Beeghly College - 50 Years, Educating Educators

Winter 2010 1

On the CoverSecond-grade teacher Josephine Massaro gets an

enthusiastic response of raised hands from students in her class at Howland Glen Primary School near Warren, Ohio. Massaro earned her bachelor’s and master’s degrees in education from YSU’s Beeghly College of Education, which marks its 50th anniversary this year.

Our cover story celebrates the tremendous impact that Beeghly College graduates are having in their careers as teachers, counselors and school administra-tors across the country and around the world.

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YSU President DavidC.Sweet

Vice President GeorgeMcCloud for University Advancement

executive Director of MarkW.VanTilburg Marketing & Communications

Director of RonCole University Communications

Magazine editor CynthiaVinarsky

Layout Design Artist RenéeCannon,’90

Photographers BrucePalmer CarlLeet

Graduate Assistant MelissaSullivan

Sports Contributor TrevorParks

Assistant Director of JeanEngle,’86 Marketing & Communications

Chief Development PaulMcFadden,’84 Officer

executive Director of ShannonTirone,’94 Alumni and events Management

YSUBoardofTrustees Chair ScottR.Schulick Vice Chair SudershanK.Garg MillicentCounts LarryDeJane JohnR.Jakubek HarryMeshel JohnL.Pogue LeonardSchiavone CaroleS.Weimer Secretary FranklinS.BennettJr. Student trustees LyndsieHall

Youngstown State University is accredited by the Higher Learning Commission and is a member of the North Central Association.

Youngstown State University – A Magazine for Alumni and Friends (iSSn 2152-3754), issue 4, Spring 2010, is published quarterly by the YSU Office of Marketing and Communications, One University Plaza, Youngstown, OH 44555. Periodicals Postage Paid at Youngstown, Ohio.

POStMASter: Send address changes to Youngstown State University, Office of Marketing and Communications, One University Plaza, Youngstown, OH 44555.Direct letters to the editor, comments or questions to the address above, call 330-941-3519 or e-mail [email protected].

Youngstown State University is committed to a policy of non-discrimination on the basis of race, color, age, religion, sex, national origin, disability, sexual orientation, gender identity and/or expression, or identity as a disabled veteran or veteran of the Vietnam era, in respect to students and/or to applicants for employment, and to organizations providing contractual services to YSU.

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issue in th i s

Signs of Spring ...Daffodils in bloom, green grass and an unseason-ably warm, early spring day created an ideal spot for two YSU students to take a study break outside Cushwa Hall.

S P r i n G

3 UniversityTown– YSU and the city of Youngstown collaborate on a

banner campaign.

4 NewPresident– introducing

Cynthia e. Anderson, appointed by the YSU Board of trustees to be the university’s

seventh president, effective July 2010.

6 AroundCampus–news and photos of the latest developments on campus.

10 COVERSTORY–Beeghly College of education – Changing the world, one teacher at a time.

16 ChristopherBarzak, two-time novelist and YSU english instructor.

17 with Gwen Clark, YSU’s resident expert on business etiquette.

18 ResearchinaWindTunnel– Company finds brain power in YSU engineering Department.

26 AlumniSpotlight – Profiles of three exceptional YSU Alumni.

DEPARTMENTS2 President’sMessage20 SportsNews22 UniversityDevelopment23 YSUFoundation24 AlumniNews30 ClassNotes

Check out YSU Magazine's online edition at www.ysumagazine.org

Q A&

2 YOUnGStOWn StAte UniVerSitY

President’s Message

Looking Back:

10 Years of Pursuing ‘Impossible Dreams’

David C. Sweet,President

“And the world will be better for this, That one man scorned and covered with scars, Still strove with his last ounce of courageTo reach the unreachable star.”

–DonQuixote

I was in my sophomore year of college at the University of Rochester, sitting in an English literature class, when I was introduced to Miguel de Cervantes’ classic novel, Don Quixote. To this day, the story of Quixote’s adventures guides much of my life, and my collection of Quixote artwork – from around the world – is displayed throughout our home.

His was, indeed, an impossible dream.As Pat and I conclude our ten years at Youngstown State University, and as we

reflect on the many lasting friendships we have made and will take with us, I again think of Quixote.

I have learned much in my more than 40 years of public service, the last 32 of which I have spent in higher education. But the one constant I have seen – time and again – is people making the seemingly impossible come true. We experience that every day at YSU.

Year in and year out, thousands of people – young and not so young – come to YSU with dreams: to go to college, earn a degree, enter a profession, succeed, and become engaged and productive citizens and leaders. They dedicate themselves, sacrifice, work hard and overcome barriers. They make the impossible, possible.

This spring, I preside over my 36th and final commencement exercise as presi-dent of Youngstown State University. Over the past decade, nearly 20,000 students have received diplomas from YSU. Many of them have overcome personal hurdles and now stand as shining examples to others seeking their own impossible dreams – to the inner-city child who has exceeded everyone’s expectations and is now a successful research biologist; to the college freshman who once struggled to pass her introductory composition class and has gone on to become a successful writer; to the laid-off factory worker who came to YSU to earn a degree and is now thriv-ing in his second career as a business owner. YSU offered hope to them all; and through persistence, they now offer hope to others.

It has been a privilege to serve the past decade as president of this great insti-tution. Pat and I came to Youngstown with our own set of dreams. With the help of so many committed individuals, we have been able to make many of those dreams come true. We thank you all. We will never forget. God bless, and keep on dream-ing impossible dreams.

Sincerely,

DavidC.Sweet President

A Great University Town

BannersCelebrateUniversity-CityConnections

YSU and the city of Youngstown are collaborating on a street banner campaign that celebrates the growing and evolving con-nections between the city and the university. Colorful banners identifying Youngstown as “A Great University Town” and YSU as “A Great University in Town” were installed along the Market Street Bridge into down-town and up Wick Avenue to University Plaza on the YSU campus. A second phase of additional banners will be installed along Fifth Avenue this summer.

The banners were designed by Renée Cannon, layout design artist in the YSU Office of Marketing and Communications. The university funded the installation hard-ware and banner production. Bud’s Sign Shop of Youngstown produced and installed the banners, and installation was paid for by the City of Youngstown.

SPrinG 2010 3

CCynthiaE.Anderson,vicepresidentforStudentAffairsatYSUforthepast15years,hasbeennamedtheseventhpresidentoftheuniversity.

Astanding-room-onlycrowdofmorethan400students,faculty,staffandcom-munitymemberscheeredandapplaudedafterthenine-memberBoardofTrusteesunanimouslyvotedinfavorofAnderson’sappointmentonFeb.17.

AgraduateofYSUwhohasservedinasuccessionoffacultyandadministrativepositionsattheuniversityfor31years,AndersonwilltakeofficeJuly1,replac-ingDavidC.Sweet,whoretiresafter10yearsattheuniversity’shelm.

Andersonwillbethefirstwoman,thefirstYoungstown-areanative,andthefirstYSUgraduatetoserveaspresidentinYSU’s102-yearhistory.

“Today,Dr.AndersonbecomesoneofYoungstownStateUniversity’smostprominentsuccessstories,”YSUTrusteesChairScottR.Schulicksaidatthemeet-ingintheChestnutRoomofKilcawleyCenter.

“ShehaslivedtheYSUdreamandwillgodowninthehistoryoftheinstitu-tionforenteringasastudentandendinghercareerastheuniversity’spresident.We,asacampuscommunityandcom-munityatlarge,shouldbeveryproudofthatfact.”

Andersonsaidsheishonoredtobenamedpresident,andshethankedmembersoftheBoardofTrusteesfortheconfidencetheyhaveinherabilitiestoleadtheuniversityintothefuture.

“Ilookforwardtoworkingwithmycolleaguesattheuniversitytoprovidethekindsofservicesandprogramsthatarebeneficialtobothstudentsandthecom-munity,”shesaid.“Ialsolookforwardtocontinuingtostrengthentheuniversity’stieswiththebusinesscommunityandworkingtogethertoimproveeconomicdevelopmentthroughouttheregion.”

Anderson’sselectioncappedanationalsearchthatbeganinJuly2009,whentheBoardofTrusteesannouncedtheappointmentofthe22-memberPresi-dentialSearchAdvisoryCommittee.Thecommitteeidentifiedfourfinalists,who


Cynthia E. Anderson

Cynthia E. Andersonmeets with reporters at a news conference in February.

SPrinG 2010 5

underwentextensiveinterviewsoncampusbeforetheboardmadeitsselectioninFebruary.

“TheBoardofTrusteesrecognizesthesearchcommitteemembers’hardworkanddedication,”Schulicksaid.“Theyspentcountlesshourstoidentifythebestcandidatesfortheposition.Theuniversityisgratefulfortheirservice.”

Amonthaftertheappointment,Andersonannouncedthatshewasdonating$100,000tofundscholarshipsforYSUstudentsinmemoryofherparents.Withthegift,AndersonbecameamemberoftheYSUPresident’sCouncil,whichiscomprisedofindividuals,corporationsandfoundationsthathavemademajordonationstotheuniversity.

“Iwasblessedwithtwowonderfulparentswhoinstilledinmemanyvalues,”Andersonsaid.“Hopefully,thisscholar-shipfundwillhelptoprovideotherswiththeopportunitiesandbenefitswhichIhavehadtheprivilegetohave.”

Andersonearnedabachelor’sdegreeinbusinesseduca-tionfromYSUin1973,amaster’sinbusinesseducationfromOhioStateUniversityin1976andanEd.D.ineducationad-

ministration(highereducation)andstudentperson-nelservicesfromtheUniversityofAkronin1990.

ShejoinedtheYSUfacultyin1979asaninstructorofbusinesseducationandtechnologyandreachedtherankofprofessorofmarketingandpublicrelationsin2000,apostthatshecurrentlyretains.Shewasassistantprovostforacademicplanningfrom1993to1995andwasnamedvicepresidentforstudentaffairsin1995.

Asvicepresident,Andersonhasbeenresponsibleforallmatterspertainingtotheareasofenrollmentmanagement,studentservices,studentlifeandcampussecurity.Sheestab-lishedthenewOfficeofVeteransAffairsandhasoverseentheCenterforStudentProgress,testingservices,healthenhance-mentandstudenthealthservices,careerservices,housing,auxiliaryservices,studentcounselingservices,academicsupportservices,disabilityservices,studentrecreationcenterandcampuspolice.

ReadAnderson’svitaathttp://www.ysu.edu/trustees/pdfs/Anderson_CV.PDF.

YSU’s new president won’t have much of a commute to campus.Cynthia e. Anderson, who becomes YSU’s seventh president on July 1, will live in the historic Pollock

House at the main entrance to the university.the 117-year-old house on Wick Avenue, formerly known as the Wick Pollock inn, will be renovated

and re-opened as the president’s home. the building should be ready for occupancy by fall 2011. “As the board worked on selecting a new president,

and as we discussed the future use of a restored Pollock House, it became increasingly apparent to us that this was a tremendous opportunity to adapt the renovated house as the president’s residence,” said Scott Schulick, chair of the YSU Board of trustees.

the 16-room house was built in 1893, and the Pollock family gave the house to YSU in 1950. the building housed classrooms and offices until 1986, when a private developer constructed a 64-room ad-dition to the back of the building and opened it as the Wick Pollock inn. the inn closed in 1998 and has been vacant since. the building will now be known as the Porter and Mary Pollock House.

the 64-room addition to the building will be removed, leaving the original 16-room house, which will undergo extensive improvements.

“We envision that this house will work well both as the residence of the university president and as a superb location for the many fundraising, community and other events, receptions and gatherings that are important to the function of the Office of the President,” said Hunter Morrison, YSU director of campus planning and community partnerships.

Appointed YSU’s Seventh PresidentCynthia E. Anderson

Pollock House

Pollock House Will Be President’s Residence

Visit www.ysumagazine.org for video of Anderson’s presentation at the Last Lecture Series.

Read more about YSU’s new president in the cover story of the summer edition.

www.ysumagazine.org


AroundC A M P U S

New Student Apartments to Open This SummerThefirstphaseoftheFlatsatWickapartmentcomplex

ontheNorthSideofcampusissettoopenthissummer,markingyetanotherstepintheuniversity’scontinuedeffortstoincreasestudenthousingonandaroundcampus.Theprojectisthefirstprivately-ownedapartmentcomplexofitskindbuiltexclusivelyforYSUstudents.

DominicMarchionda,presidentofU.S.CampusSuites,saidthefirmdidmarketresearchtoassessthehousingneedsofuniversityandcollegecampuseswithina100-mileradiusofthecompany’sYoungstownbase.

YSUwasaperfectmatch,hesaid,withenrollmentincreasingtomorethan14,500lastfall–thehighestin16years.Thenumberofstudentslivingintheuniversity'sfiveresidencehalls,UniversityCourtyardApartmentsandBuech-nerHallhit1,354inthefallsemester,alsoanall-timehigh.

“It’sexcitingtogettoworkinmyownbackyardandbringthistypeofplanninganddevelopmenttoYoungstownandYSU,”Marchiondasaid.

The115-bedfirstphaseoftheFlatsatWick,locatedacrossfromtheCafaroHouseresidencehall,isintendedforupperclassstudentsonly.Theapartmentsareequippedwithsingle,double,tripleandquadgarden-styleunitsalongwithprivatebathroomsforeachbedroom.Thebuildingalsoincludestwolaundryrooms,twocomputerstudyareas,afitnesscenter,Wi-Fiaccessandastate-of-the-artsecuritysystem.

FormoreinformationontheFlatsatWick,visitwww.flatsatwick.com.

Business Students Chosen for Beeghly Fellows Program

ShawnButsonofMineralRidgeandDani-elleP.SweatofEastLiv-erpool,seniorsinYSU’sWilliamsonCollegeofBusinessAdministra-tion,havebeenselectedastheinauguralJohnD.BeeghlyFellowsforthe2010springsemester.

TheJohnD.Beegh-lyFellowsprogramprovidesstudentswithcareer-relatedworkex-periencewithbusinessesintheregion.ButsonandSweatwilleachreceivea$2,000scholarshipandwillhavetheopportunitytoworkonprojectswithclientsoftheOhioSmallBusinessDevelopmentCenteratYSU.Projectsmayincludemarketresearch,customersatisfactionsurveys,exportreadi-nessstudies,businessplandevelopment,marketanalysis,andcostanalysis.

TheBeeghlyFellowsProgramismadepossiblebyanendowmentestablishedattheYSUFoundationbyJohnD.Beeghly’swifeandchildren.BeeghlywasalifelongresidentandbusinessmaninYoungstownandsonofareaindustrial-istandphilanthropist,LeonA.Beeghly.From1967untilhisdeath,BeeghlywasvicepresidentanddirectorofStandardSlagCo.andStancorpInc.,aholdingcompanyforindustrialbusinesses.

“WeareextremelygratefultotheJohnD.Beeghlyfamilyformakingthisgenerousinvestmentinourbusinessstudents,”

saidBettyJoLicata,WCBAdean.“Providingourstudentswithcareer–relatedexperiencecontributestothesuccessofourregionalbusinessesandtheprofessionalpreparationofourstudents.”

YSU Lauded for Civic Partnerships YSUmadethehonorroll,alongwithschools

suchasOhioState,Yale,GeorgetownandTempleuniversities,intherecent“SaviorsofOurCities:SurveyoftheBestCollegeandUniversityCivicPartnerships.”

Schoolsonthelisthavedemonstratedanddocu-mentedlong-standingcooperativeeffortswithcom-munityleaderstorehabilitatethecitiesaroundthem,toinfluencecommunityrevitalizationandculturalrenewal,andtoencourageeconomicexpansionofthelocaleconomy,urbandevelopmentandcommunityservice.

EvanDobelle,presidentofWestfieldStateCollegeinWestfield,Mass.,isthesurveyauthor.DobelleisaformerpresidentoftheNewEngland

The Flats at Wick apartments will open this summer on the north side of the YSU campus.

Shawn Butson and Danielle Sweat

SPrinG 2010 7

BoardofHigherEducationandinternationallyrespectedforhisexperienceinspearheadingpublic-privatepartnerships.

YSUPresidentDavidC.Sweetsaidtheuniversityhasalonghistoryofcommunityinvolvement.“Inourpartnershipswithlocalschoolsandthebusinesscommunityandinourathleticsandperformingartseventsthatattractthousandsofpeopletothecampus,wearecommittedtobeingauniversityengagedinthecommunity,makingtheuniversityandthecityabetterplacetolearnandlive,”hesaid.

InadditiontoYSUandOSU,otherOhioinstitutionsonthelistincludeClevelandStateUniversity,UniversityofAkron,UniversityofCincinnatiandtheUniversityofToledo.

Alumnus Donates $200,000 for Business College Building

DonConstantini,chiefexecutiveofficerandfounderofFalconTrans-portandComprehensiveLogistics,hasmadea$200,000giftfortheconstruc-tionofYSU’snewWilliamsonCollegeofBusinessAdministrationbuilding.

Scheduledtoopenforthestartofthefallsemesterthisyear,theWCBAbuildingisa$34.3million,106,000-square-foot,state-of-the-artfacilitynowunderconstructionbetweenRayenAvenueandWoodStreetontheSouthSideoftheYSUcampus.Itwillbeabouttwicethesizeofthebusinesscollege’scurrenthomeonLincolnAvenue.

“WethankDonforthisgenerousgiftandhiscontinuedcommitmenttoYSU,theWilliamsonCollegeofBusinessAdministrationanditsstudents,”saidBettyJoLicata,deanoftheWilliamsonCollegeofBusinessAdministration.

Constantiniisa1966businessadministrationgraduateofYoungstownUniversity.FalconTransportandCompre-hensiveLogisticsemploymorethan2,000employees,650employeeslocally.

AstaunchsupporterofYSUPenguinathletics,Constan-tinihasmaintainedalogeinStambaughStadiumformorethan20years.HispreviousleadershipgiftstoYSUinclude$150,000totheYSUFoundationtoendowanathleticschol-arshipandagiftof$150,000towardtheconstructionoftheAndrewsStudentRecreationandWellnessCenter.In2005,hewasrecognizedasthe“OutstandingBusinessAlumnus”bytheWCBA.

Constantini’sgiftispartoftheKresgeChallenge.InDecember2008,theKresgeFoundationofTroy,Mich.,com-mitteda$1.2millionchallengegrant,chargingYSUtoraise$2.4milliontomeetthechallenge.Todate,morethan$2.3millionhasbeenreceived,leaving$87,263yettoberaisedtomeetthechallengeandcompletethecampaign.

Schiavone Named to YSU Board of Trustees

Gov.TedStricklandhasappointedLeonardD.Schiavone,aresidentofYoungstown'sNorthSideandpartnerinadowntownlawfirm,totheYSUBoardofTrustees.

Schiavoneisapartnerandtrea-surerofFriedman&RummellCo.,a90-year-oldlawfirmbasedonEastFederalStreet.Heisalsoaco-ownerandpresidentofMetroLandTitleAgencyInc.,adowntownrealestatetitleinsuranceagency.Inprivatepracticeasanattorneyformorethan25years,Schiavonehasconcentratedhislawpracticeintheareasofrealestatelaw,corporatelawanddomesticrelationslaw.Heisalsoalicensedtitleinsuranceagent.

Activeincommunitydevelopment,hehasbeenamemberoftheNorthSideCitizensCoalitionforCommunityDevelopmentformorethan20years,servingasitsboardpresidentin1994,1995andfrom2002through2004.HealsochairedtheformerYoungstownCivicCenterDevelopment

TelecomStudentsVideotapeSwim-DiveChampionships

Shawn Butson and Danielle Sweat

Don Constantini

Leonard Schiavone

Camera operator Candi Thomas of Warren was part of a four-student team of YSU tele-communications studies majors that produced live video streaming of the 2010 NCAA Div. II Men’s and Women’s Swimming and Div-ing Championships in Canton, Ohio. Other students who worked on the broadcast were: John Raidel of Girard, producer/director; Kevin Davis of Warren, camera operator/graphic co-ordinator; and Ben Lane of Hubbard, camera operator/technician. The crew provided more than 40 hours of live television of the four-day event. “Any time our students tell the story of an event like this to the rest of the world, they are also telling the world about our Telecom-munication Studies program and about YSU,” said Bill Brophy, instructor.


Around Campus

Corporation,anon-profitentitycreatedtoconstructaciviccenter/arenaforthecityofYoungstown.

Schiavonehasabachelor'sdegreeinindustrialmanage-mentfromPurdueUniversityandalawdegreefromtheUniversityofCincinnatiCollegeofLaw.Heandhiswife,Gina,arenativesofYoungstownandlifetimemembersoftheYSUAlumniAssociation.GinaSchiavoneearnedamaster'sdegreeinbusinessadministrationfromYSU.

Inarelatedmatter,theYSUBoardofTrusteesap-provedaresolutionofappreciationforJohnL.Pogue,whosenine-yeartermasamemberoftheboardexpiresthisspring,andforDanJ.DeMaiolo,whosetwo-yeartermasastudenttrusteealsoexpires.

.

Covelli Named 2010 Penguin of the Year EntrepreneurSamCovelli,theowner/operatorofCovelli

Enterprises,Inc.,andcurrentlythelargestfranchiseeofPane-raBreadLLC,wasrecognizedatYSU’sannualScholarship/RingDinnerinFebruaryasthe2010PenguinoftheYear.

Covelli,anativeofWarren,operates155PaneraBreadbakery-cafésinOhio,WestVirginia,PennsylvaniaandFloridawithgrosssalesrevenuestopping$300million.HealsooperatesfiveO’Charley’sRestaurantsinOhio,Pennsyl-vaniaandFlorida,andlastsum-mer,CovelliEnterprisesbecamethenaming-rightssponsorofthe$42million,7,000-seatCovelliCentre,asportsandentertain-mentcenterindowntownYoungstown.

BeforestartinghisPaneraBreadandO’Charley’senter-prises,Covelliwastheowneroperatorof43McDonald’sres-taurantsandwaspresentedtheMcDonaldorganization’shigh-esthonor,theGoldenArchesAward,whichrecognizesanowner/operatorwhoexemplifiesandconsistentlymaintainsthehighest-ratedrestaurantoperationsandbusinesspractices.HesoldallofhisMcDonald’srestaurantsin1997.

Covellihasbeennamedthe2005EntrepreneuroftheYearforNortheastOhiobyErnst&Young,theYSUAlumniAssociationDistinguishedCitizenoftheYear,theYoungstownAreaRestaurateuroftheYearandthe2009OhioEntrepreneuroftheYear.HewasinductedintotheNortheastOhioBusinessHallofFamein2005.

Covelliearnedhisbachelor’sdegreeinBusinessAd-ministrationfromMiamiUniversityinFlorida,andhewaspresentedanhonorarydoctoratebyYSU.

YSUHostsBoulderingCompetitionDennis Walton, a sophomore civil engineering major at

YSU, climbs the 53-foot-tall climbing wall at YSU’s Andrews Student Recreation and Wellness Center. Walton was one of more than three dozen climbers participating in the Universi-ty Bouldering Series when the competition came to the YSU campus in January. Climbers from six universities took their shots at scaling the rock wall, one of the tallest in Ohio. The 2010 University Bouldering Series included participants from YSU, University of Pittsburgh, Kent State University, Uni-versity of Akron, Slippery Rock University and West Virginia University. Competitors climb without ropes and are scored for successfully following specific hand- and foot-hold routes along the wall.

SpringEnrollmentUp27%inLastDecadeYSU’s enrollment continued on the upswing this spring

semester, up nearly 1,000 students from last spring semester. Over the past 10 spring semesters, the number of students on campus has increased by 2,965, or 27 percent.

Here is spring semester head-count enrollment since 2000:

2010..........................................13,837

2004 .......... 12,3602003 .......... 12,2152002 .......... 11,833

2001 .......... 11,155

2000 .......... 10,872

2009 .......... 12,9342008 .......... 12,7552007 .......... 12,5022006 .......... 12,1922005 .......... 12,396

Sam Covelli

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Students Spend SecondSemester Studying in Taiwan

YSUSophomoresBryanCunning-hamandJefferyOthman,both2008graduatesofCanfieldHighSchool,spentthefallsemesteratLunghwaUniversityinTaipei,Taiwan,aspartofYSU'songoingandgrowingexchangeprogramwiththeuniversity.TheninFebruary,theyreturnedfortheirsec-ondfullsemester,thistimejoinedbythreeotherYSUstudents.

“There'snobetterwaytoreallylearnalanguageorculturethantoimmerseyourselfinit,”Cunninghamsaid.

YSU'spartnershipwithLunghwadatesto2006,whenthetwouniver-sitiessignedafacultyandstudentexchangeagreement.Sincethen,YSUhashosted21studentsandfourprofessorsfromLunghwa.Thissemesterisnoexception,withLunghwastudentKuan-LiLeeandComputerSciencesProfessorYeong-MingWangoncampus.

Inexchange,YSUhassentthreeEnglishprofessorstoLunghwapreviously(BarbaraNykiel–Herbert,LindaStromandStevenBrown),saidAnnetteEl-Hayek,assistantdirectorofYSUStudyAbroadandInternationalExchange.

Whilethestudyabroadprogramhasexperienceddif-ficultiesinattractingstudentsinthepast,enrollmentnumbershaveseenasteadyincreasejustoverthepastyear,reportsEl–Hayek.“Lastfallwehadourlargestnumber,with16studentsstudyinginTaiwan,China,Japan,Belgium,Turkey,Cyprus,England,Germany,SpainandCostaRica,”shesaid.

Thisspring,24studentswerescheduledtotraveltoEngland,Germany,Spain,Turkey,Taiwan,Thailand,China,IndiaandChile,studying,conductingresearchandinterning.

Bryan Cunningham

Jeffery Othman

Youngstown CityScape has created a new, continuing awards program to recognize outstanding supporters of its community beautification efforts and has named the award in honor of its first recipients: YSU President David C. Sweet and YSU first lady Pat Sweet.

The first David and Pat Sweet Grass Roots Award was presented to the Sweets at CityScape’s Grass Roots Gala, honoring YSU's president and first lady for a decade of working toward downtown revitalization. The event was at the D.D. Velma Davis Center in Fellows Riverside Gardens.

“They are two individuals who have had a profound effect on our community, our children, and the way we approach the many challenges that our area faces,” said Pete Asimakopoulos, CityScape president, “and they’ve made a significant difference in the appearance of the city.”

Sweet served as chair of the first Youngstown CityScape board of directors when the nonprofit organization was formed in 2004, helped to organize the founding board and made fundraising requests to community organizations that became the group's key investors. The Sweets have been regular participants in CityScape's annual spring planting event downtown, a signature program for beautification of Youngstown's central business district for more than a decade.

Sweet will retire from the YSU presidency June 30. Pat and David Sweet

NewCityScapeAwardHonorsPresidentandMrs.Sweet

Oneofthemajorfactorsthatoftendetersstudentsfrominternationalexchangeopportunitiesisaffordability.“Wewantstudentstoknowaboutthisprogram,realizethevalueandjusthowpossibleitistostudyabroad,”saidGeorgeMcCloud,vicepresidentforUniversityAdvancement.“Therearealotofwaysstudentscandothis.Costiscertainlynotabarrier.”

Formoreinformationontheprogram,contacttheCenterforInternationalStudiesandProgramsatwww.ysu.edu/cisp,orcall330-941-2336.

Award-Winning NY Times Reporter to Speak at YSU Press Day

DavidGonzalez,aNew York TimesreporterwhoseworkhasdocumentedthelivesandchallengesofpeoplelivinginsomeofNewYork’smostdiverseneighborhoods,isthekeynotespeakeratPressDayinMayatYSU.

GonzalezcametotheNew York TimesfromNewsweekmagazinein1990.Mostrecently,hewrotethebiweekly“Citywide”featurecolumn,aswellashavingpublishedayear-longlookatthelifeofanundocumentedfamilyinNewYork.

Gonzalezreceiveda2008DistinguishedWritingAwardfromtheAmericanSocietyofNewspaperEditorsfor“HouseAfire,”athree-partseriesonthelifeofastrugglingPentecos-talstorefrontchurch.HealsowasawardedColumbiaUniver-sity’sMikeBergerAwardinMay1992,forhiscoverageofNewYorkanditsneighborhoods.

PressDay,sponsoredbytheYSUjournalismprogramwithsupportfromtheEnglishDepartment,theCollegeofLiberalArtsandSocialSciences,The New York Times,The VindicatorandThe Tribune Chronicle,isanannualeventforareahighschoolstudentsinterestedinjournalismorjournal-ism-relateddisciplines.Theeventattracts400to500studentstocampuseachyear.

David Gonzalez

Around Campus

10

Beeghly College of Education:

Howland second-grade teacher Jo Massaro

prepares her class for a story session.

Continued on page 13

twasawarm,springafternoon,JoMassaro’ssecond-gradepupilswerefreshfromrecess, andtheHowlandSchoolsteacherdecidedtodoavocabularyworddrill.Handsshotuparoundtheroomassheswitchedfromspellingtoscienceandbackagain.Thekidsneverseemedtotireoftheexercise.

Massaro,’95BS,’99MS,wasn’tjustpreparingtheclassforatestorquiz,shewasgroom-ingheryoungchargesforlong-termsuccess.“Iwantmystudentstoloveschoolbecausethey

have10ormoreyearstogo,”shesaid.“That’smyjob,tohelpthemlovelearning.”

AsYSU’sBeeghlyCollegeofEducationcelebratesits50than-niversarythisyear,thousandsofitsgraduatesworkingasteachers,schooladministratorsandguidancecounselorssharethatsamemotiva-tion:tocreateandnourishaloveforlearning.

TheBeeghlyCollegeenjoysavastinfluenceintheMahoningValleybecauseofthesheernumbersofareaeducatorswhoweretrainedontheYSUcampus.PhilipGinnetti,BCOEdean,reportsthat86percentofteachersandadministratorsinMahoningCountyand74percentinTrumbullCountyearnedatleastoneoftheirdegreesattheBCOE.

“Idon’tknowifpeoplerealizehowsignifi-cantthatis,”saidGinnetti.“Therearesomanyotherteacherpreparationcollegesaroundus,andwestillseemtodothebest.I’vehadsuperin-tendentstellmethattheygetasmanyas300applicantsfromawide-rangeofinstitutionsforjustoneteachingjob.Mostofthetime,theychooseaYSUgraduate.”

BeeghlyCollegealsohasmanygraduateslivingandworkinginall50states–includingAlaskaandHawaii–andafewteachingabroad.

AndtwoBeeghlygradsbroughtexceptionalrecognitiontotheuniversityrecentlywhentheywerenamedTeachersoftheYearintheirrespectivestates.JenniferWalker(‘94,’00),anEnglishteach-eratYoungstown’sEastHighSchool,wasOhio2009TeacheroftheYear(Seeprofile,page14),andBradShonk(’99),afourth-grademathandscienceteacherinBiloxi,Miss.,wasnamed2010MississippiTeacheroftheYearinApril.

Celebrating 50 YearsTeachertrainingwasfirstofferedatYoungstownCollegein1912,buttheSchoolofEdu-

cationwasn’torganizeduntildecadeslaterin1960.ItwasrenamedseveraltimesafterthatandmovedtoFedorHallin1965.

In1998,thecollegewasrenamedtheBeeghlyCollegeofEducationandmovedintoitspresenthome,afour-story,$14millionbuildingonablockborderedbyRayenAvenueonthesouthandLincolnAvenueonthenorth.

ThecollegewasnamedinhonoroftheBeeghlyfamily,MahoningValleyphilanthropistswhocontributed$1.5milliontowardthenewbuildingconstructionandtofundanendowmentforthecollege.

I

50 Years of Changing the World, One Teacher at a Time

By Cynthia Vinarsky

Philip Ginnetti

Visit www.ysumagazine.org for video profiles of the teachers featured in this story.

www.ysumagazine.org

Kathy nogay never planned to be a trailblazer for women in school administration. it just turned out that way.

A two-time graduate of YSU’s Beeghly College of education, nogay was one of the first women in the region to land an admin-istrative post on the high school level, and then she became the first female high school principal in Mercer County, Pa. history. nogay and one other woman were the first two graduates of YSU’s Doctor of education program, and now she’s superintendent of the Slippery rock Area School District, only the second female to serve in that role.

“i never thought much about it,” she said of her pioneering ways. “i just did what i had to do.”

A Youngstown native, nogay planned to become a medi-cal doctor when she majored in biology and chemistry at Mount Union College in Alliance, Ohio. necessity resulted in a fateful switch. Faced with a stack of college loans after completing her bachelor’s degree, she signed up for a government program that allowed teachers to work off some of their debt.

“it was supposed to be temporary, but i loved teaching,” she said of her experience in the Sebring Local Schools. “i stayed for 16 years.”

nogay earned a master’s in education at YSU and started looking for a job in school administration. “there were very few women in the MS program then, and none of them were getting jobs in high schools,” she recalled. “Most board of education

members and superintendents were men, and they were very much afraid to take a chance with a female.”

She got her first break at Hubbard High School, where she was named assistant principal, traditionally a disciplinarian posi-tion. “Students knew i was a no-nonsense individual,” she said. Later she was appointed principal of Hickory High School in Hermitage, Pa., the first woman in the county to hold that post.

nogay went back to YSU to earn her doctorate, and she credits the Beeghly College faculty with providing the practical knowledge she would need as a school superintendent. “i like that YSU’s doctoral program is focused on developing practitioners, not professors,” she said. “it’s for folks who are going to take the information and use it in a school district.”

She completed her doctorate in 1995, was named assis-tant superintendent in Slippery rock in 2000 and, in 2007 was promoted to superintendent of the 2,300-student district. nogay is also an adjunct instructor in the Beeghly College of education.

now living in Hermitage, Pa., with her husband, Walt, a retired teacher, nogay thrives on the complex problems that arise in the day-to-day operation of a school district. the one thing she dislikes about her job, she said with a laugh, is getting up at 3:30 a.m. on snowy days to decide whether to close the schools. “it’s absolutely the worst because you’re never right,” she confessed. “it’s the one decision i make that really tears at my stomach.”

SPrinG 2010 11

50 Years of Changing the World, One Teacher at a Time

KathyNogay’79 MSEd, ’95 EdD

Superintendent, Slippery Rock (Pa.) Area School District

‘I like that YSU’s doctoral program is focused on developing practitioners, not professors.’


‘I didn’t choose education. I feel like it chose me.’WilsonOkello, Student Teacher, Austintown Fitch High School

it was a thursday afternoon, time for Wilson Okello’s history class at Austintown Fitch High School, but this was no ordinary lecture session. Okello, a YSU student teacher, turned the classroom into a makeshift courtroom, and the Vietnam War was on trial. Students took turns at the witness stand, notes in hand, taking on various roles – Viet Cong, pro-war politicians, anti-war protesters. Okello played the judge, pacing the room, pushing the young actors to defend their arguments and explain their answers.

“He has an excellent rapport with the students, and they’ve embraced him,” commented Mary ellen Leskovec, one of two veteran Fitch teachers supervising Okello as he works to fulfill his student teaching requirement. A senior in the Beeghly College of education, he will receive his bachelor’s degree May 15.

Okello grew up on Youngstown’s South Side, a son of college-educated parents. His father is a teacher, his mother, a hospital lab technician. He attended Youngstown City Schools, then enrolled at YSU as an engineering major. His grades were good, but he didn’t feel a passion for engineering. then he took one education class, and he was hooked.

“i would have to say that i didn’t choose education. i feel like education chose me,” he said. “i’ve seen the power of education, and i’ve seen what a lack of education can do, especially in my community. i can’t sit back and watch while students throw their futures away. i refuse to do that. i feel like i have an obligation to be an educator.”

Okello has a heart for inner-city students, and YSU’s education curriculum has given him opportunities to work in both Youngstown City and Austintown classrooms. “YSU does a nice job of exposing students to the ideas and the everyday workings of being a teacher,” he said, “and i appreciate that i got to work in Austintown and in Youngstown. the dichotomy has been good.”

He plans to continue his education by pursuing a graduate degree in the fall, and he’s narrowed his list of prospects to the University of rhode island and Howard University in Washington, D.C.

Okello admits that he’s encountered some surprises in his weeks as a student teacher in Austintown. “School goes home with you, and it’s still there when you lay your head down to sleep at night,” he said. “Also, there’s quite a bit more planning than i realized, a lot more work than i ever knew, and i’ve noticed that the good teachers put the time in.”

Wilson Okello

SPrinG 2010 13

continued on page 15

Today,BeeghlyCollegeiscomprisedofthreedepartments:Counselingand

SpecialEducation;EducationalFoundations,Re-search,TechnologyandLeadership;andTeacherEducation.Inadditiontobachelor’sdegreesinseveraleducationspecialtyareasandmaster’sdegreeprogramsinteachereducation,educa-tionaladministration,counselingandspecialeducation,theBCOEwasthefirstcollegeatYSUtoofferadoctoraldegree,theDoctorof

Educationineducationalleadership,availablesince1990.ThecollegeisaccreditedbytheNationalCouncilforAc-

creditationofTeachersEducation,betterknownasNCATE,andsuccessfullyconcludedarigorousaccreditationrenewalprocessinMarch.BCOEmetallthenecessarycriteriaandexpectstoreceivecommendationsinsomeareas,Ginnettisaid,butanofficialannouncementthattheNCATEreaccredi-tationisapprovedwon’tbereleaseduntilfall.

Emphasizing ExperienceMaryLouDiPillo,anassociateBCOEdean,said

emphasisonprovidingstudentswithclassroomexperiencelongbeforethey’rereadytostartstudentteachingisastrong

People can always guess Jo Massaro’s profession when she’s out and about because of the license plate she chose for her car: CLASrM. Her e-mail address starts off with “childhood,” another hint that she’s an educator.

teaching is a second career for Massaro – she was 38 when she landed her first teaching job, and 15 years later she’s still glad she made the choice. A second grade teacher this year at Howland Glen Primary School near Warren, Ohio, she’s also taught kindergarten and first grade.

“What i love about teaching is just the kids, being with them every day, watching them grow,” she said. “they always surprise you one way or another. You never know what’s going to come out of their mouths.”

Massaro’s most memorable experience as a teacher was the year that a boy with Down syndrome joined her first grade class. “i’ve got to say that was my best year ever because we had John in the room. He brought us all together,”

she related. “the kids took care of him and they took care of each other. We were all so close that year.”

A native of Warren, Massaro grew up wanting to be a teacher. After high school, however, she decided instead to pursue a two-year associate degree in business as a way to save time and money. She worked 10 years in various office positions, then she and her husband had two sons and she stayed home to raise them. She lost her husband to cancer five years ago; her sons are now 25 and 23.

Massaro’s desire to teach was rekindled when she worked as a volun-teer teacher’s helper in her sons’ classroom, so she enrolled in the teacher education program in YSU’s Beeghly College of education. She earned a bachelor’s degree and a K-8 certification, then went on to earn her mas-ter’s in education.

through her training at the Beeghly College and her experience in the classroom, Massaro has learned the importance of flexibility as a teacher, planning carefully and being willing to admit a mistake. “You can sit and

plan all the lessons you want, but if the kids aren’t learning, you have to rethink them,” she said. “When a lesson falls flat – and it happens – you have to stop and reflect on what went well, and what could be done better. that’s something YSU taught me.”

pointinthecollege’steacherpreparationcurriculum.Ohiorequiresthatallteachingcandidateshaveatleast100hoursoffieldexperiencebeforetheystudentteach,shesaid,butseveralYSUeducationdegreeprogramsrequireevenmore:earlychild-hoodcandidatesget412fieldhours,specialeducationinterventionspecialiststudentsget392,andsecondaryeducationstudentsget152.

“Ourintroductoryclassincludes25hoursoffieldexperi-ence,andmostgettotakeittheirfreshmanyear,”DiPillosaid.“Itgivesstudentsachancetoseeifeducationisrightforthem,andwealwaysgetquiteadrop-off.Teachingisn’tforeverybody.”

Providingthousandsofhoursoffieldexperiencesforstudents,alongwith16-weekstudentteachingexperiencesforasmanyas300studentsayear,requiresthattheBeeghlyCol-legemaintainstrongpartnershipswithpublicschooldistrictsthroughouttheMahoningandShenangovalleys.

Tomaintainthosepartnerships,Ginnettisaid,YSUmustbeabletoassureschoolsthattheirstudentteachersarewell-trained,highly-qualifiedandreadyfortheclassroom.“Nostudentteachingprogramcouldoperatewithoutpartnershipswithschooldistricts,”hesaid.

‘You can sit and plan all the lessons you want, but if the kids aren’t learning, you have torethink them …That’s something YSU taught me.’ JoMassaro’95 BSEd, ’99 MSEd Second Grade Teacher, Howland Local Schools

Jo Massaro

Mary DiPillo

Jennifer Walker always gets the same questions when people hear that she teaches english at east High School in Youngstown’s inner city. “they ask me if i’m afraid, if the kids bring weapons to class, if i have to walk through metal detectors to get into the building,” she said.

Walker understands. She had plenty of questions, too, when she started teaching in the Youngstown City Schools a decade ago. “My passion now is letting people know that most of our students are polite, they want to go to college and they’re working hard in school,” she said. “they want to be pediatricians and lawyers and veterinarians.”

She’s had the perfect platform to get her message out. Walker was named teacher of the Year by the Ohio Department of education in 2009, and she’s used her position as one of the state’s top educators to help banish misconceptions and stereotypes about inner-city school students and their teachers.

“While i’m proud to be an Ohio teacher of the Year, i think the greatest thing was that it’s a really positive thing for the Youngstown City Schools and our teachers who are working so hard,” she said. “Wherever i go around the state, i’m proud to say i’m from Youngstown.”

Walker spent her early years in rural Mahoning County, earned her bachelor’s degree from YSU’s Beeghly College of education in 1994 and got her first teaching job in a suburban

school in Geneva, Ohio. She and her husband eric (’90), a YSU engineering grad, decided to move back to the Mahoning Valley when they had their first child – now they have three.

they moved to Canfield and she planned to commute to work in Geneva until a Youngstown school administrator let her know about an opening in the city schools. “i hesitated,” she recalled. “i didn’t know if i was strong enough to teach in

Youngstown.”impressed with the dedication and

passion that she saw in the Youngstown teachers and administrators she met, Walker took the job. She learned quickly that her students’ experiences growing up are much different than her own. A writing exercise she calls “Six Word Memories” tells the poignant story – her students write about racism, violence in their homes and neighborhoods, abandonment and poverty.

“it’s really disheartening sometimes,” she said. “i don’t think they realize how hard their lives are because that’s all they know. Just the tenacity they have, and the spirit they have, is amazing.”

Walker earned her master’s in education from YSU in 2000, and she plans to start working on her doctorate in the fall. Her ultimate goal is to become a professor, educating would-be english teachers. “that’s my dream job,” she said. “i think teaching is the best job in the world. i’m always trying to talk my students into becoming teachers.”


Jennifer Walker

‘I think teaching

is the best job in the world. I’m

always trying to talk my

students into

becoming teachers.’

JenniferWalker’94 BEd, ’00 MEd

English Teacher, Youngstown East

High School

SPrinG 2010 15

Tracking Beeghly College Grads Graduates of YSU’s Beeghly College of Education are working as teachers, counselors and school administrators in all 50 states, as well as in Puerto Rico and several foreign countries. Four Beeghly alumni live in Alaska; two live in Hawaii. Here’s the latest from the YSU alumni database on the 10 states that boast the largest number of Beeghly College grads:

Arizona

California

Florida

Georgia

Maryland

NorthCarolina

Ohio

Pennsylvania

Texas

Virginia

97

146

490

103

97

193

8,777

853

111

129

BeeghlyCollegefacultyhaveyearsofexperienceasteachers,counselorsorschooladministratorsaswell–anin-formalpollindicatedthatitsfacultyhavemorethan150yearsofcombinedexperienceinthefield,DiPillosaid,sotheyhavereal-lifeexperiencesandanecdotestosupportwhattheyteach.

Faculty ResearchThecollegehasmanyfacultymemberswhoareimmers-

ingthemselvesineducationalresearchandadvancingtheuniversity’semergingidentityasanurbanresearchuniversity.

Forexample,JanetWilliams,aprofessorinTeacherEducation,hasbeeninvitedbytheNationalScienceTeach-ersAssociationtodevelopnewsafetyguidelinesforscienceteacherstofollownationwide.Williams,whose33-yearteachingcareerincludes24yearsatYSU,willorganizeateamofcolleaguesfrom

aroundthenationtodesignsafetytrainingmoduleswhichwillbehousedontheNSTAwebsite.

Scienceteachersalloverthecountrywillbeabletoac-cessthemodules,shesaid,tolearnaboutrecommendedsafetytechniques,suchashowtosafelyhandleandstoreacidsandbasesintheclassroom.

“ThiswillgiveYSUnationalrecognition,”saidWilliams,whoalsoreviewsscienceteacherpreparationprogramsfortheNSTAandthestateofOhio.“Thechangeswe’llbeworkingonwillsecureYSU’sprominenceinthefieldofscienceedu-cationnationally,andthemoduleswillhelpteacherstomaketheirclassroomssaferforallstudents.”

LeahGongola,anassistantprofes-sorinSpecialEducationandCounselingwhojoinedtheYSUfacultyjusttwoyearsago,alsostartedaresearchprojectthisyearincooperationwiththeRichCen-terforAutism,anonprofitcenterontheYSUcampuswhichisaffiliatedwiththeBeeghlyCollege.

Gongola’sresearchfocusedontheuseofpositivereinforcementinsteadofpunishmenttoman-agethebehaviorofchildrenwithautismandotherseveredisabilities.“IwasaclassroomteacherforsevenyearsbeforeIcametoYSU,andIknowhowexhaustedteacherscanget,”shesaid.“Myresearchwaslookingforspecificpositive

enforcementstrategiesthatteacherscanuse,andfortheevidence

thattheywork.”Gongolasaidsheplans

todomoreresearchandhopesthathersummerjobasdirector

ofacampinAurora,Ohio,forstudentswithspecialneedswillprovide

herwithmoreresearchtopicideasandcontactstohelpsecureresearchgrants.

Looking to the FutureGinnetti,whoearnedbachelor’sandmaster’sdegrees

ineducationfromYSUbeforeearninghisdoctorateattheUniversityofAkron,acknowledgedthatthejobmarketforgraduateswhowanttostayintheMahoningValleyhasbeentightinrecentyears.Heexpectstosee“ahugenumber”ofteachersandcounselorsretiringbythemiddleofthisdecadebecauseofchangesinOhio’steacherpensionprogramthatarelikelytoencourageearlierretirements.

Inthemeantime,Ginnettisaid,studentsmostlikelytofindteachingjobsintheMahoningandShenangovalleysarethosequalifiedtoteachmath,science,foreignlanguagesorspecialeducation.

“Graduateswhoarewillingtomovewillcertainlyhavenoproblemsfindingajob,”Ginnettisaid.“Infact,wegetcallsfromschoolsuperintendentsinFloridaandsomeotherstatesthathavebeensohappywithourgraduatesthattheywantustohelpthemfillotherteachingpositions.”

Lookingtothefuture,DiPillosaidtheBeeghlyCollegeispreparingforOhio’snewResidentEducatorLicenserequire-ment,afour-yearprogramforentry-levelclassroomteachersworkingtowardlicensure.ThechangeswilltakeeffectinJanuaryandwillrequirethatnewteachersworkwithtrainedteacher-mentors.

Thecollegealsoplanstomakesocialandemotionallearningtheoryapartofitscurriculumundera$200,000federalgrantsecuredbyU.S.Rep.TimRyan.Socialandemotionallearning,orSEL,isamethodforhelpingchildrendevelopfundamentallifeskills,suchastheabilitytomanageemotions,developcareandconcernforothersandestablishpositiverelationships.“Ifwewanttopushacademicperfor-mancetothenextlevel,weneedtoeducatethewholechild,”saidRyan,anoriginalco-sponsorofthelegislation.

Janet Williams

Leah Gongola


Christopher BarzakTwo-Time Novelist, English Instructor

(Editor’s Note: Barzak’s novels are available at bookstores.)

ThestoryofChristopherBarzak’scareerpathtosuc-cessfulnovelistandfull-timeYSUEnglishinstructorcouldhavecomefromthepagesofoneofhisownnovels.Thefactthatthe34-year-old’ssecondbookhasbeennominatedforaprestigioushonorbestowedbytheScienceFictionandFantasyWritersofAmericamakeshisstoryevenmorenoteworthy.

TheformerfarmboyfromJohnston,Ohio,admitsthatevenhehasahardtimebelievinghisownsuccess.“SometimesIjustsitbackandthink,‘HowdidIgethere?Isthisreallymylife?’”

Asacollegestudent,BarzakwastryingtobepracticalwhenheregisteredfornursingclassesatKentStateTrumbullandtheUniversityofAkron,buthetransferredtoYSUtofollowhistruepassion:writing.

“IalwaysknewIwantedtobeawriter,”Barzakrecalls,“butwheneveryousay‘Englishmajor’peopleoftenquestionwhatyoucouldpossiblydowiththatdegree.”

Barzakcompletedhisbachelor’sinEnglishin1998,andearnedhismaster’satYSUin2003.Thatsameyearhecompletedhisfirstnovel,One for Sorrow, securedanagenttomarketthebookandmovedtoJapan.There,hetaughtEnglish,translatedbooks,andpennedhissecondnovel,The Love We Share Without Knowing.

BarzakcamebacktoOhiowhenhisfirstbookwassoldtowell-knownpublisherBantamBooksin2006;hissecondnovelsoldtoBantamtwoyearslater.

Coincidentally,aroundthatsametime,theYSUEnglishDepartmentwaslookingforaseasonedfictionwritertoserveasafull-timecreativewritinginstructor.Barzak,anadjunctfacultymemberatthetime,wasaperfectmatch.Hebeganhisnewpositioninfall2008.

Currently,BarzakisworkingonaMasterofFineArtsdegreeatChathamUniversityinPittsburgh,andhe’sclosetofinishinghisthirdnovel,Wonders of the Invisible World.Laterthismonth,theScienceFictionandFantasyWritersofAmericawillrecognizehimasaNebulaAwardnomineeintheBestNovelcategoryforThe Love We Share Without Knowing.

Lookingback,Barzakattributeshissuccessthusfartohisinsatiableobsessionwithbecomingawriter.“Ijustfollowedmydream—inanabsurdandcautiousway.”

Story by Melissa Sullivan

SPrinG 2010 17

Gwenn Clark

Offering Tips on Business Etiquettethathasfivelettersgoesontheright,likespoon,knifeanddrink.And,anythingthathasfourlettersgoesontheleft,suchastheforkandfood,likethebreadplate. Now,whenyousitdown,thenapkinobviouslygoesonyourlap.Ifyoudropitonthefloor,leaveit.Getyourserver’sattentionverydiscretelyandtactfully,apologize,andaskforanewone.Neverpickitupoffthefloor.

Q..Do.students.take.your.advice.to.heart?

A..Ohyes.OneofthethingsItrytogetacrosstostudentsisthataformalorbusi-nessdinnerorluncheonisnotaboutthefood–it’saboutwhoyou’rewith,theambience,theconversation.Youare“dining.”You’renotjusteating.Ifyou’reinterviewingforaposition,andit’sapositioninwhichyou’llbeinteractingwiththefirm’sclients,thenthey’llprobablytakeyoutolunchaspartoftheinterview.Ifthathappens,youhavetobeatyourverybestbecausetheywillbewatchingcloselytoseehowyoumightbeperceivedbytheirclients.

Q..Today,.with.all.of.the.technology.out.there,.is.there.anything.in.particular.that.students.should.be.aware.of?

A..Onethingthatstudentsneedtounderstandtodayisthatyou’realways“on.”EveryonetodayhasacellphonewithacameraandavideotapethatcangorighttotheInternetandFacebookorTwitter.Sowhateveryousayordo,it’sthereforeveryonetosee–forever.Ifyouhaveanyaspirationswhatsoever,youneedtobeverycareful.

Q..Wow..You.have.an.answer.for.just.about.any.situation..I.think.I’d.be.pretty.nervous.going.out.to.eat.with.you..I’d.be.afraid.of.breaking.all.kinds.of.rules.

A..(Laughs)Ourdeanteasesmethatshedoesn’twanttositnearmewhenwe’reoutatanevent.Somepeoplebecomealittleself-conscious,butIdon’tcritique.Ihavebeeninthebusinessfieldalongtime,andIhavehadtolearnbyobserving.Mygrandmothertoldme,“Youwerebornwithtwoearsandonemouthforareason.”I’velearnedalotbylisteningandobservingwhattodoandnottodo.

Coordinator, YSU Professional Practice Program

QA&

Gwenn Clark worked more than 20 years in corporate America before joining YSU’s Williamson College of Business Administration a decade ago. Today, she offers up practical advice to anyone enter-ing the business world, including proper business etiquette skills. She earned a bachelor’s degree at Loyola University Chicago and a master’s degree at YSU.

Q..Why.is.it.important.to.learn.proper.business.etiquette?

A..Alotoftimesinbusiness,andinlifeingeneral,it’sthelittlethingsthathelpmakeyousuccessful.Ignoranceofproperetiquettecanbeveryexpensive.Youcanenduplosingbusiness.Youcanenduplosingyour

job.So,it’sveryimportant.

Q..What.is.the.most.common.etiquette.mistake.that.you.see?

A.That’seasy–thenametag.Whenyougetanametagatanevent,itshouldgoonyourrightside.Ifwe’reshakinghands,youreyesgodirectlyhere,tomyrightside,soyoucanautomaticallyseeit.So,always–always–putyournametagonyourrightside.

Q..If.I’m.at.a.dinner.or.event,.what.do.I.need.to.know.about.networking?

A..First,youwanttomakeeyecontact,smileandthenofferyourhand.Youneedtore-memberthatit’sahandshake,andnotahandsqueeze.Youshaketwoorthreetimesandthenletgo.Also,don’tmonopolizesome-one’stime.Youshouldspendanappropriateamountoftimetalkingwithaperson,andthenyoumoveon.Afterall,that’swhatnetworkingisallabout.Also,whenyou’reintroducedtosomeone,thefirstthingyoushoulddoissaytheirnamebacktothem.Notonlydoesithelpyouremembertheirname,butthere’snothinglikehearingyournamecomingbackatyou.Itleavesagreatimpression.

Q..So,.you.reach.the.table..What.is.at..the.top.of.your.“don’t.do”.list.when.it.comes.to.dining?

A.Whenyouputfoodinyourmouth,makesureit’snotabigportionbecause,ifsome-oneasksyouaquestion,youwanttobepreparedtoanswer.Youshouldhaveonlysomuchinyourmouthsoyoucan,“Chew,chew,swallow,”andthentalk. Also,onethingthatpeopleoftenfindcon-fusing,especiallywhenyou’reataroundta-ble,isfiguringoutwhichwaterglassismine,whichbreadplateismine.Ihavethislittleeasy-to-rememberrule.Theword“right”hasfiveletters.“Left”hasfourletters.Anything

Interview by Ron Cole


ForNorthernStatesMetals,theanswerswereblowin’inthewind.

After35yearsoffabricatingmetalproductsforothercompanies,theYoungstownfirmiscreatinganicheforitselfinthefast-growingsolarenergyfieldwithitsownproduct,amountingsystemforsolarpanels.

Saleswerehealthyfromthestart—thefirstcustomerordered13,000units–butNorthernStateshadapracticalproblemtosolve:Howtoinstallsolarpanelsonrooftopssotheywouldn’tblowawayinthefirstbigwindstorm?

Insteadofhiringacorporateconsultingfirm,NorthernStatesMetalsrecruitedateamoffacultyandstudentsfromYSU’sDepartmentofMechanicalandIndustrialEngineeringtofindasolution.

“Thebrainpowerweneededwasrighthereintown,”saidRobertVoytilla,chieffinancialofficerforNorthernStatesMetals.“YSUfacultyandstudentsareourbrainpower.They’reshowingushowtomanagethewindratherthanfightingthewind,andit’sawin-winforeverybody.”

NorthernStatesawardedYSU’sCollegeofScience,Technology,EngineeringandMathematicsa$77,000researchgrantaspartofthepartnershipandbuilta16-foot

windtunnelfortheMechanicalandIndustrialEngineeringDepartment,withdesignhelpfromengineeringfaculty.Thegrantalsopaidforhigh-techsensorsandmeasuringdevices,computersoftwareandapowerfulwind-generatingfan.

ProfessorGaneshKudavandassistantprofessorYogendraPantaareleadingtheresearchproject,workingwithgraduateassistantMichaelYatscoandjuniorengineeringmajorMarkHarvey.

Andnow,aftermorethanninemonthsofcomputersimu-lationsandwindtunneltesting,Kudavsaidtheteamisreadytorecommendafinalwinddeflectordesignforthecompany.Theybelieveitwillworkinsyncwiththecompany’sSolarFlexRackmountingsystemtokeeprooftoppanelssecureinwindsupto110mph.

“Thisisaperfectexampleofwhatanurbanresearchuni-versityisallabout,”saidMartinAbraham,deanoftheSTEMcollege.“We’vecreatedanalliancewithNorthernStatesMetals,andwe’regoingtoseealotmorepartnershipslikethiswithbusinessesacrosstheValley.”

Researchersbeganbydoingcomputermodeltestingusingspecializedsoftware,Pantaexplained,whichallowedtheteamtoexamineandcomparetheexpectedperformanceofvarious

Research in a Wind Tunnel

Company Finds ‘Brain Power’ InYSU’s Engineering Department

Junior Mark Harvey, left, prepares to test a model wind deflector inside the wind tunnel; graduate assistant Michael Yatsco, far right, studies com-puter data produced during the test.

Visit www.ysumagazine.org for video on thewind tunnel research project.

www.ysumagazine.org

SPrinG 2010 19

designoptions.Startingoffwithsomebasicdesigns,theyworkedtodeterminetheirtopchoice,andthenfine-tuneditbymakingsmallchanges.

Finally,equippedwithpagesofdatafrommonthsofcomputersimulation,theteamwasabletorecommendatrialdesigntothecompany.NorthernStatesthencreatedascalemodelone-fourthaslargeasanactualwinddeflectorwouldbe,andtheYSUresearchteammovedtothenextstep:testingthescalemodelinsidethewindtunnel.

Windtunneltestingismuchmorethanmeetstheeye.Thetunnelisequippedwithsensorsthatprovideadditionalcomputerdatasothatresearcherscanconfirmthatthescalemodelperformsastheircomputersimulationspredicted.Sofar,Pantasaid,thewindtunneltestresultsarematchingupandconfirmingtheteam’scomputermodelsimulations.

Engineeringprofessorsarealsoincorporatingthewindtunnelintheirclassroominstructionandmakingplanstouseitforotherresearch.

WhentheNorth-ernStatesprojectiscomplete,Kudavadded,it’slikelythatthewindtunnelwillbeusedtoprovidetestingservicesforotherbusinesses.Companieshaveinquiredabouttestingservicesinthepast,hesaid,buttheengineeringdepartment’soldwindtunnelwastoo

smalltobeusedforthatpurpose—thenewoneis16timeslarger.

“Wealreadyhadthetechnicalknow-howandexpertisetodothiskindoftesting,andnowwehavetheequipmentweneed,”Kudavsaid.“Ourstudentswillbenefitbecauseitenrichestheirlearning,andthisnew,largerwindtunnelwillallowYSUtomarketitstestingcapabilitiesbothlocallyandregionally.Itcouldbeasourceofincomeforthedepartmentaswell.”Discussing a new research partnership between YSU and Northern States

Metals are, from left, Martin Abraham, dean of YSU's STEM College, engi-neering professor Ganesh Kudav and Robert Voytilla, chief financial officer for Northern States.

sports


FreshmanNamedtoHorizonLeague’sAll-NewcomerTeamYSUwomen’sbasketballfreshman

BrandiBrownofPomona,Calif.,wasnamedtotheHorizonLeagueAll-New-comerteamforherachievementsduringthe2009-10season.

BrownwastheonlyplayerintheHorizonLeaguetoaverageadouble-doubleduringtheregularseasonwith11.4pointsand10.6rebounds.Sheledtheleaguewithher14double-doublesand10.6reboundspergame,andsheled

alltruefreshmeninscoring.

BrownfinishedsecondinthevoteforNewcomeroftheYeartoYarShayok,aredshirtfreshmanfromDetroit.BrownhadevenbetterstatisticsagainstHorizonLeagueopponents,averaging12.3pointsand11.3rebounds.Bothofthoseweretopsamongallnewcomers,andshehad11ofherdouble-doublesin18leaguecontests.

The5-foot-11postplayersurpassedthepreviousYSUfreshmanreboundingrecordby79.Brownisoneofonlythreeplayersinschoolhistorytograb300reboundsinaseason,andshebecametheonlyplayerinYSUhistorytoleadherteaminscoring,reboundingandstealsinthesameseason.

GettingaGlimpseofPenguinSoftball

YSUphotographerBrucePalmercaptured

photosofthePenguinsoftballteamduringagamethisspringattheteam’s

homefield,McCuneParkinCanfield.Short-stopKristenPhilen,top,asophomore,warmsupbeforeheadingtothebatter’sbox.PhilenwasrankedsecondontheteambyearlyAprilwitha.346battingaverage.KristinaRendle,farright,ajuniorsecondbase-man,isreadytothrow.Rendletrans-ferredtoYSUin2009andstartedforthePenguinsin78straightgames.KimKlonowski,inthebottomphoto,getssettofieldtheballasarunnertriestoslipbybehindher.Klonowski,ajuniorfirstbaseman,wasnamedSecondTeamAll-HorizonLeaguein2009andnowranksonthetopfiveonYSU’sAll-TimeHomeRunslist.Shealsoleadstheteamindoublesandrunsbattedin.Theteam’sregularseasonendsMay8and9withtwogamesinGreenBay,Wis.,andtheHorizonLeagueTournamentissetforMay13-15.

Brandi Brown

SPrinG 2010 21

YSUseniorhistorymajorDallasBlocker,acancersurvivorandforwardonthePenguinmen’sbasketballteam,waspresentedthe10thannualVFoundationComebackAwardbyTheVFoundationforCancerResearch,incollaborationwithESPN.TheawardwascreatedinmemoryofJimValvano,thelatebasketballcoachandESPNcommentator,whosepersonalbattlewithcancerinspiredthecreationofTheVFoundation.

Blocker,a6-foot-9-inchnativeofTopeka,Kan.,returnedtothePenguinbasketballteam’sstartinglineupthisseason,justsevenmonthsafterhewasdiagnosedwithtesticularcancerinFebruary2009.Heunderwenttwosurgeriesandfourroundsofchemothera-py,allthewhilecontinuinghisworkoutregimen.

“Itisagreathonortobenamedtherecipientofthe10thAn-nualVFoundationComebackAward,”saidBlocker.“Therearenowinnersorlosersinthis.Allofthefinalistsovercameagreatdealofadversityandaredeservingofthisrecognitionaswell.”

Heplayedin25outof30gamesthisseason,startingin23,andsetcareersingle-gamehighsinrebounding(11),assists(7),steals(5)andblocks(4).Followinggraduation,hewouldliketobecomeateacherandcoachandtosharehisstorywithyoungpeoplewhohavealsobeendiagnosedwithcancer.

TheVAward,announcedonESPNonMarch30andpre-sentedtoBlockeratYSU’sScholar-AthleteBanquetonApril27,isawardedtoamaleorfemalecollegiatebasketballathletewhohasaccomplishedapersonaltriumphinthefaceofamajorchallenge.

YSU’sDallasBlockerGetsNationalJimValvanoComebackAward

BurrowsJoinsPenguinsasHeadVolleyballCoach

AaronMerrill,RobynRayCaptureHorizonLeagueTitles

KristaBurrowshasbeennamedYSU’sheadvolleyballcoach.ThenewcoachcomestoYSUfromWalshUniversityinNorthCanton,Ohio,whereshewasnamedtheAmericanMideastConferenceandRegionalIXCoachoftheYearin2006and2008.TheWalshCavaliersfinishedinthetop25nationallythreetimesduringhertenureandadvancedtotheNAIATournamentthelasttwoseasons.

PriortoherstintatWalsh,BurrowswasanassistantcoachatthreeDivisionIschools–BradleyUniversity,ClevelandStateUniversityandClemsonUniversity.Asastudent,shewasafour-yearstarteratAuburnUniversity.

CompetingintheirfinalHori-zonLeagueIndoorTrackandFieldChampionships,seniorsAaronMerrillofLeetonia,Ohio,andRobynRayofClevelandendedtheirindoorcareersonahighnote,withbothcapturingindividualtitlesatthe2010meet.

Merrill,whoredshirtedlastseasonduringtheindoorcampaign,defendedhis2008shotputtitleandwasvictori-ousintheeventwithathrowof17.44

meters.Merrillalsotooksecondintheweightthrowwitha

distanceof17.53meters.Inhiscareer,Merrillhaswonsix

individualconferencechampionships,andhewasnamedOutstandingFieldAthleteattheoutdoorleaguechampion-shipslastyear.

Rayovertookhersecond-placefinishinthehighjumpayearagotowintheeventthisyearwithadistanceof1.60me-ters.Itwasherthirdconsecutiveyearofrankingamongthetopfivehighjumpersattheconferencemeet.

Aaron Merrill Robyn Ray

Krista Burrows

Senior Dallas Blocker takes a shot against Horizon League foe University of Wisconsin - Milwaukee in the Penguins’ nationally-televised game on ESPNU in January.

Ateacher,guidancecounselor,andadminis-tratorintheYoungstownCitySchoolsformorethan30years,YSUalumnaKarenR.Murphy,’75,dedicatedherlifetoeducation.

FriendsandfamilyestablishedtheKarenR.MurphyBeatitudeHouseScholarshipinherhonor,andaselectioncommitteehaschosenJaniceStensonofWarrenasthefirstscholarshiprecipient.Stensonisajuniorsocialworkmajorandnon-tradi-tionalstudentatYSUwitha3.7GPA.

MurphystartedhereducationcareerteachinghighschoolEnglishandscienceinthecityschools,andshelaterservedasaguidancecounselor,assistanthighschoolprincipalanddistrictsupervi-sorofproficiencysupportandIntensiveEnglishprograms.Shewasknownforencouragingstudentsandcolleaguesaliketoexpandtheirhorizonsandtostrivetobetheirbest.

WhenMurphydiedofcancerin2008,herfriendandcolleague,SusanL.Stevens,’83,organizedfamilymembersandfriendstoestablishascholar-shipatYSUinhermemory.ThescholarshipwouldbeanextensionofKaren’sspirit,sotheplannersagreedtotieittoBeatitudeHouseinYoungstown,anonprofit,non-denomi-nationalprogramoftheUrsulineSistersofYoungstownthataddressestheneedsofhomelesswomenandchildren.

Stenson,thescholarshiprecipient,cametotheBeati-tudeHouseinAugust2006,homeless,asingleparentandrecoveringdrugaddict.“Ihadhitbottom,”shesaid.Theprogramhelpedhergetbackonherfeet;she’snowlivingindependentlywithherdaughterandworkingpart-timejobsatMeridianServicesinYoungstownandattheYSUCandyCounterinKilcawleyCenterwhiletakingclassesfull-time.

“ThescholarshipisdefinitelyveryhelpfultohelpmepayforbooksandsuppliesthatIneed,”saidStenson,whohopestograduatenextfall.

Social work major Janice Stenson, who works at YSU’s Candy Counter in Kilcawley Center and at Meridian Services, Youngstown, was awarded the first Karen R. Murphy Beatitude House Scholarship.

Social Work Major is First Recipient of Karen R. Murphy Beatitude House Scholarship

Development

FacultyandstaffcontributionstoYSU’s2010AnnualFundhavealreadysurpassedlastyear’sdollartotalbyasignificant44percent–withonequarterstillremaininginthecurrentfiscalyear.

Andoverall,theYSUAnnualFundhashitanothermilestone,reachingitsfiscalyeargoalof$1.15millionbytheendofthethirdquarter.“Inaneconomicclimateinwhichmanycollegesanduniversitiesareexperiencingreducedphi-lanthropy,YoungstownStateUniversityiscelebratinggrowthinitsAnnualFund,”saidCatherineCala,YSU’sdevelop-mentdirector.

YSUemployeesdonatedmorethan$120,000tothe

WithassistancefromYSUdevelopmentofficerShannaSallmen,thescholarshiphasraised$12,000topermanentlyendowthescholarshipandsecureitsexistenceforperpetu-ity.Stevenssaidcommitteemembershopetoincreasetheirscholarshipawardsastheendowmentgrows.

AscholarshipwillbeawardedannuallytoaMahoningValleywomanandYSUstudentwhoisenrolledinorhascompletedaBeatitudeHouseprogram.TocontributetotheKarenR.MurphyBeatitudeHouseScholarship,contactSall-meninUniversityDevelopment,330-941-2714.Tomakeagiftonline,visitwww.ysu.edu/givetoysuandtype“BeatitudeHouseScholarship”inthecommentbox.

Faculty and Staff Giving to Annual Fund Rises 44%fundinthefirstthreequarters,comparedto$83,000infiscal2009.Thenumberofstaffdonorssupportingthefundhasalsoincreasedby44percent,with300donorsin2010comparedto209infiscal2009.

CalasaidgenerousleadershipcontributionsbyYSUad-ministratorsgotthefaculty/staffcampaignofftoagoodstart,andUniversityDevelopment'snew,morepersonalapproachtothecampaignwasalsoafactor.Developmentofficersthisyeartreatedallfacultymembersandstafftopieandcoffeereceptionsaspartofthecampaignoncampus.

Tomakeagifttothe2010YSUAnnualFund,visitwww.ysu.edu/givetoysuorcontactCatherineCala,330-941-2752.


SPrinG 2010 23

Foundation

YSU is offering personalized bricks through June 30, 2010. the bricks will be placed around the bronze sculpture of Howard W. Jones, first president of our institution. the statue stands at the

entrance to campus core, and the site will be named Centennial Circle. Proceeds from

the brick campaign benefit the Campus Beautification endowment to help sus-

tain YSU’s 1,800 trees and green spaces for future generations. Call Catherine Cala at 330-

941-2752 for an order form or purchase online at www.ysubricks.com.

There’sstilltimetoorderyourpersonalizedbrick!

AYSUpre-medstudentfromColumbianaisthefirstrecipientofaschol-arshipestablishedtohonorthememoryofDr.ChatrchaiWatanakunakorn,Youngstown’sfirstinfectiousdiseasespecialist.

Therecipient,AnthonyCasacchia,willcompletehisfirstyearofclassesatYSUthissummerintheBS/MDprogram,withplanstomatriculatetoNortheast-ernOhioUniversitiesCollegesofMedicineandPharmacyinsummer,2011,topursuehismedicaldegree.His$500Dr.ChatrchaiandEleanorWatanakunakornScholarship,thefirstawardedundertheWatanakunakornendowment,hasbeenrenewedforasecondyear.

UndertheBS/MDprogram,Casacchiasaid,studentsearnabachelor’sdegreeintheirfirsttwoyearsatYSU,attendingclassesyear-roundwithoutsummerbreaks.He’staking23hoursthissemesterandhasmaintaineda4.0GPA.

Thescholarshipendowment,whichishousedattheYSUFoundation,isoneofseveralthatEleanorWatanakunakornestablishedinmemoryofherhusbandwhenhediedin2001.“Ithinkit’ssoimportanttoprovidescholarshipstomedicalstudents,”shesaid,“andthecollegesthatofferthemostscholarshipsaregoingtoattractthebeststudents.”

Dr.WatanakunakornwasaprofessorofmedicineatNEOUCOM,ahospitalepidemiologistandchiefofinfectiousdiseasesatSt.ElizabethHealthCenterinYoungstown.Hepublishedmorethan290medicaljournalarticlesandbookchaptersanddeliveredlecturestomedicalprofessionalsaroundtheworld.

TheWatanakunakornshavetwochildren,Paul,aphysicianwiththeTrumbullMahoningGroupspecializingininternalmedicineandaNEOUCOMgraduate,andMariaPoppe,aphysicaltherapistwholivesintheHershey,Pa.area.

Tobeeligibleforthetwo-yearscholarship,studentsmustbeenrolledinNEOUCOM’sBS/MDprogram.Firstpreferencewillbegiventostudentsfromhistoricallyunder-representedpopulations,asdefinedintheAmericanAssocia-tionofMedicalColleges,andprioritywillbegiventostudentsfromColumbiana,MahoningandTrumbullcounties.Financialneedwillbeconsidered.

Eleanor Watanakunakorn congratulates Anthony Casacchia, the first recipient of the Dr. Chatrchai and Eleanor Watanakunakorn Scholarship.

Watanakunakorn Scholarship Awarded to Pre-Med Student

Foundation


AlumnaHonored,WasFemalePilotPioneer


MorethansixdecadesafterservinghercountryasoneofthefirstwomentopilotU.S.militaryaircraft,YoungstownCollegealumnaMarieBarrettMarshhasbeenposthumouslyawardedtheCongressionalGoldMedal,thenation’shighestcivilianhonor.

BarrettMarshwasoneof1,074femalecivilianpilotsselectedin1943toservewiththeWomenAirforceServicePilotsofWorldWarII,betterknownasWASPs.About300survivingWASPswereinvitedtoattendaCongressionalGoldMedalceremonyintheirhonorattheWhiteHouseinearlyMarch–alongwiththefamiliesofmanyWASPSwhoaredeceased.

BarrettMarshdiedinApril1997attheageof77.GeorgeMarshofHowland,Ohio,oneofhereightchildren,saidheandseveralothermembersoftheMarshfamilyattendedthecer-emonytoaccepttheaward.“Shewasproudofwhatshedid,butsheneverbraggedaboutit,”hesaidofhismother.“Shealwaysflewwhenweweregrowingup.Wejusttookthatforgranted.”

Selectedfromamongnearly25,000womenwhoappliedtobeWASPs,BarrettMarshcom-pletedtherequisitetrainingandwasassignedtotheheadquartersoftheWeatherWinginAshe-ville,N.C.,wheresheservedasaliaisonforthePentagonandtransportedmilitarypersonnelbyairtobasesaroundthecountry.

The1941YoungstownCollegegraduategrewupinTrumbullCountyandlearnedtoflythroughtheCivilianPilotTrainingProgramwhileshewasincollege.ShetaughtbusinessclassesatWarrenHardingHighSchoolandattheTrumbullCampusofKentStateUniversityand,onthebasisofherWASPservice,wasinductedintotheOhioWomen’sHallofFamein1999.

BarrettMarshalsoholdsthedistinctionofbeingYoungstownCollege’sfirstHomecomingQueen,crowned

in1938.Sheandherhusband,JohnE.Marsh,anotherYoungstownCollegealumnus,wereparentsofeightchil-dren–fiveareYSUalumni–andhad12grandchildren.

TheWASPprogramwasestablishedtoallowwomentoflynon-combatmilitarymissionsfortheU.S.AirForcesothatmalepilotscouldbeavailableforcombat

missions,and38WASPslosttheirliveswhileinser-viceduringWorldWarII.WASPs’contributionswentunrecog-nizedforseveraldecades.Then,in1977,theywereacknowledgedwithveteranstatus,andlastsummerPresidentObamasignedthebillawardingthemtheCon-gressionalGoldMedal.

Marie Barrett Marsh, posthu-mously awarded the Congres-sional Gold Medal for her service as one of the first women to fly U.S. military aircraft during World War II, is pictured at right in her Women Airforce Service Pilots uniform. At left, a photo of Barrett Marsh that was published in the 1939 edition of “The Neon” after she became the first woman to be crowned homecoming queen at Youngstown College

Bitonte College of Health & Human Services Alumni Dinner–Friday, May 21,5:30p.m. intheChestnutRoomatKilcawleyCenter.Alumniwillberecognizedfortheirdedicationtocreatingsafeandhealthycommunities,andthoseattendingwillbecomepartofanalumninetwork.For more information, contact Tammy King, associate dean, or Carol Marsh, secretary, at 330-941-3321.

YSU Alumni Night at the Scrappers – Tuesday, June 22,picnicat5:30p.m.,gameat7p.m.,EastwoodFieldinNiles.Costis$8perpersonforthepicnicandbox-seatticket.ReservationsareduebyThursday,June17.Contact Heather Belgin at 330-941-1591 for more information.

YSU Tent at the Canfield Fair – Wednesday, Sept.1 through Monday, Sept. 6,CanfieldFairgrounds.Afterpickingupalemonshakeandelephantear,besuretostopattheYSUTentattheCanfieldFair!EachcollegewillprovidespecialdisplaystodemonstratetheacademicinnovationstakingplaceatYSU.For more information or to volunteer, contact Jackie LeViseur, 330-941-2136.

Homecoming – Saturday, Oct. 30,ParadepriortoYSUvs.UNIgame–timestobeannounced.It’snottooearlytomarkyourcalendarandmakeplanstoreturntocampusfortheannualHomecomingcelebration!

Youngstown Day – PlansarealreadyunderwayforthepopularYoungstownDaygatheringinSarasota,Fla.onMarch13,2011.

MARKYOURCALENDAR

CallingAllTampa-AreaAlumniDoyouliveintheTampa,Fla.area?Areyoulookingtorecon-

nectwithfellowYSUgraduates?YSUalumnilivingintheTampa,OrlandoandSarasotaareasweresurveyedrecently,andnowplansareintheworksforthefirstYSUTampaAlumniChaptergather-ing.Plannersinclude,fromleft,JeffYoung,NickDiorioandBobRiddell;TimMoyers,notpictured,hasalsobeeninvolvedintheplanning.IfyouliveintheTamparegionandwouldliketogetinvolved,contacttheYSUAlumniandEventsOfficeforadditionalinformationat330-941-3497orstirone@ysu.edu.

SarasotaEventDrawsaCrowdAttendingthe2010YoungstownDayinSarasota,Fla.are,from

left,GeorgeMcCloud,vicepresidentforUniversityAdvancement,LindaSisek,’77,andherhusbandJimSisek,whoispresidentandchiefexecutiveofficerofFarmersTrustCompanyinYoungstown.HostedbytheYSUOfficeofAlumniandEventsManagementandsponsoredbyFarmersTrustCompany,theearly-Marcheventdrewacrowdof473alumniandformerYoungstown-arearesidents.YoungstownDayhasbecomeaYSUtraditioninSarasota,welcom-ingYSUgraduatesandformerarearesidentswhohaverelocatedtoFloridafromYoungstownorwhoresideinFloridaforpartoftheyear.

Tampa

OrlandoOrlando

Tampa

FortMyersFortMyers

West

BeachWest

BeachPalmPalm

JacksonvilleJacksonville

YSUALUMNi:

YSU alumni love the Sunshine State! Florida boasts more Penguin alumni than any other state, excluding Ohio and Pennsylvania, with more than 3,000 YSU grads.

Tampa – 571 Orlando – 559 Ft. Myers – 629

West Palm Beach – 279Jacksonville - 193

SPrinG 2010 25

SpotlighTAlumni

CELEBRATiNGACCOMPLiSHEDGRADUATES

Michele Lambert stands in front of a new Chevrolet Cruze on the production line at the GM Lordstown Complex near Youngstown. Lambert, a YSU grad, is managing the launch of the Cruze, a fuel-efficient vehicle that is expected to play a crucial role in GM’s comeback strategy.


MicheleLambertcarriesalotofweightonhershouldersthesedays.

AslaunchmanagerforGeneralMotorsCorp.’snewChevroletCruze,theYSUgraduateisoverseeinga$350mil-lionrenovationatthemassiveGMLordstownComplex.Herjob,withtheteamof20manufacturingleadersshemanages,isgettingtheplantreadytoproduceGM’snew,fuel-efficientCruzebymid-summer.

SomuchisridingonthesuccessoftheCruze–forthe4,500autoworkersemployedattheLordstownComplex;fortheYoungstownregion,wheretheplantisamajoremployer;andforGM,newlyemergedfrombankruptcyandeagertoearnayear-endprofitforthefirsttimesince2004.

“Nopressure,”jokesLambert,alreadya15-yearGMveteranatage36.

She’sconfidentthattheCruzesedanwillbeahotsellerforGMandthattheLordstownworkforcewillmakeitaqualityproduct.

EmployeecultureattheLord-stownComplexhaschangedalotinrecentyears,sheexplained,withmoreemphasisonindividualaccountabilityandempoweringem-ployeestomakedecisionsatalllev-els,notjustatthetop.Besidesthat,workersknowthey’reprivilegedtobepartofGM’sscaled-downworkforceataplantwherethecompanyisinvestingmillions.“EverypersonhereknowsthatweneedtomakethislaunchthemostsuccessfullaunchGMhaseverhad.”

Workershavebeenmanufacturing“non-saleable”ver-sionsoftheCruzeoverthepastfewmonths,testdrivingandscrutinizingthemtop-to-bottomtoworkoutthebugs.BeforethatthecomplexorderedCruzesmanufacturedinSouthKo-rea–GMisalreadyproducingthecarthere,inChinaandinRussia.“Wetorethosecarsdownandputthembacktogethertimeandtimeandtimeagain,”shesaid.

OnJune24thecomplexwillcloseforatwo-weeksum-merchangeover,reopeningJuly12readytobeginmanufac-turingthe2011Cruzeexclusively.Thecarwillbeinshow-roomsbySeptember,andbyyear’send,Lordstownworkerswillhavebuilt70,000.

GMhasalwaysbeenabigpartofLambert’slife.Herfatherretiredin1999after33yearsatGMLordstown;her

motherretiredasasalariedemployeefromDelphiPackard,aformerGMsubsidiary.“IhaveGMrunningthroughmyveins,”shesaidwithagrin.

ButLambertwasaimingforacareerinnursingwhenshestartedatYSUintheearly’90s.Shelandedasummerjobattheplantatage19afterherfreshmanyear.“ItwasalotharderthanIexpected,”sherecalls.“WewerebuildingCava-liersthen,845unitsina10-hourshift.Iwasexhausted.”

Summerended,shewentbacktonursingschoolatYSU,andthefollowingMarchGMofferedherfull-time,permanentwork.“Mymothercried,”shesaid.“ShewasafraidIwouldn’tfinishschool.”

Determinedtogetherdegree,Lam-bertworked40-hourweeksattheplantandattendedclassesatYSUfull-time.“Thinkingback,Ididn’thaveacollegesociallife.Ialwaysworked.Iwasverypractical.”

Beforelong,shewasofferedanentry-levelpositioninmanagementanddecidedtopursueacareeratGM.Shechangedhermajortopsychology,com-pletedherBAin1996,andadvancedquicklythroughtheranks,holdingasuccessionofsupervisoryandplan-ningpositions.Inthesummerof2008,shewasnamedlaunchmanagerfortheChevyCruze.

“Somepeoplesaymypsychologybackgroundhelpsmehere,”shesaid.“Ithinkeducation,ingeneral,helpsyoutodevelopcommunicationskillsandlearntosetpriorities.”

Lambertandherhusband,Marc,havetwochildren,ages7and9.HeisanattorneyfortheU.S.Departmentof

HealthandHumanServices,andtheyshareequallyinhouse-holdandparentingresponsibilities.Theirparentslivenearbyandalsohelptokeepthebusyhouseholdrunningsmoothly.

“Peopleaskabouthobbies.Myhobbiesaremykids,”shesaid.“Mysonplaysfootballandbaseball,mydaughterisindance,GirlScoutsandsoccer.Myhusbandcoachesfootballandbaseball,andIgotoasmanyoftheiractivitiesasIcan.Iwouldn’tmissthat.”

Herworkhourshavebeen“crazy”lately,averaging10to12hoursaday,butLambertlikesthework.“It’ssomethingdifferenteveryday,”shesaid,“andIdon’tmindthestressthatmuch,aslongasIgetmysleep.”

Profile by Cynthia Vinarsky

Making Way for the Chevy CruzeMicheleLambert,’96

Alumni Spotlight

SPrinG 2010 27

“Every person here knows that we need to make this launch the

most successful launch GM has ever had.”

- Michele Lambert

GrowingupinFarrell,Pa.,inthe1960s,JackGreafdidn’tgivemuchthoughttolifeafterchildhood.HecertainlyneverguessedthathisfuturewouldbelinkedtoJapan,TimesSquareandtheDallasCowboys.

“IhadnovisionofwhatIwantedtodowithmyfutureuntiloneofmyteacherstoldme,‘You’regoingtocollege,’”saidGreaf,recallingthoseearlyyears.“AsIwasgrowingup,Ididverywellinschool.Ialwaysenjoyedmath,soIfiguredengineeringwouldbethewaytogoforme.”

Fromthatsimplebeginning,GreafhaschartedacareerpathtothetopofMitsubishiElectricPowerProductsInc.inWarrendale,Pa.,asubsidiaryofJapanese-ownedMitsubishiElectricCorp.,oneofthelargestelectronicsmanufacturersintheworld.

AsMEPPI’schairmanandchiefexecutiveofficer,hehadahandindevelopingtheworld’slargesthigh-definitionvideodisplayscreen.UnveiledlastSeptemberatthenewDallasCowboysStadium,itistheworld’sfirstfour-sided,center-hung,high-definitionvideodisplayinastadium.Themassivescreensweigh600tonsandhaveatotalviewingareaof11,393squarefeet.

“Thebiggestchallengewasinstallingitbecauseithadtobeinstalled90feetintheair,”saidGreaf,whohasbeenwithMEPPIsince1985.“Butyoudon’tmissasinglethingthathappensinagamebecauseyoucanseeitallonthescreen.”

MEPPIalsocreatedtheDiamondVisionvideoscreenthathangsinTimesSquare;thesmallvideodisplayatYSU’sStambaughStadiumisanotherMEPPIproduct.Videoscreens,however,areasmallsegmentofMEPPI’sbusiness.Thecom-pany’smainfocusisonproductsforelectricutilities,includingpowertransformers,powercircuitbreakers,substationandpowerelectronics,propulsionproductstorailwayutilities,ozonegeneratorproductstowa-terutilities,anduninterruptiblepowersuppliesforallindustries.

Greafsaidhesometimesfindsithardtobelievethathislife’sjourneyledhimsofarfromhissmall-townrootsinwesternPennsylvania.“Growingupbackinthe’60s,Ididn’tevenknowwhereJapanwas,letalonethinkI’dbeCEOofasubsidiaryofoneofitslargestcorporations,”

Engineering Enormous Video ScreensJAckGreaf,’67,’75

hesaid.“NowIhavefriendsthatIvisitattheirhomesinJapan.It’sjustamazing.”

GreaflivedoncampuswhileastudentatYSU,andhedevelopedanappreciationforthecultureoftheuniversityandthecity.However,hislifeasanengineeringstudentdidnotlenditselftosamplingthelocalnightlife.“Asmyfriendsweregoingoutatnightsandsocializing,I’dbesittingatmydeskstudyingmyengineeringbooks,”hesaid.

Heearnedabachelor’sdegreeinelectricalengineeringatYSUin1967,andamaster’sdegreeinbusinessadmin-istration,alsofromYSU,in1975.Inbetween,heearnedamaster’sdegreeinelectricalengineeringattheUniversityofAkronin1970.

Greafsaidhelearnedalotaboutthevalueofhardworkfromhisparents:hisfatherwasalaboreratNationalCastingsinSharon,Pa.,andhismotherworkedatMcDowellBankofSharon.HisbrotherisadetectivewiththeLibertyTownshipPoliceDepartment.

“Wewerenotrich,”hesaid.“Wewereofverymodestmeans,butwehadeverythingweeverneededwhenweweregrowingup.”

Greafsaidheandhiswife,Jerilyn,trytogetbacktoYSUforatleastonefootballgameeachseason,andtheyalsofindtimetoattendspecialeventsoncampusinvolvingniecesandnephewswhoareYSUstudents.


Alumni Spotlight

Jack Greaf and his wife, Jerilyn, pose in front of the giant video screen his company developed for the Dallas Cowboys Stadium.

PhilemonRheinshashadadistinguishedcareerasanadvocateforindividualsseekingtogetafairshakeintheworkplace.He’sservedhonorablyintheUnitedStatesmili-taryandnowenforcesfederalaffirmativeactionandequalemploymentopportunitylaws.

Despitethoseimpressivecredentials,whatheismostproudofishishometown.

“IamfromtheSouthSideofYoungstown,andIamaproductoftheYoungstownCitySchoolsystem,”saidRheins,45,wholivesinBuffalo,N.Y.,butstillkeepsupwithnewsfromhishometown.Hegetsirritatedwhenheseesnegativereportsaboutthecityschoolsystem.

“IhaveoodlesoffriendswithwhomIwentthroughschool.WemaynotbeonthesamesocioeconomiclevelwithBillGatesorWarrenBuffett,butmanyofushavegoneontodosomeverygood,productivethingswithourlives,”hesaid.“Youcanbewhatyouwant.Itdoesn’tmatterwhereyoucamefrom.”

AftergraduatingfromSouthHighSchoolin1982,RheinsenlistedintheArmythroughthedelayed-entryprogram.Inthemeantime,heattendedYSUandearnedanassociatedegreeinaccountingtechnologyin1984.Hecouldn’tattendthecommencementceremony,though,becauseitwasscheduledonthedayhewastoreportforactiveduty.

“Myparentssentmemyfirst[college]degreeinthemail,”hesaid.

Afterretiringfromthemilitaryasadisabledveteranin1987,RheinsearnedtwomoreYSUdegrees:abaccalaureateinAmericanstudiesin1990andamaster’sdegreeinhistoryin1999.

Hehaddevelopedaninterestinthemoderndaycivilrightsmovementandthoughthewouldeventuallyliketo

Fighting forCivil Rights in the

WorkplacePhilemonRheins,’84,’90,’99

getintosomesortofworkgearedtowardthatend.Hewashiredin1996asaresearchcoordinatorinYSU’sAffirmativeActionOffice,andin1999hebecameanaffirmativeactioncoordinatorforKentStateUniversity,wherehewasinchargeofdevelopingtwoaffirmativeactionplans–oneforminori-tiesandfemales,andoneforveteransanddisabledpeople.

InJune2002,hemovedtoBuffalo,whereheworksasaComplianceOfficerfortheU.S.DepartmentofLabor,OfficeofFederalContractComplianceProgram.Hisjobistoensurethatfederalcontractorscomplywithfederalaffirmativeactionandequalemploymentopportunitylawsandguidelines.

RheinswasawardedtheU.S.DepartmentofLaborSec-retary’sExceptionalAchievementAwardinApril2008forhisworkinnegotiatingasettlementofnearly$930,000for311victimsofracialdiscrimination.Hesaidthecaseinvolvedamajoroilcompanythathadusedadiscriminatoryhiringprocessatoneofitsfacilities.

Forallhisaccomplishmentsintheareaofequalem-ploymentopportunity,Rheinssaidheseriouslyconsideredacompletelydifferentcareerpath.

“Icameveryclosetoenrollingintheologi-calseminary,”hesaid.“Mydaddidn’treallyforcetheissuewithme,butifhehadpushedit,Iprobablywouldhavebecomeaclergyman.”

Hisfather,theRev.Dr.ErnestF.E.RheinsSr.,spentmorethan85yearsintheministry,preachingfromage6untilhisdeathlastyearatage92.HewaspastorofHolyTrin-ityMissionaryBaptistChurchinYoungstownfor36years.

“Growingupapreacher’skidwasan

interestinglife,”Rheinssaid,notingthathishomewasaverystrictenvironment.“WhenIlookbackonitthough,IhavenoregretsbecausewiththatcamealevelofdisciplinethatIstillutilizetoday,notjustinmycareer,butmylifeingeneral.”

Rheins’mother,Johnnie,his23-year-olddaughterandtwograndchildrenstillresideinYoungstown.

SPrinG 2010 29

Alumni Spotlight

Profiles on these two pages by YSUalumnus Bob Jackson, ’90 BA English.

Philemon Rheins

notes60sRobertClyde of

Columbus, Ohio, ’65 AB, retired in Janu-ary as founder and executive director of the Ohio Legal Assistance Foundation, where he had served for 15 years. He will assume a part-time role as senior counsel and director of government relations for the foundation. Clyde is the former director of northeast Ohio Legal Services and has devoted his 37-year professional career to the delivery of legal services to low-income Ohioans. the Ohio State Bar Foundation honored him with its prestigious 2009 ritter Award in recognition of his contributions to the administration of justice.

WilliamBuzulence of twinsburg, Ohio, ’66 BSed, retired last December after four decades of service to the twinsburg City School District. He served two four-year terms on the twinsburg Board of education and before that was employed as an art teacher in the district for 32 years. He was fine arts coordinator for the district when he retired from teaching.

70sJosephP.Grunenwaldof Clarion, Pa., ’70 Be,

has announced plans to retire June 30 as president of Clarion University, concluding a 32-year career at the institution. Grunen-

wald worked as an engineer for the Ohio Department of transportation and served with the U.S. Army reserve for eight years before joining Clarion as an associate pro-fessor of marketing in 1978. He assumed the presidency in 2003. After earning his bachelor’s degree in engineering at YSU, he earned master’s and doctoral degrees from Kent State University.

BarbaraGabriel of of Austintown, ’72 BSAS in medical technology, has been appointed laboratory man-ager at St. eliza-beth Boardman Health Center by Humility of Mary Health Partners. Previously, Gabriel was employed as a medical technologist at St. e’s Boardman.

ArlinD.Keck of Stevens Point, Wis., ’73 Be in civil engineering, ’77 MSe, a corporate engineer at Steel King industries, was recognized by Cambridge Who’s Who for his leadership in the field of steel structural engineering. Keck has 36 years experience in the field.

TomSalpietra of Cleveland, ’73 Be in me-chanical engineering, has been named president and chief operating officer of eYe Lighting international of north America, a subsidiary of tokyo-based iwasaki electric Co. Ltd. Salpietra has an MBA from Kent State University.

Dr.DebraJeanCelec of Bellville, Ohio, ’78 BSAS, has joined the staff of Galion Com-munity Hospital in north-central Ohio. Celec earned her medical degree from the Ohio University College of Osteo-pathic Medicine, completed an internship at Doctors Hospital in Columbus and a one-year surgical residency at Mt. Carmel Medical Center, also in Columbus, and then completed a residency in otolaryngology at Doctors Hospital. She is board certified in otolaryngology.

RobertSavageof new York, ’78 BFA, has been appointed to the board of trustees for the Fashion institute of technology in new York City. Savage is president and co-founder with his wife, NanetteLepore, ’84 BSBA, of the multi-tiered design company nanette Lepore, nY. He is also a painter whose works are included in the collections of the Butler institute of American Art, the Cleveland Museum Friends of the Museum Collection, the time equities Collection and in many private collections. He holds a master’s degree from Goddard College in Vermont.

FrankDiPiero of Fort Mill, S.C., ’79 AB in history, was named secretary of Goodrich Corp., in addition to his other roles as vice president and segment counsel of Actuation and Landing Systems for the company. DiPiero has a law degree from the

University of toledo.

80sMarkBurns of Aurora, Ohio, ’80 AAS, ’82 BSAS, is founder and president of independent energy Con-sultants, which provides electric and natural gas aggregation programs to more than 100 Ohio communities. the company’s service area includes Austintown, Boardman, Canfield, and Poland townships, Poland Village, Youngstown and nine other townships through a program with the Mahoning County Commissioners office.

RickEnright of Chicago, ’81 BSBA, ’91 MBA, has been promoted to president of rKA Petroleum Companies inc., a fuel product distributor for com-

Robert Clyde

class


Barbara Gabriel

Landscape paintings, portraits and original children’s book illustrations byChristopherLeeper of Canfield,’88 BFA, were featured at the Zanesville Art Center in a special exhibition from mid-February through mid-April. the artist was also featured in the March issue of Ohio Magazine, and his work was exhibited at YSU’s McDonough Museum of Art as part of its Biennial Faculty exhibition. A professional artist, Leeper works and teaches at a studio at his home in Canfield and is an adjunct faculty member in the Department of Art at YSU. He is president of the Ohio Watercolor Society.

Mark Burns

Dr. Debra Jean Celec

SPrinG 2010 31

mercial, industrial and government customers in 24 states. Formerly vice president of supply and trans-portation, enright has more than 20 years experience in the petroleum industry and joined rKA in 2008. He

will relocate to the romulus, Mich., area where the company is headquartered.

MicheleNaples of Canfield, ’83 BSAS, has been appointed labora-tory manager at St. Joseph Health Center in Warren by Humility of Mary Health Partners. Previ-ously, naples was a charge technologist in the laboratory at St. elizabeth emergency and Diagnostic Center in Austintown.

JerryTurjanica of Cincinnatti, ’83 BSBA in accounting, ’87 MBA in finance, has been named national sales director, wholesale, for ArAG, a global legal insurance com-pany. Prior to joining ArAG, he was director of national sales for eyeMed VisionCare LLC.

JamieR.DeVore of Girard, ’85 BSBA, has joined Specialty Strip & Oscillating inc. in Masury, Ohio, as a sales representative, selling cold-rolled carbon and alloy strip steel in Ohio, Pennsylvania, new York and Canada. He has more than 21 years of steel sales experience.

ReneeL.Jones of east Palestine, Ohio, ’87 BSn, has been named nurse man-ager of the telem-etry unit, patient safety associates and float nurses at St. elizabeth Boardman Health Center. Previously, Jones was nurse manager of the neuro/spine and interme-diate units at St. elizabeth Health Center in Youngstown. in addition to her YSU registered nursing diploma and BS from the YSU School of nursing, she also earned a master’s degree in nursing health care administration from Kent State University.

AndrewL.Turscak,Jr.of Hudson, Ohio, ’88 BA, has been named a partner in thomp-son Hine LLP, a large business law firm with a national client base and about 400

lawyers. turscak is a member of the firm’s business restructuring, creditors’ rights and bankruptcy practice group. He has a law degree from Cleveland-Marshall College of Law and is admitted to practice in the state courts of Ohio, the U.S. District Courts for the northern and Southern Districts of Ohio and the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Sixth Circuit.

MaryC.Devine of Hubbard, ’89 BSAS in applied science, ’07 MS in molecular biology, has been named to the Biltmore Who’s Who executive and Professional registry. Devine is a medical technologist and clinical lab scientist for Forum Health trumbull Memorial Hospital in Warren and has 20 years experience in clinical laboratory science.

90sMikeCochran of Girard, ’92 BS in exercise

science, was named strength and condi-tioning coach for the University of Akron football team. He came to Akron from Mar-shall University in Huntington, W.Va. where he held a similar position, and before that he worked in strength and conditioning at Ohio State University and at YSU under former coach Jim tressel.

EdwinJ.Muccillo of tempe, Ariz., ’94 Be in civil and environmen-tal engineering, was elected an owner of Burgess & niple, a util-ity infrastructure, transportation, environment and land development design firm. He is district director of the company’s tempe office and has led project development in the firm’s northeastern Ohio and tempe offices during his 16-year tenure with the firm. Muccillo has a mas-ter’s degree in environmental engineering from Cleveland State University.

Dr.LisaWebbDubos of Columbus, Ohio, ’95 BS in biology, a dentist and partner in Shaw, ely and Associates Dental Group, has been named to the east Palestine City School Dis-trict Distinguished Hall of Fame. She earned her DDS from Ohio State University.

DouglasPhillips of Dalton, Ohio,’95 MSed, is the new principal of the intermediate school in the Dalton Local School District. He was previously employed as recruit-ing coordinator for Bowling Green State University’s football program. Phillips has a bachelor’s degree from the University of toledo.

RickEbinger of Vesuvius, Va., ’96 BSBA in accounting, joined ComSonics inc. as mate-rials manager for its Cemsi subsidiary, a

contract manufacturing facility that special-izes in electronic components.

JeffreyPapa of Chi-cago, ’96 BSBA, ’01 MBA, has been promoted to manage the Chase network of 128 bank branches in eastern Ohio. He will be based in Akron. Previ-ously, Papa was a senior investment manager with Chase investment Services and joined Chase predecessor Bank One in 1998.

BryanGasser of Liberty township, Ohio, ’97 BSAS, ’02 MS in manufacturing engineer-ing, was promoted to engineering manager at Gasser Chair Co., a family business founded by his grandfather and two great-uncles in 1946. Gasser has been with the company for more than 20 years and has experience working in all aspects of manufacturing and engineering to produce the company’s custom commercial-grade furniture. His wife, Anna, is a YSU student pursuing a BSBA.

Dr.DanielLewis of Charlotte, n.C., ’97 BS, has joined the OrthoCarolina Hand Center, an orthopedic medical practice focused on hand problems. Lewis earned his medical degree at the Medical College of Ohio in toledo and completed his residency in orthopedic surgery at the Michigan State University/Kalamazoo Center for Medical Studies.

BrettMillerof Silver Spring, Md., ’99 BM, released his debut solo CD, “the Underside of Orange,” on the Potenza label. the CD features Brett perform-ing eight of his original works for French horn. Miller is a hornist with the U.S. Air Force Band in Washington, D.C. He has a doctorate in musical arts from the University of Maryland.

00sDonaldCaster of Cincinnati, ’00 BA in sociol-

ogy, has become a founding partner in the Cincinnati law firm of Caster, Dutta & Seibel, LLC. Subsequent to graduating from YSU, Caster earned a law degree from the University of Cincinnati and served as a law clerk to Judge robert C. Chambers in the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of West Virginia. He was an associate at Gerhardstein, Branch & Laufman, a civil rights firm in Cincinnati, and started his own law practice in 2006. Caster and his

Class Notes

Rick Enright

Renee L. Jones

Michele Naples

Jeffrey Papa

Brett Miller

Edwin J. Muccillo


SheriMatascik of Knoxville, tenn.,’85 BM,’87 MM, has released a commercial CD of her original music compositions entitled At the End of the Day. Produced in her own studio, the recording features Matascik on the acoustic guitar and ukulele performing a collection that celebrates classical, contemporary folk, Appalachian, jazz and Celtic styles. Her baccalaureate at YSU was in classical guitar performance, her master’s was in music theory and composition, and she earned a doctorate degree at Kent State University. Matascik is an associ-ate professor of music at Maryville College, a small, liberal arts college situated between the Great Smoky Mountains national Park and Knoxville.

Class Notes

new partners practice primarily in the areas of criminal defense, employee and civil rights, and appellate litigation.

KevinCarpenter of Charlotte, n.C., ’00 MS in industrial engineering, has joined nexus Lighting as director of research and devel-opment/engineering. Previously, he was engineering program manager for Ge Lumi-nation LLC, and he has more than 14 years experience in the lighting and automotive industries. in addition to his YSU degree, Carpenter has bachelor’s degrees from Morehouse College and Georgia institute of technology and a second master’s from Case Western reserve University.

BrianWarnerof Columbus, Ohio, ’00 BSAS in computer information systems, was recently hired as a senior internet ap-plications developer in the Web and in-teractive department at Mills James, an employee-owned cre-ative media company.

Warner came from DoMedia, where he was a Web application developer.

PaulM.Lucas of Cleveland, ’02 BS in education, an assistant principal in the Orange City School District, has completed his doctorate degree in educational leader-ship at Ashland University. He also earned a master’s degree in education from Ashland in 2005. His dissertation, titled “Secondary Science Homework and instructional Methodolo-gies,” has been selected as one of the 10 fi-nalists for the 2009-2010 PDK international Outstanding Doctoral Dissertation Award.

CourtneyJ.Trimacco of Cleveland, ’03 BA in political science, an attorney in the Cleve-land office of reminger Attorneys at Law, was named to Ohio rising Stars 2010 by

Law and Politics magazine. trimacco earned her law degree from the University of toledo College of Law and focuses her practice on tort and professional liability matters.

JonP.Arnold of Salem, Ohio, ’04 BSB, an independent advisor for LPL Financial and the owner of J. Arnold and Associates inc., was named to the LPL Financial Chairman’s Council for the second consecutive year. the honor recognizes Arnold as a top sales achiever in the company.

KathrynLima of Sharon, Pa., ’05 MBA, was pre-sented the Margaret Cunningham Foley Memorial teach-ing Award by Penn State University Shenango, an award recognizing out-standing part-time faculty. Besides

teaching economics classes at Penn State, Lima is president and founder of Faro en-terprises, a marketing, public relations and fundraising consulting firm. in 2006, she was recognized as one of Pennyslvania’s Best 50 Women in Business. Her under-graduate degree in elementary education and psychology is from Southern Arkansas University.

DaNineJ.Fleming of ridgeville, S.C., ’07 edD, is an associate professor and director of training and inter-cultural education at the Medical University of South Carolina. She came to the university in 2008 after earning her doctorate in educational leadership at YSU. She has a BS in elementary education from Claflin University in South Carolinia, a master’s in early childhood education from the University of Charleston, and an edS in educational leadership and administration from South Carolina State University. She is

also program director for tamika & Friends, inc. a national human papillomavirus (HPV) and cervical cancer awareness organization.

RobertBoleJr. of Jacksonville, Fla., ’08 BSBA in market-ing and advertising/public relations, recently joined Deutsche Bank Securities inc. as a financial analyst. He will be working in the bank’s global markets division.

Previously, Bole lived in London, england, and worked in global prime finance sales for Deutsche Bank AG London.

SarahConklin of Westlake, Ohio, ’08 BSBA in marketing and advertising/public relations, was promoted to senior account representative for Partnership LLC, a logistics management company and a wholly owned subsidiary of the national Association of College Stores. She will be relocating to southern California to develop a new West Coast office for the company. She joined Partnership LLC last year as a sales support specialist.

Kathryn Lima

Robert Bole

Sarah Conklin

Paul Lucas

DaNine Fleming GOT GOOD NEWS? Let YSU Magazine include it in the Class Notes column. When you write, please include your YSU graduation year and degree, city of residence and a contact phone number or e-mail address. E-mail class notes to [email protected] or mail to: YSU Magazine, Marketing and Communications, Youngstown State University, One University Plaza, Youngstown, OH 44555.

Brian Warner

We can all support Jane Goodall’s efforts to preserve the world's rainforests by using recycled-fiber consumer goods and reducing our use of products made from wood. YSU Magazine is doing its part by using partially recycled paper produced from sustainably managed forests, along with eco-friendly inks.

YSU alumni can help by subscribing to the online “green edition” of YSU Magazine instead of the print version. Register at www.ysumagazine.org, and we’ll e-mail you a link to our-user friendly online version every time the quarterly magazine is published. You’ll get access to online extras, such as videos and photo galleries, and you’ll feel better about the rainforests, too.

Help jane Help tHe planet.

Shannon Tirone, executive director of Alumni and Events Management, meets with Jane Goodall at the YSU Skeggs Lecture.

Jane Goodall, internationally known anthropologist and conservationist, gave the YSU Skeggs Lecture at Stambaugh Auditorium in Youngstown on April 20. To learn more about Goodall's work, visit her outstanding website, http://web.janegoodall.org/cc-forests. Be sure to watch the videos!

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S TAT E U N I V E R S I T Y

The “maypole” dance pictured in this 1946 photo-graph was part of the May Day Festival at Youngstown College, a spring tradition on campus from 1928 through 1963. The dance, an English custom which involved singing and dancing around a pole decorated with colorful streamers and ribbons, took place on a grassy area adjacent to Wick Avenue and near the home that was then used as the college president’s residence. YoCo’s May Day celebrations also included election of a May Queen, a coronation ceremony for the queen and a student procession. May Day was limited to female student participants until 1937, when men were included in the festivities for the first time. The May Day celebration ended in 1964 when YoCo student council voted to replace it with a Spring Weekend.

(to view more historical photographs in the University Archives at Maag Library, visit http://digital.maag.ysu.edu.)

Welcoming SpringWelcoming Spring

Documents

Beeghly College - 50 Years, Educating Educators