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N O R T H E R N K E N T U C K Y U N I V E R S I T Y

S P R I N G 2 0 1 2 V O L U M E 1 0 , N O . 1M A G A Z I N E

Dreamers WelcomedThe Votruba Journey Continues

CLOSE ENCOUNTERS OF THE BEAR KIND

WITH DAVID LEMASTER

JUST WHERE ARE THE KIDS GOING TONIGHT?

BETTER, STRONGER, FASTER:

NKU’S NEW M.B.A.

A message from the president

This year marks my 15th and final year as NKU’s presi-dent. Years ago, when I was just beginning my career, a mentor advised me to search out work that I believe is important to do, that I love to do, and then pour myself into it and my career would take care of itself. He was right. Over the past 15 years, Rachel and I have poured ourselves into both the university and our community, which has resulted in the most satisfying years of our lives.

As my tenure draws to a close, I am frequently asked of what I am most proud. I’m proud of our board of regents and their commitment to guiding the campus through a period of rapid progress and also difficult chal-lenges. Last year our board was selected one of the most outstanding governing boards in the nation, and they de-serve it. I’m proud of our faculty, who give life to the uni-versity through their outstanding teaching, scholarship, and community engagement. I’m proud of our staff, who reflect a steadfast dedication to their work and to making the university the best that it can be. I’m proud of our administrators who, in the midst of a deep and prolonged recession, have still found ways to sustain institutional progress in spite of daunting challenges. I’m proud of our students, who often must overcome major obstacles to

pursue ambitious dreams not only for themselves but for their larger communities. I’m proud of our

alumni and community leaders who have rallied around the

university with their advo-cacy, wise counsel, support, and involvement. And I’m proud of the new friends and supporters who have been drawn to the univer-sity because of its growing stature and impact on both

our students and the region.The past 15 years have been

a time of breathtaking institu-tional progress. Today, our enroll-

ments are at record levels; we offer a much broader and richer array of academic programs and services; we have more online offerings; new facilities abound; and, yes, we have a new Division I athletics program. Today, our students come

to us more academically prepared than at any time in our history, and they are graduating in record numbers. The university also has become a national leader in its sup-port of regional economic, education, and social progress through what we like to call our “stewardship of place.” As a university, we are today more focused, more disciplined, more efficient, and more innovative in how we go about advancing our core academic mission to educate.

While much has changed at NKU, our defining quali-ties have remained unchanged. We remain committed to keeping students at the center of all that we do. We remain committed to an “up close and personal” educational expe-rience, even as our enrollments have grown. We continue to align our academic programs with the needs of the pub-lic we serve. And we recognize that, at our core, there must be a passion for excellence and continuous improvement.

Soon the new NKU president will arrive, and he will carry all of the dreams and hopes that one would expect of a new leader. Today, American universities are undergoing a major transformation brought on by budget reductions, changing student expectations, the impact of technol-ogy on teaching and learning, greater competition, and the demand for greater public accountability. Our new president must help guide the university through what will sometimes be turbulent and uncharted waters. What I know from my own experience is that university presi-dents cannot succeed without the strong support of both the campus and the community. It will be so important that the new president have all of our enthusiastic support and involvement. What he will soon discover is that NKU is a great place to be a university president, and our commu-nity is a great place to build a future.

Fifteen years ago, neither Rachel nor I could have antici-pated what our move to Northern Kentucky would mean for us both. Over the years, we have come to love both the university and the community that we now call home. Our plan is to remain here in the community, where I’ll become a professor in NKU’s doctoral program in educational leadership, and Rachel and I will continue our involvement in supporting community and state-level initiatives that we believe contribute to ensuring a bright future for both our region and the commonwealth. Over the past 15 years, we have both benefited from the support, encouragement, wise counsel, and engagement of friends and colleagues with whom we’ve shared this journey. To all, we offer deep and very special thanks.

President James Votruba

“Rachel and I have poured ourselves into both the university and our community, which has resulted in the most satisfying years of our lives.”

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Contents

features

12UP CLOSE ANDPERSONAL—A LEGACY OF LEADERSHIPThis issue of Northern Magazine marks the end of an era: Dr. Jim Votruba is stepping down from his post as NKU’s longest serving president. This is a story not about the statistics of his accomplishments, but the heart of a leader.

20THE GIFTAlumnus Nick McNay suffered immeasurable pressure and loss while attending NKU. His is an inspired tale of perseverance, a story about the gift life sometimes gives us when we least expect it.

22I WANNA BE WHERE THE KIDS ARE GOIN’For those of us over a certain age, you’d think that what we did for fun as NKU undergrads must be different from what today’s students do for kicks, right? The answer is yes. And no! Plus, NKU alumni council president Greg Cole dishes on the wily ways of his old pal George Clooney.

regulars

2PRESIDENT’S PAGE

6NORSE NUGGETS

8NORTHERN NEWS

26ALUMNI JOURNAL

28CLASS NOTES

NORTHERN MAGAZINE IS NOW ONLINE! Check out web-only features at northernmagazine.nku.edu. There you’ll find updates to these articles and additional information exclusive to the web.

President Jim and Rachel Votruba photographed in front of Griffin Hall, the latest addition to the NKU campus during Votruba’s 15-year tenure as the university’s president. Votruba will be stepping down from his presidency this summer, but he will return the following year as a professor in educational leadership. Read the cover feature on the Votrubas on page 12.

ON THE COVER:

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EDITORBrent Donaldson ’05

DESIGNER Dionne Laycock ’90

COPY EDITORTira Rogers ’01, ’05

PHOTOGRAPHERTimothy D. Sofranko

PUBLISHER Deidra S. FajackDirector of Alumni Programs

Gerard A. St. AmandVice President for University Advancement

CONTRIBUTORSCarol BierneCaitlin CentnerRyan Clark ‘10Chris Cole ‘99, ‘04, ‘09David Hatter ‘92Megan McCarty

ALUMNI ASSOCIATIONEXECUTIVE COMMITTEEGregory L. Cole ’82, PresidentDavid McClure ’83, ’08, President-electLee Rose ’96, Immediate Past PresidentTracy Schwegmann ’95, Vice PresidentDeidra S. Fajack, Secretary/Treasurer

CORRESPONDENCE Northern Kentucky UniversityOffice of Alumni Programs421 Johns Hill RoadHighland Heights, Kentucky 41099PHONE: (859) 572-5486WEB: alumni.nku.eduEMAIL: alumni@nku.edu

NORTHERN MAGAZINE is published three times a year

by the Office of Alumni Programs at Northern Kentucky

University for its graduates, donors, and friends. Copyright

2012 Northern Kentucky University.

Comments, questions, concerns? We want to hear from you! Email us at northernmagazine@nku.edu.

M A G A Z I N E

V O L U M E 1 0 , N O . 1

Don McNayJim PickeringRich Shivener ‘06, ‘11Jason WilliamsMolly Williamson

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Be Here AgainIt’s never too late to

create your own Norse Memories! NKU’s Office of Alumni Programs is roll-ing out a new service that allows NKU alumni and friends to merge their per-sonal photos from Face-book or other locations on their computer with spe-cial NKU photos to create customized photo books, calendars, notecards, T-shirts, magnets, and more. Simply visit norsememo-ries.nku.edu and follow the instructions.

Next Up, D-INKU wrapped up its

NCAA Division II basketball era by hosting the Division II Elite Eight and national championship game. Teams from across the country converged on The Bank of Kentucky Center for the March tournament, which culminated in the live title game being broadcast on CBS—the first nationally televised network event on NKU’s campus. Western Washington University defeated the University of Montevallo 72-65.

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Best of the Best2012 is going to be a

banner year for our Alumni Awards Celebration. Always an inspiring event, this year’s awards celebration has garnered the largest number of nominees in the event’s history. On May 9, the evening reception kicks off with “heavy hors d’oeuvres” (closely related to its cousin, “dinner”), followed by the awards presentation at 7:30 and an after party at 8:30. Visit alumniconnect.nku.edu for more info.

These Prices are Insane!

With this spring’s com-mencement marking such a milestone—it’s the last commencement Votruba will attend in his role as president—your alumni programs office wants to celebrate this bittersweet occasion. During the entire month of May we’re offer-ing a 10 percent discount on all NKU merchandise and apparel. Just visit our secure online store at alumni.nku.edu, enter Grad2012 in the promo box, and do the click.

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WEB EXTRACheck out web-only features at northernmagazine.nku.edu.

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Fountain of (Per)loveWant something cool

this summer? NKU music instructor and executive director of the American Classical Music Hall of Fame Nina Perlove is the driving force behind an in-teractive, high-tech “Walk of Fame” at Washington Park in Over-the-Rhine. Perlove helped develop a smartphone app that allows users to control a “dancing” fountain of water—a feature that is expected to debut this summer in the newly re-vamped park. Check it out!

Black and BluegrassJammers, blockers, pow-

er slides, whips—there’s a new contact sport gearing up at The Bank of Ken-tucky Center and it’s unlike anything you’ve seen. Northern Kentucky’s Black-n-Bluegrass Roller Girls begin their home bouts at the BOKC Saturday, May 19. With nicknames like Bertha Knuckles, Florence Nite-n-Hell, and Wicked Caroline, the team includes a number of NKU alumni. Show your support! Visit black-n-bluegrass.com for more info.

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The post said, ‘I just swallowed a bunch of pills.’ I scrolled through her blog really worried. [It also said] things like ‘goodbye’ and ‘it was stupid to think anybody cared about me.’

NKU anthropology major Anna Clark, as quoted on WCPO.com, about a blog post by a stranger that Anna read back in February. Clark immediately tracked down information about the author of the post, including the girl’s name and contact info. Clark and her mom then called 911, who referred them to the police in Novi, Mich., where the girl lived. When police arrived at the girl’s house she was barely alive. Clark’s actions are credited with helping to save the girl’s life.

Two for OneM.A. student Justine

Yohe is currently re-searching and designing a 3,000-square-foot exhibit on the subject of protest music for the National Underground Railroad Freedom Center to be opened in summer 2012 to accompany the World Choir Games. Jodie Mc-Farland, a December 2011 graduate of the program, is researching and designing a 3,000-square-foot exhibit on the 150th anniversary of the Emancipation Procla-mation for NURFC.

NKUBUZZ

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Northern Kentucky

University!

Actor George Clooney, NKU’s most famous non-grad, in response to a question on the show Inside the Actor’s Studio. Prodded by longtime host James Lipton, Clooney talked about growing up in Kentucky and attending Augusta High School. When Lipton asked Clooney where he originally attended college, George gave this answer then imitated a roar from the studio audience. For another Clooney story from his NKU days, check out page 24.

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What to Read Now Welcome to “Faculty Advisor,” a new and (we hope) regular feature where we ask NKU faculty for

their informed opinions and advice on everything from travel, gardening, and music to politics, health matters, and more. For this issue we’ve asked three esteemed professors from our Department of English to review the last (nonacademic) book they’d read for, you know, fun. —Brent Donaldson

In this wide-ranging collection, Hitchens revisits writers and figures ranging from Thomas Jefferson and Benjamin Franklin to Mark Twain and George Orwell. A British subject who adopted the U.S. as his home, Hitchens examines America’s involvement in Iraq and Afghanistan with nuanced politi-cal positions that defy easy conserva-tive/liberal categories. The writing is fearless and provocative. Hitchens’ view of religion is critical, and he has little patience for celebrity worship. His observations on sex in America are ex-cruciatingly frank and very humorous.

Written shortly before his death, the book’s introduction finds Hitchens sum-marizing the concern that animated his life’s work: his opposition to totalitari-anism. “...Literature and letters of the country since the founding show forth a certain allegiance to the revolutionary and emancipating idea,” he writes. In this book, “I try to breathe my best on those sparks.” Hitchens has achieved that goal. —Jonathan S. Cullick, Ph.D., professor and chair, Department of English

Arguably: Essays by Christopher HitchensBy Christopher HitchensTwelve publishing, 2011

The Marriage Plot: A NovelBy Jeffrey EugenidesFarrar, Strauss, and Giroux, 2010

11/22/63By Stephen KingScribner, 2011

FACULTY ADVISOR

Jeffrey Eugenides’ The Marriage Plot: A Novel is, first and foremost, a page-turner. It’s a character-driven novel that describes the transition from college graduation to adulthood for Madeleine (an English literature major), Leon-ard (a biology major), and Mitchell (a religious studies major). Through these three characters, Eugenides explores big questions about identity, love, and life. In this regard, The Marriage Plot is broadly accessible, and it will attract readers from a variety of backgrounds.

But the novel also is a meditation on “the novel” itself. Eugenides peppers his narrative with hundreds of allu-sions to literary and theoretical works, which he tends not to contextualize or to explain for his readers. This might alienate readers who don’t happen to share Eugenides’ background in literary studies. Readers familiar with Eugenides’ Pulitzer Prize-winning 2002 bestseller Middlesex will find much to like about The Marriage Plot, but this novel differs substantially from Middle-sex both in the story that it tells and in the narrative structure through which it is told. —Tonya Krouse, Ph.D., associate professor, Department of English

Since I avoid novels that might cause nightmares, I have sailed happily through life without reading anything by Stephen King. However, intrigued by both the idea of time travel and the questions surrounding John F. Ken-nedy’s assassination, I decided to risk reading King’s latest effort, 11/22/63.

11/22/63 tells the story of Jake Epping, an English teacher who is persuaded to travel down a hidden passageway to 1958 and attempt to prevent the Kennedy assassination. Jake can then return to 2011, where only two minutes will have passed since he left.

11/22/63 includes suspenseful and semi-supernatural moments that should satisfy King’s regular fans. It should also appeal to readers interested in time travel and late 20th-century history. In some time travel novels (e.g., The Time Traveler’s Wife), the protagonists can have no effect on how events transpire, while in others (e.g., the Newbery-winning When You Reach Me), that possibility exists. 11/22/63 leaves the reader daydreaming (but likely not nightmaring) about how any action, large or small, has the potential of changing the course of history. —Janel Bloch, Ph.D., assistant professor, Department of English

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Dionne Laycock

Job Searching?Try ThisDavid Hatter ’92

As NKU’s reputation for excellence grows and NKU alumni assume leadership positions in business, community service, and government, the value of being an alumnus increases. There are now more than 50,000 NKU alumni, and while many of us feel a strong connection to our alma mater, most will not hand you a job or do business with you simply because of our shared connection. You’ll need to establish connections and build trusted relationships over time to take advantage of the alumni network. With high unemployment and the economy sputtering along, there is no time like the present to begin expanding your professional network, and why not start with our fellow alumni?

GET CONNECTEDOne of the best ways to identify and connect with fellow NKU alumni (and

to build and leverage relationships with them) is through LinkedIn and, more specifically, the alumni feature and the official NKU Alumni group. LinkedIn is the leading social media platform for business professionals with more than 135 million members and two new people joining every second. As an entre-preneur, I’ve found LinkedIn to be a powerful tool for networking, job hunting, branding, prospecting, business intelligence, market research, recruiting, and advocacy. I try to provide value to my growing network of nearly 4,000 connec-tions by connecting people who might be able to help one another, and I share information that can help my connections be more productive and effective. In return I get regular speaking engagements and receive regular leads from my efforts. I’m currently working on a proposal for a mobile application after being approached by a prospect on LinkedIn.

TAKE ADVANTAGE OF YOUR NETWORKLinkedIn’s networking potential for NKU alumni is enormous and only

increases as LinkedIn grows. As of this writing, 6,334 people listed NKU in the

education section of their profile. You can find the total number of NKU alumni on LinkedIn using the alumni feature (www.linkedin.com/college), which shows all your fellow alumni (or just those in your graduating class) as well as where they work, what they do, and where they live. These features are very useful when searching for people with a specific job or at a specific company.

Since LinkedIn groups are opt-in communities for people with similar interests, the best way to connect with alumni is the site’s NKU Alumni group, which now boasts more than 2,700 members. Group members can create and contribute to discussions, get alumni-related news, post and re-view jobs, and list promotions. Addi-tionally, you can see a list of all group members, search and explore their profiles, view shared connections, and invite alumni group members to connect directly with you.

THE PAYOFFWhile 2,700 group members is

a fantastic start, that’s only about 41 percent of all NKU alumni using LinkedIn and a paltry 5 percent of all NKU alumni. We need you and your alumni friends to make this growing community even better and more powerful! You’ll find our group on LinkedIn at www.linkedin.com/groups?gid=52204, or you can search on “NKU” in groups. Our group will display on the results page as “Of-ficial Northern Kentucky University Alumni.” Click the link and request to join—it’s simple and free. Join us today, and invite your alumni friends. You can build new connections and renew old friendships, and together we can make this a powerful commu-nity for all NKU alumni. We look for-ward working with you to build our alumni network and hope to connect with you soon! —David Hatter ’92

David Hatter is the president and founder of Liberatas Technologies

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QUALIFIED ROCKERTheatre and Dance launches Rock & Roll and Concert Music Technology major

Before we salute those about to rock, let us first direct you to NKU’s Department of Theatre and Dance. Last fall, the department struck a power chord when it launched a new area of specialization for Bachelor of Fine Arts ma-jors: Rock and Roll and Concert Music Technology. That’s right. You can major in rock and roll.

Sort of.Students in the program take courses on lighting

design, sound design, and pyrotechnics, rounding out the rockin’ degree with an internship at the concert-packed The Bank of Kentucky Center or another local venue.

The program’s maestro is Dr. Ken Jones, chair of the-atre and dance. Sitting in his office and shuffling fresh promotional materials, he told us about the degree’s genesis. “We have design technology courses, and let’s say we have 250 theatre majors. About 20 students are designers, and the rest are actors and musical theatre performers. When we do shows, we need a larger force of students, so I was trying to think of how we can get more designers here.”

The answer? Give designers an alternative to working in traditional theatre spaces. Jones says the rock and roll students do take foundational courses with theatre de-signers, but, around junior year, they take special courses in concert technology.

“I’ve certainly noticed that over the last 10 years, concerts have become more theatrical, and theatre has become more rock ’n’ roll,” Jones says, referencing Broad-way musicals like Rock of Ages and Spider-Man: Turn Off the Dark.

With Jones at the helm, the theatre and dance depart-ment started developing the degree about four years ago. “We had to make sure we had faculty, make arrange-ments with the stage hands union. And then I mentioned the idea to our major backers of the program, Richard and Lois Rosenthal, that I was developing this degree. They asked me if I’d like to talk with their nephew Stan Lynch. He was the drummer with Tom Petty and The Heartbreakers for [18] years. He’s a brilliant and wonder-ful man who had some great ideas about courses and internships.”

Because it’s so new, the rock and roll and concert music technology major is a bit like a secret track on your favorite record. But Jones has just begun promoting the program at conferences and expects more and more students to discover this innovative, hands-on degree.

“For a final project,” he says, “we are thinking that we will have a final show where we bring in three local bands and the whole project is loading those bands in, lighting, and designing their sets. — Rich Shivener ’06, ’11

This is how you bring light to the masses

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MBA 2.0A business education reboot at NKU

Anyone looking to shift gears in his or her business

career should take heed: Beginning this fall, NKU is offering a new kind of M.B.A. experience. Dr. Rick Kolbe, dean of the college of business, recently sat down to talk about it.

The program actually lowers credit-hour requirements. How does that fit in with the new teaching approach?

Instead of teaching courses in individual disciplines, the program focuses on integrative content so students understand business as a whole. The program systematically

SCOUT’S HONORProfessor Doug Feldmann is

a true Renaissance man. With a Ph.D. from Indiana University, Feldmann teaches in NKU’s Col-lege of Education, is a former scout for the Cincinnati Reds, Seattle Mariners, and San Diego Padres, and the author of several books on baseball history and its sociological impact on America, including September Streak: The

1935 Chicago Cubs Chase the Pennant, and The 1976 Cincinnati Reds: Last Hurrah for the Big Red Machine. Feld-mann’s latest book, St. Louis Cardinals Past & Present, chronicles the history of one of baseball’s most suc-cessful franchises, from Dizzy Dean to Albert Pujols. —Ryan Clark ’10

HOW DID YOU GET TO WRITE YOUR CARDS BOOK?

This was my eighth book on baseball history, follow-ing my typical format of my others in which I discuss the daily ups and downs of one particular team in a major league season.YOU’VE STUDIED THE EFFECT BASEBALL HAS ON CITIES—HOW DOES THAT COMPARE IN ST. LOUIS AND CINCINNATI?

works students through a process from inter- and intrapersonal issues to business analytics, society, and ethics. Our program wrings out the redundancies that can occur in courses taught independently. It’s much more efficient.

How does this new program structure better prepare students?

To be successful, businesses need to be able to gather information, interpret it, and respond quickly. That’s why we’re stressing the core themes of integration, analytics, and decision-making. We’re also systematically building presentation and writing skill development into the program.

What type of student is a good match for NKU’s M.B.A. program?

This program will demand that students come ready to challenge their current skills and knowledge. We’re primarily interested in recruiting students with at least five years of managerial experience in an organization. That’s a great way to ensure a quality classroom experience for all students. Let’s face it—an M.B.A. credential can be obtained at many places. We want our students to come to NKU because they want to rise to the top.

Cincinnati is very comparable to St. Louis; both are smaller, river cities that were nonetheless important focal points of commerce and transportation in past decades and centuries. And both, of course, are great baseball cities. But while Cincinnati is more of a concen-trated area in terms of following the Reds, the Cardinals have generally spanned a larger geographical area.IS YOUR BASEBALL CAREER OVER—ARE YOU SOLELY A PROFESSOR NOW?

I have worked as a scout for Seattle, San Diego, and, most recently, the Reds (on a part-time basis). I am also with MLB.com, as I enter the play-by-play on a laptop from the Great American Ball Park press box (which peo-ple can follow on the “Gameday” feature on MLB.com). I sit next to the official scorer, and we make sure all the game statistics are accurate before they are entered into the league archives.WHAT WAS THE BEST PART ABOUT WRITING THE BOOK—EVEN IF IT DID HAVE TO BE ABOUT THE CARDINALS? (HA, HA)

My father played in the minor leagues for the White Sox and Cubs—I was raised in Chicago—but he and my mother had strong roots in St. Louis and southern Il-linois. Over the course of my childhood we would make many trips to that area and, of course, enjoy a Cardinals game during our visits. The passion with which the St. Louis area embraces the Cardinals is truly remarkable—it made an indelible impression on me as a youngster.

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Jim Votruba was 10 years old when his mom Betty first drove him to Michigan State University’s student union. In his hand she would place a single quarter, which Jim would pocket before running straight to the cafeteria for a Coke and a doughnut. From the student union they’d make their way to MSU’s natural history displays, or its library, or any of the other awe-inspiring curiosities a major uni-versity has to offer a young boy. It was the summer of 1955. Jim did this many times, and each was a grand adventure.

With Jim on summer break and his father work-ing, Betty was pursuing a master’s degree at MSU. What the boy wouldn’t fully understand until later was that, as carefree as his strolls around the MSU campus were, his mother’s return to school was born of a foretold family tragedy. Jim’s father had been diagnosed with Hodgkin’s lymphoma not long before—a terminal case, the doctors said. Betty’s master’s degree was meant to ensure a well-paying job to survive her inevitable life as a single mother.

Betty and Jim Votruba (president Votruba’s fa-

P R E S I D E N T J A M E S V O T R U B A

UP CLOSE AND PERSONAL—A LEGACY OF LEADERSHIP

ther), of English and German and Czec stock, were themselves first-generation college students. Jim and his parents and sister, Mary Lou, grew up in Lansing and East Lansing, where the dynamic cul-ture and social fabric of the MSU community wove itself through their lives. Jim and Mary Lou grew up playing with the sons and daughters of MSU staff and faculty, who often dropped by for dinner and held forth with lofty conversations about how their work was impacting lives around the world. As the years ticked by, Jim absorbed these discussions, these revelations about the power and importance of education.

Half a lifetime later, Dr. Jim Votruba is stepping down from his post as Northern Kentucky Univer-sity’s fourth and longest-serving president. That his tenure here was a source of good for thousands of people around the region and across the country is unquestioned. The president and his wife, Rachel, have realized a dream inspired by those summers of Jim’s youth and those conversations at the din-ner table: they have made the world a better place.

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GOV. STEVE BESHEAR“James Votruba has been a force of great change at Northern Ken-tucky University since his arrival more than a decade ago. His sharp focus on making the university

a full participant in the surrounding community as well as his drive to cultivate continued growth in student population have helped make NKU a dynamic, accessible, and thriving institution.”

UP CLOSE AND PERSONAL—A LEGACY OF LEADERSHIP

“As the years ticked by, Votruba absorbed these discussions, these revelations about the power and importance of education.”

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U.S. CONGRESSMAN GEOFF DAVIS“Personally I’m going to miss his visionary spirit and the patient consistency of his character. He can speak to people with very

diverse backgrounds and share his vision of the direction that we could go if we pulled together—and then by consensus bring the team in that direc-tion. He’s been critical to growth and transforma-tion in Northern Kentucky.”

U.S. SENATE MINORITY LEADER MITCH MCCONNELL“Since 1997, Dr. Votruba has served as Northern Kentucky University’s greatest champion, working tirelessly to help the

university realize its full potential. I have been proud to work with him over the years on projects that support and strengthen the university. He is a dedicated educator, and he will be missed by NKU and the Northern Kentucky community.”

KENTUCKY SENATE PRESI-DENT DAVID L. WILLIAMS“Jim Votruba’s leadership and vision for Northern Kentucky University have not only greatly benefited the university’s service

area but also the entire commonwealth. We are truly blessed that he came our way.”

Votruba’s tenure as president of NKU began in August of 1997. In the 15 years since, NKU has transformed from a young, open-admission school into what Votruba likes to call a “fully mature metropolitan university.” A look at the numbers bears this out: Since 1997 through last year, student enrollment is up 34 percent. The number of bachelor programs has increased 37 percent. Gross square footage—up 107 percent. Master’s programs and certificates? Up 600 percent. And perhaps most notable: in 2005, 39 scholarship applicants had achieved the highly impressive composite ACT score of 29 or higher. Last year, that number grew to 198.

“Jim Votruba is a visionary,” says Bob Zapp, president and CEO of The Bank of Kentucky and chairman of

the search committee that selected Votruba. Zapp tells the story of chasing Votruba down the hall after his first in-person interview for the job. When the interview was through and Votruba left the room, “our jaws just dropped,” Zapp says. “I sat there for a minute and then I chased him down the hallway and that’s the gospel truth. Something struck me that if we were going to hire that man, I’ve got to sell him on what this community is all about.”

“Up to the point of Jim’s arrival there had been consistent growth,” says Sara

Sidebottom, NKU vice president for legal affairs and general counsel. “But I don’t think our true value became apparent until Jim started engaging the community in such a way that folks said, ‘We had no idea this could be done or NKU could do this for us.’”

Sidebottom is referring, at least in part, to Visions, Values, and Voices, a strategic planning process that Votruba started during his first few weeks on the job. VVV, as it became known, would come to define Votruba’s leadership. “I would sit with groups of 20 or 30 faculty and staff and community members,” Votruba says, “and we would focus on the following questions: What do we do well? What could we do better? What are our biggest challenges? What are our greatest opportunities?” These

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KENTUCKY SENATE PRESI-DENT PRO-TEM. KATIE STINE (’84 CHASE)“Jim is highly regarded by other university presidents from around the state as well as members of

the Kentucky legislature. His collaborative leader-ship style has moved NKU into the 21st century and has positioned NKU for a bright future. It has been a delight to work with Jim, and he will be sorely missed.”

KENTUCKY SEN. DAMON THAYER“Dr. Votruba has been the right man at the right place at the right time for NKU. His visionary leader-ship has improved NKU’s image

throughout the state and indeed the region. Past, present, and future students will benefit from the Votruba legacy for generations to come.”

KENTUCKY SEN. ROBIN L. WEBB (’86 CHASE)“Northern Kentucky University and Dr. Votruba have been syn-onymous with the term ‘success’ during his tenure. Modernization

of facilities, academic excellence, and athletic accomplishment are a few of the areas where his steady and persistent leadership will be missed. He is a man of impeccable credibility, and we wish him the best!”

conversations solidified Votruba’s reputation as a believer in the power of a collective voice—the power of listening to others to gain insights unavailable to those who would closet themselves away in an office.

Over the course of 30 or 40 of these university and community town halls, Votruba listened to people’s fears and to their aspirations for themselves and for their children. After the last meeting, Votruba and his VVV committee went on a retreat and mapped NKU’s future based on what they’d heard. “An important responsibility for any leader is to be able to paint a picture in which everyone can see themselves,” he says. “NKU is the foundation on which our students and our community can build a brighter future. What I wanted to do was paint a picture of that future in which everyone who comprises our campus could find themselves. That picture needed to lift, focus, motivate, and inspire.”

It’s early back at the Votruba household. O’Dark-thirty, as it’s known in aviator-speak. An alarm clock is set to go off at 5 a.m., but Jim wakes ahead of it and shuts it off, just like most mornings. When the doors open half an hour later at the Five Seasons Sports Club in Ft. Mitchell, he’s there, reading while working out on the treadmill or elliptical for 40 minutes. Then back home for a quick shower and breakfast, then off to work. “I roll in here about 7:30 or 8,” he says, “and my days are nonstop.”

Votruba works until anytime between 6 p.m. and 10 p.m. In addition to the “regular” components of his job, there are the frequent university and community events he and Rachel attend. When they’re both finally

IT TAKES TWOMrs. Votruba is fine with “Rachel.” Promise.

An advocate. A teacher. A leader. A hiker, skier, and sailor. Wife for the past 42 years to NKU president James Votruba. And “a hoot.” All of these words help paint a partial picture of Rachel Votruba. Just don’t call her “first lady.”

“Rachel was ‘Rachel’ from the first time I met her,” president Votruba says. “She’s a deeply caring person, a person who wanted to make a difference in the lives of others. My career moves have meant that her career was upended sev-eral times and that’s a price Rachel has paid, although every place we landed she has worked as a teacher and a counselor.”

“I am very adaptable,” she says with her characteristic laugh. “Jim was very lucky! Put me down anywhere and I will figure out what I can do.” Rachel Votruba earned her undergraduate degree at Iowa’s Drake University, where she and Jim first met, and her master’s at Oneonta University in New York. She’s held teaching and guidance counselor positions at New York’s Johnson City High School, at Michigan State, at Holt High School, and served as a faculty member at NKU.

Since moving here, Rachel Votruba has served on the board of the Carn-egie Center for Visual & Performing Arts and served in key leadership roles on several other boards, including chair of the Children’s Law Center, chair of the Brighton Center, and vice president of the Women’s Crisis Center. Rachel was selected as one of the 2006 Enquirer Women of the Year, and in 2007 she was selected as one of the Outstanding Women of Northern Kentucky.

But all of the accolades don’t come close to describing the fun-loving force of nature that is Rachel Votruba. We interviewed dozens of senior staff, faculty, and friends of NKU for the cover feature, and everyone wanted to talk about Rachel. It’s just what happens when you are an energized, open, gregarious, honest, and hilarious person. Everyone wants to be your friend.

“She walks into a room and people gravitate to her,” says Ken Ramey, VP for administration and finance. “Everybody she comes in contact with considers him or herself a friend of Rachels. Everybody.”

“We are totally immersed in this community,” Rachel says. “I remember one time someone said, ‘Well, what is your feeling about Jim’s retirement? Where do you want to live? Are you moving back to Michigan?’ And I said, ‘What do you mean?’ We love our house. We love our neighborhood. We love our neigh-bors. I mean, that’s just the funniest thing. This is our home.”

“Rachel represents the glue that makes communities function,” her husband says, “because it’s that network of volunteer leaders who have a passion for making a difference in other people’s lives. Rachel is an authentic person. She isn’t wrapped up in titles or position. Rachel is who she is and has a freshness even at this stage in our lives that I find absolutely irresistible. I’m so proud of her and the impact she has had on both our campus and the community.”

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KENTUCKY REP. ROYCE W. ADAMS“When we were talking about starting the NKU Grant County campus, he invited me to come to his office, and the only thing I

remember him saying when I left was, ‘Rep. Adams, we’ll make it work.’ And that’s just the attitude that he had. Failure was not part of his vocabulary.”

KENTUCKY SEN. JACK WESTWOOD (’79)“Dr. Votruba is a natural leader, one who forges support for ideas by developing support from all parties involved, thus creating

allies rather than adversaries. To his credit, I was never able to determine whether he was registered Democrat, Republican, or independent. Maybe, when we are both out of the public sector, I’ll finally find out!”

KENTUCKY HOUSE SPEAKER GREG STUMBO“In the world of sports, there are those who coach to their system and those who coach to their players. Dr. Votruba has found a

way to blend those approaches. He has cultivated the talents of so many and given them the oppor-tunity to lead. That says a tremendous amount about his leadership style, and it’s a legacy that will be felt for years to come.”

LET ME SAY A FEW WORDSA letter to the president from his longtime speechwriterBY: JIM PICKERING

This year, as the “President James C. Votruba Era” comes to an end, an all-im-portant chapter in my campus life also is reaching its natural conclusion. In my nearly 10 years as President Votruba’s speechwriter, I have survived, more or less, about two thousand deadlines, in-cluding rewrites, revisions and the rare but brutal “Tell Jim Pickering he needs to start over” moments.

I got my employee I.D. on Aug. 2, 2002, and from what I had heard and read about Dr. Votruba and NKU, I knew I was walking into a challenging position and at an exciting time in the university’s evolution. I met Dr. Votruba for the first time on my third day. It was in his office, and other than telling him that I liked his black suit and him offer-ing me jellybeans, I don’t remember a whole lot. I do recall that as we parted, he shook my hand and said, “Let’s have some fun!”

In the following week, I misspelled his name (“Vortuba”) in a letter to do-nors; referred in a speech to an hon-oree’s wife by his first wife’s name; and, in one case, rushed to the podium to hand the president a woefully late set of talking points. I wasn’t having fun yet. And I doubt that Dr. Votruba was either, at least not with his new writer.

Fortunately, early on, I became a member of a team of smart, skilled NKU colleagues that meets regularly to work out every aspect of the myriad events on the president’s calendar. They got me on the right track and have kept me there ever since. In fact, Dr. Votruba’s stupefying schedule is one of the key

reasons I was hired—to lighten some of his writing duties. The president has always composed his own comments for such major events as fall and spring convocations, and his charge to Chase and NKU graduates. I came in to cover the rest of it and to provide the core around which he adds his own remarks.

There have been the solemn writ-ing jobs, including a keynote speech Dr. Votruba gave on “Peace Officers Memorial Day,” honoring fallen law enforcement personnel. In attendance, a Covington widow later wrote to the president: “You are the first speaker I’ve ever heard that so eloquently expressed the sorrow felt by the family members who are left behind. On behalf of all of us, I thank you!” Others have been personally awe-inspiring, especially remarks I’ve written for the president on behalf of honorary-degree recipients, including Dean Kamen, who invented the insulin pump, a device that has kept me alive for a dozen years.

Then there have been instances that will never be referred to as “celebra-tory,” “awe-inspiring,” or “solemn.” For example, there was a day when Dr. Votruba spoke to six different audiences on six different topics, remarks I had to simultaneously write and revise. Or the time he handed me three thick books on Abraham Lincoln as research for a lengthy speech I was to write and that was due two days later. Yet, despite the occasional “oh, crap!” moments, this has been the best gig I’ve had in 25 years of writing for a living. I was given an extremely rare break to work closely

with one of the nation’s most forward-thinking presidents; and I’ve had the good fortune to be both witness to and participant in the exquisite growth of a “people’s university.”

One recent night, Dr. Votruba and I rode the elevator down together, both of us looking tired and ready for a hot meal. As I was getting off on my floor, he said, “Jim, I want to thank you for your words,” alluding in a general way and not to any recent remarks. I replied, “It’s been my pleasure, Dr. Votruba.” The door now closing, he caught himself. “I mean, thank you for my words.” I smiled and he laughed.

As I walked along the plaza, I realized that our chat was one of the countless “thank yous” that Dr. Votruba will make as his last official day nears. And they will be sentiments given freely, motivat-ed not by social custom but given by a steward who taught each of us that the NKU of today has indeed been a group effort.

Moments later I was wending my way along Kenton Drive, slowly passing the brilliant 21st-century buildings that will forever mark the James C. Votruba era.

Students in cars and on foot were entering and leaving campus.

Each carrying a dream of a better future …

About Jim Pickering: Aside from writing for Presi-dent James C. Votruba, Jim Pickering plans, writes, and helps produce TV and Internet videos and commercials in support of the university’s market-ing and branding campaigns. He has earned more than 27 state, district, and national honors since coming to NKU in 2002.

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KENTUCKY REP. DENNIS KEENE“I had the great pleasure to work with Dr. Votruba on getting support for Griffin Hall. I believe this facility and the creation of

the College of Informatics are Dr. Votruba’s most important contributions to our university. It will bring high-performing students to the campus and give businesses a reason to invest in our region and create jobs for our citizens.”

KENTUCKY REP. THOMAS KERR (’77 CHASE)“One of the things that most impressed me about Dr. Votruba was that, although he has been a strong leader and an outspo-

ken advocate for Northern Kentucky University, he is always gracious to all individuals with whom he interacts and exemplifies a true gentleman.”

KENTUCKY REP. JOSEPH M. FISCHER“Dr. Votruba always built on the strengths of NKU. He never tried to transform the institution into something it was never designed

to be. He had an innate business sensibility. He understood that the Northern Kentucky market called for an innovative metropolitan university, and he has certainly delivered.”

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home, they greet their two dogs, Traverse and Dodger. Votruba might build a fire in the fireplace while he and Rachel watch NCIS or The News Hour, then, off to bed by 10 p.m. “When I go to bed,” Votruba says, “I’m tired and I don’t have any trouble sleeping.”

Fifteen years and a schedule grueling enough to buckle the average young man. That’s what both he and Rachel have given to Northern Kentucky. But as to how they’ve given it, that’s the real story. Just ask Alice Sparks.

Sparks, former chair of NKU’s Board of Regents and a member of the presidential search committee that hired Votruba, recalls the day her husband passed away suddenly in 1998. “I’ll never forget that Jim called that same day and we must have

talked for an hour,” she says. “I’m sure I rambled and for him to take that much time, it meant a lot to me. And he was right there through the whole thing.”

“Jim personifies ‘up close and personal,’” says Sue Hodges Moore, NKU’s vice president for planning, policy, and budget. “He always remembers the last conversation we had. In an elevator if he sees someone he knows, it’s the same thing. He knows something personal about them, and he’s asking about their life, not, ‘Where are we on this project or this project?’ Every conversation starts out with something personal.”

“Jim leads in a lot of different ways,” says Gerard St. Amand, NKU vice president for university advancement. “He’s very passionate about higher education and tying higher ed to what our region and community need. He likes to hear a lot of different voices. He’s not an ivory-tower person.”

To wit: A few years ago a group of students printed up T-shirts featuring Votruba’s smiling face printed above

the slogan “Jim Votruba Knows My Name.” Students gobbled them up faster than free coneys at a tailgate. At a recent alumni council meeting, student rep Mary Osbourne told Votruba that she has friends at NKU who hastened their graduation just so they could have a chance to shake his

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KENTUCKY REP. TOM MCKEE“Dr. Votruba became president of NKU the same year I started in the Kentucky General Assembly. We have developed a special relationship, and I consider him

my very good friend. I wish him well in retirement and am confident his influence will be felt for many years to come.”

KENTUCKY REP. SAL SANTORO“Dr. V, you and Rachel are such fine people. Enjoy your retire-ment, and thank you so much for your time and leadership.”

KENTUCKY REP. ADAM KOENIG“When Dr. Votruba arrived, many people in our region and through-out the state didn’t appreciate the quality of education provided

at NKU. Today, I can proudly tell you that NKU’s name is strong. We all believe that Dr. Votruba is a leader among Kentucky university presidents. Thank you, Dr. Votruba. You have made a huge difference.”

hand at commencement this spring. He’s a bona fide rock star. (Albeit one who doesn’t listen to much rock. See northernmagazine.nku.edu for more on that.)

“If your actions inspire others to dream more, learn more, do more, and become more, you are a leader.” —John Quincy Adams

When Jim Votruba was a boy, his mother and father turned to their university during times of uncertainty. There they sought what was necessary to get beyond a crisis and secure a future for the family. It just turns out that their future was better than expected. The terminal diagnosis for Jim’s father? It was flat-out wrong—he lived another 30 years. Votruba’s mother, Betty, still lives close to Jim and Rachel. She is 97.

Back here at NKU, as The Votruba Era draws to a close, there is a bright spot on the horizon: he and Rachel are staying put. After a yearlong sabbatical, Votruba is returning to teach as a professor of education leadership. In

their new role, he and Rachel will have more time to visit with friends and university colleagues. Maybe they’ll meet at the newly renamed James C. and Rachel M. Votruba Student Union. Who knows who will be listening to those conversations—huge, important conversations about education and human progress.

“It’s been a wonderful 15 years,” Votruba says during our last interview. “I am proud to be associated with the faculty and staff and students who are the university. I believe in this place. I believe there isn’t a day that goes by that this university doesn’t impact the lives of our students and the progress of our region in important ways. Building a university is a journey that has no end. It’s been the most wonderful opportunity I can imagine.”

WEB EXTRA: We could have filled the entire contents of this magazine with comments and anecdotes about the Votrubas. We’ve

compiled many of them in an exclusive online supplement to this story at northernmagazine.nku.edu.

“Who knows who will be listening to those conversations—huge, important conversations about education and human progress.”

BY THE NUMBERS

S P A C E I N G R O S S S Q U A R E F O O T A G E

1 9 9 7 2 0 1 1 ( + 1 0 7 % )

1 9 9 7 2 0 1 11 , 6 4 0 2 , 8 3 8 ( + 7 3 % )

D E G R E E S C O N F E R R E D

= . 5 M I L L I O N F T 2

= 1 M I L L I O N F T 2

7 491 9 9 7 2 0 1 1 ( + 6 0 0 % )

M A S T E R ’ S P R O G R A M S

= 5 0 0 D EG R E ES = 1 0 0 0 D EG R E ES

= 1 0 M I L L I O N = 5 0 M I L L I O N

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KENTUCKY REP. ARNOLD SIMPSON“When Dr. Votruba first arrived, he said that his goal was to make NKU a regional asset. I can honestly say that he has done an

amazing job bringing NKU to our communities and making a real difference throughout the region. Thank you, Dr. Votruba, and enjoy the next chapter of your life.”

KENTUCKY REP. ALECIA WEBB-EDGINGTON“I always appreciated the time that Dr. Votruba would spend with the legislators in Frankfort. He has such an ability to explain issues,

and the time that he spent doing that has been well invested. We had a very good working relation-ship, and he’s always responsive to any of my ques-tions. That’s the part that I am going to miss.”

KENTUCKY REP. ADDIA WUCHNER“As a result of Dr. Votruba’s lead-ership and commitment, NKU students have access to an inno-vative and quality education.

I have always been impressed by his continual reminder to us that we have a responsibility to be stewards of our region. Thank you for all that you have done for our community, Dr. Votruba. Best wishes for a happy and healthy retirement.”

FREE INSTALLATIONAs successful as president Votruba has been at NKU you’d think everything went according to plan, always. Well, three of the people in charge of his 1997 NKU presidential installation—a grand, formal procession replete with a band and visiting dignitaries—are here to set you straight. Here’s their account of Votruba’s presidential installation ceremony that started, shall we say, off the beaten path.

SARA SIDEBOTTOM, vice president of legal affairs, general counsel: It’s 1997, and here are all of these high rollers from the community. We had high-ranking political people, representa-tives from all over the country. KATHY STEWART, director of special events and stewardship: We had a huge, weeklong number of events cul-minating with this grand installation, a big ceremonial event. It included the deans; it included the governor; it included the president and former president Dr. Leon Boothe—a big plat-form party. SS: The idea was that they were going to process from spot A down to spot B, Greaves Concert Hall, where the installation was to take place. We had the grand marshal; we had Governor Patton and the president—they were in the front of the procession—and it was a pretty day and things were going well. We had them all lined up, and we basically sent them on their way. And then what happened, for reasons we don’t know, is the group in front headed off in a completely different direction. KS: Apparently someone in the

platform party decided they knew a shortcut to Greaves through the Fine Arts Center. If you’ve ever been in that building, you know there is nothing worse than trying to find your way around. DAVID BENDER, former NKU Alumni Council president: Sara Sidebottom and I—we lost him. The president went one way and Sara was yelling, and, oh, God... it was like, “Where’d he go?” SS: Some of the procession had gone past the steps over into the side of Greaves, and the front of the line was actually waiting for elevators—the leader was putting them on one at a time so they would have taken hours to get all those people on. The first few people had already gotten on the elevators and gone down. DB: The president had taken off somewhere and other people were stuck on an elevator somewhere else. It was hilarious. And, oh, my gosh, I’ll never forget, Sara starts barking out orders, and she yells “Patton! Patton! Governor Patton!” And he is literally standing right behind her. And he says, “Sara, I’m right here.” KS: Then Ron Ellis, my former boss,

comes bounding over a wall—I’ve never seen him run so fast in my life—up the stairs trying to find the rest of this platform party. And as we were standing there in the lobby of Greaves Concert Hall, the band would finish and I would keep poking my head in the door and saying, “REPEAT! REPEAT! REPEAT!” DB: I don’t know if they had a quin-tet or what, but Kathy had them play-ing the same song again and again and again. Those poor kids were dying in there. They didn’t have any saliva left to play. KS: All of a sudden I see the fire doors open in Greaves and here comes Dr. Boothe with everybody behind him like, “Where are we?” Dr. Boothe was not the one who led them astray. We still don’t know who did, but we were finally able to put the procession back together. DB: Not one of our finer moments, when we screwed up the whole proces-sion and lost the president. SS: The president got off to a rather staggered start, but in the long run it worked out fine. It was the first test of his patience.

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May 8 was Mother’s Day last year. It was also grad-uation day at Northern Kentucky University.

I was at Northern, watching my nephew, Nick McNay, go through the graduation procession. His grand-mother, Ollie, and mother, Theresa, were watching from a perch up in the heavens.

Graduating from college was something that Nick did to honor them. Going on to live an educated and productive life is something he will do for himself and his children. His journey is one of inspiration and perseverance.

Few things in Nick’s early envi-ronment predicted that someday he would be on the Dean’s List and walking down a college gradua-tion line. He was the son of a single mother and has met his father once. College is not a family tradition. He and I, exactly 30 years apart, are the only McNays ever to graduate from college.

His high school did not produce many college graduates. Nick spent most of high school playing basket-ball and soccer and chasing girls. Al-though he excelled at all three, they were not predictors of future aca-demic success. He had some things going for him. With a charming per-sonality, a strong work ethic, and lots of street smarts, he has always been a natural leader.

After high school, he bounced through a series of manual labor jobs and didn’t have a plan or direction. That all changed April 2, 2006, the day his grandmother, Ollie, died.

Ollie came back from a party, complained of a headache and sud-denly died right in front of Nick and his mother. She’d had an aneurism.

Nick wrote in a college paper, “My grandma was more to me than just a grandma. She was my father, best friend, biggest supporter, lifeline; words can’t express what she was to me. All she ever asked me to do was to go to college.”

He decided that day to get his

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ALUMNUS NICK McNAY ‘11 SUFFERED IMMEASURABLE PRESSURE AND LOSS WHILE ATTENDING NKU. HIS IS AN INSPIRED TALE OF PERSEVERENCE—A STORY ABOUT THE GIFT LIFE SOMETIMES GIVES US WHEN WE LEAST EXPECT IT.

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college degree. He came to Richmond, Ky., to attend my alma mater, Eastern Kentucky University. He went at his classes with intensity and enthusi-asm. He didn’t have a major, but he was motivated to fulfill the college dreams his grandmother had for him.

Then the second blow struck. Six months after his grandmother died, his mother fell down a flight of steps and died at age 46. Both of his paren-tal figures were gone.

It would have been easy to give up and quit. Instead, he “doubled down,” to use a gambling expression. Nick became even more focused on school to help block out his grief. He also went to weekly counseling sessions,

found an army of tutors, and used every support resource that EKU had to offer.

Nick made it through the year and studied in Brazil that summer. That fall, he fathered a child in Cincinnati—another reason to drop out of school. Instead, Nick doubled down again. He transferred to North-ern Kentucky University to be near the first of his two daughters, work-ing at cutting down trees and deliver-ing pizzas while he attended class.

At Northern, he found his calling. The school has an excellent program in electronic media and broadcasting in the College of Informatics. Once Nick took an introductory class, he was hooked. The formerly indifferent student started showing up on the Dean’s List with a passion and enthu-siasm for cinematography.

Nick did an internship for Above the Line Media in Cincinnati and worked directly with its president,

award-winning filmmaker Mark Turner. (In an odd twist, Turner was the editor of my college newspaper.) Turner said, “Nick has a very good eye for framing a shot. I trusted him with shots that are going to show up at film festivals and on DVD. As good as his instincts are now, they are only going to get better. He has a bright future in this business.”

In days when college tuition is spiraling and people like Mark Zuckerberg and Bill Gates are mak-ing billions without a diploma, some argue that a college degree may not be worth the expense. When I ponder the cost versus the benefit, I look at the situations of people like Nick.

College gave Nick a framework to utilize his intellect and to discover gifts that he never knew he had. In-stead of a lifetime of going from one manual labor job to another, he has a start at a high-powered career that he absolutely loves.

Pressure is what turns a piece of coal into a diamond. The pressures Nick had to overcome allowed his talents, work ethic, and character to flourish.

His grandmother and mother knew that Nick was a “diamond in the rough” and that college would smooth out the rough edges.

Last Mother’s Day, they got to see their dreams and wishes come true.

From a perch above the clouds.

Don McNay, CLU, ChFC, MSFS, CSSC, is an award-winning syndicated columnist and Huffington Post contributor. He is the author of the bestselling book, Wealth Without Wall Street: A Main Street Guide to Making Money. This story originally appeared in hundreds of newspapers and onThe Huffington Post during the first week of May 2011. Copyright Don McNay. Reprint is permitted.

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Nick McNay with his mother. McNay with his grandmother.

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I WANNA BE

THE KIDSWHERE

ARE GOIN’

NKU is a young university. Compared to Italy’s Università di Bologna, founded in 1088, or even Harvard, 1636, we’re basically a zygote. But it’s also true that those of us who graduated from NKU in the ’70s, ’80s, or even the ’90s aren’t exactly mewling infants, either. The things that those of us over the age of (say) 35 did for fun as undergrads are probably very different from how today’s traditional NKU undergrads blow off steam, right? To find out, we talked to scores of NKU’s fresh-faced youth to ask: Exactly where are the kids going tonight? Here’s what a few of them said. I think there’s a cliché about things changing yet staying the same, but I’m too old to remember it. —Brent Donaldson

1. Starbucks

2. My dorm—Callahan

3. Student Union

WHERE

HOLLY ANN

GOES

Name: Ron BurseFrom: Louisville, Ky.Age: 21Major: Public RelationsGraduates: May 2013

WHERE

RON

GOES:

One time…“…I fell in love with Sis’s the first time I walked in. Sis’s has a completely different environ-

ment than most places, a family environment. The food is amazing, but it’s the people—the people here know you by name and treat you like family. Sis’s sometimes has a live band perform later in the night, and it’s not uncommon to see someone who isn’t part of the band go up and ask for requests, then proceed to grab a microphone like it’s karaoke or open mic night. I may or may not have been one of those people at one time, but it’s always funny to see people who think they’re some singing superstar.”

1. Sis’s Family Affair

2. Qdoba Mexican Grill (Rookwood Commoms)

3. The Bank of Kentucky Center for

NKU Basketball Games

Name: Holly Ann CraigFrom: Marion County, Ky. Age: 19Major: Political ScienceGraduates: May 2015One time...

“...My roommates and I had a dodge ball game in my hallway. I live in a quad room, and there are four girls in there. We get bored some-times. So one day my roommates and some girls down the hall played dodge ball in the hallway. There were six of us and we all split up. It wasn’t so much a ruled sport, more of a “we are going to go in the hall and throw balls at each other.” Nobody got hurt, but people came up from downstairs and told us to be quiet. My roommates are scared of them, so we stopped.”

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!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

1. Her dorm room to relax and sleep

2. Newport on the Levee

3. Steely Library

Name: Jordan CresswellFrom: Louisville, Ky.Age: 20Major: NursingGraduates: May 2014

WHERE

JORDAN

GOES:

Sometimes...“...I like to go to the fourth floor of the library and yell to the

stressed people on the first floor. It started as kind of a joke during finals week at like 1:30 in the morning—a really stressful time. During finals week, once it hits like 1:30, you’ll see the same people every day of the week. It was so random, but now it’s just kind of turned into a thing. I would come to the fourth floor and I would be like, ‘WHAT’S UP?’ And everybody else below would be like, ‘WHAT’S UP?’ My friends were with me, but they were usually laughing.”

Name: Juan “Johnny” José Maldonado, Jr. From: Port Charlotte, Fla., Cynthiana, Ky.Age: 18Major: GeologyGraduates: May 2015One time...

“...I had a friend who went to college, and he gave me his Magic: The Gathering cards. I’ve been practic-ing ever since. I just go down to the game club or the game room. There’s a group of students who meet every Tuesday and Friday night to play pretty much any type of game they can get a hold of—computer games, board games, video games, cards. I’m just very competitive. In my household I have one sister and three brothers. My dad is also really competitive. I’ve tried teaching him (Magic: The Gathering) but it’s not that easy. He can see to a point, but he has to wear bifocals right now.”

WHERE

JOHNNY

GOES:

Name: Jessica Coffey From: California, Ky.Age: 18Major: Graphic DesignGraduates: December 2015

One time...“...I was so scared by Santa that I screamed. During the holiday season Skyline always puts up this

big Santa figure. So this past season I went with some friends and I wasn’t paying attention. I walked in backwards, talking to somebody, and when I turned around Santa was right there and it scared the crap out of me. Even though I know it’s always there, I screamed. It was very embarrassing!”

WHERE

JESSICA

GOES:

1. Student Union

2. Skyline Chili, Highland Heights

3. Griffi n Hall

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1. Game club on the fi rst fl oor of University Center

2. Student Union game room

3. Back to the game club (Johnny is a gamer)

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CLOONEY ON

THE BEACH

Gather ’round and listen as Alumni Council president Greg Cole (’82) tells a tale in which George Clooney, NKU’s most famous non-graduate, blows off a couple of finals on his way to becoming an international star.

“This was a time back when we had a really good group of guys—Sam B., who was president of student government at the time; myself; our friend, Mike; George Clooney; and a couple other guys. After classes we would hang out in Founders Hall where we would play euchre and stuff in between classes.

So this year we were getting ready for spring break. I was sort of the organizer of the group, and I made reservations every year to the Daytona Beach Holiday Inn, where there was a corner room up on the 10th or 12th floor—high enough where you could really get a good view. The corner room was an extended-sized room and had a bar in it, so every year I got it.

So we’re in Founders Hall, planning this trip. All of our midterms ended on a Thursday at 3 or 4. So I said, ’OK, we are meeting here on Thursday at 6:30 p.m., and we are going to drive through the night so we can get down there.’ George goes, ’No! I’ve got two finals tomorrow’—Friday! So I said, ’Big deal. Take them and catch a ride. There’s 4,000 people going to Daytona—catch a ride.’

So on Thursday we show up at the meeting place at 6:30, and here comes George! And I was like, ’What are you do-ing?’ And he’s like, ’I’m not going to miss the fun!’

So George got to go on spring break a day early that semester. Not too long after that he said, ’You know, guys, I think I’m going to go out West and become a star.’

And he did.”

WHERE

STEPHANIE

GOES:

Name: Stephany McMillinFrom: Liberty Township, OhioAge: 22Major: Criminal Justice, Pre-lawGraduates: May 2012One time...

“...I went to Oktoberfest in Germania, Ohio, and the people were dressed up in traditional outfits and betting on rats. It was popular in the old days in Germany, apparently. There is a spinning wheel with holes and different colors—like a pie chart basically. Each section has a hole at the end, and they literally put a rat on the wheel and they spin it. The rat runs to a hole, and whichever color the rat runs to, wins.” Editor’s note: For anyone worried about the plight of the spinning rats, check out this YouTube clip of the game: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=c-lEY183qWo. That’s about as slow as a wheel can spin.

WHERE

BRAD

GOES:

1. Sis’s Family Affair

2. NKU Rec Center

3. Kroger to buy cookies1. Student Union

2. Mynt Martini

3. Anywhere having an Oktoberfest

Name: Brad RogersFrom: Peewee Valley, Ky.Age: 20Major: Criminal JusticeGraduates: May 2014One time...

“...I went to the (NKU) rec center one day and I saw Jeremy, the guy that runs it, and he challenged me to a three-point contest. He said that if I won he would give me a black intra-mural T-shirt, and if I lost I was sup-posed to make him cookies. He really likes cookies. So I made the bet with him, and he beat me by one shot. He got 17 out of 25 three-pointers and I hit 16. So I had to go out to Kroger to get some chocolate chip cookies and bake them for him. But I told him that it would be best if my girlfriend made them because I wouldn’t trust anything that I baked. So she made them. Still, I had to deliver the cookies to him by hand on the intramural football field. They all ate them and laughed at me while I played our flag football game.”

WHERE

CORY

GOES:

Name: Cory GonyaFrom: Louisville, Ky. Age: 23Major: Secondary

Education, Criminal Justice, Political Science, History

Graduates: December 2012

1. Skyline Tavern

2. Campus Rec

3. Sand volleyball courts on campus

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Alumni Council member Thom Roose (’95) was a rabble-rouser

“Back in the day, my two closest friends and I loved to cause mischief around campus. Launching water balloons at unsuspecting residents of Norse Hall at all times of day or night; daily practical jokes on our roommates; and drawing the ire of (then dean of stu-dents) Dean Lamb for illegally rollerblading on campus or shredding garbage bags worth of old Northerner newspapers then shower-ing folks (and the court) with confetti at basketball games were but a few examples. However, I can neither confirm nor deny any responsibility for covertly filling the fountain in Norse Commons with laundry soap so it would overflow with suds.”

DID HE DO THAT?

WHERE

BRITTANY

GOES:

1. Skyline Tavern

2. NKU basketball games

3. Newport on the Levee

One time...“...I joined the (NKU) club volleyball team, and

now I have skills like no other. No matter whether it’s a Saturday night or a Monday or Tuesday night, there are always people down at the volleyball pavilion until 1 or 2 in the morning. There are people hanging out on the hills and in the bleachers waiting for games. People bring guitars or stereo systems; people will park their cars over there and bring out coolers with Gatorades and waters in them and sit here and chill. There are people who are really good and people who are horrible or playing volleyball for the first time. They’ll go up, and finally they’ll hit one and it hits people in the head or down where it counts and everyone laughs and cries.” 25

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Name: Brittany Jo HallFrom: Owensboro, Ky. Age: 22Major: Organizational LeadershipGraduates: May 2012One time...

“...I was at Skyline Tavern hanging out with a group of friends. When it was time to leave there was a big herd of us, and I was leading the group outside, making sure that no one fell down the stairs. Then, the designated driver fell down the stairs in front of about 20 other people. That designated driver was me. As Charlie Sheen would say, ‘I was winning.’”

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A Season of Renewal

As I look outside my window on this gorgeous afternoon, I see all of the beautiful transformations of spring taking place. It’s a reminder of the many changes—some good, some bittersweet—that are happening in the life of NKU.

As you’ve read in the cover story of this issue, our dearly loved President Jim Votruba and his wife, Rachel, are moving on to the next phase of their life together. The good news? They will remain part of the NKU community. In fact, after a year’s sabbatical, Votruba will return to teach doctoral courses in education. For so many reasons we have been blessed to have the Votrubas in our lives. I would like to personally thank Jim for the leadership he has provided me and for the opportunity to be part of this great university.

Please mark your calendars for May 22 when your Alumni Association will unveil President Votruba’s official portrait, brilliantly rendered by local artist Shalmah Prince. Following the unveiling, the portrait will join those of NKU’s former presidents in the Gov-ernance Room of the newly renamed James C. and Rachel M. Votruba Student Union.

As for other changes here, you’ve prob-ably noticed that we’ve included a com-memorative edition of Northern Magazine to introduce you to our new Division I conference, the Atlantic Sun. Keep your ears and eyes open for additional information about our historic Division I inaugural season this fall.

Finally, I would also like to invite you to join us May 9 for our annual Alumni Awards Celebration to recognize several of our out-standing alumni. And please check out the many other new events we have in store for you and your family over the next couple of months at alumni.nku.edu. I hope to see you at an event soon!

GO NORSE!Deidra S. FajackDirectorAlumni Programs and Licensing

ALUMNI JOURNAL

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1. President Votruba and vice president for university advancement Gerard St. Amand join alumni and friends in January for a reception at the Renais-sance Tampa Hotel in Tampa, Fla., 2. A reception is held in Naples, Fla., for NKU alumni and friends at the Naples Grande Beach Resort. 3. NKU alumni and friends join president Jim Votruba and vice president for university advancement Gerard St. Amand in Jacksonville, Fla., at the River City Brew-ing Company this past January. 4. Alumni enjoy the alumni homecoming party in The Bank of Kentucky Center’s “Vault” following the basketball games. 5. The always-popular Alumni Chili Cookoff celebrates its 10th year with the largest crowd enjoying chili yet. 6. NKU alumni, family, and friends gather for a night of bowling and fun at 300 Atlanta in Atlanta, Ga. 7. Kimberly Hatcher ’10 and husband Matthew enjoy bowling at 300 Atlanta in Atlanta, Ga. 8. Jim and Rachel Votruba become honorary members of the NKU Alumni Association as well as having their jerseys “retired.”

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NOTES1979Janet Calme (Master of Education) an-nounced her recent retirement after 32 years of teaching at the St. Thomas Elementary School in Ft. Thomas, Ky.

1980Gregory B. Withrow (music/account-ing) has recently been elected president of the New York State Organization of Bursars and Business Administrators, a professional association of student financial services staff members in higher education institutions through-out the state of New York.

1982Deborah L. McKibben Williamson (an-thropology) has retired from the Office of the Courts in Frankfort and is cur-rently a professor at the Maysville Com-munity and Technical College teaching “Native People of North America.”

1984Eric Grothaus (business administra-tion) was recently named the vice president of human resources for Hydro Systems Co. Earlier this year he was honored by Clermont 20/20 with the William H. Over Leadership Award for civic leadership and volunteerism.

1990Keith Sherman (journalism) has re-ceived an appointment as a major in the U.S. Army Reserves. He currently lives in Hebron with his wife, Linda, and their three children and works as a production supervisor at SanMar.

1992Patricia Miles-King (Chase) and her daughter, Tiya, enjoyed traveling to Paris as a birthday celebration for Pat on the Go Next trip provided through the NKU Alumni Association. They were also able to celebrate Tiya’s 2011 MacArthur Fellows Program award—a

WISDOM LEARNED FROM THE ALASKAN BUSH

This magazine’s Mystery Photo! from summer 2011 featured members of NKU’s Chito-Ryu karate club circa 1977. One of the students pictured was David LeMaster—a man that one Northern Magazine reader dubbed “one of our top biology majors,” and who, the last this reader had heard, was living in Alaska. It turns out that our reader was correct—since graduating in 1977, LeMaster has spent most of his time in Alaska working as a wildlife biologist for the National Park Service, slinging king salmon, braving the Alaskan bush, riding snowmobiles, flying planes, and educating the native youth. We now present a few life lessons from LeMaster himself. —Molly Williamson

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Schooled by LeMaster

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When I was going [to NKU], the place was just a lot of mud with only two buildings. But if it were not for NKU, my life would have been incredibly differ-ent. It completely changed my life.

At a young age, I realized the only true value, true wealth, was experi-ence. I wanted to learn what I could learn and do so much more. I have been a scuba diver for [the Alaska Department of] Fish and Game, a bush pilot, a science teacher, an EMT. I think that is what makes life interesting, a lot of different experiences.

People who go to Alaska either run away as fast as they can or they get hooked by it.

Alaska is very different than most people’s perceptions. There are no igloos. Kids up here have cell phones, and Facebook is the big thing. In Aniak, there is a huge cultural difference between the generations. The elders still speak Yup’ik Eskimo, but it is drying up. Thanks to the missionaries who made kids bite soap if they spoke it, we have lost a lot of the native tongue.

I have come to realize the three greatest inventions are the airplane, the snowmobile, and the chainsaw.

Up here, people hunt and fish for meat only. It is a subsistence lifestyle. We would take children on caribou hunting trips. It would look very strange to you, but 10 or 15 of us would set out on snowmobile with rifles over our shoul-ders, driving through town.

I taught driver’s education in a town with four miles of road. These kids had been riding snow machines all their life, so they wandered off the road when they tried to drive a truck. With four miles of road, you just keep going around in a circle. It doesn’t seem to make any sense, but in a real sense, get-ting their driver’s license meant freedom for these kids. They would have an official ID and be able to go into Anchorage and get a job. It was a big deal.

I have had a lot of close encounters of the bear kind. If I never have to deal with bears again, it would be OK with me. Black bears are like raccoons. They are more annoying than anything, but the browns are what you have to watch out for. No one informed the grizzlies that we are superior.

You run into a lot more mosquitoes around here than you do bears. The mosquitoes are terrible. They will suck you dry.

Every American should fly. We are the ones who invented flying, and it is a very American thing to fly. Go down to your local flight operator and ask to take a lesson. It gives you a different sense of perspective than you can get on flat land.

You can tell a real Alaskan by how many divorces he’s had and how many plane crashes he’s had.

There is no fear involved when you are in a plane crash. As a pilot, you can never stop flying. When our engine stopped, I took it into the trees, and we came to a stop without flipping over or catching on fire. A few were bruised by their seatbelts, but we were incredibly lucky not to catch fire. There was gas everywhere.

Despite how big (Alaska) is, it is really a small town. You can’t go into the airport without running into someone you know.

We need to learn to listen. The biggest problem with people is we are so preoccupied with being attached electronically to someone that we have lost the skill of being still. We need to listen to the whispers and signs of what our heart is telling us to do.

In downhill skiing, they tell you to lean forward. When life gets a little spooky or scary, you tend to want to lean back, which makes it difficult to turn. Lean forward! I try to impress that upon my teenagers. The more people you meet, the more experiences you have, the more books you read, the more you learn, and the less likely you are to get stuck.

program intended to encourage people of outstanding talent to pursue their own creative, intellectual, and professional inclinations.

1994Lisa May Evans (Chase) has been named director of organizational development and legal compliance at Cincinnati State Technical and Community College. In this position she leads the college’s human resources team in the develop-ment of labor and employee relations initiatives.

1997Robin Pelfrey (anthropology) has re-ceived a second Bachelor of Science degree, this one in nursing, from Eastern Kentucky University and is currently employed at St. Elizabeth Healthcare as a care coordinator where he performs utilization reviews and discharge plan-ning for patients. He is also working on his master’s degree in health informat-ics at NKU. Aside from work, he enjoys spending time with his 9-year-old grand-daughter and 3-year-old grandson.

1998Gary MacDaniel (Chase) and his family have relocated to northern Kentucky after living in Mason County, Ky.

1999Dawn Denham (journalism) has recently accepted a posi-tion as the school and com-munity relations coordinator for Boone County Schools.

2001Elea V. Mihou Fox (anthropology) has moved to Louisville, Ky., to assume the role of director of development for natural sciences at the University of Louisville. Elea and her husband, Chris-topher, have a 17-month-old daughter, Violet Sofia.

Michael Laux (Master of Business Ad-ministration) has been promoted to vice president of client services management at Burke, Inc. He joined Burke in 2009 as senior account executive in client services.

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2004Pamela Snapp (accounting) has joined the accounting firm of Van Gorder, Walker & Co.

Evan Springer (anthropology and in-ternational studies), after serving as a Peace Corps volunteer, worked for two of the leading gearbox manufacturers in the world, based in Italy and traveling throughout Europe. Recently he has been accepted to the anthropology program at the University of West Florida where he plans to get his master’s in cultural an-thropology and become certified in GIS.

2005Jeremy Hess (graphic design) is the as-sociate art director at the Integer Group global design firm headquartered in Denver, Colo. He will be marrying Crystal Day ’06 on July 7, 2012, at the Madison in Covington, Ky.

2006Crystal Day (psychology, honors) has received her master’s and Ph.D. from the University of Louisville. She was the recipient of the Stevenson Award for Excellence in Graduate Studies for her Ph.D. work in experimental psychology. She is currently a researcher at Midcon-tinent Research for Education and Learn-ing in Denver, Colo. She will be marrying Jeremy Hess ’05 on July 7, 2012, at the Madison in Covington, Ky.

Michele Gregory Harris (Chase) has been appointed Brown County clerk of courts by the Brown County Republi-can Central Committee. She previously served as the Brown County assistant prosecuting attorney.

2007Teasha Fowler O’Connell ( journalism) and her husband welcomed their daughter, Mary Frances,

December 8. Teasha has also accepted a new position as communications as-sociate for the Music Teachers’ National Association.

Liz Osborne (Spanish and ’09 Master of Community Counseling) received the Outstanding Volunteer Award (recently

NOTABLE NORSE

The Scholar’s ScholarROBIN TRICOLI, COLLEGE PRESIDENT

In an environment surrounded by grasslands, gardens, trees, natural wa-ter sources, and abundant wildlife, Robin Tricoli has found herself far away from her former home in Boone County, Ky. Tricoli (’90) was hired last year as the president of Hiwassee College located in east Tennessee—a fitting position for a woman who has traveled far and wide among top scholars in the United States.

Preceding her role as Hiwassee president, Tricoli held various positions here at NKU, including serving as a member of the Board of Regents that elected President Votruba. From her departure as an NKU faculty mem-ber she went on to work at Fresno State University and, more recently, the University of Georgia, where she served as associate provost for institutional strategic planning. Although Hiwassee College is a small Christian liberal arts college, Tricoli has optimism regarding the transition.

“In many ways it has been a wonderful opportunity and fit for me,” Tricoli says, adding that her education in liberal arts, deeply steeped in communication, have had a dramatic effect on her life and world of work. As Tricoli conducts programs and creates opportunities for sustainability within the Hiwassee community, she utilizes the tools she learned early in her educational career dating back to her years at NKU. “I really felt strongly that that enabled me to be cognitively successful to understand theory and put it into practice.”

Now, at this 400-acre college that sits at the base of the Smoky Moun-tains, Tricoli continues to take opportunities to better higher education. “Students learn differently now,” she says. “We are continually adjusting to make it more interesting, effective, and applied.” —Caitlin Centner

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It’s difficult to picture Chris Heiert sitting at a cu-bicle—let alone sitting at a cubicle stuffing his mouth full of junk food. But that was what became his office lifestyle soon after the NKU grad (’92) arrived at Procter & Gamble in 1999.

“I was eating all the cakes and donuts that people were bringing in every day and putting on the pounds,” says Heiert. “It was pathetic.”

In 2000, he stopped eating those omnipresent treats and started running—a lot. It rapidly became a passion. That passion has led him to run almost a dozen mara-thons, including the 2011 Boston Marathon. And it has led the purpose-driven Heiert to Cincinnati’s City Gospel Mission, where he combines his passions for running and serving the community as the volunteer group-run leader for the Cincinnati Flying Pig Marathon-training Step Forward program.

This spring, Heiert is beginning his fourth year volun-teering with Step Forward, which focuses on educating the men and women in City Gospel Mission’s residen-tial addiction-recovery programs about the critical role physical fitness plays in the recovery process.

Heiert, 41, who is P&G’s marketing director of global laundry, was deeply moved to get involved with City Gos-pel Mission after he read a news story about its Flying Pig training team in 2008. The story focused on a man who had found freedom from drug addiction through run-

Praise of a StrangerCHRIS HEIERT’S QUEST TO SPREAD FREEDOM THROUGH RUNNING

ning.“I was inspired,” Heiert says. “For the first time, maybe

in his life, he heard the praise of total strangers cheering for him at the Flying Pig. I started to wonder: How many other people just need some encouragement from total strangers to have the opportunity to experience success?”

When Heiert made the call to City Gospel Mission he had more in mind than just leading the training program. He also wanted to raise awareness and funds. “I said, ‘Get me the men and women, and I’ll take care of the rest.’”

Heiert has delivered on that promise. He has worked tirelessly to help raise more than $225,000 for City Gospel Mission through securing corporate sponsorships and developing the Sponsor a Runner giving program. Ad-ditionally, Heiert leads training sessions two days a week during the months leading up to Flying Pig weekend and has established a team of committed volunteers from throughout Greater Cincinnati, including Rep. Jean Schmidt (R-Ohio) and NKU alumnus Lance Bucher (’00).

Heiert’s efforts resulted in 152 people joining the Step Forward team in 2011. Heiert, who was featured in Run-ner’s World last year for these efforts, takes pride in the fact that during the course of his three years of volun-teering, every program participant who has started a Flying Pig race has finished it.

“That’s the absolute best part,” he says, “seeing them cross the finish line.” —Jason Williams

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Answering the CallBRENDA MASTIN FINDS GRACE IN TOGO, WEST AFRICA

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At the foot of the clouded West African Danyi mountain range, three degrees from the equator, Brenda Mastin ’05 follows her calling in a lush Togolese village dusted with the sands of the Sahara. There is a custom in this village, when guests head home after a visit, for the host to walk beside them along the way, as a sign of love and friendship. When Mastin first witnessed this custom in 1992 she fell in love with the people of Togo, and she has dedicated her life to serving them ever since as a missionary nurse and educator.

“The Togolese are very gracious, kind, warm, and friendly,” Mastin says. “I’ve had great friendships ever since the first time I set foot there.”

Though she is now fluent in the tribal language of Kabye, Mastin took the first step onto the path across the world in her hometown of Independence, Ky. As a 17-year-old student sit-ting in church, she heard an inspirational presentation by an Indonesian missionary nurse, and in that moment, she says, “God opened my heart to want to give my life away overseas.”

Burning with her calling, Mastin completed her under-graduate degree in nursing before moving to Quebec City to learn French, one of the primary languages of Togo. Then, packing a 20-foot container full with X-ray machines and hospital supplies, she moved to the African country she now calls home.

“When we first got to Togo, we had to drive an hour to get to a phone, and we only had electricity for 10 hours during the

day,” Mastin says. “Now that’s all changed; we have Internet, and we have electricity from the government, but a lot is still the same. The people are still quite poor.”

In the busy Karolyn Kempton Memorial Hospital, Mastin and a preceptor see patients in the clinic who are fighting malaria or typhoid, or men and women who are suffering from hernias brought on by working too hard in the fields. She trains local nurses to work in the 50-bed hospital as well as the nurses who will take the mission into the future when a new hospital is built farther north in 2014. She is also pas-sionate about her HIV/AIDS ministry, traveling to churches and communities to erase the stigma that surrounds HIV and AIDS in Togo.

Mastin earned a master’s degree in nursing education and administration from NKU and is now studying to become a nurse practitioner so that she can do even more to help the impoverished men, women, and children who come to her clinic.

“I love being able to contribute to their health —physically, emotionally, spiritually,” Mastin says. “I love being in the clinic and having that one-on-one relationship with patients. They come back and see you every time.”

Long into the future, Mastin intends to always be there for her Togolese patients —to serve them and to heal them and to walk beside them along the way, as a sign of love and friendship. —Megan McCarty

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renamed the Shelley Sutherland Award) for her dedication to volunteering as a member of the Essential Editorial Board of the Association of Fraternity/Sorority Advisors.

Ryan Potter (public relations), a Verizon Wireless retail sales manager, has been named to the company’s prestigious President’s Cabinet—an honor reserved for those ranking in the top 1 percent nationally in sales during 2011.

Elisabeth Sebastian (social work) re-cently accepted a position with the Alzheimer’s Association as the northern Kentucky branch program manager, and she and her husband are expecting their first child in 2012.

2008Mary Kathleen Bridgette Donnelly (history) received her Master of Public Administration from Northern Kentucky University in May 2011.

David Johnston (Master of Public Admin-istration) was promoted to lieutenant in the Cincinnati Police Department last summer. We regret spelling his name incorrectly in the last issue of Northern Magazine.

Casey Johnson Kramer (marketing) has been promoted to research associate at MarketVision Research, a full-service marketing research firm headquartered in Cincinnati.

Daniel V. Saniel (accounting), navy petty officer 3rd class, has completed the Navy nuclear power training unit course with nuclear power training unit, Ballston Spa, N.Y., designating him as a nuclear power operator.

Stacy Scherder (anthropology) is work-ing for the adult medical program at the Cabinet for Health and Family Services in Boone County, Ky., while pursuing her Master of Social Work with a gerontology emphasis at NKU.

2009Amanda L. Aquino (Chase) has joined the law firm of Murray & Murray Co., L.P.A. as an associate attorney after working as an attorney for Legal Aid of Western Ohio.

Gretchen M. Gauldin (anthropology) is working for a cultural resource manage-ment company as a full-time archaeol-ogy lab technician spending summers traveling and doing some digs with her

company. Gretchen has returned to NKU to get her master’s in public history fo-cusing on museum studies and museum education.

Annie Schmidt (philosophy) is currently a graduate assistant at the University of Cincinnati working on her master’s degree in anthropology. She is explor-ing and translating the contents of the 17th-century French and Algonquian manuscript containing plant descrip-tions and traditional botanical termi-nology pertaining to Myaamia (Miami Tribal community) ethnobotany. She is also working on a certificate in preparing future faculty through the University of Cincinnati graduate school.

Lindsy Sims (anthropology) earned her Master of Arts in Teaching from Texas Women’s University and is teaching at Bullitt East High School in Mt. Wash-ington, Ky.

2010Brandon Hamilton (electronic media and broadcasting) has left his position as traffic reporter at WLWT-TV in Cincinnati to be a special assignment and traffic reporter for KNXV-TV in Phoenix, Ariz.

I received a copy of the fall 2011 Northern Magazine from a friend and an email from another about the mystery photo on the back cover. It’s me! On the left with the plaid shirt. Well, that was fun. I wish I had kept up with computers and laughed all the way to the bank.

Bill Klingenberg

Oh, yeah, I remember at least one of those people—hell, I even remem-ber the computer! The person at the Kaypro, if memory serves, is Dr. Judith Bechtel, who was then probably an assistant professor of English and per-haps the director of a freshman writ-ing program. I’m also going to venture a guess that it was taken in Landrum Hall where the English department was housed in the late 1970s to 1980s partly on the ground floor and the fifth floor.

Throw me a bone and let me know how far off I am. Use the response if you want to or need to fill space. There will be some who will see it and be amazed, or appalled, to know that I’m still alive.

Keep publishing!Darryl PooleDean of Arts and Sciences, 1980–92

The photo on the back page of the fall Northern Magazine depicts me (then Dr. Judith Bechtel, director of composition). I am demonstrating my new Kaypro to a group of compo-sition students whose names I can’t remember. The year is 1982. In that year I held seminars in the student center for composition faculty and their students to give them a pre-view of how word processing would change their approach to writing in the future. At the time faculty had to retreat to the basement of the ad-ministrative building to utilize NKU’s computer facilities—or we could use a regular typewriter in our own of-fices. Portables like the Kaypro were brand new at the time.

Judith Blackburn, Professor Emerita

Longmont, Colo.

Mystery Solved!A reader response sampler platter to our last Mystery Photo!

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Sen. Jim Bunning choked up as he spoke about Tommy Lasorda, calling him a “friend you can always rely on.”

It was one of several emotional moments during “U.S. Sen. Jim Bunning: Baseball and Beyond,” a three-part event that celebrated the Hall of Famer’s donation of his Con-gressional papers and some baseball memorabilia to Northern Kentucky University’s W. Frank Steely Library.

Surrounded by his family, for-mer staffers, and friends, Bunning recounted his days on the mound for the Pittsburgh Pirates and De-troit Tigers and on Capitol Hill in a lecture that capped off the evening. Lasorda, who played and managed in the major league, also shared stories, including spending a night in a Cuban jail because a high-ranking military official bet against his team and his longstanding rivalry with the Cincinnati Reds.

Though Lasorda remembered

Bunning being mean on the field, he and his wife have been friends with Bunning and his wife, Mary, for many years, and Bunning said it was an honor to be able to help induct Las-orda into the Hall of Fame.

Beyond baseball and friendship, Bunning discussed how important education was in his life. When he en-tered college, he was a strong athlete in basketball and baseball. However, his baseball coach encouraged him to pursue his baseball career, telling him he could turn professional.

Soon, the scouts called to offer him a spot in the major league, but his father advised him to finish college. A savvy businessman, Bunning’s father crafted a deal that allowed Bunning to earn $4,000 a year playing profes-sional baseball, but he missed the first three weeks of spring training each season until he completed his degree.

Without an education, he would never have gone as far in life and in politics as he did, he said.

NORTHERN

His papers, combined with those from Reps. Ken Lucas and Gene Snyder and state Rep. James Callahan, give historians a glimpse into 40 years in the Fourth Dis-trict and the people of northern Kentucky, Bunning said. They will be available to scholars in 10 years after they are processed, digitized and cataloged.

“They show what happened, how it happened, and how it relat-ed to the Fourth District,” Bunning said. “It gives people insight into what northern Kentucky is about and what the people in northern Kentucky are about.”

“Baseball and Beyond” raised money to help pay for the process-ing of Bunning’s collection, which requires dedicated staff and spe-cial tools to process. To contribute to this effort, visit bunning.nku.edu and click on “Donate.”

The Perfect

Pitch

To contribute to this effort, visit bunning.nku.edu and click on “Donate”.

SPRING 2012

35

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PARTING SHOT With his wife, Rachel, standing to his right, the newly installed fourth president of NKU, Dr. Jim Votruba, waves to university and community members during one of the president’s first introductory events in 1997. Fifteen years later, Jim Votruba is stepping down from his presidential post, leaving behind a legacy of “up close and personal” leadership.

SPRING 2012

35

Spring or fall? 1970s or 1980s? Does

he catch that Frisbee or not? This

photo raises so many interesting

questions. Such as, since backpacks

have been around for at least a few

decades (Dick Kelty is credited as

the inventor of the backpack in the

early 1950s, but we’re not buying

it), why doesn’t that guy on the left

have one? Those books look heavy.

And also, could everyone jump that

high back then? Or just people with

those particular pants? Finally, who

are these people? We realize these

are tough questions, but Northern

Magazine readers always know the

answers. Please email your answers

to northernmagazine@nku.edu!

Photo credit: Schlachter Archives

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Mystery Photo!