will President Harris be remembered after
he departs to become president of the
University of San Diego?
What follows are photos of his time
at Widener, and what students, alumni,
faculty, administrators, and members of the
community had to say:
Jessica Borders ’16, Presidential Service Corps/Bonner Leader
Scholar; assistant vice president for Widener Dance Company;
co-chair of Colleges Against Cancer
President Harris is the epitome of Widener’s mission. His
passion for our university and the Chester community is
evident in all that he does. President Harris’s individualistic
approach to each and every person whom he encounters
makes everyone feel at home and feel the ability to achieve
anything. I am extremely thankful and feel blessed to have
crossed paths with President Harris.
Harris, pictured here in Belize in March, annually has
John L. Gedid, emeritus professor of law and founder and
traveled with students from the Presidential Service Corps/
former director of the Law & Government Institute on
Bonner Leader program on humanitarian aid Alternative
Spring Break trips in Central and South America.
Widener Law’s Harrisburg Campus
President Harris has led Widener to constant improvement.
His approachable style and excellent communication
Jeffrey T. Flynn ’04, ’05, Widener-PMC Alumni
Harris with Widener mascots Chester
and Melrose beside The Pride statue in
front of Founders Hall. Widener adopted
The Pride as its mascot in 2008.
4
skills led all persons in the Widener community to
Association president
understand the direction that we needed to move as a
From when he arrived in 2002, President Harris’ presence
university. His emphasis on community service as an
on campus and vision for the university’s future inspired
important university value increased the university’s
countless students, alumni, faculty members, and staff
reputation locally and nationally, and motivated students
to engage with the city of Chester, their communities at
and faculty to make their best efforts. James Harris has
home, and around the world. While we are certainly going
been an inspiring leader, and his firm hand at the helm of
to miss his leadership, he’s leaving behind a legacy at
Widener University will be missed.
Widener that will carry forward for decades.
5
Linda S. Durant, senior vice president for advancement
Rosalie Mirenda, president of Neumann University and
1995 Widener doctor of nursing science graduate
David Oskin ‘64, ‘07H, former chair of the
Working for Dr. Harris has been an amazing experience. I
A great colleague! A wonderful friend! An exemplary leader!
Board of Trustees, and benefactor of the Oskin
am honored and feel privileged to have been a member
What a joy it has been to get to know Dr. Harris. His work as
Leadership Institute
of his executive team during this time of incredible
Widener University’s president will be forever etched on the
Widener University was blessed years ago when
achievements and growth at Widener. His leadership is
campus and in the community. I watched Jim lead the university
Jim Harris became its leader. As board chair
exemplary, collaborative, and authentic. Members of the
to deeper levels of service and engagement in Chester, and
working closely with Jim, I have never worked
Widener community feel valued and that they are a part of
increase scholarship and excellence of programs at all levels. I am
with a more professional, caring, and supportive
the whole at the university. Dr. Harris will be sorely missed;
a very proud alumna of Widener’s doctoral program in nursing,
individual. His accomplishments at Widener have
however, he leaves Widener University a better institution.
and I am most grateful for the gift of Jim Harris in my life, the life
been phenomenal, and as president he has brought
of Widener, the city of Chester, the state of Pennsylvania, and the
great recognition to the university. I extend to him
national higher education community.
the best of good wishes for his future endeavors at
Chester Mayor John Linder, a 1976 Widener graduate
I’ve found in Jim Harris the greatest inspiration and
conviction in our cause to fulfill the evolution of
the city of Chester. He is one of the most steadfast,
dedicated, and impassioned partners with whom
I’ve had the honor and privilege of serving. He did
a lot of the heavy lifting in bringing Widener into
our community. He has been a great president for
Widener. We are all going to miss him very much.
the University of San Diego. Their gain is a plaudit
James E. Turner, director of marketing, Chester Regional Water
of Jim’s work in creating a new Widener with
Authority, and former director of economic development for
direction and vision. Our university’s future is bright
the Chester Economic Development Authority
as a result of Jim Harris’s stellar leadership.
When the history of Chester is written for this century,
there will not be a line in its success that doesn’t include
James T. Harris. President Harris took a fragmented
relationship between the city of Chester and Widener
and turned it into a partnership of progress. The greatest
impact will be seen for generations to come through the
creation of the Widener Partnership Charter School.
Jim’s creation of the charter school was the game changer
for this community, not just for the children, but for the
President Harris led the way in establishing the
families. He has caused an infectious, irreversible
Widener Partnership Charter School in 2006. The
One day each year Harris traded places with a student in
movement that said, “Better is possible.” There is not one
the President for a Day program, filling out the student’s
part of Chester that has not been impacted by his presence.
schedule while the student serves as president. In this
school in 2014 graduated its inaugural class of
eighth graders, all of whom will receive $100,000
scholarships if they qualify to attend Widener.
picture from 2010, Harris delivers newspapers on campus.
Nicole Gillette ’15, president of the Student
Government Association and a Presidential
Scott Van Bramer, Widener University’s faculty chair
Service Corps/Bonner Leader Scholar
and professor of chemistry
Each Halloween, Harris dressed up and gave candy to
The past thirteen years have seen many significant
children from Widener’s Child Development Center.
President Harris has transformed my experience
at Widener by showing students in a multitude
changes. We have all benefited from Widener’s growth
of ways that he is a fellow member of this
and as faculty chair, it has been a pleasure working with
John Culhane, professor of law and co-director of
engaging and inspiring academic community.
President Harris for the past two years. I was especially
the Family Health Law & Policy Institute on the
Never did I think I would consider the president
pleased with his support in adding academic rigor and
Widener Law Delaware Campus
of my university to be a mentor, but his
high impact practices to the new strategic plan. I have
Shortly after the California voters passed
personal connections with students, faculty, and
always been impressed that he knows everyone on
Proposition 8, which stripped same-sex couples of
staff across campus create a sense of solidarity
campus and he has obviously worked hard to help
the right to marry, Jim Harris came up to me at a
within our small, yet strong, undergraduate
Widener move forward, to clarify our mission, and
law school function. He told me how outrageous
community. His attendance at my chamber
provide our students with a valuable college experience.
he thought this was, and then asked what he, as
music recitals and research presentations,
a straight ally, could do to help. And since then,
he’s led the charge to make Widener an extremely
6
With Widener students in the Presidential Service Corps/Bonner Leader
program on the annual Alternative Spring Break trip to Belize in March.
shared dinners with fellow student leaders, and
an international trip to Belize are memories
LGBT-supportive environment—and in a very
that will not be forgotten. He had great impact
public way. I’ll miss his leadership and his warm,
on my perception of the type of relationship a
personal touch.
leader can form with his followers.
W
7
ON CAMPUS
ON CAMPUS
A Precedent in Print
Campaign Gift Funds New
Magazine about City of Chester
Students in a Widener University
Magazine Journalism course didn’t
simply write stories to hand into their
professor—they developed, reported,
wrote, and edited articles that were
published in the inaugural issue of Chester
magazine.
The university awarded the class a
$1,000 Schmutz Student Engagement
Mini Grant to produce the magazine.
John F. Schmutz, donor of the grant given
as part of Taking the Lead—The Campaign
for Widener, is an honored member of
Widener’s Board of Trustees. The
Schmutz grants are distributed annually
to support undergraduate student-led
projects that focus on Chester.
Khalil Williams, a junior communication
Chester Mayor John Linder with
Widener students Khalil Williams ’16, a
contributing editor for the magazine, and
Autumn Heisler ’15, chief copy editor.
studies major who is planning on a career
in public relations and advertising, wrote
two stories and took several photographs
that were published in the student-produced
magazine. “I like the idea of being a
storyteller,” said Williams, a native of Chester.
Williams’s work earned him the
Mayor’s Recognition Award, given by
Chester Mayor John Linder, a 1976
Widener graduate.
Linder said the Chester magazine can
serve as a valuable marketing tool to
attract businesses and investment in
the city. “The Widener students did an
excellent job bringing to life some of the
outstanding businesses, organizations, and
culture that Chester has to offer,” Linder
said. “We are excited about the future of
the city, and this magazine helps us tell
that story.”
The 28-page magazine about the city
was printed in limited numbers, but it can
be viewed online at www.widener.edu/
chestermagazine. Plans are underway for
a second issue of the Chester magazine to
appear in 2016.
Retired Four-Star General Named Board of Trustees Chair
J
ohn H. Tilelli Jr., an alumnus and
retired U.S. Army four-star general,
has been named chair of Widener
University’s Board of Trustees.
Tilelli will guide the trustees as the
university begins a search to replace
President James T. Harris III. “This is a
key time for the university and the Board
of Trustees as we search for a president
who will carry on the great work of Dr.
8
Harris and continue to lead the university
as a preeminent metropolitan university,”
Tilelli said.
Tilelli previously served as vice chair
of the board, and is a member of the
Academic Affairs Committee. He is a 1963
graduate of Pennsylvania Military College,
now Widener University, and was awarded
an honorary doctor of business administration degree from Widener in 1996.
He holds a master’s degree from Lehigh
University.
Tilelli’s military career began at
Pennsylvania Military College with his
commission as an Army officer in 1963.
During his 37-year career, he served two
combat tours in Vietnam, commanded the
1st Cavalry division during the Gulf War,
was vice chief of staff of the U.S. Army,
and concluded his active duty as a four-star
general and commander in chief of the
United Nations Command in Korea.
Following his retirement, Tilelli served
as president and chief executive officer of
the United Service Organization (USO)
Worldwide Operations. He currently is
chairman and chief executive officer of
Cypress International, Inc., a business
consulting firm in Alexandria, Va. He
also serves on the boards of directors for
Vision Technologies Kinetics, DynCorp
International, Armed Services YMCA,
and Rebuilding Together.
A trustee since 2001, Tilelli assumed
the role on February 12 from Nicholas P.
Trainer, who retired from the board after
five years as chair.
Trainer, a 1964 alumnus and retired
president of Sartomer Company Inc.,
served on the board for 30 years. Trainer
received the university’s Outstanding
Alumnus Award in 1985 and the Alumni
Service Award in 1996.
A Football Season to Remember
W
idener’s football team
chalked up an exceptional
2014 season, winning its
first twelve games and a
conference championship on its way to the
Division III NCAA Tournament “Elite Eight.”
The Pride ended the season with a
12-1 record (9-0 in the Middle Atlantic
Conference) and ranked 11th nationally
after losing in the NCAA quarterfinals.
The team posted an undefeated regular
season record for only the twelfth time
in the school’s 135-year football history.
Accolades included first year head coach
Mike Kelly being named Eastern College
Athletic Conference (ECAC) South
Co-Coach of the Year, and five players being named to the ECAC South
All-Star team: seniors Anthony Davis of
Upland, Pennsylvania; Brandon Harper
of Blackwood, New Jersey; and Ameer
Sorrell of Port Norris, New Jersey; junior
Robert Getz of Kunkletown, Pennsylvania;
and sophomore Sean Titus of Lancaster,
Pennsylvania.
Davis finished his exceptional
Widener career at the top of many historical statistical categories. He ranks first in
school history with 268 career receptions,
6,767 all-purpose yards, 3,958 receiving
yards, and 1,840 kickoff return yards. Davis
was voted All-American for his final three
years and was named the MAC Offensive
Player of the Year in 2013.
The 2015 football season opens with
a home game against Rowan University at
1 p.m. September 5. For more information,
visit www.widenerpride.com.
Coach Mike Kelly lead the Pride to a
12-1 record in his first season. Anthony
Davis finished a storybook career atop
several all-time statistical categories.
A FIRST CLASS
HALL OF FAME
An NFL star, a dominant women’s swim
team, two influential coaches, and a
generous philanthropist made up the
first class inducted into the Widener
University Athletic Hall of Fame.
The inductees were honored
during Homecoming in October 2014:
• Billy “White Shoes” Johnson ’75,
the record-setting kick returner
and running back who played
fourteen years in the NFL.
• The five All-Americans from the
1977 women’s swimming team
that went undefeated over two
consecutive seasons: Donna Bender,
Doreen (McGowan) Nixon, Linda
Fleck, Patty (Leayman) Norton, and
Marsha (Reinecker) Oropollo.
• Bill Manlove, who coached
Widener to two football NCAA
Division III championships in
his tenure from 1969-1991.
Pictured from left, are George A. Hansell III, Marsha (Reinecker) Oropollo, Billy
“White Shoes” Johnson, Bill Manlove, Patty (Leayman) Norton, and Edith R. Dixon
• George A. Hansell Jr., whose
38-year career at PMC and Widener
included coaching track and field
from 1946-1974, coaching football
from 1953-1961, and serving as
director of athletics from 19551974. Hansell died in 1988.
• Philanthropist Fitz Dixon Jr., an
heir to the Widener family, joined
the Board of Trustees in 1961 and
served as chair twenty-four years,
playing an integral role in supporting
athletics and transforming Widener
from a military college. Dixon,
who owned the Philadelphia 76ers
from 1976-1981, died in 2006.
For more information on the inductees,
visit www.widenerpride.com/hof.aspx.
Members of the Blue & Gold Club
may nominate athletes for the next
class to be inducted in 2016. For more
information, please visit the club’s page
at www.widenerpride.com or contact
Jack Shafer, director of athletics, at
jlshafer@widener.edu or 610-499-4437.
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Campaign Pillar:
Academic Excellence
Gift enables Widener faculty
and students to conduct
extensive scientific research
By Allyson Roberts
One
Fruit
Fly
at
a
Time
10
The common fruit fly.
We know them as pesky insects that
buzz around our kitchens, covering our
countertops and fruit baskets, seemingly
doubling by the hour. But scientific
researchers see them in a different light:
not as pests, but as model organisms and
research subjects to study questions
critical to human health.
Dr. Hemlata Mistry, a Widener
associate professor of biology, has made
the fruit fly—known to scientists as the
Drosophila melanogaster—a centerpiece of her
research. As a scientist particularly interested in learning more about the nervous
system, Mistry values the fruit fly because
there is a high degree of similarity
not only in genes between fruit flies and
humans, but also in the networks and
mechanisms through which the gene
products interact. With the powerful
genetic tools available, researchers can
use fruit flies to study genetic, cellular,
and molecular mechanisms implicated in
human health and disease, particularly
spinal cord injuries.
“Some may question using fruit flies in
research that could have future implications
on the treatment of spinal cord injuries in
humans, especially since they don’t have
vertebrae,” Mistry said. “But all animals
share a common origin, so it makes sense
that they will all share the same basic
mechanisms that give rise to cellular and
genetic development of the central nervous
system. Therefore, we can absolutely make
meaningful discoveries through research
with flies. The advantage of starting on
flies is that you can make significant
headway much faster, as the lifecycle of
a fruit fly is just 10 days, and do so at a
much cheaper price tag.”
Mistry’s current research endeavor
involves wounding the nervous system of
fruit fly embryos to determine the effects
on the nervous system and monitoring the
insects’ response to trauma. She says that
the results could pave the way for future
research that discovers the key to treating
spinal cord injuries in humans.
“All organisms are able to repair
damaged tissue to different extents, but
few animals have true regeneration
potential,” Mistry said. “We do not
understand why repair or cell regeneration
in the nervous system is so limited after
trauma caused by injury or neurodegenerative disease. More recently, studies have
begun to look at damage to the nervous
system with hope that we can begin to fill
this void.”
To help sustain her project, Mistry
was named the first Cynthia H. Sarnoski
Science Faculty Fellow at Widener. The
two-year fellowship, which Mistry received
in 2013, was established by Sarnoski, an
alumnae and member of the Widener
Board of Trustees. The fellowship, funded
by a gift to Taking the Lead—The Campaign for
Widener, will rotate to lend support to
science faculty members in their
scholarship and research endeavors.
Sarnoski, who graduated from
Widener with a chemistry degree in 1974
and retired from Pfizer in 2012 as a senior
vice president of global compliance and
quality systems, says that her Widener
experience motivated her to establish
the fellowship. The work she did as an
undergraduate student with faculty left a
lasting impression. “At the time, you don’t
realize it, but the experience is really rich,”
she said. “You have to carefully plan your
course of action and then deal with problems and mistakes as they arise. Through
the entire process, you are developing skills
that are vital for when you leave the
university and go out into the workforce.”
11
As evidenced by Widener’s growing
Summer Research Program and subsequent
end-of-summer research symposium, for
which Sarnoski has served as a judge,
student-faculty research collaborations
continue to flourish at Widener. Sarnoski
sees her fellowship as a way of ensuring this
tradition grows and students continue to
benefit from the same research experiences
and “open access” to faculty as she once did.
Mistry is doing just that. She has
involved Widener students in the earliest
stages of her current research project.
Joseph Chiaro ’10 originally expressed an
interest in looking at the same genes in
the fruit fly that may affect the integrity
of the spinal cord in humans. This led to
discussions about the best way to examine
these genes, and the idea emerged of
inflicting trauma to see how the genes
responded. The baton was then passed to
Megan Donegan ’12, who helped Mistry
refine the protocol for her study.
After Donegan graduated, Mistry
began working with Shijo Benjamin, a
rising junior biochemistry major in the
Medical Scholars Program, when Benjamin
was just a freshman. He has helped Mistry
experiment with different methods of
wounding the fruit fly embryos. Much of
their work has involved the meticulous
process of wounding tens of thousands of
embryos—each only one mm long—making
sure the nerve cord is severed, and the
animal survives the process.
Using an inverted microscope, they
carefully poke the nerve cord with a glass
needle, sufficiently enough to injure the
cord, but not quite enough to destroy it.
They then wash and freeze the embryos in
sets. For a control, they put the embryos
through the same process, but they do not
injure them. “This whole experience thus
far has taught me about perseverance as
trial and error is an important part of the
research process,” Benjamin said. “There
was very little research—if any—about
wounding fruit fly embryos, and we
certainly destroyed a lot in our attempts
to come up with an effective method
ourselves, but we got there.”
Once Mistry and Benjamin collect the
entire sample of embryos, they’ll send it
away to an external lab for analysis. They
have been joined by Christin Manilal,
a freshman biology major, and together
they will spend the summer analyzing and
verifying their data and determining what
genes to focus on for the study.
Mistry said genes that change
significantly in the wounded embryos
compared to the untouched embryos will
get their attention. “This means something
has been turned off or turned on,” she
said. “Then, the next part is up to us. Will
we want to look specifically at genes that
affect inflammation or genes that affect
growth? If we can identify that genes that
affect growth have been turned off, does
this mean that they can be turned back on
down the line? These are the types of questions we are hoping to spark in the minds
of other researchers who may build upon
our study.”
Mistry says her research on fruit flies
can lay the essential groundwork for future
breakthroughs in human health treatments.
“Nobody can study how to replace the
function that is lost as a result of a spinal
cord injury if we do not know what is lost
and why,” Mistry said. “We are taking a
first pass at this research by looking at the
effects of trauma in a model system such
as the fruit fly. Perhaps it will be one of my
students who will take this research to
the next level someday.”
In addition to working with her
research students this summer, Mistry
plans to incorporate some of the analysis
in her 2015-2016 classes to introduce
more students to the process of scientific
investigation and the generation of skills
they will require in their careers. She says
that the fellowship has helped her divert
the attention that she would have spent
looking for money back into her research
and her students.
With support from the fellowship, she
hopes to take Benjamin with her to the
Annual Drosophila Research Conference
or “fly meeting” to present their work.
“The research process teaches us that we
never stop learning,” Mistry said.
As for Sarnoski, she’s very pleased
with the project that bears her name.
“Dr. Mistry’s research—and the extent to
which she includes Widener undergraduate
students—are great examples of the type of
research and scholarship I hoped to reward
through the fellowship,” she said. W
Furthering Academic Excellence
in Legal Education
Three Leading Alumni of Widener
Law in Harrisburg Are Funding
Scholarships through Taking the
Lead—The Campaign for Widener
Doug Wolfberg will never forget
the phone call he received more
than twenty years ago that interrupted his infant son’s bath: it was
the Widener Law dean offering
him a scholarship. “At the time,
having a baby and only my wife’s
income, it was a godsend,” said
Wolfberg, a 1996 graduate of
Widener Law in Harrisburg. “It
was a game-changer, and it really
helped me to be able to start my
law career with little to no debt.”
Wolfberg would go on to
become a founding partner
of Page, Wolfberg & Wirth in
Mechanicsburg, Pennsylvania, a
leading firm specializing in law
associated with emergency medical
services. He is returning the support he received two decades ago
by funding a scholarship for a law
student on the Harrisburg campus
through the Taking the Lead—The
Campaign for Widener. “Not only
did I get help,” Wolfberg said, “but
I got the education at Widener
that put me in a position to be
able to give back to the school.”
Two members of the
Widener Law Harrisburg class of
1994—Michael Aiello and Doug
Steinhardt—also have created
substantial new scholarships in an
effort to share with students the
legal education that benefited them.
“My decision to go to Widener
Law was probably one of the best
decisions of my life,” said Aiello,
a board member and chairman
of the corporate department of
Weil, Gotshal & Manges in New
York. Aiello was named the 2014
Dealmaker of the Year by The
American Lawyer magazine.
Steinhardt—a partner with
Florio, Petrucci, Steinhardt & Fader,
a firm with offices in New Jersey,
New York, and Pennsylvania—has
served five terms as mayor of
Lopatcong, New Jersey, and is
the chairman of the Republican
Party in Warren County. “I got an
excellent education at Widener
Law, and it certainly gave me
the tools that I needed to go out
and be successful,” he said.
1
4
2
12
3
1. Students use a glass needle to
poke the nerve cords of fruit flies.
2. Shijo Benjamin ’17, a
biochemistry major in Widener’s
Medical Scholars Program.
3. Dr. Hemlata Mistry, associate
professor of biology, in the
lab with Benjamin.
4. Christian Manilal ’18, a freshman
biology major working with Mistry.
Photos by Melanie Franz
Doug Wolfberg, a 1996 graduate of Widener Law Harrisburg, is a founding
partner of a leading emergency medical services law firm based in
Mechanicsburg, Pennsylvania. He is funding a scholarship for a law student.
13
Widener Leadership Working
Campaign Pillar:
Leadership
Campaign gifts totaling $7 million fuel a
robust leadership development agenda
High school juniors were honored in
March at the National Constitution
Center with a leadership award
that includes a $20,000 scholarship
if the student attends Widener.
By Dan Hanson ’97
Light streams in through the windows
of the National Constitution Center in
Philadelphia, enveloping the room in
an ethereal glow, as if Mother Nature
herself were granting approval of the
gathering of eager faces: more than 130
high school juniors preparing to accept
leadership awards.
As recipients of the High School
Leadership Awards presented by Widener
University and WCAU-TV/NBC10,
these sixteen- and seventeen-year-olds
have been hand-picked by their schools in
Delaware, New Jersey, and Pennsylvania
for making a difference. Among them is
a student who traveled to Haiti to help
build schools, another who coordinated
fundraising for a horse farm to provide
14
programs to adults with developmental
disabilities, and a third who founded a
group to promote safe teen driving.
When the Oskin Leadership Institute
was founded in 2011 with a $5 million gift
from the family of David ’64, ’07H, and
JoEllen Oskin, the hope was to attract
more students like these to Widener,
perpetuating the university’s tradition of
inspiring students to be strategic leaders
and responsible citizens who possess the
character, courage, and competencies to
affect positive change throughout the world.
The High School Leadership Award
recipients are offered a $20,000 scholarship if they attend Widener. In four years
the awards program has attracted fifteen
students, known as Apogee Scholars. Justin
Jackson, a sophomore political science major
from Philadelphia who is an Apogee Scholar,
said the award has made “a huge impact
on my life. If it wasn’t for the Leadership
Award, I probably wouldn’t be at Widener.”
The awards and scholarships are only
part of a far-reaching slate of leadership
development programs offered by the
Oskin Leadership Institute. These
initiatives were made possible by gifts
totaling more than $7 million to Taking the
Lead—The Campaign for Widener. In addition
to the Oskin gift, trustees Nicholas
Trainer ’64; John H. Tilelli Jr. ’63, ’96H;
Vito Verni ’61; Paul Beideman ’79, ’14H;
and Richard Tan ’09H have all created
endowed funds to establish individual
leadership programs.
Leadership Certificate
Program
Can you pare down your personal
leadership philosophy to twenty-eight
characters or less? That’s one of the
challenges that face students in the
Leadership Certificate Program. To earn
the certificate, students must complete
eighteen workshops on a variety of
leadership-related topics including
ethical fitness, personal courage, and
leadership myths and stereotypes among
others. Since the program was launched
in fall 2013, more than forty students have
received the certificate.
Ryan Raiker’s succinct leadership
philosophy says, “I conquer all fear.”
A junior informatics major from
15
Philadelphia, he was one of the first
students to earn the certificate. He said,
“I wanted to earn my leadership certificate
to gain knowledge and learn how to be a
better leader, to learn how to inspire
others, and to lead others in the workforce,
in my personal life, and throughout my
experience at Widener.”
The reach of the program goes well
beyond students seeking the leadership
certificate. More than one thousand
undergraduate students have participated
in at least one of the 307 leadership
workshops. “Over half the freshmen class
for the last two years knows the Oskin
Institute,” said Dr. Arthur J. Schwartz,
executive director of the institute. “These
workshops have been part of their classes,
so it sends a signal that ‘My professor
cares about leadership.’ That has been so
critical to our success.”
Faculty Research
Former Widener Board of Trustees
Chair Nicholas P. Trainer and his family
established the Trainer Endowed
Leadership Fund to enable Widener
faculty to conduct research on topics
related to the mission of the institute.
Dr. James Vike, associate professor of
political science, the institute’s inaugural
Trainer Faculty Fellow, conducted research
on political partisanship and its effect on
civic engagement. “Being a Trainer Faculty
Fellow was tremendously helpful in
furthering my research on civility and
political engagement in a deeply polarized
era,” said Vike, who also worked with the
Oskin Institute to develop a leadership
minor and strengthen its connection with
academic and co-curricular programs.
“The innovative design of the fellowship
not only supports faculty research into
leadership-affiliated topics, but also
provides a mechanism for strengthening
connections among individuals with
scholarly or applied interest in leadership
across a wide range of programs on campus.”
16
Graduate Student Fellowships
Fellowships available through the Oskin
Leadership Institute aren’t just for faculty;
graduate students are part of the experience
too. Retired four-star general John H.
Tilelli Jr., chair of the Board of Trustees,
in 2007 established the Tilelli Leadership
Fellowship that is awarded annually to
select graduate students whose scholarly
research contributes to developing strategic
leaders and responsible citizens.
Adam Hillner, a 2010 Widener
graduate with a doctorate in clinical
psychology, was one of the first Tilelli
Fellows. He served as an executive coach
in Widener’s Organizational Development
Services (ODS), a unit of the Institute for
Graduate Clinical Psychology that works
collaboratively with leaders to increase
organizational effectiveness through
leadership training programs, workshops,
and other services.
Hillner worked with campus and
community leaders on how to optimize
their leadership skills. He also conducted
training sessions in emotional competence,
the ability for people to assess their own
emotional reactions to situations to
improve their leadership skills. “I can
speak from first-hand experience to the
value of this fellowship both in terms of my
individual development as a psychologist
working to affect positive change in the
ways that leaders guide their followers, as
well as the contribution to the field that
recipients of this fellowship can make,”
said Hillner, who serves as a consultant
with the National Center for
Organizational Development.
Experiential Learning
With the opening of the Oskin Leadership
Institute, Vito Verni ’61 saw the need to
tie leadership development to another of
the university’s mission-driven goals—
experiential learning. He and his wife,
Mary, established a student leadership
fund to provide opportunities for Widener
students to increase their understanding of
leadership through a variety of experiences.
Because of the Verni Student
Leadership Fund, Dan Hartney ’14, was
able to travel to a hydroponic greenhouse
to learn from professionals in the industry
and also attended the annual Futures
Summit in Rochester, New York, where
he was able to network within the
hydroponic industry and meet a pioneer
in vertical farming research. “This
experience catapulted the research I had
been doing and inspired new, innovative
ideas,” Hartney said. “It is because of these
invaluable experiences and the opportunities they create that I truly believe
that experiential learning at the Oskin
Leadership Institute helped build the foundation of my future.”
Visiting Scholars
Widener Board of Trustees Vice-Chair
Paul Beideman and his wife, Caroline,
established the Beideman Visiting Scholar
program in 2011. Through their gift,
distinguished scholars spend time at
Widener sharing their leadership expertise
with students, faculty, and administrators.
The Beideman Scholars also deliver a
lecture that is transcribed and published
as part of the Oskin Thought Leader
Series. Last fall, the institute welcomed
Dr. Sean T. Hannah as the Beideman
Visiting Scholar. The Tylee Wilson chair
of business ethics and professor of
management at Wake Forest University,
Hannah directs Wake Forest’s Center
for Leadership and Character. Prior to
his appointment, he was one of the U.S.
Army’s most senior leadership experts.
“Mr. Beideman’s gift has provided a
wonderful opportunity to bring nationally
known leaders to Widener to share their
experiences and expertise with the
university community,” Schwartz said.
Voices of Leadership
A centerpiece in American military history,
the bugle called troops to action and kept
them informed over vast distances prior to
radio technology. That call to action is why
a bugle is presented to honored guests at
the annual Voices of Leadership dinner.
Justin Jackson,
a sophomore
political science
major from
Philadelphia
who is an
Apogee Scholar,
said the
High School
Leadership
Award he
received has
made “a huge
impact on
my life. If it
wasn’t for the
Leadership
Award, I
probably
wouldn’t be
at Widener.”
Beginning in 2011, Widener and the
institute have annually recognized the call
to leadership of prominent business
executives from the region through the
event. The evening includes an intimate,
on-stage conversation between the honoree
and a Widener trustee during which the
honoree shares personal anecdotes and life
lessons relating to leadership, moral
courage, and integrity.
Honorees have included former
ARAMARK chairman and CEO Joseph
Neubauer; Boeing Defense, Space and
Security President and CEO Dennis
at the authority. “The workshops were
insightful and fun, and as a result we grew
as leaders.”
The institute launched its executive
leadership development program in 2012,
thanks to a $1 million gift from the
family of trustee Richard Tan, founder and
president of Pacific Millennium Holdings
Corporation of Shanghai, China. Since
then, Pacific Millennium has sent a dozen
managers to Widener twice a year for
leadership training.
The institute also has developed
customized training programs for Aetna
Muilenburg; DuPont chair and CEO Ellen
Kullman; and Philadelphia Newspapers
owner and publisher H.F. “Gerry” Lenfest.
Insurance, TD Bank, UPS, and Qinghai
University in China. “What we offer is
not one size fits all,” said Jon Peterson,
director of the institute’s executive
leadership program. “We customize our
content to the culture and needs of an
organization and use best practices based
on current research.” W
Executive Leadership
Development
How can we develop more agility in
our leadership? That’s the question the
Chester Water Authority asked the Oskin
Leadership Institute. In response, the
institute developed a custom leadership
development program for the authority
focused on such topics as the characteristics of high-performing teams, courage/
risk taking, and creating positive energy.
“The Oskin Leadership Institute provides
dynamic programming that supports the
authority’s core principles,” said Michael
D’Agostino, manager of human resources
Pictured above: At the 2014 Voices of
Leadership dinner, from left to right,
JoEllen Oskin; H.F. “Gerry” Lenfest,
owner and publisher of the Philadelphia
Inquirer, Daily News, and Philly.
com; Apogee Scholar Justin Jackson
’17; David Oskin ‘07H, benefactor of
the Oskin Leadership Institute; and
Widener President James T. Harris III.
17
Celebrating Success by the Numbers
Taking the Lead—The Campaign for Widener
set out to secure a level of support
unprecedented in its history. The
ambitious goal was set at $58 million
to endow student aid, ensure faculty
excellence, support new programs
and initiatives, and achieve capital project
objectives. We surpassed that goal with
more than $64 million committed to
the campaign.
The campaign officially kicked off
in November 2010 with a gala for key
university supporters at the Four Seasons
Hotel in Philadelphia.
To close the evening, President
James T. Harris III proposed a toast:
“Thank you for honoring our shared
past, and for believing in the future we
will all build together.”
In January 2011, Law School campuses
in Harrisburg and Delaware held campaign
kick-off celebrations. Among their priorities
was funding for signature programs and
scholarships along with diversity initiatives
and special projects. The School of Law set
its goal at $12 million, which it surpassed
by more than one million dollars.
All sectors of the university community
came together for the Main Campus
campaign rally held in April 2011 at the
Chester campus. A cadre of student
leaders addressed the crowd, expressing
how they were taking the lead because
of the opportunities they’ve received
at Widener.
Text by Kathleen Butler
Photos by Ryan Donnell
18
123
“Thank you for honoring
our shared past, and for
believing in the future we
will all build together.”
Taking the Lead ~The Campaign
for Widener was the single
most ambitious and successful
fundraising effort in Widener’s
history.
Financial aid awards doubled,
helping to attract Widener’s
largest and most diverse
undergraduate population ever.
Widener’s endowment,
the financial foundation
for the university’s future,
tripled during the course
of the campaign.
$9 million
Amount contributed by
foundations.
52%
Faculty/staff giving reached an
all-time high during the campaign.
We did it!
The success of
Taking the Lead ~
The Campaign
for Widener is
a powerful
affirmation
of all that the
university will
achieve in
the future.
8,260
Number of donors who made
their first gift to Widener during
the campaign.
Alumni serve as the
foundation for the
success of this
campaign and all of
our future success.
$10,569,315
Campaign
priorities
included
increasing the
endowment,
faculty
excellence, new
programs, and
capital projects.
100%
The campaign introduced
Promising Futures, which
channels all Widener Fund
gifts to financial aid.
Alumni, trustees,
students, faculty,
staff, parents, and
business partners
enthusiastically
showed their
support and gave
in record numbers.
20
761
Members of the university’s
Trustees’ Loyalty Society,
which was established during
the campaign. Members of this
prestigious group have given
faithfully to the university for
at least twenty years.
38
New scholarships on the Main
Campus were created during
the campaign.
million
Dollars raised by the campaign
that exceeded our goal.
million
$64
Amount raised for scholarships and awards during the campaign.
Each and
every gift, no
matter the size,
helped propel
the university
well past the
ambitious goal.
6
$
Trustees and
other loyal
friends have
made significant
gifts that will
alter the face
of Widener
for generations
to come.
The success of
Taking the Lead ~
The Campaign for
Widener heralds
the dawn of a
bold new era in
the university’s
history.
Raised by the campaign.
15,982
Number of alumni, friends, students, and university partners
who supported the campaign.
19
New scholarships at the law
school were created during the
campaign.
$9,595,564
With the resources
provided by the
campaign, Widener
is prepared to
take its rightful
position among
the nation’s
leading universities.
Amount contributed by corporations.
21
Brian Panella ‘16L
Vice President of the
Student Bar Association
at the Delaware Campus of
Widener School of Law
The School of Law
surpassed its campaign
goal of $12 million by more
than one million dollars.
The campaign expanded
opportunities for students
to excel in clinics and public
interest programs,
strengthened diversity, enhanced
student scholarships, and
grew the endowment.
Jeff Flynn ’04, ’05
President of
Widener’s Alumni
Association
The campaign brought
about increased
alumni engagement
across the country. At
the start of the campaign
there were no regional
alumni chapters; now there are
nineteen, re-connecting alumni from
Puerto Rico to Alaska.
Lorina L. Marshall-Blake
Tyler Palma ‘17
Mechanical Engineering
Tyler spent 25 days in China
where he attended Chongqing
Technology and Business
University.
Global Awareness, a
campaign priority, was
strengthened through gifts
such as the one million dollar
contribution from Richard Tan,
which has been instrumental in
creating and cultivating
partnerships between Widener
and universities in China.
President, Independence
Blue Cross Foundation
Scholarship support for
students rose significantly
during the campaign. For
example, the Independence
Blue Cross Foundation
provided nearly $350,000
to nursing scholarships for
both undergraduate and
graduate students.
Joe Hargadon ’80 and ‘82
Professor in the
School of Business
Guillaune (Peter) Laforest
6th grade student at the Widener
Partnership Charter School (WPCS)
The charter school was the
beneficiary of several
generous gifts during
the campaign, including
$1 million from PECO
and the Exelon
Foundation in support of
Science, Technology, and
Math (STEM) initiatives
at the school.
Administration
Faculty and staff
showed the depth of their
support for Widener
students through increased
giving during the campaign.
Many, like Joe, are
members of the Trustees’ Loyalty
Society, a new giving society that
recognizes all those who have given to
the university for at least twenty years.
Faces of Success
Spencer Ng ’15 Biochemistry
Spencer is in Widener’s Honors
Program and a member of the
Presidential Service Corps/Bonner
Leader program. After graduating,
she plans to continue her education
at medical school.
Enhanced financial
aid and scholarships
funded by the
campaign have helped
the university attract a
highly diverse and
academically wellprepared student body.
Lake Greene ’17
Apogee Scholar
Psychology
Programs like the
High School Leadership
Awards encourage young
leaders from throughout the
region to choose Widener.
Those who do are
named Apogee Scholars
and personify the
university’s focus on
developing leaders.
Ollie Armitage
Pennsylvania Military
College ‘49
Loyal friends from
the university’s PMC
era showed their
support in a variety of
ways during the
campaign, including
providing funds for the
cadet/civilian statue in
front of Old Main and
the clock which stands
in front of University Center.
A representative sampling of those who gave to, and those who benefited from Taking the Lead ~The Campaign for Widener.
Chloë Mannings ‘16L
Chloë is co-founder of the
Youth Court League, a group
that introduces and
conducts restorative
justice programs at
schools in Chester.
Civic Engagement is
not only a campaign pillar,
but it has become
synonymous with a
Widener education.
Melvin Holmes ’14
Accounting Data Analyst
at Connect America
Medical Alert
Each and every gift,
no matter the size,
helped propel the
campaign past the goal.
As a member of the
Senior Class Gift
Committee last year,
Melvin made his first
gift to the university.
He now joins the ranks of alumni
who make giving back to the
university an annual tradition.
Liz Tarloski
Liz is an attorney overseeing
cases in the Veterans Law
Clinic. Campaign funding
partially supported her position
as a Taishoff-Equal Justice
Works AmeriCorps Fellow.
Success Celebrated
Celebrating Success
on Campus
Those who haven’t visited
Widener’s Main Campus in Chester
since the campaign began are in
for a surprise. The university has
invested more than $220 million in
infrastructure over the past decade,
making way for new programs and
majors and creating a picturesque
campus environment that has
helped bolster enrollment numbers.
The Bown Dome Sculpture Garden, the result of a
$1.25 million campaign gift from Tom ‘67 and Bonnie
Bown, created an expansive green space behind
Old Main, centered with a 52-foot dome sculpture
that echoes the iconic dome atop Old Main.
Founders Hall, opened in 2011, is the home of the Oskin
Leadership Institute and the School of Nursing. The
35,000-square foot building was the first on campus
to earn the prestigious Leadership in Energy and
Environmental Design (LEED) silver certification.
Programs in communication studies, informatics, and
computer science found a new home when Freedom Hall
opened in 2013. The 28,500-square foot LEED certified
building houses computer labs, a computer forensics lab,
and a TV studio along with audio and video editing suites.
Students will be living and learning in style when the
university opens the new 200-bed, four-story residence
hall at 15th and Potter streets. The 70,000-square foot
hall will feature apartment-style living, as well as more
traditional layouts, and feature food service on the
first floor open to students and the public. The new
residence hall also has been named LEED certified.
The School of Law campuses also saw renovations
and makeovers during the campaign. Improvement
and beautification projects, such as the Legacy Plaza
Fountain on the Delaware Campus, helped create an
inviting, attractive environment for students and visitors.
26
266
The Widener community on April 11
celebrated the conclusion of the
most successful fundraising
effort in university history,
bringing together donors,
faculty, staff, and students for a
carnival-like event on campus.
On April 24, the university
expressed its appreciation for
contributors of gifts of $25,000
and above and volunteers with
a luncheon at Lathem Hall.
A Toast to the Future
At the campaign kickoff gala in 2010, President
Jim Harris proposed a toast in anticipation of the
campaign. At the April 24 luncheon, he again asked
those in attendance to raise their glass. This time, he
toasted the journey we have all been on together:
“On the strength of your loyalty and commitment,
this campaign has ushered in a new era in the
history of Widener University. We pay tribute to
the glorious and storied path already traveled and
celebrate the road ahead, knowing that because
of this campaign, the course has been set for this
university to achieve its destiny of greatness.
“Here’s to the future of Widener University!”
27
HELP ON THE
HOMEFRONT
Civic
Engagement
Campaign-Funded Fellows Aid Veterans Seeking Benefits
By Mary Allen
The decision by the Department of
Veterans Affairs floored William Truitt:
The agency had revoked his much-needed
medical disability payments.
It was June 2012 and the southern
Delaware resident who owns a 14-by-70foot Redman mobile home—but rents
the land underneath it—was already
stretched thin.
The 59-year-old out-of-work Navy
veteran appealed to a VA counselor and
submitted requests for the agency to
reconsider. But the VA denied him,
prompting Truitt, as he said, to
go into “starvation survival mode.”
He borrowed money. He searched
for odd jobs. He scavenged for discarded
pallets he could recycle for cash to buy
Spam and hot dogs to feed his family. “It
almost sent me over the edge,” said Truitt,
who in addition to his wife, daughter, and
father-in-law, had temporarily taken in his
wife’s grown daughter and her child.
After struggling to make ends meet,
he learned of Widener’s Veterans Law
Clinic, an 18-year-old program on the
Delaware Campus of Widener Law that
supports veterans appealing decisions
involving medical disability claims. He
contacted the clinic and was assigned
to Liz Tarloski, a Taishoff-Equal Justice
Works AmeriCorps Fellow, a position
for an attorney on the clinic staff funded
in part by a gift to Taking the Lead—The
Campaign for Widener. “I thought it was just
wonderful they would accept my case,”
Truitt said. “They knew I was broke.
They accepted it anyway.”
Tarloski discovered that the VA had
erred in cutting Truitt’s $1,169 monthly
benefits for a service-connected skin
condition that left him unable to work.
He served on a nuclear-powered aircraft
carrier as a machinist mate fireman
apprentice in the 1970s, developing a
persistent form of dermatitis that
intensifies with physical exertion. After
the VA set a hearing date for Truitt in
December, Tarloski put out a call for a
student volunteer to make the oral
argument on his behalf.
Third-year law student Kendrick
McLeod jumped at the opportunity. He
had three weeks to prepare, studying the
case, planning the argument and vetting
it with Tarloski. The hearing came during
final exams, but that didn’t slow his efforts
on Truitt’s behalf. “Meeting with him
put everything into perspective for me,”
McLeod said. “Clients are not numbers
on a piece of paper. They are real people,
and you’re helping them get compensation
they deserve.”
Tarloski supported McLeod
throughout the argument. He looked to
her during the hearing for encouragement
and for confirmation that his answers
to the hearing officer’s questions were
complete and accurate. “Without her, this
wouldn’t have been possible,” McLeod said.
Before Christmas—in what was
near-record time for a decision, but more
than two years after Truitt’s payments were
cut—the VA reinstated Truitt’s benefits
at an enhanced level and said he would
receive back pay for the missed payments.
“It was such a relief,” Truitt said. “I have
nothing but high praise for the clinic.”
Tarloski is still working on a posttraumatic stress disorder claim that could
help Truitt’s financial situation further.
“I feel like a wrong has been righted,”
Tarloski said of her progress on his case.
“I’ve been able to use the legal skills I’ve
gained to apply to a situation and better
a person’s life.”
At right, William Truitt in March, and
above in the 1970s as a Navy machinist
mate fireman apprentice. Widener’s
Veterans Law Clinic convinced the
Department of Veterans Affairs to
reinstate his benefits that had been
cut, a move that caused Truitt and his
family to go into “starvation mode.”
Photos By Melanie Franz
28
29
A RECORD YEAR
Truitt’s is one of 265 active cases being
handled by the clinic.
Founded in 1997, the Veterans Law
Clinic doesn’t take payments for its
services. The clinic provides free legal aid
to disabled veterans and their dependents
with claims pending before the VA. The
clinic specializes in representing veterans’
cases on appeal from VA regional offices
in Philadelphia and Wilmington to the
Board of Veterans Appeals and the Court
of Appeals for Veterans Claims.
The clinic also assists veterans with
other matters related to veterans law,
including pension cases, overpayment
cases, and discharge upgrades, as well as
legal issues that are impediments to
financial security, such as expungement
of certain criminal charges, collection
of medical bills, and obtaining Social
Security.
In addition to Truitt’s case, Tarloski
in 2014 closed out a case on behalf of a
veteran with mental health issues. He
was awarded a total of $800,000 in
back benefits—a clinic record—in two
decisions over two years. For the calendar
year 2014, the Veterans Law Clinic
recovered $1.7 million—the highest
dollar amount recouped for its veteran
clients in a single year since it began
operations. Total benefits recovered by
the clinic since its inception now exceed
$7 million, with slightly more than half of
that coming in the last three years.
The clinic’s outstanding track record
prompted Delaware Gov. Jack Markell
in October to award it a 2014 Delaware
Governor’s Outstanding Volunteer Award
for community service, recognizing the
clinic’s “generous gifts of time, talent,
and energy.”
CAMPAIGN-FUNDED
FELLOWSHIPS
Tarloski joined the clinic in the fall
of 2013 as an Equal Justice Works
AmeriCorps Fellow. She had earned her
law degree little more than a year before
30
at Drexel University’s Thomas R. Kline
School of Law and had an eye for public
interest work. Clinic Director Susan
Saidel had secured funding that required
a match from the law school. A portion
of the $1.2 million gift from the Floridabased Taishoff Family Foundation, headed
by Delaware alumnus Capt. Robert
Taishoff ’89, met the match requirement
for an additional year and the Taishoff
name was added to Tarloski’s title. The
endowed gift establishing the Taishoff
Advocacy, Technology, and Public
Service Institute on the Delaware
Campus in 2009 is the largest ever
given to the law school.
The clinic’s outstanding
track record prompted
Delaware Gov. Jack Markell
to award it a 2014 Delaware
Governor’s Outstanding
Volunteer Award for community service, recognizing
the clinic’s “generous gifts
of time, talent, and energy.”
Saidel said Tarloski’s success on the
Truitt case demonstrates the broader
civic engagement impact of Widener’s
campaign, and what was possible because
of gifts like the one made by the Taishoff
Family Foundation. “The gift allowed
us to provide desperately needed legal
assistance to Mr. Truitt and others by
having Liz Tarloski on staff with the
clinic, and it boosted the skills-building
experience for Kendrick McLeod, who
got to play a pivotal role in this case as
a student, with Liz’s assistance,” Saidel
said. “Even more importantly, I think,
was that it allowed us to provide services
that restored a U.S. veteran’s dignity and
quality of life.”
Tarloski’s role will conclude this
September. A second fellow, Jana DiCosmo,
a 2012 Widener Law graduate, began
working in the clinic in September. Her
position, also funded in equal parts by
the Taishoff Family Foundation and
Equal Justice Works AmeriCorps, will
run through September. “The fact that
I’m able to return to my law school and
help people who’ve given so much is really
rewarding,” said DiCosmo, whose father,
two brothers, and a sister all served in the
Army. “My job shouldn’t exist. Veterans
shouldn’t need attorneys to get their
benefits. But I’m so incredibly proud to
be here to do it.”
DiCosmo came to the clinic from a
clerkship with Gloucester County, N.J.,
Superior Court Judge Mary K. White.
Like Tarloski, she is determined to use
her law degree for public good. To date
she has about thirty active cases and she is
assisting with other clinic cases as needed.
Her door is always open for students to
wander in with questions.
One of her most rewarding clinic
experiences so far involved a national
figure: Secretary of Veterans Affairs
Robert A. McDonald. McDonald took
over the troubled agency last year amid
complaints about long wait times for
appointments and care. He pledged better
communication and asked to hear from
people in the field.
When DiCosmo began work on the
case of a client who has been waiting six
years for a hearing on a post-traumatic
stress disorder claim, she sent McDonald
an email on a Monday afternoon. She
received a call the following morning,
saying McDonald’s office wanted to
help. “I’ve never encountered so much
cooperation,” DiCosmo said.
The experience has left her
optimistic about her work, and the
potential for improved communication
between the clinic and the VA. And she
is grateful that a campaign gift has made
it possible for her to work at Widener,
impacting students’ and veterans’ lives.
“This is what I went to law school to do,”
she said. W
Liz Tarloski, a fellow for the Veterans
Law Clinic funded in part by a gift
to Taking the Lead—The Campaign
for Widener, and Kendrick McLeod
(standing), a recent Widener Law
Delaware graduate, worked to restore
benefits for William Truitt (seated).
Since its inception in 1997, the clinic
has won judgements for veterans
totaling more than $7 million.
31
Global
Awareness
HERE AND THERE:
COLLABORATIONS WITH CHINA
Extensive partnerships with Chinese
universities sparked by campaign supporter
By Sam Starnes
Chester, Pennsylvania, and Chongqing,
China, are literally on opposite sides of
the planet: there is a twelve-hour time
difference; the cities are 7,681 miles apart;
and travel between the two requires flights
lasting more than fifteen hours.
But using an online chat application
on his smart phone, Widener student
Ron Rabena ’16 talks with Zhang Xin Yu,
a good friend at Chongqing Technology
and Business University (CTBU) anytime
he feels like it. Rabena, a Philadelphia
native studying international relations and
political science, talks to Yu at least once
32
a week. “The world is becoming small
because of technology,” Rabena said.
Rabena first met Yu—who goes by
the English name Richard—after his
freshman year while participating in an
undergraduate student exchange program
with CTBU. That first trip still resonates
for Rabena two years later. “It was
absolutely the best experience of my life,”
he said. “It was life changing.”
The following year, Rabena spent
a semester in London and traveled in
Europe, and over spring break, he visited
Honduras. “China was the first country
I visited,” he said. “Now I’ve been to
eighteen other countries.”
In May, he went back to China with
a contingent of Widener students and
faculty, and was more fluent after
completing two semesters of Chinese
language study. “I have such a respect for
Chinese culture that I didn’t have before,”
said Rabena, whose long-range plans
include working and living internationally.
Widener-China Programs
Vast and Varied
The exchange program that had such an
impact on Rabena is just one of more than
ten initiatives supported by Richard Tan
’09H, a Widener trustee and founder and
Qinghai University
president of Pacific Millennium Holdings
Corporation of Shanghai, China. Tan and
his family committed a $1 million gift to
Taking the Lead—The Campaign for Widener
in 2011 to expand partnerships between
Widener and universities in China with an
emphasis on students and faculty learning
each others’ languages, culture, and ways
of doing business. “I believe partnerships
like the ones between Widener and
Chinese universities allow participants
to learn and respect and work with each
other equally,” Tan said. “Education
and cultural sensitivity are powerful
approaches shaping political and business
landscapes. The more we understand the
complexities of our cultures, and that
issues happening outside of our home
country are important, the more doors and
opportunities open up.”
Of Widener’s current initiatives
with Chinese universities, seven are with
CTBU, a university in the town in the
central part of the county known as the
“Gateway to the west of China.”
In addition to the Undergraduate
Student Exchange program that sends
Widener students to China and brings
CTBU students here, other partnerships
with CTBU include:
A visiting scholars program that brings
professors from CTBU to campus from
October to March each year. They meet
regularly with partner professors from
Widener in their respective fields.
● A three-week Summer Faculty
Development Institute for CTBU’s
English instructors aimed at utilizing
experiential learning strategies.
● Collaborations and exchanges between
CTBU and Widener faculty and students
in the fields of social work, business
administration, engineering, and hospitality
management. There are a variety of options
for Chinese students to earn Widener
undergraduate and graduate degrees.
●
33
Chinese Faculty and
Students On Campus
Widener students and faculty do not have
to leave campus to benefit from the crosscultural immersion programs. Dr. Patricia
Dyer, an English professor directing
Widener’s study abroad programs, has
visited China six times and teaches courses
to Chinese faculty visiting Widener. She
said the presence of Chinese students and
faculty on campus in Chester enriches the
experience of the students and faculty. “It
wakes us up and makes us part of the real
global world,” she said. “We’ve learned
from them about learning styles.”
Rabena, who has helped teach English
to students visiting from CTBU, concurs
with the value of interacting with Chinese
students. “It teaches us about how to teach
someone else,” he said. “It takes you way
out of your comfort zone. It has forced me
to open up my mind.”
In addition to CTBU, Widener has a
newer partnership with Qinghai University,
a university in the city of Xining, the largest
city on the Tibetan Plateau. Three visiting
scholars—from the fields of English, cultural
anthropology, and finance and urban
planning—spent January through April
living and learning on Widener’s campus.
That program included language and culture
classes and meeting regularly with faculty in
their respective fields.
Jun Ye, an English professor for
Qinghai University, said his experience
at Widener will be with him for years to
come. This was his first time visiting the
United States, and he said much about
American culture that had been a mystery
to him from abroad has become clearer.
“I’ve learned that it does not matter if you
are from China or America, we are more
the same than we are different,” Ye said.
Other programs in conjunction with
Qinghai University included a three-week
visit by thirteen senior administrators
to Widener in the fall 2014 to study
leadership, issues in higher education,
language, and culture.
34
Suk-Chung Yoon, Widener’s
associate provost for experiential learning
and global engagement, oversees the
university’s partnerships with the Chinese
universities. A native of South Korea who
has been a faculty member in computer
science since 1991, Yoon said he is thrilled
to see the positive experiences of both
the Widener students and faculty who
visit China and the Chinese students
and faculty who visit here. “I came to
this country as an international student,”
said Yoon. “It is very rewarding to see the
success of these programs.”
Richard Tan ’09H committed
$1 million to the campaign in support
of expanding partnerships between
Widener and Chinese universities.
At left, executives from Tan’s
company visited the Oskin Leadership
Institute for professional and cultural
development sessions. Below, three
faculty members from Qinghai
University spent two months on
Widener’s campus taking language
and culture courses and meeting with
faculty in their respective fields.
Widener Research in China
Two Widener environmental science
professors, Dr. Chad Freed and Dr. Steven
Madigosky, visited Qinghai University
in June 2014 to conduct research. They
returned this summer to teach courses to
Chinese students and do more field work.
“When I was in China, I was astounded
at the magnitude of everything from
building projects to resource acquisition to
food production,” Freed said. “Along with
the challenges of managing the world’s
largest population, the Chinese are now
very interested in living sustainably with
their environment. We are interested in
exploring new models in environmental
science for mining and food production
that limit the impact to the natural
environment.”
As the benefactor who provided some
of the spark for this global collaboration,
Tan said he is pleased with the far-reaching
programs that Widener and the Chinese
universities have formed and that it is
just the beginning of growth for students
on both sides of the globe. “I believe our
young people will benefit greatest through
a combination of building relationships,
learning social and cultural views that will
influence their actions, and at the same
time, have an experience that may be one
of the best in their lives,” Tan said. W
Above: Widener administrators
and faculty in 2014 visited Qinghai
University in Xining, China, near
Qinghai Lake, China’s largest lake,
pictured in the background. They
met a group of Buddhist monks
who also were visiting the lake.
Right: Each May, Widener
undergraduates visit China for both
travel and study. The trip includes
a stop at the Great Wall before
staying at the dorms of Chongqing
Technology and Business University.
“I’VE LEARNED THAT IT
DOES NOT MATTER IF
YOU ARE FROM CHINA
OR AMERICA, WE ARE
MORE THE SAME THAN
WE ARE DIFFERENT.”
-Jun Ye, visiting faculty
from Qinghai University
35
CLASS NOTES
CLASS NOTES
Washington/Virginia
PMC luncheon
President James T. Harris III and Senior
Vice President for Advancement Linda
Durant joined twenty members of the
Washington/VA Pennsylvania Military
College Alumni Group in October at the
Fort Myer Officers’ Club in Arlington,
Virginia. Shelly Schwartz ’60 presented a
gift to President Harris that spells out
the distinction between the officers’
club in Virginia and the city
of Fort Myers, Florida.
Seated, from left, Duke Snyder ’60;
President James T. Harris III; Senior
Vice President for Advancement Linda
S. Durant. Standing, from left, Bob
Edwards ’52; Bob Hawley ’62; Ron
Romanowicz ‘68; Shelly Schwartz ’60;
Mike Harrison ’61; Jacques Gerard
’62; Steve Raho ’68; Harry Mazur
’63; John Blair ’70; Craig Glassner
’72; Jim Loftus ’62; Rodney Walton
’60; John Huber ’63; Jeff Dienno ’71;
Angelo Candelori ’60. Not pictured
is John H. Tilleli Jr. ’63, a retired
four-star general and chairman of
Widener’s Board of Trustees.
An Award after the Flood PMC Alumnus Wins Retailer of the Year
A tropical storm-fueled
flood that brought more
than $100,000 in damages
didn’t wash away the long
history of Stu Perlmutter’s
furniture store in Lebanon,
Pennsylvania. Perlmutter, a
1970 Pennsylvania Military
College graduate, reopened
Harold’s Furniture after
Tropical Storm Lee in 2011.
In October, Perlmutter,
president of Harold’s
Furniture, was named
Retailer of the Year by The
Tri-State Home Furnishings
Association that covers
36
Pennsylvania, New Jersey,
and Delaware. The award was
given at the Crown Mark
Hotel in Philadelphia. “We’ve
been in business for sixtyeight years and I’m sure that
had a lot to do with it,”
Perlmutter said. “The award
also talked about the fact that
we came back from the flood.”
Perlmutter, who
graduated from PMC with
a degree in English, was
involved with the formation
of the PMC Museum and
worked on the exhibit
about the PMC band.
Class of 1951
Marshall Tharp, BS,
economics, and his wife,
Sue, celebrated their sixtieth
wedding anniversary at
their summer home in
Georgetown, Maine. They
met on a blind date for
Marshall’s senior dance and
dated while Marshall was
stationed at Fort Dix in New
Jersey and Sue attended
the University of Delaware.
They corresponded daily
while he served with the
Second Division in Korea,
and were married a year
after his discharge. They
have four children and eight
grandchildren. They live in
Sun City Center, Florida.
Class of 1965
50th
CLASS REUNION
Stu Perlmutter, right, accepting the Tri-State Home
Furnishings Association Retailer of the Year Award.
The Class of 1965 is currently
planning for its fiftieth class
reunion which will take place
at Homecoming 2015. Please
contact Dr. Frederick Duncan
at duncan07211943@gmail.
com or call 718-326-1643
if you are interested in
attending the reunion or
would like more information.
Class of 1972
Dr. J. Robert DiFulgo
has published a book of
historical fiction titled
Titanic’s Resurrected
Secret—HEW. This postTitanic story is about an
individual whose identity
was forfeited because of
the theft of an extremely
valuable object, which he
has in his possession. The
mystery surrounds the
number 223, and Alexander
J. Dante is determined
to solve it. His obsession
takes him across the globe
as he begins to uncover a
long-kept secret that will
consume his life. DiFulgo’s
commitment to historical
and geographical accuracy is
the hallmark of his writing.
Robert Schneider, BA,
behavioral science, retired
after thirty-eight years of
federal service (nine years
active duty with the Army
and twenty-nine as a civil
servant with the Air Force).
His last assignment was
as a program manager
in the Air Force Materiel
Command HQs (AFMC/A1) at
Wright Patterson AFB, Ohio.
Bob and his wife Carol
(Brandywine ’71) live at 108
Shoemaker Lane, Vandalia,
Ohio. Bob teaches part
time for Indiana Wesleyan
University. Carol and Bob
are enjoying their new found
free time and their four
beautiful grandchildren.
They invite any classmates
who happen to be heading
west on I-70 to stop by—the
beverages are always cold.
Widener Alumnus
Named President of
South Jersey College
Dr. Michael Gorman
Dr. Michael Gorman, who
earned his bachelor’s
degree in English from
Widener in 1975 and his
doctorate in education
leadership from Widener
in 1993, has been named
president of Salem
County Community
College in Carneys
Point, New Jersey.
“The Board is
thrilled that Dr. Gorman
will become the next
president,” said Dorothy
Hall, the college’s
vice chair who led the
search committee. “His
educational leadership
in several southern New
Jersey school districts
over the past 34 years will
be a tremendous asset
in working with college
stakeholders to move the
institution forward.”
Gorman, a resident of
Pennsville, New Jersey,
previously served as superintendent of Pemberton
Township Schools. He also
has worked as an assistant
high school principal at
Woodstown High School
and principal of Pennsville
Memorial High School.
37
CLASS NOTES
Class of 1982
Karol M. Wasylyshyn, PsyD,
was selected to fellow
status in the American
Psychological Association
(APA) in September based
on “outstanding contribution
in the field of psychology.”
Wasylyshyn is an honorary
board member of the
Widener Board of Trustees,
and also an adjunct faculty
member in Widener’s
Institute for Graduate
Clinical Psychology.
She is a past member
of the coaching faculty
in the Wharton School’s
Advanced Management
Program. Her publications
focus on best practices
and methodological
considerations in developing
high potential talent, as
well as executive behavior
as a critical dimension of
leadership effectiveness.
Two of her books—Standing
on Marbles: Three Leader
Types in Verse and Imagery
and Behind the Executive
Door: Unexpected Lessons
for Managing Your Boss and
Career—focus on leadership
behavior patterns identified
through her research.
Her most recent book,
Destined to Lead: Executive
Coaching and Lessons for
Leadership Development,
is a collection of executive
coaching case studies.
Class of 1985
Carlo Toscano, CPA, BS,
accounting, recently
presented at a tax update
on banking institutions
at KPMG’s Banking
Symposium in Pittsburgh.
A tax managing director
with KPMG LLP based
in Philadelphia, Toscano
heads up KPMG’s financial
institutions tax practice for
38
CLASS NOTES
the Pennsylvania Business
Unit. He is a member of
Widener’s Trustees’ Loyalty
Society, President’s Council,
and the School of Business
Administration (SBA)
Business Advisory Council.
He also is as a member of
the SBA’s Professional and
Academic Advisory Board.
Class of 1997
Eric Tate, BS, nursing,
became senior manager
for drug safety and public
health at Gilead Sciences
in Foster City, California.
Class 0f 2002
Class of 1993
Class of 2003
Holly Schiavone, BS, allied
health, ’07 BSN, nursing,
graduated with a master of
science in nursing from the
Capstone College of Nursing
at the University of Alabama
in August 2014 and was also
inducted into the Epsilon
Omega Chapter of Sigma
Theta Tau International
Honor Society of Nursing.
ZBT Eighties
Reunion
Held in
Atlantic City
Twenty-seven alumni from
the classes of 1981 through
1986 who are members of
Widener’s ZBT Fraternity
Class of 2005
Conni Errickson Miller, BS,
nursing, graduated from
Georgetown University
in May with a MSN in
Nursing Education. It was
celebrated with those who
lived through this degree
with her—Mike Miller ‘93,
and their boys, Matthew and
Danny. She will be making
the transition from nursing
to teaching during this
next year. She is excited
that she has been able to
step up her running this
summer now that things
have slowed down a little.
In the fall of 2014, she ran in
the Marine Corps Marathon,
the Army Ten Miler, and the
Philadelphia Marathon.
Michael Hamberger, BA,
psychology, has published
his first book, Coaching
Runners & Being
Self-Coached: Using
Periodization & Sport
Psychology for Optimal
Performance. He has been
teaching sport psychology
at Marymount University
as an adjunct professor
since 2009. He works fulltime in the Washington,
D.C. area with his private
coaching business, DC
Running Coach, LLC,
founded in 2006. Through
his coaching, Hamberger has
guided countless amateur
runners and triathletes,
members of military and
law enforcement, as well as
high school and collegiate
athletes. He has been
published twice as lead
author in the Journal of
Contemporary Athletics
and as second author in
the World Leisure Journal.
He is frequently invited to
speak at clinics and has
been consulted by numerous
publications, including
Runner’s World, Competitor
magazine, The Washington
Post, and The DC Examiner.
Ryan Sun, BS, hospitality
management, represented
Widener University at
the 2015 English Schools
Foundation (ESF) Higher
Education Fair in Hong Kong
in January. More than 140
universities from the United
Kingdom, the United States,
Canada, Australia, New
Zealand, Hong Kong, Europe,
Asia, and the Middle East
participated. Approximately
900 students attended the
education/college fair.
SAVE
THE DATE
FOR 2015!
Homecoming/
Reunion Weekend
October 16–18, 2015
We welcome all
Widener and
PMC Alumni!
For more information,
please visit
alumni.widener.edu
gathered at the Golden
Nugget in Atlantic City for
their annual reunion, which
is also known as the “Annual
Shareholders Meeting.”
The night provided an
opportunity for all to talk
about some old stories,
reconnect with each other,
and enjoy all of the fun
and games Atlantic City
offers. Planning has started
for the 2015 meeting.
Widener Graduate an
Army General Focused
on Cyberspace
Welton Chase, Jr., a 1987
electrical engineering
graduate, is a brigadier
general in the United States
Army who serves as the
European Command’s
director of Command,
Control, Communications,
and Computers (C4)/Cyber.
He spoke on cyber security
and policy issues at the first
Program on Cyber Security
Studies at the George C.
Marshall European Center
for Security Studies at
Garmisch-Partenkirchen,
Germany, in December.
The meeting was attended
by representatives of 47
countries. “Understanding
and managing the inherent
risks in cyberspace is
critical to the collective
security of the United
States as well as our allies
and partners,” he said
Chase served in the
Pentagon with the Joint
Staff as a division chief
in the Plans and Policy
Directorate, C4/Cyber
Directorate, and as an
executive assistant to the
assistant to the chairman
of the Joint Chiefs of Staff
from 2011 to 2014. His
previous assignments are
many, including serving
in command of the 501st
Signal Battalion, 101st
Airborne Division in Mosul,
Iraq, during Operation
Iraq Freedom in 2003 (He
was awarded the Combat
Action Badge for his
service). He later served as
the commander of the 1st
Signal Brigade Yongsan,
Korea, from 2008 to 2010.
He is a master
parachutist, air assault
qualified, and Ranger
qualified. His awards and
decorations are numerous:
the Defense Superior
Service Medal with Oak Leaf
Cluster; Legion of Merit;
Bronze Star Medal with two
Oak Leaf Clusters; Defense
Meritorious Service Medal;
Meritorious Service Medal
with three Oak Leaf Clusters;
the Army Commendation
Medal; and a variety of unit
and campaign awards.
He was commissioned
at Widener in May 1987
through the Army Reserve
Officers’ Training Corps
(ROTC) program. He was
designated a distinguished
military graduate and
began his career as a
second lieutenant in
the U.S. Army Signal
Corps. In addition to his
Widener degree, he holds
a master of science degree
in telecommunications
from the University of
Colorado Boulder and a
master of science degree
in national resource
strategy from the National
Defense University’s
Industrial College.
39
CLASS NOTES
Class of 2007
Dr. Wendy Robb, DnS,
nursing, has been named
to the Hazel and Walter
May Endowed Chair for
Excellence in Nursing at
Cedar Crest College in
Allentown, Pennsylvania.
Robb is chair of Cedar
Crest’s department of
nursing and, until recently,
was the director of the
college’s graduate nursing
program. She joined Cedar
Crest College in 2000
from Lehigh Valley Health
CLASS NOTES
Network. She was named
the director of the graduate
nursing program in 2008 and
the department chair in 2011.
She has received numerous
awards for excellence in
nursing, nursing education
and scholarship, and has an
extensive list of local and
international presentations
to her credit centered on
complementary therapy
research and nursing
education. A first-generation
college graduate and
an advocate for higher
FROM PIONEERS
TO PRIDE
A family of Widener instructors and graduates
From left: Anthony P. DeCurtis, Daria Campeggio ’02, Mike
Campeggio ‘01, Bianca DeCurtis ’15, and Rick Spinogatti ’89.
40
education for nurses, Robb
achieved her associate
degree in nursing from
Gwynedd Mercy College.
Once licensed, she worked
the night shift at Lehigh
Valley Hospital’s Shock
Trauma Unit and continued
classes toward a bachelor
of science degree in nursing
(BSN) during the day. It took
her three years to complete
her BSN and another two
years to earn her master
of science in nursing from
DeSales University.
Widener has been a frame
of reference for the DeCurtis
family for three decades.
Anthony P. DeCurtis became
a member of Widener’s
adjunct faculty and began
teaching English literature
and composition on the
Delaware campus in the
late eighties. It wasn’t long
before Chester became
his “evening” base of
operations; day classes
found him teaching high
school at Cardinal O’Hara in
Springfield.
At that time, his brotherin-law, Rick Spinogatti, was
a scholarship student who
went on to earn a bachelor
of science in business
administration in 1989.
Spinogatti is now a CPA and
vice president of finance
and administration for a
local software company,
Analytical Graphics Inc.
in Exton, Pennsylvania.
DeCurtis’ first daughter
Daria enrolled in Widener’s
nursing program a decade
later. She met her future
husband Mike Campeggio
New Arrivals
SEND YOUR NEWS
FOR CLASS NOTES
You can submit your
class notes and photos
three ways:
1. Join or log onto the
Widener Pride Network
at alumni.widener.edu
2. E-mail to Patty Votta at
pavotta@widener.edu
3. Mail to the Office of
Alumni Engagement,
One University Place,
Chester, PA 19013
on campus. He graduated
in 2001 with a degree in
business administration,
and Daria’s bachelor of
science in nursing was
celebrated in 2002. Mike is
now the owner of his own
business, Floors Just for
You in Gloucester City, New
Jersey. Daria has been a
nurse with the Children’s
Hospital of Philadelphia
since graduation. She is
also a clinical instructor
of undergraduate
nursing at Widener.
In 2011, DeCurtis’s
youngest child, Bianca,
enrolled in Widener’s
School of Hospitality
Management. She graduated
in May, making Anthony
DeCurtis, who remains
an adjunct professor at
Widener, one proud father.
“Our Pride in Widener and
outside the confines of
the university is reflected
every day in the circles
of commerce, education
and hospitality,” he said.
Dr. Jeanine Santelli, DnS,
nursing, chair and professor
of the department of nursing
at Nazareth College in
Rochester, New York, was
inducted as a fellow of
the American Academy of
Nursing (FAAN). As a fellow,
Santelli will contribute
her time to the academy
while engaging with other
health leaders outside
the academy to transform
America’s health system.
Santelli was among 168
nurse leaders selected for
induction at the Academy’s
2014 Transforming Health,
Driving Policy Conference in
October in Washington, D.C.
Class of 2014
Dr. Michael Alexander, MA,
liberal studies, is a cancer
research scientist turned
writer. He has published
numerous scientific
articles about cancer and
AIDS research. His book
FreeLife, which is set sixty
years in the future and is
about the discovery of the
ultimate cure for cancer
that is being given away
for free, can be purchased
on Amazon. He continues
to write and is seeking a
research laboratory position
suited for his background
in biomedical science.
Jenn Devine Kennard ’02
and Steve Kennard ’03
welcomed their second
child, Tyler James into
the world on June 26,
2014. Steve also became
the director of finance
and accounting at Seer
Interactive in Philadelphia.
Kristin (Hulmes) Malloy
’09 and Andrew Malloy ’09
announce the birth of their
second child, Emily Mae
Malloy, on May 21, 2014.
FIND US ONLINE!
Join Widener’s online
alumni community to
connect with other
alums, create profiles,
send class notes, find
out about alumni clubs,
view photo galleries,
sign up for events,
give gifts, and more.
Continue the lasting
connection! Visit
alumni.widener.edu.
Obituaries
Frederick Shahadi
A devoted supporter of
Pennsylvania Military College
and Widener, Frederick
“Big Fred” Shahadi,
a ninety-two-year-old
Wallingford resident
who graduated in the
PMC Class of 1949, died
August 22. Shahadi,
who grew up in Chester,
left Villanova University
when Japan bombed
Pearl Harbor and enlisted
in the Navy, ultimately
serving as minesweeper
that helped clear the way
for the D-Day invasion.
After World War II, he
enrolled in Pennsylvania
Military College with the aid
of the GI Bill. He graduated
and went on to work as a
comptroller for the NAEC
and the Philadelphia Naval
Yard, and also served for 35
years in the Naval Reserve.
Shahadi served for more
than fifty years on the
Widener-PMC Alumni
Association board, including
tenure as president. He was
honored for his service with
the university’s Outstanding
Alumni Award in 1979.
He and fellow 1949 graduate
Ollie Armitage spearheaded
an effort to raise funds
for a sculpture on campus
commemorating the
opening of the college to
veterans. The sculpture,
named “Homecoming,” was
dedicated in front of Old
Main in 2009. “I was thrilled
to see this part of history
represented,” Shahadi told
Widener Magazine in
2010. “It represents a big
part of our heritage.”
Lt. Col. Theodore
F. Locke Jr.
A 1942 Pennsylvania
Military College alumnus
who later served in the
college administration, Lt.
Col. Theodore F. Locke Jr.
died October 5, 2014. Locke,
ninety-four, of Newtown
Square, Pennsylvania
(formerly of Avalon, New
Jersey), served in the Army
from 1942-1966, including
stints in World War II and
Korea. After his military
service, he worked at PMC,
starting as the assistant to
the dean of the School of
Engineering before being
named vice president of
administration. He retired
from Widener in 1985.
All three of his children
are Widener-PMC alumni:
Walter Locke ’70; Theodore
Locke III ’73 (MBA); and
Lillian (Locke) Busse ’74.
41
CLASS NOTES
CHAPTER NOTES
Leah Greene
table. Eventually she
earned a master of social
work degree and worked
in the Delaware County
juvenile court system. After
retirement, she took and
retook classes at Widener
in both literature and
creative writing, focusing
on the writing of poetry.
In my class, she sat in
the front row, a diminutive
person but a powerful
presence, always nicely
attired in a dress or a skirt,
never trousers. She gave
me her complete attention,
and the look on her face
said: be real, please.
Her poems, sprinkled
with Yiddish, were poignant,
direct, colloquial, and
funny. She and her husband
Shelley, a World War II
veteran and an optometrist
who passed away in 2009,
lived in Havertown for
many years. They endowed
Wolfgram Memorial Library
with a fund for buying books
of poetry, housed in a glassfronted bookcase, with an
identifying plaque honoring
her chief poetry mentor, Dr.
Kenneth Pobo, professor of
English and creative writing.
Leah exuded warmth,
was a champion hugger,
and became my good
friend. She adored Widener
and wanted to repay, in a
lasting way, what she felt
Widener had given her. The
bookcase of poetry is on the
library’s second floor, at the
end of the hall, ready and
waiting for another student
to fall in love with poetry.
Margaret Robinson is
an adjunct faculty member.
James Cook ‘63
John Dugan ‘64
John Karkosky ‘64
Richard Robertson ‘64
Robert Biava ‘65
Walter Kuzyk ‘65
Ian McGain ‘65
Lawrence Piziak ‘65
Raymond Abele ‘67
Stephen Kosloski ‘67
Howard Dunn ‘68
Denis Grealish ‘68
Diane Young ‘69
Howard Medoff ‘70
Nicholas Biddle ‘71
William Dann ‘71
Robert Brislin ‘72
Denis Kraft ‘73
Gary Mattes ‘73
Charles Costanzo ‘75
Lawrence Skalak ‘75
Mary Buchanan ‘76
Paul Chase ‘76
Thomas Fennell ‘76
Helen Marcu ‘76
Gary Scattolini ‘76
Dennis Flannelly ‘77
Kenneth Slomienski ‘77
Donald Nasshorn ‘78
Richard Glover ‘79
Laurence Levinson ‘79
Jeffrey Burday ‘80
Charles Shoaf ‘80
Christopher Ben ‘82
Gary DeForest ‘82
Paul Grant ‘84
Hugh Collins ‘86
Kenneth Ruby ‘86
Scott Hutchinson ‘87
Kathleen Palubinsky ‘87
John Quinn ‘87
Sandra Rogers ‘87
Cathy Jenkins ‘88
Robert Lilga ‘90
Naomi Clark ‘91
MaryAnne Dambro ‘91
William Sipio ‘91
Ronald Suppa ‘91
Craig Bahrs ‘92
Christopher Buono ‘92
Alice Lumpkin ‘93
John Morris ‘94
Kathryn Myers ‘94
Joseph Angelucci ‘95
Louis Spina ‘98
Russell Lynn ‘99
Mamie White ‘00
Raymond Naylor ‘02
John Brookover ‘04
Richard Edens ‘06
Voncille Hannah ‘06
Robert Bradley ‘07
Kara Guzzetti ‘07
Joseph Favinger ‘12
Tara Miller ‘12
By Margaret Robinson
Leah Greene, lover of poetry
and a Widener benefactor,
died September 16 at
the age of ninety-four.
She was the youngest
child of a large Philadelphia
immigrant family. When she
was a child, her dad, who
supplied grocery stores
with foodstuffs, learned
English, but Leah’s mother
spoke mostly Yiddish.
After high school, she
married, had three children,
and decided to go to college
when her kids went to
school. She and her young
children did their homework
together at the kitchen
In Memoriam
David Einstein ‘41
Charles Biehl ‘42
Theodore Locke ‘42
David Howie ‘49
Frederick Shahadi ‘49
Frank Sadowski ‘50
John Bowers ‘51
Donald Cheesman ‘51
Emerald Jones ‘51
Howard Ackerman ‘52
Richard Murnighan ‘52
Walter Benner ‘53
Ralph Gagliardi ‘55
John Lipski ‘55
Julian Messick ‘55
William Woosnam ‘55
Robert Eberle ‘57
Donald McCabe ‘58
Raymond Salerno ‘58
Samuel Bowden ‘59
Joseph Hammond ‘59
Albert Hoefling ‘59
Linford Kinney ‘59
Robert Miller ‘59
Frederick Rice ‘59
William Hawkins ‘60
John Olinick ‘60
Thomas Spitz ‘61
Peter Lake ‘62
42
Greene with Professor
Ken Pobo in 2010.
Widener University alumni aren’t just smart...they’re creative! A
group of Widener alumni and friends from the Greater Philadelphia
Regional Alumni Chapter gathered at Pinot’s Palette in Glen Mills
in February to sample wine from Penns Woods Winery while flexing
their paintbrushes on canvas. From the looks of the final masterpieces,
it seems we may have a few budding Van Goghs on our hands! Most
importantly, we feel our “Roar” paintings would make Widener’s
very own Pride mascots, Chester and Melrose, proud.
Pictured (from L-R): Ebony
Pitts, Patty Votta, Emily Taitt
‘06, Tina Phillips ‘82, ’98, ‘03,
Maria Robb ‘13, Kerri Lupfer
’88, Cindi Baroni ’88, Terry
Sminkey, Patricia Heckman
‘10, Terri Walklett ’00, ‘05,
Mike Thomas, Rose Patton
’98, ‘00, Sandy Thomas,
Amy Pecsi ‘06, Vera Kunkel
’78, and Stacy Gallo ‘05.
REGIONAL CHAPTER
CONTACT INFO:
District of Columbia
Office of Alumni
Engagement
alumnioffice@widener.edu
Northern Maryland
Marcia Bowers ‘85
marciabowers@
atlanticbb.net
FL – East Coast
Tom Dougherty ‘93
tdougherty@rccl.com
Puerto Rico
Dennis Lopez ‘85
Dennis.Lopez@
compass-usa.com
Friends, Faculty,
and Staff
Daniel Algeo
Peter Andrianopoulos
Marjorie Balick
Vincent Bifferato
Albina Boden
G. Robert Bowlby
Roslyn Bradford
Guido Campana
Antoinette Clemmons
William Coopersmith
Philomena DiCarlo
Susan Finnie
Hedwig Grab
Leah Greene
Loretta Lego
Sondra Margolies
Amber Poole
Bernard Reilly
Janice Schulman
Walter Selfridge
Ida Snyder
Joseph Walsh
Daniel Warren
Starla Williams
Stuart Young
Greater Philadelphia Area
Philadelphia County, PA
Jeff Flynn ‘04
jeffrey.t.flynn@gmail.com
Wilmington, DE
Vera Kunkel ‘78
liberal@magpage.com
Alaska
Maureen Colon ‘76
Mobig33@gci.net
Delaware County, PA
Jim Gentile ‘77
jjgdds@mac.com
Atlanta, GA
Morrie Spang ‘62
morriespang@comcast.net
Bucks & Montgomery
Counties, PA
Gregg Strom ‘64
gstro@stonemor.com
Baltimore
Office of Alumni
Engagement
alumnioffice@widener.edu
Chester County, PA
Frank Pellegrini ‘66
fpellegrini@maillie.com
California
Sharon Carothers ‘92
scarothe@worldnet.att.net
South Jersey
Office of Alumni
Engagement
alumnioffice@widener.edu
Central PA
Office of Alumni
Engagement
alumnioffice@widener.edu
FL – Orlando
Stephanie Dudley ‘11
Dudley-Stephanie@
Aramark.com
FL – West Coast
Office of Alumni
Engagement
alumnioffice@widener.edu
New England
Kristin McJunkins ‘92
krmcjunk@msn.com
NYC / North Jersey
Garren Pflueger ‘94
gepfinancial@gmail.com
Texas
Gerry Gaeta ‘77
jazzsinger99@hotmail.com
Washington State
Alex Poblete ‘89
alex@dmp-inc.us
For a listing of alumni
events taking place in your
hometown and around
the country, please visit:
http://alumni.widener.
edu/upcomingevents
43
THE BACK PAGE
A Lasting Gift from Graduating Seniors
For many years, Widener’s senior class has banded together to give a gift to the university at
the commencement ceremony. Jessica Prince, Widener’s assistant director of alumni initiatives,
and Rosemarie Walker, a graduating senior in communication studies from Brookhaven,
Pennsylvania, who serves on the Senior Class Gift Committee, share their perspectives.
By Jessica Prince ’10, ’13
T
h e absolute best
part of my job in
the Office of Alumni
Engagement is
coordinating the annual
Senior Class Gift.
Working closely with
students and helping
them learn about
philanthropy and giving
back to Widener is both
important and rewarding.
Every year, I select a group of
outstanding senior students from multiple
schools across Widener University’s
campus to serve as ambassadors on our
Senior Class Gift committee. These
seniors become part of a yearlong process
to raise both awareness and support for the
gift. Since 2011, I have watched the Senior
Class Gift initiative grow from a small
group of five student committee members
to a large group of students last year who
raised more than $7,200 to support student
financial aid. The gift regularly draws
support from both undergraduate students
as well as young alumni who have graduated
within the past several years. It represents
Widener’s future success as current
students and recent graduates continue
to show support for their alma mater.
Pictured, from left, members of the 2015 Senior
Class Gift Committee: Danny Luu, Emmi
McCauley, Alex Harm, Rosemarie Walker,
Shaunessy Hanrahan, and Veronica Vasquez.
Committee members not pictured are Patton Vo,
Leah Berney, Viraga Perera, Marisa Maroccia,
Janelle Rouse, and Jaclyn Marshall.
44
By Rosemarie Walker ’15
ttention rising seniors, recent
graduates, and young alumni:
Think about your time spent at
Widener University.
Whether it is your alternative spring
break trip, an internship, countless hours
in the library, catching up with President
Harris on campus, or even just lounging
in the POD, I’m sure you’ve got great
memories like I do.
Widener has given students many
eye-opening experiences that enhance
our learning, enrich our lives, and create
memories. In order to help future Widener
students have the same experiences we
had, it is essential that seniors consider
being active and engaged alumni.
The university has countless traditions
that stem back many generations. Donating
to the Senior Class Gift not only leaves a
lasting legacy but also assists with
providing future Widener students with an
affordable education. Participating in the
A
Senior Class Gift initiative
is a way for classmates
to give back to Widener,
just the way Widener has
helped us throughout the
years. As seniors, we must
remember that giving to the
Senior Class Gift is a way
to say “thank you” for the
opportunities and education
that Widener has provided us.
Just as college tuition is
an investment in yourself
and your future, your
donation is an investment in the future
generations of Widener. I was motivated
to donate to the Senior Class Gift because
as a young adult, it is important for me
to find a philanthropic cause that I am
passionate about, and also one that helps
continue the Widener tradition to lead, to
engage, to inspire, and to contribute.
The 2015 Senior Class Gift is
designated as a contribution to the
Widener Fund, which supports student
financial aid. Please consider making
a donation to next year’s Senior Class
Gift and helping Widener University
seniors continue the tradition, promote
philanthropy, leave a lasting legacy, and
help future generations of Widener
students receive a great education.
WE DON’T
MIND
IF YOU SHOW OFF
Meet Spencer Ng
Class of 2015
At Widener, Spencer has been an accomplished leader and built the foundation for an auspicious
career. She’s graduating with a degree in biochemistry and is off to medical school in the fall.
Your gifts to the Widener Fund made her promising future possible.
So go ahead and show off a little. We don’t mind.
For more information or to contribute
to the Senior Class Gift, contact
Jessica Prince at jdprince@widener.edu
or 610-499-4111.
100% OF WIDENER FUND GIFTS SUPPORT FINANCIAL AID
.
GIVE.WIDENER.EDU
GIVE BACK WITH PRIDE.