WILDCAT WSU Alumni Magazine | SPRING 2016 Tanya Nolan, BS ’04, M.Ed. ’11 assistant radiologic sciences professor Frankie Ruiz radiologic sciences department THE SCIENCE OF 3-D MEDICAL IMAGING It wasn’t long ago that 3-D printing was the stuff of science fiction. Today it is revolutionizing medicine, especially the field of reconstruction imaging, and students in WSU’s radiologic sciences and dental hygiene departments are learning the technology firsthand. Using special software, students can create computerized 3-D images from CT and MRI scans of, for example, a jawbone (seen in the picture). Those images can then be uploaded and printed three-dimensionally to give students a model to hold and study. “This is an incredible learning opportunity,” said Tanya Nolan, assistant radiologic sciences professor. “Health-care providers will be using 3-D printing more and more to plan for reconstructive surgeries, among other procedures. Our students need to be prepared to utilize the technology, and now they will be.” The purchase of the 3-D printer was made possible through the generous support of the Dr. Ezekiel R. and Edna Wattis Dumke Foundation. weber.edu/radsci WEBER STATE UNIVERSITY News for Alumni & Friends I DON’T ALWAYS WANT TO LOOK AMAZING, WILDCAT Vol. 21, No. 1, Spring 2016 editor in chief Amy Hendricks Creative director Hillary Wallace BFA ’98 Contributing writers Rachel Badali Matt Gerrish BS ’10, MPC ’15 Amy Hendricks Allison Barlow Hess Karin Hurst Jaime Winston designers Emily Caraballo Amy Hajdas Hillary Wallace contributing editors Nancy B. Collinwood BS ’94 Margie Esquibel John Kowalewski Brad Mortensen Amber Robson BS ’05 p hotographers D’Arcy Benincosa Matt Gerrish BS ’10, MPC ’15 Sascha Grabow Joe Salmond Fanny Schertzer Zac Williams BS ’01, MPC ’13 BUT WHEN I DO, I WEAR PURPLE. Comments and questions may be sent to Wildcat, Weber State University, 1265 Village Drive Dept 4025, Ogden UT 84408-4025. The editor may also be contacted by phone: 801-626-7359 or email: magazine@weber.edu. Send address changes to Advancement Services, Weber State University, 1265 Village Drive Dept 4018, Ogden UT 84408-4018, call 801-626-6138 or email giving@weber.edu to update your records. postmaster: Send address changes to Advancement Services, Weber State University, 1265 Village Drive Dept 4018, Ogden UT 84408-4018. n Stay wild my friends, stay wild n Get 25% off one apparel item - with this coupon weber state university board of trustees 2015-16 Alan E. Hall BA ’69, chair Retired Gen. Kevin Sullivan, vice chair Louenda Downs BS ’78 Karen Fairbanks Heather Hales BA ’91, M.Ed. ’06 PR5000000004801 Nolan Karras BS ’70 Cash Knight BS ’14 Scott Parson Steven E. Starks BIS ’03 Jeff M. Stephens BS ’84, MS ’88 weber.edu/wsumagazine | alumni.weber.edu 2314 Washington Blvd., Ogden / 801-626-8820 Open Mon.-Fri. 9 a.m.-6 p.m., Sat. 11 a.m.-5 p.m. CONTENTS 16 Beyond Their Day Jobs Faculty and staff take their hobbies seriously — a photo essay. John Sohl, physics professor 13 Inside a Prison Marathon 37 WSU assistant track and field coach inspires inmates through running. 27 After Rwanda’s Genocide Study-abroad scholarship recipient speaks face to face with survivors and perpetrators of the massacre. 32 Do You Tell Your Kids They’re Smart? Research suggests a different way to praise. What Can You Do With a Psychology Degree? Alumnus Kirk Thor took it to the Pentagon and the NFL. 40 WSU Salutes Outstanding alumni and friends receive recognition. 43 Class Notes Wildcats share their successes and updates. WEBER WATCH Allison Barlow Hess, Matt Gerrish BS ’10, MPC ’15 and Rachel Badali MARKETING & COMMUNICATIONS Helping Hands Two students concocted a sweet idea to ease homelessness in Ogden. As visual design majors and entrepreneurship minors, Isaac Farley BFA ’15 and Nestor Robles BFA ’15 combined their business acumen and creativity to start O-Town Kitchen. The business employs homeless parents from Ogden’s Your Community Connection (YCC) shelter. In the YCC kitchen, they create unique jams and jellies from donated food, with flavors such as tomatillo and lime and root beer. Participants learn to cook, package and market. They also gain valuable interpersonal skills from sales that will help them transition into more sustainable jobs. “The most rewarding part is working with moms who are in tough situations,” said Farley, whose own family was homeless for a time. “I’m doing everything I can to help families who suffer under the same economic challenges that my family did.” HIGHER EDUCATION Engaging Recognition Weber State was among five colleges and universities CIVIC ENGAGEMENT AWARD chosen from nearly 100 nominations to receive a 2015 Higher Education Civic Engagement Award presented by The Washington Center and the New York Life Foundation. The distinction is acknowledgement of WSU’s leadership and innovation in civic engagement as well as its dedication to teaching students through community-engaged learning. Spring 2016 | weber.edu/wsumagazine 5 WEBER WATCH New Graduate Degrees The Utah State Board of Regents approved three new master’s degree programs at Weber State: a Master of Science in Computer Engineering, a Master of Science in Nursing-Nurse Practitioner, and a Master of Science in Respiratory Therapy. The first group of computer engineering students started in fall 2015. Nurse practitioner and respiratory care students will start in fall 2016. Weber State now offers 14 graduate programs. Note Worthy Students in the Telitha E. Lindquist College of Arts & Humanities impressed judges around the nation with their talent. WSU piano student Ling-Yu Lee made history when she won first place at the Music Teachers National Association (Utah) Steinway Young Artist Piano Competition in November. For the third consecutive year, Lee took first place in the most competitive collegiate piano program in the state. For her role as Vivian Bearing in the play Wit, theatre student Shawnee Johnson received the 2015 Distinguished Achievement in Acting Award from the Kennedy Center American College Theater Festival. Graphic design student Kiersten Garner was among the top five winners of the Society of Publication Designers’ 2015 national student design competition. Competing against professional weekly newspapers and other student publications, The Signpost won 10 first-place awards and was named a General Excellence winner at the 2015 Utah Press Association’s winter convention. After winning an invitational tournament in November 2015, WSU Debate achieved its first top 10 national ranking from the Cross Examination Debate Association, a professional organization that promotes and oversees intercollegiate policy topic debate competitions. WEBER WATCH Thanks for the Digital Memories! For years, students at Ben Lomond and Ogden High schools filled scrapbooks with keepsakes, such as award certificates, ticket stubs, newspaper clippings and even an invitation to the White House. Shelved in the high schools’ libraries, the books were exposed to heat and light — conditions that contributed to torn bindings and crumbling pages. Books that were checked out often were returned damaged. WSU Archives & Digital Collections associate curator Jamie Weeks BS ’03 applied for a $51,000 grant from the Utah Library Services and Technology Act to digitize 40 years of those scrapbooked memories. Beginning June 2016, the scrapbooks will be available online at WSU’s Stewart Library Digital Collections, the Mountain West Digital Library and the Digital Public Library of America. Spring 2016 | weber.edu/wsumagazine 7 WEBER WATCH Haircuts for the Homeless A YouTube video of a New York hairstylist giving free haircuts to the homeless inspired Mandie Barnes BS ’14, an Ogden hairstylist, to do the same. She recruited some of the best stylists from Lehi, Utah, to Ogden, to offer their services at the Ogden Rescue Mission Saturday, Dec. 19, 2015. “I feel like a haircut can go a long way for someone,” Barnes said. “A haircut gives people an extra boost of confidence maybe to find a job, or just feel good about themselves for the holidays. Hopefully they’ll just feel better walking out the door than they did walking in.” One gentleman said it did just that. “I feel human again. Thank you so much,” he told his stylist. Visit weber.edu/wsumagazine to watch a video of the Ogden Rescue Mission event. Facebook asks for status updates and new photos every time users log in. According to a study by students in the psychology department, personality traits affect how these features are used. Students worked with assistant psychology professor Shannon McGillivray to survey personality traits and Facebook habits of 194 participants. Interestingly, individuals who are generally more open to new ideas were more likely to unfriend someone as the result of a controversial post. “That was one of the more counterintuitive discoveries we made,” McGillivray said. “It might make sense because perhaps you are slightly more liberal if you score highly on the openness dimension, which means you could take offense to people whose posts are very controversial or derogatory to certain groups.” 8 weber.edu/wsumagazine | Spring 2016 WEBER WATCH Second Chances A new literacy program provides tutoring to Ogden City Drug Court participants. The goal is to help them complete their high school equivalency tests (GED) and prepare for post-secondary education at WSU or a Utah College of Applied Technology institution. Second District Court Judge Mark DeCaria suggested to WSU that many drug court offenders have literacy challenges, making it difficult for them to find meaningful work. Mike Vaughan, director of WSU’s Center for the Study of Poverty and Economic Inequality, approached Gina Shelley, an assistant professor of teacher education, to come up with ideas. Shelley developed curriculum for Project LIFE (Literacy Instruction to Further Education) and recruited WSU education majors to tutor drug court participants. They meet once a week to work on reading, writing, computer literacy and math. The program is now in its second semester. One participant has already enrolled at Weber State, four at Ogden-Weber Applied Technology College, and three are preparing to take the GED. High Schooler's Genome Ingenious At 17 years old, Karissa Wang, a senior at Northern Utah Academy for Math, Engineering & Science (NUAMES), has designed a way to combat drug-resistant bacteria. Her research earned her a spot in the semifinals of the national Intel Science Talent Search. Wang developed her research under the mentorship of Matthew Nicholaou, an assistant medical laboratory sciences professor at WSU. Their work focused on a new gene-editing tool called CRISPRs, or clustered regulatory interspaced short palindromic repeats, which are bacterial immune systems that can be used to edit a genome. Wang was one of 300 students in the country — the only one from Utah — who made it to the semifinals from a pool of 1,750 entrants. As a semifinalist, she received a $1,000 award with an additional $1,000 going to NUAMES. Spring 2016 | weber.edu/wsumagazine 9 WEBER WATCH HOOPS COACHES CELEBRATE MILESTONE SEASONS Time flies when you’re having fun. And for four of Weber’s basketball coaches, the years have done exactly that. Men’s head coach Randy Rahe and associate head coach Eric Duft are in their 10th season, while women’s head coach Bethann Ord and assistant coach Devan Newman are in their fifth. Rahe and Duft have made a significant mark on the men’s program, which was reeling from two consecutive losing seasons when they took the reins in 2006. Nine years, five Big Sky Conference titles and seven postseason tournament appearances* later, the Wildcats are perennial contenders for the top spot in the conference. “It’s been terrific,” said Rahe, who has won Big Sky Coach of the Year honors a leaguerecord four times. “It’s gone by very fast, but I’ve been blessed to have a great staff and wonderful players every year. Weber State and the community are part of our family now.” In every season since Ord and Newman joined Weber in 2011, the Wildcats have won more games than they did the previous year. “It’s been amazing,” Ord said. “The community here, and the people in it, both on campus and off campus have been so wonderful. You feel part of something so special.” *at time of print Students who earn an MBA in the John B. Goddard School of Business & Economics are enrolled in a program that has made Princeton Review’s annual “Best Business Schools” ranking for nine consecutive years. 10 weber.edu/wsumagazine | Spring 2016 Share the love. Did you love making your dream happen at Weber? Tell someone else how they can, too. To submit your future Wildcat referrals, visit: weber.edu/requestinfo Running to Get Back on Track WSU coach helps prison inmates train for, stage marathon, half-marathon and 10K Matt Gerrish BS ’10, MPC ’15 MARKETING & COMMUNICATIONS On a chilly October morning, 40 Utah State Prison inmates filed into the facility yard. Wearing tattered Reebok Classics and prison-issued shorts, the group gathered at the starting line of a thin dirt track where their coach — dressed in a Weber State Track & Field shirt and jacket, with a “Volunteer” ID clipped on his chest — stood waiting. “There will be two commands: ‘Runners, take your mark,’ and then I’ll say ‘go,’” he announced, before sending them on their way, some to run a 10K, some a half-marathon, and some a full marathon. Spring 2016 | weber.edu/wsumagazine 13 As the hours ticked by, WSU assistant track and field coach pretty solid group of guys that Isaac Wood stood trackside, watching, encouraging and were running together,” Wood reflecting on how much these runners had improved since he said. “Each time I went down first met them six months ago. there, I did a 30-minute clinic in a portable classroom Last March, as outdoor track and field season was in full before we’d move outside to swing, Wood was going through his normal morning routine in train for an hour.” his office at Stewart Stadium. He was sifting through his junk mail when he spotted a letter addressed “Attention Running Before the clinics began, Coach.” At first glance, it was a familiar sight. Wood regularly Wood wasn’t sure what to receives letters from parents and coaches of prospective high- expect. His first trip inside school recruits looking for scholarship opportunities. the barbed-wire fence was intimidating. “Somehow the letter ended up in my box, and not in the Photos by Matt Gerrish BS ’10, MPC ’15 head coach’s box,” Wood said. “But I’m also the recruiting “Not too many people get coordinator, so I opened it, and it was a letter from an inmate to walk into a room full of convicted felons with just a guard at the Utah State Prison who described his love for running next to you,” Wood said. “Who wouldn’t be scared? I arrived and how it has changed his life while serving time.” late because of bad traffic, and I had to use the restroom. There are no public restrooms in a prison, so a guard escorted The inmate, Jason Penney, claimed to have lost more than 80 me into the gym, where 80 inmates froze, turned and trained pounds since picking up running. Now he needed help. their eyes on me all at once. That was definitely startling.” After convincing prison administrators to allow a running Despite Wood’s initial impression, the inmates couldn’t have event inside the fences of the Wasatch Facility yard, Penney been happier to have him there. Running on a small track organized a handful of races, including marathons, half- right in front of the facility housing to the tune of heckling marathons and 10K runs, throughout 2013. With participation bystanders was challenging. Having an expert volunteer on increasing at each race, hand to show them the ropes provided Penney was looking for a volunteer to help coach and mentor a small group of runners for another event in October 2015. “The men taking up the challenge of Not too many people get to walk into a room full of convicted felons with just a guard next to you. Who wouldn’t be scared? — WSU assistant track and field coach Isaac Wood distance running do not fit the stereotypical profile of a convicted felon,” the confidence boost they needed. “There have been many times in previous years when I’m out there all by myself, day after day, going around in little circles,” Penney said. “During the summer there was a lot of enthusiasm for the sport with more people coming out and giving it a shot, people that had previously been nervous about trying it without a mentor.” wrote Penney. “We have all chosen running as our avenue to recovery. It has inspired each of us to elevate our lives.” The increased participation is positive, Penney said. “There’s definitely a mental health benefit to this. Depression and anxiety Wood, who has coached at WSU since 2014, was touched in this place are pretty common. Being able to set a goal and by Penney’s passionate inquiry. He saw a chance to help work toward it provides a different blueprint for how to live.” motivated individuals who were in need. As the runners trickled across the makeshift finish line, they After getting the green light from WSU’s head coaches and all had satisfied smiles when they received congratulatory from Utah State Prison authorities, Wood began organizing high-fives from their coach. biweekly clinics in which he provided coaching expertise and personalized training schedules for more than 40 inmates. Wood recognizes that he, too, has benefited from this experience. He would like to continue the clinics in future “The marathons they previously had were pretty unorganized, and Jason was looking for some guidance and training for a 14 weber.edu/wsumagazine | Spring 2016 years if his schedule permits. In addition to coaching, Wood is also working toward talk to me, and people trying to be real tough,” Wood said. “I an MBA in WSU’s John B. couldn’t believe what it was like. The inmates are so humble Goddard School of Business and so thankful that I’m even there. I’m kind of a nobody, and & Economics. the fact that these guys think I’m something, while I feel like I’m getting a great experience myself, is really touching.” “I was expecting a lot of rough-looking characters, and Visit weber.edu/wsumagazine to watch an interview with Wood. people not really wanting to How many laps? Race Miles Prison Laps 10K 6.2 26 Half 13.1 55 Full 26.2 110 TALENT SHOW We see them as professors, department chairs, directors and media experts, but for the talented employees of Weber State University, it doesn’t end there. Outside the classroom, they are artists, athletes, musicians, woodworkers and more. Here’s a look into the little-known pastimes of nine WSU faculty and staff. Jaime Winston and Amy Hendricks MARKETING & COMMUNICATIONS PHOTOS BY D’Arcy Benincosa | VIDEOGRAPHY BY Matt Gerrish BS’10, MPC ’15, Amy Hajdas and D’Arcy Benincosa Visit weber.edu/wsumagazine to see more photos and watch videos of each employee’s hobby. 16 weber.edu/wsumagazine | Spring 2016 THE RESCUER John Sohl, physics professor John has volunteered for Weber County Search and Rescue for 26 years and still recalls the emotion of his first rescue. Terrified as night fell, a young boy who disappeared from home into Taylor Canyon hid in a small cave. Luckily, John heard him crying. Shortly after, the boy was safe in his mother’s arms. “That hooked me,” John says. Today, John is on call 24/7, leading teams to rescue or retrieve those who are lost or trapped in Weber County’s wilderness areas. He participates in 10 to 15 rescues per year and is occasionally called in to help in neighboring counties. John says volunteers are always needed but have to be highly skilled in outdoor activities. “You’re going to push your capabilities to the limits.” Spring 2016 | weber.edu/wsumagazine 17 THE STAINED-GLASS MAKER Stephanie Bossenberger AS ’78, BS ’81, professor and chair of the Department of Dental Hygiene Sun shines through Stephanie’s stained-glass flaming W logo hanging on a large window in the Marriott Allied Health building, bringing a brilliant purple hue into Dean Yasmen Simonian’s conference room. The W is one of Stephanie’s many stained-glass works, which she began creating after taking classes on the art 20 years ago. Her designs also include snowflakes and patterns she created to fit her home’s front door. She cuts and grinds her glass, before applying copper foil and soldering pieces together, in a workshop she set up in her garage. “I was always interested in stained glass,” says Stephanie, who also spends time capturing photos of others’ stained-glass artwork. “It’s something I feel like I can grow older with.” 18 weber.edu/wsumagazine | Spring 2016 THE WOODWORKER Kirk Hagen BS ’77, professor and chair of the Department of Engineering Kirk learned woodworking from his father, Darius, who inherited his carpentry skills from his father as well. Since the late 1970s, Kirk has built on this legacy with his own detailed and intricate furniture pieces. Kirk’s work includes tables, hutches and the grandfather clock in his living room. “That was my summer project,” he says. His workshop reveals hand tools and power tools, a workbench he built and the door he installed that once led to former Weber State President William P. Miller’s office. “It’s nice to have a piece of Weber State history in my house,” he says. While Kirk doesn’t sell his furniture, it’s still very valuable to him. “It gives me a sense of accomplishment when something’s done,” he says. Spring 2016 | weber.edu/wsumagazine 19 THE MARATHONER David Malone, professor and chair of the School of Accounting & Taxation It’s a snowy morning at Pineview Reservoir, and David inhales the crisp, fresh air. The scenery is breathtaking and is one of the reasons he runs. “That field is sometimes filled with sandhill cranes,” he points out, “and there’s a dog down this way that usually greets me.” David ran his first marathon in 2003 and has since run races in 45 of the 50 United States (with only Maine, Connecticut, New York, Rhode Island and Nebraska to go) and on four of seven continents, including North America, South America, Europe and Antarctica. “Running, for me, is about the goal,” he says. “There’s something about crossing that finish line, and crossing beautiful locations off my list.” 20 weber.edu/wsumagazine weber.edu/wsumagazine || Spring Spring 2016 2016 THE SHEPHERD Bob King BS ’84, former media architect for WSU’s Creative Academic Technology Solutions (CATS) Bob and his wife, Jenny, became experts in raising sheep more than 30 years ago, caring for a herd just outside of Ogden that had previously reached over 100 head. The couple met while working at Weber State, Bob in instructional development and Jenny in film and equipment. Currently, they care for about 65 sheep on 10 acres they lease and 10 acres they own. Sheep are sheared for wool; lambs are raised for meat. Retired after 40-plus years at WSU, Bob admits his high-tech job was the “extreme opposite” of raising sheep. While he does use electric-powered shears, Bob also uses old-fashioned scissor-type shears for public demonstrations at local events. “The sheep are just like family,” Bob says. “You get to know them and their characteristics.” Spring 2016 | weber.edu/wsumagazine 21 THE SAXOPHONISTS Robert “Bob” Fudge, associate professor and philosophy program director Jennifer Turley, professor and chair of the Department of Athletic Training & Nutrition Craig Bergeson BA ’91, Spanish professor and chair of the Department of Foreign Languages When asked for the name of their trio, Jennifer laughs and says, “Well, officially, it’s the WSU Faculty Saxophone Trio, but we should really be called the WSU Non-Music Faculty Trio because none of us teach in the music department.” The trio formed a little over a year ago after Bob discovered that Jennifer and Craig were saxophonists. “I remember calling and asking if they wanted to get together and practice,” he says. The answer was an enthusiastic yes. The trio made its professional debut in November 2015, playing The Star-Spangled Banner before a Weber State women’s basketball game. Despite their busy faculty schedules, they carve out time for music. “It’s a wonderful outlet. We love it, so we make time for it,” Jennifer says. Craig adds, “It’s like exercise in a way. It’s hard to find time to do it, but you know it’s good for you, so you just do.” 22 weber.edu/wsumagazine | Spring 2016 THE HULA DANCER Tara Peris-Caputo BS ’08, interim director of Student Involvement and Leadership A storyteller, Tara uses the ancient Hawaiian art of hula to weave beautiful tales of nature, mythology, love, children, religion, celebrations and history. “It’s an art that expresses Hawaiian culture,” she says. “Every detail of a hula dancer’s movement — the placement of her feet, the angle of her hands — is part of telling a story and telling it accurately.” Tara was born and raised in Hawaii. She left the Aloha State 13 years ago to attend Weber State. While Weber brought her to the mainland, hula competitions took Tara all over the world. “If it weren’t for hula competitions, I never would have gone to Japan or Tahiti or across the U.S. It challenged me constantly. Just like every craft, I wanted to do my best, so I practiced, refined and grew.” Spring 2016 | weber.edu/wsumagazine 23 ROAD GAME Couple drives 2,100 miles to cheer on the Wildcats Amy Hendricks, MARKETING & COMMUNICATIONS 24 weber.edu/wsumagazine | Spring 2016 O ver a landline phone at their home in Etters, While the Days support Weber State from the stands, the Pennsylvania, Bob BS ’69 and Nancy Day spiritedly couple backs the university financially as well. talked about Weber State basketball — he on one handset, she on another … “I graduated almost 47 years ago with a bachelor’s degree in political science. That degree opened doors for me,” Bob said. “I’ve always loved watching the Wildcats play,” he said. Nancy chimed in: “To this day he still quotes his economics “As a student, I got to watch (the now-legendary) Willie professor, Kiyotoshi Iwamoto.” There was also H. Aldous Sojourner. He was amazing. I remember an announcer asked Dixon’s history class and Alten Davis’ political science class. him, on national TV, ‘What makes you so good?’ He hesitated “Dixon was such an entertaining speaker,” Bob said. “I often- and looked at his hands and said, ‘I’ve got big hands,’” Bob times found that I had stopped taking notes because I was just recalled, laughing. raptly listening. And Alten Davis, I had such a rapport with him.” Now Nancy, she’s not a “sports person” per se, but even she revels in Weber State hoops. “I get into it. I scream. I yell,” Bob says his reasons for giving are simple. she said. “I loved Damian Lillard BS ’15. That’s not to say he’s the only one I’ve enjoyed watching, but he was just pure joy “I do it because Weber State gave so much to me. I’d also like to follow.” to make sure students who really want a college education get that opportunity. My folks weren’t of great means. I earned That joy is what makes them, every year, pack up their car every penny it cost to go to school,” he said. “I wasn’t an and drive 2,100 miles to Ogden — a five-day excursion if the outstanding high school student. We so often reward the ex- weather cooperates — to watch the Wildcats’ longest stretch tremely talented. I want to make sure that kids who have C or of conference home games. It’s also what has compelled them C+ averages who want to have the college experience, get it.” to drive to games in Wisconsin, Ohio, North Carolina and South Carolina. “Generally speaking, if the Wildcats come anywhere east of the Mississippi River, we’re going to see them,” said Bob, who is retired from a successful career in And maybe a chance to hit a few games, as well. Thank you, Bob and Nancy. federal service. PHOTO BY ZAC WILLIAMS BS ’01, MPC ’13 Spring 2016 | weber.edu/wsumagazine 25 Making Dreams Come True Totals through Dec. 31, 2015 15,684 alumni, friends and organizations have made campaign gifts Providing scholarships Advancing knowledge Enhancing campus 7,223 First-time donors from the start of the campaign through fiscal year 2016 1,987 13,697 President’s Society members Dean’s Club members (donors giving $1,000 or more) (donors giving up to $999) Campaign Progress by Major Units* Gifts and Pledges Alumni $701,900 Library $2,789,800 Social & Behavioral Sciences Student Affairs $3,007,900 $8,738,000 Engineering, Applied Science & Technology $8,805,000 Education $8,945,000 Health Professions Science Athletics Business & Economics Arts & Humanities $9,005,100 $11,681,100 $12,217,600 $12,646,300 $14,192,000 *Does not include gifts that are undesignated or designated for the university in general. Also, some gifts receive shared recognition across units, but are only counted once for campaign totals. We’ve raised: $137 million+ ... and counting! It’s not too late to give to the campaign. weber.edu/give Photo by Sascha Grabow REBUILDING RWANDA One student’s extraordinary journey Karin Hurst MARKETING & COMMUNICATIONS The victims’ bodies are preserved with powdered lye and appear as they did when the killers attacked. Scores of chalk-white corpses in grotesque repose on slatted benches. Some are still clothed, mouths gaped in terror, rosary beads entangled in twisted, bony fingers. Row after row of hacked limbs and bashed skulls. A sickening, silent testament of Rwanda’s grisly, 100-day Tutsi genocide. Spring 2016 | weber.edu/wsumagazine 27 Photo by Fanny Schertzer W eber State University senior Joshua Redhair will never elite Tutsi clan, and a caste system elevated Tutsi status. But forget the shocking images on display at the Murambi it also allowed for social mobility, and in most instances, Genocide Memorial Centre in the Nyamagabe district of ordinary Hutu and Tutsi citizens accepted their positions in southern Rwanda. He toured the site during a 27-day study- life and enjoyed a mutually beneficial exchange of labor. abroad program in the summer of 2015, and says once was Rwanda’s social harmony was shattered after World War I, enough. “At this memorial, you experience the horror in a way when a League of Nations mandate placed Rwanda and its that a film or a book can never prepare you for,” says Redhair. southern neighbor, Burundi, under Belgian administration. “You see a mom holding a baby and a little kid’s shoe covered in blood. And you see how these people died. You see their faces and the machete marks and bullet holes in their skulls.” Twenty-two years ago, before it housed the haunting vestiges of pathological hatred, the Murambi Genocide Memorial Centre was the half-built campus of a technical school perched atop a verdant slope. During Rwanda’s April rains of 1994, throngs of doomed ethnic Tutsis fled their homes and sought refuge inside the structure, hoping to escape the PRELUDE TO VIOLENCE The most divisive legacy of Belgian colonialism in Rwanda and Burundi was an obsession with ethnic classification. Under the misguided notion that Tutsis were racially superior to Hutus, Belgian administrators introduced a national ethnic identification policy. In 1935, people who owned 10 or more cows were registered as Batutsi; those with fewer were registered as Bahutu. “Think organized carnage that was erupting throughout the “land of a thousand hills.” Of the 50,000 It’s hard to imagine why Redhair of the yellow armbands Jews were forced to wear in Nazi to 65,000 people who entered the had any desire to study there. He Germany,” says Redhair, school, only a few emerged alive. points out “No amount of reading for driving a racial wedge Rwanda is a tiny, mountainous, or study compares with being in the between Tutsis and Hutus. the Democratic Republic of the streets where a genocide actually In the 1950s, when Congo, Uganda, Tanzania and happened, and speaking face to face African nation landlocked by Burundi. Original inhabitants were a Pygmy people who with survivors and perpetrators.” now comprise only 1 percent of the population. Over time, two other peoples emerged — the Hutu and Tutsi. They spoke the same language, ate the same foods, practiced the same religion, shared cultural characteristics and intermarried. “There was no blood difference,” Redhair explains. “The division was occupational.” Most Rwandan kings hailed from the same 28 weber.edu/wsumagazine | Spring 2016 who blames the ID cards Rwanda’s independence seemed inevitable, Belgian authorities switched gears. They introduced pro-Hutu socio-economic reforms and changed the electoral process to secret ballot, which gave a huge political advantage to the majority Hutu population. The Tutsi monarch was ousted in 1961, and a year later, Rwanda was declared a republic with a representative government dominated by Hutus. What followed were decades of hostility, government corruption, ethnic purging and civil war. THE KILLING FRENZY BEGINS Against this volatile backdrop, a plane carrying Rwanda’s Hutu president was shot down over the Rwandan capital of Kigali on April 6, 1994. There were no survivors. Although it was never determined who fired the deadly missile, within hours of the crash, the Presidential Guard, along with members of the Rwandan armed forces and militant groups, like the Interahamwe, had set into motion the systematic slaughter of Tutsis and moderate Hutus. Hell reigned in never traveled outside the U.S.) kicked in. “My mouth started watering,” he recalls. “I just knew I needed to go there.” Redhair’s infectious enthusiasm during his time in Rwanda caught the attention of the executive director of Never Again Rwanda (NAR), a national organization that teaches people from different backgrounds how to work together toward a sustainable peace. Redhair was offered a summer internship with NAR, which he will complete this year. He will then head to Brussels, Belgium to begin a graduate program at The University Rwanda for the next 100 days with a controversial lack of international intervention. Armed with government-issued There was a lady who announced, ‘That man killed my husband and AK-47s and other weapons, my children.’ She talked about the Interahamwe established how she came to forgive him, roadblocks and implemented of Kent’s Brussels School of International Studies in the fall. Redhair’s passion for Rwanda is not grounded in the country’s infamous past, but rather, its potential for a peaceful kill lists. Radio stations aired how he now helps her work in and prosperous future. The incendiary messages calling her fields and brings her dinner. political stability for more than for the extermination of “Tutsi cockroaches.” Civilians were handed machetes and told to kill their neighbors or be killed. Hundreds of AIDS patients were released from hospitals and formed into rape squads. Hutu extremists targeted Tutsi men and women for sexual mutilation. By the time Rwandan Patriotic Front rebels, mostly sons of Tutsi refugees who had fled earlier ethnic purges, stormed Kigali in early July and drove the genocidal Hutu regime into exile, as many as 1 million lives had been taken. country has maintained two decades and is making remarkable economic strides, but emotional wounds still run deep within Rwandan society. Orphans, whose parents were butchered, are mired in poverty. Rape victims are raising children conceived in violence, and the ostracized children of Hutu génocidaires are paying for the sins of their fathers. Recovery will take time. “It’s what happens after a genocide that’s most important,” says Redhair. In the wake of Hutu atrocities, there was an urgent need to hold instigators accountable. The United Nations Security ACCOUNTABILITY, FORGIVENESS AND HEALING Council established the International Criminal Tribunal for Given Rwanda’s notorious history, it’s hard to imagine with a bankrupt economy, bulging prisons and the knowledge why Redhair had any desire to study there, let alone that hundreds of thousands of perpetrators needed to be entertain the possibility of living there permanently one brought to justice, the Rwandan government sidestepped legal day. “But most of us who went are interested in genocide formalities and implemented a swifter system of citizen- and careers in international politics,” he points out. “And based justice known as the Gacaca court system. Trusted, no amount of reading or study compares with being in community-appointed judges presided over open trials and the streets where a genocide actually happened, and frequently dispensed shorter prison terms to defendants speaking face to face with survivors and perpetrators.” who admitted their crimes, expressed remorse and sought Redhair, who graduates in the spring of 2016 with a bachelor’s degree in political science, says when he learned that his professor and mentor, Stephanie Wolfe, escorts a group of students to Rwanda every summer to participate in a program called the Peace-Building Institute (PBI), his wanderlust (he had lived in four states and attended 12 different schools by the time he graduated from high school) and spirit of adventure (he had Rwanda (ICTR) in 1995 to prosecute genocide masterminds, but the legal process was prolonged and pricey. Confronted forgiveness from their victims’ families. Public discussions and confessions shed light on previously obscure details of the genocide and brought a sense of closure to people who learned more about their murdered relatives’ final moments. Redhair maintains that Gacaca justice ushered in a level of community healing that seems almost too good to be true. He describes an unforgettable encounter at a voluntary Spring 2016 | weber.edu/wsumagazine 29 reconciliation village. “What that means is the government president of the United States (although in fourth grade, brought genocide survivors and people who committed he memorized all of America’s past chief executives “just the genocide together to live in the same neighborhood,” for fun”). He’s now determined to work internationally for Redhair explains. “There was a lady who stood up during a a nongovernment, peace-building organization because meeting, pointed to a man sitting a couple of rows behind he learned, firsthand, that one person really can make a her and announced, ‘That man killed my husband and my difference at the grassroots level of a developing nation. children.’ She talked about how she came to forgive him, how Wherever Redhair’s next journey takes him, he’ll bring along he now helps her work in her fields and brings her dinner.” an enduring gratitude for the university that opened the It was a pivotal moment that sealed Redhair’s commitment doors of opportunity, and the study-abroad scholarship that to guiding former enemies into a peaceful coexistence. helped make it possible for him to walk through. “College IF YOU GIVE A STUDENT AN OPPORTUNITY Redhair “cried like a baby” when he had to leave Rwanda. His experiences there broadened his sense of service, added a real-world dimension to his university education and altered his career path. He no longer wants to be is not what I thought college was going to be … in a good way,” Redhair grins. “My family always says, ‘There’s not another college that would have been as good to you.’” Sources: pbs.org/video2365248019; genocidememorialscga.harvard.edu/murambi.html; rwandanstories.org; neveragainrwanda.org; bachersblog.com/marumbi-genocide-memorial; rwandaembassy.org; theguardian.com/world/rwanda Each semester, dozens of Weber State students have to say no to study-abroad opportunities because they can’t afford them. Having more scholarships available could change that situation. When generous donors open their hearts and their pocketbooks, a student’s dream can take flight. 30 weber.edu/wsumagazine | Spring 2016 There’s still time to support Dream 125: The Campaign for Weber State. Visit weber.edu/give or call 801-626-6194. Need printing? We can help! 500 PRINTED ENVELO PES NOW SERVING CAMPUS, ALUMNI & FRIENDS OF WSU • 801-626-6107 • email: printing@weber.edu • 7:30 a.m.- 4:30 p.m. Monday - Friday 100 CUSTOM EMBROIDERY BUSINESS CARDS S tarting at Starting at $3.99 $18.99 S tarting at $99.99 SCREEN 1-COLOR -SHIRTS T N O G N I PRINT S tarting at $4.99 Spring 2016 | weber.edu/wsumagazine 31 Can a small difference in the way we encourage children create adults who persevere? Amy Hendricks MARKETING & COMMUNICATIONS Joe Salmond PHOTOS BY 32 weber.edu/wsumagazine | Spring 2016 J onathan Taylor’s junior year at Weber a confirmation State University was absolutely of intelligence, disastrous — in his opinion, at least. personality, or “I made two whole C’s,” he says, sipping character. Every hot coffee in the Social Science building situation is on a windy October Wednesday. He evaluated: Will I and his classmates chuckle. The six succeed or fail? of them — it’s a small psychology Will I look smart practicum — are sitting in a circle in or dumb? Will I Room 378. They’re friends. You can be accepted or tell by the good-natured banter. David rejected? Will I Stewart, sitting across from Jonathan, feel like a winner jokes, “I would have thought, ‘Great, or a loser?” those are two classes I don’t have to Fortunately, take over.’” And they all laugh again. through the help of a counselor, THE POWER OF YET But when Jonathan says, “I seriously Jonathan re-evaluated his way Weber State psychology instructors and ended up going to the counselor of thinking. “I knew I needed to practicum coordinators Melinda Russell- because of those two C’s,” they become more open to what I now Stamp and María Parrilla de Kokal nod in understanding. They’ve know to be a growth mindset.” call children “active little scientists.” been studying mindsets, and they According to Dweck, people with “If you go with what [developmental know that behavior is typical of growth mindsets believe abilities can psychologist] Jean Piaget thought about someone with a fixed mindset. be developed through dedication and cognitive development, kids have Psychologist Carol Dweck, a Stanford hard work. “Brains and talent are this incredible curiosity,” Parrilla de University professor and pioneering just the starting point,” she writes. Kokal says. “Biology plays a role, and researcher in the field of motivation, In other words, the more they the environment plays a role, but the explains what that is in her book practice, the more they learn fact remains that they’re exploring.” Mindset: The New Psychology of Success: and the smarter they get. While people with fixed mindsets “In a fixed mindset, students believe Dweck’s years of research show believe they are born with a certain level their basic abilities, their intelligence, that students who have growth of intelligence, Parrilla de Kokal says she their talents, are fixed traits. They have mindsets exhibit greater motivation believes environment plays more of a a certain amount and that’s that.” in school, earn better grades role in how children develop mindset. In other words, they’re born smart or and score higher on tests. “For example, when a child is struggling they aren’t. If they aren’t, they believe But how can teachers and parents with math, we as parents say, ‘It’s no amount of hard work or effort will encourage growth mindsets? Praise because you just aren’t a math person, make them smarter. People with fixed effort, not talent, at an early age. and you get that from me, it’s in your mindsets often make genes,’ we’re telling remarks like “I’ll never the child that their be able to do this” or “I intelligence is fixed, don’t have the genes that it can’t be just too dumb. I quit.” Fixed Mindsets: Growth Mindsets: “That type of mindset is • Avoid challenges • Embrace challenges math,” she says. damning,” Jonathan says. • Fear failure “What if we instead Dweck agrees. “Believing • Give up easily • View mistakes as part of the learning process for this” or worse, “I’m that your qualities are carved in stone creates an urgency to prove yourself over and over,” she writes. “Every situation calls for • Ignore constructive feedback • Feel threatened by the success of others —Traits defined by Carol Dweck • See effort as the key to mastery • Learn from criticism • Feel inspired by the success of others grown, that they’ll never be able to do said, ‘You can’t do that math problem, yet.’ Emphasis on the yet. We’re then telling them that, through hard work and lot of IQ testing. Professor Dweck talked children about the worksheet they practice, they will be able to do it.” about how, after IQ tests, they’d tell went over the week before titled “Yet” is a word Dweck stresses in students that their brains could change “You Can Grow Your Intelligence.” her research. In a video lecture and grow if they worked hard. I thought “Remember last time we talked about hosted by Stanford, she reported on that was incredible. She talked about the the brain and how it can grow if we a case study that was performed results and the benefits, and that stuck exercise it, just like a muscle?” Russell- on 10-year-olds. After being given with me. I think it also stuck because I Stamp asks. The kids remember. Allen problems that were too difficult to grew up with a fixed mindset. ‘I can’t’ has reminders all over her classroom solve, some reacted positively, others becomes so ingrained. I thought it would — on bulletin boards and posters. catastrophically, even saying they be wonderful to expose children to a “Well, today we’ll show you how.” would go so far as to cheat the next growth mindset at a much younger time to make sure they looked smart. age. Plus, children love to learn about the brain. It’s a big mystery, after all.” “[For those who reacted negatively], Allen splits the class into two groups — one forms a circle with Etta and Ashley, the other with David and Jonathan. their core intelligence had been That’s why the Weber State psychology Every child is given a notecard with a tested and devastated. Instead of the practicum students have been different question, and they take turns power of yet, they were gripped by volunteering at local schools and youth interviewing each other and recording the tyranny of now,” Dweck says. organizations — to teach children their answers. It goes like this: that intelligence can be developed During the study, the children’s brains through hard work, practice and even were also monitored. The brains through mistakes and failures. of the children who had more of a IN THE CLASSROOM growth mindset were “on fire,” Dweck says. “They were processing the error It’s a Monday afternoon in October deeply, learning and correcting their at Washington Terrace Elementary errors. The brains of the children with School. Jonathan and David, along more of a fixed mindset showed no with classmates Etta Chavez and learning. So the questions become, Ashley Allan, file into Tina Allen’s BS ‘How are we raising our children? ’03 third-grade class, their arms laden Are we raising them for now or yet? with games and activities. “Why do Are they focused on the next ‘A’ or you have a shoe in your pocket?” a boy are they focused on dreaming big asks David. “I have too many shoes and and what they can become?’” Russell-Stamp, a former school psychologist, heard Dweck present at a conference. “In my previous job, I did a What’s your favorite movie? Spiderman. How many brothers and sisters do you have? Three. What’s your favorite food? Pizza. After everyone has had a turn, they mix up the cards and hand them back out. “Now, you ask your question,” Jonathan tells the first student, “and your neighbor will respond with the answer on the back of his card.” How many brothers and sisters do you have? Spiderman. not enough feet,” he answers, grinning. What’s your favorite movie? Pizza. “You’ll see in a little while,” he adds. What’s your favorite food? Three. Russell-Stamp and Parrilla de Kokal Hilarity ensues. are there, too. They remind the A DIFFERENT WAY TO PRAISE Consistently praising a child’s intelligence — saying “You’re so smart!” for example — can actually make them anxious and ill equipped to handle mistakes, Dweck says. Here are some different ways to praise your child. The dialogue sounds strange, but give it a shot. The key is to be specific. See if it changes your children’s attitude about the challenges they face. Instead of Try this • Good job! • I like the way you kept trying, even when it was hard. • You got an A! • All of that practice and extra effort really paid off. • You’re so smart! • You’ve worked hard in school. Look where it got you! • You’re a great artist. • I like the way you incorporated color and how beautiful your lines are. • Math just comes naturally to you. • Now that you’ve worked hard to understand that concept, let’s try something more challenging. • You’re a great athlete. • All that extra time practicing free throws really worked, didn’t it? You really helped your team. “Now, just because we don’t always Allen has partnered with have the right answers doesn’t mean Weber State for 10+ years we’re not smart,” Jonathan says after on various educational the children stop giggling. “It’s OK to projects. In 2014, however, have a wrong answer sometimes.” instructors Parrilla de “Can we do that again?” one Kokal and Russell-Stamp student asks. shared Dweck’s growth But the next task waits. mindset research with her. That’s when they decided It’s a video clip of the animated movie to take the partnership Big Hero 6, the one where Tadashi, in a new direction. an inventor, is desperately trying to get Baymax, the health-care robot he created, to work. He fails over and over — 84 times, to be exact — before Baymax functions properly. “I knew a little about the mindset theory, just from being in an educational setting, and I’ve been doing some mindset “What can we learn from Tadashi?” of effort and difficulty. It used to activities in my classroom for many Ashley asks. “That making mistakes mean they were dumb, now it meant years,” Allen says. “But when we met to is OK. It’s how we learn. And that we they had a chance to get smarter.” discuss it and plan ways to incorporate should never give up,” she says. it into my classroom more, I was really Which finally brings us to the shoe in excited because it fits my own beliefs so David’s back pocket. He and Ashley well. I believe how well you do in class “I have one little girl who was going both take turns tying the shoe — Ashley depends on how you feel about yourself, to resource, and she had no idea she the normal way, David in two swift and that can affect your entire life.” could get out of resource until she flicks of his finger. “Are you Houdini?” Parrilla de Kokal and Russell-Stamp one student asks, wowed. “No,” David hope to gather data and analyze laughs. “Ashley ties shoes one way. I tie how the growth mindset theory has shoes another way. One way is a little affected Allen’s class. Dweck has seen faster, but neither is wrong. We just positive results in schools where tie shoes differently, and that’s OK.” growth mindsets are encouraged. A TEACHER’S PERSPECTIVE “One teacher took her Harlem Allen has seen improvements in her students, too. saw another child do it,” she says. “I told her she could if she worked hard. She put in so much effort after that. She had a goal, and she realized she could do it with effort.” But what about children who aren’t struggling academically? kindergarten class, many of whom “We talk a lot about the mindset of could not hold a pencil correctly, to children who are behind, but fixed the 95th percentile,” Dweck reports. mindsets can happen to children “When one of your students cries “Another teacher went back to her who are already successful in because it’s the last day of growth Native American reservation in the school. They can have an ‘I’m better mindset training with Weber State, you state of Washington and transformed than everybody’ mentality. That, to know they’ve enjoyed it,”Allen says. the elementary school in terms of a me, is just as bad,” Allen says. It’s now December, and there’s only growth mindset. It had always been “When those children reach a point four days left until the kids go on their at the bottom of the district, at the where they do start to struggle — and holiday break. They should be happy, bottom of the state. Within a year-and- we all struggle at some point — it’s but one little boy obviously was not. a-half, the kindergarteners and first devastating for them. My brother was “The Weber State students generate a graders were at the top of the district a perfect example. He always did really lot of excitement for my kids. They’re at reading and reading readiness. well in school, and it wasn’t until he at that age when they think college That district contained affluent got into Calculus 2 in college that he kids are just so cool,” Allen says, sections of Seattle, so the reservation started to struggle. He felt like a failure. laughing. “But more importantly, the kids outdid the Microsoft kids. He couldn’t bend. That’s why I believe Weber State students truly do get “They did it because learning a growth it’s so important to start encouraging them excited about working hard.” mindset transformed the meaning growth mindset at an early age.” Allen has been more than happy with the results. Spring 2016 | weber.edu/wsumagazine 35 Allen believes children need to necessarily make kids stop, but we Parrilla de Kokal says the mindset struggle to be successful. can add the word ‘yet.’ That helps theory does not diminish the fact that “They need to be challenged,” she the child they’re talking about, but it some people have a natural disposition says. “There always needs to be a ‘next makes the child saying it think, too.” toward something, but even those thing,’ a next level that’s hard for them. Parrilla de Kokal had an anecdote just people have to put in a lot of effort. “I If they are allowed to struggle, they’ll for that. don’t have the pipes Beyoncé does,” she be much more well-rounded adults.” “What came to mind — as pathetic as TEAM SPIRIT it is — if you remember Sleeping Beauty, and this is a loose association, just says, smiling. “I will never sing like she does. But I can certainly sing better than I currently do if I wanted to go through the effort of doing that. If I don’t try An unexpected result has been stay with me,” she tells her laughing that Allen’s class is now much psychology students. “It’s the scene more team-oriented. of baby Aurora’s christening. The evil “It’s more cooperative,” she says. witch wasn’t invited. Mad, she tells “We want our kids to hope they can “If someone is struggling, we the king that Aurora will one day hit do better, to try to do better, to try new talk about what we can do to get the spindle of a spinning wheel and things. Beyoncé sure tried. Michael all of our team to the next level. die. They couldn’t change that she did Jordan sure tried. He didn’t even make There’s never just one star.” that, but the good fairies altered her his high school varsity basketball spell. Instead of dying, she would sleep, team on the first try, but his failure then Prince Charming would come motivated him to work harder and get and rescue her. For our purposes, it’s better. Steve Jobs got fired from his own like that. We’re the good fairies. We company, only to be rehired later and can’t undo what is said, but we can become incredibly successful. These change it so it has a positive outcome.” are great lessons for our children.” Jonathan says that’s something he had hoped to see. “Sometimes kids can say things that are, for the most part, unintentionally cruel. They’ll say things like, ‘That student can’t read’ or ‘He can’t do that.’ We can’t because I’m afraid I’ll be a loser, I may never know that I actually can sing. READY. SET. GO. A Weber State University MBA put Riley Cook on the right track. “Everything I learned in my MBA correlates perfectly with my work.” —Riley Cook BS ’07, MBA ’11, cost analyst at Hill Air Force Base A solid education has helped Riley also achieve work-life balance. Today, he is married with three daughters, and still finds time to train for his next goal: competing in the Olympic Trials marathon (see more about Riley’s latest running achievement on page 50). The Weber State University MBA is: • A sound investment, combining outstanding faculty, innovative curriculum and affordable tuition weber.edu/weberMBA • Designed for the working professional, one evening per week with supplemental online learning • Flexible, allowing students to switch between full- and part-time anytime Psychology OF LIFE Jaime Winston MARKETING & COMMUNICATIONS Kirk Thor took his WSU psychology studies to the Pentagon, NFL and top of the corporate ladder. TAKE OFFS AND LANDINGS Sometimes it’s our setbacks that allow us to discover our true paths. Much like flying planes, psychology was a part of Thor’s formative years. When he was 15 years old, Thor held a custodial job in the surgery ward at a hospital in Ogden. “I was doing that one night when somebody was admitted to the psychiatric unit who had smuggled in a knife,” he said. “They called a code Kirk Thor BS ’88 graduated blue, which meant any male could go to the location and help from Bonneville High School with a problem. So, I dropped my mop, and I went up there.” with scholarships in tennis, engineering and leadership. “I had my choice of Brigham Young University, Colorado State, Air Force Academy, Weber State, University of Utah and Utah State,” said Thor, listing a handful of the schools that offered him admission. But it was an easy choice for the athletic, upand-coming undergrad: He wanted to fly. Thor’s father, Robert Kent, was a fighter pilot for 10 years and later an airline pilot for 35 years, allowing him to see the world at a young age. “Growing up, I lived in Germany, Iceland, California, Colorado, Utah, Maryland, Virginia and Washington, D.C.,” Thor recalled. But unlike the Norse god who shares his name, Thor didn’t take to the skies. After seeing Thor calm the situation by talking to the patient, a psychiatrist at the hospital asked Thor to become his assistant in the psychiatric ward. Before starting college, Thor worked in the psychiatric wards of four hospitals in the Ogden area. ARMY MEETS NFL Thor’s career has included stints at Walt Disney World, where he ran the organization development team, and JCPenney, where he was vice president of talent management, but the work he’s asked about most often was at the Pentagon and later consulting for the NFL. While earning his master’s degree in organizational effectiveness and doctorate in industrial psychology at George Mason University, Thor spent five years working After following his father’s footsteps to the Air Force Academy, at the Pentagon, developing psychological assessments to Thor suffered a football injury that kept him grounded. “When recruit soldiers for special operations. “These groups go I hurt my knee, I lost my pilot qualifications, and I got an behind enemy lines and operate in live-fire conditions,” Thor honorable discharge from the Air Force,” Thor said. When he said. “You would think that they would need to be expert was ready to return to school a year later, he landed at Weber marksmen and have all of these military combat skills and State College. expertise, but that was only the foundation.” “None of the other schools would honor my scholarships,” Operations also called for soldiers who were collaborative, Thor said. “But Weber State complex problem solvers and able to did; they said, ‘We still want you.’ They were still willing to take a chance on think clearly in life-or-death situations. “People who pay money me. I will always owe them to put themselves in for that.” situations where they Thor’s Weber State would die unless they save education paid off. In 1988, Having been through his own Air Force Academy training, Thor knew training exercises wouldn’t determine if a candidate could stay focused in a fatal situation. “We had to crawl under barbwire, and there were explosions all he earned his bachelor’s themselves [are] the types degree in psychology, of people who operate very Thor recalled, “but we knew the country well in live-fire situations.” was not going to kill us. We knew we were which set him on a path toward prominent positions at Walt Disney World, the Pentagon, consulting for the NFL and - Kirk Thor around us and tires flying up in the air,” in training at a military academy.” So, how could he measure a soldier’s performance when the bullets were real? his current role as vice president of talent management and “The answer is extremely simple,” Thor said. “We found that organization effectiveness at Flowserve Corporation in Dallas, people who pay money to put themselves in situations where which manufactures pumps, valves and seals. they would die unless they save themselves were the types of people who operated very well in those live-fire situations.” 38 weber.edu/wsumagazine | Spring 2016 Ideal candidates included skydivers, spelunkers, ice climbers, of each player’s physical abilities and tendency to engage hang gliders and other recreational risk-takers. in troublesome activities off the field. “Are you greedy? Do While working at the Pentagon, Thor and several colleagues you have self-control? Can you delay gratification? Are you developed the idea to consult for the NFL. Once, while waiting impulsive? What kind of temper do you have? All of these are for data to come in on special operations candidates, they things we have found cause people to make bad decisions off began drawing parallels between soldiers in special operations the field and get into fights,” Thor said. and professional athletes. “Both of them are operating in these Thor is proud of his work with the NFL. “There’s not a lot of stressful conditions with a low margin of error, where you people like us out there who have met everybody who plays in have to operate cohesively as a team and you have to deliver the NFL,” Thor said, “and I’ve had the opportunity to shake just results,” Thor said. about everybody’s hand.” In the 1990s, led by Thor’s colleague Robert Kilcullen, the THE FUTURE’S BRIGHT group approached the Washington Redskins about analyzing players. After testing every player, two were flagged for Beyond psychology, Thor spends his time riding Harley- delinquency and tendency to engage in poor behaviors. “We Davidson motorcycles and fighting for animal rights. gave them the feedback, and they told us promptly that those “I raise critically endangered tortoises to try to bring back were two of their best players in spring camp and not to call, populations that are on the verge of extinction,” he said. He’s but they would if they needed us,” Thor said. also on the board of directors of the SPCA of Texas, an animal The group left their experiments with the Redskins feeling rights organization that throws fundraisers to benefit animals. rejected, but received a call two weeks later. But whether it’s analyzing NFL players or raising tortoises, “They said one of those two people had put their star running Thor stresses the importance of following a passion. “Weber back in the hospital because they got into a fight, and that State has given me a lot of skills and abilities, and I need to he just lost it,” said Thor. The Redskins were sold on the find ways of using them, not to just selfishly promote myself consulting business, and the next year, the Philadelphia in my career, but to give back in a way that makes the world a Eagles asked for their services. The following year, nearly the better place,” he said. entire NFC East division took an interest. “Before we knew And he has a message for current psychology students: “Don’t it, we were attending the NFL Scouting Combine, testing the listen to people who tell you psychology is a difficult area to student-athletes who were invited,” Thor said. “Now, 15 years get into that doesn’t have a bright future,” Thor said. “I can’t later, I’ve gone to the combine 15 times.” tell you how many times people told me, ‘If you’re that good at The consulting business assists about 20 NFL teams, looking math, why in the world would you go into psychology? That’s for players who are able to study playbooks and memorize never going to give you a great future.’” them, are willing to listen to coaches and apply feedback, Working with the NFL and overseeing a team of 30 people at and don’t feel the need to be the center of attention for every Flowserve, Thor continues to prove them wrong. play. They combine those characteristics with measurements Spring 2016 | weber.edu/wsumagazine 39 Salutes WSU 40 alumni.weber.edu | Spring 2016 WSU Salutes 2015 honorees: left to right Back row: Ariana Escalante BS ’09; Brad Wilson BS ’93; Rick Fairbanks; Ed Freestone BS ’67 and Carol Freestone BS ’65 Front row: Karla K. Bergeson; Karen Fairbanks; Parker Shaw; Amina Khan AS ’14; Robert C. Newman BS ’66 See next page for biographies. Photo by Robert Casey Spring 2016 | alumni.weber.edu 41 Salutes WSU { DISTINGUISHED ALUMNUS } Brad Wilson BS ’93, a member of Utah’s House of Representatives, is the majority assistant whip and sits on nine legislative committees. He was a strong ally during Weber State’s recent efforts to secure state funding for high-priority campus improvement projects. Wilson is a member of the university’s National Advisory Council. He is the president and CEO of Destination Homes. { OUTSTANDING YOUNG ALUMNA } Ariana Escalante BS ’09 has appeared as a model, spokesperson, host and vocalist in national broadcasts, including the Emmys, and has performed at Bellagio Las Vegas and The Kennedy Center. She hosts RockStar Dreams, an online magazine that features major and emerging artists. While at Weber, Escalante was involved with the Center for Community Engaged Learning and still volunteers at nonprofit organizations. { DISTINGUISHED SERVICE } Rick and Karen Fairbanks promote the development of Ogden City, Weber County and Weber State University. In 2009, the couple received the prestigious Wall of Fame Award from the Ogden-Weber Chamber of Commerce. Karen is a member of WSU’s Board of Trustees. Rick serves on the university’s National Advisory Council and investment committee, and is an advisor to the John B. Goddard School of Business & Economics. The couple has generously funded scholarships and has attained membership in WSU’s Lifetime President’s Society. { EMERITI ALUMNI LIFETIME ACHIEVEMENT } Ogden OB-GYN Robert C. Newman BS ’66 delivered an estimated 6,000 babies during his 34-year career and was named a Weber County Doctor of the Year. He was the first Weber State student accepted to medical school after the college achieved four-year status. Newman has volunteered as an adjunct lecturer at Weber State and led 10 humanitarian excursions to Mali, Africa, to provide free surgeries and other medical services. Newman and his wife, Eleanor, served an LDS church mission to South America, where he was the Brazil-area medical adviser. 42 alumni.weber.edu | Spring 2016 { LEWIS W. SHURTLIFF AWARD FOR CONTRIBUTIONS TO EDUCATION } Karla K. Bergeson, a 1983 graduate of BYU’s School of Law, but an “Ogden girl” at heart, arranged to honor her mother and aunt by creating a scholarship in their names at Weber State University. She recently turned that scholarship into an endowment within the Jerry & Vickie Moyes College of Education. Bergeson has served on WSU’s National Advisory Council since 2014. { EMERITI ALUMNI HOMECOMING ROYALTY } Former student leaders Ed Freestone BS ’67 and Carol Freestone BS ’65 are tireless champions of their alma mater. Carol financed part of her college education by working in Weber State’s art department, dean of student’s office and student union, while Ed put his voice to work singing the lead in the college’s first grand opera production of Carmen. Both Freestones have served as president of the Emeriti Alumni Council. Carol spearheaded efforts to organize a 1960s alumni reunion, and she and Ed participate in Weber State Day at the Utah Legislature. { STUDENT HOMECOMING ROYALTY } Sophomore Parker Shaw works as a WSU development specialist and is leading the push to raise $25,000 in student donations for Tracy Hall Science Center. An Admissions Ambassador, he is also an interpreter for Spanish-speaking patients at the university’s dental hygiene clinic. Amina Khan AS ’14 is the social media marketing director for the WSU Student Association and has helped plan multiple events for the organization. As a participant in the Alternative Spring Break program, she traveled to Las Vegas to tackle community service projects there. To view biographical videos on each of the honorees, or nominate outstanding individuals for the 2016 WSU Salutes awards, visit alumni.weber.edu/wsusalutes. CLASS NOTES A L U M N I U P D AT E S grandchildren and three great-grandchildren. ’50s At the age of 81, Vern W. (Will) Call AS ’54 Donald G. Lochhead AS ’52 retired in 1994 as Davis School District’s curriculum supervisor. He previously worked as a counselor, English teacher and tennis coach, and taught English as a Second Language for the U.S. Information Agency in Tripoli, Libya. Donald was a representative for the Davis Education Association and the National Education Association. He was honored as an Educator of the Year. He and his wife, Louise, live in Bountiful, Utah, and have three children. L was appointed principal and chief administrator of Mikuni International College in Yuzawa, Japan. Vern is married to Mayumi Mukai Call BS ’72. A Gordon E. (Dutch) Belnap AS ’56 is a former Weber State athletic director. He also coached basketball at Weber High School and Utah State University. In the 1960s, Dutch was general manager of the Ogden Dodgers under Tommy Lasorda. The Utah Sports Hall of Fame Foundation honored Dutch with the Coaches of Merit award in 2001. He now serves on the foundation’s board. Dutch lives in Ogden, and has three children, eight grandchildren and six great-grandchildren. Roydon O. (Rod) Julander AS ’53 was a longtime Weber State political science professor. He received many awards, including WSU’s H. Aldous Dixon Award and Crystal Crest Professor of the Year. Rod was a Utah state senator from 19701974, and is a lobbyist for the National Association of Social Workers’ Utah chapter. He serves on WSU’s Emeriti Alumni Council. He and his wife, Paula, live in Salt Lake City. He has four children, 11 Association and copresident of the International Reading Association. A Girl Scout volunteer, she was selected to attend a leadership conference in Washington, D.C., and was a staff member for state and national leadership experiences. Frances and her husband, Richard, live in Ogden. They have three children and five grandchildren. A A A 37-year teacher, mostly in the Weber School District, Frances Carr Bush AS ’61, was a building representative for the Utah Education L Lifetime Member of the Alumni Association A Annual Member of the Alumni Association Member of the Alumni Association’s 125 Club A A teacher, Janet Hobbs Kappes BS ’68 spent time Dean T. Hughes BS ’67 has written more than 100 historical novels and children’s books. A retired English professor, he and his wife, Kathleen Hurst Hughes BS ’66, live in Midway, Utah. Kathy is a retired Provo School District teacher and administrator. She continues to serve on various boards and committees. Dean and Kathy, former WSU Emeriti Alumni Homecoming Royalty, have three children and nine grandchildren. ’60s Team (CERT) volunteer on the city and county levels, and is also a member of the Weber County Sheriff’s Amateur Radio Emergency Services team, Red Cross and National Rehabilitation Association. Dewey has a Master of Public Administration degree from BYU. He and his wife, Karen Hirst Dipoma M.Ed. ’97, live in Ogden. Dewey L. Dipoma BS ’68 retired as information systems manager from the Utah Office of Rehabilitation in 2003. He is a Community Emergency Response at Hillcrest Elementary in Ogden, and at Isonville Elementary and Clearfield Elementary in Kentucky. She was an adjunct professor at Weber State and also taught at Morehead State University in Kentucky. She volunteers for Rowan County Schools and her church. Janet and her husband, Keith, live in Morehead, Kentucky, and have eight children and 16 grandchildren. L David M. (Mac) Stevenson BS ’68 was an art teacher for the Weber and Ogden school districts, and a recipient of the Art Teacher of the Year award. A professional artist, Mac is a founding member of Ogden’s Spring 2016 | alumni.weber.edu 43 Gallery 25. His work can be found in private collections in 38 states. In 2009, he received the [Ogden] Mayor’s Award for the Arts. Mac received a Master of Fine Arts from BYU. He and his wife, Ann Brunetti Stevenson AS ’68 , live in North Ogden, Utah, and have six children and 20 grandchildren. retired staff member of McKay-Dee Hospital, Ogden Regional Medical Center and Davis North Hospital. Tom serves on WSU’s Emeriti Alumni Council. He and his wife, Shawnee Harrop Austad BS ’70 , have five sons, three daughters and 27 grandchildren. A ’70s A A A Steven Carter BS ’70 worked as a corporate project manager for ITT, in management services in the Los Angeles office of Ernst & Young, and had corporate responsibilities in the U.S., Puerto Rico and Far East for Intel. As CEO of his own consulting company, he developed a food safety software program for food and beverage processors. Ecolab hired him to market this program to corporate customers throughout North America. Steven founded the WSU Alumni Band in 2001 and the Mount Ogden Brass Quintet. He is married to Lynne Draney Carter BS ’70 . They have two sons and nine grandchildren. Steven currently serves as president-elect/ vice president of WSU’s Emeriti Alumni Council. Thomas R. Austad BS ’71 practiced podiatric medicine and surgery at the Foot and Ankle Clinic in Roy, Utah. He is past president of the Utah Podiatric Medical Association and 44 A A A owner and president of Belliston Jewelry. He serves on WSU’s Emeriti Alumni Council. Dean and his wife, Jerri, have five children and 14 grandchildren. A Richard T. (Dick) Brown BS ’72 was an art and James C. Hinckle BS ’76 retired from Utah’s Jordan School District as a teacher and administrator. He is now the transportation director for the Mount Vernon School District in Washington. James and his wife, Julie, live in Mount Vernon. They have two children and two grandchildren. Judith (Judy) Pugmire Mitchell BS ’73 was an alumni.weber.edu | Spring 2016 Ralph B. Johnson BS ’74 is a retired English teacher, coach, principal and school board member. In 2011, the Utah Sports Hall of Fame named Ralph a Distinguished High School Coach. He owns and operates a cattle ranch in Randolph, Utah. He and his wife, Brenda, have three sons, two daughters and eight grandchildren. graphic design instructor in the Weber School District, and an art director/creative director for several advertising agencies in Salt Lake City. The Utah Advertising Federation honored him as the 2010 Advertising Professional of the Year. Dick also won six Obie Awards for best outdoor advertising in the U.S. He is a member of, and serves, the LDS church. Dick and his wife, Lonna Brown, have four children and seven grandchildren. They serve on WSU’s Emeriti Alumni Council. elementary education professor at Weber State, where she earned Crystal Crest Alumna of the Year and the Friend of Family Literacy Award. Judy also directed WSU’s Master of Education program and chaired the Department of Elementary Education. She is a member of the WSU Storytelling Festival executive committee and WSU’s Emeriti Alumni Council. She chairs the Ogden City Landmarks Commission. Judy has three children and five grandchildren. Dean L. Belliston BS ’74 is the longtime A MJ Quinn BA ’76 published the books Max & Lydia ... & Rob and Max & Lydia ... & Rob, Too. He lives in Stamford, Connecticut. ’80s A Ted K. Godfrey BS ’81 is a self-employed attorney in Ogden. He previously served as an Ogden City public defender, Roy City prosecutor, attorney for Richards & Godfrey, P.C., You blazed a trail. Now, have them follow. The Alumni Legacy Nonresident Scholarship allows out-of-state children and grandchildren of Weber State alumni to attend WSU and pay in-state tuition, a savings of $4,000 per semester. alumni.weber.edu/legacyscholarship Spring 2016 | alumni.weber.edu 45 e h t g ! Brin e m o h s n o i t i d a tr WSU FOUNDED IN 1889 Utah folk artist Eric Dowdle has captured the heart and history of Weber State in Wildcat Traditions. Get your keepsake PUZZLE or PRINT for $18.89. Also available u Canvas gallery wrap u 3-D shadow box u Framed giclée print u Be-Part-of-the-Art personalized artwork u 500-piece wood puzzle alumni.weber.edu/dowdle partner for Harris & Petroni in Reno. Chris is a member of the Utah State Bar, State Bar of Nevada, American Bankruptcy Institute and the Northern Nevada Bankruptcy Bar Association. He lives in Minden, Nevada, and has two children, one grandson and one granddaughter. and temporary smallclaims judge. He is a member of the Weber County Bar and Utah State Bar, bankruptcy section. After graduation, he participated in Weber State’s Young Alumni Council. He and his wife, Angie, live in Ogden and have five children. A Chris D. Nichols BS ’81 is an attorney/partner for Minden Lawyers. He previously was an attorney of counsel for the Harris Law Practice in Reno, Nevada, and also worked as an attorney/ 46 L Ogden Rotary, Funeral Service Foundation and Foundation for Hospice Northern Utah. He previously served on the National Funeral Directors Association board. Shaun is president of the LDS church’s Ogden Utah Stake and chair of WSU’s College of Social & Behavioral Sciences’ Advancement Board. He lives in Ogden with his wife, Christina. Shaun S. Myers BS ’82 is president of Myers Mortuaries. He is a past president of the WSU Alumni Association and Wildcat Club, as well as the Mt. alumni.weber.edu | Spring 2016 A Michelle (Shelley) Favero Bennett BS ’83 is a vocal accompanist (pianist) for Suzanne Thorup’s Vocal Studio in Cottonwood Heights, Utah. Previously, she was an elementary teacher at Peruvian Park Elementary and a literacy volunteer coordinator at Canyon View Elementary. She also volunteers for the Millie’s Princess and Tyler Robinson cancer organizations. Shelley and her husband, Marc, have three children and three grandchildren. Laurie Bonnell Stephens AS ’83, BS ’85 is the owner/producer of Reel Legacy Media Productions in Ogden. She serves on the WSU Alumni Association Board of Directors. Laurie and her husband, Paul B. Stephens ’86, have two daughters. Paul is the audiovisual director for Webb Audio Visual in Ogden. and a member of the WSU Alumni Association Board of Directors. He and his wife, Rachel, live in Layton, Utah. A investigator for the Salt Lake County district attorney’s office. He is a retired special agent for the Utah State Bureau of Investigation. Craig and his wife, Brenda, live in Kamas, Utah, and have three children. Khosrow Shotorbani BS ’85, president and CEO of TriCore Reference Laboratories, received the 2015 G2 Intelligence Laboratory Leadership Award for Distinguished Service during the national G2 conference for the strategic medical laboratory industry. In his current position, Khosrow is at the forefront of efforts to use lab medicine to improve patient outcomes and reduce cost of delivery. A ’90s A Association of Certified Public Accountants. She previously owned Susan Speirs and Associates. Susan is a member of multiple organizations, including the American Institute of Certified Public Accountants (AICPA), American Women’s Society of Certified Public Accountants, and the Utah Council on Financial and Economic Education. In 2011, the AICPA named Susan an “Experienced Woman to Watch.” She has two children and one grandson. She and her husband, Steven, live in Kaysville, Utah. Richard A. Black AS ’96, BS ’97 is an application infrastructure manager for Zions Bancorporation, managing the database administration and middleware engineering teams. He lives in Roy, Utah. Mark L. Balboni BIS ’87 is L A Randolph A. Meyer BS ’90 is a senior management analyst for the U.S. Department of Defense, where he previously worked as an accountant and auditor. During an overseas assignment in Germany, Randy helped with the Desert Storm logistics movement to Iraq. He is a member of the American Society of Military Comptrollers and was president of the organization’s local chapters in Germany and Barstow, California. Randy lives in Yucca Valley, California. Susan A. Speirs BS ’85 is CEO of the Utah BioMarin Pharmaceutical’s senior director of Good Manufacturing Practice compliance. He is responsible for internal and external audit programs. Mark is a threetime marathon finisher Craig W. Hicken AS ’87, BIS ’99 is a lieutenant L Cheryl J. Lewis Castner AS ’97, BS ’99 is president THERE FOR YOU As You Move Your Career Forward … The Alumni Association now offers career webinars to help you: • Build your resume • Interview effectively • Manage your job search • And more! and CEO of Educational Environment Consulting. She develops curriculum for kindergarten through university-level classes. Lifetime Member of the Alumni Association Annual Member of the Alumni Association Member of the Alumni Association’s 125 Club alumni.weber.edu/careerspeakers Spring 2016 | alumni.weber.edu 47 Accountants. She is vice president for Georgia’s chapter of the National Association of Certified Valuators and Analysts. Paula is a member of the Golf for the Kids Board of Directors. She has two children and lives in Lawrenceville, Georgia. She is a member of many organizations, including the International Interior Design Association and Association for Supervision and Curriculum Development. She is a Phi Kappa Phi honor society member. After studying educational environments abroad, she now lives in Ogden. Cheryl has a son and daughter. Lori McCrary Brinkerhoff BS ’99 is a city council member for Hooper, Utah, serving Districts 3 and 6. She is president of the Weber County Republican Women. Lori is also a mother, professional volunteer and advocate for legislative issues that pertain to public education and its funding. She and her husband, Cole, have four children and three grandchildren. Michael L. Crowton BIS ’97 is the owner of Crowton Dental in Ogden. He received his doctorate from Virginia Commonwealth University. Mike serves on the board of directors for WSU’s Alumni Association and the Ogden Breakfast Exchange, and on the dental advisory board for Ogden-Weber Applied Technology College. He is president of the Weber District Dental Organization and the Dental Research/ Education Association. He and his wife, Emily Gladwell Crowton AS ’96 , have four children. L Clint Costley BA ’98 is the director of business development for KIER Construction. He is a member of the Weber School Foundation and WSU Alumni Association boards. He and his wife, Jamie Skeen Costley ’00, have three children and live in Plain City, Utah. Paula S. Sands BS ’98, MAcc ’98 is a controller for Layer 3 Communications. She was previously a manager for Marsh & McConnell, P.C. and a senior manager for Brady, Ware & Schoenfeld. Paula is a member of the Georgia Society of CPAs Leadership Council and American Institute of Certified Public 48 A Justin Jensen AA ’99, BS ’00 is an area manager for Cogentix Medical. His professional achievements include the President’s Club, Conventional Wisdom, First In Class, and Results Plus awards. Justin volunteers for the Utah Food Bank, Tour of Utah and his church. He is a member of the WSU Alumni Association Board of Directors. Justin and his wife, Kathi Wade Jensen BS ’00, live in Syracuse, Utah, and have four children. Marcus Slease BA ’99 is featured in the 2015 edition of Best British Poetry. He has published eight poetry books, the most recent titled Rides, and his work has been nominated for a Pushcart Prize. Marcus is an assistant English professor at Richmond American University in London. He previously was a lecturer at the University of North Carolina at Greensboro, alumni.weber.edu | Spring 2016 management studies at the U.S. Military Academy at West Point. Bryant and his wife, Teresa, have three sons and live in Pleasant View, Utah. where he received his Master of Fine Arts in creative writing. Marcus also earned a Master of English from Western Washington University. Christopher A. Wood BS ’02, who played ’00s A professional basketball in Europe for seven years, is now a motivational speaker. He wrote a book titled One Mailbox @ a Time: Your Step by Step Guide to Success. Chris lives in East Chicago, Indiana. Jennie Pope Mercer BS ’00 is an engineering lab technician for Moog Medical Devices Group. She previously worked for ClearOne as a quality assurance technician. Jennie and her husband, Kadin, live in Centerville, Utah. Carl G. Merino BS ’01 is chief of police for the city of Roy, Utah, where he leads a 40-member force. He previously served on the Roy force and also with the Salt Lake Police Department. Carl has SWAT experience and is an FBI-certified bomb technician. He served six years active and reserve duty with the U.S. Marine Corps and was in the Air Force Reserve for 27 years. Carl and his wife, Theresa, live in Layton, Utah, and have four children. Justin B. Purcell AA ’02 competes as an amateur and professional in Strongman and Powerlifting competitions, and has ranked in the top 30 in the U.S. since 2010. He is a franchise operator for General Nutrition Center, and he also owns Pumpology. Bryant S. Thompson BIS ’02 is an assistant business administration professor for WSU’s John B. Goddard School of Business & Economics. He previously was an assistant professor of leadership and L Joshua X. Pulido BS ’04, GC ’05 is a senior strategic marketing manager for Hologic. He previously was a global product manager for Bio-Rad Laboratories and a laboratory automation supervisor for Intermountain Healthcare. Josh belongs to the American Society for Clinical Laboratory Science and Clinical Laboratories Standards Institute. He and his wife, Tanisha, live in El Cajon, California. Andrea Southwick Burk ’05 is the owner and innkeeper of Snowberry Inn Bed & Breakfast in Eden, Utah. She previously worked for Nutraceutical in Ogden as a business analyst. A culinary artist, she also has worked as a baker, barista and caterer. Andrea has one son. After starting as an intern in the Federal Aviation Administration’s (FAA) Collegiate Training Initiative in 2005, Tiffany I. Cheney BS ’05 was soon offered a full-time position as an air traffic systems specialist. She was promoted in 2013 to her Everyone has a Weber State Hero. THAT HERO COULD BE YOU. SUPPORT SCHOLARSHIPS by purchasing or participating in: • Alumni Association memberships • WSU license plates • Entryway bricks • Wildcat Traditions products • Alumni Golf Classic Through the generous support of alumni and friends, the Alumni Association has awarded more than $323,000 to 234 deserving students over the past five years. Learn more, and find out how you can sponsor a WSUAA scholarship, at alumni.weber.edu/scholarships • Wildcat Art Spring 2016 | alumni.weber.edu 49 Dress up your walls. Help a student with tuition. The WSU Alumni Association Art Sale features pieces, some signed, by beloved Weber State art professor Farrell R. Collett and alumnus David W. Jackson BFA ’74. Prices range from $15-$50. / Proceeds benefit student scholarships. alumni.weber.edu/wildcatart current position, program support specialist. Tiffany is a member of the Professional Aviation Safety Specialists Union. She lives in Sunset, Utah. G. Cory Duclos BA ’06 is the director of the Keck Center for Language Study at Colgate University in Hamilton, New York. He earned a master’s degree in Spanish from the University of Nevada, Reno, and a doctoral degree in Spanish from Vanderbilt University. Riley Cook BS ’07, MBA ’11 won the 2015 Altra Top of Utah Marathon with a time of 2 hours, 32 minutes, 9 seconds. His goal is to qualify for the 2016 U.S. Olympic Track & Field Trials. Cook is a cost analyst at Hill Air Force Base. He and his 50 wife, Amy Cook BS ’09 , have three daughters. Shelby Walford Hale BS ’07 owns Shelby Hale LMT, where she is a licensed massage therapist. She and her husband, David William Hale BS ’13 , live in Plain City, Utah, and have a son and daughter. A retired NFL offensive lineman, David works for the sports medicine division of the Stryker Corporation. Karsten R. Longhurst BA ’07 is director of choral studies and assistant music educator coordinator at Northwestern Oklahoma State University in Alva, Oklahoma. He previously was an awardwinning choral director at Ogden High School. alumni.weber.edu | Spring 2016 consultant for Barclays Bank. Jason earned a Master of International Affairs from Columbia University and received several fellowships. He lives in Kyiv, Ukraine, with his family. A professional tenor, Karsten has worked with artists Marie Osmond, The Rolling Stones and more. He is a member of the American Choral Directors Association and National Association for Music Educators. He and his wife, Danielle ’10s Blaisdell Longhurst BA ’04, live in Alva with their four children. A While helping startup companies expand into new global markets, Jason Stout BA ’07 also co-founded the nonprofit organization No Poor Among Them. He was a U.S. Peace Corps volunteer in South Africa, a partnership development director at Child Rescue Association of North America, a Kiva Fellow, and a political risk Tyler J. Lathem BS ’10 is a system administrator for Integrated Data Services. He lives in Ogden. Maryam Ahmad AS ’11 graduated from California State University Sacramento in May 2014 and is a first-year student at the University of California Hastings College of the Law. Sarah Ahmad BS ’11 Torrance, California. After six months, he was transferred to the San Francisco Bay area, where he worked with Toyota’s northern California business operation until May 2015. He and his wife, graduated from the University of Utah School of Medicine in May 2015 and is completing her internship at Intermountain Medical Center in Murray, Utah. She will begin her neurology residency in Palo Alto, California, at Stanford University in July 2016. Brittny Welch Budge BA ’10, live in South Bend, Indiana, where Matthew is working on his MBA at Notre Dame. They have one son. is a research specialist for the California Faculty Association. She chairs the Sacramento chapter of the American Civil Liberties Union. Adam T. Staples BS ’12 Jessi L. (Falkowski) Done BS ’11 is the director of and guitarist for Utahbased band Son of Ian. He lives in Salt Lake City with his wife, Petra. They have one child. is a study director III for Nelson Laboratories. He lives in Taylorsville, Utah. Trenton J. McKean BS ’14 is the lead singer laboratory operations and compliance for UST Manufacturing. She previously worked for Nelson Laboratories. Jessi is a member of the American Society for Quality, American Society for Microbiology and the American Herbal Products Association. She and her husband, Timothy Done, live in Ogden with their three children. A Chase J. Burch BS ’15 is camp director for Windells Camp, which offers year-round action sports programs in Mt. Hood, Oregon. He previously was a store manager for Zumiez and served as the Dumke Law & Ethics research assistant in WSU’s Goddard School of Business & Economics. Colby R. Peterson AA ’11 is an associate development director for WSU’s John B. Goddard School of Business & Economics. He previously worked for AmeriCorps Vista. Colby lives in Roy, Utah, with his wife, Kristen Hall Peterson AS ’10. After completing the Toyota Motor Sales, USA management training program, Matthew W. Budge BA ’12 was employed at Toyota’s corporate office in L A Kaden Howell BS ’15 works for the Utah Jazz in promotions for the Cyprus Interactive Team. He previously worked for MarketStar and Enterprise Rent-A-Car. L CALL of the WILDCATS THE Tessnim Ahmad BS ’12 Funds raised by phonathon student callers support scholarships. Please pick up. Corbin J. Standley BS ’15 is a research analyst for the Huntsman Cancer Institute in Salt Lake City. He serves on the NU-HOPE Suicide Prevention Task Force. Lifetime Member of the Alumni Association Annual Member of the Alumni Association Member of the Alumni Association’s 125 Club Spring 2016 | alumni.weber.edu 51 Non-profit Org. U.S. POSTAGE PAID Permit No. 151 SLC, UT 1265 Village Dr. Dept. 4025 Ogden, UT 84408-4025 5 $12 6 million and counting … Weber State University has raised more than $137 million, surpassing its original goal of $125 million. But we’re not stopping there. You can still help us make students’ dreams come true by donating to Dream 125: The Campaign for Weber State. weber.edu/give