TV5 Looks to BW for Commentary on Clippers controversy

Bringing real-world issues into the classroom, BW professor Dr. Sean Gilmore facilitated a discussion on the L.A. Clippers owner Donald Sterling controversy that garnered the attention of WEWS-NewsChannel5 reporter Debora Lee. Lee tapped into Gilmore's expert commentary as well as the opinions of Baldwin Wallace students in his interpersonal communication course for her news story.

BW Alum and English Professor Featured Among Playwrights

BW alumnus, Peter J. Roth, and current BW English professor, Les Hunter, will have their original plays featured in the "Manhattan Project Birthday Bash!" tonight, Tuesday, April 29 at 8 p.m.

The event will feature a series of five brand new ten-minute plays by Cleveland playwrights, including Hunter's "Playdate" and Roth's "The Unicorn at 3:00am."

BW Summer Camps Prepare Younger Students for Success

Every summer, BW hosts camps for students of all ages to help them find success in different areas.

For a traditional summer camp experience, students can try the Youth Adventure Sport Camp and enjoy a variety of activities, from kayaking and survival skills to yoga and ultimate frisbee.

To boost brainpower over the summer, the Gedanken Problem-Solving Institute is a week long camp that uses fun activities to encourage tweens and teens to get creative and develop critical thinking skills. The new Experience Honors Summer Camp is designed for high school students to help empower them during the college application process and allow them to sample different academic subjects.
 

Students that want to focus on one sport, there are plenty of options to choose from: Football Camp, Boys and Girls Basketball Camps, a Girl's College Prep Soccer Camp, and even more options for different sports interests and skill levels. 

BW has an extensive list of Conservatory programs. Camps range from piano to percussion, with a Musical Theater program for high school juniors preparing to audition for colleges, to an adult camp for Music Teaching and Learning.

A complete list of Baldwin Wallace Summer camps can be found here.

Music Alumnus Lands Prime Spot in Baltimore Orchestra

Photo by James Bartolomeo

As music majors know, performance opportunities are extremely competitive. But BW alumnus and percussionist, James Wyman '06, has "made it" as the Principal Timpanist for the Baltimore Symphony Orchestra.

Wyman told the Ashtabula Star Beacon in a recent feature, that commitment, preparation, and luck led to the accomplishment. “Every audition boils down to ... you have to be prepared, you have to sound great, but you also have to have luck on your side, too.” 

As a high school student, Wyman's passion for music led him to enter BW's Conservatory of Music as a double major in music and education. When he found education was not the right path for him to pursue, he focused on music. After BW, Wyman studied under Paul Yancish at the Cleveland Orchestra and went on to complete a graduate degree from Carnegie Mellon University.

“I’m beyond ecstatic about what I do. I get to tell people I have a hobby that I get paid a salary for.”

BW Students Create Bowls for Fundraiser

BW students were among the artists who crafted and donated original ceramic bowls for the Kiwanis Club of Berea's fifth Empty Bowl Soup Fundraiser.  All of the funds raised at the event went to restocking the shelves of the community and outreach programs like Berea Community Outreach, SCAN, and Church Street Ministries.

You can read more about the cause in the Sun News.

James Thomas '59 Inducted into OFIC Hall of Excellence

BW trustee James A. Thomas ’59, chairman and CEO of Thomas Properties Group, Inc., was inducted into the Ohio Foundation of Independent Colleges Hall of Excellence. He is the ninth BW alumnus to be so honored.

“Jim Thomas’ career has been marked by uncommon vision, creativity, personal drive and the highest standards of integrity,” said BW President Robert Helmer. “He truly exemplifies the attributes that we in independent higher education strive to instill in our students and provide to the broader society.”

Baldwin Wallace University President Robert C. Helmer (l) and James A. Thomas '59 (r) at the OFIC Hall of Excellence induction ceremony held the April 16, 2014 in Columbus

BW Senior Wins Stilwell Scholarship

BW senior Criminal Justice major Luke Berry '14, is the second of two BW students to win a 2014  Charles Stilwell Scholarship. The Akron native was chosen to receive the competitive $4,000 award based on his outstanding performance in a prestigious 2013 internship with the Ohio High Intensity Drug Trafficking Area (HIDTA).

The 2010 Revere High School graduate says he heard about the internship through criminal justice professor Dr. San Marco, and counts the experience as priceless.

"The analysts at HIDTA put a lot of time and effort in providing the valuable training I received in my time as a Criminal Intelligence Analyst," said Berry who took part in numerous criminal investigations and enjoyed the camaraderie of the HIDTA team. "Everyone who works there is a part of a tight-knit community and they couple a great sense of humor with a strong work ethic."

Berry's own work ethic has kept him active on the BW campus, as well. He is president of BW's Intercollegiate Sporting Association (ISA), co-founder, manager, and player on the BW Men's Rugby Club, and serves as Vice President of the Archery Club and College Republicans.

Student Creativity Celebrated in The Mill

Graham by Erin Jesson '17

BW's English Department has published its annual literary and arts journal, The Mill, featuring art, photography, and creative writing by BW students. Editor-in-Chief Matt Gesicki '14 and the student editorial staff compiled the publication along with faculty advisers Dr. Sharon Kubasak and Dr. Michael Garriga.  

Echo by Robyn Spangler '14

The 2014 edition of The Mill celebrates works by Gesicki and the following students:

Erin Amschlinger, Luke Brett, Russell Brill, Nicole Campeotto, Jane Cooper, Cassie Corridoni, Andrew DiBacco, Talia DiRocco, Dominick Duda, Alexandra Farone, Ashley Hawley, Erin Jesson, Laura Lagania, Shaun O’Neill, Melina Papadopoulos, Lauren Pierce, Alexander Piotrkowski, Kayse Schmucker, Kailey Sherrick, Robyn Spangler, Rob Stammitti and Mary Beth Tweardy.

Ethereal by Cassie Corridoni '15

From BW English Major to 2nd in Command of the US Coast Guard

On the heels of an announcement by the White House that Vice Admiral Peter Neffenger '77 has been nominated for promotion to the number two post at the U.S. Coast Guard, the USCG Deputy Commandant for Operations came "home" to BW earlier this month.

Neffenger told a Plain Dealer reporter covering the visit that he arrived at BW without a career plan. "But 'I was exposed to a world of ideas,' then to the literal world abroad during a junior year in Europe."  That trip abroad was BW's first Humanities Year, the precursor to the Seminar in Europe program.

The newspaper also reported that "Neffenger returned to BW at his own expense because he was so eager to talk with students and faculty. Last year, he hosted two undergraduates, Sarah Brigadier and Charles Henderson, at the International Maritime Organization's biennial meeting in London."

The Chronicle Telegram newspaper also ran a story about the visit by this distinguished BW graduate under the headline, "Elyria native tapped for second-highest Coast Guard post visits Baldwin Wallace."

If confirmed buy the Senate, Neffenger's nomination to be the next vice commandant of the Coast Guard will take effect in May.

Cyber Defense Team Places Third in Regional Competition

At the 2014 Mid-West Regional Cyber Defense Competition, the Baldwin Wallace Cyber Defense Team took on 10 teams from nine different states and placed third. The competition, held at Moraine Valley Community College, featured some of the most difficult tasks in recent challenge history, and that made for an intense two-day contest according to faculty adviser and BW computer science professor Ken Atchinson.

BW advanced to the regionals by taking first place at the the Ohio Collegiate Cyber Defense Competition in February.

The competition involves building and defending a network of computers from professional hackers and completing network upgrades. This is the third time in four trips that BW has placed in the regional competition.

Elite Heptathlete Among the Best in the Nation

Baldwin Wallace University sophomore All-American long jumper Melanie Winters is proving herself as one of the nation's best NCAA Division III heptathletes.

Winters earned Division III All-Amercan accolades when she placed third in the long jump at the winter national championship meet. She also qualified in the 60-meter dash, 60-meter hurdles and five-event pentathlon and almost qualified on the high jump. Winters opted to compete in the three individual events for the opportunity to score points for her team.

In addition to earning All-America accolades, the sophomore English major was named as the US Track & Field and Cross Country Coaches Association Division III Great Lakes Region Athlete of the Year!

Read more about this exceptional student-athlete's accomplishments on the Yellow Jackets athletics website.

Winding Down a Celebrated Career

"My 39th festival will be my last," retiring Maestro Dwight Oltman told WCLV radio listeners during a preview of the BW's 82nd Bach Festival coming up April 25-27.

Oltman also chatted about the highlights of his 44 years at BW 's Conservatory of Music.  Alumni have been invited to celebrate the end of an era through the Bach Festival Alumni Choir and Orchestra and Wind Ensemble Alumni Reading sessions in April and May.

In a Plain Dealer story,  the Bach Festival and Oltman are described as "two pillars of the Baldwin Wallace Conservatory, (that) are heading into the spotlight at the same time, but for very different reasons. As one rises, aspiring to grow and reach new heights, the other is pulling back, preparing to retire. And yet the two are practically inseparable, as they’ve been synonymous literally for decades."

The cleveland.com version of the Plain Dealer profile also includes a gallery of classic photos like the one below.

BW Junior Wins Stilwell Scholarship

 

Amanda Feairheller '15 is one of two BW students awarded The Charles J. Stilwell Scholarship for her "outstanding performance in an internship."

Feairheller interned at The Free Clinic of Greater Cleveland last fall as part of her participation in BW's Urban Semester Program. She served as an HIV testing counselor for The Free Clinic's walk-in HIV testing program. She also worked with the Clinic's Syringe Exchange Program, one of only two in Ohio, as well as Project DAWN, which stands for Deaths Avoided With Naloxone.

"It was an honor to work with The Free Clinic and work on an issue that has devastated our community," said Feairheller. "It reminds me why I chose Public Health."

In addition to her Public Health major, with a minor in Chemistry and is a member of BW's public health club, Veritas. Last year, Feairheller was in the news for making a coast-to-coast bike ride for AIDS awareness.

Computer Science Prof Advises Free Alternate to Windows XP

As Microsoft ended all support for the Windows XP operating, Newsradio WTAM 1100 turned to BW Math & Computer Science professor Kenneth Atchinson for advice on how users can cope and adapt.

Atchinson recommends that XP holdouts use a free download of the Linux operating system that comes packed with free software and usually includes free support and security updates. The radio report with Atchinson's recommendations also aired and is posted on the website of sister station Magic-WMJI.

BW Physics Prof Calculates Home Run Physics for Indians

For the Cleveland Indians 20th home opener at Progressive Field, Baldwin Wallace physics professor Ed Meyer ran the numbers on home run hitting for a WKYC-TV 3 pregame special.

In the report on the science of slugging, Dr.  Meyer recounted how he helped the Indians locate the stadium's home run porch, calculating the distance to keep long ball production steady.

Meyer also noted that the number he (and all Tribe fans) are most interested in adding up this season is "wins!"

BW Dance Professor Premieres Choreography at DanceWorks '14

Verb Ballets - Photo Credit: Mark Horning

Sara Whale, professor in the Department of Theatre and Dance at BW, will debut an original work of choreography at DanceWorks, a four-week festival of new and contemporary dances opening April 10 at the Cleveland Public Theatre (CPT).

Whale's work, which will be performed by Verb Ballets, has a world premiere during the fourth week of the event. Cleveland Plain Dealer critic Zachary Lewis described the piece as "steeped in the imagery of painter Gustav Klimt" the renowned painter of the "Golden Period" of Austrian art.

According to the CPT website, the new contemporary dance explores "symbolic meanings of the dual role of women as inspiration in the struggle for modern identity."

Student Therapy Dog Training Grabs Media Spotlight

BW's innovative partnership that allows psychology majors to train therapy dogs on campus has grabbed the media spotlight in the past week.
The story first appeared in Monday's Plain Dealer; yesterday, two Cleveland television stations profiled the program with the help of three BW psychology majors who are gaining experience with service dog training, as well as internship or field credit. Psychology majors Annie Carver '14, Zoe Locascio '15 and Whitney Vura '14 and department chair Charles Levin were featured in the reports, along with OhioGuidestone therapy dogs in-training Luca and Chloe.

For the 6 and 10 p.m. report on FOX 8, Enrique Correa even used a GoPro "doggie cam" to capture footage from the collar of 190-pound Great Dane, Luca. The Fox 8 report and the story that aired at 4, 6 and 11 p.m. on WOIO TV 19 noted that the presence of the dogs on campus has been a bonus for all students, who frequently stop to interact with the dogs as they go about their training in classrooms, the union, etc.

Read even more about the therapy dog training program on the BW website.

BW Students Develop Leadership Skills in Dance Floor Theory

More than 50 BW students had the opportunity to attend Dance Floor Theory, training for student leaders on how to turn student apathy into engagement.

Swift Kick, an organization that promotes student leadership through training programs, led fun activities that taught the student leaders about community creation, the importance of student participation, and cultural retention.

BW students put together the video (right) with highlights from the experience.

Alumna Earns Grindstone Award

Photo by Linda Kramer, Berea City Hall

BW Alumna Sally King '94 will receive the 47th Annual Grindstone Award for being Berea's most outstanding citizen.

Since earning her Master of Arts in Education degree from BW, Sally has spent much time and energy in Berea working to make the town a better place to live.

Sally spent over thirty years at Parknoll Elementary, Roehm Junior High and Ford Junior High as a teacher, reading specialist and taught English as a second language after hours. She was named teacher of the year in 1996, and became the President of the Berea City Council and the local Rotary club.

And she has loved ever minute of it.

"Berea is a phenomenal small city," King told the Sun News. "It has so much to offer, with the college and the school district and our love of sports. Whatever you can think of, we have it."

Update: Sun News coverage of the awards banquet.

BW Sport Management Students Shatter Records

Top ticket seller Joseph Williamson '15

The 2014 Spring BW Sport Management Capstone class shattered the record for most tickets sold and revenue generated for the Cleveland Indians Collegiate Tickets Sales program in their first year of participation.

The Capstone class sold 1,225 tickets and generated $20,154 in revenue, more than doubling the previous record of 545 tickets sold. The class bettered eight other schools, raising twice as much as their nearest scholastic competitor, University of Findlay.

The four class leaders who sold the most tickets - Joseph Williamson '15, Kevin Moriarity-Napoli '14, Nick Ksenich '14, and Paul Liotta '14 - earned the opportunity to present their sales tactics to a panel of Indians front office executives and to attend Saturday's home game as guests of the team.

Williamson, the individual sales leader who sold 366 tickets and raised $6,584 in revenue by himself, had what he termed "the great honor" of pitching the first ball at Saturday's Indians game. Also, he will have the opportunity to interview for a position with the Cleveland Indians and will receive four club level seats to an Indians game of his choosing.

Second Round of Contest Produces Winning Ideas

The second and final round of BW’s Blackstone LaunchPad's 2014 Year of the Idea Contest produced a number of winning ideas, but Kara Gawelek '14 claimed the biggest prize. The neuroscience and biology major and chemistry minor drew on her experience in the lab as inspiration for a "Semi-Automatic Pipet Tip Cartridge," which not only won the $200 first place prize in the for-profit category, but claimed the $300 overall grand prize as well.

Kara's idea would speed up the research process for small labs and scientists who are frustrated by the slow pace of manually reloading sterile, plastic tips onto their micropipets (which are used to dispense small samples), but who can't afford expensive, fully automated equipment.

In this second round, students submitted more than 50 ideas in three categories. The first place non-profit idea was a Serving for Soldiers program suggested by Alexis Charara '14 and Christine Austin ‘15. In the Baldwin Wallace category, Nnaji Iwunze ’17 won with a BW Workout Buddy concept. Second place winning ideas came from Tim Gruskiewicz '15, Rachel Hoffpauir ’15,  Tom Jackson ’16 and Ashley King '16.

Judging was based on the originality and problem-solving power of each idea. The goal of the contest was to spark campus creativity and increase awareness about BW's Blackstone LaunchPad, which is sponsored by the Blackstone Charitable Foundation and the Burton D. Morgan Foundation.

Student-Faculty Research Results in "Outstanding Paper of 2013"

Students in a BW Human Resources class helped professor Lori Long with research that is now being recognized as the "Outstanding Paper of 2013." The award will be presented at the Academy of Management conference in August.

The Business Division professor published her article "Preparing Students to Collaborate in the Virtual Work World" after teaching an HR class that virtually collaborated with students at the University of Nebraska. Her research, published in Higher Education, Skills and Work-based Learning, has been selected by the journal’s editorial team as the Outstanding Paper of 2013. 

In the article, Long shares how to structure a process that will ensure students can successfully communicate and work together in the virtual world. She stresses the importance of training students to use new technology for collaboration, and to allow time for students to experiment until they find the best way to work together.

Students Forge New Connections at National Enactus Exposition

Four students are just back from attending the Enactus US National Exposition in Cincinnati, where they presented service projects and networked with business sponsors, faculty and students from 220 other colleges and universities.

Enactus (formerly known as SIFE) is "an international non-profit organization that brings together student, academic and business leaders who are committed to using the power of entrepreneurial action to improve the quality of life and standard of living for people in need."

The BW team that attended the national gathering included Ethan Zoellner '14, Mara Kampe '14, Will Otto '15 and Tessa Louché '17, plus faculty adviser Phil Bessler from the Business Division. The BW Enactus members work with two different Northeast Ohio transitional housing organizations for the homeless, mentoring residents on resume writing, interviewing, computer literacy, life skills and more.

Ovation for Music Theatre Grad's Latest Broadway Star Turn

  Read the Playbill.com story

Ciara Renée '13 opened this week in the Tony Award-winning revival of Pippin on Broadway, taking on the starring role of Leading Player. Renée replaces Patina Miller who won a 2013 Tony Award for her turn as the Leading Player.

In a Patriot News story on the Harrisburg, Pennsylvania native and BW Music Theatre grad, Renée said the role is physically demanding, but her hard work paid off on the April 1 opening night, "when she and her castmates received an enthusiastic ovation from a capacity audience."

Playbill posted a gorgeous "First Look" gallery of photos of Renée and new co-star Kyle Dean Massey on stage, while Broadway.com posted a great article and gallery on Pippin's new stars, including "first bows."

The production is ongoing at New York's Music Box Theatre.

One of the "first bows" photos on Broadway.com

BW Students Present at National Chemistry Meeting

Accomplished BW senior Chemistry majors Melissa Hoffbauer, James Dobscha, and Brad Minrovic attended the recent American Chemical Society's 247th National Meeting & Exposition in Dallas, Texas along with professor Ray Shively.

The meeting is one of the largest scientific gatherings in the world, with more than 30,000 participants, and all three students presented research that they had been working on since 2012.

All three students will be pursuing a Ph.D. in chemistry starting the fall. They have all been accepted to multiple programs, but only Melissa has accepted an offer at this time. She'll be continuing her education at University of Notre Dame.

Athletic Training Alumnus featured in Apple iPad Campaign

BW Alumnus Jason Cruickshank '98 finds himself in the spotlight alongside local St. Edwards hockey player Mike Duffy in Apple's new "Your Verse" campaign for the iPad 2.

The two are quoted in an Apple testimonial highlighting The Cleveland Clinic's C3 Logix app which aids in measuring and detecting concussions in athletes. Cruikshank, a former Assistant Athletic Trainer for BW, shared his experience using the app in his current role as an Athletic Trainer for the Clinic. "In the past, evaluating a concussed athlete involved a lot of guesswork. iPad and the C3 Logix app have taken that subjectivity out of the process."

The Apple campaign that placed The Clinic and Northeast Ohio athletic programs on the technology map also resulted in a story on the front page of The Plain Dealer.

BW Alum's Triple Threat Career Comes Home to Cleveland

The successful career of BW Music Theatre alum, Corey Mach ’10, has finally brought him home to Playhouse Square starring as Nick Hurley in FLASHDANCE: THE MUSICAL. A native of Strongsville, Mach's previous national tours of WICKED and RENT did not play in his hometown.

In a preview article for FLASHDANCE in Cleveland’s Plain Dealer, Mach says of BW and his former professors, "It's an amazing school. They're completely to blame for my success, especially Vicky [Bussert]. She's an incredible teacher and mentor for me. We still talk about once a month ... She's always been like my second mom."

FLASHDANCE runs through April 13 at the Palace Theatre.

Cool Cleveland Applauds BW Beatles Rockin' Performance

The BW Beatles "rocked the White Album," the last in their four-album annual cycle, at their Friday preview in Fynette Kulas Hall and their Saturday concert in John Patrick Kleist Theatre. Both venues were packed to standing room only and Saturday tickets sold out in less than 40 minutes. Cool Cleveland recounts "there were over 40 people waiting in the lobby for a spare seat. The atmosphere was electric."

Entirely student directed and led by seniors Patrick Hyzy and Jesse Hodgson, 57 multi-talented students and faculty delivered a sensational "note-for-note recreation of The Beatles' 1968 masterpiece."

 Videos captured by Cool Cleveland span the entire album from "Back in the U.S.S.R." to "Goodnight." Cool Cleveland also complimented dancers/choreographers Rachel Reszler and Cleo DeOrio on "a moody, sensuous movement piece during Revolution 9 on Saturday’s proscenium performance."

Next year, the band will restart the album cycle performing Abbey Road, including a special fifth anniversary performance in the Chamber Hall where their first Abbey Road concert took place.

BW Religion Professor Published

BW's Chair in Faith & Life, Alan Kolp, had his article "From Cloister to Classroom: Thomas Merton and Today's College Student" featured in The Merton Seasonal - A Quarterly Review, a joint publication of the International Merton Society and Thomas Merton Center at Bellarmine University.

The article is about Kolp's presentation at The Thirteenth General Meeting of the International Thomas Merton Society.

Student Wins IdeaLabs Contest for 2nd Year

Emerging entrepreneur Addison Carbone '14 took first prize at BW's 2014 EEC ideaLabs competition with his brilliant business idea, Smart Park.

For the second year in a row, Carbone, a senior marketing and management double major in BW's Business Division, won $1000 and the privilege to represent BW at the ideaLabs regional competition this Thursday. According to BW's faculty mentor for ideaLabs, business professor Phil Bessler, the regional contest is organized by the Entrepreneurship Education Consortium and sponsored by the Burton D. Morgan Foundation.

Judge Bill Braun spoke further with Addison after his successful presentation.