Life Changing International Travel Marks May Term

Close to 60 students and five faculty members packed their bags and spent May term abroad on three very exciting and very different international experiences in China, London and Costa Rica.

Twenty-one students and two faculty members, Professor John Fuehrer and Dr. Liya Wang, traveled to China for a three week business and sociology-based exploration for students who took the Modern China course during the Spring 2015 semester.  Students focused on what it's like to do business in China's major cities and how understanding cultures can help when doing business globally. Students also visited cultural sites including the Great Wall, Forbidden City and different temples and monasteries. Other highlights of the trip included experiencing a new culture and trying different kinds of food.

The theatre Seminar in London was a nine day theatre tour that exposed students to a variety of theatrical performances as well as the history of the London theatre and the city in general. Twenty-three students traveled with two faculty members, Professors Jeff Herrman and Bob Taylor. The students attended eight shows in a variety of London locations, including The Globe Theatre, where Shakespeare's plays were performed in the 1600's. They also toured the city and visited different museums.  For many, visiting Stratford, where Shakespeare was born and laid to rest was a unique and favorite part of the trip.

BMC Photography

For 12 days, 14 students and biology professor Dr. Chris Stanton, explored the biology and sustainability of Costa Rica and the country-wide sustainability progress that has been made in 2015. The group traveled the country by bus and did a variety of activities such as hiking, boating and community service projects all while interacting with the locals, learning about the culture and seeing the various habitats and wildlife. One day was spent zip lining through the Tropical Dry Forest.

For more stunning photos from the trip, you can visit this Costa Rica Facebook gallery posted by recent BW studio art grad and owner of BMC Photography, Brittney Callahan '15.

Studying abroad at Baldwin Wallace allows students to enhance their personal growth, educational experience and career development. BW is part of the national "Generation Study Abroad" initiative and working toward doubling the percentage of students who gain this life-changing experience by 2019.

Grad Featured as "Millennial Expert" in Forbes Article

Author and career coach Antoine Moss, PhD. '05 was asked to weigh in on the generation now entering the job market for a "Forbes" article, "What Millennials And Their Leaders Must Know To Succeed" --published shortly before he will begin sharing his knowledge back on campus later this semester.

The BW grad majored in criminal justice with a minor in psychology, going on to receive his doctorate degree from Cleveland State University at the age of 28. Specializing professionally in helping young college graduates to secure job placement in their dream jobs, Moss offered "Forbes" insight on the Millennial mindset and provided tips on developing workplace leadership tailored to helping the new generation succeed.

"[T]ry to understand millennials [generally those who were born in the 1980s and 1990s] in an effort to understand the ways they can help your company grow," Moss gave as one key piece of advice: "Work towards problem-seeking solutions."

Moss will be bringing his expertise back to the BW community this year, joining the Advisory Committee for the Political Science Department and serving as a guest speaker in a political science class taught by Dr. Tom Sutton.

Senior Promotes Affordable Housing in Competitive Internship

This summer, Doanise Thompson '15 got the chance to make positive change in her community when she secured a competitive Cleveland Foundation internship with the Neighborhood Housing Services of Greater Cleveland.

Working alongside organization's marketing team, Doanise assisted in designing strategies for social media marketing, newspapers, blogs, and other marketing materials. She also coordinated promotion for a summer fundraiser with the Cleveland Indians.

As a sociology major, Doanise's favorite part of the experience was knowing her work was changing the lives of people all over the area.

"[Homeownership is] a dream that has become very hard to obtain for low-income families," she said. "These programs and services give families and individuals the opportunity to dream great dreams and, ultimately, live in those dreams permanently."

At BW, Doanise maintains leadership roles throughout campus as president of the Criminal Justice Club, director of programming for Black Student Alliance, a Buzz Ambassador for the Office of Admissions, and a Multicultural Jacket Link Mentor. She will also lead an alternative spring break trip to promote women's empowerment in Miami, Fla. through BW's Office of Community Outreach.

Growing Ovation Day Highlights Student Success

In an expanded format and new location BW's 2014 Ovation celebration set records for the number of projects, number of participants, number of volunteers, number of reviewers and number of attendees. When the reviews were tallied, this year's Ovation Presentation Awards went to: 

• "We All Want to Change the World: A Deconstruction of the 'White Album'" by Patrick Hyzy with support from faculty sponsor Beth Hiser, Conservatory
• "Exposure to NMDA Receptor Antagonists at P7 Alters Prepulse Inhibition at P21 in Rats" presented by students Janace Gifford and Rachel Zacharias; faculty sponsor Brian Thomas, Psychology
• "SPROUT: Long-Term Impacts of Residential Programs for Single-Parent Students in Higher Education," presented by student(s) Rebecca Shisler, Brook Hradisky, faculty sponsor Jill Stephens Fleisher, Sociology

The Greek Life Award was presented to Katie Nadson from Alpha Gama Delta for her project, "Seasonal Patterns of Anthocyanin Production in NE Ohio Plants," and the People’s Choice Awards went to "YJ4L."

BW Provost Steve Stahl said the Ovation performances and presentations embodied BW's mission. "We demonstrated our commitment as an academic community to the liberal arts and sciences; we conducted rigorous scholarship and illustrated the excellence in teaching and learning within a challenging and supportive environment."

One 2014 Ovation presenter, Jenn Lenart, had her work with biology professor Chris Stanton and other students featured in the Plain Dealer.  Follow this link to see full list of awards and scholarships presented at Ovation's Honors Ceremony.

Student Service Takes Center Stage for Sociology Club

The spirit of service instilled in BW Yellow Jackets is alive and well in the Sociology, Criminal Justice & Forensic Science (SCF) Club. The organization launched three successful donation projects this past semester.

The first, "Donate a Can and a Piece of Your Heart," ran in February and involved hosting a donation table in the Union where students could donate canned goods and create a valentine to accompany them. All food and valentines were donated to the Cleveland Food Bank in hopes of warming many hearts.






The spring "University Settlement School Supply Drive" focused on collecting school supplies for University Settlement's annual Back to School Fair.

Lastly, the Aluminum Cans for Burned Children (ACBC) project is an ongoing fundraiser to help child burn victims. Aluminum cans are collected outside the computer lab in Malicky Center and taken to a local fire station where they are sold. The money raised is used by firefighters for summer camp tuition assistance for burned children and to purchase necessary equipment.

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.

Learning from Real World Experiences in Sustainbility

Teachers, students and anyone else interested in sustainability have a new resource to explore the real-world experience of groundbreaking green companies and organizations based in Northeast Ohio.

Thanks to generous support from the McGregor Fund, Baldwin Wallace University, a leader in sustainability education and practice, has produced a series of case studies on 11 of the region's sustainability pioneers, including Fairmount Minerals, Great Lakes Brewing Company, Sustainable Cleveland 2019 and West Creek Conservancy.

BW sociology professor Jill Stephens Fleisher edited the collection, which was authored by BW faculty from a variety of disciplines including sociology, political science, biology, philosophy, health and physical education, and business.

You can access all of the case studies through an open-source webpage at http://www.bw.edu/academics/sustainability/neo-case-studies