The Connection

LIKE NO OTHER CONNECTION A Publication of Lindenwood University for the Alumni In this issue: Winter 2016 Pg. Pg. Pg. New Pg. Pg. Bronze Star Dark Carnival Homecoming The House That Giving Society Winner Grows Up Close Trash Built 3 6 9 Launches 14 18 Happy Holidays from Lindenwood University! PRESIDENT’S MESSAGE LINDENWOOD’S IMPACT AROUND THE WORLD We are all justifiably proud of this grand institution. In this issue, Shelly Daly, who teaches international business in our Robert W. you’ll see stories about another great Homecoming, our annual Plaster School of Business & Entrepreneurship, will teach at Royal Family Day, our new alumni effort in Kansas City, and our athletics University of Bhutan as a Fulbright scholar in the spring semester. on both campuses, including the largest class of inductees into The first business professor ever placed in Bhutan in the our Sports Hall of Fame since its creation in 2007. We are Fulbright program, she will bring her expertise to the students there also launching a new giving society, the President’s Circle, which and will bring back some new perspectives for her students here. you can read about in this issue. Finally, Monica Leblanc (’16) is working in Tanzania as a program What struck me most when looking through this edition is the impact officer for a nonprofit school for girls. From Costa Rica, Leblanc our alumni and faculty are having close to home and around the says her time as an international relations and nonprofit world. Katherine Schack (’03, ’07), one of our fine teaching alumni, management major with a minor in gender studies inspired her won a Presidential Education Award for Excellence in Mathematics to travel the world and work to improve women’s lives. and Science Teaching for her work in the Wentzville School District. It’s the highest award science and math teachers can receive. I can’t help but be inspired by these stories and many others about the fine work our students, alumni, faculty, and staff are First Lieutenant Alexander Larson (’14), serving with the U.S. doing to make things better in communities around the world. Army in Afghanistan, was recently awarded a Bronze Star for his I hope you and your loved ones have a happy and blessed holiday efforts there. A platoon leader, Larson has been working season “like no other.” Please keep in touch. with Afghan police chiefs and NATO forces in Kabul to help them coordinate their work in the city. MICHAEL D. SHONROCK, Ph.D. President, Lindenwood University System CONNECTION Values-centered liberal arts education–preparing students for life COPY EDITORS, WRITERS, AND OFFICE OF EDITOR PHOTOGRAPHERS DEVELOPMENT .............................. .............................. .............................. Scott Queen Christopher Duggan Chuck McPherson Dan Grigg Jennifer Ferguson Kassandra Linzmeier (’99, ’07) (’00, ’12) Vice President for Director of Alumni Associate Ben Mizera Development & Relations and Development Officer Stephanie Dulaney Alumni Relations Special Events, (’11) Lennon Mueller Belleville La’Ree Rothmiller- Kate O’Neal Johnson Daniel Newton (’09) Jennifer Ferguson (’07, ’08) Stefani Maudlin Development Development Officer Coordinator Rachel Johnson Scott Wuerz (’07) Assistant Vice President for (’04, ’10) Phil Vida Development & Nathan Payne Bryan Stone (’16) Alumni Relations Director of Development Brian Vorce Development Coordinator Michelle Giessman Don Adams Jr. (’16) Mark Bohr April Kernan Director of Director of Administrative Alumni Relations Development Assistant for Development Mary Reuter Director of John Creer Development Consultant CONNECTION is published by the offices of Marketing and Communications and Development at Lindenwood University. Connection is mailed free of charge to Lindenwood alumni. Story ideas are welcome and should be forwarded to Director of Alumni Relations, Lindenwood University, 209 South Kingshighway, St. Charles, MO 63301 or via email at [email protected]. CHANGE OF ADDRESS notifications should be sent to the Office of Alumni Relations at the address above. The Alumni Office telephone number is 636.949.4975. Lindenwood University ALUMNI SPOTLIGHT CONNECTION Winter 2016 CAMPUS NEWS Army 1st. Lt. Alexander Larson (right) speaks with Lindenwood adjunct instructor Paul Corbin (left) while visiting Corbin’s class on Sept. 27, 2016. Larson spoke to Corbin’s class about his experiences in Afghanistan. SPOTLIGHT FACULTY LARSON EARNS Lt. Alexander Larson visited BRONZE STAR the Lindenwood University campus UPCOMING EVENTS while visiting family in the ALUNNUS WORKED WITH St. Louis area. Larson spent nearly 10 months deployed AFGHAN POLICE IN KABUL to Afghanistan in 2015-2016. by BRIAN VORCE Army 1st Lt. Alexander Larson, Larson said he was able to use the Larson said the six months of a 2014 Lindenwood University knowledge and skills he acquired during pre-deployment training helped get him LINDENWOOD SPORTS graduate with a degree in four years of ROTC and the Criminal Justice prepared and ready for the 18-month criminal justice, recently earned program at Lindenwood. The Criminal turnaround from college student Justice program, Larson said, was to Army unit commander. a Bronze Star for exceptional particularly helpful. work above and beyond his “Being in the Army means training and duties in Kabul, Afghanistan. “It helped that I knew what I was talking readiness,” Larson said. “It’s like about when working with the police being an athlete. You are always training Larson, a platoon leader in the 127th chiefs and training the police officers,” and staying prepared.” Military Police Co. out of Fort Carson, Colo., Larson said. took command of a police liaison unit in Larson visited Lindenwood days after Afghanistan. His mission was to coordinate The hours spent in the ROTC program were returning from Afghanistan, meeting with ALUMNI EVENTS with Afghan police chiefs in Kabul and also helpful. Larson said he gained a great former criminal justice professor and NATO forces in the city. Larson and his deal of self-confidence in the program, current adjunct instructor Paul Corbin and unit also helped train over 1,000 Afghan as well as an idea of how to lead and speaking in Corbin’s class. Corbin said police officers in subjects like officer safety command a unit. These skills would come he was proud of Larson and was glad to see and crime scene management. to great use during a deployment that him successful and serving others. Larson said “came up out of nowhere.” For his efforts during the deployment, Larson also served three years with Larson was awarded a Bronze Star. While Lindenwood’s Student Senate, where he met Chinese studies major Sydney Dawson the award was for the deployment as “It helped that I knew RECOGNITIONS & AWARDS a whole, one event sticks out in Larson’s what I was talking about (’14). The two are now married. mind as particularly eventful. when working with the “She’s the best thing I found at police chiefs and training In late August 2016, insurgent forces Lindenwood,” Larson said. “She’s more attacked the American University in Kabul, the police officers.” valuable to me than any of the taking hostages in one of the campus Alexander Larson (’14) training and knowledge I received.” buildings. Larson served as the liaison The Larsons currently live in Colorado between Afghan police and NATO forces, Springs, where 1st Lt. Larson will who respond to events such as this when Since graduating from Lindenwood in 2014 continue as a platoon leader for the 127th citizens of NATO countries are involved. and passing the military police officer MPs while working on a promotion to The united forces were able to get the course in March 2015 at Fort Leonard the rank of captain. hostages out without losing a single person. Wood, Mo., Larson has spent more time & NOTES ALUMNI NEWS in Afghanistan than at his home station “I was up all night for that one,” said in Fort Carson. Larson started training Larson, who continued bridging the gap for the deployment to Afghanistan in July between Afghan police and NATO 2015 and departed for nine and a until 6:30 the next morning. “Then I half months in Kabul that December. went right to sleep.” 3 Lindenwood University ALUMNI SPOTLIGHT Award-winning alumna Katherine Schack works with students in a classroom at Heritage Elementary in the Wentzville School District. PASSIONATE SCHACK WINS PRESIDENTIAL EDUCATION AWARD by RACHEL JOHNSON Katherine Schack (’03, ’07) “What an incredible honor to have been teaches when needed. She recently has achieved many impressive chosen as a recipient of the presidential spearheaded the organization and accomplishments during her award,” Schack said. “I feel incredibly implementation of the district’s new 12 years as an educator in humble and motivated by this. I have teacher math curriculum and Math In the privilege of working with some of the Focus® training, and she has also the Wentzville School District. most dedicated, hard-working educators presented at the Missouri Council of Her receipt of a Presidential that I have ever known. This award Teachers of Mathematics, Interface, and Award for Excellence in acknowledges all of the amazing, innovative Missouri Staff Development Council Mathematics and Science work going on in my school district and conferences, where she presented on Teaching is, arguably, one of pushes me to continue to increase STEM in the classroom and increasing her most notable. expectations, model perseverance, and student conversations. create classroom cultures in which the The award is the highest recognition a students are guiding their own learning.” “I feel incredibly humble K-12 mathematics or science teacher may Schack began her career in 2004 and motivated by this. receive for outstanding teaching in the teaching first grade at Heritage Primary I have the privilege United States. Schack was among 213 School in the Wentzville School District. of working with some mathematics and science teachers from She moved to Lakeview Elementary School of the most dedicated, across the country named in August 2016 in 2010, where she taught second grade for by President Barack Obama as a recipient hard-working three years and then returned to the first of the prestigious honor.

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