Rich Boehne Is

nkumagazineSpring/summer 2016 // vol. 1, No. 2 RICH BOEHNE IS GIVINGHE STRUGGLED AT NKU BEFORE LIGHT FINDING HIS PATH. NOW THE E.W. SCRIPPS CEO SHINES A LIGHT FOR FIRST GENERATION STUDENTS. STUDENTS FIND PHOTOS FROM THE NKU’S DANGEROUS FIRST RACIALLY COOL COURSE LEVELS INTEGRATED CATALOG OF LEAD SCHOOL WILL MAKE YOU WISH IN NEWPORT, KY SOIL. IN THE U.S. YOU WERE HERE. // PAGE 10 // PAGE 22 // PAGE 28 nkumagazine Support NKU! Look for this giving icon throughout the magazine for ways to support the NKU departments and programs you care about, CONTENTS SPRING/SUMMER 2016 or log on now to givenow.nku.edu. Thank you! SPRING/SUMMER 2016 VOL. 1 // NO. 2 EDITOR BRENT DONALDSON ’05 ART DIRECTOR DIONNE LAYCOCK ’90 PHOTOGRAPHER TIMOTHY D. SOFRANKO PUBLISHER ERIC GENTRY Vice President for University Advancement KELLY L. MARTIN Assistant Vice President of Marketing and Communications CHRIS COLE COOL COURSE Director of University Communications CATALOG CONTRIBUTORS MIKE ANDERSON JAYNA BARKER CAROL BEIRNE KELSEY BUGENSTOCK ’16 RYAN CLARK ’10 CHRIS COLE ’99, ’04, ’09 GAVIN COLTON ’16 28 BRIAN HACKETT SHARYN JONES WILLIAM LANDON AMANDA NAGELEISEN ’04 MELISSA POWELL FEATURES ALUMNI ASSOCIATION EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE FRANK A. BIRKENHAUER ’92 PAGE PAGE PAGE President JIM CUTTER ’81 Past President 14 22 28 JESSICA JOHNSTON ’99 Vice President THE LEADING LIGHT FINDING GRACE IN TOO COOL FOR SCHOOL TOM WIEDEMANN ’90 How do you go from struggling AMERICA’S DARKEST HOUR Innovative and challenging President-Elect first-generation college student A photographic look at programs are why NKU is MICHELLE MCMULLEN ’15 Director of Alumni Programs & Councils to president, chair, and CEO of artifacts unearthed at the site consistently ranked among the one of the nation’s largest TV of a pre-Civil War racially top universities in the nation by CORRESPONDENCE NKU MAGAZINE and digital news companies? integrated grade school—the Forbes. But a handful of classes OFFICE OF MARKETING + COMMUNICATIONS AC 701 Just ask Rich Boehne. first of its kind in the country. in particular turn conventional 1 Nunn Dr. teaching methods on their Highland Heights, KY 41099 heads. PHONE (859) 572-6948 WEB MARCOMM.NKU.EDU EMAIL DEPARTMENTS [email protected] NKU MAGAZINE IS PUBLISHED BY THE PRESIDENT’S MESSAGE 4 NORSE NOW 32 OFFICE OF MARKETING + COMMUNICATIONS AT NORTHERN KENTUCKY UNIVERSITY Around Campus 5 FOR ITS GRADUATES, DONORS, AND FRIENDS. MYSTERY PHOTO 36 COPYRIGHT 2016 NKU anthropology alumnus Nick Thaxton (’15) bags artifacts from the foundation AROUND THE HORNS 6 NORTHERN KENTUCKY UNIVERSITY of the Parker Academy school house—the first fully-integrated school in the United NKU 360º 8 COMMENTS, QUESTIONS, CONCERNS? States. During an ongoing series of archeological digs on the site, NKU faculty, stu- NKU News 10 WE WANT TO HEAR FROM YOU! EMAIL US AT dents, and volunteers unearthed many of the artifacts presented on page 22. NKU Athletics 12 [email protected]. 22 Christine Roush joins the 1000-point club for the Norse. Page 13 2 nku mAGAZINE // table of contents spring/summer 2016 3 [ AROUND CAMPUS ] BIOFEEDBACK Kevin Smith, a senior biology major, studies the histology of human organ tissue in BIO 426, Mammalian Anatomy and Physiology. STAY GOLD You may remember that the last issue of NKU Magazine introduced a complete redesign for the publication—including a name change. Recently, that issue of the magazine was recognized A MESSAGE FROM THE PRESIDENT with two prestigious international awards, for both print and the NKU Our campus has been busy since the printing of our high school to college. Magazine app. first edition ofNKU Magazine last Fall. Our students You can also read about a Newport soil study have been working on innovative undergraduate and that partnered students from our environmental The print version took home the graduate research in our classrooms and communi- Hermes Creative Award Platinum, ties, and the entire Northern Kentucky community Our commitment to diversity as well the Communicator Awards has rallied to advocate for additional state funding among our student body, faculty, Gold Award for Excellence; while for our University. and staff is a central goal of our the NKU Magazine app won the Our cover story explores NKU’s impact upon five-year Strategic Plan. Since the Hermes Creative Award Gold and Rich and Lisa Boehne, and the impact they will launch of the plan in 2013, the the Communicator Award Silver. have on a new generation of our students through a number of bachelor’s degrees generous $1 million gift to provide scholarships for conferred to underrepresented Both the Hermes Creative Awards first-generation students. minority students has grown by 37 and the Communicator Awards Rich and Lisa met at our University, and they percent. are international marketing and began their pursuit of a dream here. Rich is now communications competitions, chairman, president, and CEO of The E.W. Scripps sciences program with journalism students to composed of top-tier professional Co., and incoming chair for our Board of Regents. unearth dangerous levels of lead in the yards of judges from organizations such He says his journalism adventure began the first local residents. The study is an excellent example as Conde Nast, Coach, Disney, time he walked onto our campus and into a learning of the kind of transdisciplinary work happening at The Ellen Degeneres Show, Estee environment that enabled his career. NKU. Scientists often struggle to tell their stories Lauder, Fry Hammond Barr, MTV Like so many of our students—about half of our in interesting ways. Journalists often struggle with Networks, Wired, and Yahoo! incoming freshmen each year—Rich and Lisa faced the science behind the news. Working together, unique challenges as the first members of their they learned from each other and produced more family to attend college. Through their generous impactful results. support, we will be able to ensure that our students can succeed and achieve their dreams. Best wishes for a fun and productive summer. Earlier this year, our new Black Alumni Council Got a question? Email us at was created to serve African-American graduates [email protected]. and help support African-American students (pg. 11). It gives alumni an opportunity to gather, stay connected, give back, and help students by support- Geoffrey S. Mearns ing programs such as NKU ROCKS, which helps President first-year African-American students transition from 4 nku mAGAZINE // president's message spring/summer 2016 5 AROUND Here are just a few of COMMUNITY IMPACT the ways NKU students 16 YEARS OF THE MAYERSON STUDENT PHILANTHROPY PROJECT have given back to their THE TOTAL AGENCIES FUNDED TOTAL CLASSES INVOLVED TOTAL STUDENTS INVOLVED community through the Mayerson Student HORNS 331 216 3,200 Philanthropy Project. NKU 360⁰ 08 poisoned soil 10 black alumni council 11 $ 1000 partnering with adidas 12 on the rise in d-I 12 for STRAY ANIMAL 1 CARE 40 meet coach whitaker 13 Say hello to Macy Hamblin, the CUSTOM DOLLS + Horizon League's 2015-16 HAND-SEWN Player of the Year. CURTAIN FOR CLOTHES [ PHILANTHROPY ] STAGE SHOWS 2004-05 2012-13 LEARN BY GIVING 2015-16 NKU’s Mayerson Student Philanthropy Project has invested $1 million in community 33,000 CRAYONS agencies. // By Jayna Barker For the last 16 years, Northern Kentucky University has taken pride 2004-05 in its commitment to community engagement through the Mayerson Student Philanthropy Project, which launched in 1999 as a way to teach students about philanthropy in hopes they would become lifelong stewards of their communities. Since then, more than $1 million has been invested in community organizations and agencies. Here’s how it works: Students are required to identify a need in the 10 community and determine which nonprofits in the area are working NEW to fulfill that need. Most classes receive between $1,000 to $2,000 and 70 award smaller grants themselves. Some classes use an indirect model, 800 in which students work with the donor to guide the donation. SERVICE E-READERS Over the years, NKU’s professors have found new ways to incorpo- reached 550 students FAMILIES rate service learning into the classroom across numerous disciplines. spentHOURS painting walls and “The quick measure of the project is the money invested: over FED constructing clothes racks $1 million in 16 years,” says Mark Neikirk, executive director of the Scripps Howard Center for Community Engagement. "That's impres- Data provided by the sive, but other numbers tell a fuller story. The percentage of students 2015 Mayerson Student 2009-10 2013-14 2011-12 whose eyes are opened to community needs is consistently high. So Philanthropy Annual Report. is the percentage of students who learn their course material more thoroughly because the philanthropy component was added to a class, connecting classroom theory to real-world issues and need.” 6 nku mAGAZINE // around the horns spring/summer 2016 7 AT [ NKU 360º ] [ NKU 360º ] AT UPCOMING EVENTS JUNE 8-26 "The Star Spangled Girl," Stauss Theatre. This comedy follows the lives of Andy and Norman, two young men living in San Francisco in 1966 who are struggling to make a living publishing a not-so-popular magazine. A love triangle forms when Sophie, an all-American girl and self-described “religious follower of Sports Illustrated,” moves in next door. For more information, visit commonwealth.nku.edu. INTRODUCING NKU'S NEW PODCAST JUNE 25 ALUMNI AWARDS Black and Gold Safari, Cincinnati Ask NKU is a new monthly podcast that invites the

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