IDEA Go MAD Day: University Carries On Coach’s Mission PAGE 4 THE ALUMNI MAGAZINE OF NORTHWOOD UNIVERSITY WINTER 2016 -17 IDEA ON THE COVER: Northwood football players, from left, Erik Oxnevad, Chicago A single word comes to mind as I look through junior majoring in Marketing: the pages of the winter edition of IDEA Logan Yordanich, Chelsea Magazine: Legacy. A legacy is something senior majoring in Business handed down from one generation to the next. Administration; and Michael Fisher, Rochester senior majoring A gift. A prize. A lasting benefit. in Finance, spent time with students at Midland’s Blessed At Northwood, we are the beneficiaries of Sacrament School. Members tremendous legacies. We have our donors: of several Northwood athletic thousands of generous individuals, families, teams spent Go MAD Day and entities whose contributions leave a lasting impression on students mentoring Blessed Sacrament for their lifetimes. Their legacy is immeasurable, and we devote most of students. this issue to their generosity. MISSION STATEMENT We have our faculty and staff: hundreds of creative and energetic men To develop the future leaders of and women who change lives every day in small and large ways. Our a global, free-enterprise society. cover story spotlights an idea championed by Pat Riepma, former PURPOSE STATEMENT football coach and leader who encouraged his students to Go Make A To develop leaders, managers, Difference. His idea became the inspiration for a community-wide day of and entrepreneurs with the caring to benefit thousands. character and skills to drive personal, organizational, and And finally we have our energetic students and our devoted alumni. As societal success. you will see on these pages, each leads with passion and serves with CORE VALUES STATEMENT compassion at school, in their communities, and around the world. They We believe in: give us hope and inspire us to greatness. • The advantages of an entrepreneurial, free-enterprise I hope you will spend some time learning more about the legacies that society are part of our success at Northwood University. I am immensely proud • Individual freedom and of the people who fill these pages, and tremendously grateful for the individual responsibility donors who support the deep-rooted ideas that live on here. • Functioning from a foundation of ethics and integrity Continue to keep in touch via email at [email protected]. I • Promoting and leveraging the global, diverse, and multi- cannot thank you enough for your ongoing support of our institution and cultural nature of enterprise the Northwood Idea. Northwood University is committed to a policy of nondiscrimination and equal opportunity for all persons regardless of race, gender, color, Keith A. Pretty, J.D. religion, creed, national origin or ancestry, age, marital status, disability or veteran status. The President and CEO University also is committed to compliance with [email protected] all applicable laws regarding nondiscrimination. Northwood University is accredited by the Higher Learning Commission and is a member of the North Central Association (800-621-7440; 2 NORTHWOOD IDEA MAGAZINE www.northwood.edu/idea higherlearningcommission.org). IDEA CONTENTS 4 Go Mad Day University Carries on Coach's Mission Taking Things to the Next Level 6 Northwood Launches Master's Program for People Who Want to Get Ahead 8 Career Dreams 12 Northwood Fueled by Northwood University International 10 Northwood Focuses Clearly on the Future Auto Show Goal: An Endowed Chair for Every Major 14 Alumni in Action 16 Donor Honor Roll 30 Family Album 32 Athletes in Action 13 Ignite the Night 34 Faculty Briefs Northwood University Auto Show 2016 Gala WINTER 2016-17 3 Day/ University Carries on Coach’s Mission As a high school football player in Chicago, Vashon Nutt had Eventually, Pretty and everyone at never heard of Midland, Michigan. Then Northwood coach Pat Northwood learned the full meaning Riepma came into his life. of Go MAD. And on a blustery day October 21, 2016, hundreds of “I believed in Coach Riepma, and it wasn’t just about football,” students, staff, and friends of the said Nutt, now a junior majoring in advertising and marketing, university fanned out across the and a wingback for the Timberwolves. “One of the things he Midland area and beyond to help taught us was that every day is a precious gift.” the community understand as well, through dozens of service projects As the new president of Northwood in 2006, Dr. Keith Pretty performed on Go MAD Day. had heard the phrase “Go MAD” associated with the football “It’s very cool to be a part of program, but he didn’t know what it meant. So he asked this,” said Leann Colella, a Riepma. senior from Missoula, Montana, majoring in fashion marketing and “He wouldn’t tell me,” Pretty recalled recently, smiling at the management, who spent part of memory. “He said it was something special between him and the day helping to build a new his players. And I respected that.” bench for guests of Midland’s Open Go MAD by the Numbers total agencies 700 hours 30 served 3,000 volunteers 2,844 1 2 3 4 NORTHWOOD IDEA MAGAZINE www.northwood.edu/idea 1 Natalie Lumsden, Rochester senior, Accounting and Door shelter. “I’m proud of myself, Sports Management major, left, and Leann Colella, Missula, and I’m proud that we’re doing Montana, senior, Fashion Marketing and Management major, something to give back to the cut lumber for a bench being built at the Open Door shelter in community.” Midland’s downtown area. Riepma’s special message to his 2 Blessed Sacrament first-grader Isabella Getzingr gets players was “Go MAD – Go Make tips for holding a bat from Northwood softball player Meghan A Difference.” It was a simple but Franz, Toledo, Ohio, junior, Marketing and Management powerful challenge to every person major. who would listen: every day brings 3 Lauren Earley, DeWitt senior, cleans inside the soup opportunities to make a positive kitchen at Midland’s Open Door shelter, where 50 to 100 difference in someone’s life, and people a day receive a free meal. Go MAD Day volunteers everyone who seizes on those were a big help, according to Nate Place, ministry support opportunities is better for it. coordinator at Open Door. “This is a soup kitchen, so we want everything to be clean,” Place said. “Because people In July 2015, cancer took Riepma’s are our top priority here, this kind of work gets pushed to the life. In his memory, the entire back burner.” Northwood community celebrates 4 Northwood President Dr. Keith Pretty offers snacks to his spirit and the impact he had on Go MAD Day volunteers Lindsay Orwat, Grand Ledge junior, so many people with the annual Go Accounting Major, center, and Jordyn Nurenberg, St. Johns MAD Day. senior, Business Administration major, at Blessed Sacrament School. Pretty visited many of the sites in and around Midland “We continue to live his legacy,” where Go MAD Day volunteers were at work. said Northwood Dean of Students Andy Cripe. “We really want Go 5 Northwood men’s basketball coach Jeff Rekeweg talks MAD Day to be a celebration. But to students at Blessed Sacrament School on Go MAD Day, we also see it as a challenge, every explaining that Northwood students were volunteering in day, to make a difference. That’s honor of former coach Pat Riepma’s belief that everyone should strive to make a difference in the lives of people they what Pat wanted. On a daily basis, meet. “Our challenge to you is to try to make a difference in if your eyes and your heart are open someone’s life, every day,” Rekeweg told them. to making a difference for someone, you never know when you will.” 7 class/ pounds books preschool and yards of food collected elementary students raked collected 3,500 100+ mentored 60 4 5 WINTER 2016-17 5 Taking Things to the Next Level Northwood Launches Master’s Programs for People Who Want to Get Ahead The essence of entrepreneurship is identifying a need and finding a way to meet it. So Northwood is practicing what it teaches as it launches four new master’s degree programs, meeting a need for post-bachelor’s education in several growing business disciplines. Northwood now offers Master of professionals to upgrade and And the Troy campus, where Science degrees in accounting, specialize their skills.” Northwood also offers degree applied economics, finance and completion and MBA classes, is taxation. Classes began in August The Master of Science (MS) degree a modern, high-tech environment at Northwood’s campus in Troy, can also be a productive next with a corporate atmosphere. providing a needed opportunity for step immediately after earning people in the Detroit metro area to a bachelor’s degree, offering An important factor in the need for improve their skills and boost their advanced skills that give graduates the Northwood master’s programs careers. a leg up at the beginning of the is the reality that today’s employees career track. must take responsibility for their “It’s all part of our free-market own professional growth, even mid- philosophy,” said Dr. Kristin “It’s critical to provide a career. Stehouwer, Northwood’s executive combination of academic and vice president, chief operating practical knowledge. Both are very “Many businesses used to have officer and chief academic officer. important when you’re working extensive in-house training “We identified an unmet demand out in the real world,” said Dr. resources, but that isn’t the case in southeast Michigan for working John Moore, faculty leader for anymore,” Moore said. “The idea the MS programs and associate of someone working for one dean of Northwood’s DeVos company for 30 years and going Graduate School.