BW Mass Comm Grad Forecasting West Coast Weather

Berg visiting BW, where her broadcasting career started 

Turn on the morning news in central California, and you'll find BW alumna Tamara Berg '04 keeping viewers of KCRA-TV updated on the weather.

Berg graduated magna cum laude from BW with a BA in broadcasting and mass communication, and credits deep involvement in campus organizations with developing many of the skills that have helped her build a successful broadcast career. Berg was a member of Alpha Phi, a D.J. and board member for The STING, campus radio station, student senator, fundraising chair-member for the Dance Marathon and a part of the Model United Nations team.

"All of these organizations helped me build my confidence, set goals and achieve them, and foster relationships. All of these things gave me the confidence to land job interviews and sit on boards for various organizations across the country," she said.

(Photo Courtesy: KCRA)

Berg, a self-proclaimed ‘weather geek’, has been working in the media for more than five years now. She got her start in the business working behind the scenes and after only a year was offered her first on-air position as a reporter and weather-caster, winning a Regional Emmy as part of Toledo’s Best Weekend Forecast.

After beefing up her weather credentials with a BS in broadcast meteorology from Mississippi State University, she is now a full-time weather forecaster for KCRA's Central Coast Morning News, as well as a member of the American Meteorological Society and the National Weather Association.

Students Raise Awareness About Suicide Prevention

TWLOHA-BW's "Black Flag Campaign"

With a year-round goal of fighting the stigma surrounding mental illness, student leaders of BW's Chapter of To Write Love On Her Arms (TWLOHA) used this month's National Suicide Prevention Week to heighten awareness at BW. The group staged an entire week of events inspired by the words that closed out last year's suicide prevention campaign, "No One Else Can Play Your Part."

Events at BW included a Candle Light Vigil,  a discussion of the symptoms of depression and suicide, coping methods and treatment options featuring counselors from BW Health Center, and an attention-getting "Black Flag Campaign," jointly staged with BW ALLIES. Five-hundred black and rainbow flags were dispersed around campus, each representing two of the college students who lose their lives to suicide each year, with many students expressing surprise at the number.

BW's TWLOHA Chapter President, Rachel Wilken '16, says that kind of awareness raising is exactly why she got involved with the group, "I want to be a part of something bigger than myself and have a lasting impact on how BW students view mental health issues."

TWLOHA also collaborated with BW's Music Therapy majors to stage the culminating event of the week, "Hope N' Mic Night," which invited students to discuss topics that aren't often talked about, such as mental illness and suicide. The SAC was at its capacity for a variety of performances including poetry, vocals and instrumentals, and $150 was raised for treatment.

BW's TWLOHA chapter was founded in 2012 and meets weekly to discuss how to raise awareness to mental health issues on campus. "I can honestly say that I have left every TWLOHA meeting in a better mood than I came in with," says Chris Horvath '17.

Music Therapy major and TWLOHA member, Jill Iurlano '17,  performing during Hope N' Mic Night

English Major Published in Ohio Magazine

At the end of her interview with Ohio Magazine,  senior English-creative writing major, Alyssa Nieset '16 was offered an internship on the spot.

Nieset spent her summer working as an Editorial Intern with the statewide publication, gaining experience writing for magazines and discovering a possible career path that she hopes to pursue in the not so distant future.

Ohio Magazine published Neiset's articles both online and in print (see photo). Her piece on the Harpersfield Winery in her hometown of Geneva, Ohio, was used as a section of the cover story in the August 2015 issue.

"I was thrilled to be given the chance to write a story of that size," she tells us about the prominent feature, "especially because my family and I have been going there since I was little."

Other articles Neiset bylined included pieces on a cardboard boat regatta, creative bacon recipes, Columbus coffee brewers, and summer fun destinations in Cleveland. Despite juggling some stressful deadlines, Nieset says her overall experience at Ohio Magazine was a positive and rewarding one.

Communications Grad Teaches Musical Alternative to Violence

 Adrian Brooks (left) in the recording studio with students.
Courtesy CantonRep.con/Ray Stewart

Music producer and Baldwin Wallace University mass communications graduate, Adrian Brooks, is challenging young people to "Put Down the Gun, Pick up a Mic" in an innovative program in Canton, Ohio. The free instruction in music production at the Monroe Community Family Center gives local children and teens the opportunity to find positive alternatives to violence, to experience the power of music and to learn about different careers in the music industry.

Brooks demonstrates how to use sound boards and other equipment in his "Put Down the Gun, Pick up a Mic" classes which are an extension of the center's Boyz2Men mentoring program. The program provides access to a professional recording studio at no cost, something which would normally be an expensive experience.

Personally invested in the program, Brooks teaches every class and has donated some of the equipment. Brooks commented in an interview with CantonRep.com, “They’ll be learning everything,” he said. “It’s not just making beats. They’ll get hands-on experience.”

The Canton Police Department not only supports the program, working alongside the center regularly, but also donated some of the equipment for the studio as well. Police Sgt. D.L. Garren said that, "People out here, such as... Mr. Brooks, are good role models.”

Alumnus Leads Creative Courses From Hamlet to Homelessness

Fee helped students stage a production of Hamlet in the show's
original location, Helsingør.  Above, Fee is holding the skull
celebrities like Jude Law and Kenneth Brannagh used when
performing there.

English alumnus Christopher Fee '89 has forged a reputation for leading creative, immersive experiences as a college professor and Chair of English at Gettysburg College in Pennsylvania.

Fee spent the spring semester living and teaching in Copenhagen, Denmark, where he and his students took a deep dive into Shakespeare's Hamlet: Prince of Denmark. This course gave students the opportunity to perform the show in its original setting of Kronborg Castle in Helsingør. Fee developed the experiential course with the help of BW professors Adam Heffernan, Jack Winget, and Susan Oldrieve. He also taught a second course in Copenhagen called Vikings in Britain 793-1066. Students in that  class were given the chance to ride on a replica long ship.

Back in the states, Fee has been featured in the Washington Post and other national media for creating a popular course at Gettysburg titled, Tryin’ to Find a Way Back Home: An Introduction to the Literature and Legacy of Homelessness in America. The service-learning course includes "rigorous academic content, a substantial weekly service commitment in the local community, overnight duty in a local cold-weather emergency shelter, and a five-day trip to Washington, DC to work in urban shelters and soup kitchens." The course has another BW connection; it was established in partnership with BW alumna Gretchen Carlson Natter '96, who serves as Executive Director of the Center for Public Service at Gettysburg College. 

Con Grad's Music Inspires Cultural Curiosity and Social Change

Ashleigh Gordon and her viola, (Courtesy of Monika Bach Schroeder)

Ashleigh Gordon '06 told the International Musician,"Find a career that makes you happy," and that is exactly what she did after graduating from BW's Conservatory of Music magna cum laude. After adding a degree from New England Conservatory of Music in Boston in 2008, she decided to take a risk and audition for International Ensemble Modern Academy in Europe, instead of taking the expected path playing classical music with an orchestra.

The risk paid off. Gordon was the only violist selected out of 18 applicants from around the globe and performed in many venues in Germany, Hong Kong, Paris and Switzerland before returning home to Boston.

(Courtesy of Monkia Bach Schroeder)

A long time advocate of social change through education, Gordon is now a viola instructor at Boston Youth Symphony Orchestra's Intensive Community Program, where she teaches students that are often not represented in the world of classical music.

When she is not leading educational workshops for kids, she's as much an entrepreneur as artist, as Co-Artistic Director and violist for Castle of our Skins,  a "concert and educational series devoted to celebrating Black Artistry through music."

In 2015, Gordon was awarded the St. Botolph Emerging Artist Award and still strives for change within her own community. Gordon performs regularly with Boston's Callithumpium Consort, NYC's ECCE Ensemble, and Providence's Ensemble Parallex, and is founder and violist of Sound Energy.

You can listen to her music anytime on her website, here.

Alumna "Lives Justice" as a Leading Voice for Equality in Ohio

Alana Jochum, Managing Director of Equality Ohio. Courtesy Equality Ohio

Alumna Alana Jochum ’05 has been fighting for LGBT equality long before the recent Supreme Court ruling that legalized same sex marriage. Now an attorney and managing director for Equality Ohio, Jochum was a campus leader on equality as a BW undergrad. She headed up BW Allies a gay-straight alliance that promotes an accepting campus environment for all students, regardless of sexual orientation or gender identity. After earning a bachelor’s degree in both English and psychology, she has continued to advocate for LGBT equality for more than a decade.

Following graduation, volunteered in Mumbai, India with the nongovernmental organization, Humsafar Trust, which focuses on advancing LGBT rights in India. When she returned to the U.S., Jochum worked with United Way of Greater Cleveland and volunteered for the Human Rights Campaign.

In 2007, she continued her education at the Cleveland State University Marshall College of Law where she served as Editor in Chief of the Cleveland State Law Review, won a regional moot court Best Brief award and, at her 2010 graduation, was given the very first “Learn Law, Live Justice” award for dedicating her education to the cause of justice.

After practicing law as an associate at Squire Patton Boggs, LLC for four years,  Jochum joined Equality Ohio as managing director in 2014 where she now works full-time as an advocate for statewide LGBT equality.

Alumna Finds Fulfillment Working with "Intrepid" VA Amputees

Vanlandingham working with a patient at the Center for the Intrepid.

One graduate of BW's School of Health, Physical Education and Sport Sciences is putting her education to work for "intrepid" amputees who are determined to resume a robust, active lifestyle.

Alumna Alicia White Vanlandingham '04 currently works as a physical therapist for active duty service members and veterans with amputations at the Department of Veterans Affairs' Center for the Intrepid in San Antonio, Texas.

Before their injuries, Vanlandingham's patients were in the best physical conditions of their lives. At the Center for the Intrepid, they push themselves beyond day-to-day functionality, beyond just walking with a prosthesis. By using a sports medicine approach, Vanlandingham tells us she is able to help patients participate in rigorous activities again like "hiking, biking, running, swimming, and jumping out of planes!"

"Because of the guidance and education I received during my time at BW, I am able to confidently help these service members as they recover from life altering injuries," Vanlandingham tells us.

At BW, Vanlandingham earned her undergraduate degree with a double major in Athletic Training and Pre Physical Therapy. Reflecting upon her BW education, she says, "The staff at BW led by example and my classmates became a supportive team. Not a day goes by that I am not reminded of the foundation which they provided."

Vanlandingham went on from BW to earn a doctorate in physical therapy from the University of Miami and has worked as an adjunct professor at Baylor University and Texas State.

BW Talent Brings 'Secret Garden' and 'Fantasticks' to Life

Baldwin Wallace University students, alumni and faculty are the driving force behind two productions staged first at summer theater festivals out west, with both "The Secret Garden" and "The Fantasticks" moving next to Cleveland.

A scene from The Secret Garden. Left to right: Giovanna A. Layne, Colton Ryan '15, Warren Bodily, Sara Masterson '16, and Jillian Kates '11. Photo Courtesy: DKM Photography.

Among the BW faculty involvement, Victoria Bussert directed both productions, while Gregory Daniels, Jeff Herrmann and Charlotte Yetman appeared on the design team as choreographer, scenic/lighting designer, and costume designer.

Clare Howes Eisentrout '13, Meredith Lark,
and Pedar Benson Bate in The Fantasticks.
Photo courtesy: Lake Tahoe Shakespeare Festival

Dana Oland rings praise for "The Secret Garden" in a theatrical review for Idaho Statesman, highlighting three BW students in the Idaho Shakespeare Festival production in particular: Jillian Kates '11, who plays Lily, holds a "lovely and powerful soprano;" Sara Masterson '16 "nearly stops the show" as the maid Martha; Colton Ryan '17, who plays Martha's brother Dickon, takes the audience on an "energetic ride" when he sings "Wick."

In another Idaho Statesman review of "The Fantasticks," which was produced first at the Lake Tahoe Theatre Festival, Oland credits Clare Howes Eisentrout '13 in the role of "Luisa" as having a "clear bell-like soprano." James Penca '13 also appears in the musical as "Mortimer," while alumnus Matthew Webb '08 is musical director and recent graduate Nick Wilders '15 is the assistant music director. Other BW students involved are Gabriel Brown '16 and Mary Mondlock '16.

Both musicals are now coming to Great Lakes Theater in Cleveland, where the "The Secret Garden" will run September 29-October 31 and "The Fantasticks" will run May 13-29, 2016.

Mathematics Grad Finds Career Success at Disney

Nicole Bates '11 outside the Team Disney Orlando building where she crunches numbers for "the happiest place on earth."

Where can you apply a mathematics degree? One BW math graduate couldn't be happier to be crunching numbers at the Happiest Place on Earth. Nicole Bates '11 is currently working under the umbrella of Revenue Management at Disney World in Orlando, Fla.

A self-described "huge Disney fan" who had visited the company's Orlando theme parks many times growing up, Bates didn't think her mathematics degree would lead to a job with such an iconic brand and international Fortune 100 company. But she saw an internship opening with the Management Science and Integration Team supporting Disney-owned ABC television network and landed the position in 2013.

Bates quickly moved up into a full-time role as an analyst within Planning and Forecasting which supports Disney's Domestic Parks and Resorts, and recently she was promoted to the post of measurement analyst. Her current responsibilities include measuring revenue impacts and developing economic and international growth strategies within Disney's U.S. parks and resorts.

Fondly known as the "resident math major" on her team, Bates is often tasked with projects and special opportunities that use the skills that she acquired during her time as a student in the math department here at BW, especially her critical thinking skills.

"I will never be able to fully explain how proud and thankful I am to be an alumna of BW, specifically of the math department," she tells us, "If not for the hard work and motivation from my professors and peers during my time in the program, I do not believe I would be where I am today."

Freshman Cancer Survivor's Story Prompts Televised Surprise

The courage and service of BW freshman Arshawna Warren '19 inspired a national television audience this week, as Steve Harvey's syndicated talk show honored the teen breast cancer survivor for giving back to her community — and surprised her with a brand new Ford Focus and $5,000!

Even before she arrived at BW this fall to study psychology, Warren was applauded for the award-winning and life-saving outreach program she developed as a young cancer survivor. At 16, Warren discovered a lump during a routine self-exam and was diagnosed with breast cancer. Early detection saved her life and inspired Warren to spread the word about self-exams and early detection. She developed a workshop and website, "Be Pretty in Pink," to empower middle school and high school students.

“I figured why not put a workshop on for young people about young people getting breast cancer or any type of cancer,” she tells the media. “It’s not too early to start checking.”

This summer, Warren's work also earned her the presitgious Girl Scout Gold Award, presented to young women who “demonstrate extraordinary leadership through remarkable Take Action projects that have sustainable impact in their communities — and beyond.”

Before the recognition by Steve Harvey (which you can replay in its entirety below), Warren's story was featured on WKYC-TV and USA TODAY, as well as Romona's Kids on 19 News. The story has since been shared on news sites all over the world. 

Spotlight Shines on Author/English Professors

On October 2, Main Street Books in Mansfield will welcome BW professors of English, Michael Garriga and Kevin P. Keating, for "an entertaining evening of book talk," according to an article in the Richland Source. This will be the second year that Garriga and Keating visit Main Street Books, and the store says they are returning by popular demand.

Both professors have been receiving media attention recently for their respective literary successes. Garriga for his work on the online journal, Fiction Southeast, and Keating for his second novel, The Captive Condition. 

Garriga is the a co-founder and editor-at-large of Fiction Southeast, an online literary journal dedicated to short fiction. Fiction Southeast seeks to showcase short works of fiction by both up and coming writers and published writers. Recently, websites such as HuffPost Books have written about the growing success of the Louisiana based online journal. Garriga also continues to find success with The Book of Duels, his flash fiction novel that was published in 2014.

Keating's second novel, The Captive Condition, was published in July. The novel was highly influenced by his upbringing in "the darker" Cleveland in the 1970's and the retelling of his experiences earned him a spot on Cleveland Magazine's 2015 List of Most Interesting People. His debut novel, The Natural Order of Things, was published in 2013.

Sport Management Prof Featured in Ranking of Best Fan Cities

Dr. Charles Campisi (center) interviewed earlier this year about a BW sport
management majors trip to work the Super Bowl.

Cleveland is a home for die-hard sports fans from the Cavaliers "all in" believers to the Browns' Dawg Pound. So, when a new survey by WalletHub ranked Cleveland 19th overall best city for sports fans, and highest ranked city in Ohio, the site turned to BW Sport Management professor Charles Campisi to get inside the city's fan culture.

"Being completely irrational is what makes a good sports fan, or at least a loyal one," Campisi told WalletHub.

Campisi also weighed in on the rankings in a follow-up interview with The Plain Dealer/Cleveland.com, noting that a team’s performance does not always correlate with passion from the fan base, especially in the case of the Cleveland Browns. Although the Browns have not always performed on the field, the long-suffering fans remain loyal.

Campisi says his BW sport management majors benefit from living and going to school in top-20 city for sport fans, with access to high profile games, internship opportunities, and a network of industry professionals.

Busy Sax Prof Banaszak Tours India, Earns Rave CD Reviews

Banaszak outside the National
Performing Arts Center in Mumbai

This fall semester, Conservatory saxophonist Greg Banaszak is coming off "the busiest 18 months" in his 25-year career, including an incredible and rare two-week tour performing with India's only symphony orchestra at the invitation of India's Ministry of Culture and their "pro-Western," progressive leader, Prime Minister Narendra Modi. The tour with the Symphony Orchestra of India (SOI) began at the National Centre for the Performing Arts in Mumbai and then moved across the country to various cities throughout India, earning Banaszak a feature in Rolling Stone - India.

"This was the first time the country featured a saxophonist and was exposed to both the classical and jazz sides of the instrument," Banaszak explains. "It was a humbling, happy, extraordinary experience." The August performances presented works for saxophone on the first half of the program and the celebrated "Bird with Strings repertoire!," paying tribute to jazz icon Charlie Parker, on the second half.

Meantime, enthusiastic reviews are in for Banaszak's latest CD with Maestro Gerard Schwarz on Naxos records. A reviewer for Gramophone wrote, “The highlight is Hovhaness’s Saxophone Concerto, in which Greg Banaszak milks the tone and timbre of his unaccountably neglected solo instrument in an irresistible series of romantic episodes.”

Fanfare praised, “The saxophone concerto is…delivered with just the right lilting rhythms by the excellent Greg Banaszak,” and American Record Guide raved,"...it is hard to imagine any player anywhere with more beautiful tone than Greg Banaszak."

In an interview with Vandoren, Banaszak said "this recording experience was really exceptional, to say the least. Having the honor to work with Maestro Gerard Schwarz, one of America’s finest conductors, was beyond words. He has almost three hundred recordings to his name and he knows exactly what he wants and expects out of all the musicians under his baton--soloist included."

Radio Listeners Enjoy Ongoing Inside Look at BW Music Theatre

“I feel at home and at my best when I’m on stage,” said Warren Franklin ’19, Music Theatre major in the Baldwin Wallace Conservatory of Music.

On top of rehearsals and schoolwork, Franklin will give WCLV Classical 104.9 listeners an inside look into the life of a first-year BW Conservatory student during a series of on-air interviews. In his first interview for the series, Franklin explained his admiration for BW's renowned Music Theatre program before he was even admitted.

“I knew ever since growing up, I wanted to go to BW,” said Franklin. “The shows were amazing, but it was when I saw Carrie the Musical at the Beck Center where I was just like, ‘this is my home, this is where I need to be.’”

A graduate of the Cleveland School of the Arts, Franklin is no stranger to the stage. This past June, he starred in Cain Park’s production of Godspell as Jesus.

With just a few weeks into his freshman year, Franklin has adjusted to a full course load to hone his craft. One class, Eurhythmics, comes natural to Franklin.

“I was a percussionist for 6 years in a competition drum corps,” Franklin said, “so eurhythmics comes very, very easy to me. I’m having a lot of fun in Eurhythmics; it’s helping me a lot.”

Listeners can tune into Franklin’s next episode on the WCLV Classical 104.9 live-stream channel on Ideastream.

BW Graduate Lands Dream Job in Korea

(L to R) Asia Foundation Country Representative Dylan Davis, Shinyoung Park,
U.S. Congresswoman Nancy Pelosi, and Chairman of the Friends
of Asia Foundation Han Sung-Joo. Courtesy of the Asia Foundation

A diverse liberal arts education can be an instrumental foundation for a successful career and Dylan Davis ’03 offers a perfect example. Davis graduated from BW with a double major in psychology and music and now works as The Asia Foundation’s Country Representative in Korea.

It’s a position that Davis says he had been “following for at least ten years” and an opportunity he could not pass up. The passion that Davis has for the Korean people and culture was ignited when he became the first BW student to Study Abroad at Ewha University in Seoul. In a news release, The Asia Foundation pointed to his liberal arts education, in combination with graduate coursework at Yonsei University Graduate School of Public Health and his deep work experience in Korea as helping to prepare him for this new dream job.

Prior to landing his current post, Davis was program director for the Center of Korean Studies at University of California, Berkeley where he promoted knowledge of Korea on campus while working to build and expand programming centered around the country.

Before Berkeley, Davis spent eight years residing in Korea, working for the Public Affairs Section of the U.S. Embassy in Seoul, serving as an International Affairs Officer at Yonsei University’s Severance Hospital, and working for the Korean-American Educational Commission where he had formerly been a Fulbright Grantee. Davis is exceptional in not only speaking, but writing Korean.

Davis has been recognized for his service by several distinguished organizations including the U.S. State Department and the U.S. Embassy in Seoul. In 2013, the Mansfield Foundation also selected him as one of only ten Korea specialists to partake in the first gathering of Korea-Foundation-Mansfield Foundation Korea Nexus Scholars.

Legendary BW Alum Feted at U.S. Open

Tennis players (L to R) Rosie Casals, Billie Jean King and Martina Navratilova, with Bud Collins and his wife Anita Collins, and Katrina Adams, USTA president and U.S. Open chairwoman at the dedication. Courtesy U.S. Open

The U.S. Tennis Association (USTA) recognized the extraordinary career and colorful contributions of preeminent tennis journalist and commentator Bud Collins '51 over the Labor Day weekend, officially attaching his name to the media center at the Billie Jean King National Tennis Center during the 2015 U.S. Open.

Following praise by Billie Jean King and other tennis luminaries at the early Sunday ceremony, Collins, attired in trademark loud pants and bow tie, quipped. "I'm at a loss for words. It's sacrilegious."

The legendary tennis broadcaster and BW Athletics Hall of Fame inductee began his sportswriting career at BW's student newspaper, The Exponent. After graduation, Collins started writing for the Boston Herald and later the Boston Globe before going on to do tennis commentary for major broadcast news networks such as NBC and ESPN. He has also written several books including Bud Collins' Encyclopedia of Tennis and The Education of a Tennis Player.

Photo Credit: Ben Solomon for The New York Times

Media coverage of the dedication included a New York Times tribute headlined, "Celebrating Bud Collins, a Tennis Treasure Told in Words and Pants," by Jon Wertheim. The story, which also appeared in Sports Illustrated, ended with, "It’s a nice and fitting honor. But we all know this truth: it just makes official what was always tacitly understood. It was Bud’s room. The rest of us were just fortunate to be in his presence, lucky to call him a colleague."

New York Newsday wrote that Collins' "spirited work rendered him the sport's premier historian, conscience and connoisseur of fun," while a very personal New York Daily News column by his protege, Mike Lupica, was titled, "Bud Collins the best friend tennis ever had." 

The new commemorative plaque at the center reads, “Journalist, Commentator, Historian, Mentor, Friend.” At BW, we'd add one more to that list: YJ4L! Congratulations Bud!