The Magazine of the University of Indianapolis Spring 2012 Helping to shape the vision An interim director has been named for the nascent Institute for Civic Leadership & Mayoral Archives. Also: UIndy’s Super Bowl role; celebrating Reflector & WICR milestones. WWW.UINDY.EDU 1 Portico Table of Contents 4 8 16 20 President’s forum Scholarly pursuits Interim director You’re listening to Dr. Beverley Pitts, the Faculty shine professionally, eager to explore ‘the Diamond’ eighth president of the as always. The Movement institute’s potential But WICR’s anniversary is University of Indianapolis, Science Lab grows to The Institute for Civic golden, as the station marks says goodbye on the eve become one of the state’s Leadership & Mayoral 50 years of broadcasting. of her retirement. best. The School of Business Archives has a new interim Having started with 10 and Department of Art director who’s excited about watts of power, the station 5 & Design get stamps of what the venture will offer. has grown considerably in approval from accrediting that time. (See also “Happy We’ve come a agencies. And much more. anniversaries,” page 3.) long way 18 A brief overview of what’s 90 years reflecting been accomplished during 14 University life 22 President Pitts’s tenure. Visiting speakers This year, on the heels Superlative challenge & inspire of earning national Super Bowl week on campus 6 A Nobel Peace Prize laureate, recognition, the Reflector was one of superlatives. The ‘Moving to the next a pair of statesmen, a civil is celebrating nine decades Giants loved practicing at level of excellence’ rights leader, and a “war of covering campus news UIndy. (And won the game. poet” were among visitors and taking the pulse of the Coincidence?) Students Q & A: what the president this winter contributing to student body. escorted celebrities, greeted will miss, what she’s proud the intellectual vibrancy on players, and paid tribute to of, what’s in UIndy’s future. the UIndy campus. Madonna. Plus: a UIndy grad ran the play clock. On the cover Dr. Ted Frantz, interim director, Institute for Civic Leadership & Mayoral Archives, is excited about untapped treasure. Page 16. 2 PORTICO SPRING 2012 Alumni Association Happy anniversaries Board of Directors On pages 18–21, you’ll find stories about two campus 2011–12 milestones. WICR and the Reflector have given our students a Stephen Arthur ’76 voice for 50 and 90 years, respectively. Now we want to hear Chad Brandenburg ’98 from you! Submit your memories of the Reflector and WICR- FM on Alumni Central at alumni.uindy.edu/StudentMedia. Amy Johnson Burton ’94, To get the ball rolling, we talked with Jim Ream, a President-Elect faculty member since 1973 who served for a number of years Wendy Walker Grant ’96 as adviser to WICR. Jim shared some of his memories: Nikki Grotenhuis Reed ’07 “The antenna for our 10-watt broadcast was on a tower Andy Hammond ’06 about 30 feet high that was mounted to the roof of Ransburg Kent Holaday ’92 Auditorium, so it was close to 100 feet above the ground. People loved to joke about the signal barely making it across Philip Jackson ’94 the street. In the mid 1970s there was a bad ice storm, and ice Fenrick James ’04 build-up would reduce the already-sparse signal coverage. I Wendy Pitts Knapp ’00 remember going up to the roof, wearing my hard hat, carrying Clance LaTurner ’01 a hammer, and climbing the tower to knock off the ice. David Myers ’95 “There were audio lines from the stage to WICR, which Juan Paz ’95 ’96 ’99, President allowed them to use Ransburg as a recording studio. They did broadcast convocations live, which led to at least one problem Anita Kolkmeier Samuel ’98 the FCC might not have been happy with. One morning, Ryan Scott ’01 Del Close, a comedy writer and improv artist with Second Michael Shurn ’71 City, was playing to the student audience, which occasionally Beenu Sikand ’99 appeared bored with convocation. He tapped on the mike and Mike Solari ’07 said, ‘Am I on the radio? Does this mean I can’t say *%#@?’ It Amber Harrison Stearns ’95 may have been a first for WICR and Ransburg Auditiorium.” Shane Steimel ’95 ’97 Eric Stone ’02 Mary Massing Sturm ’84 ’90 Kelly Thompson ’02 Savannah Webb ’12, Student Alumni Association President 26 30 Nick Williams ’10 Impressive Greyhound update appointment The Hall of Fame adds five The magazine of the A UIndy alumna has been individuals and a baseball University of Indianapolis Nondiscriminatory named general counsel to team; men’s basketball Policies R. Peter Noot ’77 ’84, Editor the governor of Indiana, just beats two top-ranked teams. The University of Indianapolis & Director, Publications 10 years out of law school. does not discriminate on 32 Jeannine Allen ’10 the basis of race, color, Art Director gender, age, religion, ethnic 27 Alumni news or national origin, marital Animal magnetism Meet the new assistant Jennifer L. Huber ’07 Asst. Director, Publications status, sexual orientation, or Most applicants for Sea director of alumni relations gender identity and expression World internships in San and put Homecoming and Natalie Cummings irrespective of whether the Director, Alumni Relations Antonio are biology or more on your calendar. status is legally protected. The zoology majors. So how did Samantha Cotten ’10 University complies with the this psychology/social work 34 Asst. Director, Alumni Relations Rehabilitation Act of 1973 and major come away with one? Color her creative Mary Atteberry ’07 the Americans with Disabilities A senior creates a must- Exec. Director, Communications Act. This policy applies to 28 have item on campus and applicants and employees and Scott Hall How does it feel to beyond, raising funds for to all aspects of employment. Director, Media Relations be a photojournalist? worthy causes in Belize. Apparently, it feels pretty Jenny Pettit ’11 Please send correspondence good. Todd Moore has had Brittney Gilsdorf ’13 36 and address changes to the experiences the rest of us Ashley Keihn ’12 Class notes Office of Alumni Relations, can only dream about. Nathen Landers ’12 News of your fellow alumni. Contributors, Class Notes [email protected]. WWW.UINDY.EDU 3 President’s forum ‘I’ll miss the great people’ Eighth president says goodbye A few days ago, Bill and I hosted the Presidential Assistants at our home for a pizza party and presentation of their recent travel experiences, and I was reminded yet again of how “Education for Service” is practiced at UIndy. Noah Wahl traveled with a team to Mexico to give eye exams and provide free glasses to hundreds of men, women, and children. A biology major who also played football, he’s headed to graduate school in optometry next year. Kelly Cross, a nursing major, worked with a team in Ecuador to provide medical support to hundreds of families. She especially enjoyed helping the children, and she will be working at a special camp for kids when she graduates in May. These are just two of literally hundreds of students “doing good with what they know.” That’s a phrase we coined a few years ago to remind students of what it meant to be a school with “Education for Service” as its motto, to take the knowledge gained and use it in a way that benefits others. As I step away from the presidency after seven years, that is what I will miss the most—the joy of watching young 18-year-olds become committed 22-year-olds—ready to take their knowledge and experiences from UIndy to a world that needs them. As the institution moves to new leadership, I want to take this moment to say thank you for the opportunity to serve UIndy. Our institution is built on a strong history, mission, and values. It has a loyal and passionate alumni base. It has students who are serious about academics and making a difference in the world. It has an outstanding faculty and staff, and it is creating a next generation of leaders in nearly every field. I will miss Smith Mall in the spring, serving at the Midnight Breakfast, enjoying great performances in the Christel DeHaan Fine Arts Center, and celebrating in the new Athletics & Recreation Center dome. But most of all I will miss the great people, young and old, who define UIndy, those who live every day committed to the values that the University holds so dear. Beverley Pitts, President 4 PORTICO SPRING 2012 We’ve come a long way! Soon after she arrived at UIndy in 2005, President Beverley Pitts began overseeing the development of a five-year Strategic Plan, which was adopted by the Board of Trustees in November 2006. The Strategic Plan keyed in on these three broad goals: focus on student learning through engagement; strengthen and expand the learning community for students through varied, formative experiences on campus and in the surrounding neighborhoods; and expand the impact of the University beyond its physical boundaries. The achievement of those goals is evident in campus improvements, new initiatives and partnerships, and additional programs and systems now in place, leaving a legacy the outgoing president can be proud of. Here are some highlights: New facilities. The East Hall residence, the Athletics investigation—a Vancouver riot inquiry. The newest & Recreation Center with its air-supported dome, the vastly initiative is the Institute for Civic Leadership & Mayoral expanded Schwitzer Student Center, and the Roberts Hall Archives; a fundraising campaign is under way. residence being built south of Hanna Avenue provide the Faculty development. Resources allocated for faculty most visible evidence of the push to create more housing development have doubled, and there are new rewards for and recreational space for students.