Champlain View Spring 2014 - Champlain College

1 Champlain View | Spring 14

SPRING/SUMMER 2014

THE FINNEY YEARS

Meet DonalD laackManChamplain’s Next President

SlopeSiDe careerSSki & Ride Enthusiasts

Fulbright ScholarRula Quawas Empowers

rapiD prototypingMakerLab Goes Live

looking back on an era oF DraMatic change

A SpeciAl Section:


Groundbreaking for the new Center for Communications and Creative Media in March.

Daniel M. BoardmanRobert D. BotjerDawn D. BugbeeGeorge C. BurrillScott D. CarpenterJeffrey C. CroweThomas V. S. CullinsLaura P. DaganMolly DillonMary Evslin

David F. FinneyJoan L. GignouxCharles KittredgeSusan W. Lamaster ‘88Neale F. LundervilleDale R. Metz ‘76Michael M. MetzEmily MorrowMark NeagleyJudith W. O’Connell

Dr. Kenneth PalmMary G. Powell (Chair)Dr. Peter Stern (Vice Chair)David P. Stiller G’12Michael J. Sullivan, Jr. ‘90Richard E. Tarrant, Jr.Sarah G. TischlerLeandro A. VazquezDavid W. Winslow, Jr. ‘00

2013-14 Champlain College Board of Trustees

2 The Finney YearsA special section looking back on the many accomplishments of President David F. Finney at Champlain College. 4 By the Numbers 6 Robin Abramson7 Academic Divisions8 Study Abroad11 Campus Changes 12 Centers of Excellence 13 Sustainability 14 Past Presidents 16 Student government17 Board of Trustees

18 President-Elect Meet Donald Laackman

CONTENTS

CONTRIBUTORS WritersKayla Hedman ‘14Abigail Clark ‘13

PhotographyStephen MeaseKathleen Landwerhle

DesignKayla Hedman ‘14Tom Baginski

Class NotesElizabeth Scott

EDITOR Stephen Mease Director of Public Information & [email protected] (802) 865-6432

ADVANCEMENT Vice President of AdvancementShelley Richardson

Alumni Relations DirectorHannah Campbell

Annual Giving Director Sarah Bunnell

Major Gift OfficersChris Bernier, Moneer Greenbaum, Sarah McLane, and Erik Oliver

Contact InformationSend letters and address changes to:

Champlain College Office of Advancement 163 South Willard St., P.O. Box 670 Burlington, VT 05402-0670 [email protected] / (866) 421-7170

Champlain View is published twice a year (spring and fall) by Champlain College. Printing: Queen City Printers Inc., Burlington, VT. Founded in 1878, Champlain College is an Equal Opportunity Educational Institution.

Online at www.champlain.edu/view

SPRING/SUMMER 2014VOLUME 13, NUMBER 1

On the cover: Champlain College President David Finney celebrates after handing out the last diploma at the 2014 Commencement ceremony. Photo by Stephen Mease.

FEATURES20 Slopeside CareersOne of the attractions of Champlain College is its great nearby skiing and riding. Meet some students who turned their passion into a snow-related career.

OF SPECIAL NOTE24 Fulbright Scholar 26 Champlain Wellness27 Champlain MakerLab 28 Admissions on Rise 29 Meet Mark Zammuto31 Elevator Pitch 201434 Class of 2014 35 Alumni Awards 36 Class Notes and Profiles

Champlain View | Spring 14 1

PRESIDENT’S LETTER Greetings from the Hill,

…one last time. It is bittersweet to be writing my final introduction to the Champlain View.

As I reflect over the past nine years, the one overwhelming feeling I have is that of gratitude. It has been a joy to be here at Champlain and to see the College begin to come into its own. Certainly we have grown and become better known. We are riding a string of record admission years as our reputation grows. Our full-time faculty have nearly doubled in number. Our graduate programs are now a significant part of the operation, and Continuing Professional Studies—while growing and robust—is on the cusp of truly great things. Academically, we have never been so strong. The quality of preparation that our students receive puts them in high demand from employers. In fact, literally dozens of companies have told me that they prefer Champlain grads to all others. Their readiness to work and understanding of how to work distinguish them.

Over this past decade, Champlain’s importance to Burlington, and indeed Vermont, has grown. A significant number of companies are highly dependent on the College for their employee recruitment. This includes larger local companies such as Dealer.com and MyWebGrocer as well as numerous smaller companies in the area, such as Logic Supply. To see the College become a more important source of talent for these companies has been gratifying.

Part of our local impact also has to do with facilities. We have been busy implementing the College’s master plan; trying to “rightsize” Champlain for our 2,000 traditional students. Student residences Lakeview, Adirondack, and Juniper have been added on campus. This summer will see the opening of two more—Butler and Valcour Halls. In addition, students have benefited from our leased housing at Spinner Place in Winooski and Quarry Hill in South Burlington. Perry Hall has had a major impact on how visitors perceive Champlain. The Miller Center at Lakeside Campus provided much-needed space for administrative functions as well as for the Emergent Media Center and the Sen. Patrick Leahy Center for Digital Investigation. The Metz Barn, part of the Perry Hall project, added cutting-edge digital studio space. And ground has been broken on the spectacular new Center for Communications and Creative Media. This physical plant transformation, while emblematic of Champlain’s tremendous momentum, has also

added jobs to the Burlington economy. This important piece of our strategy has led to better educational facilities and also to Champlain’s greater competitiveness.

While I take great satisfaction in all that has been accomplished, perhaps what I appreciate most about my time at Champlain is what has not changed. It is still a small college where individuals matter. Faculty and staff get to know students well. It goes way beyond just knowing a name—at Champlain we get to really know the person. Champlain remains a true learning community—where faculty and students are bound together in discovery. It is what many colleges promise. At Champlain, we deliver on this, and the impact on our students is profound. It has been, and remains, our secret sauce!

As I take my leave from the College, I believe Champlain to be well positioned for the future. With leadership shifting to Don Laackman’s highly capable hands on July 1, I am very confident the College will continue becoming more excellent. I intend to watch and cheer enthusiastically from the sidelines!

President David Finney; his wife, Sabine; and his daughter, Lauren, were at the Vermont Statehouse on April 22 to receive a Vermont Legislature resolution honoring his leadership and service to Vermont.

Ground was broken in early March for the new Center for Communications and Creative Media. It is expected to open in fall 2015. Dr. David F. Finney

President


THE FINNEY YEARS

Think back to 2005...you just walked onto campus from Maple Street and hear someone talking about Core, LEAD, “Appreciative Inquiry,” “education in 3-D,” and an “upside-

down curriculum” to someone heading to class. Not quite sure what they are talking about, you shrug and head off to your class.

Now, fast-forward nine years to today, and join us in this special section as we look back and reflect on the man who took those strange-sounding concepts and wove them into the daily fabric of Champlain College.

He is a transformative leader, who, with the help of an enthusiastic team of faculty, staff, board of trustees, alumni, parents, community supporters, and most importantly, students, never lost his focus on making Champlain College “the finest small, professionally and globally focused college in the United States.”

Story and photos by Stephen Mease

AN ERA OF DRAMATIC CHANGE AT CHAMPLAIN

FINNEY YEARS

Stephanie J. Owen of Williston, Vermont, picks up the last 2014

undergraduate degree—a BS in Business Administration from

Champlain President David Finney at the 136th Commencement on May 3.

BELOW: President Finney welcomes

the incoming Class of 2014 in August 2010.


Continued on page 5

In his role as President, David Finney has worn many hats; met with diverse audiences, friends, and supporters; and posed for countless photos.

President David F. Finney, the College’s seventh leader since its founding in 1878, is the man who

never lost his focus, even in the face of the economic challenges of the Great Recession, worrisome demographics pointing to fewer high school graduates in years to come, and persistent questions over the real value and increasing cost of higher education.

To those who listened closely to President Finney’s inauguaral speech in November 2005, none of Champlain’s accomplishments, programs, or successes since that day should come as a surprise.

Everything in Finney’s background, from his childhood growing up on a farm in rural Pennsylvania, to being the first in his family to attend college, to his string of successes at New York University in growing the division of continuing education, increasing enrollment, developing study abroad programs, and working in financial aid, marketing, and planning, would directly contribute to his transformation of Champlain College beginning in 2005.

The mission, as he outlined it, was to reinvent the core liberal

arts education curriculum, increase diversity and inclusion, teach financial sophistication and life skills to students, increase financial stability for the institution, and stay on the emerging side of technology to best serve students in their lifelong careers.

That whirlwind of ideas brought about so much change that in less than a decade, Champlain’s distinctive model for education is now percolating well beyond Vermont. Among its peers, Champlain is seen as a leader in meeting the needs of students, employers, and community leaders.

The debate over how to fix what ails much of higher education is just getting started in many arenas, but Champlain clearly has a jump on getting things right for a new world and is positioned for success when President Finney retires on June 30 and his successor, Donald J. Laackman (see story, page 18), takes the reins the next day.

THE EARLY YEARS

During Finney’s first year, the faculty passed a new Core Division curriculum that took a broad-based interdisciplinary approach to traditional courses like English, history, and the social sciences. It set the stage for global educational opportunities, coordinated classes with professional studies professors, and taught students to question and learn in a new way using a discussion-based format.

A groundbreaking concept—requiring students to leave college financially literate, able to understand credit reports, refine their resumes, and volunteer in the community—became the Life Experience and Action Dimension (LEAD) program. Early on it received national attention from the New York Times for being unique, and it continues to gain


FINNEY YEARS


President David Finney shares a laugh with Dean of the Core Divison Betsy Beaulieu, Provost Robin Abramson, and former Vice President of Student Life Kay Kennedy in 2009 on the steps of the Miller Information Common before the start of orientation on Aiken Lawn.

Champlain College celebrated 50 years on the Hill in 2008 with a neighborhood celebration and a major history display in the IDX Student Life Center’s Argosy Gymnasium.

Continued from page 3

Continued on page 9

attention at other colleges and universities that hope to emulate the success. Adding to the effort is the Champlain College Center for Financial Literacy, which brought the conversation about improved money management skills at all stages of life to a national audience.

Finney’s long-term vision for the College encompassed creating a master plan for new buildings, residence halls, and landscaping, and studies in the economic impact of the College on Vermont’s economy were commissioned.

A 10-year planning road map, the “2020 Strategic Plan for Champlain College,” was developed collaboratively with all stakeholders to define the College’s priorities and focus efforts to strengthen academic excellence, student life, career opportunities for students, financial stability, and staff competencies, and to increase diversity and inclusion.

With many innovative programs in place, efforts to brand and market the College were ramped up to tell Champlain’s stories nationally and internationally. Thanks to a new award-winning website, redesigned marketing

materials, and energized social media and public relations, the great stories of Champlain were finding new audiences. This also helped drive admission applications to new heights and fueled enrollment growth in Continuing Professional Studies and graduate programs.

As ideas and concepts became reality, more full-time faculty were added, graduate program offerings increased, and scholarships for underserved populations like single parents, new Americans, and

in-state first-in-their-family Vermont college students were funded.

GOING GLOBALThe need to offer global

perspective to students took the College north to Montreal, Quebec, to open an international campus. Another quickly followed in Dublin, Ireland. Most recently, a business internship program and an MFA in Emergent Media program started in Shanghai, China. More than half of Champlain’s undergraduates now study abroad.

Finney knew that employers see the value of educating graduates for a future in which they are responsible citizens in their community and are able to work as part of a team, think critically, and have an entrepreneurial spirit that brings innovation and meaning to their lives and work.

The Build Your Own Business (BYOBiz) program puts entrepreneurial-minded students on the fast track to finding their skills and honing their startup experience.

The Appreciative Inquiry Champlain Summit in August 2011 solicited the input of the


TRANSFORMING THE CHAMPLAIN CLASSROOM

Champlain College Provost and Chief Academic Officer Robin Abramson has handed out

her share of honorary degrees, but in mid-April, she received a few of her own, recognizing her special talents from friends and co-workers at a “thank you” reception held in her honor.

Abramson announced in February her plans to step down as of June 30 to take a yearlong sabbatical from Champlain and then return to the classroom as a professor of science in September 2015.

A search for her successor began in March.

“Robin has determined that, with the change in presidents at the College, the opportune moment for her to step down has arrived. Her decision is one with which I disagreed. I have not, however, been successful in deterring her. She is very much looking forward to a more relaxed pace after a spectacular run as provost and chief academic officer,” President David Finney told the campus community.

He cited Abramson’s significant strides in academics and her accomplishments in nearly eight years in the academic leadership role.

“Champlain has been strengthened and improved because of her leadership and commitment. She is a fierce advocate for faculty and students and always is looking for ways to improve Champlain. Her unwavering commitment to excellence has provided the steady vision needed to move the College forward. Simply put, we would not be as well positioned as we are today without Robin’s leadership, commitment, and wise counsel,” Finney added.

Abramson, who lives in South Burlington, has been with Champlain College for 18 years, serving as interim provost, interim dean of the Division of Information Technology & Sciences, and the College’s math and science coordinator. She has also been a professor of biology and the director of Champlain’s former overseas program in Israel.

She earned a doctorate in cell and molecular biology from the University of Vermont and her undergraduate degree in biology from the State University of New York at Binghamton. Her research work has included a postdoctoral research fellowship for the American Heart Association of Vermont.

Provost Robin Abramson helped cut the ribbon last fall on the BYOBiz opening of The Lodge, an on-campus student-run coffee shop, with owners Lindsay Knebel ‘15, Secondary Education major, and Jeremy Collins ‘15, Filmmaking major.

FINNEY YEARS

ABOVE: The President’s Cabinet in 2012 knew how to have fun.

AT RIGHT: A celebration in honor of Robin Abramson’s time as provost and chief academic officer of Champlain College included the presentation of several “honorary degrees” by her friends and colleagues, as well as a specially crafted graduation gown and hood.

Robin Abramson to Step Down as Provost, Return to Teaching


Robert P. Stiller School of Business: Led by Dean Wesley Balda, the SSB offers a complete set of business skills with majors in Accounting, Business Administration, International Business, Management of Creative Media, Management & Innovation, and Marketing.

Information Technology & Sciences:Led by Interim Dean Tom Mann, ITS offers cutting-edge workplace majors in Computer and Digital Forensics, Computer Information Technology, Computer Networking and Information Security, Computer Science and Innovation, Game Programming, and Radiography.

Communication & Creative Media: Led by Dean Paula Wiloquet-Maricondi, CCM offers majors in Broadcast and Streaming Media, Communications, Creative Media, Filmmaking, Game Art and Animation, Game Design, Graphic Design and Digital Media, Professional Writing, and Public Relations.

Education & Human Studies: Led by Dean Laurel Bongiorno, EHS offers community-focused majors in Criminal Justice, Psychology, Legal Studies, Environmental Policy, Early Childhood/Elementary Teacher Education, Middle School Education, Secondary Teacher Education, and Social Work.

Academic Divisions

Life Experience & Action Dimension: The Life Experience & Action Dimension (LEAD) began in 2008 to provide practical, financial, and interpersonal life skills to help students create and enjoy a well-managed, thoughtful, and meaningful life as an active member of their community. The program earned the attention of the New York Times for its emphasis on ensuring that students graduate from Champlain with the financial know-how to handle signing a lease, planning for retirement, and managing their credit scores.

At the Core Multidimensional Academic ExcellenceThe academic curriculum has made great strides during the Finney years, with dramatic changes such as the Core, which was implemented in 2007 by Provost Robin Abramson and Dean Betsy Beaulieu.

Traditional courses in humanities, sciences, economics, and literature were transformed into a four-year interdisciplinary series of courses designed to challenge and train students to become lifelong learners with a firm foundation in general education topics. Self-identity, a place in the community, global perspective, and integrating the major are all hallmarks of the program.

LEADing the Way

The Upside-Down Curriculum at Champlain allows freshman students to take essential courses in their major in their first semester.

President David Finney leads a seminar in the annual Sophomore Symposium that brings dozens of area businesspeople and community leaders to talk about careers with students.

Dean Betsy Beaulieu presents Joshua Schaefer ‘15 with an Excellence Award and book for his Core Global Studies essay, “Human Rights and Responsibilities,” this spring.


Students Gain a Global Perspective

The Office of International Education, under the direction of James Cross, supports the College’s goal to ensure that Champlain students graduate prepared to be globally engaged citizens with international experience and global perspective. Students with international experience are getting higher-paying jobs and

have greater opportunities for career advancement. Champlain’s philosophy is to integrate international education into all aspects of the student experience, through the curriculum, study abroad opportunities, foreign language courses, campus and community programming, internships, and service-learning.

Options:

• Champlain College’s Dublin Campus attracts students from various majors and is the ideal starting point for further exploration of Ireland, Europe, and beyond.

• Montreal, Quebec, home to another Champlain campus, was ranked as one of the world’s “hippest” cities by the New York Times. The program is known for cutting-edge academics and internship placements in a city famous for its innovative economy.

• Champlain has developed a Global Partners Program, offering study abroad sites in Shanghai, China; Ifrane, Morocco; Auckland, New Zealand; and Buenos Aires, Argentina.

Incoming first-year students are promised the College will pay for their passport if they have a 3.0 GPA or better upon entering their sophomore year.

FINNEY YEARS

The Office of Diversity & Inclusion (ODI), under the direction of Ame Lambert, is working on many levels throughout the College to accomplish its dual-focused mission:

• On a macro level, work with all campus stakeholders to create an inclusive, interculturally competent campus and equip all constituents with the tools to thrive in a global, multicultural, and interdependent world.

• On an equally focused, but micro level, provide specialized support services for underrepresented populations, ensuring they have a successful experience at Champlain and beyond.

The ODI office staff also serve as internal consultants, trainers, and resources to the Champlain community (within and outside the College). They also provide access and success resources, as well as collaborate with and support other departments and groups to provide campus programs that enrich the campus experience.

Among the programs established under President Finney: C.A.R.E.: Champlain’s Achievement, Retention, and Excel-lence program, designed to help students succeed and thrive.

lmagine College; Imagine Success: A college immersion

experience, Champlain College’s pre-college and college success initiative, designed to help create college access for underserved populations, help them continue through to graduation, and prepare them for a life of career and personal success where they can serve as agents of positive change in our community.

Intercultural U: Nearly 120 Champlain faculty and staff have completed this intercultural training certification program designed to prepare participants to serve as peer trainers and intercultural/diversity facilitators.

Striving to Be More Diverse and Inclusive

Students gather for a photo at the Champlain Dublin, Ireland, campus.

One of the first cohorts of Champlain College’s Intercultural U—an intensive certificate program led by Ame Lambert to train staff and faculty in diversity and inclusion awareness.


Continued from page 5

Big Man on Campus

The Samuel de Champlain statue, commissoned by the College for the Vermont Quadricentennial in 2008 marking the discovery of Lake Champlain by the famous French explorer, has become an iconic symbol of the spirit of exploration and seeking of new ideas. It also offers one of the most commanding views of Perry Hall and the lake from campus.

The statue was created by Vermont sculptor Jim Sardonis, and was funded by the late Dr. John W. “Jack” Heisse, Jr. of Shelburne, Vermont, a former trustee and longtime supporter of the College.

entire Champlain community of stakeholders, with an emphasis on working more closely with Vermont employers to better align classrooom teaching with workplace needs.

All of these efforts required strong fiscal oversight and expansion of the College’s resources through fundraising, strategic tuition and cost decisions, building an endowment, increasing enrollment, and expanding markets.

A successful Vision. Innovation. Passion. campaign raised $34 million, including a transformational $10 million gift from the Stiller Family Foundation that established the Stiller School of Business, and helped pay for the Perry Hall Welcome and Admission Center and begin work on the Center for Communications & Creative Media set to open in fall 2015.

THE IDEAL COLLEGEOne of the culminating moments

of Finney’s tenure came last fall with the publication of an article written by John Tierney of Atlantic magazine. The story, published with the headline, “What Would an Ideal College Look Like? A

Lot Like This,” focused solely on Champlain College and was part of “American Futures,” an ongoing series looking at small American cities that are home to intriguing innovations and entrepreneurship.

In it, Tierney described how Finney brought to life a “three-dimensional” education program, an undergraduate curriculum consisting of interdisciplinary liberal arts courses, a life-skills program, and professionally focused education for career success.

Tierney highlighted the Upside-Down Curriculum, giving first-

year students the chance to take courses in their professional major in the first year, and discussed how emphasizing early internships often translates into job offers at graduation, or even earlier.

In just a few hundred words, the article captured the spirit and accomplishments President Finney had worked to create from Day One, when he took over from President Roger Perry.

Still, reflecting on his time here, the thing that President Finney admits to being most proud of is something that has not changed during his tenure: a sense of community at Champlain that he has never experienced anywhere else.

Tierney observed after visiting campus that he “was struck by a common theme: many spoke of Champlain’s congeniality, its spirit of collaborative learning, and the absence of barriers separating students from faculty.”

President Finney said it was in the DNA of the place: “People see themselves as part of learning teams. It’s an intensely personal place.”

...And a place he has helped transform.


honorary DegreeSChamplain College started the tradition of awarding honorary degrees at the 129th Commencement ceremony in 2007. Annually, two or three honorees receive degrees in recognition of their exemplary work as community members. Some past recipients include former Vermont Gov. James Douglas, author Chris Bohjalian, business executive Ed Colodny, philanthropists Holly and Robert Miller, and Lois McClure.

SaMuel De chaMplain StatueWhen the class of 2013 arrived on campus in August 2009, a statue by Jim Sardonis of Samuel de Champlain, the founder of New France and Champlain College’s namesake, was in place between the IDX Student Life Center and Alumni Auditorium. The College had just celebrated the 400th anniversary of Samuel de Champlain’s trip on Lake Champlain during the summer of 1609. For the past five years, students have passed the statue of de Champlain looking through a spyglass toward the lake. It is rumored that touching Sammy D’s foot is good luck.

SpyglaSS giFtS at coMMenceMent In 2013 the College began presenting each graduate a spyglass. After each student receives his or her diploma from the president, a Student Government Association representative hands the graduate a replica of Samuel de Champlain’s spyglass. Inscribed on the spyglass is Champlain’s Latin motto, “Audeamus,” or Let Us Dare. As students start their careers, the spyglass will be a token of their college achievements displayed in their offices.ClearLake Furniture in Ludlow, Vermont, designed the cherry spyglasses, which the Student Government Association funds each year.

FINNEY YEARS

Traditions Take Hold on Campus

NATIONAL RANKINGS

Champlain College continues to rise in the national college rankings and was included in the Princeton Review “Best Colleges” guide beginning in 2012. U.S. News & World Report named Champlain the “Top Up and Comer” College in the Northeast in 2014.

SENIOR TRUSTEE DINNERThe Senior Trustee Dinner in April brought together 2013-14 SGA President Chelsea Hutchings ‘14, President-elect Donald J. Laackman, 2013-14 SGA Vice President Brandyn Csorgo ‘14, and President David F. Finney.

GRADUATION SPYGLASSES Samuel de Champlain-inspired wooden spyglasses are now distributed to graduating seniors, a tradition that began at the 135th Commencement in 2013 and continued this year.

ORIENTATION BARBECUE For some Champlain first-year students, the first real glimpse of the President and his vice presidents is at the Orientation barbecue for families in the courtyard. Having the College’s administrators out flipping burgers is something you find at very few colleges or universities.


BUILDINGS WITH CLASS

ABOVE: The Miller Center at Lakeside campus.

LEFT: New landscaping, stonework, and plantings help to create an overall campus look that fits with the historic nature of the Hill residential neighborhood the College calls home. Roger H. Perry Hall Welcome Center is shown.

LEFT: The Center for Communications & Creative Media is expected to open in August 2015. It has been designed to serve as the gateway to campus, housing a range of student services, and will be home to the CCM Division with classrooms, studios, galleries, and event space.

LEFT CENTER: New campus signage integrates Champlain’s academic buildings with its global partners.

BELOW: Juniper Hall, opened in the fall of 2012, was the first installment of the Res-Tri project. In the fall of 2014, its counterparts, Butler and Valcour Halls, will complete the residential area surrounding a new amphitheater and campus green. Whiting Hall, adjacent to Juniper, is also being renovated to match the aesthetic.


ABOVE: The Champlain College Publishing Initiative helps students publish their work like this collection of Core essays. AT RIGHT: The Champlain Game Studio invites game industry employers to campus every spring for the Senior Games showcase.

Putting Excellence at the Center of Learning Emergent Media Center: The EMC, directed by Ann DeMarle, works in partnership with industry, public institutions, and nonprofits to create a laboratory/studio environment in which students collaborate with each other, faculty, and clients to develop new concepts, processes, uses, and applications for games and other emergent media.

Build Your Own Business: The BYOBiz entrepreneurship program, led by Bob Bloch, is a unique opportunity for student entrepreneurs to gain strategic, financial, legal, technical, and operational assistance building a business. It also hosts the “Speaking from Experience” lecture series, advises the student owners of The Lodge, and hosts the annual Elevator Pitch competition.

Patrick Leahy Center for Digital Investigation: The LCDI, directed by Jonathan Rajewski, is a world-class laboratory designed to international standards, focused on establishing and assisting with public- and private-sector initiatives surrounding cyber crime, digital forensics, and information assurance. It offers students an opportunity to learn by participating in professional-level lab work at both the undergraduate and graduate levels.

Center for Financial Literacy: The CFL is a partnership among several financial institutions, nonprofit entities, and government agencies, led by John Pelletier. The Center is designed to promote and develop financial literacy skills in K-12 students, college students, teachers (K-12 and college), and adults. The Center also advocates for more financial education opportunities at the local, state, and national level. It also issued the National Report Card on High School Financial Literacy.

Champlain College Publishing Initiative: Since 2009, more than 250 undergraduate students have played a part in some kind of real-world publishing activity as writers, editors, copy-editors, proofreaders, graphic designers, illustrators, artists, marketers, publicists, accountants, videographers, or web developers. The program, designed and led by Tim Brookes, has brought more than 20 books through every step of creation and production.

Champlain Game Studio: Taking game ideas from concept to execution is a team effort, which is why real game industry studios revolve around collaboration. The Champlain Game Studio places students in a workplace setting that replicates what they’ll experience as a graduate.The cohort experience emphasizes teamwork across all the game development disciplines, facilitated by game industry expert professors. Game Art & Animation, Game Design, and Game Programming majors, along with Business majors specializing in game production, work side by side to create original projects.

FINNEY YEARS

The Emergent Media Center’s BREAKAWAY game was developed in conjunction with the United Nations.

The Sen. Patrick Leahy Center for Digital Investigation offers Champlain students real-world cybersecurity and forensics jobs in a rapidly transforming industry.


Champlain College is one of the top “322 Green Colleges” in the U.S., thanks in part to David Finney’s devotion to it becoming a more sustainable college.

Perry Hall incorporates energy-efficient climate control systems, including a geothermal pump from deep water wells near the building, which helped earn it Platinum certification in 2011 from Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED)—the first building in Burlington and the third in Vermont to do so. Aiken Hall’s renovation received LEED Gold in 2010. The Res-Tri project is on track for similar sustainability recognition.

Champlain received the Governor’s Award for Environmental Excellence in 2012 for such programs as solar panels on the Miller Center at Lakeside, incorporation of geothermal pumps for the Res-Tri and CCM buildings, and retrofitting buildings to energy-efficient standards. Champlain encourages students to save energy through the Kill-A-Watt residence hall competition, led by student eco-reps.

Sustainability Efforts Energized on Campus

Champlain’s commitment to advanced sustainability practices strives for 65 percent waste diversion rates and exclusive use of green cleaning products.

Signage around campus helps to tell Sustain Champlain’s story about solar panels and other energy-saving efforts.

ABOVE: Perry Hall earned the Platinum LEED certification in 2011. RIGHT: The Class of 2013 gave an apiary as its gift to the College. BELOW: Eco-reps help sort trash, recyclables and compost at campus events. BELOW RIGHT: Solar panels provide electricity from atop the Miller Center at Lakeside.


Champlain’s Leaders ~ 1878–2005George W. Thompson (1878–1884)George Thompson founded the Burlington Collegiate Institute and Commercial College in 1878. By 1879, he had changed the school’s name to Queen City Collegiate Institute and Commercial College. Located on Church Street, the Institute was a postsecondary preparatory school offering English, classics, business, and music instruction to both male and female students. In addition to owning and managing the school, Thompson was the principal instructor of the business courses. He also taught bookkeeping and penmanship in city schools.

George Evans (1884–1920) George Evans (1859–1937) purchased the Queen City Collegiate Institute and Commercial College from George Thompson in 1884, renaming it the Burlington Business College. A native of upstate New York, Evans graduated from the Whitestown Seminary and Utica Business College, and he completed the Chautauqua Literary and Scientific Circle’s college-level correspondence program. During his 36-year tenure as president of the Burlington Business College, Evans reorganized the school to focus on its business curriculum, offered day and evening classes, and significantly expanded its enrollment. As the College grew, he moved it between various rented quarters in downtown Burlington, finally securing a portion of the third floor of 182-190 Main Street in 1911, where the school would remain until 1958. On the side, Evans was a sales agent for the Franklin typewriter, which he used in his classes at the College. In 1920, Evans retired and sold the College.

Arthur Gordon Tittemore (1920–1956)A. Gordon Tittemore (1891–1971) purchased the Burlington Business College with a partner, C.C. Craft, in 1920. A native Vermonter, Tittemore was a graduate of Eastman College in Poughkeepsie, New York. He worked as a bookkeeper in Swanton, Vermont, before serving as the head of the “commercial department” at the Concord (New Hampshire) Commercial College and then president of the Lowell (Massachusetts) Commercial College. At the Burlington Business College, Tittemore introduced new courses that followed the latest developments in business practice and technology. He served as president of the New England Business College Association in 1948. In 1956, after 36 years at the Burlington Business College, Tittemore retired and sold the school.

C. Bader Brouilette (1956–1977)In 1956, C. Bader Brouilette (1910–1988) bought the Burlington Business College in partnership with Albert Jensen, a local businessman. A Massachusetts native, Brouilette attended Columbia Teachers College in New York and received honorary degrees from Salem College in West Virginia and Norwich University in Vermont. He spent his early career in higher education, first teaching college-level English and business classes, then serving as vice president of Drake College. He left education in the late 1930s to join the Bader Company, his uncle’s acoustical tile company, in Hartford, Connecticut. Brouilette moved to Burlington in 1955 to open a branch of his company. The following year, shortly after their joint purchase of Burlington Business College, Brouilette’s partner Albert Jensen died, and Brouilette assumed sole ownership of the College. He renamed the school Champlain College of Commerce in 1957; in 1958, it became just Champlain College. During Brouilette’s 21-year tenure, he enlarged the school’s curriculum, converted it from private ownership to a nonprofit, achieved accreditation as a junior college, and doubled the enrollment. Under his guidance, the College progressed from renting rooms on Main Street to owning 14 buildings in Burlington’s Hill Section. Brouilette retired in 1977, and served as a trustee until his death in 1988.

Robert A. Skiff (1977–1992)A native Vermonter, Robert Skiff (b. 1941) graduated from Middlebury College, received his M.Ed. from Springfield College, and obtained a Ph.D. from the University of Northern Colorado. He began his career teaching in Newport, Vermont. In 1967, he became dean of students at Champlain College and also taught business law. Five years later, he became vice president of the College. He succeeded C. Bader Brouilette as president in 1977. Under his 24 years of stewardship, Champlain expanded its Hill Section campus, added nine new majors, and introduced its first four-year baccalaureate degree programs. Skiff Hall, purchased during his tenure, is named in his honor. Skiff retired in 1992.

Information compiled by Champlain College Archivist Erica Donnis, former Champlain College Archivist Christina Dunphy, and Administrative Assistant Diana Agusta ‘71.

FINNEY YEARS


Roger H. Perry (1992–2005)Originally from Massachusetts, Roger Perry received his undergraduate degree in economics from Dartmouth College and obtained a Ph.D. in administration from Syracuse University. He spent his early career serving in the Peace Corps in the Marshall Islands and teaching at several institutions, including Cornell University and Washington University in St. Louis. He came to Champlain College in 1982 as vice president for academic affairs and became provost in 1989. He succeeded Robert Skiff as president in 1992. During his tenure, he expanded student enrollment and transformed Champlain into a four-year institution, initiating 20 academic degree programs, including the College’s first master’s degree, and establishing the distance learning program. The campus continued to grow, and at Perry’s retirement in 2005, Champlain owned 40 buildings housing classrooms, offices, and dormitories.

Former President Robert Skiff congratulates Executive Assistant to the President Diana Agusta at her retirement party in December. Not quite finished, she returned for one last project—overseeing the 2014 Commencement.

Former President Roger Perry and his wife, Heather, with President David Finney and his wife, Sabine, at the dedication of Roger H. Perry Hall Welcome and Admissions Center in 2010.

“Quotables” “Dave’s storytelling ability and his

personal experiences always stood out; he really understood what a difference a college could make in someone’s life.”

–Trustee Scott Carpenter

“Dave Finney only committed one serious lapse in judgment: when he

presented me with an honorary degree.”–Former Vt. Gov. James Douglas

“His legacy for me will be his incrediblepassion around the fundamental purpose of higher education.

Knowing him has changed me.” –Board Chair Mary Powell

“Dave knew where he was going. This is extremely evident when one compares

his inauguration speech with his accomplishments. Dave made everyone

around him better.”–Former Trustee Jim Crook

In April, David Finney received the Burlington Business Association’s 2014 Tim Halvorson Award for his “outstanding contribution to the economic vitality of Burlington.” With him at the presentation are Kelley Devine, Tim Halvorson, and Tom Brassard of the BBA.


STUDENT GOVERNMENT ASSOCIATION

“Success is the ability to see an opportunity,

take action, and thrive in the moment.”

VIKTOR JAGAR ‘12

The Champlain College Student Government Association (SGA) was reinstated by President Finney to advocate for the Champlain College community and act as a liaison for students to the administration, staff, and faculty. The SGA strives to effect change on behalf of the students, thereby creating a more enjoyable environment and a promising future. The SGA offers opportunities for leadership development, involvement, and personal growth within Champlain College.

“The key to accomplishing big goals comes from nothing

other than teamwork: start together, finish together.”

CHELSEA HUTCHINGS ‘14

“Champlain has delivered on everything it promised.

Champlain dares to be different, and it works.”

ADAM ROWE ‘14Major: Graphic Design

Hometown: York, Maine

SGA years: 2013–14, President

Plans for after graduation: Navy Officer School

Favorite memory: The SGA election results party, where we had more attendees than any Champlain SGA event thus far, and broke the school record for attendees at a late-night dining service.

SGA legacy: Redirecting the mission and role of the Champlain SGA on campus and within the Burlington community. Spreading student representation to more committees than ever in the history of the school and increasing student engagement. Serving as the first student on a presidential search committee at Champlain. Restructuring the election process with the addition of forums and debates. All of this could never have been accomplished without the whole team; we did it together.

Major: Marketing

Hometown: Meriden, Connecticut

SGA years: 2011–13, Vice President, then President

Plans for after graduation: I am very interested in niche markets and would love to do something within the automotive or retail industry. I would love to stay involved with Champlain and I am interested in the newly created alumni positions on the Board of Trustees.

Favorite memory: Where else could you walk into the president’s office and borrow a paper clip from the president himself? Nowhere. Champlain fosters relationships; it is those that I will cherish and take away from my years at Champlain.

SGA legacy: In my sophomore year I became the VP of a newly shuffled-around SGA. We had high goals, but group dynamic and unclear positions led to little being actually accom-plished. When I assumed the role of president the following year, my great colleagues and I were able to com-pletely rewrite the bylaws of the SGA and introduce a new structure.

Major: Software Engineering

Hometown: Williston, Vermont

SGA years: 2010–12, Director of Finance, then President

What he’s doing now: I work for an international web consultancy firm, DRI Global, based out of Portugal, doing business consulting on process work flows and integrating it into the web, focusing on analytics, website integrations, customer relationship management, and lead generation.

Favorite memory: Seeing President Finney flipping burgers at the Freshman Orientation barbecue every year. Having future student leaders arriving on campus and seeing that their College’s president is approachable and relatable is a great testament for a leader and has influenced my career path.

SGA legacy: I was the transitional leader, taking the SGA from being run by seven directors to a hierarchy with a president and cabinet, much like it is today. I also worked to increase student participation and awareness of the Student Government Association as a powerful entity on campus.

FINNEY YEARS

Compiled by Kayla Hedman ’14


Katie Hawley Katie Hawley has served as vice president and secretary of the Champlain College Corporation since October 2010. She is primarily responsible for managing and supporting the activities of the Board of Trustees, and also undertakes special projects at the discretion of the president. She has worked for Champlain College since 1995.

The Champlain College Board of Trustees’ mission is to set the overall strategic direction of the College and to ensure that the College systemically works towards its stated goals in a financially responsible manner.

Meet some of the Board members:

Daniel M. Boardman joined Hickok & Boardman Retirement Solutions in 1988, after earning a B.S. from St. Lawrence University. Currently, he serves as a principal in the firm, overseeing corporate retirement plans and individual insurance operations. In 1992, he was designated a certified financial planner; he earned his accredited investment fiduciary designation in 2005. Boardman is heavily involved with the community and has served in an advisory capacity for the Champlain College and VNA Planned Giving Committees.

David Stiller G’12 is a graduate of Champlain’s inaugural MFA in Emergent Media class. Although he resides primarily in Burlington, he travels regularly to New York City and Florida. He is an active trustee at the Stiller Family Foundation and is involved in the organization’s daily operations. Stiller is interested in developing opportunities for students to have creative space to pursue innovative cross-disciplinary ideas and projects.

David Winslow Jr. ‘00 earned his bachelor’s degree in Business and an associate degree in Sports Management from Champlain. He is the chief digital strategist at Dealer.com and is the founder and former president of EpikOne, a digital consultancy specializing in metrics strategies, and media measurement. He has also been an adjunct professor with the Stiller School of Business. He lives with his wife Petra in Manhattan Beach, California.

Kenneth Palm, DDS graduated from the Howard University College of Dentistry in Washington, D.C. in 1982. After working as a staff dentist and dental administrator in New York, he returned to the Washington, D.C. ., area to open his first dental practice in Wheaton, Maryland. In 1995 Dr. Palm moved with his family to Vermont and was a staff dentist and dental director with Kaiser/Community Health Plan of Vermont. He left Kaiser Health Plan and accepted a position as dental director with the State of Vermont Department of Corrections. In 2000, Dr. Palm returned to private practice in Colchester, Vermont.

Rick Davis is a philanthropist and longtime real estate developer who specializes in the rehabilitation of historic buildings. He is deeply involved in efforts to improve the lives of Vermont youth and is president of The Permanent Fund for Vermont’s Children, which helps draw together community organizations throughout the state, in order to use their combined resources to help children in need. He also founded Mobius, an organization devoted to mentoring. He lives in Stowe, Vermont.

Champlain Trustees 2014

Daniel Boardman

David Stiller G’12

David Winslow ‘00

Dr. Kenneth Palm

Rick Davis


SHUTTERBUGSWELCOME CHAMPLAIN’S

EIGHTH PRESIDENT,

DONALD J. LAACKMAN

Champlain College‘s next president, Donald J. Laackman, knew Champlain was the place

he wanted to be. Since the announcement in early

January that he would become the College’s eighth president, succeeding President David F. Finney, Laackman has made several trips from Chicago to Burlington to meet with staff, faculty, students and supporters. He begins work on July 1, 2014.

Laackman (pronounced “Lockman”) and his wife, Allyson, were formally introduced to the campus community at an all-campus meeting in January by Champlain College Search Committee Chair and Trustee Scott Carpenter and Chair of the Board of Trustees Mary Powell.

“I am thrilled with the selection of

Donald Laackman as the next president of Champlain College. Our search attracted an unprecedented number of incredibly talented applicants, a tribute to the quality of the Champlain College experience. Don will bring incredible intellect, emotional engage-ment, and vast professional experience to the role. I cannot think of a person who could better embody Champlain College’s ‘radically pragmatic’ approach to higher education,” said Powell.

After a rousing standing ovation, Laackman told the faculty, students, and staff gathered in Alumni Auditorium that “Higher education is at a crossroads, with many families questioning the value of a college degree. Champlain College’s approach to education is rewriting the rules.

“I am humbled and

excited to lead

Champlain College.”

Donald J. Laackman President-Elect

Champlain Board Chair Mary Powell introduces Champlain’s next president, Donald J. Laackman, at a press conference held in January at Aiken Hall.


performance and national recognition it has received to date.”

President Finney added his endorsement to the Board’s choice: “My decision to retire after nine years stems from my belief that the College has much to gain from the energy and vision that will accompany a new president. I know that the skills, depth of experience, and leadership Don Laackman brings to Champlain will build on the great momentum and innovative programs developed during my time here,” Finney said.

Champlain prepares students for careers today while giving them the skills to adapt to a rapidly changing job market. I am excited by the opportunity to lead this entrepreneurial, innovative college and to deliver on the promise of higher education to transform students’ lives.” He also cited a recent article about Champlain College in Atlantic magazine, describing it as the “ideal college,” for its comprehensive approach to education.

He has been president of Harold Washington College, one of the City Colleges of Chicago, since March 2011. Harold Washington College educates more than 13,000 students each year. Before his appointment, he was a principal at Civic Consulting Alliance, where he managed workforce and education programs that included improving career and technical education for 25,000 high school students in Chicago public schools. He was also a managing director at Accenture, a global technology, consulting, and outsourcing firm.

Laackman received his bachelor’s degree from the University of Chicago and a master’s degree in public policy from the Harris School of Public Policy at the University of Chicago. Laackman is married to Allyson Laackman, vice president for finance and administration and chief financial officer for the Museum of Science and Industry in Chicago. They have two children, Donald and Emily.

“Champlain’s entrepreneurial faculty and nimble approach to programs enable the College to rapidly adapt to the job market,” Laackman said, adding, “Students get early education in their chosen career field. At the same time, Champlain is preparing students with the soft skills neces-sary to succeed in careers. I am humbled and excited to lead Champlain College.”

Powell said, “Don’s extensive business experience will help further Champlain’s work in providing an outstanding academic experience that is directly connected to devel-oping high-functioning members of society. The Board will be forever grateful to David Finney, whose leadership was critical to get Champlain College to the high level of

Champlain College President Elect Donald J. Laackman and his wife, Allyson. (Below) Interviews with the local media helped introduce Champlain’s next president to the community.

Save the DateThe installation of

Donald J. Laackman as the eighth president of Champlain College will

be held on campus

Oct. 17–18, 2014

A series of special community events are

being planned.

Watch for more details online at

www.champlain.edu


It does not come as a surprise that many students attend Champlain to be able to ski and ride throughout the winter months on Vermont’s finest mountains. Professors and students alike tally up the days spent on the snow for the season, and simultaneously cheered when 2014 winter storm Vulcan hit, dumping nearly two feet of snow, in early March.

For years Champlain has partnered with some of the local mountain resorts to bring discounted season passes to students, but there are other ways that students unearth deals and find ways to spend more time on the mountain.

An astounding number of individuals in the Champlain community work and intern in the ski and ride industry. What they all have in common is a passion for skiing and riding fueled in their early years, an admiration for the culture surrounding the snowsports industry, and involvement in Champlain Ski & Ride.

Ski & Ride is the largest club at Champlain; it also has a big alumni following. This giant network of students, staff advisors, and alumni call in representatives and sponsors from a multitude of snowsports organizations to host annual rail jams, organize shuttles to the mountains, and renew season pass deals.

A number of students take their passion for the industry further by seeking out internships within it. Added perks such as season passes and swag don’t hurt, not to mention relevant resume experience in the industry that can lead to jobs after graduation.

The following folks are not just skiers and riders, they’re diehard industry enthusiasts.

From Pastime to Paycheck

INDUSTRY ENTHUSIASTS ARE GETTING A LIFT ON A SLOPESIDE CAREER

Story by Kayla Hedman ’14

Photo by Peter Cirilli ’16


DOUG FICHERA: THE LIFETIME SNOWMAKER

Doug Fichera ‘14 has a resume that boasts over 10 years of snowmaking experience. At only 21 years old, Fichera started experimenting with snowmaking at the age of 8, when his family purchased Black Mountain in New Hampshire. He was always fascinated with the way water and compressed cold air came together to create the precipitation that makes or breaks the ski and ride industry.

He grew up seeing the industry from the inside, where a bad season

would affect his family’s finances. “It’s drastically different from someone who is a professional in the industry but has never known what it feels like to pay the bills.”

He didn’t want his passion for and his skills in snowmaking to go to waste, so as a first-year business student at Champlain College, Fichera applied for a job at Sugarbush Resort. Knowing about snowmaking, the lifts, and how a resort is run proved to be a huge asset to Sugarbush, and Fichera has since been promoted to shift supervisor. Of course, he is also still responsible for snowmaking operations at Black Mountain when he’s home.

As a graduating senior, Fichera was faced with the challenge of balancing 8 a.m. Integrated Marketing Communication classes with late nights at Sugarbush. “I often go to bed at 1:30 a.m. just to be up for 7 a.m. and in class by 8,” he said. “I’m exhausted, but it’s not as bad as the end of the fall semester.” The time around final exams is the same time that the mountains are preparing for the start of the season, he reports. Those snowmaking shifts run Fichera 7 p.m. to 7 a.m. Later in the season he is happy to work only

one snow-grooming shift and get to bed a little earlier.

“Ever since I was little I always tried to balance work and school.” Fichera knew his career path wouldn’t need him to put all of his efforts into academics; his work experience was just as, if not more, important. Upon graduating he hopes to work at a ski area in New England.

Fichera was one of 10 snowsports industry employees in the nation recognized as a “Young Gun” under age 30 by Ski Area Management magazine. He was not only the youngest of the honorees, but one of only two New Englanders.

“It’s a kind of behind-the-scenes process, and it’s what makes the ski industry go round, especially here in the East,” he told T.D. Thornton of the Boston Globe this December in the article “Black Mountain, Sugarbush prodigy receiving recognition as snowmaker.”

An interview with Fichera is also set to appear in Yankee Magazine, the guide to New England, this fall.

KAISEY ARENA: THE MARKETER

Marketing alumna Kaisey Arena ’13 took an internship to a job in the industry she has been passionate about for all her life. Although she relocated to Colorado for her dream job, she hasn’t looked back once.

Arena was given a great opportunity in her senior year at Sugarbush Resort, where she spent four months as a

Public/Media Relations and Social Media intern. At this time she was also taking a Digital Marketing course with Professor Elaine Young and committed to researching and developing a full environmental scan of the industry, complete with a competitive analysis of local ski resorts. This project and her work to reform Sugarbush’s user- generated content on social media proved beneficial to Arena’s resume, landing her a job at Copper Mountain in Frisco, Colorado, after graduation.

Since starting in September, Arena has worked at the U.S. Ski Team’s First Tracks event in November, where the Olympic team for alpine skiing was announced. In mid-December, she witnessed slopestyle and halfpipe snowboarding events at Copper during the Sprint U.S. Grand Prix. Arena collaborated with the United States Ski and Snowboard Association for social media coverage of the event. “It was the premiere of the slopestyle event at the Olympics this year, so it was really

exciting to see the Olympic qualifiers.

“My co-workers make fun of me because I still have ‘fan-girl’ moments,” said Arena of meeting athletes at the events. She got to meet U.S. athletes Joss Christensen, who brought home the first-ever men’s Olympic slopestyle skiing gold medal, two-time Olympic medalist in snowboarding Kelly Clark, and many more professional sportsmen and -women.

Arena reports that there are lots of benefits to working at a ski resort, other than just meeting her idols. “I get a free pass to the mountain and sessions at Woodward at Copper, our indoor training park; where I live I get to ski in and out, and we often have 9 a.m. meetings on the lift.” Also, every year employees earn two passes for themselves or guests to go to any Powdr Corp. resort, which includes Copper Mountain as well as Killington, Park City, and more.

Photo by William Connolly

Photo provided


SCOTT BARBER: THE VIDEOGRAPHERAfter spending lots of time with

friends at Cranmore Mountain in his hometown of North Conway, New Hampshire, growing up, Scott Barber ’12 always appreciated capturing the beauty of the industry. Barber may have been one of those students who had actively watched ski and ride films on his laptop when he should have been participating in class, but because he was a skilled Filmmaking major who had work accepted into the Lewiston Auburn Film Festival, he managed to make it work.

Barber’s professional interest in film was sparked during a trip to Tanzania in 2005 where he shot a safari, armed with a JVC camcorder and a bag of beans to minimize the camera shake from the safari Jeep. A few years later he was accepted into Champlain College’s Filmmaking program.

Now founder of Scott Barber Film, he shoots freelance work spanning all industries—action sports, event

coverage, business advertising, and wedding photography and videography. Based out of New England, Barber has traveled to shoot projects all over the world.

The vast array of projects Barber is working on is based on his favorite action sports and telling inspiring stories. His latest work in the snowsports industry is intended to benefit the featured riders and get his own exposure. “Currently it’s more for fun than money,” said Barber, “but we negotiate with the mountains for free passes; we’ll ride as long as we don’t have to pay to work.” Eventually, Barber hopes to build a following that will allow him to sell the video content to sponsors and earn royalties per view.

His ski and ride web series, the bEASTly volumes, has been featured on Snowboarder Magazine’s website. Barber hopes to soon appear in Transworld and Method Magazine’s web pages, too.

“The biggest thing I’ve kept in

mind is that success doesn’t come in the form of money,” said Barber. The driving factor for his work is “Success is not the key to happiness; happiness is the key to success. If you love what you are doing, you will be successful.”

Recently, Barber has collaborated with Vita Coco Coconut Water, Life in Color, STS Travel, No Label Watches, various production companies, and more to produce short films and promotional videos.

SAM PARKER: THE SPONSORED ATHLETE

In the spring 2013 Champlain View, Marketing major Sam Parker was featured in an article about Champlain’s partnership with Subaru and Nordica for the 2013 XV Crosstrek Tour. Parker, along with Samuel McGuire ’13 and Max Erickson ’16, was pulled into the project for his insider knowledge of the target market—that which he and his peers

were a part of.Initiative, combined with the help

of Stiller School of Business Professor Tom Myers, resulted in a unique Champlain partnership. “In the spring of 2012, I emailed the team at Nordica to see if they were interested in bringing me on for the XV Crosstrek tour,” said Parker. Not only did they invite him to help plan the tour, but they also offered him a sponsorship.

An avid skier, Parker has enjoyed his time working in the industry. “These

experiences have definitely benefited my studies at Champlain because they’ve helped me network and given me real-life experience in the ski industry,” he explained. Parker is also sponsored by Black Bear Energy, Bloom Outerwear, PANDA Poles, and Bern Unlimited.

After graduating May 3, Parker will continue his skiing career and work for a boat company called Ribcraft USA out of Marblehead, Massachusetts.

DEVIN CARTER: THE CREATIVE“Surreal—that’s a good word for it,”

Graphic Design major Devin Carter ‘14 said of seeing his designs laid on Rome Snowboards this season. Carter has been interning at Rome for roughly a year now, and this season he was responsible for art direction and design on three board series, and the creative direction and design of all gloves for the 2015 line.

This past winter, Carter had the chance to attend the SnowSports Industries America (SIA) Snow Show in Denver, Colorado. At the expo, he networked with brand representatives and riders from all over the country, while building excitement around the products. Never having worked at a

trade show, he found this experience exhausting, but invaluable.

Carter was drawn to the snowsports industry thanks to the culture

surrounding the sport. “I live for adventures and never stop exploring. I do what I love to make marks, using passion as the driving force to fuel my creativity,” said Carter. “Ambition and dedication to how I work is most important to who I am.”

Other responsibilities at his internship include print and web projects and packaging. According to Carter, his internship not only sharpened his skills and added to his resume, but benefited his academic experience at Champlain. Carter’s next journey will be with the PR/marketing agency Team Epiphany, in Portland, Oregon, where he will be a graphic designer working for Nike’s Global Brand Marketing team.

Photo by Marco Delguidice

Photo provided


PATRICK DODGE: THE BUSINESSMANBefore graduating, Business major

Patrick Dodge ’14 landed his dream job working in brand marketing at Burton. Dodge was one of more than 600 applicants for the competitive position. His hands-on experience working with action sports equipment retailer Wild Rampage and skate shop

iconx this past summer in Shanghai, China, as part of the Stiller School of Business and Freeman Foundation grant program, set him apart from other applicants.

Dodge has also been a key individual in Champlain’s Ski and Ride Club.

FRESH TRACKS FILM CAMP

In January and February, Champlain College and Sugarbush Resort

collaborated to present a three-Saturday film camp for teenage skiers

and riders. Here, participants like Sammy Murphy took their passion for

filmmaking onto the mountain.

John Egan, former Warren Miller film star and Sugarbush’s chief recreation officer, led campers through some of

Lincoln Peak’s best trails, capturing action-packed video footage of

morning fresh tracks.

Kevin Murakami from Champlain College’s Emergent Media Center

showed the participants how to transform their mountain

experience into a short film.

Participants presented their finished short films at a reception for parents on

February 8 in the Gate House Lodge at Sugarbush.

SAMMY MURPHY: THE FUTURE“I had a blast in this program; from

getting first chair to learning how to make my videos into a movie! I also

had the advantage of being the only girl to show those boys who’s boss.

“Throughout this experience,

I had the opportunity to ski with John Egan and John Atkinson, one-on-one, to learn tips from the pros. Right after

we presented what we had learned to the public (family, friends, and

students), it took no time at all for me to whip out my laptop and start a new

project and even tweak my original movie some more.“

JOE GAETANI: THE INDUSTRY VETERAN

“I never intended for this to be a job,” said Joe Gaetani, a 2006 grad-uate. “I majored in Business, expecting to get a job in marketing or adver-tising, while making films on the side.” During his temp job in Burton’s retail marketing department, another section of the department gave Gaetani video projects on the side. “Once Burton gave me projects, I knew this could actually pan out as a career,” he said.

During college, Gaetani would shoot footage for fun of some of his friends who were sponsored skiers and riders. They compiled the footage at the end of the season and hosted an event to premiere their film in Alumni Auditorium. They got sponsors to collaborate on the event, and filled the auditorium. Rarely is there a successful inaugural event at Champlain, so it was a no-brainer to host similar premieres the next three years.

Upon graduation and the comple-tion of his temp job, Gaetani continued shooting marketing footage for Burton and started planning how to open his own film production company. Former professional snowboarder Seth Neary, who also spent time studying at Champlain, took Gaetani under his wing and showed him the ins and outs of freelance work. Gaetani worked from October 2006 to June 2007

on developing his brand, to open Rightside Productions in August of that year.

“One freelance client would lead to the next,” recalled Gaetani. “Working with Cabot led me to National Life Group, which led me to other big- name companies in Vermont. My company’s brand kept evolving and growing with my client base.”

Neary is now the creative director at Driven Studios, a multimedia creative studio that does a consider-able amount of work in the ski and ride industry. Driven Studios now shares office space with Rightside Productions.”It’s one big happy free-lance family,” said Gaetani.

In his time at Champlain, Gaetani interned with Line Skis, formerly owned and operated by Jason Levinthal in Burlington. Once the company was sold and moved to Seattle, Washington, Levinthal opened J Skis in the Queen City and hired Gaetani for all of his video needs. “Joe Gaetani has always lent me a hand while living in Vermont,” wrote Levinthal on jskis.com. “While at college he was an intern at Line, helped renovate my house, and even cooked grilled cheese for my food cart. Now he’s got his own video production company, Rightside Productions, which has created some of Line’s best product videos over the years. I call him whenever I need an idea turned into a video.”

Gaetani’s footage of Line-sponsored pro skier and University of Vermont alumnus Will Wesson from the early 2000s was shared this spring on Line’s website. Today, Levinthal still hires interns from Champlain, including senior Communications major Casey Joseph.

Gaetani’s career has come full circle; he gets to do what he loves every day. Although he doesn’t shoot much ski and ride footage anymore, he loves occasionally getting that opportunity to go back to his roots, his passion.

Photo provided

GIVING, UNITING, NURTURING

RULA QUAWASOn August 10, 2013, Champlain’s

first Fulbright Scholar-in-Residence arrived on campus.

Rula Quawas, native to Jordan, first heard about Champlain College through an email she received while she was teaching at the University of Jordan (UJ). Gary Scudder, Core professor, reached out to the faculty members in the English department at UJ about the Global Modules program, an Internet-facilitated dialogue that connects students across the globe on a variety of contemporary global issues and cultural explorations.

“At first I didn’t respond to the email because I don’t think of myself as a tech person, but the mission of the Global Modules is very close to my heart. It was all about building bridges between young people in the East and the West and teaching diversity,” Quawas said.

Scudder visited the UJ campus in Amman and met with Quawas and the other professors. He talked about Champlain, and when Core Division Dean Betsy Beaulieu suggested that Quawas come to the Burlington campus as a Scholar-in-Residence, she jumped at the idea. “And here I am,” Quawas laughed.

Quawas came to Champlain for one

year as a Fulbright Scholar, but her impact on the College community will be apparent for years to come. “Rula Quawas has been an amazing addition to the Core Division this year,” said Beaulieu. “Her sharp intellect, bubbly personality, and vast array of life expe-riences combine to offer a rich perspec-tive on the world that she freely shares with her colleagues and her students. She encourages all of us to confront life’s big questions with courage and to embrace the work joyfully, and in that way she is the consummate educator.”

Having put students first, Quawas goes above and beyond her role as a

professor and impacts the lives of her students. Inspired by her encouraging students, Quawas has brought her background in feminist theory and literature and her international experi-ences, both inside and outside the classroom, to Champlain’s third-year Core courses. “Students have told me

I’ve changed their lives, but sometimes you can’t believe everything they say,” she said humbly. “Students have said they’ve taken my courses and have been encouraged and inspired to think differently, to see through different lenses.”

She’s spoken many times for the Champlain community, with her most recent speech being in March. In October, she gave multiple speeches about the book Arab Women Writers, which she uses as a textbook in her Core 330 course. She’s also talked about the Arab feminist movement and her personal experiences. She has had the opportunity to travel the United States and speak at various schools, from Ithaca College in New York, to Duke University in North Carolina, to Portland Community College in Oregon. She has spoken at conferences in Minnesota and New Orleans as the cofounder of a non-governmental organization (NGO).

Quawas also impacted the campus community; in particular, she has been a huge help in the restructuring of the third-year COR-330 courses. Previously, the COR-330 courses were unified by a geographic region, like China and the Middle East. In the fall 2014 semester, students will be able to take

“For me, the hamsa is what unites most Arab countries—it is our bridge

of communion and togetherness. I love interlacing connections, and this beautiful hand unites people from the Arab world together. It is the hand of a woman who is giving, uniting, and

nurturing.” —Rula Quawas

Story by Abigail Clark ’13



Women’s EmpowermentInitiative

Left, Fulbright Professor Rula Quawas, surrounded by friends, students, and colleagues at the Women’s Empowerment Initiative meeting this spring, distributed hamsa hand tokens as a symbol of unity and togetherness. (Photos by Stephen Mease)

On January 10, a group of almost 60 faculty, staff, and students came together to brainstorm educational programming and intended outcomes of the campus’ new Women’s Empowerment Initiative.

In the following months, the initiative offered film screenings, speakers, social gatherings, and workshops revelant to its purpose.

Spearheads of the initiative include Provost and Chief Academic Officer Robin Abramson, Associate Vice President of Human Resources Mary Lee, Vice President of Student Life Leslie Averill, and Director of LEAD Jennifer Sweeney. They were thrilled with the passion and energy that came from the initial working session, and hope to continue developing programming throughout the summer for the 2014–15 academic year.

courses focused on other areas around the globe and will be asked to make connections between the different parts of the world they are learning about.

“Rula has played a big role in identifying the key skills and concepts that are necessary for students to do that kind of intellectual work,” said Adam Rosenblatt, assistant dean of the Institute for Global Engagement and an assistant professor in the Core Division. “She has helped us [the COR-330 Revision Committee] determine what kinds of writing should be a part of that process. We were really inspired by the blogs Rula kept with her students in Jordan, and like her idea of a ‘mosaic narrative,’ where students create indi-vidual pieces of writing that culminate in a much larger story.”

Quawas came to Champlain to be the campus’ first Fulbright Scholar, but she has paved the way for many more to follow.

“It means a lot to me to be Champlain’s first Fulbright,” she said. “You know when you carve a space, and when I go home and tell my friends and family about my experience, I think Champlain will continue to fill the space. I see the bridge for more to follow. I can close my eyes and ask myself, ‘Will the next Fulbright like the cabin behind Perry Hall?’”

For the future, many hope that Quawas will not be the only Fulbright Scholar to hold residence on campus. Rosenblatt commented, saying, “In my role as the director of the Institute for Global Engagement, I see that Rula has hugely impacted the work of global education at Champlain. She is unique and irreplaceable, but she has impacted the way professors will teach education for years to come. Because of our great experience with Rula here, I want to put a further emphasis on the College having faculty members from other locations around the globe.”

And although Quawas has been known to be humble, she knows the impact she’s made on the College as well. “I have to thank Champlain a lot because they believed in someone from a different country. I think Champlain will become a beehive of

Fulbrights in the future.”

Sabbatical LeaveWhile Champlain’s Fulbright Scholar

for the 2013–14 academic year, she has been on sabbatical leave from the University of Jordan. As a tenured faculty member, she has the ability to go on leave without pay for up to four years. Many of her colleagues have gone on leave to Saudi Arabia or the Gulf. Quawas is not quite sure where the road will take her after May, but the possibility remains she could stay at Champlain for another year to work on a research project dealing with the unique issue of “madness.”

“Everywhere when women go against the grain and speak up, they are labeled as mad or hysterical,” explained Quawas. “Women have been put in asylums for speaking their mind, like Bertha from Charlotte Brontë’s Jane Eyre.”

Quawas wants to reconceptualize the concept of madness and its relations to Arab writers, and her point of entry for the topic is through the work of Jordanian-British writer Fadia Faqir in her book Pillars of Salt. “In Arabic, women are called majnouneh: loony. It’s become a large issue. Men can go to court and ‘prove’ that their sisters are insane to rob them of their inheri-tance. It’s easy, so easy, to call a woman mad in Arab culture, but it is found in Western traditions as well.”

The topic of madness strikes a nerve for Quawas, as she reveals that she was called majnouneh among other bad words, for supporting and encouraging her students’ film project on sexual harassment. “Sometimes I was called this laughingly, which is worse; injanet, she is mad, they would say. My students came to me with a list of a hundred examples and I censored it and still…majnouneh,” she sighed, shaking her head.

Abigail Clark is a 2013 graduate of the Professional Writing program. Clark traveled to Jordan in March 2013, allowing her to relate to Quawas’ stories. Currently, Clark works in the College’s Marketing Department and at Shelburne Vineyard.

26 Champlain View | Spring 1426 Champlain View | Fall 13

CHAMPLAIN’S COMMITMENT TO WELLNESSChamplain College’s dedication to health and wellness is visible through student, faculty, and staff activity.

The Champlain Wellness Committee won the Worksite Wellness Silver Award from the Vermont Governor’s Council on Physical Fitness in March.

The Champlain community also has the opportunity to take advantage of fitness classes offered each weekday in the IDX Student Life Center and at area gyms. A new Student Government–funded club, High Intensity Interval Training (HIIT), was formed in January to provide additional community fitness opportunities for students.

Champlain College also hosted its first Wellness Day in April; this free public event encouraged individuals to embrace healthy lifestyles. There were group fitness classes, a dietitian, a catered lunch, and more.

GALVANIZE BODY, MIND, AND SPIRIT


Champlain College welcomed Brian David Johnson, Intel Corporation’s futurist, to campus in early April for a preview of the College’s new MakerLab and the

expansion of its home, the Emergent Media Center. The new facilities at Champlain’s Miller Center at Lakeside

campus represent the College’s ongoing commitment to supporting community projects and academic initiatives that will bring students to Vermont to develop new companies, create jobs, and deliver on a sustainable Vermont, said Champlain President David Finney.

“Today we are celebrating some major steps forward in supporting the creative economy of Vermont and providing new ways for entrepreneurs to quickly design new products and start businesses,” he added.

Johnson spoke about the future to a full house in Argosy Gym, emphasizing the importance of technology and education in support of the creative economy and local businesses.

The talk capped off a two-day visit to the campus to learn about programs like the MFA in Emergent Media, meet Champlain students and faculty, visit classes, and, with Dean of Education and Human Services Laura Bongiorno, facilitate a generative thinking session with a class of Mater Christi sixth graders studying science.

Johnson, whose job is described as “futurecasting,” works with data and research to determine a vision of the future that he and Intel can then work to build. A big part of his job is the “Tomorrow Project,” in which he takes his futurecasting research out into the world and gets people talking about the future. “It is a personal passion of mine that everyone should be an active participant in the future,” Johnson said in a recent interview with Forbes magazine.

The Miller Center event provided an opportunity to celebrate the 10th anniversary of the Champlain Game Studio, now one of the top video game design programs in the country. Finney also talked about the expansion of the Emergent Media Center and opening of the new MakerLab at the EMC that will be used by students and alumni, as well as the community.

The Champlain MakerLab, a rapid prototyping facility, is equipped with state-of-the-art 3-D printers, a laser cutter, a vinyl cutter, and more traditional tools that will allow students and the extended Champlain community to explore the possibilities for invention and entrepreneurship now available thanks to the unique marriage of digital technologies and once impossible to manufacture physical components.

“This new MakerLab connects the creative economy of Burlington’s South End art scene and the Vermont business and manufacturing community,” Finney said. “We plan to develop new academic offerings related to these specialized educational technologies. Using software and prototyping equipment and encouraging the long tradition of entrepreneurial spirit at Champlain College will ensure our students have a direct hand in building the future.”

“This space, and the students and faculty who will bring it to life, will carry forward Champlain’s mission to prepare students to thrive as creators, communicators, and innovators. And from Day One at Champlain, to think and act as professionals in the media-engaged and interconnected world,” Finney added.

He said that Champlain plans to offer a specialization in Educational Technology, giving students majoring in Middle and Secondary Teacher Education the knowledge and background to integrate emerging technology skills and concepts into fresh curriculums for young learners.

“We are also celebrating our partnerships with the City of Burlington and its Generator maker space, and employers like Logic Supply,” Finney said. Logic Supply, recipient of Champlain’s inaugural Corporate Partner Award last May, encourages its employees to always look for new and innovative ways to do business.

—Stephen Mease

Champlain MakerLab at EMC is Open to Innovation

Students begin to move equipment into the Emergent Media Center’s MakerLab in mid-April. The facility will be ready for students and the community in the fall. BELOW: Brian David Johnson, Intel’s futurist, visited campus in April.


Champlain College received a record number of applications this year for the Class of 2018—5,540. That’s up more than 10 percent from last year, and is roughly 1,000 more applications than were

received in 2012.The numbers of Early Decision I and II applications, due

in mid-November and mid-January, were also up over 2013 figures. All acceptances offered under Champlain’s Early Decision program are considered binding, meaning students who applied are committed to attending—Champlain is their first-choice school. As of early March, nearly a third of the expected Class of 2018 were already accepted and will attend Champlain in the fall.

For these and other accepted students, two Accepted Student Day events were held this spring, with a record number of students and their family members attending.

The early numbers are especially good in a higher education climate in which many schools comparable to Champlain are seeing level numbers or a decline in the number of applications, noted Vice President of Enrollment Management Catherine O’Rourke.

“When Champlain College was described as ‘the Ideal College’ in Atlantic magazine last fall, I think that really signaled to a broader audience outside Vermont and New England the rise of Champlain’s reputation as a top school on the cutting edge,” O’Rourke said. “It is a place willing to approach higher education differently by offering one of the most professionally focused educations in the country, and

the number of successful graduates who are finding jobs in their field of study is among the best in the nation.”

A strong mix of cutting-edge majors, including Game Design, Environmental Studies, Cybersecurity, Professional Writing, International Business, New Media, and Information Assurance, among others, are raising Champlain’s profile as a leading professional college. Its national rankings are a testament to the College’s accomplishments.

The undergraduate admissions team is led by Sarah Boston Andriano, who noted that Champlain Admissions representatives visited more than 700 high schools across the country, as well as nine European cities. The team also hosts continual on- and off-campus open houses for prospective students as well as high school guidance counselors.

Champlain is seeing an increase in its international enrollment, with more than 18 countries currently represented on campus. Champlain undergraduate and graduate program campuses in Montreal, Dublin, and

Shanghai are helping to tell the College’s story around the world.

In addition, Champlain continues to attract an increasing number of transfer students from colleges and universities across the country.

“Every year we are seeing the quality of our prospective students just keep getting better and better, with stronger test scores, higher GPAs and excellent portfolios of work,” Andriano said.

Admissions Numbers Rising

“Every year we are seeing the quality of our prospective students just keep getting better and better, with stronger test scores, higher GPAs and excellent portfolios of work.” —Sarah Andriano

The Glass Atrium Band, made up of Champlain students; a barbecue prepared by Sodexo; and a gorgeous spring day in Burlington made 295 accepted students and their family members feel welcome on campus in late April.


MEET MARK ZAMMUTO OF

CAREER SERVICES

Since he arrived in December 2009, Career Advisor Mark Zammuto has been making innovative changes to Champlain’s Career Services Office, helping to put

students on the map.

“I’m more of an industrial engineer. I work within a system to optimize growth. Instead of growing food and plants”—his undergraduate degree was in Plant and Soil Sciences—“I’m cultivating lifelong career management education,” he says. “I love coming up with new, clever ways of saving time and energy in helping students manage the crux of their careers.”

“ONE DOCS” A GAME CHANGER With students at the heart of his motivation, Zammuto

was recognized for his innovative strategies for student career success. He received the Staff Council 2013 Innovation Award and the John Lavallee Award for Technological Solutions because of his idea for One Doc. One Doc is a web-based, one-page document of weekly job and internship positions available that directly links to the postings on employers’ websites.

“We wanted and needed an effective way to connect students with local employers, so we made the One Docs,” Zammuto explained. “Now students can see the most current, relevant job opportunities in one click.

“The One Docs are getting recognized after three to four years of being available, and they’ve led to a lot of connections and strengthened relationships within the community.”

Seeking a way to promote opportunities to students, Zammuto developed the first One Doc for ITS students over the summer of 2011. By the fall of 2012, One Docs were available for every division. “The One Docs quickly became the most popular resource of the office, receiving hundreds of views weekly,” he said.

Today, the One Docs are maintained by students on the Career Services YES Team. The “created by students, for students” job postings have helped countless Champlain students acquire the jobs and internships they wanted. One is Champlain Computer Information and Technology senior Benjamin Mace.

“I think the first time I reached out to Mark was during my LEAD 202 requirement, Strategically Marketing Yourself,” Mace said. A required workshop for second-year students, it is designed to assist students in determining how past and future experiences in the work, school, volunteer, and extracurricular areas can be used to support their career

paths, through resume and LinkedIn help.

Before Mace’s junior year, Zammuto helped him land an interview with Burlington attorney office Lisman Leckerling, P.C. “I hadn’t decided at that point if I wanted an internship yet, but I thought even if I didn’t get it, I’d gain interview experience. It was a win-win situation,” Mace said.

Mace got the internship and worked with Lisman Leckerling from September into February of his junior year. He spent the next couple of months working with Zammuto to get his resume out to the Burlington community for another job. Before summer, Mace acquired two internships, one at Marathon Health and the second at Burlington International Airport.

Near the end of the summer, Marathon Health asked Mace to stay on through his senior year. “I was formally asked to stay after graduation in December. I emailed Mark for help and met with him the next day. We talked for maybe an hour, discussing comparable salaries and benefits within the area,” said Mace. “Without him, I wouldn’t have known what I was getting myself into. He even helped me with negotiation.”

Months before graduation, Mace had solidified a full-time job to begin in May, and he certainly isn’t the first or the last student that the One Docs and Zammuto have helped. “I try to push anyone in ITS to talk to Mark,” Mace said. “Mark makes it really easy to take the first step.”

Story by Abigail Clark ’13


NEWS&NOTABLES

STILLER BUSINESS JOINS PRME

The Robert P. Stiller School of Business at Champlain College has joined PRME, or Principles of Responsible Management Education, an initiative of a global group of more than 500 business schools committed to preparing the next generation of business leaders capable of managing the complex challenges faced by business and society in the 21st century.

Wesley Balda, dean of the Stiller School, says most business schools in the U.S. and abroad endorse corporate responsibility and sustainability, but these values have not yet become embedded in mainstream business curriculums.

He adds that Champlain College is a member of Vermont Businesses for Social Responsibility (VBSR), which “is a nonprofit, statewide business trade organization with a mission to advance business ethics that value multiple bottom lines—economic, social, and environmental.”

LINDSEY GODWIN IN NEPAL

Dr. Lindsey Godwin, associate professor of Management in the Stiller School of Business, was the keynote speaker at the National Nepalese Conference on Appreciative Inquiry (AI) in Pokhara, Nepal, in January. The conference was organized by Imagine Nepal, a nonpolitical, non-

profit social movement organization dedicated to helping create a positive future for the Nepalese. Godwin worked closely with Imagine Nepal in 2009 when she was the co-chair for the World Appreciative Inquiry Conference in Kathmandu, which included 400 people from 40 countries.

For her keynote, Godwin spoke about the important role that socially responsible businesses can play in helping create a peaceful and flourishing society.

TEACHER APPRENTICESHIP PROGRAM SUPPORTS COMMUNITYAn accelerated eight-month teacher licensure program has been the savior for

many Vermonters in recent years. Champlain College’s new Teacher Apprentice-ship Program (TAP), within the realm of the Online and Continuing Professional Studies division, has assisted many Vermonters through the recession. As compa-nies in Vermont and bordering states are downsizing, a multitude of people have been left looking for new jobs in their field, or perhaps, pursuing a major career change. TAP is helping these people, many with years of experience, turn their knowledge into a prosperous teaching career.

Jim Svarczkopf never saw a day when he wouldn’t be part of the ASIC memory design group at IBM. That all suddenly changed for the 25-year IBM employee when he and hundreds of others were laid off from the Essex Junction, Vermont, plant in June 2013.

Svarczkopf registered for the eight-month program in August 2013. He cur-rently is teaching math at Essex High School, where he has coached softball for a number of years.

“We are strong advocates for supporting our community members in Ver-mont,” said Program Director Scott Mosher. “These Vermonters make outstand-ing teachers because they are invested in and committed to the students in their towns. This is especially true with numerous former IBM employees who have transitioned to teaching through TAP over the past 12 years.

“Their academic and industry experience provides students with a unique learning opportunity to truly be college- and career-ready.”

Since the program’s creation in 2002, TAP has worked with over 375 profes-sionals with bachelor’s degrees to help them quickly earn teacher licensure in the state of Vermont.

For more information on TAP, visit champlain.edu/tap.

CHAMPLAIN HELPS YMCA DAY CARE

After a fire engulfed Burlington’s College Street Congregational Church in October 2013, the neighboring Greater Burlington YMCA had to call 30 local families and break the news that they were out of child care. Champlain College responded right away by restoring the former Ethan Allen Club building on College Street to act as an interim day care center for the Y Early Childhood Programs until the day care center in the basement of the Congregational Church was restored.

BYOBIZ’S ELEVATOR PITCH

PARTNERSHIP WITH NEW YORK LAW SCHOOL OFFERS SIX-YEAR LAW DEGREE

Champlain and New York Law School have partnered to develop an accelerated program that provides ambitious and highly qualified high school students interested in becoming a legal professional the option to obtain a law degree in six years, reducing the overall time and cost to earn the degree. Read and learn more at champlain.edu/news


You Have 90 Seconds to Win It in

The 18 finalists, judges, and organizers in the seventh annual Elevator Pitch Competition in February. Lead funding is provided by KeyBank. Students make their best 90-second nonprofit, entrepreneurial, or job-seeking pitch before a panel of business leaders.

BYOBIZ’S ELEVATOR PITCH

Host Tim Kavanagh ‘86 introduces the judges in the Elevator Pitch Competition: Jennifer Martin ‘13 of

KPMG (not shown); Lori Rowe P’01; Amy Mailoux of KeyBank, Chris Kirkpatrick of the Vermont Agency, Hal

Colston of Partnership for Change; Stephanie Reiskin of REM Development; and Mike Lane of Dealer.com.

Find out who won and learn more online at www.champlain.edu


AWARDS&ACCOLADESREP. WELCH CELEBRATES ENERGY GRANT USE

U.S. Rep. Peter Welch (D-VT) celebrated the success of federally funded energy efficiency projects totaling $1.5 million on seven Vermont campuses at Champlain College in December. Federal funding for these projects was secured in 2007 by Welch and U.S. Sen. Patrick Leahy. Welch was joined by college presidents from the Association of Vermont Independent Colleges and representatives from Senator Leahy’s office and the Preservation Trust of Vermont.

“Investments in energy efficiency are a no-brainer,” said Welch. “They create jobs, save money, and improve the environment. Efficiency retrofits made by these colleges are already yielding substantial savings on their energy

bills. In an era of escalating college tuition fees, I applaud their leaders for doing all they can to reduce energy costs that ultimately must be passed on to students and their families. They have also taken advantage of the grants as an educational opportunity for students to learn about the latest

techniques for responsible energy use that reduces environmental impact.”

Projects were completed at Champlain College, Burlington College, College of St. Joseph, Green Mountain College, Goddard College, Marlboro College, and Sterling College.

ONLINE RANKINGChamplain College’s online

bachelor’s and business graduate degree programs are among the top- ranked in the nation, according to the 2014 “Best Online Education Programs Report,” released by U.S. News & World Report.

“The world of online education is constantly evolving and we have great programs offering flexibility, personalized service, and a broad range of professionally focused majors to help adult students get their degree and move toward the career they are seeking,” said Jayson Boyers, vice president of Continuing Professional Studies at Champlain.

Champlain offers bachelor’s programs in Business, Computer Science, Cybersecurity, and Healthcare Management, as well as master’s degree programs in similar areas of study.

A Lifetime Income at a Rate Higher than CDs. A CHARITABLE GIFT ANNUITY THROUGH

CHAMPLAIN COLLEGE MIGHT BE RIGHT FOR YOUExamples of lifetime income rates:

age 65, 4.7%; age 70, 5.1%; age 75, 5.8%; age 80, 6.8%

802.383.6620 / toll-free at 866.421.7170 [email protected]

Office of Advancement

A charitable gift deduction

A portion of income is tax free

Wonderful support for Champlain College

FOR YOUR PERSONAL SCENARIO, CONTACT:


Champlain Elementary Education student Megan Bessette ‘16 and her family from South Hero, Vermont, received a huge surprise from Ellen DeGeneres in early February.

View at http://www.ellentv.com/2014/02/10/ellen-has-a-surprise-for-this-family

SOCIAL MEDIA &BLOGSMAKE FRIENDS WITH LINUSHow many Facebook friends do you have? There’s a cat that has 869 friends on Facebook. Yes, a cat. This kitty goes by the name of Linus Hubbell, named after the blanket-toting Peanuts character, and is owned by campus neighbors Nick Hubbell and Audrey McManus. Linus became a social media sensation this year, much like Grumpy Cat, but on a more local scale. Linus isn’t shy. His growing list of friends on Facebook tag photos of him in various academic buildings around campus. He even gained the attention of Vermont author Chris Bohjalian, who wrote about Linus in the Burlington Free Press. Linus’s collar tag reads Friend Me on Facebook. So what are you waiting for?

Alisha Seney ‘14 @arisharebecca: Spending my Saturday night with this guy. #pencilwash #artclass #campchamp #portraits

Catherine Chalder ‘16 @catherinechalder: Sam broke out his winter hat today... #campchamp

Brandyn Csorgo ‘14 @lordcsorgo: 100 lbs of candy for the @champlainedu SGA elections party! #campchamp #thisiscollege

Jack Carpenter ‘15 @jacksoncarp: Champlain gives us an upside-down curriculum so we give them upside-down advertising #campchamp #champlaindublin

#CAMPCHAMP TWITTER

Above, Chris Bohjalian was invited into Linus’ home. Instagrams from L-R, via imbrandonjones, markeldc, and katejyoung.

#CAMPCHAMP INSTAGRAMS

The Laackman family posted a family selfie wearing their Champlain gear when the announcement was made that Don Laackman would be Champlain’s next president. Follow him on Twitter at @DonLaackman

Graduating seniors reminiscing:

@DianeChabot Apr 15Listening to young marketing majors work on a group project in the library. #campchamp #iwasyouonce

@Carissamaej Apr 17About to go to my last college class ever... How did this happen. #campchamp

@marleyjaffe Apr 1815 days till graduation... I’m not sure if I am ready to be done with college. #campchamp

Students love #campchamp:

@KarisaChan Apr 3I love @ChamplainEdu because it’s the perfect college for a go-getter. #determination #ILoveCampChamp #campchamp@ozdusts Apr 3I love @ChamplainEdu because of the amazing faculty and the great environment that it creates for students. #ILoveCampChamp@ChrissyDelphia Mar 24One thing I love about @ChamplainEdu is the hands-on class experiences gearing us up for the real world! #campchamp

Connect to Champlain Social Media at www.champlain.edu/social


Champlain College President David F. Finney conferred 520 associate and bachelor’s degrees to the largest graduating class in the College’s history on May 3 under a tent on Edmunds Field

adjacent to Skiff Hall. More than 4,000 people attended the ceremony.

The College’s 136th Undergraduate Commencement presented honorary degrees to nationally known creative educator Fern Tavalin and two Vermont philanthropists, Bob Stiller, founder of Green Mountain Coffee Roasters, and his wife, Christine Stiller, president of the Stiller Family Foundation and Adventure Girls of VT.

Tavalin spoke about the history of the Internet and creativity on behalf of the honorary degree recipients. She received a doctor of fine arts honorary degree. Bob Stiller received a doctor of commerce honorary degree, and Christine Stiller received a doctor of humane letters honorary degree.

Two of the honorary degree recipients were honored in part for their support of the College through the Stiller Family Foundation. In 2012, the Foundation announced a major grant to Champlain to

help establish the Robert P. Stiller School of Business and a permanent endowment to promote programs in Appreciative Inquiry and other positive psychology-based business and community management approaches.

Marguerite Dibble ‘12 offered the Alumni Welcome and Chelsea Hutching ‘14, president of the Student Government Association, delivered the Senior Address.

President David Finney delivered his signature “You” address to students, offering up a long list of accomplishments of the Class of 2014 in the classroom, in the community, and at play. This was Finney’s last Commencement as president of the College.

The College also marked the 50th anniversary of the school’s alma mater, composed by James Beams of Richmond, Vermont, who wrote the music in 1964. Beams, a professional opera performer and music educator, performed the alma mater with Registrar Becky Peterson and senior Marketing major Kayla Hedman of Griswold, Connecticut, at the conclusion of the ceremony.

chaMplain graDuateS itS largeSt claSS

Members of the Class of 2014 gathered in Argosy Gym in April for the annual Senior Trustee Awards Dinner. (Photo by Kathleen Landwerhle)

Honorary Degree

recipients Bob and Christine

Stiller with President

David Finney.

President Finney with Honorary Degree recipient and Commencement Speaker Fern Tavalin and EMC Director Ann DeMarle.

See photos and read the Commencement speeches online at www.champlain.edu/news


ALUMNI&FRIENDS

Alumni Weekend & Awards Champlain College’s 2014 Alumni Weekend, held May 9-10, offered participants a chance to celebrate with this year’s award winners, enjoy art exhbits by current students, take a nostalgic cruise on Lake Champlain, and offer their special farewells

to President David Finney before he retires on June 30. The two-day celebration also gave special anniversary recognition for reunion classes from the years 1964, 1989, 2004, and 2009. The 2014 winners, shown from left to right are: ROBERT A. SKIFF ALUMNI LEADERSHIP AWARDSusan W. Lamaster ’88ROGER H. PERRY ALUMNI LEADERSHIP AWARDAmy K. King ’02, ’05, ‘07C. BADER BROUILETTE ALUMNI LEADERSHIP AWARDElaine M. Strunk ’64AUDEAMUS…LET US DARE ALUMNI AWARDJoseph D. Gaetani ’06CAREER ACHIEVEMENT AWARD Milton G. Shirlock ’72PRESIDENT’S ALUMNI LEADERSHIP AWARDKim H. Harry G’10

Look for more alumni weekend events at www.champlain.edu

First Sarah Ramsey Strong Scholarship Recipient Awarded

Lauren Buniva ‘16 (center) is the first recipient of the Sarah Ramsey Strong Scholarship. This scholarship will be awarded annually at the Robert P. Stiller School of Business Awards to a Marketing student who intends to study abroad. Sarah Ramsey ‘12 passed away last summer after she was struck by a car in New York City. The Ramsey family, from left, Jennifer, Susan, James and Kevin were on hand to present the award.

Shelley Richardson to Retire Vice President of Advancement Shelley Richardson will retire on June 30 after 33 years at Champlain. During her time, she has worked with three presidents and nearly 100 board members. She has three successful capital campaigns and helped to raise more than $60 million for the College. Her enthusiasm for the work we do at Champlain is always inspiring. Thank you for your dedication, smiles and enthusiasm for special events.

SHARE YOUR NEWS: Tell us about your professional accomplishments, new jobs, and honors: at [email protected] or by mail: Champlain View Class Notes, Champlain College, Advancement, 163 South Willard St. PO Box 670, Burlington, VT 05402-0670.


1960sLaurie (Schacher) Wohl ‘67 retired from American Express in 2002 after almost 25 years, and in 2012 retired from Citi after nine years. She now volunteers as a police auxiliary officer with the Orangetown Police Department, drives seniors and veterans to doctor appointments, is a trustee of the Orangeburg Library, and is the immediate past president of the Blauvelt Lions Club in New York.

Mark D. Ventres ‘67 has retired from his career in the pharmaceutical industry. He now enjoys a second career as a musician and songwriter with Second Time Around, in Southern New England.

1970sRobert W. Bleil ’73 works as the regulatory and environmental manager for an oil and gas company.

Monica Kelliher-Hamby ’76 and her husband, Steve, have retired and moved to Stratham, NH, the area where she grew up. She retired after 33 years working for the federal government. The couple has traveled to Australia, Cuba, and Caribou, ME.

Linda (Deslaurier) Corse ’78 and husband moved last October into the farmhouse that has been in his family since 1868. The 291-acre farm is an organic dairy farm that ships to Organic Valley cooperative. They’ve recently conserved their acreage with the Vermont Land Trust to ensure it will remain farmland. Last but not least, they are the happy grandparents of Nikolai and Eli.

Jeannette L. Warn ’78 is currently working at the University of Montreal on a PeopleSoft project.

Marge P. Dussich ‘79, M.S., NCC, LPC, retired April 1, 2014, from her position as the associate director of the Center for Career Discovery & Development at Georgia Institute of Technology.

Sheila E. Mone ‘79 is celebrating 18 years as a practicing attorney. She currently lives and works in the Boston area.

1980sPeter H. Lewia ‘83 and Roger O. Sicely ‘83 will be releasing the third book of their epic fantasy/ sci-fi series “Chronicles of Ameron.” “King of Ameron” will be released in July.

Teresa Godfrey ‘84 was elected as town clerk of Brookfield, VT, in March 2014.

1990sDavid S. Mead ’90 was recently hired as account executive at CBS Radio in Seattle, WA.

Nancy Detwiler Kenney ’92 has relocated her social marketing consulting business, Green Girl Media, LLC, to Southport, CT. In addition, Kenney is director of social media for an international men’s skincare line in Southport, CT, and a SCORE Social Media Business Mentor for the Fairfield County CT Chapter.

Thomas Young ’96 was one of five first grade math teachers from the country to be chosen for the NEA/Better Lesson Master Teacher Project. He is also a recipient of the 2014 Sontag Education Prize.

Jason T. Garneau ’98 and Ashley Flynn welcomed a son, David Elias Garneau, in Jericho, VT, on Dec. 13, 2013.

Erin S. Carroll ’99 attained the title of portfolio associate at Morgan Stanley in Burlington, VT. She is working toward a bachelor’s degree in Computer Forensics & Digital Investigations through Champlain Continuing Professional Studies. Carroll and Nathalie Primeau are to be married on Aug. 8, 2015.

Lonnie King ’99 and Calen (Erb) King welcomed a son, Mitchell M. King, in Hinesburg, VT, on Oct. 8, 2013.

Jeffrey T. Moreau ‘99, CFRE, MPA, has been named director of development at Northwestern Medical Center in St. Albans, VT. With over 20 years of fundraising experience, Moreau has been charged with creating a fundraising system to help advance the strategic initiatives of the hospital. Prior to taking on this role, Moreau was executive director of annual giving programs at the University of Vermont.

Heidi T. Wrighton ’99 was hired as a career advisor for Champlain College.

2000sLinda Benway ’01 started her own travel and tour company called Catamount Tours of Vermont. Catamount Tours serves the Southwestern Vermont and upstate New York areas, taking folks on day and overnight trips to sporting events, Broadway shows, and shopping and sightseeing trips, using luxury motor coach travel. Benway also owns and operates a year-round motel business in Manchester, VT.

Alexa (Nash) Smrdel ’02 and James Smrdel welcomed a son, Caleb, on July 1, 2013.

Victor Castro ’03 recently left the Vermont Teddy Bear Company, where he was the director of e-commerce for all brands. He is now the director of e-commerce for Zachy’s

Fine Wine & Liquor in Westchester County, NY.

Amy (Verrill) Heinz ’03 and William Heinz welcomed a daughter, Natalie Landon Heinz, in Burlington, VT, on Dec. 12, 2013.

Katie Higgins ’04 and Jeff Higgins welcomed a daughter, Mia Karen Higgins, in Brookfield, VT, on Feb. 6, 2014.

Kelly Barton ’05 married Ryan Barton in August 2012. They welcomed a son, Emmett John Barton, in June 2013. She currently works as an early childhood special educator for Child Development Services.

Patrick C. Dacek ’05 married Kim N. Tantlinger on Aug. 17, 2013.

Molly F. McGill ’05 has joined Dispatch magazine in Portland, ME, as the managing editor, overseeing all facets of the operation and executing a rigorous redesign and rebranding.

Nicholas Novello ’05 and Jacyntha Vu welcomed a son, Ethan, in July 2013.

Sarah (Magnuson) Redfield ’05 and Timothy Redfield welcomed a daughter, Ella E. Redfield, in St Albans, VT, on Oct. 31, 2013.

Jed Thibault ’05 and Allison Thibault welcomed a daughter, Reese Thibault, in Burlington, VT, on Sept. 11, 2013.

Mike Balon ‘06 recently joined the infrastructure team at Cabot Creamery and has moved to Waitsfield, VT.

Peter Jewett ’06 and Katie (Roy) Jewett welcomed a daughter, Call Elizabeth Jewett, in Burlington, VT, on Dec. 15, 2013.

Jesse J. Willmott ’06 married Katherine Contos on June 22, 2013.

Davin W. Torrey ’06 and Rumsey (Bristow) Torrey welcomed a daughter, Lillian A. Torrey, in Vergennes, VT, on Nov. 7, 2013.

Courtney Davis ‘07 has recently joined the team at RunKeeper, a popular fitness app based out of Boston.

Kaylie E. Floyd ’07 and Michael J. Judd Jr. are engaged to be married.

Kristen C. Klein ’07 and Dana Murphy plan to be married on July 11, 2015.

CLASS NOTESJohn Lyke ‘10Filmmaking alumnus John Lyke ‘10 talked about his stunt work in the Ben Stiller feature The Secret Life of Walter Mitty and life after graduation via Skype with students this winter. Throughout his career, Lyke has held numerous film titles including actor, stuntman, director, director of photography, camera op, writer, and editor, for companies such as FOX, ESPN, and NBC, to name a few. He now works full time in Los Angeles as an actor and stuntman.


Kimberly (Charland) Thompson ’07 and Kyle Thompson welcomed a daughter, Jillian S. Thompson, in Milton, VT, on Sept. 27, 2013.

Brendan J. Ford ’08 was recently promoted to lead visual designer at Spanning. He is now lead on UI design and enhancement, as well as monitoring the brand identity.

Noah A. Lee ’08 and Kelly Lee welcomed a son, Oliver Philip Lee, in Hinesburg, VT, on Sept. 9, 2013.

Melissa O. Litts ’08 and George Papayannis are to be married in August 2014.

Colleen Y. Long ’08 is a clinical coordinator RN at Wake Robin in Shelburne, VT.

Megan A. Mulhern ’08 and Nelson Lyford are to be married in September 2014.

Cynthia R. Allen ’09 recently started a part-time permanent job at New England Biolabs.

Collin D. Bate ’09 and Samantha Stebbins welcomed a son, Carson S. Bate, in Williston, VT, on Sept. 9, 2013.

David F. Cambio ‘09 and Kathleen Cambio welcomed a daughter, BethanyAnne Kate Cambio, in Barre, VT, on Feb. 14, 2014.

Mollie E. Coons ’09 is now marketing coordinator at cdsavoia.

Stacey M. Dutil ’09 has graduated with an MSW from NYU. She is now a school social worker at Democracy Prep Public Schools in Harlem, NY.

Jessie M. Tessier ’09 and Scott Hanrahan are to be married in August 2014.

Annemieke D. Wade ’09 has been named company manager at Tarragon Theatre. In the past six months, she has successfully written five grants, four of which are employment grants, which will be active for the next four years. She’s also written a grant to the Ontario Trillium Foundation for building improvements that will make the old building accessible to Ontarians with disabilities. In total, these grants will fund Tarragon Theatre with more than $450,000 over the next four years. After seven years, Wade became a Canadian citizen on Oct. 10, 2013.

2010sJillian N. Bradley ’10 is now the owner of the Barnard General Store in Barnard, VT. She reopened the store on May 1, 2013.

Don Marchessault, Jr. ’10 and Lauren K. Prospere ’12 are to be married on April 25, 2015.

Amanda E. Nesta ’10 and John Vincent IV are to be married in August 2014.

Caitlin E. Pascucci ’10 opened a yoga studio in downtown Burlington—Sangha Studio. Currently there are two alumni teaching there: Pascucci and Nicole Stevenson ‘07. Catherine Bergeron (current Champlain employee) is also teaching in the space.

Shaylea K. Scribner ’10 has been working as the receptionist at the President’s Office at Champlain College since October 2013.

Ryan K. McSweeney ’10 has been working as a character rigger on Turbine’s latest title,

MAUREEN GOLDEN ’04

Walking up the steps at Champlain College the first day of class, Maureen

Golden ’04 could feel her mother—a Champlain alumna herself—cheering her on. Margaret Betourney ‘65, who was recruited by the CIA immediately following her graduation, had loved her time at Champlain and often sang its praises to her daughter. Attending Champlain was a foregone conclusion for Golden, although it would take a bit longer for Golden’s path to lead her to attend.

Born in Alexandria, Virginia, Golden moved to Vermont as a child. After graduating high school, she went to work for Merchants Bank. A 14-year career would lead to a branch manager position and in 1999, an invitation to attend the Williams College School of Banking program for executive leaders. Completing this three-year program planted the seed that maybe continuing her education was a worthy focus.

Golden’s mother’s words of praise made Champlain a natural choice, but its reputation for progressive excellence and the amazing setting sealed the deal. In 2004, she completed her B.A. Upon graduation, she returned to banking as a branch manager and enjoyed a 52 percent increase in her annual salary. After working in her field for some time, she felt the urge to return to Champlain for her master’s degree. Golden is currently enrolled in the master of law program and will graduate in the spring of 2015. She says “people often get comfortable and stuck in the careers they are in—Champlain is great at assisting you with transitions.” Golden has also realized another of her

goals—to teach at the collegiate level; she began teaching a college success skills course at Community College of Vermont and admits that it has fueled her desire to become a full-time professor. The dream job would be a professor at Champlain College. Golden jokes, “Now, if Champlain would only develop a Ph.D. program, I would be all set!”

Community involvement is nothing new for Golden, as she has always felt driven to assist others. She has volunteered with the United Way and with Dragonheart of Vermont, an organization that she holds dear, and with which she has been involved since its inception in 2005. Coincidentally, Golden’s work with Dragonheart has yielded another Champlain connection, as our own Amanda Crispel, assistant dean for the Game Development program, is also actively involved. Golden has known many people who have been affected by breast cancer, and having the opportunity to serve an organization that works to increase awareness and research funding for it means the world to her.

Golden is one of Champlain’s biggest fans; she serves as a member of the College Alumni Advisory Board and never misses an opportunity to share her feelings about her beloved alma mater. As a loyal donor to the College, she has been recognized as a member of the Audeamus Society, which recognizes donors who have supported Champlain for three or more consecutive years

Supporting Champlain has always been an easy decision for Golden. “It’s easy to be involved. I love Champlain—it has never let me down.”

ALUMNI PROFILE

Continued on page 39


ALUMNI PROFILE BARRY MAIN ‘04Alumni Relations (AR) recently spoke with Barry Main ’04 about the lessons he has learned living in Germany.

AR: Tell us a little about yourself.

Barry Main (BM): I am from Stonington, Connecticut, and was lucky enough to visit Vermont a lot with my family on annual ski trips or hiking trips. I knew after a few visits I was destined to go to college there. I loved everything about it, especially what the outdoors offered. When I finally got the chance to visit Champlain College in Burlington, there was no question about what school I wanted to go to.

AR: Tell us your Champlain story.

BM: I truly love Champlain and am proud to say I went to school there. I studied Accounting and professors like Champ Soncrant, Walt Luchini, and so many others liter-ally shaped my future. They got me started in the field I am in today and I couldn’t thank them more for it. One of my top memories I have is Champ Soncrant’s class; for his comprehension check, he would always ask, “Does that make El Senso?” I still use that expression to this day in my office! I also am proud to say I played on the last Champlain soccer team and felt very close to my other teammates. I loved the road trips we took to get to some of the games. One time the whole team stopped at my parents’ house for a team breakfast; the bus pulled right in the driveway and the entire team fueled up before a game in New London, Connecticut. I appreciated the different organized activi-ties the school offered, like the whitewater rafting trip to Quebec, yet another unforgettable time for me.

I feel like I took advantage of everything at Champlain, especially the study abroad program. While at Champlain, I studied abroad during my junior year in Geneva, Switzerland. I learned that I could actually live in Europe.

AR: Where do you work now?

BM: As a recent graduate in April 2004, I happened to see an ad for a snowboard instructor in Germany for Edelweiss Lodge and Resort. I applied and ended up having my interview on a ski lift at Sugarbush. I was offered the job and departed for Garmisch, Germany, in December 2005. I worked as a snowboard instructor for that first winter in the Bavarian Alps and then worked on the grounds crew for our golf course in the summer. At the end of the summer I noticed there was a position in accounting opening up and thought I would try to use my degree for something. I was hired as an accounting clerk and luckily there was room for growth in the department. I have made my way up through the ranks in the past seven years to my current position as financial controller. I would have never gotten here without my Accounting degree from Champlain.

AR: Sounds like an incredible opportunity, but it must have had some challenges. Was it hard to leave your family?

BM: Yes, the biggest challenge for me was to leave my family behind when I moved to Europe to work. I didn’t know anyone overseas, but I took the leap across the pond and met some of the best people I know—including my future wife. From my experience I try to encourage people that, if you have two opportunities, go with the more chal-lenging option. You only live once and it is amazing what you can learn from the experience even if it is difficult!

AR: What else have you learned from living in Europe?

BM: Living abroad has really taught me to slow down, take it easy, and enjoy life. Americans are always on the go, but Europeans like to stop and enjoy the moment. Many times you see them just taking it all in; relaxing, enjoying food, drinks, and life.

AR: How do you spend your free time?

BM: Traveling. Whether it be a day trip snowboarding in Italy or utilizing my three-day holiday weekend to see the Alhambra in Granada, Spain. I have traveled to 45 countries, expanding across the continents of Asia, Africa, and Europe. The proximity of Garmisch, Germany, to everything else is amazing. With little excuse not to travel, if I do stay in Garmisch, I am usually outside: hiking, snowboarding, or playing softball or soccer, among other things.

AR: How do you stay connected to Champlain today?

BM: Since I can’t really visit my friends and professors in person, the best way that I stay connected to Champlain is via Facebook. I have not visited Champlain since I gradu-ated, but I can’t wait to see how much the College has changed when I return to the states.

AR: Any words of wisdom to current Champlain students?

BM: Make the most of your time at Champlain! It goes by fast, and I cherish my memories.


Single Parents Program Match a Success

A fter the annual Women Supporting Education for Women event last fall, Donna and Remo Pizzagalli matched $100,000 for the Single Parents Program in

honor of Pat Conant, a close friend and former Champlain College employee.

“Remo and I are so grateful to family and friends who gave to this challenge in memory of our dear friend and talented former Champlain colleague, Pat Conant,” said Donna Pizzagalli. “We were delighted that over 150 donors made a gift to support the Single Parents Program, and in doing so helped raise more than $236,000. These investments make a college education possible for dozens of single parent students who otherwise could not afford a degree, a mission Pat cared about deeply. We cannot think of a better way to support ambitious young people than the gift of education.”

Thanks to the support of donors, dedicated scholars now have the opportunity to fulfill their dreams and create a brighter future for their families.

“By extending a helping hand with your gift to the Single Parents Program, you provide students like me the means to better our lives if we are determined and work hard enough,” said Alyson ‘15. “You believe in our potential, and we are inspired to meet your expectations and succeed in our studies.”

CLASS NOTESInfinite Crisis, and was recently promoted to mid-level.

Maria B. Thach ‘10 is engaged to Thu A. Nguyen ‘12.

Kristin (Lichtenfels) Knight ’11 and Benjamin Knight welcomed a son, Calvin L. Knight, in Shelburne, VT, on Sept. 29, 2013.

April R. Payne ’11 has been working as a graphic designer at Contour Design in Windham, NH, since graduation, and was recently promoted to senior designer.

Kristan M. Parenteau ‘11 and Ryan Lyon were married on July 21, 2012. Parenteau is working at Dealer.com as a digital specialist. She will celebrate two years at Dealer.com in June 2014.

Darcy Bessette ’12 is working at Green Mountain Nursing & Rehab as a human resource administrator and administrative assistant.

Corrie D. Erk ’12 recently started working at NBC out of New Jersey/NYC as an information security forensic analyst.

Adam H. Stone ’12 is working as the operations coordinator for the Framingham Public Access Corporation.

Conner Wingard ’12 was promoted from software engineer to senior software engineer at Corista, LLC.

Nicole H. Baker ’13 traveled to El Salvador with the BREAKWAY team of the Emergent Media Center in November 2013 to implement the BREAKAWAY Facilitator Training and Children’s Camps in partnership with the United Nations Development Program. She will be returning to El Salvador

to educate high school graduates and current university students about the Wells Mountain Foundation’s Empowerment through Education Scholarship, which she manages as the programs coordinator. PH International welcomed 26 international high school students from 15 countries to Champlain College as part of the U.S. Department of State–sponsored Youth Tech Camp. As the program assistant, Baker led their week of training, guest speaker sessions, and strategic action planning.

Casey L. Bertrand ’13 moved to Somers, CT, and is now working at BigVoodoo Interactive in Holyoke, MA. Bertrand and Kyle Walton are to be married in October 2015.

Sandi L. Earle ’13 was recognized for Quality of Life Solutions of Excellence by the Sodexo Corporation in 2014.

Amela Lulic ’13 lives in Burlington, VT, and works for the Howard Center.

Tammy J. Scarfone ’13 accepted a job with the Office of Child Support at the State of

Vermont, and she continues to take classes through Champlain.

Ryan T. Warner ’13 is working at MITRE as a software engineer focusing on Android, in addition to working on a variety of other technologies. Warner began his internship there in late 2012, and will celebrate one year of full-time employment in May. He and his girlfriend recently moved to Medford, MA.

LET US DARELauren Lavallee ‘11 spent two weeks at Antelope Park in Gweru, Zimbabwe, volunteering on a hands-on lion rehabilitation project to restore the lion populations within East and Southern Africa. While volunteering she worked with locals to plant trees and clean lion enclosures, visited local orphanages, and rode through the wilderness by elephant and on horseback. Lavallee, pictured here with 18-month-old Dingoni, said, “We began and ended each day with a walk alongside the lions. This was truly a wonderful experience and I hope to go back someday soon!”

Send us your best “Let Us Dare!” photo for the fall 2014 issue.

The family Holiday Party for the Single Parents Program.


IN MEMORIAM

Trustee Emeritus Arthur E. Wegner died on Jan. 27, 2014, after a long and courageous battle with lung cancer. Wegner was born in Madison, Wisconsin, in 1937 and graduated from the United States Naval Academy in 1960. After graduation, he served as a nuclear submarine officer. He left active duty in 1967 to earn his MBA at Harvard. He rose quickly through the corporate ranks and became president of United Technologies Corporation’s Aerospace and Defense Sector, responsible for several operating companies including Pratt & Whitney, Sikorsky, and Hamilton Standard. After nearly 20 years with UTC, he became the chairman and CEO of Raytheon Aircraft in Wichita, Kansas. He retired from Raytheon in 2000 and settled in Colchester, Vermont, to be close to family and enjoy the beauty of Lake Champlain and Vermont. He was a true outdoorsman. Wegner served on, and often chaired, a number of corporate, nonprofit and professional boards. He continued serving on boards in his retirement and was a trustee of Champlain College from 2002-11.

Trustee Emeritus Don Johnston (George Donald John-ston Jr.), 86, of Vero Beach, Florida., died on Jan. 3, 2014. He was a World War II veteran, and worked his entire career at the J. Walter Thompson Company, where he rose through the international division overseas to become president and CEO from 1974 to 1978, and chairman and CEO from 1978 to1987. He was a board director of Equita-ble Life Assurance Society and McGraw-Hill Inc., chairman of the International Executive Service Corps, trustee of Johns Hopkins University, and chairman of Johns Hopkins SAIS Advisory Board. He served on the Champlain College Board of Trustees from 1994-97.

In memory of our fellow alumni and friends who passed recently. Please keep their families and friends in your thoughts.

• Chris A. Brady ‘86, Lake Luzerne, NY, Nov. 7, 2013

• Rene A. Cloutier ‘69, Essex Junc-tion, VT, Jan. 9, 2014

• Grace D. Devino ‘49, Vergennes, VT, March 4, 2014

• Kevin M. Fortin ‘93, Winooski, VT, Feb. 16, 2014

• Warren F. Hardy ‘90, Colchester, VT, Nov. 9, 2013

• Daniel P. Harris ‘75, South Hero, VT, Jan. 21, 2014

• George Donald Johnston Jr., trustee emeritus, Vero Beach, FL, Jan. 3, 2014

• Rosalie (Palermo) Lovett ‘68, Richmond, VT, Oct. 23, 2013

• Ruth (Hayden) Mattson ‘39, Milton, VT, Oct. 23, 2013

• Michael R. Parker ‘01, ‘04, St. Albans, VT, Dec. 22, 2013

• Richard W. Schillhammer ‘34, P’60, trustee emeritus, Burlington, VT, Nov. 24, 2013

• Bernadette M. Tremblay ‘49, Highgate Center, VT, Feb. 9, 2014

• Patricia P. Trendowski ‘66, Marietta, NY, Jan. 5, 2014

• Joan M. Trottier ‘75, Lewisville, NC, Oct. 18, 2013

• Arthur E. Wegner, trustee emeritus, Colchester, VT, Jan. 27, 2014

• Leonel P. Yandow ‘57, Burlington, VT, Dec. 8, 2013

• Lisa J. Zdziarski ‘95, Burlington, VT, Dec. 16, 2013

Trustee Emeritus Richard W. Schillhammer, 99, died Nov. 24, 2013. A native Vermonter and 1934 graduate of Burlington Business College (now Champlain College), he began work at the Free Press Printing Company in 1934. After the Free Press Printing division closed in 1951, he and several co-workers founded Queen City Printers Inc., on Pine Street in Burlington, soon acquiring full interest in the business. His oldest son, John Schillhammer ‘60, who also passed away in 2013), ran the business after his father’s retirement in 1980; his youngest son, Alan, now runs the printing company, a mainstay in Burlington and a longtime publisher of Champlain College print materials including the View.

Dick Schillhammer was a loyal alumnus of Champlain College for 85 years, and a trustee of the College for nine years. He was active in the community, serving on numerous boards, including Medical Center Hospital of Vermont, the Salvation Army, and the Burlington YMCA, of which he was a past president. He was a 68-year Shriner in the Grand Lodge of Vermont, a member of the Burlington Country Club and the Ethan Allen Club, and an avid cribbage player and bowler, and always enjoyed deer camp with family.

In 2008 the College dedicated a residence hall at 109 Summit St. as Schillhammer Hall, in recognition of his longtime financial support and service to the College, also recognizing three generations of Champlain graduates in the family—son John Schillhammer ’60, daughter-in-law Ann Schillhammer ’62, granddaughter Shari Schillhammer Verge ’83, and her husband, Randy Verge ’83. We are very fortunate to have the Schillhammer family as our alumni and trusted friends.


rule no 19

TO BE CUTTING EDGE, YOU NEED TO STAY SHARP.

Ready for your next career move? Champlain’s online master’s and graduate certificate programs can help get you where you want to go, quickly.

Each of our career-focused online programs has been designed with the full-time working professional in mind. Online graduate certificate offerings put you on the fast track for a professional credential and allow you to apply the credits to a Champlain master’s degree in a complementary subject area if you wish to continue your studies.

If you are a Champlain alum, you may qualify for a one-time $1,500 Graduate Studies scholarship. Call 1.866.282.7259 today!

CHAMPLAIN.EDU/GRADUATE-STUDIES


163 South Willard StreetP.O. Box 670Burlington, VT 05402-0670

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