On the Hill

Four Join Board of Trustees

The Allegheny College Board of Trustees welcomed four new members into its ranks at its October 2005 meeting. Joining the board were the Reverend Thomas J. Bickerton, State Senator Jane Earll '80, Kimberly Tillotson Fleming, and Douglas Ziegler.

The Reverend Thomas J. Bickerton is bishop of the Western Pennsylvania Conference of the United Methodist Church. He was previously superintendent of the northern district of the West Virginia Conference of the United Methodist Church.

Bickerton graduated from West Virginia Wesleyan College with a bachelor's degree in sociology and psychology. He also earned a master of divinity degree from Duke University and a doctorate in divinity from United Theological School. Bickerton has served as an adjunct professor at the United Theological School; a teacher with the United Methodist Women School of Christian Mission; and an active participant in Volunteers-in-Mission and Natural Church Development Training. He resides in Cranberry Township, Pa., with his wife, Sally, and their four children.

State Senator Jane Earll '80 was first elected to the Pennsylvania State Senate in 1996, and then again in 2000 and 2004, to represent the 49th Senatorial District, which includes the City of Erie and most other municipalities within Erie County. Earll chairs the Senate Finance Committee and was the Republican nominee for Pennsylvania's Lieutenant Governor in 2002. Prior to her election to public office, she practiced law in both the public and private sectors, including almost seven years as an assistant district attorney.

Earll earned her law degree from Ohio Northern University College of Law. She is a member of the Pennsylvania Commission on Crime and Delinquency, the Advisory Council for the Pennsylvania Soldiers' and Sailors' Home, the Pennsylvania Historical and Museum Commission, and the Erie County Independent Council on Aging. Earll is a lifelong resident of Erie County and is married to Jack Daneri '81.

Kimberly Tillotson Fleming is president of Hefren-Tillotson, a Pittsburgh-based firm offering comprehensive financial planning and investment advisory services. A graduate of Northwestern University with a degree in economics, she is a Chartered Financial Analyst charter holder, a Certified Financial Planner professional, and an Accredited Investment Fiduciary Auditor.

In 2003 the Pennsylvania Department of Community and Economic Development honored Fleming as one of "Pennsylvania's 50 Best Women in Business." She serves on the boards of Magee Women's Health Foundation, the Civic Light Opera, Duquesne Club, and Pennsylvania Economy League and is a member of the United Way Women's Leadership Initiative. She resides in Mars, Pa., with her husband, Curt, and their two sons. Fleming is the daughter of trustee emeritus Bill Tillotson '52 and his wife, Carol Hefren Tillotson '54.

Douglas Ziegler is senior vice president, treasurer and chief investment officer of Erie Indemnity Company in Erie, Pa., which provides management services to the member companies of the Erie Insurance Group, a Fortune 500 company. Ziegler has been with Erie Indemnity since 1988 and has held his current position since 1993. Prior to joining Erie Indemnity, he worked in the banking industry in the Oil City, Pa., area.

Ziegler is a graduate of Grove City College. He has served on the boards of the YMCA of Erie, Desai Capital Management in New York City, and the Erie Insurance Company of New York. He resides in Erie with his wife, Diane, and their son.

Buck, Boynton Receive Teaching Awards

Two members of the Allegheny faculty received honors for their continued dedication to teaching and higher education at the annual Honors Convocation held on May 2. Sue Buck was awarded the 2006 Julian Ross Award for Excellence in Teaching, and Eric Boynton received the 2006 Thoburn Award for Excellence in Teaching.

Buck, an associate professor of art, has been teaching at Allegheny since 1993. She received her bachelor of fine arts from Ohio University in 1971 and her master of fine arts from the Maryland Institute College of Art in 1977.

"Her life is full," says a colleague, "but she always has space to crowd in one more piece of art, one more student, one more art critique that might change somebody's life."

An assistant professor of religious studies, Boynton has taught at Allegheny since 2002. He received a bachelor of arts from the University of Redlands in 1993, a master of arts from Vanderbilt University in 1995, and a Ph.D. from Rice University in 2004.

"He empowers classrooms of students to step out of their comfort zone, to step out of their belief system, and he finds new and creative ways to explain old and complicated ideas," says an alumna. "In so doing, students in his classes grow as learners and as people."

Allegheny Featured in New York Times Article

An article on page one of the January 1 New York Times explores the issue of merit aid by drawing examples from Allegheny College, among other institutions of higher education.

Both President Richard Cook and Vice President for Enrollment Scott Friedhoff are quoted in the article by reporter Alan Finder. Finder visited campus in December as he researched his story "Aid Lets Small Colleges Ask, Why Pay Ivy Retail?"

Finder begins his story with the example of Lindsey Mackney, a sophomore from Scottsdale, Ariz., whose choice of colleges had come down to Boston University and Allegheny College. "I knew I wanted to go somewhere where you would know everyone, that was close-knit," Finder quotes Mackney as saying.

The article also notes that Allegheny's distinctive message-that it is a college where students with unusual combinations of interests, skills and talents excel-has played a role in increasing applications, from 2,439 in 2003 to 3,540 in 2005.

Recipients of Teacher-Scholar Chairs Announced

Dean of the College Linda DeMeritt has announced the recipients of the Teacher-Scholar Divisional Chairs, which recognize the accomplishments of Allegheny faculty in teaching, scholarship, and service. Divisional chairs afford faculty the time to work on scholarly projects and are among the most prestigious-and most competitive-honors awarded at the college.

Associate Professor of Philosophy Eric Palmer has received the Teacher-Scholar Chair in the Humanities to develop further a new line of teaching in globalization and human rights while also completing a book titled The Ethics and Law of Nations and Corporations. He will use the chair to finish the research and writing necessary for completion of the manuscript. In addition, his research on ethics and international law will inform a number of his courses, both current and future.

Professor of Political Science Dan Shea is the recipient of the Social Science Teacher-Scholar Chair. He plans to continue research on changes in the electoral process and to work on a book to be published in time for the 2008 election. Some of the issues he will explore include changes to the campaign finance system, the unintended consequences of negative advertising, the use of campaign consultants, and gender-based differences in campaigning and party politics.

Professor of Biology and Environmental Science Scott Wissinger is the recipient of the Teacher-Scholar Chair in the Natural Sciences. Wissinger will be working on two lines of scholarship. One is related to his research, funded by the National Science Foundation, with Allegheny students on the ecology of salamanders in alpine ponds in Colorado. The second derives from his work as a Fulbright scholar and focuses on the impacts of non-native trout on the native species in New Zealand lakes.

Graduate Performs Rare Transplant

Timothy Hoffman '88 was part of a team of doctors who performed a "domino" heart transplant on two infants at Columbus Children's Hospital.

On January 14, four-month-old Jason Wolfe received a combined heart, double lung transplantation. Because Wolfe's heart was still healthy-it was a safer surgical procedure to do a heart-lung transplant than to transplant only the lungs-surgeons were able to use his original heart, the "domino" heart, to give a new chance at life to twelve-week-old Kayla Richardson. The combined procedures took twelve hours to complete.

After graduating from Allegheny, Hoffman went on to West Virginia University, where he received a doctor of medicine degree in 1992. He joined Columbus Children's Hospital in May of 2002 and now serves as the medical director of the Heart Transplant and Heart Failure Program and is a member of the section of Cardiac Critical Care Medicine. Hoffman also serves as an assistant professor of clinical pediatrics in the division of cardiology at the Ohio State University College of Medicine and Public Health.

Allegheny College awarded Hoffman a Gold Citation at Reunion Weekend 2006 in recognition of his professional accomplishments.

Two Alumnae Among Pittsburgh's "40 Under 40"

Pittsburgh Magazine named alumni Jennifer Daurora '99 and Jackie Nameth '02 to its seventh annual list of forty young professionals who make Pittsburgh a better place to live.

Secretary of Allegheny's Alumni Council, Daurora is a business development analyst with her family's company, McGinnis Sisters Specialty Food Stores. She is an alumna of the Entrepreneurial Fellows Center at the University of Pittsburgh and volunteers with the Junior League of Pittsburgh, Girls Hope, and Alpha Chi Omega Sorority.

Nameth serves as manager of the Regional Internship Center, an organization that works to retain young talent through internship placement. She also serves in advisory roles for local colleges and the Western Pennsylvania Association of Career Services and is a participant in the Pittsburgh New Collaborative and the Pittsburgh Sports League.

Two Students Selected for National Wind Ensemble

"When I saw the flier, I thought to myself, 'Well, Bonnie, you'd better learn to get rejected now,'" says Bonnie Sands '08, recalling the first time she saw a notice calling for auditions for the Ninth Annual National Wind Ensemble. "Competition is an important part of a career in music," she explains. "And since the department here is so small, I sometimes worry that I'm not prepared."

Despite her worries, Sands is well on her way to becoming a competitive force, as is fellow music major Damon Harvey '07. After Sands spotted the flier, both students submitted audition tapes-and both were selected to perform with the ensemble at Carnegie Hall in New York City in May.

The National Wind Ensemble comprises seventy-five high school, college, and graduate students who are selected by audition from a pool of hundreds of applicants. Auditions are open to all students in the country, and selection is highly competitive. "For Allegheny to have one student selected is an honor," says Professor of Music Lowell Hepler. "To have two students selected is extraordinary." Sands and Harvey are the first Allegheny students to perform in the ensemble.

Sands plays tuba, and Harvey the trumpet. Sands took up the tuba in sixth grade with the school band, and Harvey began taking lessons on the trumpet in fourth grade.

Preparing for the ensemble involved months of learning and perfecting music for the performance. "Brass is a very physical type of instrument," says Harvey. "You have to keep it up or you can lose a lot of progress." Adds Sands: "It's still very surreal. I don't think it's really sunk in yet. It's Carnegie-anybody who's anybody has played Carnegie Hall."

—Meredith Hutcheson '06

McInally and Lee Earn Promotions

David McInally, formerly Secretary of the College, has been appointed vice president for finance and planning at Allegheny. Larry Lee, formerly director of athletics and recreation, has been promoted to the position of associate vice president and will provide support to the vice president in areas such as projects, contracts, campus facilities, and auxiliary enterprises.

McInally had served as the interim vice president for finance and administration, in addition to his duties as Secretary of the College. He began his tenure at Allegheny in 1986 as assistant dean of students and became dean of students in 1992. He had served as Secretary of the College since 2001.

"After discussions with numerous people on campus and several members of the Board of Trustees, what became clear was the high regard people have for Dave," said President Cook in announcing the appointment. "Frequently mentioned were his intelligence, clarity, integrity, strategic vision, and leadership-and his increasingly obvious facility with matters of budget and finance."

Larry Lee came to Allegheny three years ago to serve as the director of athletics and recreation and has since taken on a number of additional responsibilities.

"Larry has demonstrated his skill and dedication in taking on a variety of responsibilities that go well beyond athletics, recreation, and fitness," said Cook. "These include summer programs and conferences, the Merriman Bookstore, a comprehensive parking study, and planning, contracts, and fundraising for the renewed track and field at the Robertson Athletic Complex."

Mitchell Fills New Diversity Position

Terrence Mitchell, former associate dean of students and director of the Allegheny College Center for Experiential Learning, has been chosen to fill a newly created position at Allegheny.

As assistant to the president for institutional diversity, Mitchell will help to develop partnerships with schools and community agencies for the purpose of enhancing diversity on campus. He will collaborate with the board of trustees and with the offices of admissions, diversity affairs, and alumni affairs to assist with diversity recruiting efforts, enhance student success, and establish and sustain strong relationships with alumni of color.

"This new position represents an extraordinary opportunity and an important initiative for the college," President Richard Cook said. "I couldn't be more pleased that, in Terrence Mitchell, we have found someone who not only is familiar with Allegheny's mission and values but who brings a wealth of talent, expertise and commitment to this new role."

Allegheny's strategic plan, Tradition & Transformation: Allegheny College: 2010, identified the enhancement of diversity as a major focus for the College's efforts in the coming years.

New Chaplain Appointed

Jane Ellen Nickell has been named chaplain at Allegheny College.

Nickell is an ordained United Methodist minister who is working on her dissertation at Drew University in the department of religion. She has a master of divinity from Vanderbilt University Divinity School and a bachelor of arts in English from West Virginia Wesleyan College.

Nickell has been involved in campus ministry at Marshall University in West Virginia and at Stevens Institute of Technology in New Jersey. She has also served as an associate pastor for three years with the First United Methodist Church in Huntington, West Virginia.

Nickell will provide pastoral care and religious life leadership to the campus community, offer ecumenical services on a weekly basis, and teach one course a semester through the department of philosophy and religious studies.

Jennifer Winge Promoted to Director Post

Allegheny College has promoted Jennifer Winge '96 to the position of director of admissions. A member of the Allegheny College community for more than thirteen years, Winge served as associate director of admissions for the past four years.

Winge began her professional experience at Allegheny in 1996 as an admissions counselor. She quickly advanced within the admissions department, moving from admissions counselor to assistant director to senior assistant director. Winge served a brief stint as director of college counseling with the Kiski School prior to rejoining Allegheny College in 2001 as associate director of admissions.

Since Winge rejoined the college, Allegheny has seen a dramatic increase in the number and quality of students applying for admission. In just the last three years, the number of applications has risen nearly 60 percent.

Dean's Office Announces Appointments

Jacquie Kondrot has been appointed associate dean of students for wellness education. Kondrot, who has worked at Allegheny in various roles for more than sixteen years, had been director of the Counseling Center since 1998. She has two master's degrees, one in education from Edinboro University and one in college administration from Bowling Green State University. She also holds a Certificate of Advanced Graduate Study in Counseling Psychology from the University of Illinois and is a Licensed Professional Counselor (L.P.C.).

Debra Thaler has been appointed director of the Counseling Center. She has been a psychotherapist/counselor with the center since 2003. Thaler has her doctorate from Gannon University in the field of counseling psychology. This spring she passed the national and Pennsylvania psychology licensure examinations.

Michaeline Shuman has been appointed director of career services. Shuman has a master's of science in education from Alfred University. Her professional experiences include three years with the Peace Corps in Costa Rica, five years at Franklin and Marshall in their residential life program, and four years as the health center manager for Planned Parenthood in Lancaster, Pennsylvania, where she supervised and guided college student interns.

President Richard Cook greets Allegheny's founding president, Timothy Alden (faithfully portrayed by College historian Jonathan Helmreich), at the Founder' s Day celebration in April. The presidents discussed the differences—and even a few similarities—of life at Allegheny in their respective eras. The celebration also included readings by students, a presentation of a Founder's Day drawing by Professor of Art Amelia Carr, the senior class gift presentation, and the singing of the Alma Mater by the Allegheny Choir. Founder's Day was officially established in 1908 to celebrate the College's past, present, and future.

New retirees and employees who have worked for Allegheny College for twenty-five years were honored at a reception in April. Pictured with President Richard Cook are (from left, in back): Professor of Physics James Lombardi, who retired after thirty-four years with the College; Roads and Grounds Foreman Wayne Schlosser; Professor of Music and Director of Choral Activities Ward Jamison; Professor of Economics Stephen Casler; Campus Crew Carpenter Scott Schlosser; Professor of Modern and Classical Languages Phillip Wolfe, all of whom celebrated twenty-five years of service; and Professor of History Richard Turk, who retired after thirty-eight years with the College. Pictured in front are: Director of Student Support Services and Associate Director of the Learning Commons Nancy Sheridan, who retired after forty years with the College; Post Office Clerk Deborah Legnosky; Professor of History Paula Treckel; Campus Crew Carpenter Richard Haemer, all of whom celebrated twenty-five years of service; and Professor of Mathematics Ronald Harrell, who retired after thirty-five years with the College. Not pictured are Bookstore Merchandiser Shirley Cronin and Professor of Philosophy and Religious Studies Carl Olson, both of whom celebrated twenty-five years of service.

The Alpha Chapter of Delta Tau Delta at Allegheny College recently received the Hugh Shields Award for Chapter of Excellence from the Delta Tau Delta International Fraternity. One of eleven chapters to earn the distinction, the Alpha Chapter was honored at the Eastern Division Leadership Conference in Philadelphia. Pictured from left are: Joe Knupp '05, Ryan Paal '06, Sam Halfman '08, Brenden Beall '09, Brandon Panaro '08, Jon Krempecki '04, Steve Frese '08, chapter advisor Anthony LoBello, Jon Harms '07, Ian McMeans '08, Omar Alsaadi '09, Spyros Pantelimonitis '06, Mike McClelland '07, Josh Macel '07, Chuck Yeomans '08, Gregory Peoples '73, and Carl Brantley, international president of Delta Tau Delta.