Fall 2006

Transcription

Fall 2006

table o f
| CONTENTS
Cover Story:
Extraordinary adoptions showcase unconditional love. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 20
Features:
Restaurateur’s passion brings success. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5
Adolescence explored, explained through art. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8
Call to serve translates into housing for the poor. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10
Racine postmaster overcomes tragedies, aims high . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 14
Nursing project prompts kids to promote nutrition. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 18
20
In every issue:
Footprints
Milwaukee Symphony adds Stritch as performance site. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2
Exhibit to feature works of Sr. Thomasita, Italian printmakers. . . . . . . . . . . 4
Public Safety Management degree to go online. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 12
Undergrad leadership offerings revised . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 18
14
Advancement/Alumni:
Nursing college formally named for benefactor. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 26
Stritch gets $500,000 challenge grant. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 27
What’s up with alumni? . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 27
Class Notes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Calendar of Events . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
28
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On the Cover:
8
Marjorie Schoemann, in the foreground, is one of several Stritch alumni who
work in a variety of positions behind the curtain to create theater magic. Also
depicted, from bottom left to top right, are Andrea Toussaint, Aaron Dyszelski
and Charles Kukak. The cover was designed and photographed by Kou Vang with
the assistance of Jane Backes. Both are graphic designers in the Public Relations
office at Stritch.
Stritch Magazine Fall 2006 foot | PRINTS
can raise money for Stritch
Helping to raise money for Cardinal
Stritch University is only a mouse click
away. And you can do it easily and regularly, at work and at home.
Simply use GoodSearch.com, a new
Yahoo-powered search engine that
donates half its revenue, about a
penny per search, to schools and charities
selected by its users.
Although one cent is not a lot of money,
the pennies can add up quickly. For
example, if 1,000 of Stritch faculty, staff,
students, parents, alumni and friends
used GoodSearch twice a day, the University would receive about $7,300 a year.
GoodSearch is used the same as any
other search engine. And because it’s
powered by Yahoo!, results are proven.
Just go to www.goodsearch.com and
enter Cardinal Stritch University as the
school you want to support.
You can make GoodSearch your home
page on your computer. Click on “tools”
while in your Internet browser and select
“Internet Options.” Type in goodsearch.
com. Or bookmark it as a favorite and use
it every time you need to do a search.
GoodSearch’s success is continuing to grow, and it has been featured
in Oprah Magazine, The New York
Times, The Wall Street Journal, Fortune, Small Business Magazine and
more than a thousand blogs.
The more people who use this site, the
more money Stritch will earn, so please
spread the word.
Bach Babes go for Baroque in new Stritch home
The chamber music ensemble Bach
Babes has set up residence at Stritch for
their 2006-07 concert season, which
opened on Oct. 15.
The group of instrumentalists and
vocalists perform Baroque music in an
informal setting. The ensemble includes
Katy McGinn, an adjunct faculty member in Stritch’s Music Department.
“Performing at the University opens
up an entirely new audience to us,” said
Helen Reich, a founding member and violist for the group.
“The population on the North Shore has proven it’s very
committed to the arts.”
During the Baroque era of music (1600-1775), there was
no conductor, much of the music was meant to showcase an
instrumentalist’s prowess, and it had a great deal of political
sarcasm as well as outright humor.
“We like to have fun and we like the audience to have fun,”
Reich said. “We don’t want our performances to be stuffy and
academic. We want them to be memorable and have some
spark … . The goal for Bach Babes concerts is to be relevant
to our lives today.”
Dr. Dennis King, chair of Stritch’s
music department, is thrilled to welcome the group to campus and sees their
presence as another tool for attracting
serious music students.
“With the appointment of Milwaukee
Symphony Orchestra musicians
Catherine McGinn as our bass instructor and Timothy Klabunde as our violin
instructor, the door was open to pursue
new collaborations with Milwaukee’s
professional artists,” said King, who helped bring both Bach
Babes and the MSO to campus. “Although Bach Babes’ concerts are University fundraising
events, they are also my attempt to build a greater network in
getting the word out that Stritch is a wonderful place to study
music and train as a professional musician.”
The group will play at Stritch again on Feb. 18 and April 22,
beginning at 7:30 p.m. Tickets at $20 for adults and
$15 for seniors and students are available through the Stritch
Box Office, (414) 410-4171.
For more information about the Bach Babes, visit their
Web site at www.bachbabes.org.
College of Arts and Sciences
Austria wins national award for promoting women in psychology
Dr. Asuncion Miteria Austria, chair and director of training
in Stritch’s Master’s in Clinical Psychology program, recently
was honored with the Award for Distinguished Leadership
for Women in Psychology from the American Psychological
Association (APA).
The prestigious national award notes her “outstanding
contributions to education and training and to the delivery
of psychological services to women through her teaching,
writing, administrative leadership, mentoring and guidance
for their professional careers.”
Stritch Magazine Fall 2006
Austria also was recognized for championing efforts to
recognize and increase the participation of women and ethnic
minorities in the field of psychology and in APA governance.
In addition to her Stritch duties, she is an APA board member
for the division on clinical psychology, where she also will be
vice president of the Committee on Diversity.
Austria has been at Stritch since 1974, and she was instrumental in creating the clinical psychology master’s program.
New degree program combines
art, computer science training
The Art and Mathematics/Computer Science departments
have collaborated in the creation of a new program that
marries art and technology.
The Bachelor of Arts in Interactive Media Development
is designed to enable graduates to enter professional careers
in the fields of computer science and electronic media such
as the Internet, educational software development, simulation software, systems modeling, and the gaming industry.
It’s slated to begin in fall 2007.
Sister Barbara Reynolds, SDS, professor of mathematics/
computer science, and Peter Galante, associate professor of
art and University creative director, created the program.
Galante initially collaborated in developing a mathematics
course – Visual Mathematics – for arts majors. After additional discussion, he and Sister Barbara decided to further
develop the idea of merging mathematics/computer science
and arts disciplines. The goal is to give students the arts skills
to create electronic media designs and the technical expertise
to implement them.
“These big technological changes are coming down the
pike,” Galante said. “Technology is really influencing our
culture, and the speed of the change is incredible. You don’t
need to know software, you need to be able to come up
with the key questions and answer them. We have to train
renaissance people; that’s what’s necessary.”
Sister Barbara said Stritch is tapping into a new market that
she hopes will draw students who otherwise may have overlooked Stritch.
The new major will include existing arts, mathematics
and computer science classes, as well as two new computer
science classes and four new arts classes developed specifically
for the program.
The capstone course will be a two-semester experience in
which students create a large-scale project using principles
of artistic design and implement it using the technical skills
they have acquired.
“Our expectation is that this will be the kind of project that
students can take into job interviews,” Sister Barbara said.
College of Business
Adjunct publishes book
on conservation in Cameroon
Dr. Steven Wolfgram, an adjunct faculty member in
Stritch’s College of Business, recently had a book
published, “Global Development and Remote African
Villages: Environmental Conservation and Cultural
Survival in Cameroon.”
The book, published by the Edwin Mellen Press, looks
at the relationships among development, conservation,
and culture in two provinces of Cameroon, which is
in central Africa.
“This book is the outcome of Dr. Steve Wolfgram’s
curiosity concerning why so many conservation projects
fail in Africa despite the involvement of local people,”
according to a reviewer, professor Joyce Endeley, of the
University of Buea.
Wolfgram has been conducting research in Cameroon
for 15 years. He is the president of the Cameroonian
American Foundation and is on the boards of two other
Non-Governmental Organizations focused on Cameroon.
A partner in the consulting firm Cahill, Wolfgram and
Associates, he has been with Stritch since January.
The book is available for $39.95 through
sales@mellenpress.com, or (716) 754-2788.
College of Education and LEadership
New name chosen
In May, the College of Education became the College of
Education and Leadership, a name that Dr. Tia Bojar, dean,
said better reflects the range of programs and services the
college offers. The newly named college now comprises
three specialized schools, Education, Leadership, and Urban
Initiatives. Bojar said the changes would ease collaboration
within the college and with Stritch’s other colleges.
“Leadership has become a huge part of what we offer, and
yet it was not reflected in the name of the college,” she
said. “Neither were the many urban initiatives in which the
college is involved.”
Many details of the restructuring will be figured out within
the coming year.
“It’s easy to rename something but difficult to reorganize
it,” Bojar said. “We do not want this to become much more
hierarchical, because that’s not how people get their work
done efficiently and effectively. It’s redefining how people
work together. These are all the things we’ll determine.”
Faculty and staff will determine how the new schools
will oversee programs that used to be categorized by
department. Bojar said the aim is to eliminate redundancy,
streamline services, and facilitate communication.
Stritch Magazine Fall 2006 Bojar said the school structure also will
provide a centralized location for all of
the University’s leadership and urban
initiatives, allowing the other three
colleges to work with experts in those
areas to launch their own programs.
“Right now we’re working on a
program in leadership in conjunction
with the College of Nursing and another
one with the College of Business. For
the College of Arts and Sciences, we
offer the undergraduate integrated
leadership program,” Bojar said. “So
we needed to figure out a way to really
organize ourselves so it wouldn’t just be
seen as a college of education. And then
the urban initiatives can come from any
college, too.
“We hope to partner more with
nursing, because how can you truly
help inner-city kids read if they have
no nutrition? Together we can create
more meaningful connections to
the community.”
Office focuses on mentoring
and coaching efforts
A new Office of Mentoring and
Coaching within the College of Education and Leadership is home to all of
the college’s mentoring and coaching
initiatives, including ongoing programs
supporting and training teachers in
local K-12 schools, a new college faculty
orientation program, certificate programs in mentoring and coaching, and
the Southeastern Wisconsin New
Teacher Project.
“By creating the office, we are much
more aware of what everyone’s doing
and how we can benefit from working
with each other,” said Rhonda Dubin,
who is a co-director for the new office
along with Nancy Marsho.
Dubin and Marsho will oversee ongoing work with local districts while helping them to comply with the No Child
Left Behind requirements, including
PI 34, which mandates ongoing support
for new teachers by qualified mentors.
This fall, Stritch introduced a nine-credit Certificate in Mentoring to provide
formal training for veteran teachers and
administrators who serve as mentors or
work with beginning teachers within
K-12 schools.
Dubin also spearheaded the creation of
the new Southeastern Wisconsin New
Teacher Project, a consortium of K-12
school districts that provides professional development for mentors, forums
for an exchanges of ideas, and resources
for new teachers. Some seminars include
an opportunity to earn graduate credit.
“Mentoring needs to be taught through
research and practice and skills,” Dubin
said. “This training can lead to better teachers, better instruction, better
schools, better student achievement.
So that’s the true mission of it.”
MAT program going
to Kenosha
The College of Education and
Leadership has entered into a
partnership with the Kenosha Unified
School District to bring the Master of
Arts in Teaching (MAT) program to
that area. Classes will be held at
Mahone Middle School, 6900 60th St.,
with an expected January start.
The program was developed
largely at the request of Scott Pierce,
superintendent of the Kenosha Unified
School District and a graduate of Stritch’s
doctoral program in Leadership for the
Advancement of Learning and Service.
“Dr. Pierce understands Stritch
quality,” said Tony Shafer, chair of the
Regular Education Department. “This
is the first time we’ve ever worked this
closely with one large school district,
and I think it holds a great deal of
promise to be beneficial for both parties.”
Stritch already is offering its
Educational Leadership, Instructional
Technology, and Literacy/ESL programs
in Kenosha, but this is the first time
the MAT will be offered in the area.
The MAT is designed for students
who already have a degree, frequently
in another area, and who want a
career change.
Teacher candidates meet evenings
for a year, then complete a semester
of student teaching. After that, they
can apply for a teaching license in their
chosen area. They then have the option
to return to Stritch after a year in the
field to complete the remaining eight
credits necessary for a master’s degree.
“We have a number of people who
are looking at new careers who are
interested in the field of education,”
Pierce said. “Our challenge is that we
are a fast-growing district. We have a
very ripe area.”
The majority of the MAT students
in Kenosha will conduct their student
teaching within the Kenosha Unified
School District, and Kenosha teachers
will serve as adjunct instructors within
the program.
“If we build in a relationship with
student teachers, we increase the chance
that they’ll want to work in Kenosha
(after graduation),” Schafer said.
In addition, the MAT program in
Madison continues to grow, with two
additional cohorts beginning next year.
One of these new cohorts is a daytime
option, from noon-4 p.m.; the other
is from 4:30-8:30 p.m. Considering
how popular the program has proven
around the state, Shafer said the college
is looking at offering it in areas north
of Milwaukee.
College of Nursing
Partnership expanded
to Gateway in Kenosha
Stritch is now offering its Bachelor
of Science in Nursing Completion
Program at two Gateway Technical
College sites. In addition to initiating
a program at Gateway’s Burlington
center last spring, the University also
began classes at Gateway’s Kenosha
campus on Nov. 1.
“This growing partnership between
Stritch and Gateway creates new
opportunities for Gateway’s graduates
and other area nursing professionals
to further their education on site,” said
Kristen Bachman, Stritch program chair
and coordinator of the new partnership.
Gateway currently offers an associate’s
degree in nursing.
Photo by Kou Vang
Peace Corps:
Kyle Freund, dressed in
traditional Guatemalan
garb, sits in front of a
gallery of artwork from that
Central American nation.
By Sar a Woelfel
s the crowded Guatemalan bus rumbled out of sight, Kyle Freund, ’99, ’02,
realized that his wallet – and the pickpocket who stole it – were still on the
bus. Frustrated yet resigned, Freund recalled with a sigh the many things he
lost, the least of which were his money and credit cards.
He knew he could never replace his Cardinal Stritch University staff identification
card with the photo from his first day of work, the squashed penny he found on his
Route 66 road trip, or his favorite slip of fortune-cookie wisdom: “Life for you is a bold
and dashing adventure.”
And while that slip of paper is no longer tucked in his wallet, the sentiment on it has
tunneled deep inside him, often drawing him to new and distant lands. His latest travels
A
Stritch Magazine Fall 2006 took him to Central America, where he
lived in Guatemala for more than two
years as a Peace Corps volunteer. He
capped off that experience with a twomonth journey through Argentina and
Chile before coming back to his home
state of Wisconsin.
“Travel is not an extravagance in any
way whatsoever,” said Freund, who also
has trekked to Tanzania, Belize, Brazil,
Peru and the Czech Republic during the
years he was a student and, later, assistant
director of Public Relations at Stritch.
“I like getting to see new places like you
see in National Geographic.”
And, while in the Peace Corps, Freund
not only got to see plenty of spectacular
scenery, but he also became a part of it
as he was absorbed into the fabric of life
in the intimate community of Chiabal,
a village in the Cuchumatanes mountain
range, about 200 miles northwest of the
capital, Guatemala City.
“It’s neat to be able to live somewhere
long enough to see the seasons change
twice,” said Freund, who relished exploring the nearby mountains, traveling
(by bus, bike, foot or hitchhiking) to
other parts of Guatemala, immersing
his family and friends in the culture
when they visited him and through
regular e-mails he sent home, and
by participating in holiday and
village celebrations.
Known as “Ronaldo” among his Guatemalan friends and co-workers (since his
middle name, Ronald, was easier to pronounce), Freund lumbered into Chiabal
for the first time sitting with his co-worker from the village atop a load of sand in
the back of a dump truck. His upcoming job was to be a marketing consultant
for Cooperativa Union Cuchumateca,
a slaughterhouse that sells lamb meat
and also raises alpacas and llamas as
pack animals for a tourist project.
Within a few months, he settled in his
cement block home in the village, joined
the local soccer team, entertained the
children with daily bouts of juggling,
and began teaching English at a local
school and in his home to young men
who would eventually emigrate to the
United States to earn money for their
families. Over time he also learned to
crochet, make his own granola bars,
bake bread and ride a horse.
Yet life wasn’t without challenges. In
addition to the effort it took to communicate solely in his second language, Freund
quickly confronted other obstacles that
made his daily existence difficult. In this
village, which didn’t have electricity until 1989, he had no running
water and
had to fetch
it regularly
from one
of 40 wells
in town. He
also had to
cook in a
homemade
oven, seek just
the right hilltop perch to get
phone reception, fend off
the aggressive
chuchos (mutts)
that roamed the
streets, and deal
with the dust or mud that clung to him
depending on the season
But as is characteristic of Freund, he was
able to find humor and charm in even
the most difficult or awkward circumstances and documented many of these
in the travel journals that he e-mailed
home. He wrote quirky, compelling and
often comically self-deprecating tales of
daytrips he took, conversations he had,
people he met, observations he made, or
missteps he suffered.
One of his favorite recollections was
a simple conversation he shared with
a young boy one evening.
“After taking our llamas and alpacas
out to pasture, I was sitting with him on
the sheep corrals at the slaughterhouse
and I was trying to get him to talk,”
Freund wrote. “The sun was setting off
in the distance … I asked him how old
he was. He sat there, mulled it over for a
while and, looking off into the distant sun,
replied with a world-weary voice, ‘Saber,’
which basically means, ‘Who knows?’
“I thought that was a very mature
response from a 5-to-8-year-old, as if he
knew that his answer was just small talk
and that maybe sharing the beauty of the
afternoon coming to an end was all that
really was needed.”
Freund also noted his neighbors had
a lot of curiosity about life in the U.S.
One man asked him if Americans wash
their clothes or if they simply throw
them away after they wear them. Others
would unabashedly ask what his possessions cost. Yet most just wanted to learn
basic English, since many men – some
as young as 13 – eventually leave home
to live in the U.S. for several years to be
able to send money back to Guatemala.
Often Freund’s journal entries
centered on his job. Considered one of
the least desirable jobs among Peace
Corps volunteers that year, the slaughterhouse assignment was his first choice
when he learned of the cooler climate,
the higher elevation and the opportunity
to return to his farming roots.
During his two years at the cooperative, Freund helped raise baby llamas,
developed a product logo that tied in
elements of the local heritage and dress,
helped standardize the product recipes,
researched and created a 21-page manual
on sanitation and hygiene practices using information shared by a Wisconsin
slaughterhouse he visited during a trip
home, conducted a marketing study, and
worked with the men at the cooperative
to devise better business practices.
“I was trying to plant things here and
there,” said Freund, who has a bachelor’s
degree in public relations and a Master of Business Administration degree,
both from Stritch. “As a Peace Corps
volunteer, you are just a consultant and
cannot force your way or ideas … . At
times it seemed they did not fully trust
everything I said because they were not
paying me any money to work there.”
As in any workplace, in Guatemala
Freund felt his share of frustrations, not
the least of which was his need to communicate complicated business concepts
in Spanish.
“The nicest thing about learning
a new language is the forgiveness you
get for saying things wrong or out of
turn,” Freund said. His face still gets
red when he remembers how time stood
still the day he accidentally told his host
mother that he was aroused when he
meant excited.
Some of the cooperative’s challenges
centered on overcoming a positive E.coli
test, securing a sanitary license, building their client base, figuring out why
so many of the baby llamas were dying,
and developing the most appealing marketing strategy for their meat products.
Freund encountered a couple of unexpected obstacles in his quest to school
his co-workers on the fine art of marketing and public relations. In one instance,
he was prepping the cooperative manager for a media appearance, since a Los
Angeles television station wanted to
feature their llama and alpaca project on
their newscast.
“Throughout that week I stressed the
importance of public relations and how
media appearances can affect business,”
Freund said. “We discussed talking points
and how to be interviewed … I thought
I covered everything that was needed,
from the hike route to who would be
the spokesperson. But on the day of the
event I realized the one thing I forgot.
Apparently I didn’t stress how important
it was to show up.”
In the end, another worker from the
cooperative proved to be a natural in
front of the cameras, so a disaster was
averted and the interview turned out to
be even better than planned.
On another occasion, the cooperative’s
accountant was a bit overzealous in his
attempt to attract new business. In a
meeting with a restaurant owner, the
accountant said the product was 100%
meat and completely fat free.
“After watching the production process
and seeing the globs of fat along with
the other vegetables and spices that go
into our sausages, I knew that neither of
these statements was true,” Freund said.
“I made a mental note to talk with the
accountant about this later … I asked
him if it was true that our meat products
were 100% meat and fat free. He replied
that it wasn’t true, but he thought it
would help sell more sausage.
“We had a discussion about honesty
in advertising and sales and ways to get
a similar idea across without lying, and
I know he took it to heart.”
From exchanges like that one or just
everyday meetings with co-workers,
Freund came home with newfound
confidence as well as a greater ability
to self-direct at work, be more persuasive when presenting ideas, and manage
unexpected situations that require immediate attention. He learned to “roll with
the punches and adjust. The only thing
you can control is how you react.”
After especially difficult days at work,
Freund could count on a good walk
home to ease his tension. The 15-minute walk often took three times that long
to complete.
“Without fail, at the end of each day
I can count on a few things,” Freund
wrote home. “… as I reach the corner
before the hill up to my house, a motley crew of kids comes running to the
road and asks me to juggle or play soccer.
And then as I make my way up the hill,
I run into a couple of the town shepherds
watching their sheep on the hillside and
playing with slingshots. And we sit, and
we talk, and we admire the view. By then
I’m usually cleansed of my frustrations
at work and I’m back home talking with
my neighbors and watching another day
come to a happy close.”
While sad to leave this second home,
Freund was ready to return to Wisconsin
last December at the conclusion of his
Peace Corps stint. He eased his transition with a few weeks traveling through
Mexico before coming home for Christmas, then added two months traveling
in South America after the holidays.
Today, Freund’s formerly exotic lifestyle has been tamed. He works a 9-to-5
job as a public relations specialist at a
Milwaukee ad agency. He admits to
feeling “scattershot” and unsure of what
his future career or life holds.
“There are a million things I would like to
do and only one lifetime to do it,” Freund
said. “Where do I go from here? It’s wide
open. I have a lot of skills and interests
now after the Peace Corps. My Spanish is
fresh. I learned marketing things. I want
to work somewhere with an altruistic
motive but yet also have money and
vacation to feed my travel habit.”
There are many more places Freund
plans to visit, so he’ll keep his passport
current, just in case.
“I plan to keep a fund going with $400
in the bank as my ‘emergency perspective fund,’” Freund said. “That way
I can go back for a week on a whim
if necessary.”
Yet for now, Freund is content to settle in
to life in Milwaukee, further develop his
career skills, and enjoy time with family
all the while keeping his eyes peeled for
the next “bold and dashing adventure”
to come his way. Or perhaps discover
another fortune cookie that leads him
in a different direction.
Including Kyle Freund, Cardinal Stritch University alumni have served in the Peace Corps, with the first beginning service in 1965.
They called the following places home for two years or more: Ethiopia, Ecuador, Micronesia, the Philippines, Fiji, Mali, the Solomon
Islands, Paraguay, the Eastern Caribbean, and Guatemala. Source: Peace Corps press office.
Stritch Magazine Fall 2006 Midwest
meets
Far East
Student uses travel as a means to learn
Evan McCaw
E
By Brett Kell
van McCaw is not one to sit still. Over the past
two years, the senior political science major from
Iowa has spent a year in South Korea, a week in
Washington, D.C., as a delegate to the Model
United States House of Representatives, and touring as a drummer in a punk rock band over the summers.
“It’s certainly a lifestyle,” he said. “I’ve slept in dorm rooms,
fancy hotels, and on living room floors – it’s always an experience.”
McCaw went to South Korea for the first time in the summer of 2004 as part of a group led by former Stritch Associate Professor Terry Roehrig. The trip was part of a two-week
cultural exchange program that Stritch’s International
Programs office offers every two years.
Although he had been looking for a study abroad opportunity, McCaw decided that the cultural exchange trip would
offer an ideal opportunity for him to get a taste of a study
abroad experience before actually making the commitment.
The group stayed at the Catholic University of Korea in
Seoul, which has more than 7,000 students and is one of
Stritch’s partner schools. The two-week program included
trips around the city and to the North Korean border, tea
with Buddhist monks, and short courses in language,
economics, and other subjects.
“I didn’t know anything about Asia, so it was a real learning experience for me,” he said. “Every second of every day
was intensely fascinating. We talked about Korea in Terry’s
classes, but that couldn’t prepare me for what it was actually
like being there.”
His group also toured the demilitarized zone at the North
Korean border, where they experienced firsthand the gravity
of the escalating tensions between the North and South.
“Inside the zone, you can look across into North Korea and
see soldiers and bunkers, and there’s this sort of propaganda
on Jeju Island
in South Korea
village where both sides have set up these fake towns meant to
look like ideal little communities,” he said. “The intimidation
is unbelievable. It feels really, really tense.
“The South Korean guards are standing in this martial arts
‘ready’ position, just staring into North Korea. You can’t take
pictures because the light from your lens might reflect off of
something and someone on the other side might thing you’re
aiming a gun at them. There are lots of precautions. It’s striking.”
McCaw was grateful for the experience, but he was much
more comfortable in Seoul, the nation’s capital.
“Seoul looks so much different than here, but it’s also commercialized and developed,” he said. “It was definitely somewhere I wanted to go back to.”
Soon after, he did just that. In January 2005, he departed
for a year in Seoul. He lived in a dorm at Catholic University,
where he shared a small room with three Koreans who spoke
little English.
“That was interesting,” he said. “But we got better at communicating as time went on. You learn pretty quickly when
you don’t have a choice.”
McCaw was struck by how the college environment reflected
the conservative, traditionally minded South Korean culture.
“There are so many behavioral differences between the U.S.
and Korea,” he said. “There, you have a thousand college
students living in a dorm building and no one is drinking, no
one is fighting, no one is breaking things.”
The nature of the South Korean people is an issue McCaw
explored in his senior thesis. Confucian culture, family values, a hierarchical social structure, and other factors contribute greatly to their behavior, he said.
Misbehavior carries a heftier stigma in South Korea than
in the U.S., a fact that contributes to a vastly different social
climate and learning environment, McCaw said.
“There are repercussions, but not in the way we’d think.
They’re more psychological. There, everyone you know will
feel disgraced. It’s a totally different concept of right and
wrong. They ask themselves, ‘How did we fail this person?’”
Although McCaw spoke virtually no Korean when he
arrived, many of his fellow students spoke English and were
excited to practice it with him, the very first Westerner to
attend Catholic University.
He became friends with his roommates and had many
acquaintances around campus. Far more people wanted to
spend time with him than he had time to accommodate.
Many wanted a chance to practice their English and learn
more about Western culture.
While in school, McCaw took Korean language and history
courses, as well as political science and other courses. He contributed to his classes, but noted that Koreans were not as
willing to speak up as he was.
“If your opinion differs from the instructor, that’s considered
confrontational; everyone went to great lengths to avoid that,”
he said. “So I did a lot of talking, and the teachers seemed
to like it.”
Overall, his study abroad experience was a rich one, McCaw
said. In addition to his time in Seoul, he saw almost every
major tourist spot in the country.
“Many Koreans remarked that I had been to more places
than they had,” he said. “Some of the most memorable are a
tropical island named Jeju and the Eastern coast city of Sokcho, with its beautiful mountain range, called Soraksan.”
He also was able to spend 10 days each in China
and Japan during the time he was in Korea. In both
countries, he tried to see as many things as possible in
the time that he had. In Japan, he traveled by himself
to many places, including Hiroshima, Osaka, Kyoto,
Tokyo and Mt. Fuji. In China, he visited Shanghai,
Beijing and other cities.
Before he left for his study abroad program, McCaw
learned about the Model House of Representatives
from Roehrig and applied while in Korea. He was
accepted and set out to raise the $1,400 needed to
pay for the trip. He left for Washington, D.C., in
April of 2006.
McCaw represented his native Iowa during the
first-ever one-week program, which included 160
students from 40 states. Each represented a district
and was responsible for authoring a bill for submission. The group spent time in the real House office
buildings and committee rooms amid real House
staffers, debating bills, making amendments, advocating issues and voting.
“We really felt like politicians,” he said. “It was all very
upscale. We wore suits and ties and carried briefcases. We
debated legislation that was really well written and had
some pretty broad implications. There was articulate and
well-informed discussion of issues on a much higher level than
any classroom I’ve been in.”
McCaw wrote a bill on trying to establish a permanent
security forum for East Asia and to make permanent the Six-Party
Talks that include the United States, China, Japan,
Russia and both Koreas regarding North Korean nuclear
weapons issues.
“I’ve always had the opinion that politics is just dirty and
nasty, and I’ve wanted to be as far away from it as possible.
But what motivated me to do this was my interest in the issues
and in making the world a better place.”
After McCaw returned from Washington, Stritch was notified by Aurelia Figueroa, executive director of the American
Youth Scholarship Foundation and founder of the Model
House of Representatives, that McCaw was the first-ever
recipient of the Committee on International Relations Award
of Excellence, which included a $500 scholarship.
“From the very beginning, Mr. McCaw established himself
as one of our best Student Representatives,” Figueroa wrote.
“We followed Mr. McCaw closely at the event, and with every
step were impressed with his commitment, maturity, patriotism, intellect, and leadership qualities.”
McCaw said that the level of camaraderie and cooperation
exhibited by other delegates softened his unsavory perception
of politics.
McCaw in Washington, D.C., speaking about international relations
“It was really empowering,” he said. “People weren’t interested in dividing themselves by party. Of course there were
different views, but we all just focused on getting the job
done. It felt natural.”
Continued on page 10
Stritch Magazine Fall 2006 Continued from page 9
McCaw admits that he wasn’t always interested in politics,
or any other subject very much. School had been the least
important part of his life for a long time, he said. When he
enrolled at Stritch, he took a number of music and natural
sciences courses, but it took some time for him to become
engaged in his studies in a meaningful way.
“Stritch helped me a lot. It took me a while to understand
that the reason I had been accumulating these amazing
experiences was because I’m being encouraged every step
of the way.”
By Brett Kell
Building the confidence to go to Korea also took him
a while, but McCaw said making the decision to study
abroad in the first place was the hardest part of the
entire experience.
“I think Stritch definitely played a part in my feeling able
to do it,” he said. “I’ve had a really easy time here finding
the help that I needed to do the things I wanted to do,
and going to Korea is just one example.
“I really feel like I’ve been stimulated to take responsible
social action, and that’s probably a result of being exposed
to Stritch’s values on a certain level.”
In addition to politics and social action, music also has
been a big part of McCaw’s life. He had been the drummer
in a Dubuque-based punk rock band, Chinese Telephones,
since his senior year in high school.
The band criss-crossed the country on six or seven tours
over summers and spring breaks during McCaw’s first
two years at Stritch. They made enough money to
continue traveling, but not enough to make touring a
permanent endeavor.
“All of the tours I’ve been on, we pretty much broke
even,” he said. “But after I left for Korea, they got another
drummer and the first tour they went on, they came out
ahead. Just my luck.”
By Brett Kell
Although he isn’t part of the band anymore, McCaw
hopes to start another band with a new sound when he can
find the time. He said that because he’s played the drums
since the sixth grade, music is hard to get out of his system.
“If I had my way, I’d get into some bluesy rock,” he said.
In addition to remaining in his memory, many of McCaw’s
experiences were documented in his senior thesis, which he
finished in May and presented at the History and Political Science department’s annual student presentation and
dinner event.
“I was told to get it down to about 40 pages, which was
tough,” he said. “It was around 70 pages. I had a lot to say.
Every time I read it over, I thought, ‘But I really like this
part!’ All of it is important to me.
“Attempting to analyze culture and politics in the way
that I did was like opening one of those Russian dolls
– every idea I came across just led to more questions
and few answers. But I gained a lot from trying to find
those answers.”
10 Stritch Magazine Fall 2006
David Riordan is teaching a screenwriting workshop that
draws on his experience working in Hollywood. Paul Gleason will teach a course, Reading Film, that explores elements
of film that translate to the written word. And Paula Friedman will be teaching an Irish Literature course that includes
an eight-day trip to Ireland that alumni are encouraged
to join.
“Our writing program has always included study in
poetry and fiction, but in order to stay relevant and provide
students with a broader background and
additional skills, we saw the need to expand our offerings,” said Arts and Sciences Dean Sister Mary Ann Polasek, OSF.
Literature of the Indomitable Irish
and its trip component were designed
with the help of Stritch’s International
Programs director, Laine Philippa, who
asked Friedman if she would be willing
to teach a course on Ireland. Interest in
Irish culture and literature has grown
among Stritch students, Philippa said.
The name comes from a William Butler Yeats poem, “Under Ben Bulben,”
in which he writes, “Through seven heroic centuries;/Cast your mind on other
days/That we in coming days may be/
Still the indomitable Irishry.” The coursework will include examination of Yeats poetry; plays by John
Synge, Sean O’Casey, Samuel Beckett,
and Brian Friel; a memoir by Nuala
O’Faolain; and fiction: James Joyce’s
“Dubliners” and Roddy Doyle’s “A Star
Called Henry.” “The trip component is designed to
give students a chance to experience
Irish culture and to see some of the
places depicted in the course readings,”
Friedman said. “We’re actually going to
stand in the footsteps of these writers.”
The group will be in Ireland March
30 to April 7, half the time in Dublin,
and the rest in Cork, Ireland’s secondlargest city.
In Dublin, they will see The Book of
Kells, a famous manuscript containing
the gospels of Mark, Matthew, Luke
and John completed in about 800 A.D.,
at Trinity College; the Dublin Writers
Museum; the General Post Office, site
of the Easter 1916 rebellion; the Kilmainham Gaol Historical Museum,
where political prisoners were kept and
mistreated; the James Joyce Centre; the
Abbey Theatre, where they will take in
a play; and Malahide Castle, north of
the city.
In Cork, they will visit the City Gaol,
where other political prisoners were
kept, the Cork Public Museum of Art,
the Coal Quay Market, St. Anne’s
Church, and Blarney Castle, which is
outside of the city. Stritch faculty and staff, alumni, and
partnership students in adult education
are encouraged to take the trip and will
not be responsible for course work. The
course itself, which may be audited by
students and non-students, will be offered from 2:40-4 p.m. on Tuesdays
and Thursdays, beginning Jan. 23. The cost for the trip will be approximately $1,770 for students, who will
likely share rooms at a hostel, and from
$1,945 to $2,225 for non-students who
may want their own single or double
rooms at nearby location. The cost includes round-trip airfare, lodging, and
breakfasts. Participants will purchase
their own lunches and dinners.
Scott Lehmann, assistant director of
International Programs, will go along
to visit an Irish university that could
serve as an exchange program option
for Stritch students in the future. Friedman said future courses could focus on
and include trips to Italy, Australia,
or London.
Riordan’s Screenwriting Workshop
attempts to use the contemporary cultural influence of film to help students
create their own works.
“Our goal is to promote visual literacy
studies and offer a more interdisciplinary approach to creative writing,” he
said. “Students are experienced moviegoers, and this is a chance for them
to use what they see as inspiration for
their own material.
Riordan spent a year in Hollywood
as a screenwriter, film production assistant, and personal assistant. He also
worked for an agency as a script analyst,
where he wrote synopses, comments,
and recommendations on scripts
submitted to production companies
for consideration.
“I got to see first-hand how the business works and how quickly things
can happen.”
His students are charged with writing
and revising either a short screenplay or
the first act of a full length one, as well
as storyboarding and filming a scene
from their screenplay projects. They
are practicing pitching their projects to
the class, as well as writing treatments
(a lengthy synopsis), coverage reports,
annotated filmographies, and more.
“The practical commerce-related aspects (of filmmaking) are necessary to
know even if all you’re interested in is
writing,” he said. “The more you know
about the process, the more you’re able
to tailor your work and increase the
likelihood that it will see the light of
day.”
Gleason’s course, Reading Film, is
structured around a dozen contemporary films that were chosen as examples
of six major cinematic elements: acting,
narrative, set design, cinematography,
editing, and sound.
Students will write commentary and
essays that focus on each of these elements and the two films chosen to represent it. For example, the set design
unit will examine Stanley Kubrick’s “Dr.
Strangelove” and Spike Jonze’s “Being
John Malkovich,” and the cinematography portion will look at Francis Ford
Coppola’s “Apocalypse Now” and Larry
and Andy Wachowski’s “The Matrix.”
Gleason said that because students respond first to what they see and second
to what they read, the films used in his
new course will serve as visual representations of what’s possible on the page.
“Being able to see examples of arguments, rhetorical structures and more
on screen allows the student to better
grasp how those elements function in
written form,” he said.
The three instructors hope the new
courses attract students and help
Stritch’s writing program keep pace
with others in the area.
“We’re really trying to transform the
way our department looks at literature by using films, music, plays, and
more to illuminate writing,” Gleason
said. “We think these are very attractive
courses that will draw in more potential
writing majors.”
Stritch Magazine Fall 2006 11
Humanities
help create
Eric Pullin
well-rounded business students
Deb Bruers
Owen Phelps
By Scott Rudie
tice. “The Believer’s Edge” explores scientific research that
religiously active people make better neighbors, build better
The College of Business has a long-recognized reputation for
communities, and live happier, healthier lives.
employing business leaders as instructors – men and women
who practice by day what they teach by night.
“As a communications person, I’m always intrigued
by
disparities between reality and general perceptions,”
But there is another diverse group of scholars within the
he
said.
“The common perception would be that reliteaching ranks whose work helps ensure that adult learners are
gion is just an inhibitor. Its job is to filter the fun
truly well-rounded individuals when they graduate. These facout of life before life gets to you.” But Phelps found
ulty members have notable experience in the liberal arts and
through his research that “people that didn’t buy into that
other areas beyond business, supporting a humanities focus
social myth were getting incredible rewards.”
the college deems vital.
“This book talks about reaching out beyond yourself and
The college has a foundation of liberal arts requirements and
finding
things beyond yourself that are worthy of your attention
has added more in recent years. For an associate’s in business
and
your
devotion,” he said. “Our whole culture goes after the
degree, 30 liberal arts credits are required out of a total of 64
idea
that
‘It’s
all about me.’ We know from a preponderance of
credits. At the bachelor’s level, 39 liberal arts credits are required
empirical
experience
that the consistently effective leader is not
out of 128. Courses include American History, Western
a
self-centered
human
being.”
Civilization, Non-Western Religions, American Government,
and Humanities, among others.
Phelps is CEO of Midwest Leadership Institute, which works
to
develop the leadership potential of individuals through
The liberal arts expertise is evident at College of Business
coaching,
presentations and workshops. He began his career
locations throughout Wisconsin and in Minnesota. For
in journalism, but later moved to
instance, when adjunct faculty memmanagement. He also worked for the
ber Eric Pullin is in front of a classIt’s
not
just
giving
people
Catholic Diocese of Rockford and later
room, the topic is not information
systems or business administration. degrees to get jobs. We have to began his own company, the Durand
Corporation.
Instead, it is a lively discussion of the
origins of World War I or the tyran- have healthy business people Gwen Rivkin, associate dean in the
nies of Joseph Stalin.
College of Business, said some stu“The students help me keep it fresh,” to have a healthy economy and dents may not initially understand the
importance of the liberal arts courses,
he said. “They always come to class
a healthy society.
—Deb Bruers but the connection of these areas to
with a different set of questions.”
business becomes evident as they progIn addition to his adjunct facress in their studies.
ulty responsibilities, Pullin serves
“We explain to them how the liberal arts inform their underas a curriculum specialist in the college. He also is comstanding
of the world, and that there is a connection between
pleting work on a Ph.D. in history at the University of
art,
literature
and philosophy and things that happen in the
Wisconsin-Madison.
business world.”
“Coming to Stritch really brought it home to me that I might
Pullin said he continues to enjoy the unique personalities and
be able to turn my interest in history into a career,” he said.
characteristics
of each group of students that he teaches, and
“I realized that this is what I want to do.”
he relishes the challenge of teaching history to business stuIn Minnesota, Deb Bruers brings a variety of humanities
dents.
expertise to her business students. She is a painter, does charcoal
“Many of them ask, ‘Why do I even need to take a history
drawings, and has written for more than 300 publications in
class?’
I think I help students realize that the skills they learn
the field of public health.
in a history class are versatile skills that can be used in the busiIn humanities classes, she often takes the students into the
ness world to great effect.”
streets of inner-city neighborhoods with culture centers.
Bruers said the focus is to create well-rounded individuals
“I take them to places that are culturally rich,” she said. “We’ll
who are better equipped to contribute to society. And she
meet, lecture and go over the reading. I don’t leave the curricutakes pride in helping students find their own path.
lum behind, but I have them experience art. They’re business
“The most gratifying work I have ever had is working for
people, but they are absolutely taken by it.”
this school,” she said. “It’s not just giving people degrees to
Adjunct faculty member Owen Phelps brings research and
get jobs. We have to have healthy business people to have a
expertise on spirituality to his students. He recently wrote a
healthy economy and a healthy society.”
book that analyzes the benefits of religious faith and pracStritch Magazine Fall 2006 13
Husband and wife COB students tackle education, enterprise
By Brett Kell
Jeff Janssen often multitasks.
A student in Stritch’s MBA program
in Woodbury, Minn., he recently was
presented with the Dr. Robert Flahive Award for his essay on Stritch’s
Franciscan values.
“I wrote the essay while my wife and
kids and I were watching a movie one
night,” he said. “My kids gave me all
kinds of grief.”
In addition, he and his classmates
started a consulting company, Ethos
Innovations, which they plan to grow
after graduation. His small study group
also has assisted in the formation and
operation of the Bless the Children Child
Care Center, based out of his church
in Newport, Minn., just minutes outside
of Woodbury, itself an eastern suburb
of St. Paul.
His wife of 23 years, Kim, is a student
in the same MBA class. Both are employees of the 3M Company in St. Paul, Jeff
is a senior new business development
specialist and has been with 3M for 28
years in various roles. Kim is a quality
manager in the 3M Company Automotive Division.
They both agree that their Stritch
coursework helps them approach their
work in a new way and will be a tool with
which to grow their business after they
retire from 3M. But fortunately for their
community, work isn’t the only thing
on their minds. They’ve made a habit of
giving back to their community.
During their Managerial Economics class, Janssen’s group of classmates
decided to use the family’s church, which
had asked for help in outreach efforts,
as the focus of a class project.
“Newport Lutheran church is an older
congregation and needs to become more
relevant in and connected to the community in order to grow,” he said.
The congregation decided to start a
day care center as a way to connect with
younger families. Bless the Children
Child Care Center was founded soon
after by several of the church members,
but needed help to get off the ground.
Janssen and his classmates researched
the economic viability of the center,
helped establish a pricing structure, and
studied the market to determine potential demand. They discovered that a
19-home Habitat for Humanity development adjacent to the church is home
to about 80 kids from multicultural
families who could utilize the center.
Since opening, Bless the Children has
enrolled 16 students, well on its way to a
capacity of 29. Janssen also built a Web
site for the center and has volunteered
to maintain and update it.
The Janssens’ group project with their
church was not the first time they have
promoted a worthy cause. Two years
ago, friends opened a Vietnamese restaurant in Woodbury. To help out, the Janssens volunteered as wait staff up to four
nights a week and donated all their tips
and wages to a local food pantry. Local
churches boosted the effort by placing
notices about the restaurant in their
bulletins, and the Woodbury community began visiting the restaurant and
leaving large tips.
“The restaurant has benefited, we’ve
benefited, customers leave with a smile,
and the Christian Cupboard Food Shelf
has been able to purchase more than
25,000 pounds of food for the hungry,”
Janssen said.
Another project in works for the couple is Ethos Innovations. The company
was the idea of Janssen’s classmate Kerry
Mellum and is made up of several students in their class. Ethos already has one
project underway, serving as the consulting arm for a company called Market
Connections in Stillwater, Minn., which
acts as a fulfillment house for other companies. Ethos currently works for no
money and is helping Market Connections identify new clients and has coordinated with them to help develop other
business relationships.
“Right now the people in Ethos are
busy with work, home and school, but
we hope to build the business after we
graduate in 2007,” Janssen said.
When the Janssens’ class representative sent out a notice about the Flahive
essay award, Janssen decided to share his
insights on what the notion of a caring
community had come to mean to him.
The award has been given annually
since 2002 by the Student Affairs committee in honor of Dr. Robert Flahive, a
former senior vice president of Stritch,
to the student who most embodies one
of the Franciscan values. Each year, the
essay focuses on a different value. This
year it was creating a caring community,
which encompasses respecting human
dignity; offering courtesy, kindness and
friendship, and fostering relationships.
“I’m not a Catholic, so the Franciscan
values were a little foreign to me at first,”
Janssen said. “But the longer we’ve been
in the program, the more I appreciate
the fact that, at Stritch, it isn’t only about
the money. It’s about relationships and a
value-centered education.”
The couple decided to pursue their
degrees together with the hope of using
what they learned to advance in their
careers. After researching other wellknown business programs, they chose
Stritch because of its proximity to their
home and workplace, and because the
program structure allowed them to
remain with the same classmates.
Working toward an MBA has made
a huge difference in the way he works,
Janssen said.
“My job at 3M is to invent products
and create new growth opportunities.
The Stritch MBA program has helped
me better describe ideas and proposals so
they resonate with customers and business leaders. I think more like a business
person and it makes the odds of achieving business success much better.”
“Jeff is a remarkable individual,” said
College of Business Dean Kathleen
Radionoff, who presented him with the
award during a ceremony at the Woodbury site. “The leadership that he and
his wife exhibit and the energy they
put into everything they do are really
amazing. I’m proud to have him as a
Stritch student.”
Janssen said the name of their company,
Ethos, is a Greek word that means conscience or character. It’s a notion held
close to his heart, though it only hints at
the true meaning behind the name.
Ethos is an acronym for Excellence
Through Helping Others Succeed.
B r a z e n ly
disagreeable
pat i e n t
promotes
learning
By Scott Rudie
here’s a new patient in the Ruth S. Coleman
College of Nursing’s Learning Resource
Center who has been causing quite a stir.
He can be quite disagreeable at times to the
nursing students who care for him, and he
even brazenly complains that his caregivers
don’t know what they’re doing.
The patient’s name is SimMan. He is a
mannequin, but he is unlike any that Stritch
nursing students have worked on before. This mannequin has
a pulse, a heartbeat, and his chest swells with each breath. And
when the situation calls for it, he can be quite loquacious.
A computer-controlled device, SimMan is designed to help
train students in the diagnosis of illness and injury. He made
his first appearance in nursing classes this fall. The mannequin
is capable of an extraordinary level of realism and can display
a full range of symptoms. For example, one of SimMan’s arms
has replaceable rubber skin so students can practice inserting
IV tubes.
“SimMan can do everything but get up and walk out of the
bed; he has a pulse, he’s got lung and heart sounds, abdominal sounds,” said Mary Ann Mosley, the Learning Resource
Center coordinator.
SimMan can be preprogrammed to exhibit a variety of symptoms and conditions or be manipulated remotely by a faculty member to react as a real person. He can cry out in pain,
complain while being treated, and carry on a conversation with
a student.
“For instance, if a student is starting an IV, you can have SimMan say, ‘Ouch! Get me somebody who knows what they’re
doing,’” Mosley said. “Because that is what nurses will hear in
real life.”
With a few modifications, SimMan can be converted into
SimWoman, allowing students to have a simulated experience
with uniquely female health issues.
“We can give students a scenario and leave them in the room
with the mannequin,” Mosley said. “The sessions would be
videotaped, so the instructor and students can see any problem
and issues in the clinical setting. The instructor doesn’t have to
be there anymore.”
This technology allows students to learn the practice of nursing without constant supervision, said Lori Stutte, assistant
professor and chair of the associate’s degree program.
“I am able to create a scenario in which a student is able to
go through the care of a patient and experience problems in a
safe setting,” Stutte said. “In clinicals, I obviously can’t let them
wing it. I have to intervene and do the right thing. With SimMan, I can allow them to make a mistake.”
Stritch’s single SimMan unit cost $37,000. The mannequin
and other new equipment were acquired with the help of a
Title III grant from the federal government.
“To spend that kind of money, you have to figure out how
it will filter though the curriculum and use it at every level,” Mosley said. “You can’t let something like this lay and
catch dust.”
SimMan is housed in the new Learning Resource Center on
the second floor of Bonaventure Hall. He joins another mannequin there named Noelle, who can simulate the birth experience. The college has also added a “virtual IV” computer
simulation, which interactively instructs students on how to
insert an IV correctly.
In addition, the college is interested in acquiring SimBaby,
which is designed to help train students in the care of newborns.
The new Learning Resource Center, which opened this fall, is
twice the size of the previous center. The old facility in Roger
Bacon Hall has been refurbished into a physical assessment lab,
with new exam beds, curtains and equipment. This new physical assessment lab adds an on-site facility for activities that used
to be housed at St. Michael Hospital.
“It is the thing of the future, because clinical sites are getting
harder and harder to find,” Mosley said. “People are staying in
hospitals for shorter and shorter periods of time, so we’re going
to have to start to do a lot of these things on campus.”
D esigners, artists , administrators
help create theater magic
By Sara Woelfel
The lights dim. A melody begins to swell as a hush spreads through the audience. People
peer with expectation at the stage, awaiting the first glimpse of an imagined world created
with accents of light, scripted sounds, painted backdrops, tailored costumes, and carefully
placed props. Seeped in darkness, the audience feels reality fade away as the actors enter
and the story begins.
And whether that story is one of human foibles, happy endings or current events, many
talented artists, technicians, administrators and actors must collaborate in the exhausting
and exhilarating process that takes a production from a concept on an empty stage to an
opening-night catharsis in front of a live audience.
Several Stritch graduates have invested their talents and passions behind the curtain to
make that magic come alive.
The process begins in the front office of a theater company, where the artistic director
scours dozens of scripts to select shows for the season. Stritch music graduate Marjorie
Schoemann, ’02, the founder and artistic director for two Milwaukee theater companies,
Dramatists Theatre and Allegro Productions, said the difficulty comes from trying to
find just the right balance of shows.
She had a hard time last year, for instance, trying to choose four one-acts written by
Dramatists’ featured playwright, Lanford Wilson, because he wrote more than 100
one-act plays.
18 Stritch Magazine Summer 2006
“They had to complement each other … . And I wanted
to open people’s eyes. That’s part of our mission, to choose a
playwright who writes to expose people to the various issues
in our society.”
And while the artistic director grapples with show selection,
the managing director works alongside to handle the logistics of securing funding, lobbying for rights from publishing
houses, overseeing rental agreements for theater space, handling marketing campaigns, and simply getting people in the
seats to help pay the bills.
According to Milwaukee’s Next Act Theatre managing director Charles Kakuk, ’99, often one of his greatest challenges is
getting the word out in a city that is flush with more than 20
theater companies.
“Every show is a different product,” said Kakuk, who earned
a bachelor of business administration degree from Stritch. “It’s
not like we make widgets and just keep kicking out the same
thing. Each show is a different item, and it has to be sold
differently to a lot of people … you are selling a concept. You
take it home, but you take it home in your mind.”
Kakuk feels a responsibility to ticket subscribers and donors
to make keen business decisions when managing Next Act’s
$630,000 budget, which has grown from $129,000 when he
started at the theater company in the early 1990s.
“We’ve grown very conservatively, because it’s a volatile business,” he said. “Just like any business, you need plans, you
need strategies.”
Finding just the right space at an affordable rate can be a
challenge for theater companies that do not have a permanent
residence. This summer, Schoemann was thrilled to find just
the right intimate performance space at the Marian Center for
Non-Profits – the site of the former Cardinal Stritch College – for her two theater companies. She renovated an old
chemistry room to create the Dramatists Theatre Studio, with
75 seats and a thrust stage. She expects the new theater to be a
better fit for her companies, especially since last year’s warehouse-style space received criticism for being too cavernous.
“It was a great space but just really did not suit our needs,”
Schoemann said.
A company’s budget is also a factor in determining some of
the artistic elements of the show, including the size of the cast
and crew, how elaborate the scenery and props can be, and
whether the cast will wear costumes or street clothes. That’s
why theater companies are most successful when the artistic
and managing directors work closely together when making
decisions, respect each other’s areas of expertise, and always
maintain a focus on creating the best product for their audiences, Kakuk said.
Yet, Schoemann has proven that even a brand-new company
can attract top-notch talent and work around typical budget
limitations using creative approaches. Dramatists has put on
performances on a bare stage, “using a couple of cubes. and
everyone wears their own clothes as their costumes.” Also, she
does not pay actors a weekly salary but instead compensates
them based on a percentage of ticket sales and income from a
well-placed tip jar at performances.
“Salaries can be very expensive, which is why a lot of the theaters have done smaller casts,” said Schoemann, who proudly
broke even in the first year of Dramatists. “Last year, when
we did ‘Balm in Gilead,’ we had a cast of 38 people. So we
said, let’s all pool together and do well and really promote this
show. And the more money we bring in, the more everyone
gets.”
Once the budget is finalized, the rental agreements are
signed, and rights for the shows are approved, Schoemann decides which productions she will personally direct, hires other
directors and designers, and then sets up a two-day casting
call for actors to audition.
“It’s a lot of auditions. It’s a lot of meeting people and finding out, “Do I think I can work with them? What will they
bring to the table? Do they love it? Do they understand it?
Could they understand it given the proper direction?’ ”
Logistics in place, the production work begins
And while much of the planning and hiring is done well in
advance, work on an individual production usually begins
three to eight weeks before opening night. That means the
Charles Kakuk
“A Thought on the Theatre”
No show is completely over
The lights are dim
The stage is empty
The members of the audience have
gone back to daily life
But the echoes of what once was
Will ring forever in the memories
of all of us who helped to make it happen
The theatre is magic
It is being a part of something larger
than yourself
In a world so often dimmed by hard times
and discontent
Theatre is a heartening reminder
that wonderful things can happen
when we work together.
cast and crew must focus
signing as well as painting,
and prepare themselves for a
because sometimes people are
rigorous schedule of evening
right on top of the set and
rehearsals, often coming to
can see every single molecule. And other times you
the theater after working full
time at a day job.
can fudge it and your lines
don’t have to be perfect. No
“Theater is a collaboraone notices because your eye
tive art form,” said David
tricks itself into seeing. That’s
Oswald, chair of Stritch’s
kind of what my job is.
Theatre department. “It’s
one of the few places where
“Scenic art is tricking the
people of so many disciplines
eye, using a lot of tools and
and artistic talents work
different kinds of brushes
together this closely toward a
to create different kinds of
collective goal.”
surfaces.”
A crew of backstage techniToussaint said her work has
cians works to invigorate a
required her to use lessons
bare performance space. Usfrom chemistry and mathing renderings created by the
ematics to achieve certain
– Author Unknown
effects or shapes.
production’s designers, it’s up
Courtesy of David Oswald, who reads this poem to each new class of
students and keeps a copy hanging in his office.
to artists and technicians to
“How does paint work?
make those plans a reality.
How does water react? How
Andrea Toussaint, ’01, a
do these chemicals react?
Don’t put these together. This one crackles. This is how you
full-time scenic artist for Milwaukee’s First Stage Children’s
make a perfect square. This is how you can measure out your
Theater, a painter for the Fireside Dinner Theater in Fort
distance or make bricks or whatever … . My teachers used to
Atkinson, Wis., and a graduate of Stritch’s art program, said
say, ‘You’ll thank us when you use this later in life.’ I’m like,
much of the work she does is about creating an illusion.
‘No, I won’t.’ Now I use it.”
“Every stage is different,” said Toussaint, who, in addition
to her art training at Stritch, attended the prestigious Cobalt
Working alongside Toussaint to develop the illusions are
Studios summer workshop in 2005 to refine her skills in
other backstage professionals who handle lighting, sound,
painting wood grains, marble, foliage and other textures.
costuming, make-up and props. Aaron Dyszelski, ’00, a
self-described “jack of all arts,” has dabbled in all those areas
“Your audience is a different foot distance away from your
during his time as a theatre and art double major at Stritch,
stage. So you need to keep that in mind when you are dewhile in graduate school at the University of Kansas, and now on a freelance
basis when he is not working at his
full-time job as a costumer for Walt
Disney World in Florida.
“You are creating a whole world
up on that stage,” Dyszelski said.
“All those little elements must come
together in harmony to create that
world.”
Willing to dive in wherever they are
needed during a production, Dyszelski
and Toussaint both have experience
with finding and managing “properties,” a job that requires great attention to detail. During a recent visit to
Milwaukee, Dyszelski connected with
theater colleagues in search of some
hard-to-find, gruesome props, including a straightedge razor that squirts
blood, a barber chair that catapults
20 Marjorie
StritchSchoemann
Magazine Fall 2006
people, and a giant meat grinder. “We won’t talk about what
that is for,” he said, laughing.
The weeks of preparation leading up to a production often
are frenzied and consuming for people on both sides of the
curtain. Personal lives are put on hold while hammers pound,
costumes are fitted, sound cues are scripted and faux bricks
are painted.
“The hours can get nuts, but it’s self-induced,” Kakuk said.
“When you’ve got this much invested in this and so much
heart, you want to be there. You gotta love it or you wouldn’t
be doing it. It’s a curse!”
Since she is pursuing a lifelong dream, Schoemann said the
sacrifice of a social life is worth it. “You give up certain things
to achieve what you want. Luckily, theater is my passion and
sometimes my torment. I try to take my mind off of it, but I
can’t seem to. It’s just in my blood.”
In the days before the performance opens to the public, the
company enters “tech week” when the set is erected and all
the pieces of the stage world are combined for the first time.
“It’s called 10 of 12, which means you work for 10 out of
12 hours. So you are there from noon until midnight and
you have two one-hour breaks some time during the day,”
said Toussaint, who worked three simultaneous jobs last season, resulting in seven-day, 75-hour work weeks. “But, usually
for a technical position, you’re there for 15 or 16 hours. If
things go bad, then you’re there for 16 to 18 hours. If good,
you’re only there for 12. We work until it’s done. The show
must go on!”
Toussaint, who used to be the deck chief for Next Act, said
their tech week is only three days long. Everything is set up
the first day and the actors get their bearings – where their
props are, how they enter and exit. The second day is a 10 of
12, while the third day is another daylong rehearsal and an
evening preview performance with
a live audience. Then the show
is off and running for the next
several weeks.
“Seeing the faces as they are
leaving, knowing that, wow, you
really connected with this person
at a very personal level, you can’t
describe that feeling,” Kakuk said.
“Even having nothing to do with
what’s going on onstage, other
than helping it get there, it’s very
rewarding to me.”
Yet as quickly as it was all put
together, the run of the show
ends, the company takes a week
or two to regroup, and it’s time
to start all over again on the next
production.
“That’s the one things that drives
me crazy about theater is that you spend all that time working on it and it’s so ephemeral. It’s gone,” Dyszelski said. “It’s
the hope that it lives on in the viewer’s mind that keeps you
working.”
From Stritch’s stage to the real-world stage
For Schoemann, a career in theater was not even part of her
original plan. She enrolled at Stritch with a music scholarship
to study voice, having sung with the Milwaukee Symphony
Chorus as a teen and wanting to further develop her natural
talent. However, when Stritch staged the musical “Do Black
Patent Leather Shoes Really Reflect Up?”, she rediscovered the
thrill of “the lights, the clapping, the preparation for a character. I forgot how much I loved it.”
During her last year at Stritch, her idea to create a theater
company that focused on one playwright for a whole season
began to germinate. Three years later, after intensive study at
another Milwaukee theater company, Dramatists opened in
2005. Allegro Productions, a company focused on musical
theater, debuted this fall.
“I think I’ve always had a lot of nerve as a person,” said
Schoemann, who dreams of creating a summer stock company or theater festival in Milwaukee some day. “Being gutsy
has gotten me far in life ... . I have that bright-eyed, bushytailed outlook on the world right now. It’s still my oyster.”
Toussaint had a similar awakening at Stritch after abandoning her graphic design major in favor of interdisciplinary
art. Little by little she found herself backstage, applying her
talents to making puppets, painting scenery, or stage managing. A couple of years after graduating from Stritch, she found
a comfortable and satisfying niche as one of just six full-time
scenic painters in the Milwaukee area, thanks to a little help
and advice from Stritch assistant professor David Krajec.
Stritch Magazine
2006 21
AndreaFall
Toussaint
“I encouraged her to
find for herself what feeds
her soul and use that as a
guide,” Krajec said. “By
the beginning of her senior
year, I could see that she
was starting to focus on
scene painting. She is a very
good all-around stagehand
and carpenter, but she
shines in painting. So I
started dropping hints on
how she might best parlay
her talents and get known
around town.”
“A true advantage to our
theater program at Stritch is
that students get to work in
Aaron Dyszelski
every aspect of the theater
and really discover their talents,” Oswald said. “At larger universities, there is no opportunity for music or visual arts students to work in theater, so
people like Mar or Andrea never would have had a chance.”
While at Stritch, Dyszelski combined his love for art and
theater by creating an independent study class on prosthetic
make-up. He spent the semester learning how to create molds,
work with latex and transform people.
“I was always interested in doing make-up in horror movies like most little boys are,” said Dyszelski, who went on to
teach an undergraduate make-up course while in graduate
school and hopes to one day return to the classroom as a
university professor. “But I took it to the next level, where I
actually taught myself to do it ... . I turned my girlfriend into
Medusa and Abraham Lincoln. I turned myself into a zombie,
put a bullet hole in my head and gave myself bruises.”
Also an actor, Dyszelski played Nick Bottom, a man with the
head of a donkey, for Stritch’s production of “A Midsummer
Night’s Dream” and used his art and make-up background to
construct his own mask.
“I think that’s one of the best parts of our new building (the
Joan Steele Stein Center for Communication Studies/Fine
Arts),” Oswald said. “The disciplines of art, music and theater
are together in one place, and the students do a lot of things
together. It’s very congenial and encourages a lot of crossover.”
However, Oswald was quick to point out that the “Little
Theater,” a basement space in Duns Scotus where theater productions used to be held, surprisingly had its advantages, too.
“We had to worry about standing water, mold, and other
environmental factors when down in that basement,” Oswald
said with a good natured smile. “But theater is all about creative problem-solving, and a space like that teaches enormous
problem-solving skills.”
Oswald said many students graduate from Stritch and go
on to graduate school, join Milwaukee theater companies or
find some way to keep theater a part of their lives. Two recent
graduates even took a giant leap and moved to Los Angeles in
hopes of making a living there.
“I told them not to do it and tried to be the voice of reason,”
said Oswald, who commented that he and Krajec often take
on a parenting role with students since they get to be like a
big family during countless hours of rehearsals. “But I’m very
proud of them for going anyway.”
With a laugh, Oswald said while his job is to prepare his students to work in theater, he never recommends the profession
because of how difficult it is to make a living and how often
professionals are unemployed or between projects. Yet, he
knows his advice will go unheeded by those actors and artists
whose eyes light up when they step inside a theater. And he
knows firsthand that theater has a way of spinning its magic
and not letting go.
“You can spot them a mile away, someone who is in the
theater or the arts,” Schoemann said. “There is just something
that they give off. They have that glow.”
Adva n c e m e n t
| ALUMNI
Alumni Award recipients, Hall of Fame athletes honored
Winners of Stritch’s annual Alumni Awards and inductees into the Athletic Hall of Fame were honored in July at the
President’s Picnic. For the first time, the newly named College of Education and Leadership granted awards from each of
its three schools: Education, Urban Initiatives and Leadership. All of the recipients were recognized for bringing honor to
themselves, the University and the community.
School of Education
Barbara Palmer
Bachelor’s degree in English, 1970;
Master’s degree in
Special Education, 1976
Barbara Palmer has a
long history of volunteerism and service with nonprofits and church organizations. While at Stritch
she was a Girl Scout leader and taught Communion class at St. Eugene’s Church in Fox
Point. For a time, she taught a special
education class at Maple Tree School.
After moving to California in 1977, she
worked for the San Jose Unified School
District for 22 years as a learning disabilities specialist. She retired from teaching in 2002.
Since then, she has pursued several of
her passions. She is a 25-year member
of the American Association of University Women (AAUW) and has directed a
run for the past three years that raises
money to send eighth-grade girls to
Stanford Tech Trek Camp, which encourages an interest in science, math,
and technology. The group also gives
scholarships to high school senior girls
and junior college women and supports
Girls Engaged in Math and Science. Her
branch also contributes to an endowment that helps Ph.D. women continue
their education.
Palmer also teaches non-English-speaking women at a local center, and she has
been a lector at her parish for 25 years
and a Eucharistic minister for 10. She
regularly raises funds for the American
Heart Association and the Cancer Foundation, and she is active in her hometown’s effort to build a new library, doing
fundraising and lobbying.
School of Urban Initiatives
Tyra Stokes
Tyra Stokes has been involved in early
childhood education for many years,
as a childcare provider, an instructor
for new childcare providers and, most
recently, as a K-4 teacher at the Young
Leaders Academy in Milwaukee.
She earned a bachelor’s degree from
Springfield College with a major in human services. This year, she completed
the certification component of Stritch’s
Master’s of Urban Education program,
and she is working on the research requirement for the master’s degree.
Instructors selected her for the achievement award because of her high level
of commitment to the program and her
dedication to providing positive educational experiences for the children of
Milwaukee.
School of Leadership
The school chose to honor all of its
graduates from the master’s and doctoral programs, who have engaged in
collaborative and value-centered initiatives and provided value-based leadership that transforms lives.
College of Arts and Sciences
Sandra A. McCabe
Bachelor’s degree in
Home Economics, 1966
Sandra A. McCabe graduated from Stritch imbued with Franciscan
values and a commitment to lifelong learning.
She completed a dietetic
internship and worked
in hospital food services and then did
graduate work to prepare her to work
in higher education. She also set up the
Nutrition Program for the Elderly in the
Department of Health, Education and
Welfare Region III.
Throughout her professional life she has
worked with and advocated for youth
and young adults, whether in a paid
position or as a volunteer catechist, retreat leader, chaperone or mentor. She
eventually answered her call to ministry
and became certified in Youth Ministry
at Stritch. Her passion for justice and
peace has taken her to various parts of
the world either as a member of a missionary group or a private citizen. She
has advocated for and volunteered her
time with the poor and marginalized.
She was a member of the Stritch Alumni
Board from 1999-2003, is a member of
the Alumni Association Development
Committee and also is active in the
Franciscan Heritage Society.
College of Business
Mildred Leigh-Gold
Master of Science in Management, 1999
Mildred Leigh-Gold is the
program manager for the
City of Milwaukee Health
Department Breast and
Cervical Cancer Awareness Program, which
provides free screenings to medically
underserved women. Since earning her
MSM, she has remained involved at
Stritch as an instructor in the Lifetime
Learners program and in the Associate
Degree in Business program.
She serves on the Medical and Community Advisory Board of After Breast Cancer Diagnosis, the board of directors of
the Wisconsin Breast Cancer Coalition,
META House, and Pets Helping People,
is a former board member of Gilda’s
Club and the Milwaukee Urban League,
and is a volunteer for the American Cancer Society.
The Milwaukee Breast and Cervical
Cancer Program has been published
in the Medical Journal of Wisconsin
because of its unique design and success in reaching medically underserved
women. Leigh-Gold has been nationally
recognized for her advocacy, and the
program has been honored by former
President George Bush’s “Thousand
Points of Light” and by the National
Breast Cancer Coalition. She is a breast
cancer survivor, since 1989.
College of Nursing
Lynda Gruenewald-Schmitz
Master of Science in Nursing, 2004
Lynda
GruenewaldSchmitz is the director of
clinical services for Seasons Hospice and Palliative Care.
She also is the founder
of Kyle’s Korner, a place of hope and
healing for grieving children in Milwaukee. She had begun a similar center in
Poughkeepsie, N.Y., and was inspired to
begin Kyle’s Korner when a friend of her son lost his mother
in a car accident. Weekly, the center now sees about 45 to
60 children, who help each other heal through the sharing of
personal stories of strength and compassion as they play in a
warm, welcoming and safe environment. Volunteers staff the
center, and services are free.
Gruenewald-Schmitz is on the executive board of Kyle’s
Korner and was recognized by the Business Journal of
Milwaukee as a Woman of Influence, for innovation, in
October 2002. She was the recipient of Stritch’s Sister Joanne
Kliebhan Service Award in April 2003.
Spirit of St. Francis Award
Brother Patrick McCormack
Bachelor’s degree in Religious Studies, 1989
A Fox Point native, Brother Patrick McCormack is a professed
member of the Order of Friars Minor, Assumption of the
Blessed Virgin Mary Province. He is the director of communications for the province and
also works part time as a marketing consultant for the Franciscan Pilgrimage Programs.
Brother Patrick spent more than a decade in
Philadelphia as a theology teacher and the
director of Institutional Advancement at Archbishop Ryan High School. During his senior year at Stritch, he
served on the task force that originally identified and described
the University’s Franciscan values. Today, he continues to live
out those values through his involvement in the undergraduate
Integrated Leadership Advisory Council, the College of Education Advisory Board, and the Franciscan Heritage Society.
He also has been instrumental in several recent special projects at Stritch. Most notably, through his enthusiastic efforts,
the University received a statue of St. Bonaventure, which is
on permanent loan from his Franciscan community and is installed on the second floor of Bonaventure Hall.
University Award of Excellence in Servant Leadership
Daniel J. Bader,
President, Helen Bader Foundation, Inc.
As president of the Helen Bader Foundation,
Daniel Bader is responsible for ensuring that it
continually furthers his late mother’s dreams
and aspirations. Since 1992, the Foundation
has made $142 million in grants and facilitated idea-sharing in support of a range of
charitable efforts, primarily in Wisconsin and
Israel. Bader is devoted to using the Foundation’s intellectual
and financial resources to best serve people in need.
He is a frequent speaker on subjects affecting philanthropy
and nonprofit organizations, and he is an active participant in
local public policy and civic leadership groups. He also serves
on the boards of a number of local and national organizations.
The Milwaukee native holds a bachelor’s degree in business
administration from the Rochester Institute of Technology, and
in 2006 the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee conferred an
honorary doctor of humane letters degree in recognition of his
efforts to improve the quality of life in the city.
Athletic Hall of Fame inductees
Kevin Crim
Business, 1999
Men’s Basketball 1995-99
Crim played four seasons
for the men’s basketball
team and was a three-year starter. He
was a two-year All-Chicagoland Collegiate Athletic Conference selection.
Julie (Schommer)
Fechter
Education, 1993
Women’s Basketball
1988-92
Fechter played four seasons for the
women’s basketball team and started
all four. She was named to the National
Association of Intercollegiate Athletics Academic All-American team in
1990-91 and was a National Catholic
Basketball Tournament Scholar-Athlete
in 1991-92.
Craig Holmquist
Mathematics, 1996
Men’s Soccer 1992-95
Holmquist played four
years for the men’s
soccer team at the sweeper position
and was instrumental in the program’s
beginnings. He was a four-year letter
winner and starter. He was a twotime All-Lake-Michigan-Conference
selection (’94, ’95) and a National
Association of Intercollegiate Athletics All-District selection (’93). He was
a two-time team co-captain and also
voted co-Most Valuable Player twice
by his teammates. In his senior year, he
was selected to the NAIA Academic AllAmerican team and served as president
of the Student Government Association
in his junior year.
Jeff Kreiling
Education, 2001
Men’s Basketball
1998-2001
Kreiling played three
seasons for the men’s basketball team
and was a three-year starter. He was a
three-time National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics (NAIA) All-American,
selected to the third team in 2000-01
and an honorable mention selection
in 1999-2000 and 1998-99. He was a
three-time All-Chicagoland Collegiate
Athletic Conference (CCAC) selection
and twice was voted CCAC Player of
the Year.
For more information on athletics programs, go to www.stritch.edu/athletics
Agnes Ryan dies at 93
Agnes Ryan, who founded Our Blessed Lady of Victory
Mission, died May 20 at age 93.
She was an early graduate of St. Clare College, which is now
Cardinal Stritch University, earning a teaching degree.
Ryan was born and raised in Watertown and eventually
moved to Milwaukee, where she taught elementary school
for a few years and, soon after, at the Milwaukee County
Children’s Home.
She began the Mission with the blessing of then-Milwaukee
Archbishop Samuel Stritch, later known as Cardinal Stritch.
The mission was housed in a duplex on West Vliet Street
that also was home to Ryan and her mother. She undertook
various activities in the community with the goal of supporting the mission, which also provided assistance for seminary
studies. In addition to her mission work, she helped
with a number of projects around the globe.
In Thailand, Ryan helped raise money to buy water
buffalo that were used by poor farmers to cultivate their rice fields. In Brazil, she used
money that had been raised to help
feed the hungry to instead fund a
project that gave goats to families so they could produce
milk and cheese. In India,
she helped build a trade
school for boys and an
infirmary for people
with leprosy.
She also worked at
a youth home in the
Philippines and helped
the Green Bay Diocese
start a medical clinic
on the Menominee
reservation there.
Under her direction, the
mission bought a nearby
commercial building that
became the Seat of Wisdom
Library, which featured religious
books as well as a small chapel that
holds daily Mass. Even after her health began
to fail and she needed help to get there, Ryan still
attended daily.
For her work with the mission, she received the national
Lumen Christi Award from the Catholic Church Extension
Society in 1991. “I’m a good beggar,” she told the Milwaukee
Sentinel then. “I seek what’s needed.”
Sister Magdeleine Mueller,
former registrar, dies at 89
Sister Magdeleine Mueller, OSF,
who served Stritch in many
capacities, for almost 40 years,
including 21 as registrar, died
Oct. 3 at age 89.
She taught foreign and classical
languages and ancient history
starting at the former St. Clare
College in 1942. When St. Clare
became Cardinal Stritch College
in 1946 and more lay students
were admitted, Sister Magdeleine pitched in and helped
refurbish residential quarters for
students.
‘’Nothing was too menial for us to do; that was in our rule,”
said Stritch History Professor Sister Justine Peter, OSF,
“and she lived it.”
Sister Magdeleine also was one of the brightest faculty
members Stritch has ever had, Sister Justine said. She
authored scholarly translations from Latin to English on
Saints Augustine, Cyprian and Caesarius of Arles.
But she was also a lot of fun.
“She and Sister Frederick (Lochemes, former academic
dean at Stritch) were great friends, pillars of this place.
They worked hard, but they didn’t take themselves too
seriously and always had fun.” Sister Justine said. Sister
Magdeleine loved to play cards and was great at organizing parties, for students and the Mother’s Club, a group
that supported Stritch for many years.
Her computer-like brain, according to Sister Justine, allowed her to be a successful registrar for 21 years, which
in her day required arranging and typing class and examination schedules by hand and recording grades and
issuing report cards on a typewriter. Students would turn
in a list of what they wanted and Sister Magdeleine would
arrange their schedules, often working into the wee hours
of the morning to get everything just right by the next day.
From 1971-79, Sister Magdeleine served as an associate director of the Sisters of St. Francis of Assisi and later
worked as a liaison to the Sisters’ then-five other corporate ministries. In that role, according to Religious Studies
Professor Sister Coletta Dunn, OSF, Sister Magdeleine was
the consummate peacemaker, skillfully and calmly facilitating some very difficult decisions.
“She was a peacemaker and a reconciler,” Sister Coletta
said. “She made the workplace a workable place.”
Sister Magdeleine returned to Stritch from 1983-89, working in the Development Office, the newly completed library,
assisting the registrar and advising students.
“Except for the 12 years of direct service to the Sisters of
St. Francis,” she wrote in “My Stories,” a compilation of
OSF autobiographies, “my entire religious life was devoted
to the college, my first and only love.”
What’s up with alumni?
Recent Events
n Reunion Weekend 2006 Reunion Weekend 2006, held July 14-15,
For information on upcoming Alumni Events, please visit www.stritch.edu/alumnievents.
celebrated graduates of the College of Education and Leadership. Events
included a picnic, cocktail reception, dinner, alumni awards, and live
entertainment. William Andrekopoulos, ’85, superintendent of Milwaukee
Public Schools, conducted an open forum discussion. In addition, alumnae
from the Class of 1956 celebrated liturgy at the St. Francis Convent and
attended Sister Mary Lea Schneider’s champagne brunch.
From left, Dorothy Wolf, Dolores Ivanchick, Betty Kwass,
Dorothy Wreshnig, and Sylvia Gear.
From left, Jennifer Fontanini, Linda Neiman, Stephanie and
Dave Bernander.
New Alumni
Association
Board president,
members named
Stritch recently named Patricia
Brown-Albert as president of its
Alumni Board. Four new members
also were added.
Brown-Albert
owns and
manages two
local businesses,
which include
her full-time law
practice, the Law Offices of
Patricia A. Brown, as well as a
partnership in Northstar Printing
and Graphics.
She has an associate’s degree,
paralegal, from Milwaukee
Area Technical College; a
bachelor’s degree in business
administration from Stritch,
and a juris doctor degree
from Thomas M. Cooley Law
School. She is a member of
the Wisconsin and Milwaukee
bar associations.
Shalon Atkins,
one of the new
board members,
is a program
assistant for the
New Concept
Development Center.
Preston and Jennifer Cosgrove
Muje and Else Thompson
She has a bachelor’s degree
from UW-Milwaukee and a
master’s degree in business
administration from Stritch.
She is a member of the
Society for Human Resource
Management and the YMCA
Black Achievers in Business
and Industry.
Annual report online
From left, Jim Anderson, Kurt Strenke, Rick Gonzalez (sitting),
and Tom Bergen.
Cardinal Stritch University’s annual
report will be featured online this year,
in a printable PDF version. To access
the annual report, go to
www.stritch.edu/annualreport.
In the Spotlight
JaDawn MuhammadCollins, another new
board member, works as
an instructional supervisor
for NonPublic Educational
Services Inc. She also
volunteers with students working on
their dissertations and was on the Stritch
doctoral design team that helped plan
the first Italy retreat at Villa Pieve in
Corciano, Italy.
She has a bachelor’s degree from UWWhitewater, a master’s degree in social
work from UW-Madison, a master’s
degree in educational administration from
Concordia University, and a doctorate
from Stritch.
She is a member of Alpha Kappa
Alpha Sorority Inc., the United States
Tennis Association, and the Midwest
Multicultural Tennis Committee.
Board member Barb
Loberg has been a certified
medical technologist with
Columbia St. Mary’s for
more than 30 years.
She has a bachelor’s
degree from UW-Milwaukee, a master’s
degree in nursing from Stritch, and
doctorates from Walden University
and Stritch.
She is a presenter at the International
Blood Banks Association.
Joan Whitman is an
assistant professor in
graduate education for the
College of Education and
Leadership and is working
on her doctorate. Stritch
has been her professional home since
1981, when she began pursuing her
master’s degree. She has a bachelor’s degree from
Northland College and a master’s degree
in education from Stritch.
Whitman has numerous professional
memberships and is a state and national
presenter on learning and the brain and
reaching reluctant learners.
Learn about arts and athletic events, career networking, workshops, and travel opportunities. And how you can
become involved at the University.
How to receive Strictly Stritch?
E-mail your current address to alumni@stritch.edu or
register online at www.stritch.edu/stayintouch.
Highlights graduates of Cardinal Stritch University who
are creating their own careers, carving their own niche,
and making a difference in their communities.
Jones Lang LaSalle recently announced that Janice Ochenkowski (BA
’70) has been promoted to managing director of the firm’s
Global Risk Management department, from senior vice
president. She joined Jones Lang LaSalle in 1980. She
is a frequent speaker on the subject of risk management
within and outside of the United States.
In her new role, she is responsible for overseeing
professionals responsible for guiding the purchase and
administration of corporate insurance programs as well as specifically
designed client insurance programs. In addition, she will oversee the
expansion of risk management services into Asia Pacific and the United
Kingdom, formalize internal risk processes and create risk strategies to
meet the real estate and general business environment.
Dr. Lowell Holtz (Ed.D ’04) recently became the superintendent of the
Beloit School District. He hopes to ensure that students
have the tools necessary to be successful, and aims to
get Beloit Memorial High School off the state’s list of
schools identified for improvement.
Holtz began teaching in the early 1980s and then moved
to Whitewater in 1984, where he served on the police
department while obtaining his master’s degree. He
served as principal in the Cambridge School District from 1989-95,
before moving to Peshtigo, where he was principal until 2002. In 1999 he
was named Principal of the Year for the State of Wisconsin and also was
recognized nationally for the achievement. He was superintendent with
the Palmyra-Eagle district, starting in 2002.
Tony Sweere (MS Ed.L ’03) returns to his hometown to serve as
superintendent and principal of Hilbert High School. A priority includes
involving students in the community on a regular basis, which he feels
also lets them know they are valued.
Sweere has been assisting with coaching the Hilbert football team for the
past two seasons. He taught physical education and health and served
as athletic director, head football coach, head track coach, and assistant
wrestling coach at River Valley High School in Spring Green from 19942003. His most recent position was assistant principal at Green Bay East
High School and Edison Middle School, where he served from 20032006.
Tony Shields (BA ’87) is manager of community relations at the HarleyDavidson Motor Company. He was featured in “For the
Sake of Aaron: Celebrating our Black Men” in the Sept. 13
edition of the Milwaukee Community Journal. Shields has
worked with community leaders, service, organizations
and business leaders for many years. His first job
was with the Milwaukee Bucks, where he worked with
schools and non-profit organizations managing youth
ticket programs so that kids could go to games. He later moved to the
Boys Club, where he worked to help build community relations. These
experiences prepared him for his Harley-Davidson position, which also
includes media relations and public relations.
The four C’s — corporate citizenship, community betterment,
compassion and continuous improvement — motivate him, Shields says.
He attributes these characteristics to his parents, who are his first and
greatest role models.
Class
| NOTES
2000s
plan to be married June 23, 2007.
Jennifer Binneboese (BA Psychology
’00) graduated from Marquette University
with an MA in Counseling, specialization
in school counseling.
Nicholas Narloch (MA Religious Studies
’05) was appointed full-time director of
music and liturgy at Mother of Good
Counsel Catholic Church in Milwaukee.
Keona Jones (MS Educational
Leadership ’00) is the new director of
education for the Child Development
Center of St. Joseph in Milwaukee
Becky Trochinski (MA Visual
Studies ’05) received the Muscular
Dystrophy Association’s 2006 Personal
Achievement Award for Wisconsin.
Lisa (BA Education ’00) and Owen
Manske had a son, Simon Tzuriel,
on March 18. The couple also has
a daughter, Grace.
Alfredo Cintron (Ed.D. ’06) has been
hired as principal at Jerstad-Agerholm
Middle School in Racine, Wis.
Sandra Schuster (BA Psychology ’00)
married Kenny Asselin on May 26.
Joe Fryda (Teaching Certification ’06)
was hired as the third grade teacher at
Holy Cross in Kaukauna, Wis.
Synthia Taylor (MS Educational
Leadership ’00) was hired as Pattengill
Middle School principal in Lansing, Mich.
Jessica Suslick (MA Reading Language
Arts ’06) is teaching third grade at
Richards School in Whitefish Bay, Wis.
Slobodan “Bobby” Vujic (AA General
Studies ’00, BA International Business
‘02) and his wife, Kimberly, had a baby
girl, Liliana, on Sept. 9, 2005.
Cale Vogel (BA Political Science ’01) was
named Lake Mills High School athletics
director and head boys basketball coach
in Lake Mills, Wis.
Alix Blair (MS Educational Leadership
’02) has been hired as the principal of
Decorah Elementary School in West
Bend, Wis.
Bill Neubauer (BA Education ’02)
married Jennifer Wolcott on July 7.
They live in Lockport, Ill., and he teaches
geography and government at Shepard
High School in Palos Heights, Ill.
Elizabeth Kysely (MS Educational
Leadership ’03) is the district technology
coordinator for the Mosinee School
District, Mosinee, Wis.
Scott Lund (MBA ’03) joined Security
MicroImaging, Milwaukee, as account
executive.
Vanessa Sowinski (BA Math, Education
’03) is the varsity girls’ basketball coach
for the ’06-’07 season at Messmer High
School in Milwaukee.
Lisa Church (ME Prof. Dev: Teaching
’04) was hired as Lake Bluff music
teacher for the Shorewood School
District in Shorewood, Wis.
Kimberly Infalt (BSBA ’04) has been
named executive director of the Hartford
Area Chamber of Commerce in
Hartford, Wis.
Contessa Clark (MBA ’05) was recently
promoted to process leader for Specialty
Accounts at GE Healthcare in Pewaukee, Wis.
Adam Gonzalez (BA English ’05) is
engaged to Michelle Klos (’07). They
1990s
Karl Mueller (MBA ’91) was inducted
into the Kaukauna High School Athletic
Hall of Fame in Kaukauna, Wis.
Jill Braasch (BS Management ’93)
was elected to the presidency of the
Wisconsin Independent and Private
Colleges Career Consortium for
2006-07.
Jim Lindenberg (MBA ’93), formed
World Class Wire and Cable, which
won one of the Small Business Times
and Waukesha County Chamber of
Commerce Top 10 Small Business
Awards.
Nita Stika (MS Health Administration
’93) recently received her Ph.D. in Human
Services/Health Care Administration
from Capella University and also began a
new position as the Academic Dean
for Herzing College Online.
Judy Cornell (BSM ’94) is customer
service coordinator for Community
Health Partnership in Eau Claire, Wis.
Bill Mann (MSHA ’95) has been named
by Theda Care in Appleton, Wis., as a
senior vice-president of Ingenuity First,
a new division offering health solutions
to area employers.
Jennifer (Petushek) Wetzel (BS
English/BS Theater ’96) graduated from
the University of Phoenix with an MBA
in July. She also is an actress with the
Milwaukee Gay Arts Center.
Erin Perez (BA Psychology ’99, MA
Clinical Psychology ’03) was accepted
to the Wisconsin School of Professional
Psychology for a Psy.D. in Clinical
Psychology.
1980s
Preston H. Long, Ph.D. (BA Biology
’81) has published his second book,
“The P.R.E.S.T.O.N. Protocol for Back
Pain: The Seven Evidence-Based Best
Practices for Living Pain Free.”
Terry Frett (MSM ’87) established
Frett/Barrington Ltd., which won one of
the Small Business Times and Waukesha
County Chamber of Commerce Top 10
Small Business Awards.
Christine Hornung (BA Psychology ’87)
is in partnership with Realty Executives
in Brookfield, Wis., as part of the
Lambrecht team.
Shirley Miller (BSM ’89, MBA ’92) is
director of the Vaughn County Library
in Ashland, Wis.
In Memory of...
Rosemary J. Voros (BA Music ’48)
died Oct. 1
Janet Mikyska, secretary in the
Mathematics and Computer Science
department, died Aug. 8
Elizabeth “Betty” Jean Riley
(BA Biology ’52) died June 16
Michael Zientek (MA Visual Arts ’05)
died June 15
Sister Marysia (Irene) Stefanowski,
OSF (BA Education ’45) died May 18
Jeffry P. Van Groll (BFA ’81)
died March 21
Elizabeth and Pete Rudowski (BA Math
’95) had a daughter, Faith Elizabeth, on
9/1/05.
David Zepecki (BSM ’95) joined Equity
Commercial Real Estate, Milwaukee, as
vice president and commercial broker.
Marcelina Metropulos (BSBA ’96) was
recently sworn in as a member of the
board of trustees for Nicolet College, in
Rhinelander, Wis.
Keep in touch with your Alumni Office.
Call or e-mail us when you change jobs,
earn a promotion, get married, have
a baby, win an award, complete an
advanced degree or to update your home
or e-mail address. Contact the Alumni
Office at (414) 410-4554 or visit www.
stritch.edu/stayintouch.

Fall 2006

Transcription

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