18 Inside Cuba WMU Cuba Specialist Shares an Insider’S View Amid Historic Shift in U.S.-Cuba Relations
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SPRING 2015 Sustainable Brewing A unique new degree Also inside: • Tigers’ Dave Dombrowski • Students’ life-saving invention Postgrad Success Rate 18 Inside Cuba WMU Cuba specialist shares an insider’s view amid historic shift in U.S.-Cuba relations 5 A Final Act Executive Editor $2 million posthumous gift establishes fine arts fund Cheryl P. Roland 6 Brewing Scholars Managing Editor Paula M. Davis WMU & KVCC offer nation’s first sustainable brewing degrees 11 Chemist’s new way to analyze hops Contributing Editorial Staff Jeanne Baron, M.A. ’89 Stacey Markin, M.A. ’02 12 Breath of Life Mark Schwerin, B.A. ’79 Students’ invention could save critically ill infants Teresa Ventimiglia Margaret von Steinen, B.A. ’00, 28 Marketing student wins patent M.F.A. ’04 20 Detroit Tigers’ Calm Captain Art Director Dave Dombrowski missed out on Bronco baseball, Kim C. Nelson but it led to MLB front-office stardom Graphic Designers Tammy Boneburg, B.F.A. ’96 Debbi Kreps, B.S. ’88 14 Medallion Scholars Production Staff Sue A. Beougher, B.A. ’88 2 University News Bradley Horstman & Middle Schoolers 18 Expert Insights Contributing Photographers Program helps boost academic Mark Cunningham/Detroit Tigers readiness of middle school students 24 In Print Junfu Han Mike Lanka Justin Maconochie 26 College News Madeline K. Taylor, B.S. ’15 Diana Trujillo Martínez 30 Classnotes Questions or Comments? 31 In Memoriam Contact Paula M. Davis at [email protected]. 32 Alumni Profile Frequency The Western Michigan University Magazine is published quarterly. It is owned by Western Michigan University, 1903 W. Michigan Ave., Kalamazoo, MI 49008-5433. Views expressed in the magazine are not necessarily those of the University. WMU is an equal opportunity/affirma- tive action institution and a member of the Association of Public and Land-Grant Universities as well as the Council for Advancement and Support of Education. The pageantry and artistry of a traditional powwow returned to campus in early April. This celebration of Native American culture was hosted in University Arena by WMU’s Native American Student Association. The event’s theme, “Reviving Tradition,” paid homage to the 16 years of nearly annual powwows that were held on campus until 2006 and that at their peak, drew some 8,500 spectators. 1 Dear Friends, WMU graduates see an 89 percent success rate Higher education is often regarded narrowly as an endeavor that prepares students for Thousands of WMU seniors graduate this employment. But the value higher education imparts is deeper than a single job. Its worth lies in spring and summer with the knowledge equipping individuals for a lifetime of contributing their talents and uniqueness to society in a that last year’s graduates saw an 89 percent variety of ways. rate of success within just three months of commencement. To be sure, those who take full advantage of a Western Michigan A five-year-old effort to track the postgraduate University education are primed and ready to take on the world activities of WMU alumni has emerged as what of work. And, as you’ll read in University News, even our newest is believed to be the most comprehensive alumni have incredible success doing so. documentation of life after graduation for students at any Michigan university. The annual But I’m also proud to report that this University educates and survey garnered responses from more than encourages students to positively impact the world even while two-thirds of 2013-14 WMU graduates. pursuing their degrees. Our students are learning to use their The core finding for 2013-14 was that 89.1 burgeoning talents to make a difference holistically. percent of graduates were “actively engaged” in the next steps of their professional On the following pages, you will meet two premed students who development within three months of learned about a serious condition killing newborns in developing graduation. nations and decided to use their engineering know-how to come Active engagement is defined as: up with a solution. Full-time employment—62.5 percent At our College of Engineering and Applied Sciences, Stephen Graduate school attendance—14.6 percent John and Joseph Barnett devised a simple and inexpensive device Part-time employment—11 percent Military service—1 percent to help low-resourced medical centers treat infants suffering from respiratory distress. These aspiring doctors volunteer at mission hospitals abroad and know the need. For those employed full time, 81 percent were employed in jobs related to their academic A group of Medallion Scholars—among our highest-achieving undergraduates—responded to discipline, and the median salary was in the the academic struggles of some area sixth-graders by creating the Future Leaders of Kalamazoo $45,000 to $50,000 range. mentoring program. They have “adopted” the middle school students, committing to tutoring The WMU survey is the product of five years of work by Dr. Ewa Urban, associate director and mentoring the youngsters each week for their three years of middle school. for assessment and technology in WMU’s As graphic design major Kelly Brandon put it, she and the other Medallion Scholars want to Career and Student Employment Services. have a “lasting impact that goes beyond the semester report card.” When she first began seeking this data years ago, she garnered responses from just 25 Our students know that helping guide their younger counterparts has incalculable value. percent of graduates. Urban has since built a survey and outreach program that last Though I’m sure you have heard today’s young people characterized as being more focused year netted responses from 68.5 percent of on self than on the world around them, there are countless examples in our student body graduates—3,590 of the more than 5,200 challenging that notion. Many substantively enhance their education and themselves by going students who earned bachelor’s, master’s and beyond the rigor of the classroom experience. As a result, our students, and the world, are better doctoral degrees in 2013-14. for those contributions. Working with Amy Galick, who is a graduate assistant working on a master’s degree in Best regards, applied mathematics, Urban says they were able to make the most recently completed report the most thorough to date. A comprehensive report is available online at wmich.edu/career/planning/reports. n John M. Dunn President 2 wmich.edu/magazine OT prof wins recognition from Instructor’s poetry book wins 2014 USA Best Book Award national organization A book of poems by a WMU Spanish instructor won a 2014 USA Best Book Award, Dr. Debra Lindstrom, a professor of while a second book was named a finalist in another category. occupational therapy, has been chosen to Dr. Hedy Habra is author of the poetry collection “Tea in Heliopolis,” receive the American Occupational Therapy which took top honors in the Poetry: General category. Her book “Flying Association’s Roster of Fellows Award. Carpets” also was named one of five finalists in the Fiction: Short Story The Roster of Fellows recognizes AOTA category. members who, with their knowledge USABookNews.com is an online magazine featuring mainstream and and expertise, have made a significant independent publishing houses. More than 400 winners and finalists contribution to continuing the education were announced in over 100 categories. and professional development of fellow members. In particular, Lindstrom is The two awards are the most recent accolades Habra has received recognized for her contributions as a clinical for her two books. “Tea in Heliopolis” was recently named one of five finalists for reasoning champion, educator, researcher, the 2014 International Poetry Book Award, while “Flying Carpets” won an honorable mentor and advocate. mention for the 2013 Arab American National Book Award and finalist for the 2014 Eric Hoffer Book Award. n “Dr. Lindstrom has a consistent pattern of creating innovative teaching International student enrollment continues to rise and learning WMU’s continuing growth in international student enrollment reflects national trends opportunities for reported in the annual Open Doors Report on International Educational Exchange. her students,” says Dr. Ben Atchison, Open Doors reported on international student enrollment across the United States for chair of the WMU the 2013-14 academic year, comparing changes to 2012-13. The report, released in the Department of fall, found that the number of international students at U.S. colleges and universities Occupational rose by 8 percent for a record high of 886,052 students. Lindstrom Therapy. “She Meanwhile, WMU’s international student enrollment rose by 7.1 percent during that is deeply committed to the professional time frame, reaching a total of 1,688 international students representing 105 countries. development of her students as well as her Although not reflected in the report, University officials say that WMU’s international colleagues.” student body has continued to grow at an even higher rate when considering statistics Nominators noted that Lindstrom has from 2014-15. successfully moved from problem-based This recent enrollment data showed an additional 9.8 percent increase compared to learning, to case-based learning, to team- 2013-14, with 1,854 international students representing 100 countries now studying based learning in her classes. on campus. Her research topics range from work and Dr. Wolfgang Schlör, WMU associate provost ergonomics issues and clinical reasoning for the Haenicke Institute for