Doug Bannon - Kirkwood Community College

currents
k i r k w o o d
c o m m u n i t y
c o l l e g e
Spring 2014
Doug Bannon
Influencing Kirkwood’s
next generation
a pu blicat ion of t h e
letter
Dear Kirkwood Alumni and Friends,
Spring is upon us! Warm sunshine, green grass, blue skies… What a great time to reflect
and be grateful for our plentiful gifts. Kirkwood has been so blessed over the past year with
incredible generosity.
As you peruse this newsletter, we hope you will enjoy learning about a few of the things that
make us proud to be a part of Kirkwood. You’ll read about:
•The ACT, Inc. Math & Science Pavilion, a newly-dedicated learning center named to honor a great Kirkwood partner
•Kirkwood’s status of a nationally-recognized military-friendly school, and the veterans who are proud to be Eagles
•Outstanding alumna and Freedom Festival Director, Robyn Rieckhoff
•Dean of Admissions and Student Life Doug Bannon’s strong conviction in the value of higher education
As we celebrate the great place Kirkwood is and continues to be, we want you to know about two events that will mark
new milestones for your community college.
First, on Friday, April 11, Kirkwood Alumni & Friends will present the third annual Celebration of Success, an evening
that honors distinguished alumni, business partners and leaders in higher education. For more information, please
visit www.kirkwood.edu/alumnicelebration.
Second, Kirkwood commencement is Saturday, May 17, at the new and much improved US Cellular Center. Whether
you graduated last year or 40 years ago, you probably still remember how excited you were on graduation day and how
Kirkwood shaped your life. By coming to commencement, you’re showing our newest grads you support them and care
about their upcoming journey.
Kirkwood is a college on the move, climbing from great to greater each day. We truly exemplify our tagline, Start
Here, Go Anywhere! The sky is the limit for what we can achieve, especially considering the innovative, inspiring and
visionary people we call “Kirkwood Alumni & Friends.” You’re all a part of what makes this place so special.
As always, thank you!
Mick Starcevich
President
Cover photo, from left: Matt Cain, from Goose Lake, IA; Brianna Bennett, from Cedar Rapids, IA; Dean of
Admissions and Student Life, Doug Bannon; McKenzie Feld, from Alburnett, IA; Martice Clay, from Harvey, IL.
donor feature
Support That Counts
Major gift from ACT, Inc. is
powering student success in STEM fields
F
or a region that needs a
legion of skilled science and
technology professionals, a
big gift from longtime friends of the
college was welcome news to Kirkwood
Community College. Over the past
few years, their support has fueled
promising futures in our Corridor.
ACT, Inc. has been a key, productive
partner with Kirkwood for decades.
When former Chief Executive Officer
and Chairman Richard L. Ferguson
announced a $2 million gift to the
Kirkwood Foundation in 2010, it was
aimed at boosting scholarships in the
science, technology, engineering and
mathematics (STEM) programs. By
the fall of 2013, 35 scholarships had
been granted, with more than a dozen
awarded the following year.
When Ferguson announced the
2010 gift, he noted the “future of
student success and economic vitality”
the scholarships would provide, and
the “long and productive relationship”
between the college and the Iowa Citybased assessment and research firm.
“Our ACT staff have benefited from
Kirkwood training and many of our
employees are Kirkwood graduates,”
he added.
To honor this major gift and
its ongoing help to our students,
Kirkwood dedicated a key Linn
Hall learning space in November
2013. The new ACT, Inc. Math &
Science Pavilion provides innovative
teaching and learning areas that
offer access between students and
faculty. The largest area is a “math
emporium” containing scores of
computer workstations, plus spaces
where learners can seek assistance
from instructors and collaborate with
other students. This combination
social/academic space provides
opportunities for students across the
STEM curriculum to build skills and
gain insights.
Current ACT CEO Jon Whitmore
affirmed the strength of the
scholarship support in his remarks
at the dedication. “By enabling
more students to earn associate
of arts and associate of applied
science degrees in STEM-related
disciplines, ACT and Kirkwood
are not only directly helping the
students who are receiving the
scholarships, but helping all of our
society prepare for the future,”
Whitmore said.
The ACT Endowed Scholarship
launched Kevin Frias in his pursuit
of an engineering career. The New
Jersey native came to Kirkwood
in 2011 and was one of the first
ACT scholarship recipients. He
is now in his junior year at Iowa
State University and enjoying his
technical pursuits.
“The ACT scholarship is honestly
the only way I was able to attend
college,” he said. “It’s the reason I
was able to finish at Kirkwood and
now attend Iowa State. It’s the reason
I have such a bright path before me.”
Kevin’s positive experience
underscores recent Kirkwood studies
that show the benefits of scholarship
aid. Over the past decade, students
who receive scholarship support are
more than twice as likely to complete
their studies in an academic program.
The ACT Endowed Scholarship
fund has grown to more than $2.5
million in early 2014, meaning the
number of students who will receive
help in future years will grow rapidly.
More information on the ACT
Endowed Scholarship Program
and other support is available via
www.kirkwood.edu/scholarships.
department feature
Serving Those
Who Served
New this spring: Purple
Heart Endowed Scholarship
A recent private donation of
$350,000 to support those
veterans awarded the Purple Heart
through full-tuition scholarships
Recipients will have tuition and
books covered for the course of
their programs
Qualified applicants are soldiers
who have received a Purple Heart
and their spouses and children
Kirkwood helps a growing veteran
population start here and go anywhere
S
tart here. Go anywhere! You’ve
heard our pledge to students,
but what does it really mean?
For most, it means finding and
following their dreams, and getting
the most out of a more affordable
educational investment.
Some Kirkwood students have
already been “anywhere” and
everywhere. They’re military
service people who have traveled to
Afghanistan, Kuwait, Kosovo, Iraq,
Egypt… you name it. But they’re
coming to Kirkwood to “go anywhere”
in a different sense: to journey farther
into their education and their career
dreams.
Deemed “military friendly” by
multiple military publications,
Kirkwood has had strong veteran
enrollment for years. Enrollment has
grown steadily and now stands close to
800 students, including both veterans
and active duty military personnel.
“There’s a large Army Reserve
and National Guard population in
Iowa. I network with those education
offices to help soldiers navigate the
tuition assistance process,” said
Vicki Terronez, Kirkwood’s longtime veteran certifying official. “As
the veterans services coordinator
and school certifying official, I am
fortunate to be able to concentrate all
my energy on assisting our veterans
with all aspects of transitioning to
college life. They appreciate having a
central contact to help with military
paperwork, admission, financial
aid, registration, military transcript
evaluation and tuition assistance.
They know where to find me!” Kirkwood’s many academic
programs, affordable tuition, small
class sizes and flexible schedules all
contribute to the college’s success
with its veterans’ program. Other
factors that appeal to veterans
transitioning back to college are
the acceptance of military credit
based on ACE recommendations;
Kirkwood’s 20 minute distance from
the VA Medical Center; convenient
access to counseling services at the
Cedar Rapids Vets Center; and local
treatment options at the Cedar Rapids
Community Based Outpatient Clinic
for veterans.
“Word travels fast. While deployed
to Afghanistan in 2010-2011, many
of our student veterans called me
to inquire what was needed to
get started in college when they
returned. Often times, they handed
the phone to buddies who decided
to transfer to Kirkwood based on
the information they heard from
the others,” Vicki said. “And we still
hear from past student veterans, just
checking in to say hello. I love that
they still think of us.”
Much of that loyalty likely comes
from Vicki and other staffers taking
the time to get to know the veterans
department feature
and focus on their individual
needs. “Our administration, staff,
faculty and student body help
promote a supportive environment
for veterans. We value our student
veterans and current military here
at Kirkwood,” she said. “Many tell
me their time at Kirkwood was
memorable. They liked the classes,
the professors and the campus
as a whole. They felt valued and
appreciated. They gained confidence
to continue to a university. There’s
no higher reward than getting to
serve those who served and know it
really made a difference.”
The veteran’s lounge
In the spring of 2008, Vicki
Terronez, Kirkwood’s veterans’
certifying official, and a group of
student veterans had lunch with
college President Mick Starcevich
and a few Kirkwood board
members. The students appealed to
college administration for a private
space where they could gather.
“A few months later, we were given
the Governors Room in Iowa Hall,”
Vicki said. “It was cleared out and
painted. I was able to order furniture
and carpet, while we anxiously
awaited the grand opening of our
new Veterans Lounge. A week before
we were to move in, the Flood of
2008 struck. Every available space
on campus was filled with displaced
businesses and organizations, our
room included.”
The opportunity to help during
the flood offset any disappointment
over the delay. The lounge opened in
January 2009. “It was a hit from the
beginning, promoting camaraderie
and offering a quiet study area/
sanctuary for our student veterans,”
Vicki said. “Today we have six new
computers, a printer, nice furnishings,
study tables, an information board,
brochure racks, flags, refrigerator and
two microwaves with donated snacks.”
Don Tyne, director of Linn County
VA, comes to the lounge on Thursday
mornings to help veterans sign up
for the VA Medical Center, check on
disability claims, locate lost military
documents and just visit with
student veterans. The local VFW
and AMVETS chapters, American
Legion Posts and other organizations
stop by occasionally. “We recently
installed new window treatments
for the lounge funded by the Cedar
Rapids AMVETS Post #6. The VFW
Men’s Unit Post #788 purchased
a refrigerator for the lounge and
funded a veteran scholarship. The
Sons of the AMVETS Post #6 made a
generous cash donation to be used as
emergency funds for veterans in need
of books,” Vicki said. “Community
support has been invaluable. We are
extremely grateful.”
You’re invited to our first
Veteran’s Lunch honoring
Kirkwood alums who have
served our country!
May 16 at 11:30 a.m.
The Hotel at Kirkwood Center
Free for all Kirkwood alumni
veterans with military ID
$15 for guests
Please RSVP soon to
reserve your spot:
www.kirkwood.edu/veteranrsvp
alumni and friends
Alumni
Leadership
Council
Melanie Abu-Nameh
Kirkwood Community College
Chad Bosch
Bosch Financial
Kristine Chiafos
Carl & Mary Koehler History Center
Michele Doyle
Wartburg College
Shawn Gallagher
Ladco, Inc
Deborah Gertsen
Cedar Rapids Bank & Trust
Stephen Hanisch
Kirkwood Community College
Michael Ivester
ITC Midwest
Dennis Jordan
Cedar Rapids Metro Economic Alliance
Patrick Kettmann
Rockwell Collins
Mary Klinger
St Lukes Foundation
Brad Marcus
US Bank
Dear Kirkwood Alumni and Friends,
Each time we gather as alumni, friends and
family, I am reminded of the meaningful
memories and priceless friendships that enrich
our lives. It is a privilege to hear your stories,
address your challenges and share your pride. On
Family Day, you shared the day with incoming
freshman and saw first-hand how Kirkwood’s
campus has evolved and grown. Many of you
stayed to cheer Kirkwood’s baseball alumni as
they donned vintage uniforms, returned to their
old field positions, and challenged the Kirkwood Eagles to a win. This event is
always great fun and one we hope to continue for years to come.
In September, I visited a Kirkwood alum in Colorado and had the opportunity
to see his profound talent in professional photography.
This fall, you gathered with us in section 134 of Kinnick Stadium as we
cheered the Iowa Hawkeyes. Despite defeat, the Wisconsin Badgers were
unable to dampen our spirits!
As the saying goes – once an Eagle, always an Eagle. You will soon receive
an invitation for Kirkwood’s third annual Celebration of Success to be held on
April 11, 2014. We look forward to re-engaging and celebrating the nominees
and winners who are simply a reflection of your individual success. We look
forward to seeing you there!
Warm regards,
Brenda Moore
Retired
Craig Mrkvicka
Kirkwood Community College
Andy Petersen
KISS Country FM
Robyn Rieckhoff
Freedom Festival
Stephanie Roberts
Rockwell Collins
Mary Schneekloth
Guaranty Bank & Trust &
Kirkwood Community College
Chris Wheeler
Point Builders, Inc
Virginia Wilts
Guaranty Bank & Trust
Jody Donaldson
Scholarship and Alumni Officer
For Celebration of Success tickets, go to www.kirkwood.edu/alumnirsvp
To join our new LinkedIn group, visit www.kirkwood.edu/linkedinalum
kirkwood past
alumni feature
Robyn Rieckhoff
Kirkwood prepared her well for directing the Freedom Festival
R
obyn Rieckhoff’s bond with
Kirkwood Community
College has deep roots. Not
only did Kirkwood give her exactly
what she needed to succeed, it has
become an integral part of many of
the community events Robyn helps
plan as executive director of the Cedar
Rapids Freedom Festival.
It’s as if she’s
come full circle.
And she wouldn’t
have it any other
way.
Rieckhoff
recalls clearly how
unsure of herself
she felt the closer
she got to her
1989 graduation
from Jefferson
High School in
Cedar Rapids.
She was young for
her class to begin
with, and perhaps should have given
her studies more attention.
“I was not ready to make the jump
to a four-year college,” she explains.
But she knew Kirkwood would be a
good place to start. The cost was also
manageable, Robyn adds, because she
was working as a waitress at the CedRel Supper Club. So, she enrolled at
Kirkwood.
“I loved it,” Robyn says of Kirkwood
now. “I really wanted to go but I’d
never taken school seriously, so once
I started at Kirkwood, I knew I had to
focus on my studies. I had to figure my
own path.”
From the start, she found a muchneeded support network. She knew
that ultimately she wanted a four-year
degree, but recognized she needed
Kirkwood to get there.
“The faculty helped steer me,”
Robyn says. “If I hadn’t gone to
Kirkwood, I don’t know that I would
have gone on after high school.
Kirkwood gave
me the confidence
to know that I
“I was well-prepared by Kirkwood.
I felt even more prepared than
the people who hadn’t gone to a
community college,” Robyn recalls.
“My grades just got better.”
After graduating from UNI, she
turned connections with business
people into jobs. Former Cedar Rapids
Mayor Lee Clancey hired her as an
intern with the Renaissance Group
in downtown Cedar Rapids. She
also served on the Freedom Festival
board. In 1995,
she was hired as
marketing director
the greatest
for Guaranty Bank.
When Robyn’s
thing kirkwood
husband Bill was
gave me was my
transferred to
Minneapolis, she
confidence
became marketing
could do this and
director for the Soo Line Credit
continue on.”
Union, with Soo Line Railroad. After
Her Ced-Rel job
that, she stayed home to raise her two
helped her avoid
children, now ages 11 and 15, and she
student loans; she had no debt when
and Bill moved back to Cedar Rapids.
she graduated in 1992 in Kirkwood’s
When she was ready to re-enter the
Liberal Arts program.
job market, Robyn became the first
“Kirkwood was perfect for me,”
director of the Czech Village New
Robyn adds. “It taught me the study
Bohemia Main Street. From there, she
skills I needed to go on. It taught me
was hired as executive director of the
how to manage my money. And I did it
Freedom Festival in 2011.
on my own.”
Robyn loves the job.
She finished her associate degree
“I’m busy year-round,” she says,
and transferred to the University of
especially handling sponsorships.
Northern Iowa (UNI). She started
Kirkwood has been a longtime,
immediately with classes for her major
tremendous sponsor of the Freedom
in public relations and marketing. She
Festival. The festival kicks off with
was able to cover tuition there because
its Tribute to Heroes dinner at The
of her job and the affordability of
Hotel at Kirkwood Center, with
Kirkwood, Robyn says.
Kirkwood as one of the sponsors.
.
Calendar of Events
April
10–12 Romeo & Juliet
Ballantyne Auditorium
7:30 p.m.
11
Celebration of Success
The Hotel at Kirkwood Center
6 p.m.
13
Romeo & Juliet
Ballantyne Auditorium
2 p.m.
This year, Kirkwood will also
sponsor a concert during the festival
June 19-July 4 and Dock Dogs, a
competitive dog jumping event.
When she started at the Freedom
Festival, there were about 30
sponsors; today there are 55.
“The neatest thing for me with
this job is the support from the
community, like Kirkwood’s ongoing
sponsorship,” Robyn notes. “Without
that, we wouldn’t be able to do a lot
of what we do.”
Robyn, her husband and her dad
own and operate Morgan Creek
Market, a 37-acre vegetable farm they
started 16 years ago. The Market also
teams up with Kirkwood to offer four
internships each summer.
“It’s been a great partnership,”
Robyn says. “We also sell a lot of
fresh vegetables to The Hotel at
Kirkwood Center.”
Reflecting on her Kirkwood
connections, Robyn feels Kirkwood
was there for her from the start.
Today she serves on the Kirkwood
Alumni Council. “It’s a natural
bond,” Robyn says. “The greatest
thing Kirkwood gave me was my
confidence,” Robyn explains. “I feel
now that I can do whatever I want.
And I’m not done yet.”
15 Create Speaker Series: Derek Daly
The Hotel at Kirkwood Center
11:15 a.m.–1 p.m.
16
Women’s Softball vs. DMACC
3 p.m.
19
Jazz Fest ‘14
Ballantyne Auditorium
7:30 p.m.
25
Taste of Jazz
The Hotel at Kirkwood Center
5:30 p.m.
26 & 27
Men’s Baseball vs. NIACC
1 p.m.
May
2
Concert Chorale
Ballantyne Auditorium
7:30 p.m.
10
Kirkwood Concert Band
Ballantyne Auditorium
7:30 p.m.
16
Veteran’s Lunch
The Hotel at Kirkwood Center
11:30 a.m.
17Commencement
US Cellular Center
10 a.m.
19
Create Speaker Series: Chad Hennings
The Hotel at Kirkwood Center
11:15 a.m.–1 p.m.
June
3
Create Speaker Series: Nate Booth
The Hotel at Kirkwood Center
11:15 a.m.–1 p.m.
August
7, 14
21 & 28
Jazz Under the Stars
Noelridge Park
7 p.m.
25
Washington Regional Center
welcomes its first students
For a full listing of college events,
visit www.kirkwood.edu
faculty feature
education
changes li ves
for the better .
it just does .
w hat better
occupation is
ther e than
changing li ves?
Doug Bannon
Kirkwood’s Dean of Admissions and Student Life,
Doug “Buckwheat” Bannon, knows people and multitudes of people know him
B
orn and raised in Belle Plaine,
Bannon is the quintessential
Iowan: he is friendly, engaging
and sincere. Though, he may be best
known for his high-energy antics: “I
love to give people a hard time,” he
admits in his typical good-natured
manner. “What better way to
connect with people than to have
fun with them?”
The connections Doug Bannon
makes with people are visible
everywhere in his office – his walls are
covered with pictures of students and
colleagues from his entire career.
“I just love meeting people… I want
to get to know who people are and
where they came from. I want to get
involved in their stories,” he asserts.
“I want to be like my many mentors
at Kirkwood who were pioneers of
this college.”
Readied with a BA in Sociology
and Psychology from Northwest
Missouri State University and a
Master of Education Administration
from Truman State University,
Bannon began his profession as a
career development counselor at
Indian Hills Community College in
Ottumwa, IA, working with students
who had been expelled from school.
From there, he came to Kirkwood
Community College and served as
the first Jones County coordinator.
In that role, he worked with adult
students going through life changes.
“As with the unsettled students at
Indian Hills, I was just compelled to
help in any way I could.”
Bannon had a brief interlude
working as Director of Admissions
at Sauk Valley Community College
in Illinois before returning to
Kirkwood in August 1991. “I started
working here because of the socalled ‘Kirkwood Way’,” he says.
“Everyone here had a reputation of
being excited to do something great
for our students and the community,
and they worked hard to make it
happen… Kirkwood will always be
Kirkwood. It’s important that we all
continue to offer that can-do attitude
to each other and our students.”
Dean Bannon lives what he asserts:
from warmly greeting nervous
students and their relatives at
Kirkwood Family Day to impromptu
face-to-face visits with them, Bannon
employs his smile and charm to
make everyone feel right at home at
Kirkwood. Annually, he and his team
lead more than 25 organized oncampus (TGIF) visits for high school
juniors, seniors and their parents,
Kirkwood Alumni & Friends presents
Celebration
of Success
An evening of celebrating
distinguished alumni, business partners
and leaders in higher education.
Friday, April 11, 2014, at 6 p.m.
The Hotel at Kirkwood Center
President’s Award
Rockwell Collins
Trustee’s Award
Steve Ovel
Alumni Award
Mary Van Houten
Alumni Award
numerous individual appointments,
and groups from high schools every
year. They meet potential students
while visiting high schools in the
states of Iowa, Illinois and the
rest of the Midwest, establishing
relationships with guidance
counselors and their students,
championing the education offered at
Kirkwood and taking the time to learn
about individuals.
“I’ve always been proud to
work in education, and most
importantly, at Kirkwood,” he
said, reflecting on his storied and
distinguished career. “Education
changes lives for the better. It just
does. What better occupation is
there than changing lives?”
Joe Ahmann
Alumni Award
RaeAnn Barnhart
Sponsored in part by
For reservation and ticket information
www.kirkwood.edu/alumnirsvp
Non-Profit Organization
U.S. Postage
PAID
Cedar Rapids, IA
Permit No. 94
6301 Kirkwood Blvd. S.W.
Cedar Rapids, Iowa 52404
Let’s talk more!
To receive our monthly e-newsletter,
or to update your contact information,
contact us at (319) 398-5442
or foundation@kirkwood.edu.
Kirkwood Foundation
Board of Directors
Steve Caves, President
John C. Bloomhall, Vice President
George F. Grask, Treasurer
Marcia Rogers, Secretary
Stephen West, Past President
Robert W. Allsop
Pat Cobb
Mike Denney
Jim Dunn
Richard L. Ferguson
Jay Gruenwald
Dwight Hughes, Jr.
G. Richard Johnson
Kevin King
Roger Klouda
Sherry Kramer
Gerald Meis
James Mollenhauer
Greg Neumeyer
Anne Parmley
Chuck Peters
Bernard Rehnstrom
Rose Rennekamp
Sara Sauter
Audrey Savage
Chris Skogman
John M. Smith
Kent Statler
Emeritus
Foundation Staff
Pat Baird
Don Canfield
Pat Dreibelbis
Steven Dummermuth
Pat Falconio
Barbara Hennings
Kathy Lamb
Bob Sierk
David Unzeitig
John Vernon
Kathy L. Hall, CFRE
Executive Director
Kirkwood Leadership
Mick Starcevich
President,
Kirkwood Community College
Kathy L. Hall, CFRE
Vice President, Development
Kirkwood Community College
Carrie Anderson
Executive Assistant
Jody Donaldson
Scholarship and Alumni Officer
Tresa Ertmer
Foundation Services Specialist
Susan Ovel
Director of Planned and
Endowed Giving
Sarah Peters
Senior Accountant
Eric Weiler, CFRE
Annual Giving Officer
(319) 398 -5 4 42 • fa x (319) 398 -7106
w w w. k i r k wo o d . e d u / f o u n dat i o n
phon e