THE LORAS COLLEGE MAGAZINE | VOL. 59 | NO. 1 | WINTER 2010

THE LORAS COLLEGE MAGAZINE | VOL. 59 | NO. 1 | WINTER 2010

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Institutional News 

Faculty and Staff Recognitions 

On The Cover 

The Impact of Liberal Arts Learning 

Feature 

Alumni Reflections of Liberal Arts 

Campus News 

Loras Students Making Their Mark 

Athletic News 

Athletic Hall of Fame and Wrapping Up the Fall Season 

Alumni News 

Alumni Gatherings, Class Notes 

Perspective 

Life-Long Learning at Loras 

THE LORAS COLLEGE MAGAZINE | VOL. 59 | NO. 1 | WINTER 2010 

Loras Magazine | Spring 2011 

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The Loras College 

Magazine 

SPRING 2011 VOLUME 60 | NO. 1 

PRESIDENT . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . James E. Collins (’84) 

VICE PRESIDENT FOR 

ENROLLMENT MANAGEMENT . . . . . . . . . . . . . Lisa Lail Bunders, Ed.D. 

ASSOCIATE VICE PRESIDENT FOR A 

CADEMIC AFFAIRS AND DEAN OF 

EXPERIENTIAL LEARNING . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Mary Ellen Carroll, Ph.D. 

VICE PRESIDENT FOR 

INSTITUTIONAL ADVANCEMENT . . . . . . . . . . . Pamela S. Gerard 

PROVOST AND ACADEMIC DEAN . . . . . . . . . . Cheryl R. Jacobsen, Ph.D. 

DEAN, CAMPUS SPIRITUAL LIFE . . . . . . . . . .The Rev. William M. Joensen, Ph.D. 

VICE PRESIDENT FOR ORGANIZATIONAL 

DEVELOPMENT . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Gloria A. Regalbuto-Bentley, Ph.D. 

VICE PRESIDENT FOR FINANCE AND 

ADMINISTRATIVE SERVICES . . . . . . . . . . . . . Stephen J. Schmall (’83) 

ASSOCIATE VICE PRESIDENT FOR STUDENT 

DEVELOPMENT AND DEAN OF STUDENTS . . . Arthur W. Sunleaf 

PUBLISHER 

Gloria A. Regalbuto-Bentley, Ph.D. 

MANAGING EDITOR ASSISTANT MANAGING EDITORS 

Angie FitzPatrick Helen Kennedy 

Twyla (McCabe) Marlow (’03) 

Mary Kay Mueller 

CONTRIBUTING WRITERS/EDITORS 

Jon Denham (’02) Brandi Kamps 

Bobbi Earles (’88) Helen Kennedy 

John Eby, Ph.D. Twyla (McCabe) Marlow (’03) 

Liz Elsbernd (’08) Troy Rabbett (’06) 

Mike Gibson (MA ’91) Evayn Roper (’14) 

Clare Horst (’11) John Upstrom 

Cheryl R. Jacobsen, Ph.D. Ray J. Werner (’11) 

Joyce Whelan 

PHOTOGRAPHY/ART 

A2Z Sports Photography Hannah Kauffold (’13) 

Jon Denham (’02) Chad Monahan (’10) 

Bobbi Earles (’88) Mary Kay Mueller 

David Eischeid (’67) Colleen Savory (’09) 

Liz Elsbernd (’08) Scott Tarchinski (’91) 

David E. Jackson Ray J. Werner (’11) 

Jason Jones The Loras Archives 

DESIGN 

Kelly Jo (Huntington) Fassbinder (alumnus), Imagine That! 

Mary Kay Mueller 

PRINTING 

Woodward Printing Services 

NATIONAL ALUMNI BOARD 

Carl P. Adducci (’63), Western Springs, Ill. 

Michael Blouin (’66), Dubuque, Iowa 

Amy (Deluhery) Breitfelder (’92), Dubuque, Iowa 

William H. Callaghan, Jr. (’74), Midlothian, Ill. 

Jane (Noonan) Demmer (’76), Cedar Falls, Iowa 

Kathy (Keller) Giovingo (’76), Rockford, Ill. 

Kendall Griffin (’94), Forest Park, Ill. 

Audra (Gaiziunas) Marotta (’97), Hillsborough, N.C. 

Kris (Heissel) Melloy, Ph.D. (’77), Saint Paul, Minn. 

Mark J. Meloy (’83), Madison, Wis. 

Kelly (Stevens) Moshier (’97), Minneapolis, Minn. 

Eugene E. Murphy, Jr. (’84), Evanston, Ill. 

Thomas P. O’Brien (’82), Cascade, Iowa 

Thomas M. Onan (’57), Lake Forest, Ill. 

Autumn (Esch) Pino (’99), Maquoketa, Iowa 

Brian Schermerhorn (’97), Alexandria, Va. 

Lori (Welsch) Thielen (’87), Dubuque, Iowa 

Luke Vandermillen (’88), West Des Moines, Iowa 

Kelly Walsh-Hunt, Ph.D. (’90), Rocky River, Ohio 

Todd T. Welu (’86), Naperville, Ill. 

The Loras College Magazine is published approximately twice a year for 

alumni, students, parents, faculty and friends of the College. The contents are 

selected to stimulate thought, opinion and discussion, to demonstrate the 

diverseinterests and pursuits of the campus community, and to provide news 

about the College and its alumni. Worldwide circulation is approximately 23,000. 

EDITORIAL OFFICE ALUMNI OFFICE 

24 Keane Hall 200 Keane Hall 

1450 Alta Vista Street 1450 Alta Vista Street 

Dubuque, IA 52001 Dubuque, IA 52001 

Phone: (563) 588-7007 Phone: (563) 588-7170 

Fax: (563) 588-7101 Fax: (563) 588-4941 

E-mail: magazine@loras.edu E-mail: alumni@loras.edu 

Dear Alumni and Friends, 

All of us at Loras are pleased to enter into a new 

season, but we have not forgotten all of the great 

winter successes, a few which include: 

- Loras hosted the 23rd Annual National Mock Trial 

Invitational Tournament, in which Loras finished 

sixth out of nearly 70 colleges and universities 

from across the country; 

- Loras ranking 24th in the country among 440 NCAA Division III institutions 

in the 2010-11 Learfield Sports Directors’ Cup Standings; 

- Loras celebrating its 100th anniversary of the Loras Players as it hosted 

Broadway costume designer Barak Stribling (’81) for Project Runway— 

Dubuque Style. 

In the months ahead, you will read or see any number of successes and 

improvements including: 

- Loras being named a College of Distinction by CollegesofDistinction.com 

based upon four key criteria: engaged students, great teaching, vibrant 

community and successful outcomes; 

- Upgrades to the student dining area in the Alumni Campus Center, thanks to 

the generosity of ARAMARK, Inc., which will cost almost $1M and include 

open access to the concourse, later evening dining, a sandwich and coffee 

bar, more comfortable seating and flat screen televisions; 

- Major renovating in the Graber Sports Center, including a brand new floor, 

upgraded lighting, new curtains and interior painting thanks to the generosity 

of an anonymous couple; 

- Funding from a federal grant to provide the Cox Street renovation upgrades 

for Phase I of the project which includes creation of a pedestrian mall, 

lighting, landscaping and seating; 

- Relocating the Grotto to a more accessible and prominent location on the 

northeast corner of Wahlert Hall, permitting plans to continue for the new 

science facility expansion, a wonderful opportunity made possible by Regent 

Jim Davis (’69) in memory of his late wife, Jane. 

This issue of The Loras College Magazine features the last of a two-part series 

on liberal arts learning. This particular feature incorporates reflections of several 

alumni on their liberal arts experiences at Loras. Given world-wide struggles in 

the workforce and economy, the value of the liberal arts has never been more 

necessary. Further, with all of the global political, moral and social challenges, 

the Catholic and human dignity components of the Loras College experience are 

perhaps most fulfilling. Therefore, in this issue, I encourage you to read the 

heartwarming stories highlighting Tyler Steinke and our women’s basketball 

team as well as Hannah Kauffold and our concert choir. 

These stories, recent accomplishments and upcoming initiatives serve as the true 

measure of our success as a Catholic liberal arts institution. The value of a Loras 

College degree has never been greater, the need for all of our alumni to be proud 

and advocate has never been so easy, and the complicated and competitive environment 

in which we face has never caused me to challenge alumni to “give 

back” in a manner we should all feel both compelled and obligated. 

I am proud of Loras and look forward to partnering with you on our promising 

future which allows future generations of students to receive the strong faithbased 

education that Loras College always provides. 

God Bless, 

James E. Collins (’84) 

President

Faculty and Staff Recognitions 

The Rev. Robert Beck (’62), professor 

emeritus, has published the third volume 

of homilies given at the Franciscan 

Motherhouse, Sunday Homilies: 

Liturgical Year Cycle A and the book, 

Banished Messiah: Violence and 

Nonviolence in Matthew’s Story of 

Jesus. 

David Cochran, 

Ph.D., professor 

of politics, has 

published, “Creative 

Tensions: The 

Catholic Tradition 

and American 

Political Life,” in the Journal of 

Religion & Society, Special Supplement 

6, The Catholic Intellectual Tradition: 

Scholarship, Faith, and Higher 

Education, (2011). 

Robert Dunn, Ph.D. (’70), professor of 

psychology, and Cătălin Mamali, Ph.D., 

adjunct professor of psychology, have 

had their article, “The Intrapersonal and 

Interpersonal Effects of Crucial 

Experiences,” accepted for publication 

in the Journal of Loss and Trauma. 

Dianne Gibson, 

director of the Lynch 

Office of Disability 

Services, was 

reappointed to a 

three-year term on 

the Iowa Supreme 

Court Grievance Commission in August 

2010. The appointment as a lay member 

runs until June 30, 2013. 

Mike Gibson (MA ’91), college 

archivist and director of the Center for 

Dubuque History at Loras, was a guest 

on Michael Feldman’s “Whad Ya’ 

Know?” two-hour comedy, quiz and 

interview radio show when it came to 

Dubuque in October. The show originates 

in Madison, Wis., but every few 

months does a live broadcast in cities 

around the country. Gibson responded to 

Feldman’s “off the cuff” questions about 

Dubuque and Loras College history. 

Feldman’s show, in its 25th year, is produced 

by Wisconsin Public Radio and 

distributed to 797 National Public Radio 

(NPR) stations across the U.S. by Public 

Radio International. 

Sandra Gonzales- 

Denham (’05), 

director of the Loras 

Fund, has been 

elected to serve as 

the vice president/ 

president-elect for 

the Association of Fundraising 

Professionals Greater Tri-State Chapter. 

Lisa Grinde, Ph.D., 

associate professor 

of psychology, 

Nancy Zachar Fett, 

L.M.S.W. (’90), 


of social work, and 

Maggie Baker, service learning 

coordinator, had an article entitled, 

“Collaborating with community partners 

on course design: From inception to 

delivery to follow-up,” published in 

Quick Hits for Service-Learning: 

Successful Strategies by Award-Winning 

Teachers, a publication developed by 

the Indiana Campus Compact 2007- 

2008 cohort of Faculty Fellows and 

published by Indiana University Press in 

November 2010. 

Institutional News | Spring 2011 

Janine Marie Idziak, Ph.D., professor 

of philosophy, and Fred Schnee, Ph.D., 

associate professor of biology, gave a 

presentation titled, “Cluster Courses as a 

Model for Teaching Bioethics in 

Science,” at the 12th International 

Conference on Ethics Across the 

Curriculum held at Union College in 

October. Idziak also published the 

following book reviews: John Rziha, 

Perfecting Human Actions: St. Thomas 

Aquinas on Human Participation in 

Eternal Law. Speculum 85/4 (October 

2010): 1026-2; and Roger White, 

Talking about God: The Concept of 

Analogy and the Problem of Religious 

Language. International Journal for 

Philosophy of Religion Online First 

Oct. 2, 2010. Idziak held the following 

leadership positions in the professional 

organization Society of Christian 

Philosophers: chair, Program 

Committee for the Society’s session at 

the 2011 Central Division Meeting of 

the American Philosophical Association 

and member, Sponsorship Committee. 

Kevin Koch, Ph.D. 

(’81), professor of 

English, had, “In 

Defense of Winter,” 

published in The 

Wapsipinicon 

Almanac. He also 

held readings from his book, The 

Driftless Land: Spirit of Place in the 

Upper Mississippi Valley, at the 

following locations: St. Mary’s 

University-Winona, UW-La Crosse, 

Foundry Book Store (Mineral Point), 

Swiss Valley (Dubuque), and the Mines 

of Spain (Dubuque). 

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{ 4 } 

Tom Kruse (MA 

’06), chief technology 

officer, and Jim 

Anderson (’01), 

director of network 

and information 

services, presented, 

“Life Cycle 

Management,” at the 

Business Technology 

Conference (BTC) in 

Riverside, Iowa, on 

Oct. 19, 2010. 

Cătălin Mamali, Ph.D., adjunct professor 

of psychology, had the paper, “The 

Oracle-Sphinx Model: The Development 

of Questioning and Answering 

Abilities,” recently published in The 

International Journal of Interdisciplinary 

Social Sciences, Vol. 5/3. 

Kenneth 

McLaughlin, Ph.D., 

professor of physics 

and engineering, 

has co-authored a 

manuscript entitled 

“Production of 

Excited Atomic Hydrogen and 

Deuterium from H2, HD and D2 

Photo-dissociation,” that was recently 

accepted for publication in an international 

journal dedicated to research in 

atomic and molecular physics (Journal 

of Physics B, Institute of Physics 

Publishing, Bristol, UK). 

Seth D. Myers, M.F.A., assistant 

professor of art and communication, 

had a large-scale multimedia installation 

entitled, “Samuel’s Glacier,” included 

in the sixth annual Voices from the 

Warehouse District premier art exhibition 

at the Voices Warehouse Gallery in 

Dubuque. Featured in the show were 

15 regional and national artists. Loras 

college students who helped on the 

project included: Katie Duffy (’11) 

(Chicago, Ill.), Levi Boyd (’11) 

(Dubuque, Iowa), Michael McCarty 

(’11) (Alton, Iowa) and Katie Lally 

(’11) (Vail, Iowa). 

Amanda Osheim, Ph.D., assistant 

professor of practical theology, made the 

following presentations this past fall: 

“Faith, Choices, and Vocation,” for the 

Breitbach Catholic Thinkers and 

Leaders Program and “Snapshots of 

Mary’s Discipleship,” for Kickin’ with 

CORE Team, Feast of the Immaculate 

Conception. 

James Pollock, 

Ph.D., associate 

professor of English, 

published the 

following poems: 

• “Northrop Frye at 

Bowles Lunch,” 

AGNI, 72, Fall, 2010; republished in 

Poetry Daily, Nov. 21, 2010. 

• “Glenn Gould on the Telephone,” 

AGNI, 72, Fall, 2010. 

• “Lullaby,” Poet Lore, Vol. 105, 

Nos. 1 & 2, Fall/Winter, 2010. 

• “Houston,” The Nashwaak Review, 

Vol. 24/25, Summer/Fall, 2010. 

• “Mortgage,” The Nashwaak Review, 

Vol. 24/25, Summer/Fall, 2010. 

• “A Weekend in Vienna,” Riddle 

Fence, #5, Spring, 2010. 

• “Traveller,” PRISM international, 

Vol. 48, Issue 3, Spring, 2010. 

Pollock also published the following 

critical essays: 

• “Eric Ormsby: Sympathetic Magic 

and the Chameleon Poet,” The New 

Quarterly, Issue 113, January, 2010. 

• “Karen Solie’s Triple Vision,” Arc 

Poetry Magazine, Issue 63, Winter, 

2010. 

David Pitt, Ph.D., 

assistant professor 

sacramental/liturgical 

theologian, presented 

the paper, “Nativity 

and Naming: A 

Tentative 

Contribution to the Computation 

Hypothesis,” at the annual meeting of 

the North American Academy of Liturgy 

held Jan. 6-9, in San Francisco. He also 

had the article, “Incarnation and 

Eschaton in Olivier Messiaen’s Le 

Verbe,” published as the lead article in 

the January 2011 edition of Logos: A 

Journal of Catholic Thought and 

Culture. He also presented the lecture, 

“Sacraments: Past, Present, and Future 

Living with God,” in January at St. 

Patrick Parish in Dubuque. 

David Salyer, Ph.D., 


of education, Keli 

Keyes, Loras for 

Literacy clinical 

instructor, and 

Brenda Hostager, 

Loras for Literacy program coordinator, 

launched a unique on-campus reading 

clinic for at-risk second and third grade 

students who had previously attended 

the Loras for Literacy Summer Literacy 

Camp. The reading clinic focuses on 

developing print-based and online 

reading comprehension strategies 

using a reciprocal teaching instructional 

framework. The clinic was funded 

through a federal grant. 

Matthew A. Shadle, Ph.D., assistant 

professor moral theology, had the article, 

“Cavanaugh on the Church and the 

Modern State: An Appraisal,” published 

in the theological journal Horizons in 

Fall 2010.

Breyan Strickler, 

Ph.D., assistant 

professor of English, 

Maggie Baker, 

service learning 

coordinator, and 

Jordan DeGree from 

the Dubuque Art Center co-facilitated 

the training session, Structuring 

Volunteer Projects/Service-Learning 

Requirements for Millennial Students, 

and Developing Service-Learning 

Community Partnerships with colleagues 

from Coe College at the 2010 

Iowa Nonprofit Summit held in Ames, 

Iowa, Nov. 15-16. The workshop incorporated 

two presentations focused on 

Don Ulrich (’58) 

Eldon Herrig (’49) 

developing service-learning partnerships 

and research findings on how to structure 

volunteer/service-learning placements 

for millennial students. 

Dedra Tentis, Ph.D., 


of criminal justice 

and Lieutenant 

Colonel in the United 

States Air Force, was 

awarded the Air 

Force Commendation Medal for 

Outstanding Achievement from May - 

September 2010, while deployed to the 

Middle East as the Inspector General of 

the largest deployed Air Force Wing. 

Ulrich Joins Board of Regents, 

Herrig Thanked for Service 

Loras College welcomed Don Ulrich (’58) to 

the Board of Regents at the fall board meeting 

in October while saying farewell and thank 

you to Eldon Herrig (’49) for eight years of 

dedicated service. 

Ulrich received his bachelor’s degree in English 

from Loras College in 1958, then attended 

Drake University to earn his master’s degree 

and became a high school English teacher. 

He eventually left teaching to work for The 

Coca-Cola Company as a route driver and, over 

the course of 20 years, worked his way up to 

the position of the company’s vice president. 

Ulrich has served as chairman of Arizona State 

University Foundation and chairman of the 

1999 Capital Campaign Committee, where 

he raised more than $600 million for the 

program. He partnered in the development of 

Waste Not, a program to help feed the hungry 

in metropolitan Phoenix, worked on a documentary 

in Africa titled, Food for the Hungry, 

and volunteered a year reorganizing the Arizona 

government through the Office for Excellence 


Nancy Zachar Fett, 

L.M.S.W. (’90), 


of social work, 

presented, “The 

Nuts and Bolts of 

Integrating 

Community Partners into Course 

Preparation,” at the Baccalaureate 

Program Directors Conference in 

February in Cincinnati, Ohio. � 

in Government, which he originated. He has 

also served as a board member for a variety of 

organizations. 

“Loras College is honored to welcome Mr. 

Ulrich to the Board. He is committed to the 

growth and ongoing success of the College,” 

noted President Jim Collins (’84). “Further, he 

will provide Loras with the expertise and vision 

to advance our strategic initiatives.” 

Herrig, who served on the board since October 

2002, was voted to emeritus status at the spring 

2011 meeting. He is the founder of Herrig & 

Herrig Financial Services, Inc., and served 50 

years in the insurance industry. Herrig has 

generously shared his time, talents and financial 

resources with several organizations in the 

Dubuque community, including: Dubuque 

Community Schools, Archdiocese of Dubuque, 

Convention and Visitors Center of Dubuque, 

United Way, Catholic Charities and St. Mark’s 

Community Center. He also received numerous 

awards and was named the Telegraph Herald’s 

First Citizen in 1995. � 

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Television Production; Learning Experiences 

Improve with $86,000 Grant BY CLARE HORST (’11) 

Loras College has a strong and 

competitive media studies department, 

which consistently provides students 

with hands-on experience in a variety of 

aspects of television production. As the 

technology in the field is ever-changing 

and improving, it is important for the 

school to be able to train students with 

the most up-to-date equipment. 

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POINTS of PRIDE 

An $86,000 grant from the Dubuque 

Teleprogramming Commission funded 

upgrades to Loras’ TV studio and 

control room. In particular, the media 

studies program installed high-definition 

studio cameras and a high-definition 

video switcher. 

“This grant provided our students with 

the opportunity to produce some of the 

very highest quality programming 

for the Dubuque community, and at the 

same time, provide a state-of-the-art 

learning opportunity,” explained Craig 

Schaefer (’89), professor of communication 

arts. “This is not just an 

investment in our students, but in 

expanded opportunities to produce and 

share some of the great stories that are 

happening in and around Dubuque.” 

Loras College students produce a multitude 

of shows for the greater Dubuque 

community including award-winning 

newscast and sports shows, which are 

produced live every Wednesday at 7 

p.m. and subsequently re-run at various 

times on Mediacom channel 17. 

“The media studies students at Loras 

have had great success with news, sports 

and a variety of other television shows 

produced in our studio,” said senior 

media studies major Michael McCarty 

(’11) (Alton, Iowa). “The improvements 

made possible by this grant will allow 

Loras students’ work to be even more 

impressive.” 

The installation began in December and 

students have been utilizing the new 

equipment since the beginning of the 

2011 spring semester. � 

Kelli Theisen (’10) won the National Student Award from the national Catholic honors society, Delta Epsilon Sigma. 

The award is granted in recognition of outstanding achievements in service and scholarship as an undergraduate. 

Theisen graduated from Loras in 2010 with a degree in biochemistry and is currently studying optometry at Illinois 

College of Optometry in Chicago, Ill.

College Ranks 13th Nationally for Service 

Loras College has earned and maintained 

an impressive ranking in the U.S. News 

college rankings for several years now. That 

ranking, like many of its kind, is based 

primarily on educational excellence. Last 

fall Loras found itself at the top of another 

notable college rankings list, but this one 

focused on service-oriented schools and 

how well they fulfill their public missions. 

The Washington Monthly ranking is a 

service-based award, taking a new 

perspective on higher education excellence. 

The ranking measures how well individual 

colleges and universities meet their public 

obligations in the areas of research, service 

and social mobility. Loras College received 

a ranking of 13th in the baccalaureate 

category among colleges and universities 

nationwide. 


The criteria used by the Washington 

Monthly includes the number of students 

engaging in community service and whether 

a college provides matching dollars for 

service-oriented scholarships like 

AmeriCorps. Loras was named to the 

President’s Honor Roll for Service with 

Distinction in 2010, which was a contributing 

factor in receiving this ranking. 

“Loras College is honored to be named in 

the Washington Monthly ranking,” said 

President Jim Collins (’84). “This is a 

tribute to the commitment our students have 

made to serving others; having contributed 

annually more than 33,000 hours of service 

locally, nationally and internationally.” � 

Grant to Fund Internship Away Scholarships 

The Dr. Scholl Foundation has generously awarded Loras College $20,000 in funding for internship away scholarships. The funds 

will allow needy students with proven ability and initiative the opportunity of a regional or national internship. 

Regional scholarships, awarded to students interning in the Midwest, will be at the $1,000 level, as housing and travel costs are 

more moderate. National scholarships at the $1,500 level will be awarded to students whose internships take them to cities with 

higher costs like New York, Los Angeles and Washington, D.C. These scholarships will assist with the cost of housing, food, 

clothing and transportation. 

Students competing for scholarships will be selected through an application process based on financial need, past performance and 

the estimated quality of the proposed internship experience. 

The funding provided through this grant is in addition to the Dr. Scholl Scholarship Fund previously created at Loras. � 

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Parents Take an Active Role 

by Giving Back 

BY TROY RABBETT (’06), DEVELOPMENT OFFICER 

College costs can be expensive: tuition, 

room and board, books and spending 

money. These things can all contribute 

to one big bill back home. However, 

with the exception of a few, most 

students do not realize the impact that 

their college decision has on family 

finances. So, in an era of job loss, 

foreclosures and the worst economic 

climate since the 1980s, what could 

possibly make a family want to give 

back to Loras while their son or 

daughter is still enrolled as a student? 

The answer, according to Luigi and 

Pina Di Pasquale, is emersion. Luigi 

and Pina are the parents of Loras 

College junior Anna Di Pasquale 

(Northbrook, Ill.). “It’s important for us 

as parents to have Anna at a school that 

builds on our beliefs as Catholics, and 

Loras does that. We have a strong faith 

in Catholic education and the values 

which support it, and through the Loras 

Fund, we feel we are able to live out the 

example of giving back that we want to 

share with our daughter.” 

And since the time Anna arrived on 

campus, the Di Pasquales have made a 

conscious effort to build on their passion 

for Catholic education. This type of 

commitment by parents is something 

that does not go unnoticed according to 

Sandra Gonzales-Denham (’05), director 

of the Loras Fund. “Philanthropic 

support from parents and guardians is 

a great example to our students of the 

importance of giving back and 

supporting organizations that provide 

the community with a valuable service.” 

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The Loras Fund is a foundation for the 

basic operations of the College. This 

fund creates opportunities for students to 

study abroad, participate on service trips 

and experience internships all across 

the country. The Loras Fund also 

contributes to the campus environment 

in many ways, providing for technology 

in the classrooms, instruments in the 

laboratories and equipment for athletics. 

As these are part of nearly every Loras 

student’s experience, it is easy to see 

how the Loras Fund plays a significant 

role in every student’s daily life. 

Perhaps most importantly, donations to 

the Loras Fund provide financial aid to 

students in need. Nearly 100% of 

students receive gift aid from the 

College, 73% of whom also receive 

need-based aid. Giving to the Loras 

Fund not only helps current students 

but also those who plan to attend Loras 

in the coming years. This, according to 

Gonzales-Denham, “…sends an 

unmistakable message of trust in Loras, 

to provide students with a meaningful 

education and demonstrates a family’s 

commitment to Loras’ bright future.” 

And that bright future is something Pina 

Di Pasquale says goes well beyond a 

student’s time at Loras. “Anna, just like 

every other student at Loras, is gaining 

skills and learning things that are not 

only helping them now, but will continue 

to help them stand out as they transition 

into the job market and real life.” 

At present, about 11% of parents of 

current students contribute to the Loras 

Fund. Every gift to the Loras Fund 

helps the College take another step 

toward offering students more experience, 

more aid and above all, more 

opportunity. 

“Loras is grateful to the many parents 

and guardians that support the College,” 

notes Gonzales-Denham. “Contributions 

made to the Loras Fund support Loras’ 

Catholic mission and help provide 

each student with an exceptional Loras 

experience.” 

And that is something the Di Pasquales 

say is priceless. “That’s one of the 

reasons Anna chose Loras in the end, 

because it is a special place, one where 

she can learn and grow and prepare for 

what comes after Loras. And that too is 

one of the reasons we support the Loras 

Fund, because it encompasses the whole 

campus and the values of the institution.” 

The Loras Fund is a great way for 

parents to stay actively involved in their 

student’s education as well as contribute 

to the Loras College community. As an 

institution, Loras is committed to 

offering students everything they need 

to succeed, both while at Loras and 

beyond, and the Loras Fund stands as 

one of the best means of achieving 

that goal. 

If you have questions about how to get 

involved, or are interested in donating to 

the Loras Fund, please contact Sandra 

Gonzales-Denham, director of the 

Loras Fund, at (563)588-7328 or 

sandra.gonzales-denham@loras.edu. �

Friends Believe in Honoring Her Memory 

BY TROY RABBETT (’06), DEVELOPMENT OFFICER 

Audrey Fitzgerald lost her life to 

bacterial meningitis in 2008 

while attending Loras College. 

If you’re interested in 

following the progress of 

these young women up to 

race day or learning more 

about efforts to educate 

campuses about bacterial 

meningitis you can access 

their blog online at: 

http://believeinafa. 

wordpress.com 

An incredible light was extinguished from this 

world on March 2, 2008. Audrey Fitzgerald, a 

Loras College sophomore and dear friend, 

daughter, cousin, niece and athlete, lost her life 

to bacterial meningitis. 

In Audrey’s short time on this earth she 

managed to create such an impact on the lives 

of her family and friends that those surviving 

her are striving for a proper tribute to a life 

which affected so many. 

As Audrey’s friends struggled to cope with her 

passing, they also strove to ensure that her life 

not be forgotten. “We felt the only way to give 

proper recognition for the fulfilling life she led 

was to establish a named award for her at 

Loras,” said Colleen Savory (’09), a close 

friend of Audrey’s. Savory explains, “We 

wanted to establish something to help future 

Loras students because that is the best way to 

preserve Audrey’s incredible life.” 

In addition to the award, several individuals 

will be completing the Rock ‘n’ Roll Chicago 

Half Marathon on Aug. 14, 2011, including: 

Savory, Amanda Lynch (’08), Marikate 

Murray (’08), Kim Chalekian (’09), Shannon 

Cox (’09), Kristin Engle (’09), Sarah 

Goodworth (’09), Maggie Huguelet (’09), 

Jenny O’Connor (’09), Tara Riley (’09), 

Rachel Whartman (’09), Alex Clesen (’10), 

Annie Zegarac (’11), Leah Holle (alumus) as 

well as a group of Audrey’s family and friends 

from her hometown of Independence, Iowa. 

At the advent of this idea, the young ladies 

became aware that its reach would far surpass 

more than just fundraising and training for the 

race. They see the Audrey Fitzgerald Award as 

a community effort. “We have created a blog to 

share memories of Audrey and keep everyone 

up-to-date on our progress over these next few 

months,” said Savory. 


Their initial goal is to raise $2,000 by Aug. 14, 

in hopes of presenting the Audrey Fitzgerald 

Award in the fall and to establish it as an annual 

award opportunity for an incoming Loras 

student. 

In order to achieve this goal the young women 

are reaching out to friends and family in hopes 

of making this idea become reality. As recent 

graduates they see the financial difficulty for 

most of their peers. However, they hope their 

online presence and encouragement demonstrate 

that any gift, regardless of amount, will 

make a huge difference in honoring Audrey. 

Gifts can be made online through the Loras 

College website at www.loras.edu/donate; 

simply check other in the designation box and 

write, “Audrey Fitzgerald Award” in the 

comments section. Checks can also be mailed 

directly to the Loras College Office of 

Development, noting the Audrey Fitzgerald 

Award in the memo. 

“Audrey was loved and cherished by many,” 

said Savory. “It is our hope that this award, in 

conjunction with raising awareness about the 

dangers of meningitis on college campuses, 

will help to keep Audrey’s memory alive.” � 

A group of Audrey’s friends gather to honor her memory. 

{ 9 }

BY CHERYL JACOBSEN, PH.D., 

PROVOST AND ACADEMIC DEAN 

The Impact of 

Liberal Arts Learning

This May will be my eighth year of 

reading approximately 300 names of 

graduates as they cross the stage to 

receive their diplomas and congratulations 

from family, friends and the 

College community. The commencement 

program is fairly predictable; it 

lists students’ full names, majors and 

hometowns. Academic regalia for some 

include honor stoles or chords. 

Otherwise they all wear the same cap 

and gown—carry-overs from medieval 

traditions emphasizing freedom (the 

cap) and equality (the gown). Loras 

graduates, however, also share an 

experience of learning most associated 

with the long tradition of the liberal 

arts—emphases on breadth of learning, 

freedom of critical inquiry, the development 

of communication abilities in a 

small, residential college committed to 

teaching practices that contribute to a 

holistic education suited for both the 

present and the future. Sometimes that 

experience brings students to exuberant 

displays of joy, thankfulness or 

self-assuredness—such as what may 

have prompted one student to kiss the 

provost on his way across the stage. He 

reconnected with me, coincidentally, 

as I began to write this second article on 

the liberal arts for the Loras magazine. 

More of him later. 

There is a growing discussion in higher 

education circles recently that focuses 

on the liberal arts tradition. The impetus 

for the op ed pieces in the Chicago 

Tribune, The New York Times, The 

Wall Street Journal or The Chronicle 

of Higher Education, or the data from 

professional organizations such as the 

Carnegie Foundation for the 

Advancement of Teaching, or the 

Council of Independent Colleges, reflect 

the very real challenges facing higher 

education. Many of the columnists, 

college presidents and bloggers of 

various backgrounds point to the 

troubling economic factors, international 

competition and a climate of distrust 

and disappointment that undermine 

education generally, but more 

specifically liberal arts or liberal 

learning approaches. The growth of 

on-line, for-profit institutions further 

fuels a perception that education is 

certification in practical skills or geared 

exclusively to professional fields. It can 

also be cheap and electronically quick— 

easily sandwiched into the spaces of 

“life” since it can occur asynchronously 

at any time the student is awake. Here is 

no “frills” pragmatism unaware of real 

costs now and for the future of this 

narrow understanding of education. 

In spite of the “perfect storm” facing the 

liberal arts—as one commentator 

described it, the liberal arts or liberal 

learning tradition may be precisely what 

is needed to confront and resolve the 

complex problems of our times. It is 

within this tradition that students 

develop the intellectual skills and the 

dispositions that will enable them to 

adapt as the world changes—including 

the more than 10 job and career changes 

they will experience during their 

working lives. The liberal arts curricula 

encourage critical and imaginative 

thinking, foster communication in 

multiple forms and develop not only 

tolerance but appreciation for the 

diversity of human perspectives. It is 

also from this tradition that students 

identify and strengthen the values that 

will ground them when faced with the 

ambiguities of a complex world. 

The number of “true liberal arts” 

institutions has been in decline for 

decades, many evolving into institutions 

similar to Loras with significant liberal 

learning emphases that stress breadth of 

learning—the liberal arts foundation— 

while also providing professionallyoriented 

programs and experiences. 

On The Cover | Spring 2011 

The liberal arts tradition thrives at Loras 

College in approximately 20 majors. It 

is also central to the general education 

curriculum which is part of every 

student’s studies at the College, and is 

present in a variety of ways in the 

approximately 20 pre-professional 

majors. In Why Choose the Liberal 

Arts? Mark William Roche, former dean 

of the University of Notre Dame’s 

College of Arts and Letters, answers 

the question from three perspectives: 

intrinsic value of the life of the mind 

and exploring the “great questions,” 

character formation and development of 

a sense of vocation and cultivation of 

skills and attributes for a successful 

career. One need only make explicit the 

anticipated outcome of an informed 

citizenry to have a full-picture of the 

liberal arts from their origins to our 

contemporary context. 

The dialogue around the relative merits 

of liberal learning, however, has added a 

new element. As Roche elegantly notes, 

“It is…not only ironic but also appealing 

that the very education we elevate 

for its intrinsic value cultivates virtues 

that serve meaningful external ends and 

prepares students for the needs and 

challenges of practical life, even if that 

is not its primary purpose” (51). As 

some critics and advocates for liberal 

learning have observed, institutions need 

to better articulate and justify the value 

of a liberal arts education since those 

assumptions are not widely known or 

held presently. 

{ 11 }

On The Cover | Spring 2011 

As I noted in an op ed for Dubuque’s 

Telegraph Herald, “we know from 

national surveys of corporate leaders, 

as well as educators, that the skills and 

capabilities associated with liberal learning 

are sought after and transferable to a 

wide range of professional work and 

service.” That fact becomes all the more 

important given that Americans change 

jobs 10 times over the 20 years after 

high school. National surveys confirm 

that employers, corporate leaders, 

government officials and leaders in 

technology want individuals with these 

practical and intellectual skills as well 

as the ability to work collaboratively, 

reason ethically and understand 

intercultural contexts. 

Increasingly, specialized accrediting 

associations emphasize liberal learning 

goals as significant expectations for 

professional education. For example, 

accredited engineering programs require 

students to develop the full range of 

liberal learning capabilities alongside 

of their technical knowledge. The same 

inclusion of liberal education goals 

can be found in accounting, health 

professional preparation, education 

policy and practice and general business 

curricula. 

Long a proponent of liberal education, the 

leading higher education professional 

organization, the Association of American 

Colleges and Universities (AAC&U), 

began such an argument with its reform 

initiative, “Liberal Education and 

America’s Promise (LEAP): Excellence 

for Everyone as a Nation Goes to 

College.” Based on a multi-year dialogue 

and national polls of educational leaders, 

analyses of a series of recommendations 

and reports from the business community 

and other policy leaders; and analyses of 

accreditation requirements in business, 

engineering, nursing and teacher 

education, the AAC&U framed a list of 

“essential learning outcomes” that all 

students need from higher education. 

The Loras College Dispositions and 

general education program parallel 

the foci suggested by the national 

organization, as do the several hundred 

courses offered at the College in majors 

and the learning experiences tied to 

those courses. 

The outcomes and survey findings that 

led to the essential learning outcomes 

are detailed in AAC&U reports: 

Greater Expectations: A New Vision for 

Learning as a Nation Goes to College 

(2002), Taking Responsibility for 

Quality of the Baccalaureate Degree 

(2004), and Liberal Education 

Outcomes: A Preliminary Report on 

Achievement in College (2005). 

Released in 2010, Five High-Impact 

Practices: Research on Learning 

Outcomes, Completion, and Quality 

documents the connections between 

learning and pedagogy. As with the 

essential learning outcomes identified 

above, the teaching practices reviewed 

in this report have long been aligned 

with liberal arts/liberal learning institutions. 

First-year seminars, service 

learning, undergraduate research, capstone 

course or projects and integrated 

approaches are firmly embedded in 

Loras’ programs and classrooms along 

with the essential learning outcomes 

as realized in our general education 

curriculum. 

The LEAP initiative is a two-pronged 

argument. First it demonstrates that 

liberal arts or liberal learning is central 

to the kind of education that is needed 

for “the complex and volatile world” of 

the 21st century and, consequently, is 

relevant to all employment and professional 

goals. Second, LEAP is a call to 

expand access and extend the liberal 

learning concept to more inclusive 

student populations. Explicitly AAC&U 

argues that: 

“Reflecting the traditions of American 

higher education since the founding, the 

term ‘liberal education’ headlines the 

kinds of learning needed for a free 

society and for the full development of 

human talent. Liberal education has 

always been this nation’s signature 

educational tradition, and this report 

[College Learning for the New Global 

Century] builds on its core values: 

expanding horizons, building understanding 

of the wider world, honing 

analytical and communication skills, 

and fostering responsibilities beyond 

self…It also challenges the conventional 

view that liberal education is, by 

definition, ‘nonvocational.’” (3)

The Essential Learning Outcomes 

KNOWLEDGE OF HUMAN CULTURES AND THE 

PHYSICAL AND NATURAL WORLD 

Through study in the sciences and mathematics, social 

sciences, humanities, histories, languages and the arts 

At Loras, all students study these areas in the advanced general 

education courses structured around five themes of aesthetics, 

community and identity, cultural traditions across generations, 

humanity and the physical universe and values for decision 

making. Many students also major in these disciplinary areas, 

while others have added exposure to them in January Term 

courses or electives. 

INTELLECTUAL AND PRACTICAL SKILLS, INCLUDING 

Inquiry and analysis, critical and creative thinking, written 

and oral communication, quantitative literacy, information 

literacy, teamwork and problem solving 

Active learning and reflective thinking are identified as Loras 

Dispositions—two of the four global outcomes for the general 

education program. The four Loras Dispositions encompass 

many of the AAC&U’s intellectual and practical skills as well 

as other areas of the essential learning outcomes. For example, 

students’ first-year seminar, Modes of Inquiry, serves as an 

introduction to several of the essential outcomes as do other 

first-year courses in writing, public speaking and group 

communication and mathematics. The emphases continue 

in mid-level and advanced general education courses. They 

also permeate the majors in both the liberal arts and professional 

programs as well. 

In fact, data collected by Hart Research 

Associates for the LEAP project between 

2006 and 2010 confirm the need and 

economic value of liberal education. In 

“Raising the Bar: Employers’ Views on 

College Learning in the Wake of the 

Economic Downturn” (2010), 90% of 

employers surveyed say that they are 

“asking employees to take on more 

responsibilities and use a broader set of 

skills than in the past” and that “the 

challenges their employees face are more 

complex than they were in the past.” 

So how does this relate to the graduating 

senior who kissed the provost? He had 

an education and opportunities for 

growth that are products of liberal learning 

in an environment that encourages 

student engagement. He had majors in a 

liberal arts discipline and a professional 

discipline and experienced the additional 

breadth of learning through his courses 

that met general education requirements. 

Active in student government and 

involved with campus ministry programs, 

he also served as the student representative 

to the Academic Council during the 

period of planning and implementing 

the January Term. In Council, he 

participated in the discussions that 

ranged across concerns about accelerated 

pedagogies, experiential learning, student 

recruitment, resource implications and 

campus policies. He got to know staff 

and faculty in their multiple roles inside 

and outside the classroom. Since 

graduation, he’s finished a graduate 

degree, worked in areas that draw upon 

his academic work and begun a new 

position which requires him to learn— 

quickly—a new body of technical 

knowledge. He is able to do that 

because he started developing the 

On The Cover | Summer 2010 

PERSONAL AND SOCIAL RESPONSIBILITY, INCLUDING 

Civic knowledge and engagement—local and global, intercultural 

knowledge and competence, ethical reasoning and 

action, foundations and skills for lifelong learning 

One course common to all Loras students, regardless of their 

majors, is Democracy and Global Diversity, which has a specific 

focus on what it means to be a citizen. Two historic events, one 

from a non-western context, are role-played by students. Primary 

readings, critical analysis and written interpretations inform the 

students’ re-enactment of the French Revolution or the push for 

independent statehood in India—two of the more recent course 

pairings. At several points in the general education curriculum 

and in most majors, students must engage the ethical questions of 

their disciplines and future professions. 

As examples, Ethics and the New Genetics; applied ethics in 

business, communication, environmental sciences, physical 

education and sport science; Global Inequality, among many 

others raise questions which advance the Loras Dispositions of 

ethical decision-makers and responsible contributors to society. 

INTEGRATIVE AND APPLIED LEARNING, INCLUDING 

Synthesis and advanced accomplishment across general 

and specialized studies 

Within Loras’ general education program there is an emphasis 

on connected knowing—comparative and contrasting approaches 

that explore both the capacities and limits of knowledge in any 

specific area. Internships, service and community-based learning, 

as well as other experiential components require that students 

learn and apply their learning in both the classroom and the field. 

skills and capacities through his liberal 

learning experiences at Loras. He—and 

others—with a strong liberal learning 

preparation in a college environment 

that promotes engaged, active learning 

will be able to respond to the globalized 

knowledge economy and rapid change 

that characterizes contemporary life. He 

had good reasons to be exuberant and 

self-assured at commencement. � 

Sources: 

Roche, Mark William. Why Choose the Liberal 

Arts? University of Notre Dame Press, Notre 

Dame, Indiana, 2010. 

“Liberal Education and America’s Promise (LEAP): 

Excellence for Everyone as a Nation Goes to 

College.” Association of American Colleges and 

Universities, National Panel Report, 2002. 

“College Learning for the New Global Century: 

A Report from the National Leadership Council 

for Liberal Education & America’s Promise.” 

Association of American Colleges and 

Universities, 2007. 

{ 13 }

Reflections 

Liberal arts education provides students with a learning environment 

to cultivate their general intellectual abilities. It encourages these 

young scholars to explore not only the area of study in which they will 

major, but also to explore areas of study they simply enjoy. The broad 

range of enriching experiences and opportunities for personal growth 

touch their lives long after they leave the campus, helping them 

navigate a complex and ever-changing world. The following are alumni 

stories which express their personal journeys with, interpretation of 

and passion for the liberal arts.

Mark McCarville (’68) 

Managing Director, 

Braydon Partners, LLC 

When I enrolled at Loras College my 

goal was to get a degree in business 

and find a job. The fact I would be 

getting a “liberal arts” education was 

not forefront in my mind. But once I 

became immersed in the coursework 

I discovered how interesting subjects 

such as history or philosophy could be 

and began to have a sense that getting 

exposed to these subjects might be 

important in life. 

As the years have passed I have come 

to understand success and fulfillment 

in life, whether in one’s career or in 

relationships with others, is rooted in an 

understanding of the world in which we 

live and a clear sense on how we fit into 

that world. This understanding comes 

from an exposure to the broad range of 

disciplines one gets in a liberal arts 

education. 

Although the liberal arts education I 

received has had an impact on me in a 

number of ways, one example stands 

out. My work often took me to many 

corners of the world. The interaction I 

had with my counterparts in these 

various countries was shaped, in part, 

by a class I took at Loras College— 

comparative religions. Because of what 

I was exposed to at Loras, I had a very 

basic understanding of the religious 

beliefs and therefore a key element of 

the culture of the people I was working 

with. Without this background I know I 

would have been much less open and, 

most likely, less comfortable in these 

new settings and I would like to believe 

that allowed me to be more successful. 

When we hired young people a key 

attribute we looked for were individuals 

who “enjoyed” the world and who were 

not afraid to venture out and become 

engaged in a new environment. It was 

easy to recognize who had had a broad 

education and meaningful exposure to 

other cultures. But on the other hand, we 

often saw candidates who, although well 

educated, were intimidated by a new 

environment as the result of a narrowlyfocused 

education and a limited 

exposure to different cultures. 

Today, we often see world leaders make 

horrible political, business and military 

mistakes because of a basic lack of 

knowledge of history and their insensitivity 

of other cultures. This just reinforces 

the importance of supporting and 

expanding access to broad liberal arts 

programs and travel and immersion into 

other societies and cultures. 

Jerry Enzler (’73) 

Director, National Mississippi River 

Museum & Aquarium 

I graduated from Loras College with a 

degree in accounting but I am so 

grateful I studied liberal arts. I became 

an auditor in Milwaukee, but after two 

years my interests led me to the humanities. 

My liberal arts studies helped me 

get there. 

Feature | Spring 2011 

My wife and I became volunteer teachers 

for a year in Clarksdale, Miss. 

Because of my liberal arts coursework, I 

was able to teach at the elementary and 

secondary level, although my students 

taught me as much as I taught them. 

When we returned to Dubuque, my liberal 

arts background helped as I began a 

new museum job at the Mathias Ham 

House. I was so enthused I got a master’s 

degree in museum studies and 

became director of the new forming 

Mississippi River Museum. 

Today, my history and science classes 

are helpful whether I am writing exhibit 

scripts for “Lewis and Clark” or 

“Lizards on the Loose.” I have also been 

able to teach American history as an 

adjunct college instructor, giving me 

enormous pleasure and appreciation of 

the subject matter. My writing and 

speaking skills were honed at Loras and 

I have been able to use these skills to 

write grants and make public presentations. 

My liberal arts education has also supported 

a lifelong dream of mine, to write 

a biography of a noted figure in the 

American west. To this day, I continue 

my research at the Loras library as well 

as repositories across the country. As I 

research, write and revise my way 

toward a completed manuscript, I am 

amazed at how this “authoring business” 

is so mesmerizing. 

I don’t think I would have attempted 

these pursuits without a liberal arts education. 

My parents studied liberal arts 

and instilled their love of learning in 

each of their 13 children, 12 of whom 

attended Loras and Clarke. I hope I can 

pay it forward. 

{ 15 }


Bob Kaliban (’55) 

President, Tymar Productions, LLC 

I was a child born in the Great 

Depression. I could have easily 

refrained from divulging that pertinent 

fact, but I’m sure somewhere in this 

article there is the designation “Bob 

Kaliban, Loras (’55)” and you could 

have figured it out for yourself. The 

reason I bring this fact to light is the 

educational opportunities for someone 

born around that time were very limited, 

especially to people from farm communities 

in the Midwest, and particularly 

Iowa. It was quite common that young 

girls were not given the opportunity to 

finish high school but were required to 

stay home to do the daily chores. Young 

boys were often forced to leave high 

school to work in the fields. 

Unfortunately, both my parents suffered 

from those necessities. It is probably for 

this reason they worked and saved and 

insisted that their three children would 

receive a college education. I benefited 

immeasurably by their determination 

and self-sacrifice to grant me that 

opportunity. 

I was not a brilliant scholar in high 

school, but somehow got mostly straight 

As. If I remember correctly I was the 

only one from my class of 16 to go on 

to college. Where did I choose to 

go? Not to Cornell College just one mile 

away. Not to the University of Iowa, 

only a half hour away. No, I chose none 

other than Loras College. And lo and 

behold, I was accepted! I’m sure there 

were a couple of reasons, but probably 

{ 16 } 

the biggest reason—there were no SAT 

scores to be judged by, no class rank 

indications, just my DESIRE to have a 

well-rounded college education. 

I was not interested in specialization of 

a course of study. Wikipedia describes a 

true liberal arts program as: “a curriculum 

that imparts general knowledge and 

develops the student’s rational thought 

and intellectual capabilities.” As with 

many first year scholars (aka freshmen) 

I didn’t know if I wanted to be a lawyer, 

a teacher, a grocer or, God forbid, an 

ACTOR at the completion of my 

studies. I did know I wanted to further 

my education in literature, history, a 

foreign language, science and, because 

I was attending a Catholic college, 

philosophy and religion. What better 

place to achieve all of those prerequisites 

but at Loras. 

Not only did I achieve them, but I felt 

I was somewhat of an over-achiever! 

I continued to get fairly good grades, I 

signed up for every conceivable 

extracurricular activity from the 

debating team to performing with the 

Loras band to writing for The Lorian to 

catcher on the Loras baseball team to 

performing with the Loras Players. 

And it was ultimately because of my 

continued work with the Loras Players 

that I eventually realized where my true 

interests were and what direction I wanted 

my life to take. The variety of parts 

I was able to perform at Loras could 

never have been possible at a large 

university or in a highly respected drama 

school here in America. After graduation, 

I attended the Royal Academy of 

Dramatic Art in London and I marveled 

at the background I was able to bring to 

those years from my extensive work with 

the Loras Players. 

As I look back on my days in a liberal 

arts environment, I’m extremely confident 

it was the right educational choice 

for me. I valued greatly the small class 

sizes, the teacher-to-student ratio and the 

fact all the professors actually were 

interested in teaching and not research, 

as with many universities. As I look at 

my life choices, being too specific in 

choosing a life goal too early can be 

disastrous if things don’t work out in 

that chosen field. You have much more 

to “fall back on” if you have had a wellrounded 

college education and can take 

a different path should the need arise. 

I owe so much to Loras for giving me 

the opportunity and challenging me to 

choose the direction of my life. 

Kendall Griffin (’94) 

Assistant Principal, Schaumburg 

High School 

I can simply say my time at Loras 

College was truly one the most beneficial 

experiences of my life. It has remained 

one of the most influential times educationally, 

personally and athletically. The 

education I received at Loras College 

was tremendous and the individual 

attention and help I received absolutely 

prepared me for the profession I chose to 

pursue in education. The liberal arts 

curriculum provided me with a wellrounded 

education and exposed me to 

several different opportunities 

professionally. 

Students at Loras College are exposed 

to a very diverse liberal arts curriculum 

and are blessed to have a very dedicated 

and talented faculty. I enjoyed my 

classes and the academic rigor of the 

curriculum and I never once felt I was 

ill-prepared as a student. The faculty 

was extremely helpful and the workload 

was always manageable, even as a 

student-athlete.

Today as a high school assistant principal, 

I credit my Loras College education as a 

major factor for my success and I owe the 

faculty, staff and fellow classmates a huge 

debt of thanks for my personal and 

professional development. My Loras 

College experience has been the foundation 

of my educational and professional 

success and I wouldn’t change a thing 

about my time there. 

GO DUHAWKS!!! 

Kathy (Stuermer) Jirak (’81) 

When I entered Loras College in 1977, 

I was relatively certain I would graduate 

with a degree in English and go on to write 

children’s books. I recall entertaining football 

players in Beckman Hall on Friday 

nights with my readings of Dr. Seuss classics, 

as the players stayed in before the big 

games on Saturdays. On a whim, I took a 

marketing class with Barry Rudin and I 

was hooked. I was fascinated by management 

and human resources, not so thrilled 

with finance and stats, but ended up a 

business administration major. 

Upon graduation, I worked for 20 years 

in sales and management for Banner 

Personnel in Chicago. In 2001, I retired to 

raise our two children and relocated to 

Maryland, then North Carolina. Yesterday, 

I pulled out my Loras College Student 

Record of classes. Little did I know 30some 

years ago, the creative drawing, 

painting and calligraphy classes I took 

would help me to convert our new houses 

into homes. And the bible classes at Loras 

whetted my appetite for more in-depth and 

deeply satisfying studies in the last eight 

years. 

As my youngest ventures off to college 

this fall and I return to the workforce, 

I am confident the well-rounded education 

Loras provided will serve me well. 

The liberal arts curriculum at Loras 

taught me to explore all of my talents and 

interests and prepared me for a full life. 

For that I am exceedingly grateful. 

Wendy Schrunk (’07) 

Associate, Goldman Sachs Asset 

Management 


A liberal arts education requires students 

to actively engage in multiple disciplines 

and draw connections from the course 

work for their major to the coursework in 

other disciplines. Time spent in the liberal 

arts environment allows students to 

focus on developing their current 


strengths while exploring other interests 

and discovering skills they didn’t know 

they had. 

While at Loras I studied economics 

and finance, which provided a solid foundation 

and the targeted skill set I would 

need in order to enter the workforce in 

my chosen field. In addition to the more 

analytical and mathematical thought 

processes my finance and economics 

courses required, the English, psychology 

and history classes I took allowed me to 

adopt a multi-dimensional approach to 

my coursework and helped sharpen my 

critical thinking and writing skills. 

These important aspects of a liberal arts 

education have undoubtedly translated 

into my current profession. One of the 

things I enjoy most about my role is 

every day is different. This type of 

environment requires me to think on 

my feet and be able to assess a situation 

from all possible viewpoints. I often have 

to bounce from one subject to another 

and correlate things happening in the 

marketplace to the changing needs of my 

clients. One minute I may be responding 

to an inquiry about an account; the next 

providing recommendations on policy 

changes and the next analyzing performance 

data. I thrive in this type of work 

environment because of my liberal arts 

education and the Loras experience that 

prepared me to succeed. � 

Sanjit Pradhananga, (’09) (Kathmandu, Nepal) an English literature major at Loras College, earned a second place 

finish in the essay/non-fiction division and a $250 prize in the Delta Epsilon Sigma (DES) 2010-2011 National Writing 

Competition. Pradhananga won for his prose piece “Birth of a Naturalist.” Bridget Yanes (’11) (Dubuque, Iowa) earned 

honorable mention status in the poetry category for her poem “Shards.”

Campus News | Spring 2011 

Inaugural Business Week a Success, 

Plans Underway for 2011 

BY JOHN UPSTROM, PROFESSOR OF FINANCE 

Last May, the Division of Business 

Administration inaugurated a new 

tradition at Loras—Business Week. 

The week-long celebration was designed 

to recognize the accomplishments of 

business students and programs, as well 

as to offer learning opportunities for the 

Loras and greater communities. 

The theme “Business Serves” was 

chosen for the inaugural event. Several 

local business executives presented a 

mini-conference on a variety of topics: 

Chip Murray (’74) from First 

Community Trust spoke on “Leadership 

and Ethics;” Cindy Steinhauser from the 

{ 18 } 

City of Dubuque spoke on “Leading 

Communities through Partnerships,” 

and the Smart City project and Greg 

Gorton, Loras College head men’s 

basketball coach, spoke on “Leadership 

and Coaching.” Loras business students 

also hosted a showcase, highlighting 

some of the work done within their 

major. The showcase included work 

from the LIFE (Loras Investment Fund 

for the Endowment) portfolio, in which 

students manage part of the Loras 

College endowment; the Catholic Social 

Teaching Case Competition, a new event 

where students prepare and present a 

case where they consider both the 

business and Catholic social teaching 

elements of a controversial event and 

compete with other groups on thoroughness 

and methodology of recommendations; 

VITA (Voluntary Income Tax 

Assistance) where Loras students learn 

and serve by preparing income taxes for 

low income individuals; and other 

entries including displays from the new 

business capstone simulation and stock 

market game. 

A major highlight of the event was a 

keynote address delivered by Thomas J. 

Tauke (’72), executive vice president - 

public affairs, policy and communications 

at Verizon Communications and 

chair of the Loras College Board of 

Regents. Students, faculty, staff, regents 

and other community leaders gathered to 

hear Tauke speak on “Principled 

Leadership in a Global World.” 

The service theme continued with 

students and faculty helping with 

cleaning and maintenance projects at 

Teresa Shelter. Business Week 2010 

culminated with a student and faculty 

social at the Hotel Julien, where various 

student awards were presented. 

Plans are currently underway for 

Business Week 2011, scheduled to take 

place May 9-13. The keynote address 

for this year’s event will be presented 

by Jeff Gardner (alumnus), president 

and CEO of Windstream Corp., an S&P 

500 company with communications 

operations in 21 states, and about $3.7 

billion in annual revenues. Business 

Week 2011 will build on the momentum 

and successes of the inaugural event. 

Watch www.loras.edu for announcements 

and a full schedule of events. �

Purgold Honored in Walsworth’s Exclusive 

Possibilities Book BY CLARE HORST (’11) 

Loras College’s 2008 Purgold yearbook, 

“Leaving a Legacy,” was chosen as one 

of the select few to be included in the 

2010 edition of Walsworth Publishing 

Company’s prestigious Possibilities 

publication. 

Possibilities is an annual idea book 

produced by Walsworth that is designed to 

showcase some of the best work done by 

the company’s yearbooks over the previous 

year. The book serves as an idea generator 

for students across the nation, showing 

examples of outstanding theme development, 

design, writing and photography. 

Jacob Hanselman (’11), Andrew McGinnis (’10), Chad Monahan (’11) and Scott 

Johann (’11) made up the winning Loras team at the Sports Marketing 

Association competition. 

Each year the Loras College sport management program 

sends teams to two national competitions: the College Sport 

Research Institute (CSRI) case study competition in the 

spring and the Sport Marketing Association (SMA) case 

study competition in the fall. In 2010, the teams competed in 

North Carolina and New Orleans, taking the national 

championship title at both competitions. 

“Sport management is a huge industry encompassing many 

different areas,” explained senior Scott Johann (Des Plaines, 

Ill.). “The coursework offered at Loras prepares us well and 

The 2010 volume of Possibilities features 

623 examples from 187 yearbooks. Only 

16 college and university yearbooks are 

represented in this volume. Work appearing 

in the book is displayed at regional, state 

and national conventions and workshops 

throughout the year. Countless yearbook 

staffs across the country refer to Possibilities 

as a premier source for inspiration. 

“I watched the hard work and dedication 

these students and their adviser put into 

creating this yearbook,” said Jim Straub, 

Walsworth yearbook sales representative 

for the school. “Not many people produce 

Two National Wins in One Year 

for Sport Management BY CLARE HORST (’11) 


a book in less than a year, never mind that 

these were students who had classes and 

other obligations during that time.” 

The Loras College yearbook was 

produced under the direction of Mike 

Gibson (MA ’91), college archivist and 

director of the Center for Dubuque 

History. For the past three consecutive 

years the Purgold has won the prestigious 

“Gallery of Excellence Award” 

which only the top 25 or 30 colleges 

and universities in the nation routinely 

receive. � 

gives us a background in all areas of sport including marketing, 

facilities, finance and fundraising, legal aspects and many more.” 

Andrew McGinnis (’10) (Cedar Rapids, Iowa), Dolly Duffy (’10) 

(Bartlett, Ill.), Tim Kelly (’12) (Cedar Falls, Iowa) and Jacob 

Hanselman (’11) (Solon, Iowa) brought home the CSRI title with 

their presentation on the University of New Orleans’ pending 

decision to remain NCAA Division I or move to Division III. 

Hanselman, McGinnis, Johann and Chad Monahan (’11) 

(Rockwell City, Iowa), won over the judges at the SMA completion 

with their strategies for creating a new brand message 

for the New Orleans Hornets basketball team. 

“Our team worked together for about a month,” explained 

Johann. “We spent many long hours together in the library, 

working to perfect our marketing plan. It is becoming an 

expectation that we not just attend these conferences, but that 

we will perform well at them.” 

“The teams’ successes continue to demonstrate that our sport 

management students are on par with any program in the country,” 

said Matthew Garrett, Ph.D., chair of the Division of 

Physical Education and Sport Studies and coordinator of the 

sport management program at Loras. �


Mediation Team’s Success Earns Spot in 

International Competition 

BY CLARE HORST (’11) 

They may be small, but they are mighty. 

The Loras College mediation team is 

celebrating its most successful season to 

date after a second-place finish at the 

National Intercollegiate Mediation 

Tournament. The placement also earned 

Loras an invitation to compete at the 

International Dispute Resolution 

Competition in London, England, which 

took place in late March. 

Mediation is a process where a neutral 

third party facilitates negotiation and 

voluntary decision making by parties in 

a dispute. Intercollegiate mediation 

consists of three to five students who are 

given a two-page case. One student 

becomes the mediator who helps the 

parties try to reach a settlement, while 

the other two students have the role of 

advocate and client. They compete 

against another university team of 

advocate-client, also working to solve 

the problem. Critic judges evaluate the 

students and award points for professionalism, 

oral advocacy, teamwork, 

creativity, listening and critical thinking 

skills. 

Members of the Loras team were 

consistently ranked at the top of all 

performers in each round of the national 

tournament. “Going into the final round, 

Loras was ranked as the top mediation 

team by two points, but the championship 

final round starts fresh,” 

explained Coach Mary Lynn Neuhaus, 

J.D. (’76), professor of communication 

arts. “Boston University, five-time 

national champion, edged Loras out 

of the number one spot by less than 

one-fifth of a point.” 

{ 20 } 

“I am extremely proud of my team,” said 

Heather Jackson (’12) (Dubuque, Iowa), 

team captain. “We have been placing in 

the top 10 for the past four years, so finally 

breaking into the top five and making it 

to the final round was excellent.” 

Loras is one of only a handful of undergraduate 

schools, and the only college 

(the others are major state universities), 

to be invited to the international tournament. 

Jackson, Keith Flinn (’12) 

(Westport, Conn.), Eleisha Reeg (’12) 

(Bellevue, Iowa) and Kevin Sheahan 

(’11) (DeKalb, Ill.) were chosen to 

represent Loras in London, as each had 

achieved All-American Mediator status. 

In addition, both Sheahan and Jackson 

received All-American Advocate and 

Client awards. 

While in London team members 

attended lectures on mediation and 

international relations as well as 

competed against international law 

schools in mediation. � 

The 2010 second-place National Intercollegiate Mediation Team consisted of (clockwise from top-left) Jared 

Levy (’12) (Dubuque, Iowa); Mary Lynn Neuhaus, professor of communication arts; Keith Flinn (’12) (Westport, 

Conn.); Ron Collins, associate professor of business administration; Kevin Sheahan (’11) (DeKalb, Ill.); Eleisha 

Reeg (’12) (Bellevue, Iowa); Heather Jackson (’12) (Dubuque, Iowa) and Tessa Otero (’14) (Phoenix, Ariz.).

The Snow Show Must Go On 

BY CLARE HORST (’11) 

Despite the saying, sometimes the uncontrollable weather 

conditions mean the show cannot go on. 

That’s what happened to the annual “Sounds of the Season” 

choir and wind ensemble concert on Dec. 11, 2010, as dangerous 

driving conditions made it necessary to cancel the concert. 

However, some families had already made the trip to see the 

performance. Choir member Hannah Kauffold’s (’13) 

(Wahoo, Neb.) parents and grandparents drove more than six 

hours to get to Loras. “We knew a storm was forecast, so we 

arrived Friday night to make sure we were there,” explained 

Ken Kauffold, Hannah’s grandfather. “By 11 a.m. [Saturday 

morning], the rain started, getting heavier by the minute. 

By noon, it had turned to snow—big flakes that stuck to 

everything!” 

The family was out for lunch when they received notice that 

the concert was cancelled. “I felt awful because my family 

drove all that way, despite the storm,” explained Hannah. 

She immediately contacted choir director Bruce Kotowich, 

D.M.A., associate professor of music, to see if there was a way 

to get the members of the Chamber Choir together to sing 

some of their songs for her family. “Dr. Kotowich was up for 

it, so I gave a few people in the Chamber Choir a call and they 

spread the word to each other. Before we knew it, everyone 

was at the Visitation building ready for an impromptu concert.” 

“Fifteen out of the 18 choir members were present in Gallagher 

Hall and gave the four of us a private concert,” said Andy 

Kauffold, Hannah’s father. “We didn’t care that they didn’t 

have on their performance attire. We didn’t care that the room 

wasn’t decked out in holiday splendor. It was a very special 

and touching experience for us, and based upon what we have 

heard from Hannah, it was special for the students as well.” 



The weekend was special for Hannah’s family for another important 

reason—they were celebrating Ken’s 80th birthday. Hannah 

would not have made it home for her grandfather’s birthday, but 

she said the concert was the best gift they could have given him. 

“It was most extraordinary!” exclaimed Ken. “The Chamber 

Choir sang six selections for the four of us, and they sang a great 

rendition of ‘Happy Birthday’ for me. We gave them a standing 

ovation after each song; it was truly a ‘once in a lifetime’ event.” 

The performance was an impactful experience for the 

Kauffolds and one they will not soon forget. “I don’t know if 

my grandpa will get another chance to see me perform. It truly 

showed us how much people care at Loras,” said Hannah. 

“The title of the concert was ‘Sounds of the Season,’” said 

Vickie Kauffold, Hannah’s mother. “What we witnessed was 

not just the ‘sounds’ of the musical selections, but the ‘actions’ 

of these Loras students and Dr. Kotowich as they selflessly 

came to perform for us.” � 

Drew Chapman (’11) (Dyersville, Iowa) advanced to the final round of the National Association of Teachers of Singing 

(NATS) competition held Nov. 5-6, 2010, in Milwaukee, Wis. He was one of only three in his category of Upper College 

Men’s Musical Theatre to make it to the final round of competition. Chapman is a senior at Loras double majoring in 

economics and international studies.


Not Your Average Summer Camp BY CLARE HORST (’11) 

For most young people, summertime 

means sunshine, lemonade, swimming 

and baseball. Now, with the sunshine 

also comes Loras College Summer 

Academy! 

Last summer, Loras College began a 

summer camp for adolescents unlike 

anything else. This exciting new opportunity 

was created for students entering 

eighth, ninth and 10th grades, and offers 

a prestigious “pre-college” experience 

combining experiential, hands-on courses 

with educational social activities. The 

first annual Loras College Summer 

Academy was held July 25-30, 2010. 

The program is designed to create an 

academic and faith-based environment 

for students with classes that provide 

hands-on, interactive learning. “The idea 

is to introduce students to dynamic 

{ 22 } 

faculty teaching interesting subjects, to 

show them that learning can be fun,” 

explained Michael Budde (’70), executive 

director for business development 

and strategic initiatives. “We want to get 

students energized about learning and 

excited about college.” 

Summer Academy got off to a great start 

last summer with 43 participants who 

signed up for one of six different classes. 

Some classes included, “Let’s Get 

Cooking: Culinary Arts for Young 

Chefs” and “Real World CSI;” two 

classes which will be offered again this 

coming summer. 

Two different sessions will be taught 

back-to-back this summer, during the 

last two weeks in July. “This year, we 

are offering both major and minor areas 

A group of students pose on the bridge connecting the Alumni Campus Center and the Athletic 

and Wellness Center. 

of study, so students won’t be working 

on the same thing all day,” explained 

Budde. “Students of this age can only 

focus for so long, and studying only one 

subject all week makes for long class 

periods.” To remedy this, major classes 

will be taught from 9 a.m. until 2:45 p.m. 

and minor classes will run from 3 p.m. 

until 5 p.m. 

The program is also planning to partner 

with local businesses for some of the 

classes. Jordan Degree, executive director 

of the Dubuque Art Center, will be 

teaching a course entitled, “ART: Make 

it BIG, Make it PUBLIC!” 

Students participating in this class will 

work with professional artists to plan 

and create a large-scale, mosaic mural 

which will be on display for the entire 

Dubuque community. 

A second course will bring students to 

the National Mississippi River Museum 

& Aquarium for the class, “Become the 

Next River Rat: Mississippi River 

Exploration,” taught by museum 

educators Mark Wagner and Jared 

McGovern. The class will have the 

chance to explore the Mississippi and 

the plants and animals that call the river 

home. 

Senior Ray Werner (Dysart, Iowa) 

worked as a teaching assistant (TA) last 

summer with Cindy Smith, Ph.D., 

associate professor of Greek and Roman 

studies, who taught an archaeology class 

called, “Can You Dig It?” He also 

served as a resident assistant, guiding 

the campers to and from their classes 

and supervising them in the residence 

halls. “I think I can speak on behalf all 

of the TAs when saying that this was a 

very rewarding experience,” said 

Werner.

With the experience of one Summer 

Academy under his belt, Werner will 

now be teaching a class of his own. 

“I will be teaching a class similar to 

the one I was a TA for last summer,” 

explained Werner. The class is called, 

“Go with the Flow.” It will examine 

both prehistoric, Native American 

lifestyles and modern Euro-American 

lifestyles along the Mississippi River. 

“We will be exploring how the two 

cultures have influenced each other, 

and ultimately shaped our lives today.” 

In addition to providing stimulating and 

exciting classes, Summer Academy 

aims to give students a taste of the 

social aspect of living on a college 

campus. To give students the full 

college experience, most stayed in the 

residence halls on campus for the week. 

“The more they are immersed in the 

residential experience, the more fun 

they end up having,” explained Budde. 

Students had the chance to participate 

in a variety of evening excursions and 

activities to places in Dubuque such as 

the National Mississippi River Museum 

& Aquarium and Eagle Point Park. 

“I think the most excitement was had at 

the evening activities when the students 

and TAs got to compete in games, 

watch movies or just relax,” noted 

Werner. 

One of the best parts of Summer 

Academy is the friendships that are 

formed, both between the students and 

the faculty. The small class sizes and 

experiential style of learning allows the 

participants to really get to know their 

peers and professor. “Students form a 

relationship with a college professor, 

and they also have the support of a 

college-aged teaching assistant,” said 

Budde. “We have excellent TAs on 

staff, and the students really seemed to 

look up to them.” 

“These students got to see that there 

were kids just like them—excited to 

learn and explore their academic 

interests,” explained Werner. “They 

appreciated this and were excited to 

inform us, as these behaviors may be 

against the ‘popular’ or ‘cool’ ideas 

among their peers.” Summer Academy 

was most certainly a beneficial 

experience for all. � 

ORDER FORMS NOW AVAILABLE! 


Students exploring the National Mississippi River 

Museum & Aquarium. 

The book provides a glimpse into the “behind-the-scenes” history of the Loras Players and back-stage graffiti, with a list of all 100 

Years of Loras Players shows, great photos and memorable quotes. The DVD features an in-depth look at the four primary directors over 

the past 100 years and includes photos from past shows. The piece of stage is stamped with the Loras Players’ logo and is just plain 

cool! For a printable order form visit http://alumni.loras.edu/graffitiproject. 

Get your commemorative book, including DVD and piece of stage on which you performed! 

{ 23 }


World Food Prize Expert 

Inspires Students BY CLARE HORST (’11) 

From growing up in a mud-floor, 

thatched hut in rural Ethiopia to being 

named winner of the 2009 World Food 

Prize, Gebisa Ejeta’s, Ph.D., story is 

inspiring. A distinguished professor, 

plant breeder and geneticist at Purdue 

University, Ejeta received the World 

Food Prize honor for his monumental 

contributions in the production of 

sorghum, one of the world’s five principal 

cereal grains. This grain has dramatically 

enhanced the food supply of hundreds 

of millions of people in sub- 

Saharan Africa. 

Ejeta attended Jimma Agricultural and 

Technical School, which had been established 

by Oklahoma State University 

under the U.S. Government’s Point Four 

Program. After graduating with distinction, 

he entered Alemaya College in 

eastern Ethiopia. He received his bachelor’s 

degree in plant science in 1973 and 

later become a graduate student at 

Purdue University, where he earned his 

doctorate. 

Gebisa Ejeta, Ph.D., visiting with guests after his 

lecture at Loras College. 

{ 24 } 

On Oct. 12, 2010, Ejeta presented a 

lecture at Loras College as part of the 

World Food Prize Laureate Lecture 

Series. His visit was inspired by a global 

issues course taught in the 2010 spring 

semester by Jenna Lea, instructor of 

political science. “I challenged the class 

to break into groups and plan a project 

on campus to bring awareness to a global 

issue and explore how these issues 

have local relevance,” explained 

Lea. “One of the groups was interested 

in food and sustainability issues.” Lea 

and her students discovered the World 

Food Prize Foundation and began work 

to bring a speaker to the college. 

Ejeta’s visit was made possible with the 

help of Loras College alumnus, Former 

Ambassador Kenneth M. Quinn (’64), 

who is now president of The World 

Food Prize Foundation. After graduating 

from Loras College with a degree in 

political science, Quinn began a distinguished 

career working first as a rural 

development officer for the Foreign 

Service and later as the U.S. 

Government’s senior district advisor in 

Vietnam. In addition to working around 

the world with the Foreign Service, 

Quinn was on the National Security 

Council staff at the White House and 

served as ambassador to Cambodia. He 

retired from the state department in 

1999. Quinn began his career as president 

of the World Food Prize in 2000, 

working alongside Nobel Peace Prize 

Laureate Norman Borlaug, Ph.D. 

“[Quinn] actually approached Ejeta personally 

to see if he would be interested 

in coming to speak at Loras,” explained 

Lea. “The annual WFP laureate week in 

Des Moines is a very tightly scheduled 

week for the former laureates and we 

were initially concerned there would be 

timing difficulties. We were quite fortunate 

to have Dr. Ejeta on campus.” 

In his address to the campus community, 

Ejeta brought to light larger social issues 

concerning poverty, development and 

sustainability as well. “Ejeta did a great 

job showing how the trends in both population 

growth and food production 

could lead to a worsening global food 

crisis in the decades ahead unless we 

find ways to dramatically boost the 

world’s food supply,” said David 

Cochran, Ph.D., professor of political 

science. “His was an inspiring story 

about how a vocation in scientific 

research can do a great deal of humanitarian 

good. Ejeta both raised awareness 

of a critical global issue while also 

inspiring students with his compelling 

personal story.” 

The World Food Prize was conceived by 

Norman E. Borlaug, Ph.D., recipient of 

the 1970 Nobel Peace Prize. Since 1986, 

The World Food Prize has honored outstanding 

individuals who have made 

vital contributions to improving the 

quality, quantity or availability of food 

throughout the world. In 1990, Des 

Moines businessman and philanthropist 

John Ruan assumed sponsorship of The 

Prize and established The World Food 

Prize Foundation, located in Des 

Moines, Iowa. Since its inception The 

World Food Prize has been awarded to 

individuals from Bangladesh, Brazil, 

China, Cuba, Denmark, Ethiopia, India, 

Mexico, Sierra Leone, Switzerland, 

United Kingdom, United States and the 

United Nations. Learn more at 

www.worldfoodprize.org. �

Hindsight 

Learning outside of the classroom has always been a hallmark 

of the liberal arts education at Loras. For many years students 

at Loras College have participated in mock political conventions 

as a way to actively participate in real life experiences. 

This photo shows one of the mock conventions in the late 

1960s held in the Fieldhouse. Tom Auge, Ph.D., professor of 

history, is shown in the center just to the left of the New Jersey 

delegation pole sign. 

Photo contributed by the Loras College Archives. The archives, as 

well as the Loras College Center for Dubuque History, are interested 

in collecting Loras College and Dubuque memorabilia including 

photographs, postcards, letters, diaries, etc. Contact Mike Gibson, 

archivist, at Loras College, 1450 Alta Vista St., Dubuque, Iowa, 

52001, or call (563) 588-7163, or e-mail michael.gibson@loras.edu. 

Without your support one of us would not be here. 

The Loras Fund provides critical resources to Loras students. 

The Loras Fund supports merit and need based aid, which nearly 

100% of students receive. Your donation also sustains Loras’ 

daily operations. 

A gift to the Loras Fund impacts our students’ future and the 

future of Loras College. 

Please give generously. 

Campus News | Spring 2011

Athletic News | Spring 2011 

Hall of Fame 

The following people were inducted into 

the Loras College Varsity Athletics Hall 

of Fame on Sept. 4, 2010: 

Tim Keane 

(’92), as a 

defensive back 

and return man, 

was a first team 

All-Iowa 

Conference 

selection and an 

Honorable Mention All-American 

selection by Champion. Keane set seven 

return records in football and 12 school 

records in track. His record remains in 

hurdles at 55 and 200 meters, 110 meter 

hurdles record (outdoor), a member of 

the best 4x200 meter relay and sprint 

medley relay teams in program history. 

Football records are: yards in a season 

(270 in 1990), career average (9.2 

yards), career kick return average (22.4 

yards) and total kick return yardage in a 

single season in 1989 (388 yards). 

Keane spent 18 years serving wards of 

the State of Illinois and other at-risk 

young people. He currently is the 

director of behavioral services for an 

Illinois Safe School program. Keane 

also earned degrees from National-Louis 

University and resides in Chicago, Ill. 

Ann 

Cunningham 

(’87) and her 

teammates 

enjoyed the most 

successful era in 

Loras College 

women’s golf 

history. Cunningham helped put the 

Duhawks on the map immediately upon 

joining the roster and headlined the 

Loras portion of the leader board for 

much of her career. Awards and honors 

include: All-District honors, All- 

Tournament Team at both the Iowa 

Small College and National Small 

College tournaments, individual 

{ 26 } 

Nominations for next year’s Varsity Athletics Hall of Fame inductions are being accepted. 

Go to www.duhawks.com and click on Hall of Fame. 

medalist at both the William Penn and 

St. Ambrose Invitationals, runner-up at 

Luther College, Iowa Conference All- 

Conference team, second straight Iowa 

Small College All-Tournament Team and 

named an All-American at the NCGA 

Tournament. Cunningham continues to 

reside in Dubuque, has worked as the 

general manager at Lacoma Golf Club 

where she remains part-time, but now 

spends the majority of her time running a 

local night club and contributing to the 

business operations of another. 

Just as the 

three-point arc 

was being implemented, 

Chris 

Jans (’91) was 

attacking it for a 

school record 

214 three-pointers. 

He holds Loras’ all-time scoring 

record with 707 points in 25 games, and 

28.3 per game average record; 399 of 

those points came from a record 133 

baskets from behind the arc, a 5.3 per 

game average and 93 of the 133 threepointers 

were during Iowa Conference 

games, a record that still stands today. 

He is a member of the 1,000 Points 

Club, finishing with 1,206 points. Jans 

was named first team All-Iowa 

Conference and NABC All-West 

Region. Today, Jans is an assistant coach 

at Wichita State University in Wichita, 

Kan., a NCAA Division I and Missouri 

Valley Conference member, after 

previously coaching at several colleges 

or universities as head or assistant 

coach. Jans lives in Andover, Kan., 

with his wife Sheri and his stepchildren, 

Nick and Maddie. 

Jeff Valentine 

(’85) was a member 

of the men’s 

basketball team 

that put together 

a program-high 

29-win season in 

1982-83 and laid the foundation for one 

of the best individual careers in a Loras 

uniform. Valentine produced a team high 

16 points per game and helped push the 

team into the NAIA national tournament 

quarterfinals. In his three seasons with 

the team, Loras went 68-26 (.723). 

Valentine, a forward, finished his career 

with 1,134 points, 20th on the program’s 

all-time scoring list. He was widely 

regarded as a strong perimeter player 

and free throw shooter. He earned 

Honorable Mention All-American status 

from the NAIA during the 1983-84 season. 

Valentine currently works as a State 

Farm agent and lives in Naperville, Ill., 

with his wife Sharon (Smith) (’86 and 

former Loras cheerleader) and their three 

children—Cameron, Alissa and Jordan. 

Shane Davis 

(’98) received the 

ball 694 times 

during his career, 

nearly seven 

yards per carry. 

Awards and 

records include: 

1st Team All-American, 1997; nearly 

every rushing record in the program’s 

history; produced what remains one of 

the greatest single games on the ground 

of any NCAA Division III player; holds 

the records for rushing yards in a game 

(382), season (1,774) and career (4,734); 

averaged 8.43 yards per carry in 1996; 

in his final game he provided 382 yards 

on the ground, including over 150 on his 

first three carries which propelled Davis 

to the top of the Loras career rushing 

list, where he remains today. Davis 

played in the Aztec Bowl, NCAA 

Division III All-Star Game and was a 

two-time All-Iowa Conference selection. 

Davis currently is the pastor at Chandler 

Seventh-Day Adventist Church and 

Phoenix South Mountain Seventh-Day 

Adventist Church. He and his wife 

Hayli live in Gilbert, Ariz., with their 

daughter Hope and son Noble. �

Duhawks Announce New Football 

Coaching Staff BY JON DENHAM (’02), SPORTS INFORMATION DIRECTOR 

Paul Mierkiewicz (’89) 

Head football coach 

Steve Helminiak (’91) 

Assistant football coach 

In December Loras College tabbed Paul 

Mierkiewicz (’89) as the 25th head 

football coach for the Duhawks. 

Mierkiewicz had been the head coach at 

Hastings College (Hastings, Neb.) since 

2001 and a member of the Broncos’ staff 

since 1998. At Hastings he served as the 

offensive coordinator and assistant to 

the athletic director (1998-2001), prior 

to his 10-year run as head coach. Under 

Mierkiewicz’s direction as head coach, 

the Broncos went 65-41. 

Mierkiewicz, an alumnus of Loras 

College, graduated with a bachelor’s 

degree in physical education in 1989 

and a master’s in athletic administration 

(physical education) in 1995. He served 

on Loras’ coaching staff from 1992- 

1998 and was the offensive coordinator 

for the final five seasons of that stretch. 

“This is such a great opportunity for my 

family and me,” Mierkiewicz said upon 

his appointment. “Loras College is a 

wonderful place with tremendous people 

and tremendous student-athletes, and I’d 

be lying if I said it didn’t feel like a bit 

of a homecoming for me.” 

Tom Kropf (’04) 


Director of Athletics Bob Quinn (’86) 

and Mierkiewicz finalized the full-time 

football coaching staff positions in early 

February. The new additions include 

assistant coaches Steve Helminiak 

(’91), Tom Kropf (’04) and Brent 

O’Brien. Gavin McMacken (MA ’06) 

will continue his role as defensive coordinator 

for Loras and Josh Edwards 

will continue his role as the head 

strength and conditioning coach and 

linebackers coach. 

“It was really important to get a staff 

with excellent coaches and recruiters 

who understand the vision of Loras 

College and the direction we want this 

program to go,” said Mierkiewicz. 

Helminiak was most recently the head 

coach at Southern Oregon University 

from 2006-2010. He had previously 

worked on the football staff at Rockford 

College and also was an assistant at 

Loras for 11 years. Helminiak graduated 

from Loras in 1991 after competing as a 

member of the football team for four 

seasons. 

Brent O’Brien 



Kropf has had coaching stops at Culver- 

Stockton College, State University of 

New York - Maritime College and 

Rockford College. He graduated from 

Loras in 2004, was a team captain his 

senior year and will coach the running 

backs. 

O’Brien previously coached at Fort 

Hays State University, Earlham College 

and Hastings College. He graduated 

from Hastings College in 2005 and 

played for Mierkiewicz for four years. 

He will coach the defensive backs. 

“I’m excited as we move forward with 

this talented staff in place as we prepare 

for spring workouts,” added 

Mierkiewicz. “The work starts this 

spring semester and while there’s plenty 

to learn, our young men have already 

shown great enthusiasm in getting ready 

for September 3rd against Elmhurst.” �


Teammates BY CLARE HORST (’11) 

When he was three years old, Tyler Steinke had not yet started 

walking or talking. His parents took him to neurologists all 

over the country and eventually he was diagnosed with a form 

of autism. Sadly, his parents were told Tyler might never learn 

to walk or talk. 

“My wife and I wouldn’t let that happen,” explained Tyler’s 

father Gary Steinke (’80), president of the Iowa Association 

of Independent Colleges and Universities (IAICU). “My wife 

quit her job and we spent all of our time working with Tyler 

one-on-one.” Tyler beat the odds and despite his autism, he is a 

happy, healthy 13-year-old. 

Last winter, Tyler was in Dubuque with his father for the 2010 

Special Olympics Winter Games, where he competed in 

snowshoeing. “Tyler has always been a huge basketball fan and 

he asked if we could go to see the Loras gym,” explained Gary. 

“When we walked in, the women’s basketball team was practicing. 

We introduced ourselves to Coach Justin Heinzen and 

he asked Tyler to practice with them. They treated him just like 

a teammate.” 

Since then the team has continued an ongoing relationship with 

Tyler. Despite the long drive to Dubuque from their home in 

Urbandale, Iowa, Tyler is at every Loras game he can make— 

home or away. He sits on the bench with the team and wears a 

shirt and tie, just like Coach Heinzen. “He’s been part of our 

starting lineups, has run a time-out for us in a game and has 

talked during the pre-game,” explained Heinzen. “Tyler will 

travel four hours to see a game—he’s a trooper.” 

Tyler Steinke sits on the bench intensely watching the Loras women’s 

basketball game. 

{ 28 } 

“It’s been an amazing year,” said Gary. “The team has done 

more for Tyler’s social well-being and for his confidence than 

anybody could ever imagine. They don’t treat Tyler any other 

way than they would treat anybody else; they don’t act like he’s 

fragile. You can’t imagine what that does for a kid like Tyler.” 

“I could never be on a team at my school because I am not 

good enough, but I can tell my friends at school that I am good 

enough to help coach the Loras College women’s basketball 

team,” said Tyler. “Coach Justin, the assistant coaches and all 

the players like me...they are like my family.” Tyler has learned 

to play basketball simply by watching. His dad explained, “He 

watches games, memorizes the way things work and comes 

back and does it and it’s perfect. He has the greatest form, but 

he has never been coached.” 

Junior Katie Sharp (’12) (McHenry, Ill.) added, “Every time 

he is sitting on that bench or watching a game, his eyes are 

glued on the players and he is learning a great deal by 

observing how we act on and off the court.” 

“One of his most fervent desires is to be on a team, but he 

knows that’s not a possibility,” said Gary. “But they make him 

a part of their team—he is a part of their team.” While being 

a part of the Loras team is very beneficial to Tyler, the 

relationship is reciprocal. “He gives us a reason to play,” 

said Niki Rivera (’13) (Sterling, Ill.). “Knowing there are 

people out there who look up to the players on our team is a 

great feeling.” 

Sophomore Kelly Rogowski (’13) (Prospect Heights, Ill.) 

echoes those sentiments. “Tyler has had an extremely positive 

impact on our team. His positive attitude reminds everyone 

how blessed we are to be playing college basketball. Once 

Coach Heinzen allowed Tyler to run a timeout and he was so 

overwhelmed with excitement he couldn’t even say what he 

planned on saying. That makes us excited to get a win for him.” 

Tyler competed again this year in the Special Olympics 

Winter Games held at Albrecht Acres in Sherrill, Iowa. Five 

of the Loras basketball players went to cheer him on in his 

race. “With all the support Tyler gives us, it was only right to 

repay him with the same respect and show him how much we 

appreciate having him around,” said Sharp. “Having us there, 

I know, meant a great deal to Tyler and his family.” Tyler 

competed in the 100-meter snowshoe competition and won 

fifth place in his race.

Gary emphasized how grateful he is to the Loras team. “We go 

to lots of private college games all over the state—usually four 

or five a week; sometimes two a day—but he doesn’t have 

this relationship with anybody else.” 

As president of IAICU, Gary spends a lot of time at different 

colleges across the state. “I often talk about how students at the 

private colleges are different—this example emulates that,” 

said Gary. “What the team has done is the embodiment of 

Catholic doctrine—of what the Catholic Church represents— 

and it’s just being decent and kind human beings. Nobody 

asked them to do this.” 

“Having Tyler on our team keeps things in perspective,” said 

Heinzen. “It certainly creates a bigger picture. If there are life 

lessons to take away, this is certainly an easy one to point to.” � 



Loras women’s basketball players support Tyler Steinke as he competes in the 

Special Olympics Winter Games. 

Loras College hosted its annual faculty and staff recognition ceremony on March 16, 2011, to recognize employees for 

their years of service. The following awards were also presented at the ceremony: 

The John Cardinal O’Connor Chair for Catholic Thought was awarded to Susan M. Stone, Ph.D., associate professor of 

English. The Chair for Catholic Thought is awarded for projects in which the faculty member reflects creatively upon 

one or more of the following in light of Catholic Thought: their disciplines, service, teaching, scholarship, significant 

contemporary issues, interdisciplinary perspectives and diversity. 

The John Henry Cardinal Newman Teaching Excellence and Campus Leadership Award was presented to Kenneth W. 

McLaughlin, Ph.D., professor of physics and engineering. This award recognizes a faculty member who has a continued 

and well-rounded record of excellence for more than 12 years in the areas of: campus involvement/leadership, creative 

course development, pioneering teaching methodology, counseling effectiveness, positive role model and model 

classroom teaching. 

Mark E. Kehren, Ph.D., assistant professor of history, was chosen to receive the Mike and Linda Budde Teaching 

Excellence Award. This award is presented annually to the top professor who has taught at Loras College fewer than 

11 years. The award recognizes effectiveness in classroom teaching; concern for the role of one’s discipline within a 

Catholic liberal arts institution, the relationship of one’s discipline to other intellectual perspectives and, where 

appropriate, its bearing on moral, social and religious questions; and effectiveness in providing accurate academic 

advisement to students, in the supervision of independent study and informal contact with students in order to create 

an environment conducive to student learning. 

Mary (Sue) Ross, RN, health center nurse, was the first to receive the Loras College Staff Recognition Award. 

Inaugurated this year the award will be presented annually to a full-time staff member, salaried or hourly, for outstanding 

accomplishments and contributions that significantly benefited, brought honor or recognition to the College. The 

award recognizes a staff member who has demonstrated a high degree of excellence, professionalism and integrity in 

the performance of their duties for the College. Additionally, they will have proven their willingness to assist other 

members of the Loras community and work for the general wellbeing of the College, consistently demonstrating a 

strong commitment to student success, directly or indirectly.


Fall Sport Wraps 

The Loras College Department of 

Athletics once again achieved significant 

success during the fall sports 

season in 2010. Loras added a total of 

three All-Americans, 11 All-Region 

athletes, 26 All-Iowa Conference team 

members, 19 IIAC All-Academic team 

members with two IIAC Most Valuable 

Players, and three Iowa Conference 

championships to their list of 

accomplishments. 

SOCCER 

The soccer field provided more success 

at both the Iowa Conference and NCAA 

levels. Both the men’s and women’s 

teams qualified for the NCAA Division 

III championships by winning the Iowa 

Conference tournament, which took 

place at the Rock Bowl. Also, they 

each finished atop the Iowa Conference 

during the regular season. Loras 

advanced to the Sweet 16 of the NCAA 

championships in both brackets. The 

lady Duhawks finished ranked #8 in 

the country and the men’s team finished 

at #15. 

Junior Kate Young (’12) (Roscoe, Ill.) became the 

second All-American in Loras College women’s 

soccer program history this year. 

{ 30 } 

Each team put a player on the All- 

American list – Miguel Bonilla (’11) 

(Cali, Colombia) on the men’s side and 

Kate Young (’12) (Roscoe, Ill.) on the 

women’s. The men’s team (16-7-1) 

graduated the winningest senior class in 

the program’s history and the women’s 

team won a program-best 22 games in 

2010 (22-1-1). All told, the teams 

combined for 13 All-Iowa Conference 

selections, six All-Region performers, 

and the aforementioned two All- 

Americans. Head coach Dan Rothert 

(’96) was named the NSCAA/Mondo 

NCAA Division III North Region Coach 

of the Year for the women’s team and 

the Iowa Conference Coach of the Year 

for both the men’s and women’s teams. 

CROSS COUNTRY 

The cross country teams each provided 

successful seasons in 2010. The 

women’s team finished fourth at the 

IIAC championships (just a few spots 

out of third) and 10th at the NCAA 

Regional meet (two spots from ninth). 

Katie Hemesath (’12) (Dubuque, Iowa) 

paced the Duhawks most of the year, 

earning All-Conference and All-Region 

recognition by leading the Duhawks to 

the finish line in the IIAC and NCAA 

meets, as well as being Loras’ top finisher 

in the annual Dr. Robert Tucker 

Invitational in Dubuque. 

The men’s team hustled to second place 

at the Iowa Conference championships 

and seventh at the NCAA Regional 

event. Jerry Olp (’14) (Wheaton, Ill.) 

and Dan McDermott (’12) (Cedar 

Rapids, Iowa) traded top-slot honors 

during the season. They finished 1-2 at 

the Dr. Robert Tucker Invitational to 

help Loras to a perfect team score of 15 

to win the meet. Olp finished fourth at 

the IIAC meet and was one of four All- 

IIAC performers. Three Duhawks, 

including McDermott, Austin Steil 

(’13) (Cedar Rapids, Iowa), and Chris 

Higgins (’14) (Geneva, Ill.) were named 

to the All-Region team. McDermott 

advanced to the national meet with his 

ninth place individual effort at 

Regionals and ran a P.R. 25:44 at the 

NCAA Division III championships. 

Dan McDermott (’12) (Cedar Rapids, Iowa) earned 

Division III All-Academic cross country status 

this year. 

FOOTBALL 

The football team worked their way to a 

5-5 overall record in 2010—a three 

game improvement from their previous 

season. By going 4-4 in IIAC play, they 

tied for fourth place in the standings. 

They closed the season by winning four 

of their final six games. The defense 

allowed less than 20 points per game 

and was the third best in the league. 

Matt Hillard (’14) (Galena, Ill.) and

Ryan Baez (’13) (Muskego, Wis.) each 

finished the year in the top 10 in the 

Iowa Conference in rushing yards per 

game. A total of four Duhawks earned 

All-Iowa Conference honors—each as a 

member of the second team. Mike 

Schaefer (’11) (Mundelein, Ill.) 

represented the offense while Nick 

Lloyd (’11) (Harpers Ferry, Iowa), 

Cody Snitker (’11) (Waukon, Iowa) 

and Zach Myers (’12) (Dubuque, Iowa) 

represented the defense. 

At the conclusion of the season Steve 

Osterberger stepped down as head 

coach and in December was replaced 

by Paul Mierkiewicz (’89). 

VOLLEYBALL 

The volleyball team returned to the top 

of the Iowa Conference in 2010 as well. 

After going 7-1 in the league and 26-9 

overall, the Duhawks hosted the Iowa 

Conference championships in the 

Athletic and Wellness Center but fell 

short of their second NCAA Division III 


tournament bid in three years when 

they dropped a five-set thriller in the 

championship game. 

Post season honors were plentiful in 

2010 for the Duhawks after their climb 

to the top of the Iowa Conference. 

Kate Russell (’11) (Woodstock, Ill.) 

was named league MVP and first team 

All-IIAC. In addition, she was an AVCA 

All-Region pick and honorable mention 

All-American. Brittney Westermeyer 

(’13) (Dyersville, Iowa) was also a first 

team All-IIAC selection and recognized 

at the regional level by the AVCA. 

Regan Riley (’13) (Brookfield, Ill.) and 

Julie Rogers (’12) (Homer Glen, Ill.) 

were second team All-IIAC picks. 

Teresa Kehe also earned her 100th win 

as head coach in October. She is now 

105-71 in five seasons with the 

Duhawks. 

WOMEN’S TENNIS 

The women’s tennis team went 2-12 in 

2010 with wins over Mount Mary and 

Loras College Student Union presented two awards at the Family Weekend brunch on Nov. 7, 2010: 


University of Dubuque. The top two 

Duhawks in the lineup, Clare 

Tuchscherer (’11) (Neenah, Wis.) and 

Alejandra Ruales-Almeida (’12) 

(Bogota, Colombia) combined to go 

15-15 as individuals and went 4-4 as 

doubles partners in the Iowa Conference. 

They will return to the courts for a 

handful of spring competitions. 

Tuchscherer and Caitlin Dolan (’11) 

(Dubuque, Iowa) are the only seniors 

departing the team in 2011. 

WOMEN’S GOLF 

The youthful women’s golf team battled 

their way to fourth place in the Iowa 

Conference this season. The Duhawks 

were led most of the season by Abby 

Potts (’13) (Dubuque, Iowa), whose 

four-round total of 349 at the IIAC meet 

put her in the top 15. Loras also finished 

fourth at their annual Fall Invitational 

and hosted their annual spring event on 

April 3-4. � 

The Rev. William M. Joensen, Ph.D., dean of campus spiritual life, was presented with the Father John Naumann 

Award. The prestigious award is given annually to a Loras College employee who, through their work with students 

shows effort above and beyond the call of duty and emulates the ideals and values of Father Naumann. Joensen, 

nominated by Cara Voelliger (’11) (Bettendorf, Iowa), was recognized for his service to the Loras and Dubuque 

communities as well as his compassionate, charismatic way of helping others. 

The Parent of the Year Award was given to Mary Ellen Guest of Chicago, Ill. She was nominated by her son, Jon 

Schulte (’12), who wrote a moving essay explaining his incredible gratefulness for her sacrifices and the impact she 

has had on his life. 

{ 31 }

Alumni News | Spring 2011 

2010 Distinguished Alumni Award Recipients 

Loras College and the National Alumni Board recognized five individuals with distinguished alumni awards during the 

Homecoming Dinner on Saturday, Oct. 2, 2010. 

John “Jack” 

Frasco (’60), 

who was awarded 

the Professional 

Achievements 

and Contributions 

Made to Loras 

College award, 

is one of those people whose list of 

personal and professional achievements 

seems endless. He worked his way up to 

become the manager of a corporate 

labor relations staff at Chrysler 

Corporation and earned his juris doctorate 

in 1972. Frasco founded Frasco & 

Caponigro, P.C., in Michigan, which 

specializes in corporate labor relations 

and sports law. Frasco is a man who 

epitomizes leadership and hard work. 

He served as partner at a sports marketing 

company, co-founded Championship 

Auto Racing Teams (CART) and served 

as chairman of the board of directors 

from 1979-89. Frasco has also owned 

and operated Indy Car grand prix races. 

He currently divides his time between 

Michigan and Florida, with his wife 

Kathy; the couple has two daughters, 

a son and seven grandchildren. Frasco 

continues to work as a senior attorney 

at Frasco & Caponigro, and in his free 

time, he enjoys boating, golfing and 

being actively involved in the world 

of athletics. 

{ 32 } 

Charles 

“Charley” D. 

McCormick 

(’52) was honored 

for his 28 

years of service 

to Loras with the 

Service Provided 

to Loras College as a Staff, Faculty or 

Administrator Award. McCormick 

worked for 12 years in the Loras 

College business office, eventually 

becoming Loras’ first financial aid 

director from 1968-96. Following a 

major flood in the 1960s, he requested 

additional financial government aid for 

victims of the flood and helped set up 

enrichment scholarships. In addition, he 

was also instrumental in the design and 

implementation of the Law Enforcement 

Education Program (LEEP), a program 

for local police officers to earn a college 

degree from a liberal arts institution. 

McCormick was an active member of 

the Iowa Association of Student 

Financial Aid Administrators (IASFAA), 

serving as a member-at-large, secretary 

and vice president. He is a recipient of 

the John Heisner Memorial Lifetime 

Achievement Award, the highest award 

that IASFAA bestows. McCormick and 

his wife Lela have seven children and 

15 grandchildren, and currently reside in 

Dubuque, Iowa. 

Jennifer A. 

(Galloway) 

McDevitt (’95), 

who was recognized 

for her 

Contributions 

Made in Public 

Service, ran 

marathons all over the country, even 

though she had a brain tumor behind her 

left eye since 2003. McDevitt served on 

the board of directors for the Tug 

McGraw Foundation. She created a run 

called “Joggin for the Noggin,” which is 

a 5k fun run/walk held every August to 

raise money for brain cancer research. 

In three years the race has grown from 

500 to 1,000 runners and has raised 

more than $150,000 for brain cancer 

research and quality of life research. 

McDevitt earned several awards including: 

the 2006 Tim and Tom Gullikson 

Spirit Award; the 2006, 2007 and 2008 

Saucony Women of the Year Award; the 

2008 Courage Award Recipient for the 

Voices Against Brain Cancer Foundation 

in New York City; and the Civilian 

Award for Country United Gala. 

McDevitt was a spokesperson for 

Genentech. Sadly, in November 2010 

she lost her battle with cancer, but it was 

her spirit, energy and optimism—not the 

disease—that defined this young woman 

and made her a very distinguished 

alumnae.

Elizabeth A. 

O’Connell (’01) 

was this year’s 

recipient of the 

Young Alumni 

Award for 

making a difference 

in the world. 

Since graduating, O’Connell has lived, 

served and taught in South Africa, Haiti 

and the Archdiocese of Chicago. She 

began a volunteer commitment in Haiti 

with The Haitian Project (THP), where 

she taught religion and English from 

2002-2004 at Louverture Cleary School 

(LCS) and also collaborated on the 

“Celebrate Women” committee. As the 

first director of campus ministry she was 

instrumental in building THP/LCS’s 

foundation with the local Church, and 

with the school’s commitment to servant 

leadership, working to expand the 

school’s community service programs. 

In May 2005, she returned to the U.S. 

and continued her role as director of 

campus ministry until filling the role of 

THP’s first director of community 

development. O’Connell worked for the 

Archdiocese of Chicago at Catholic 

Charities as well as St. John Berchman’s 

Parish. She returned to THP full-time in 

2009 to take up responsibilities in both 

Haiti and the U.S. O’Connell enjoys 

outdoor recreational activities, including 

canoeing, hiking, running and camping. 

Bernard 

“Barney” J. 

Offerman 

(alumnus) was 

honored with the 

Christian Service 

and Volunteer 

Work award. 

Offerman spent three years at Loras that 

coincided with the largest influx of 

military veterans the College had ever 

known. After completing two years of 

What Are “Loras Networks”? 

BY LIZ ELSBERND (’08), ASSISTANT DIRECTOR OF ALUMNI RELATIONS 


military service and furthering his 

education, he went to Loyola University 

as a full-time lay volunteer to work in 

civil and labor rights. During his years 

at Loyola, Offerman initiated and 

directed the first integrated, federallysponsored 

training program in the State 

of Louisiana. Under the Manpower 

Development and Training Act of 1964, 

he trained sugar cane workers to learn 

tractor mechanics. Later, when working 

in the Anti-Poverty program in 

Mississippi, he initiated and served as 

director of operations for the first 

integrated literacy program in the state. 

Offerman dedicated his life to community 

work and social justice. In the 80s 

and 90s, he was the James B. Duke 

Distinguished Professor of Business and 

Economics at Johnson C. Smith 

University. Offerman and his wife Jan 

have three stepchildren and eight 

grandchildren. � 

The 2010-11 academic year has brought exciting new changes to the Office of Alumni Relations at Loras College, including the 

transition from Loras “Clubs” to Loras “Networks.” As Loras looks to reach out to and engage more alumni, changing the name of 

the Loras Club of Dubuque, for example, to the Loras Network of Dubuque, is symbolic of the more inclusive and dynamic nature 

we would like to build upon in cities and regions throughout the country. Since our mission is to connect alumni with leadership 

opportunities, with the Loras campus community and with each other, the term “network” seems to better fit the purpose and goals 

of our alumni groups than the term “club.” 

When you see events hosted by the “Loras Network of [City],” please know this was the former “Loras Club of [City].” The only 

difference—we are expanding our outreach to alumni and getting more people involved than ever before. 

Thanks to all those who are currently serving as Network board members and alumni volunteers across the country, and to those 

who have served in the past. If you would like to make a difference and get involved in the Loras Network in your city or region, 

please email alumni@loras.edu. 

{ 33 }


Thank You, National Alumni Board BY EVAYN ROPER (’14) 

Evayn Roper (’14) 

(Orland Park, Ill.) is the 

recipient of the 2010 National 

Alumni Board Scholarship. 

{ 34 } 

My name is Evayn Roper, and I am more than 

honored to be one of the recipients of the 

National Alumni Board Scholarship. I would 

like to take some time to say, “Thank you.” The 

National Alumni Board Scholarship has given 

me one of the greatest opportunities in my 

entire life. Without this scholarship I would not 

have been able to attend Loras College and I am 

very grateful to all the members of the National 

Alumni Board. 

As a child, I was always scared to leave home 

to participate in things like summer camp. 

Going to Loras was a big risk for me, but it has 

proven to be very beneficial. I have made so 

many friends since coming to Loras. Beyond 

the friendships I have also become part of a 

team. Going to Loras allowed me to continue 

swimming, which is something I have been 

passionate about since I was 9 years old. I grew 

up in Orland Park, Ill., a suburb of Chicago; 

more than 4,000 students attended my high 

school. I really liked the idea of going to a 

smaller school, like Loras. I like the attention 

I get from the professors and even my coaches. 

I love being able to walk around campus and 

know many of the people I pass by. 

I would again like to thank the National Alumni 

Board for giving me this amazing opportunity. 

I could not imagine being anywhere besides 

Loras College. � 

Loras Link: A New Name for NewsBytes 

Loras asked alumni and friends in December to submit their ideas for the “Renaming NewsBytes” contest. More than 50 people 

submitted ideas and, after much deliberation, members of the Loras College staff narrowed down the list to the top three choices. 

Then, as part of the January NewsBytes, alumni and friends were asked to vote on their favorite. Congratulations go out to these 

contest winners: 

1st Place: Loras Link, submitted by Lisa Dreznes (’07) 

2nd Place: Dew-E News, submitted by Ronda Gerlach Jasper (’05) and Katie Thilges (’95) 

3rd Place: Duhawk Digital Digest, submitted by Paul Vasiliauskas (parent) 

Thanks to all who submitted their ideas and to those who voted on our finalists! Loras Link has been voted the new name of 

our e-newsletter. Watch your inboxes for it and congratulations, Lisa!

The Shades of Ireland 

BY BOBBI EARLES (’88), EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR OF ALUMNI AND COMMUNICATIONS 

Patty (Wright) Tarchinski (’91), 

enjoying some of the local 

culture at the Guinness Brewery 

in Ireland. 

LORAS.EDU 

Ireland is a great place to visit, especially when 

you are traveling with Loras alumni and friends. 

This past November, Loras offered a Shades of 

Ireland trip and nearly a dozen Duhawks signed 

up for this amazing experience. Scott (’91) and 

Patti (Wright) (’91) Tarchinski were among 

them and share their highlights of this journey. 

What prompted you to go on a Loras trip? I 

saw an announcement in the Loras newsletter 

and it intrigued me. Patty and I had previously 

been to Dublin and enjoyed the city and were 

interested in seeing more of the countryside. 

This trip seemed to offer what we were looking 

for and timed out perfectly so we could 

celebrate our 19th anniversary…we are so glad 

we signed up! 

What impressed you the most? The Cliffs of 

Moher on the west coast of Ireland were 

breathtakingly beautiful. It was an amazing 

sight to see the ocean crash upon the cliffs, 

which stand about 750 feet above the water, and 

as we stood there you could feel the spray from 

the ocean as it crashed into the cliffs. 

Did you kiss the Blarney Stone? We were so 

excited for this part of our journey and the night 

before I was getting ready for bed, I stubbed my 

toe on my wife’s shoe and broke my toe. The 

only reason I mention it is because you have to 

walk about a half mile and then up 146 stairs 

through a narrow winding staircase to get to the 

Blarney Stone. Needless to say, I made it and 

have a picture to prove it! 


How did you like the food? I’m a picky eater, 

so I was a little nervous about what I would 

like. The Irish stew was delicious and I noticed 

right away you were served potatoes with every 

meal; either mashed, chips (French fries) or 

boiled potatoes. Of course, every town had a 

pub and we enjoyed a pint or two. 

Were you apprehensive about signing up for a 

tour? This was our first tour experience and we 

wondered if it would be too structured. We 

found it was a great bonding experience with 

fellow Duhawks, but we also had time to 

explore the country on our own. Best of all, 

everything was taken care of so we didn’t have 

to worry about transportation or food. 

What was your greatest memory from this 

tour? The people on this trip left a lasting 

memory with me. Getting to know other alumni 

and friends from Loras and then meeting even 

more travelers in Ireland was amazing. We may 

have been the youngest people signed up for the 

trip, but there were days it was hard to keep up 

with those in their 80s! We’ve developed new 

relationships through this experience and 

continue to email each other today. � 

Loras College Homecoming 2011 

September 23-25 Make plans now to join us! 

{ 35 }


Team Loras Joins RAGBRAI 

for the Second Year BY JOHN EBY, PH.D., ASSOCIATE PROFESSOR OF HISTORY 

Satisfying beads of sweat sting my eyes 

as I marvel at the gorgeous Iowa landscape, 

gaze at the unending variety of 

colorful cycling shirts and pray for a 

tailwind. Bicycling across the state with 

Team Loras in the spectacular event 

called RAGBRAI is much more than a 

physical accomplishment. 

Don’t get me wrong. The nearly 

500-mile ride is not an every week 

occurrence and is certainly something 

that deservedly elicits a measured pride. 

It is fun, exciting and sometimes 

grueling to push the pedals thousands 

of times each day for a week, watching 

wheels turn, fields whisk by and face 

yet another hill with deadly ice cream or 

pie stands at the top. Indeed, there are so 

many varieties of pie that it would be an 

offense to the spirit of curiosity not to 

embrace such an opportunity to explore 

diversity! 

The fatigue and exhilaration of riding 

RAGBRAI with Team Loras, however, 

{ 36 } 

pales in comparison to what is best in 

the event. Lengthy conversations with 

colleagues long-known or students 

recently-met make the miles vanish 

timelessly. Visits with alumni—some of 

them riding, some hosting, some just 

introducing themselves—make every 

day a celebration of the extended Loras 

family. Even the horde of bicycles riding 

together, taking care of each other, 

shouting cautions about road hazards 

and chatting about their experiences 

coming to Iowa from 50 states and six 

continents or enjoying music and food 

together at the end of the day is an 

inspiring common effort. 

Riding with Team Loras in RAGBRAI 

is about connections and community. 

Through experience and adventure and a 

common identity in Loras, you create a 

unique bond with people you respect 

and admire. It often only takes a knowing 

head-shake at the end of a long day 

while you chug a liter of water to enjoy 

the connection and know you are stand- 

ing together in a rarified space that 

won’t come in any other way. You feel 

the connection to the land, to the birds 

who seem to chuckle from above and 

especially to the Loras community— 

those who ride and those who host. It is 

a rich experience and a worthwhile 

adventure. Ride on! � 

Buy your Loras biking jersey at: 

http://alumni.loras.edu/jersey11 

Team Loras—RAGBRAI 2010. Pictured are: Blake Neebel (’13) (Dubuque, Iowa); Dan Neebel, Ph.D., associate professor of mathematics and computing and 

information technology; Hannah Eby; John Eby, Ph.D., associate professor of history; Whitney Arthofer and Allison Arthofer (’11).

Homecoming 2010 


To view photos of Homecoming 2010 visit http://alumni.loras.edu and 

click on Photo Albums. Also check out the Homecoming 2010 slideshow at: 

www.loras.edu/homecoming2010video. 

For some, coming back to campus for Homecoming is an annual event; others come home to Loras only once every few years or 

even once every few decades. No matter the frequency of their presence, Homecoming is meant to be a special time to catch up with 

old friends and professors, check out how the College has changed and reminisce about literally walking to class uphill both ways. 

For the class of 1960 and the class of 1985, Homecoming 2010 was especially meaningful as they celebrated their 50th and 25th 

year reunions, respectively. Not only did Loras prevail over Buena Vista in the Homecoming football game, but an array of new 

activities were unveiled throughout the weekend. Besides the traditional events of the Homecoming Dinner and the Alumni 

Career Panel, there were several new additions to Homecoming this year, including: International Experiences Reception, Division 

of Social and Cultural Studies Breakfast, Alumni Hockey Reception and the 100 Years of Loras Players special events. Nearly 

6,000 people took part in the festivities. � 

1960 1985 

Loras Network of Chicago Spring Luncheon 

Friday, May 6, 2011 

11:30 am Registration | 12 noon – Lunch and program 

Harry Caray’s, Wrigley/Old Comiskey Room 

33 West Kinzie Street, Chicago, IL 60654 

Featured Speaker, Tom Tauke ’72 

Executive VP for Public Affairs & Communications at Verizon 

and Loras College Board of Regent Chair, will present 

“Smart Phones, High Tech & America’s Future” 

Cost $50 per person 

Kindly RSVP by Friday, April 29, 2011 

with your menu choice online at 

http://alumni.loras.edu/springluncheon11 

Or call 800-245-6727, ext. 7170 to reserve your spot. 

{ 37 }


ALUMNI GATHERINGS 

Scholarship Events 

Often the focus of Loras alumni events, 

raising money for scholarships, is a major 

way alumni give back to the College while 

having fun at the same time. 

Paul Mazzocco (’69) and Ro Thornton 

at the Loras Network of Cedar Rapids/ 

Iowa City Golf Outing and Dinner. 

Amanda Finn (’11) (Onalaska, Wis.), Laurie 

and Frank Finn (Duhawk parents) and Don 

Freymann (’61) at the Loras Network of 

La Crosse Golf Outing and Dinner. 

Matt Goerdt (’97), Matt Horsfield (’97), 

Dave Brauhn (’98) and Ryan Block (’97) at 

the Loras Network of Dubuque Golf Outing 

and Dinner. 

{ 38 } 

The Loras Networks of Cedar Rapids/Iowa 

City, La Crosse, Dubuque and Waterloo/ 

Cedar Falls all held a golf outing and dinner 

in their respective cities in the summer of 

2010 to raise money for scholarships for local 

students. 

Tim Fereday, Kevin Fereday (’03), Mike 

Fereday (’75) and George Weilein (’78) at 

the Loras Network of Waterloo/Cedar Falls 

Golf Outing and Dinner. 

In addition, the Loras Network of Rockford 

held a scholarship luncheon in November, at 

which Jude Wilbers (’05) spoke about his 

Loras experience and his career as a local 

TV sportscaster. 

Msgr. Thomas Dzielak (’60) and Jude 

Wilbers (’05) at the Loras Network of 

Rockford Scholarship Luncheon. 

At the $125 Reception, hosted in January 

2011 by Jim (’71) and Deanna Brems and 

the Loras Network of Cedar Rapids/Iowa 

City, attendees had the opportunity to win 

one of three $1,000 prizes. Proceeds from 

the event go to Loras College scholarships 

for local Cedar Rapids/Iowa City students. 

Alumni Receptions 

From jazz performances and sporting events 

to presidential receptions and tailgates, Loras 

alumni receptions take place all across the 

country in all shapes and forms. 

Last summer, the Loras Network of Des 

Moines invited alumni to attend an I-Cubs 

game at Principal Park. 

Scott Peterson (’76), Carol Peterson, Chuck 

Korte (’76), Mike Musich (’86) and Chris 

Korte (’76) at the I-Cubs game reception 

hosted by the Loras Network of Des Moines. 

In June and July, the Loras offices of Alumni 

Relations and Admission teamed up to offer 

refreshments, games and door prizes at four 

All-Sports Camp receptions for alumni and 

friends of the College who were dropping 

their children off at camp. 

Future Loras College Duhawks at an 

All-Sports Camp reception. 

When the Duhawk football season kicked off 

in the fall, the Loras Network of Dubuque 

hosted three Duhawk Den tailgates in the 

Athletic and Wellness Center parking lot.

Loras jazz choral and wind ensemble students 

performed for a full house at the Jazz 

Gala Concert at Loras College. 

The Loras Network of Cedar Rapids/Iowa 

City had a Duhawk Den tailgate in Cedar 

Rapids before the Loras vs. Coe game as well. 

Holly Johnson (’08), Rachel Carroll (’08) 

and Rosie Guerrero (’08) at the Duhawk 

Den/Homecoming Tailgate. 

Alumni in Huntington Beach, Calif., 

and Atlanta, Ga., had the opportunity to meet 

with Msgr. Charles Lang (’61) and Pam 

Gerard, vice president for institutional 

advancement, to learn about current initiatives 

and accomplishments of the College. 

Msgr. Charles Lang (’61) and Denis Weber 

(’63) at the Huntington Beach, Calif., 

Reception. 

Friends gathered at the Atlanta Alumni 

Reception. Pictured are seated: John O’Brien 

(’84), Nan (Grooss) Griffin (’79), Lisa 

(Grooss) Hoot (’77), Johnny Jones (’90), Amy 

(Meyer) Merry (’87), standing: Dan Marr 

(’74), Julie Marr, Kathleen Harrington, Bob 

Harrington (’61) and Dennis Sterk (’77). 

President Jim Collins (’84) and the Board 

of Regents were present at alumni receptions 

in Naples, Fla., and Washington, D.C., where 

they mingled with alumni and gave a college 

update. 

The Washington D.C. reception was 

followed by a Georgetown basketball game, 

to which alumni received complimentary 

tickets. 

Mark Rosauer (’67), Rita Rosauer, Tara 

Cicero and Troy Cicero (’84) at the Naples 

Presidential Alumni Reception. 

Alumni across the country also had several 

opportunities to meet with current Loras 

students and professors. Students from a 

J-Term business course, led by Hugh 

Graham, associate professor of business 

administration, met with alumni in San Jose, 

Calif., at Amici’s Pizzaria. 

As The Jazz Experience J-Term group traveled 

across the country, alumni were invited 

to attend jazz band and choir performances 


in St. Louis, Cincinnati, Memphis, Paducah, 

Chicago and Dubuque. The Loras Network 

of Chicago hosted a reception with the 

Loras students at St. Bernadette Catholic 

Church in Evergreen Park, Ill., and the 

students performed a Jazz Gala Concert 

when they returned to Dubuque on Jan. 19, 

after their tour. 

Young Alumni Events/Meetings 

Throughout the past few months, young 

alumni volunteers, members of the Young 

Alumni Advisory Board and the Office of 

Alumni Relations staff have helped plan 

events targeted (but not limited!) to young 

alumni who graduated in 2000 or later. 

In September, alumni gathered at Park Farm 

Winery outside of Dubuque for wine-tasting 

and Loras trivia. 

Tom White (’02), Jenna Kosek (’09) and 

Alyssa Hauser (’09) at the Young Alumni 

Wine-Tasting Event. 

In November, nearly 20 young alumni 

attended the Young Alumni On-Campus 

Progressive Dinner, where they enjoyed hors 

d’oeuvres, gourmet sandwiches and dessert 

at various locations around the Loras College 

campus. 

Ryan Kruse (’09), Mike Riesch (’09), 

Daniel “Digger” Kurt (’09) and Elizabeth 

Lampe (’10) at the Young Alumni 

Progressive Dinner. 

{ 39 }


In December, more than 100 alumni attended 

the Loras Network of Chicago Alumni 

Holiday Party at the Cubby Bear in downtown 

Chicago. 

Michaela Pease (’10), Carolyn Zens (’10), 

Leah Corkery (’09), Rachel Gunderson 

(’09) and Alisha Espey (’10) at the Loras 

Network of Chicago Alumni Holiday Party. 

The young alumni of Dubuque also attended 

a Dubuque Fighting Saints Hockey game at 

the new Mystique Community Ice Center on 

Jan. 14. If you are interested in planning 

young alumni events in your area, or if you 

would like to join the Young Alumni 

Advisory Board, please email 

elizabeth.elsbernd@loras.edu. 

Chris (MA ’03) and Bob (MA ’03) Smialek 

at the Dubuque Fighting Saints Hockey 

Game. 

{ 40 } 

Happy Hours 

Several alumni happy hours have been 

organized throughout the past several 

months, including a Rockford social at 

Der Rathskeller on June 11, 2010. 

The Nov. 18 Shrink ’n Drink event in 

Milwaukee was a mixture of talk show, 

classroom lecture and bar chatter, featuring 

Loras alumnae and psychologist Julie 

Helmrich, Ph.D. (’78). 

Kathleen Volk (’07), Julie Helmrich (’78), 

Mike Riesch (’09) and Terry McCauley 

(’78) at the Shrink n’ Drink in Milwaukee. 

Kelly Mostek (’08), Ryan Wertz (’08), 

Bridget Rhines (’07), Meredith Marlow 

(’08) and Ryan Small (’08) at the Loras 

Network of Cedar Rapids/Iowa City 

Happy Hour. 

In December, the young alumni in Cedar 

Rapids/Iowa City planned a holiday happy 

hour at Moose McDuffy’s. 

In January the Loras Network of Des Moines 

gathered at Rock Bottom in West Des Moines 

to tour the brewery and enjoy a happy hour 

with fellow Duhawk alumni and friends of the 

College. 

Patrick Freund (’07), Brittany Martinez 

(’09) and Erik Hulscher (’96) at the Loras 

Network of Des Moines Happy Hour. 

Thanks to all of our alumni volunteers who 

have helped plan, organize, host or cover the 

cost of an event. We could not do it without 

you! �

RECOGNITIONS 

1950s 

John Brunkhorst, M.D. (’51) was honored 

with a Lifetime Achievement Award from the 

Iowa Academy of Family Physicians. He 

was nominated for his inspiration and 

dedication to family medicine, being a role 

model for family physicians and for his significant 

contributions to the Waverly, Iowa, 

community and surrounding communities. 

Brunkhorst has been practicing medicine 

for more than 52 years. He has seen many 

changes in medicine and has helped 

hundreds of families along the way. 

William Wuebker (’59) was the 233rd 

member inducted into the Iowa Baseball 

Coaches Hall of Fame. He is the baseball 

coach at Spalding Catholic High School in 

Granville, Iowa. The upcoming season will 

be his 38th season of coaching high school 

baseball. In the last 10 years, Wuebker’s 

Spalding teams have won more than 250 

games, making six trips to the state tournament. 

The Spartans won the championship in 

his first two seasons and have since been 

runners-up three times, the last in 2005. 

1960s 

Thomas Cashman (’60) was presented the 

44th annual award and honor as Chicago’s 

Outstanding Irishman in grateful recognition 

and appreciation of his leadership, his 

wisdom, his dedication to the public good, 

and his inspired service to the cause, 

character, and spirit of the Irish. 

The Rev. Robert Beck, D.Min. (’62) was 

honored as a distinguished alum by Sacred 

Heart School in Waterloo, Iowa, as a part of 

National Catholic Schools Week. He attended 

Sacred Heart from 1945-58, graduating 

from what was then Sacred Heart High 

School. Beck is chaplain at the Franciscan 

Motherhouse in Dubuque and professor 

emeritus of religious studies at Loras 

College. 

Vincent Drago (’67) published a book, 

entitled, The Sights of Rome: Uncovering the 

Legends and Curiosities of the Eternal City. 

The book takes readers on a fascinating visit 

to some of the most interesting sights of The 

Eternal City. Drago began his teaching career 

in New Iberia, La., as a high school Latin 

teacher. He taught in schools in New Orleans 

and Metairie, La., as well as in Jackson, 

Miss. Drago twice participated in the 

six-week Summer School of the American 

Academy in Rome. During his teaching 

career he traveled to Rome many times, 

for pleasure and for study, including a 

14-month stay while on sabbatical leave in 

1991-92. When he retired in 2000 he moved 

to Rome where he lives in the Trastevere 

neighborhood. 

Loras Bleile (’68) joined the firm of Kane 

Appraisal & Real Estate Services, Inc., as an 

associate appraiser. He is licensed in Iowa, 

Illinois and Wisconsin. Bleile will continue 

his work as a real estate broker and auctioneer 

in Iowa and Illinois where he is licensed. 

Thomas Engler (’68) retired in June after 

42 years in education including 30 years as 

a public superintendent of schools. For the 

past 18 years, Engler has been the superintendent 

in Yorkville, Ill. During his term in 

Yorkville, the district grew from 1,400 to 

5,200 students and from 140 employees to 

more than 500. He is a past board member 

and president of the Urban Superintendents 

Association of America; a member of the 

Kettering Foundation think tank-CADRE; a 

Horace Mann Fellow; a member of the 

Yorkville Chamber of Commerce Board and 

a founding member of the Yorkville 

Economic Development Corporation; a 

board member and past president of the 

Kendall County Special Education 

Cooperative; and a board member of the 

Indian Valley Vocational Center. He began 

his career in 1968 as a teacher in the 

Dubuque, Iowa, school system. 

1970s 

David Walsh (’71) was appointed a 

Distinguished Fellow at the 11th Annual 

International Association of Insurance 

Supervisors (IAIS) Conference. Walsh is the 

executive vice president and general counsel 

at SBLI USA Mutual Life Insurance 

Company, Inc. Walsh was a co-founder and 

the first chairman of the IAIS, which was 

established in 1994 and now serves insurance 

supervisory authorities of more than 

160 jurisdictions. 

Frederic Sievers (’75) has been named senior 

systems engineer for LiveProcess, the 

leading healthcare solution for emergency 

preparedness and response. Sievers will be 

responsible for training and implementation 

for all new LiveProcess accounts. 

Rich Bares (’77) has been appointed as 

executive vice president, sales and marketing, 

for Riverain Medical (Dayton, Ohio), 

an industry leader and innovator in 

computer-aided detection and advanced 

visualization technologies. In his new role, 

Bares will be responsible for the global 

go-to-market and support strategies for 

the company. 

Becky Herrig (’79) has been appointed 

internship coordinator for Clarke University. 

Her responsibilities will be to facilitate and 

coordinate the Internship for Credit Program, 

assist students and faculty in all areas of 

career development and build relationships 

with employers and the community. She has 

held leadership roles in the private and public 

sectors and has more than 30 years of 

teaching experience. 

Dawn Swift (’79) was named a member of 

the Camp Albrecht Acres board of directors. 

1980s 

Class Notes | Spring 2011 

Pat Reidy (’80) was promoted to executive 

marketing manager at The McGraw-Hill 

Companies in Dubuque, Iowa. 

Michael Sullivan (’81) joined Floor Show 

Furniture & Flooring as a flooring consultant 

in the retail flooring department. He has 

more than 28 years of sales experience. 

Ruby Mann (’82) received the Adventist 

Midwest Health’s pillar award, for her commitment 

to the company’s mission of extending 

the healing ministry of Christ. Mann has 

been the director of patient financial services 

for Adventist Midwest Management Services 

in Bolingbrook, Ill., the physician operations 

side of Adventist Midwest Health, for 17 

years. 

{ 41 }


Tom Holme (’83) has been named fellow of 

the American Association for the 

Advancement of Science at Iowa State 

University. Holme is professor of chemistry 

at the University. He was awarded for 

distinguished contributions to chemistry 

education through developing assessments 

as a researcher and as the director of the 

American Chemical Society Examinations 

Institute. 

Michael J. Cornelis (’84) was elected as 

the chairman of the Bakery Equipment 

Manufacturers and Allieds (BEMA) executive 

committee and board of directors on 

June 19, 2010. Cornelis is the vice president 

of Sasa-Demarle. He has been an active 

member of BEMA since 1985 and has served 

the organization as a member of the board of 

directors for six years. 

Michael Jansz (’85) was sworn in as the 

newest associate judge of the 13th Judicial 

Circuit at the LaSalle County Courthouse 

in Ottawa, Ill. Admitted to the Illinois bar 

in 1988, Jansz is an associate with 

Herbolsheimer, Lannon, Henson, Duncan 

and Reagan, P.C. He first worked as a 

LaSalle County assistant state’s attorney 

until 1990 when he joined the Herbolsheimer 

firm. From 1996-98, he was president of the 

LaSalle County Bar Association. In 2009, his 

peers named him an Illinois Leading Lawyer. 

Ann Oberg (’85) has joined the Allied 

Health Sciences staff at Mid-South 

Community College in West Memphis, Ark. 

She now serves as program specialist/faculty 

for the new Pharmacy Technician certificate 

program. Oberg has worked in hospital, government 

and long-term care pharmacies. She 

most recently coordinated the pharmacy 

technician program and taught at National 

American University (NAU) in Sioux Falls, 

S.D. Oberg is well-known on a national level 

as an item writer for the Pharmacy 

{ 42 } 

Technician Certification Exam (PTCE), a 

reviewer of pharmacy technician textbooks 

and as a speaker at pharmacy technician 

conventions. She is involved in national 

pharmacy associations and is the current vice 

president of the American Association of 

Pharmacy Technicians (AAPT). 

John Steger (’85) has been named the 

special teams coordinator and inside 

linebackers coach at Southern Illinois 

University-Carbondale. Steger spent the 

past 11 seasons at University of Minnesota- 

Duluth, leading the Bulldogs to four playoff 

appearances and the 2008 Division II 

national title as the defensive coordinator. 

Raymond Cavanaugh (’86) has been 

appointed as an associate judge of the 9th 

Judicial Circuit, which includes Knox, 

Warren, Fulton, McDonough, Hancock and 

Henderson counties in Illinois. Cavanaugh 

received his juris doctor in 1990 from The 

John Marshall Law School in Chicago, Ill. 

Ric Arand (’89), head football coach for 

Lena-Winslow High School, recently led his 

team to a Class 1A Illinois State Football 

Championship. The Panthers tied a state 

championship game record with seven 

rushing touchdowns in a 47-14 pounding 

of Tuscola. The win was the first state 

championship in school history in any sport 

for the Panthers. 

Karen Enright (’89) has been elected to the 

board of governors of the Illinois State Bar 

Association. The 25-member board directs 

the operations and activities of the statewide 

organization. Enright is a founding partner of 

the Chicago law firm of Winters Enright 

Salzetta & O’Brien, LLC. She is a successful 

attorney who has tried numerous cases 

involving complex medical and personal 

injuries. Enright received her juris doctor in 

1992 from The John Marshall Law School in 

Chicago, Ill. 

Thomas Flagel (’89) released a second edition 

of his book, entitled, The History Buff’s 

Guide to the Civil War. The book was 

released by Cumberland House Publishing, 

Inc., on Sept. 1, 2010. 

Paul Mierkiewicz (’89) has been named 

Loras College’s 25th head football coach. 

Mierkiewicz recently finished a successful 

10-year head coaching run at Hastings 

College in Hastings, Neb., where he guided 

the Broncos to a 65-41 record. 

1990s 

Jerry McBride (’90) won a second term for 

the DuPage County Board (Republican 

Party) with 63 percent of the vote in the 

District 4 race. McBride was first elected to 

the county board four years ago. 

Ted Borelli (’92) was named advertising 

director for the Telegraph Herald in 

Dubuque, Iowa. Borelli was previously 

senior print sales manager at Gazette 

Communications in Cedar Rapids, Iowa, 

where he had worked for 15 years. During 

his time at the Gazette, Borelli was promoted 

several times, with titles including: major 

accounts specialist, retail advertising supervisor, 

team coach manager and classified 

advertising manager. 

Michael P. FitzPatrick (’92) has been 

promoted to vice president—Asbury office 

manager in the Retail Banking Division of 

American Trust & Savings Bank in 

Dubuque, Iowa. FitzPatrick joined the bank 

in 2007. 

The Rev. Dennis Quint (’92) has been 

assigned pastor of the Basilica of St. Francis 

Xavier in Dyersville, Iowa, and also St. 

Paul’s Catholic Church in Worthington, 

Iowa. Quint was ordained by The Most 

Rev. Jerome Hanus, O.S.B., in 1996. Quint’s 

first assignment was at St. Jude Catholic 

Church in Cedar Rapids, Iowa, where he 

spent three years. He then spent one year at 

Holy Ghost Catholic Church in Dubuque, 

Iowa, before being assigned to St. Patrick’s 

Catholic Church in Parkersburg, Iowa, where 

he served parishioners in Reinbeck, 

Parkersburg, Dike and Grundy Center for 

the past 10 years.

Tom Bitter (’93) was appointed as an Iowa 

District Court judge by Gov. Chet Culver. 

Bitter graduated from the University of 

Iowa’s College of Law in 1996 and for many 

years practiced alongside his father, Joseph 

Bitter, now deceased, at Bitter Law Office. 

Paula Neuhaus (’95) has been appointed as 

director of Maquoketa Art Experience, a 

not-for-profit arts organization dedicated to 

revitalizing downtown Maquoketa, Iowa, 

through artist-in-residency programs, workshops 

and exhibitions. In this role she will be 

responsible for coordination and promotion 

of all arts programming, residencies, 

workshops, exhibitions and ongoing 

expansion as well as promotion of the 

Eastern Iowa Cultural Corridor. Neuhaus 

continues her work as a poet and writer, 

volunteers with several Dubuque art groups 

and manages two independent projects: 

Wordcure Spoken Word Series and Art 

Gumbo Micro-funding Program. 

Lora Neyens (’95) was promoted to development 

editor II at The McGraw-Hill 

Companies in Dubuque, Iowa. 

Jean Luna (’96) has been named half-time 

assistant principal at Kenwood High School 

in Clarksville, Tenn. She will also fill a halftime 

teaching position at the high school. For 

the past 13 years, Luna has educated children 

in the states of Iowa, Washington and 

North Carolina, most recently working as a 

first grade teacher at Sango Elementary 

School in Clarksville. 

Melissa (Higgs) Kohler [Lisa Higgs] (’97) 

has announced the upcoming publication of 

her first chapter book of poetry, Lodestar. 

Finishing Line Press released the book of 20 

sonnets on March 11, 2011. 

Brian Unsen, CPA (’97) was promoted to 

senior manager at Eide Bailly, LLP, in 

Dubuque, Iowa, specializing in providing 

audit services for governmental, nonprofit 

and employee benefit plan clients. He has 

been with the firm since 1998. 

Rick Casarez (’98) is head coach of the 

Ruff House Training Center in Dubuque, 

Iowa, teaching mixed martial arts. Casarez is 

a former NCAA All-American wrestler at 

Loras College and professional mixed 

martial arts fighter. 

Kizzy Gaul (’98) is now a certified pension 

consultant (CPC). Gaul is a retirement 

services compliance specialist for Dubuque 

Bank and Trust’s Wealth Management 

Group. The American Society of Pension 

Professionals & Actuaries confers the CPC 

credential to individuals who have completed 

a set of rigorous exams to demonstrate 

competence in specific areas of retirement 

and employee benefits consulting. She has 

been with DB&T’s Wealth Management 

Group since 2007. 

Chad Huntington (’98) has been named a 

2010 Rising Star by the Tri-State Business 

Times. The award annually recognizes 

business leaders age 40 and younger for their 

leadership and commitment to the Dubuque 

community. Huntington is currently the vice 

president of human resources at A.Y. 

McDonald Mfg. Co. 

2000s 

Peter Arling (’00) has been selected as a 





community. Arling is currently an attorney 

and shareholder at O’Connor & Thomas, P.C. 

Nathan Copeland (’00) received a Public 

Service Award from the Mutual Insurance 

Association of Iowa at their 130th Annual 

Convention held in Des Moines, Iowa, on 

Nov. 15, 2010. He was presented with this 

award for his courageous actions on Oct. 2, 

2010, helping rescue Danielle Eldeen and 

her two granddaughters, Kadie and Madison 

Schaeffer, from their overturned minivan 

that had caught fire after crashing on 

Highway 151. 

Joni Dement (’01) joined Honkamp Krueger 

Financial Services, Inc., as senior retirement 

services document specialist. 

Joe Splinter (’01) was promoted to senior 

manager at Eide Bailly, LLP, in Dubuque, 

Iowa, specializing in providing audit and 

consulting services for nonprofit and 

healthcare clients. He has been with the 

firm since 2000. 


Anthony Stone (’01) had the honor of 

serving as the defensive coordinator for the 

USA Women’s National Football Team in 

July 2010. The team won the first IFAF 

Women’s World Championship gold medal 

with a 66-0 victory over Canada at the 

Zinkensdamms IP Stadium in Stockholm, 

Sweden. 

Jesi Riggles (’02) recently published her 

first novel, Four Thousand Miles, as an 

eBook. In addition to writing, she teaches 

creative writing workshops to teens through 

the University of Wisconsin Outreach 

Program and has served as a creative writing 

mentor for the Young Scholars Program 

through the Wisconsin Center for 

Academically Talented Youth. Riggles’ short 

story, “Death of a Woman,” has been 

published in the Detroit based literary 

magazine The Furnace. 

Sarah Ledger, M.D. (’03) has joined the 

practice as a physician at Family Medicine 

Mount Pleasant in Mount Pleasant, Iowa. 

She will also serve as a full-time medical 

staff member at Henry County Health 

Center. Ledger specializes in family practice 

medicine with obstetrics. 

Steve Lukan (’03) was named a 2010 Rising 

Star by the Tri-State Business Times in 

Dubuque. The award annually recognizes 



community. Lukan is currently an account 

executive/producer at English Insurance in 

Dyersville, Iowa, and a state 

representative/assistant Republican leader for 

the Iowa House of Representatives. 

Brian Cassidy (’04) joined The Friedman 

Group, Inc., as an account executive. He will 

specialize in personal and commercial lines 

insurance. Cassidy previously worked at 

Northeast Iowa Community College. 

{ 43 }


Eric Norman (’05) has recently been named 

a principle of MVP Services Group, Inc., 

and assumes the title of vice president of 

operations. 

Stephen Polo (’05) accepted a position as 

ticket sales representative for Northwestern 

University Athletics in Evanston, Ill. Polo 

spent four seasons as a senior account executive 

with the Chicago Fire of Major League 

Soccer after spending one season with the 

Windy City Thunderbolts baseball team. 

Kelli Schubert (’05) recently passed the 

Senior Professional in Human Resources 

certification exam. Schubert is a human 

resource administrator at Honkamp Krueger 

& Co., P.C. She has been with the firm 

since 1999. 

Michael Loebach (’06) was appointed 

assistant portfolio manager at Steele Capital 

Management, Inc., in Dubuque, Iowa. 

Stephanie Mettille (’06) joined the firm of 

Honkamp Krueger & Co., P.C. as senior tax 

staff. 

Erin Becker (’07) recently became a 

certified Jazzercise instructor and offers 

classes in Farley, Iowa. 

Candace Eudaley (’07) has been named a 





community. Eudaley currently works as a 

regional economic development and sustainability 

coordinator for the East Central 

Intergovernmental Association. 

Kelsey Geraghty (’07) joined Honkamp 

Krueger & Co., P.C. in the firm’s payroll 

division, HK Payroll Services, as a payroll 

services representative. 

Jenna Law (’07) has joined Teach For 

America, the national corps of top college 

graduates who commit to teach for two years 

{ 44 } 

in urban and rural public schools in lowincome 

communities. 

Jacob Sturm (’07) has been named software 

solutions consultant at Honkamp Krueger & 

Co., P.C. 

Travis Tranel (’07) won a seat for the 49th 

Assembly District in the Republican Party. 

Tranel is an agribusinessman in Cuba City, 

Wis. He ran on a campaign of fiscal 

responsibility. 

Brian DeMoss (’08) was promoted to senior 

associate at Eide Bailly, LLP, in Dubuque, 

Iowa. He specializes in providing audit 

services for governmental clients and 

employee benefit plans. DeMoss has been 

with the firm since 2008. 

Elizabeth Elsbernd (’08) has received her 

master’s degree in comparative and international 

development education from the 

University of Minnesota. Elsbernd is the 

assistant director of alumni relations at Loras 

College. 

Officer Sean O’Brien (’08) received the 

Medal of Valor from the Evanston police, 

fire and life safety department by the council 

chamber in Evanston, Ill. O’Brien received 

the top honor for freeing a coworker who 

was trapped in her vehicle after a fiery car 

crash on March 9, 2010. O’Brien was off 

duty at the time. 

Patrick Regan (’08) was hired as an 

associate systems administrator at CybrHost 

Corporation in Independence, Ohio. He has 

more than three years of technical expertise 

in systems administration, analysis and 

development. Regan has developed his skills 

at such companies as Quadax, Inc. and 

Abison, Inc. 

Allison Sanyi (’08) has been named head 

coach of the Golden Eagles girls’ soccer 

program at Wahlert Catholic High School in 

Dubuque, Iowa. Sanyi was previously the 

assistant coach for the team as well as an 

assistant coach at the University of 

Wisconsin-Platteville. 

Jake Oeth (’09) is a legislative correspondent 

for Senator Tom Harkin, D-Iowa. After graduating 

from Loras Oeth began working with 

Harkin in an entry-level position that included 

answering telephones. Now he works on 

banking, housing, social security and small 

business issues. He spends most of his time in 

Washington, D.C., researching legislative 

issues, outreaching to the community and 

corresponding with various constituents. 

Ashley Boffeli (’10) joined Express 

Employment Professionals in Dubuque, 

Iowa, as a staffing consultant. 

Rosalie (Full) Falkena (’10) has been 

selected to serve on the committee for Camp 

CAYOCA, a Catholic youth camp in the 

Diocese of Sioux City, Iowa. The committee 

is an active working board that prepares and 

facilitates camp each summer for hundreds 

of grade school students. Falkena is a teacher 

at Spalding Catholic School in Alton, Iowa, 

teaching vocal music, religion and assisting 

with the speech team. As a volunteer at 

CAYOCA, Falkena has also served as a 

program assistant and music leader. 

Nicole Koehler (’10) will be teaching the 

elementary Spanish program to fourth grade 

students at Eastland Middle School in 

Shannon, Ill. The school is implementing a 

required Spanish program at each grade on a 

yearly basis through eighth grade. 

Rosanne Wedewer (’10) joined the firm of 

Honkamp Krueger & Co., P.C., as a staff 

auditor. She previously worked as an intern 

with the firm. 

Alumni 

Jonathon Moser, D.C. (alumnus) graduated 

from Palmer College of Chiropractic in 

June 2010. He joined Strutt Chiropractic 

Clinic in McGregor, Iowa, as a licensed 

chiropractor in January 2011.

MARRIAGES 

Alaina Conrad (’97) to Carl Their on July 

24, 2010. 

Kami Lang (’99) to Ryan Petitgoue on 


Jody Hays (’00) to David Willging (’02) 

on May 29, 2010. 

Alicia Flores (’02) to 

Kasey Schmitt on July 

18, 2009. 

Jeff Vogler (’02) to Michelle Driscoll on 


Jennifer Arenz (’03) 

to Jesus Sanchez on 


Brendan Houlihan (’03) to Zoe Pole on 

Aug. 21, 2010. 

Aimee Reichel (’03) 

to Brian Tressel on 


Dallas Schiesl (’03) to Kristen Anderson 

(’04) on Nov. 27, 2010. 

Sara Gerlach (’04) to Dave May on July 10, 


Kara Kremer (’04) to Scott Collings on 

July 24, 2010. 

Marcie Wampfler (’04) to Jesse Elliott on 


Jen Weig (’04) to Pat Walsh on May 1, 


Jacqueline Wuebker (’04) to Kiel Ronning 

on Dec. 16, 2010. 

Arthur Bradford (’05) to Jessica Boelter on 

Sept. 18, 2010. 

Steven Campball (’05) to Danielle Pline 

(’05) on Aug. 7, 2010. 

David Fautsch (’05) to Elizabeth Talbert on 

May 22, 2010. 

Jonathan Heiar (’05) 

to Rachel Zaccaro on 


Adele Lyden (’05) to Thomas Ratzlaff 

(’06) on Feb. 21, 2009. 

Scott McGuire (’05) to Emily May (’10) on 


Abbey Rodham (’05) to Zach Kass on Oct. 


Jeff Tschiggfrie (’05) to Andrea Vrombault 

(’08) on July 17, 2010. 

Nicole Boland (’06) to Joseph Kennedy on 



Geoffrey Mell (’06) to Stephanie Jandt 

(’06) on Oct. 24, 2009. 

Phillip McCullough 

(’07) to Melissa 

Janning (’08) on July 


Andrew Reichert (’07) to Kristen 

Davidson (’08) on Sept. 19, 2009. 

Isabelle Stephens (’07) to Lucas Pattarozzi 

(’08) on Aug. 28, 2010. 

Madeline Cairney (’08) to Kyle Cross 

(alumnus) on Aug. 14, 2010. 

Josh Oldham (’08) to Kristina Jensen (’08) 

on Sept. 25, 2010. 

Carla Schmidt (’08) to S. Joseph Holloway 

on June 5, 2010. 

Ashley Harvey (’09) to Brad Staner (’10) 

on June 26, 2010. 

Andrew J. Miller (’09) to Diana Pena (’09) 

on Sept. 1, 2010. 

Emily Moore (’09) to Ken Valentine on 

June 19, 2010. 

Steve Anderson (’10) to Kelsey McElroy 

(’10) on July 31, 2010. 

Elliot McAllister (’10) to Ashley Ruden 

(’10) on Sept. 18, 2010. 

Did you recently get engaged, married, promoted or have a baby? 

Post announcements and photos about your engagement, wedding, child’s 

birth, career accomplishments or alumni deaths on the Alumni website at 

http://alumni.loras.edu. Simply click Submit under Class Notes; log-in is 

required. Please email us at alumni@loras.edu if you have trouble logging in. 

Also, don’t forget about our online Career Center! Alumni may search for or 

submit jobs on our Alumni website under Career Center. This is a brand 

new addition to our website, so please consider submitting your business 

of organization’s job openings! 

{ 45 }


NEW ARRIVALS 

1980s 

1990s 

To Dan (’86) and 

Michelle Shey, a 

daughter, Zoe, on 


To John (’90) and Jennifer Anglin, a 

daughter on Feb. 3, 2011. 

To Andrew (’90) and Kristine (Neavins) 

(’92) Sargent, a son, Timothy Stafford- 

Rains, on Jan. 7, 2011. 

To Mike (’92) and 

Angie FitzPatrick, a 

daughter, Brynn Mae, 

on Aug. 21, 2010. 

To Michelle (Cannavo) (’92) and Rosario 

Valenti, a son on Jan. 31, 2011. 

To Anne (Ellingson) (’94) and Jeff Short, a 

daughter, Avery Ellin, on Aug. 25, 2010. 

To Brian (’94) and Traci Roling, a daughter 


To Patrick (’95) and Colleen Green, a 

daughter, Bridget Maeve, on May 10, 2010. 

To Beth (Elwood) (’96) and Daniel Faidle, a 

son, Ryan James, on Oct. 6, 2010. 

To Brian (’96) and Angie (Snyder) (’98) 

Jones, a daughter, Aliza Rose, on June 8, 


To Patrick (’96) and Melissa McAvan, a 

daughter, Anna Terese, on July 22, 2010. 

To Sarah (Haas) (’96) and Matt Merz, a 

daughter on Nov. 13, 2010. 

To Anthony (’96) and Wendy Tindall, a son, 

Erik Lawrence, on May 11, 2010. 

To Jolene (Berning) (’97) and Terry Belken, 

a daughter, Tessa Ann, on Aug. 25, 2010. 

{ 46 } 

To Liz (Hollenback) (’97) and Keith 

Recker, a son, Marshall William, on Nov. 


To Scott (’97) and 

Stephanie (Pearson) 

(’00) Rose, a daughter, 

Stella Francis, on May 


To Kelly (Kopp) (’98) and Ryan Daily, a 

daughter, Madeline Martha, on July 2, 2010. 

To Kizzy Gaul (’98), a son, Evan Christian, 

on Aug. 5, 2010. 

To Jennifer (Liebhart) (’98) and Jason 

Gromm, a daughter, Leelya Lynn, on 

Nov. 2, 2010. 

To Carrie (Smith) (’98) and Jim Kennedy, 

a daughter on Jan. 7, 2011. 

To Tricia (Nadermann) (’98) and Jeff 

Kueter, a daughter, Hannah, on Nov. 28, 


To Terry (’98) and Jenny Stoffel, a daughter, 

Abbigail Lynn, on July 19, 2010. 

To Angie (Dempewold) (’99) and Curt 

Dolphin, a daughter, Ella Celine, on 


To Tracy (Schauer) (’99) and Marty 

Goedken, a daughter on May 17, 2010. 

To Mark (’99) and Liz Lawler, a son on 


To Jodi (Williams) (’99) and Mark (’01) 

Ruden, a son on June 28, 2010. 

2000s 

To Tony (’00) and Katie Houselog, a son on 


To Jackie (Driscoll) (’00) and Troy Leibold, 

a daughter, Lauren Kay Ann, on July 26, 


To Mollie (Moore) (’00) and Chad 

Rawleigh, a son, Charles John, on Dec. 22, 


To Ryan (’01) and Jennie Brown, a son on 


To Abby (McAllister) (’01) and David 

Jones, a daughter on May 24, 2010. 

To Jill (Hoffman) (’01) and Tom Kult, a 

daughter, Mackenzie Marie, on Oct. 11, 


To Jamie (’01) and Cassandra (Sloan) (’01) 

McDonald, a son on July 9, 2010. 

To Rob (’01) and Jody (Glass) (’01) 

Murray, a son, James John, on Oct. 5, 2010. 

To Sarah (Hyde) (’01) and Tom Nack, a 

daughter on Oct. 26, 2010. 

To Matthew (’01) and Tracy Pivit, a son on 


To Chris (’01) and Jill (Morehead) (’01) 

Rubel, a daughter, Ella Grace, on July 27, 


To Joe (’01) and Kari (Doudna) (MA ’06) 

Splinter, a daughter, Addison, on Aug. 5, 


To Carrie (Ring) (’02) and Bill Blaser, a 

son, Samuel Kenneth, on Feb. 9, 2011. 

To Lunette (Schmidt) (’02) and Nick 

Elliott, a daughter on Dec. 13, 2010. 

To Brian (’02) and Tammy Kallback, a son 

on Nov. 20, 2010. 

To Brooke (Benz) (’02) and Jeremy 

Ludovissy, a son on Oct. 25, 2010. 

To Erin (Burke) (’02) and Wes Palm, a son, 

Andrew John, on Nov. 23, 2010. 

To Jill (Vorwald) (’02) 

and Matt Sampson, a 

daughter, Caroline 

Reese, on June 27, 

2010.

To Jill (Domeyer) 

(’02) and Mike 

Schlichte, a son, 

Devin Michael, on 

Nov. 23, 2010. 

To Alicia (Flores) 

(’02) and Kasey 

Schmitt, a son, 

Chandler Christopher, 


To Katie 

(Koenigsfeld) (’03) 

and Chris Fisher, a 

daughter, Eleanor 

“Nora” Cecelia, on 


To Daniel (’03) and Molly (Demmer) (’04) 

Lahart, a daughter, Nora Jane, on Oct. 14, 


To Andy (’03) and Angela Sadewasser, a 

son on Oct. 7, 2010. 

To Chris (’03) and Lisa Vogel, a daughter on 


ALUMNI SPOTLIGHT 

To Mike (’04) and Dani (Gaydusek) (’06) 

Dodds, a son on Jan. 7, 2011. 

To Tara Nelson (’04), a daughter on Aug. 


To Nick (’04) and Danielle Rubel, a son on 


To Jacqueline Selken (’04), a son on July 


To Alicia (Davis) (’05) and Jermey Kapp, a 

daughter, MaryEllen Jean, on July 26, 2010. 

To James (’05) and Sarah (Simon) (’07) 

Milner, a son, Maddox James, on July 13, 


To Adele (Lyden) (’05) and Thomas (’06) 

Ratzlaff, a daughter, Kayleigh Alexis, on 

Dec. 14, 2009. 

To Jermey (’05) and Sabrina Vondal, a 

daughter on Sept. 1, 2010. 

Mariah Moser, 2 ½, buried in the snow wearing 

her Loras gear! She is the daughter of Jonathon 

(’06) and Cheri (Strutt) (’06) Moser. 

Cletus Meyer (’60) lost his Loras College class 

ring the week before Homecoming, during 

which his class would be celebrating their 50th 

reunion. His mother purchased the ring for him 

as a graduation present back in 1960 and he 

wore it proudly, remembering his mother’s 

kindness long after she passed. The ring was 

found by an unknown Good Samaritan at the Hy-Vee in Asbury, Iowa, 

and returned to Meyer. 

Kelli (Smith) (’05) and Brian Uhlenkamp 

adopted a son, Nicholas, 3, in August 2010; a 

daughter, Lynn, 5, in September 2010; and a 

son, Jaxon, 2, in October 2010. 

To Mandy (Clewell) (MA ’05) and Eric 

Reisner, a daughter, Cashtin Stanleigh, on 



To Jason (’06) and Kjersti Eilers, a 

daughter, Olivia Therese, on June 5, 2010. 

To Andy (’06) and 

Dennetta Groomes, a 

daughter, Genevieve 

Therese, on Dec. 30, 


To Tyler (’06) and Jaclyn (Kluck) (’07) 

Knopp, a daughter, Payton, on Nov. 7, 2010. 

To Brooke (Boeckenstedt) (’06) and Josh 

Lawler, a daughter on July 22, 2010. 

To Tyson (’07) and Veronica Farley, a son 

on July 7, 2010. 

To Andy (’07) and Kimberly Reinert, a 

daughter on June 4, 2010. 

To Travis (’07) and Stephanie (Herbst) 

(’07) Tranel, a daughter on Oct. 7, 2010. 

To Andrew (alumnus) and Sarah 

Thibadeau, a daughter on May 20, 2010. 

Kate (Kenneally) McLenaghan (’95) poses 

with Jeff McMahon, secretary/marathon 

chairman of the Tug McGraw Foundation and 

keyboardist and vocalist for Tim McGraw’s 

band, who is proudly sporting a Loras College 

hat. McLenaghan runs in honor of Jennifer 

(Galloway) McDevitt (’95), who recently lost 

her battle with brain cancer, and to help raise money for the Tug 

McGraw Foundation which funds pioneering brain tumor research 

and increases public awareness of the disease. This race was in Des 

Moines, Iowa. 

Note: Kate (Kenneally) McLenaghan was incorrectly identified in the 

summer 2010 issue. 

JOIN US ON FACEBOOK AND GET 

CONNECTED WITH OTHER LORAS 

COLLEGE ALUMNI! 

It’s easy! Search for “Loras College Alumni” on Facebook 

and stay up-to-date on Loras alumni news and events. 

{ 47 }


DEATHS 

1930s 

Charles Seda (’34) on Jan. 26, 2011, in 

Hiawatha, Iowa. 

Raphael Snitil (’35) on June 21, 2010, in 

Cedar Rapids, Iowa. 

Edward Anderson, M.D. (’37) on April 17, 

2010, in Sun City West, Ariz. 

1940s 

Lawrence Healy (’41) on May 16, 2010, in 


Dale Backer (’42) on Sept. 5, 2010, in 

Austin, Texas. 

Wilson Saunders (’42) on Jan. 9, 2011, in 

Iowa City, Iowa. 

Gerald May (’43) on April 16, 2010, in 


James Mai, Sr. (’44) on Jan. 9, 2011, in 


The Rev. Thomas Carpender (’45) on Jan. 

15, 2011, in Tulsa, Okla. 

Christopher Oldenburg (’45) on May 7, 

2010, in Minneapolis, Minn. 

Louis Barrett (’46, A ’42) on June 26, 2010, 

in Dubuque, Iowa. 

Edward Degnan, D.D.S. (’46) on Jan. 14, 

2011, in Dubuque, Iowa. 

Frederick Rand (’46) on Aug. 15, 2010, in 

Madison, Wis. 

The Rev. Eugene Cunningham (’47) on 

Nov. 3, 2010, in Des Moines, Iowa. 

Michael Stapleton (’47) on Nov. 30, 2010, 

in East Dubuque, Ill. 

Le Roy Vitale (’47) on Dec. 23, 2010, in La 

Crosse, Wis. 

John Schueller (’48) on June 28, 2010, in 

Boulder, Colo. 

{ 48 } 

Vincent Walsh (’48, A ’44) on July 25, 

2010, in Dubuque, Iowa. 

Al Castrogiovanni (’49) on June 9, 2010, in 

Rockford, Ill. 

Randall Foster (’49) on April 23, 2010. 

Earl Fugate (’49) on April 13, 2010, in 

Janesville, Iowa. 

Joseph Knobbe (’49) on Jan. 21, 2011, in 

Waukegan, Ill. 

Joseph Stieber (’49) on Dec. 16, 2010, in 


William Ward (’49) on Oct. 11, 2010, in 

Inverness, Ill. 

The Rev. Msgr. John Weber (’49) on July 

1, 2010, in Salina, Kan. 

1950s 

William Collins (’50) on Aug. 19, 2010, in 

St. Charles, Ill. 

Dan Conroy (’50) on July 29, 2010. 

Gilbert Copper (’50) on June 2, 2010, in 

Fort Dodge, Iowa. 

Sister Mary Ellen Flaherty, RSM (’50) on 

Sept. 12, 2010, in Cedar Rapids, Iowa. 

The Rev. John Hussmann (’50) on July 14, 


William Nugent (’50) on May 26, 2010, in 

Whittemore, Iowa. 

Robert Pogo (’50) on May 31, 2010, in 

Pewaukee, Wis. 

J. Donald Ryan (’50) on Feb. 18, 2010, in 

Libertyville, Ill. 

Edward Steiner (’50) on Aug. 30, 2010, in 

Waterloo, Iowa. 

James Stoneman (’50) on April 7, 2010. 

Matthew “Mick” Roach (’51) on Nov. 8, 

2010, in West Union, Iowa. 

Ronald Ross (’51) on May 31, 2010, in 

Chicago, Ill. 

Eugene Zimmer (’51) on Nov. 6, 2010, in 

LeMars, Iowa. 

Robert Cramer (’52) on Sept. 13, 2010, in 

Hanover, Mass. 

Ralph Reetz (’52) on Oct. 18, 2010, in El 

Paso, Texas. 

The Rev. Severius Blank (’53) on Jan. 4, 

2011, in Fort Worth, Texas. 

Frank Koester (’53) on Nov. 13, 2010, in 

Des Moines, Iowa. 

Lt. Col. Loren Kula (’53) on Sept. 16, 

2010, in Albuquerque, N.M. 

Charles Lowe (’53) on Feb. 28, 2010, in St. 

Petersburg, Fla. 

The Rev. Daniel Keppler (’54) on July 21, 

2010, in Monona, Iowa. 

Maurice Welte (’54) on Nov. 27, 2010, in 

Kansas City, Kan. 

Maury Adams (’56) on April 28, 2010, in 

Roanoke, Va. 

Gerald Beauvais (’56) on Aug. 31, 2010, in 

Arlington Heights, Ill. 

Joseph Costa (’56) on Dec. 24, 2010, in Des 

Moines, Iowa. 

B. Michael Slade (’56, A ’52) on Dec. 1, 


Michael Donlin (’57) on Oct. 30, 2010, in 


Patrick Healy, Jr. (’57) on Oct. 24, 2010, in 

Matteson, Ill.

Donald Meyer (’57) on Jan. 9, 2011, in 


Frank Sovich (’57) on Jan. 9, 2010, in 

Ormond Beach, Fla. 

The Rev. Warren Werner (’57) on July 29, 

2010, in Mason City, Iowa. 

Joseph Cash (’58) on Sept. 27, 2010, in Port 

Charlotte, Fla. 

Richard Dolphin (’58, A ’52) on July 4, 


Richard Kurt (’58) on July 28, 2010, in 

Silverdale, Wash. 

Robert Mashek (’58) on Dec. 27, 2010, in 

Falls Church, Va. 

John Callahan (’59, A ’53) on May 31, 

2010, in Houston, Texas. 

1960s 

Ken Bogusz (’60) on June 25, 2010, in 

Littleton, Colo. 

A. Donald Kropp, M.D. (’60) on Sept. 10, 

2010, in Sheboygan, Wis. 

John Moran (’60) on April 12, 2010, in 

Moline, Ill. 

James Sinclair (’60) on Nov. 15, 2010, in 

Utah. 

David Thoennes (’60) on March 12, 2010, 

in San Diego, Calif. 

John Brown (’61) on Nov. 30, 2010, in Des 

Moines, Iowa. 

Patrick Burr (’61) on July 2, 2010, in 

Davenport, Iowa. 

Donald Hoeger (’61) on Jan. 30, 2011, in 

Independence, Iowa. 

Martin Bergeson (’62) on Feb. 25, 2010, in 

South Bend, Ind. 

James Naughton (’62) on Sept. 15, 2010, in 

Bedford, Texas. 

John Cashman (’63) on Jan. 3, 2011, in Des 

Moines, Iowa. 

Norbert Hanzelka (’64) on Jan. 14, 2011, in 

Draper, Utah. 

Sister Mary Madonna Meyer, PBVM (’64) 

on Oct. 16, 2010, in Dubuque, Iowa. 

Robert Lucas (’65) on Dec. 12, 2011, in 


Joseph Cousin (’69) on Oct. 29, 2010, in 

Albany, Wis. 

Daryl Irlbeck (’69) on Nov. 13, 2010, in 

Burnsville, Minn. 

David Wertz, D.D.S. (’69) on July 26, 2010, 


1970s 

Robert Bartels (’71) on Nov. 30, 2010, in 

Iowa City, Iowa. 

Dermot Hunt (’72) on May 8, 2010. 

Robert Streit (’72) on Oct. 27, 2010, in 

Grand Junction, Colo. 

Robert J. Wild (’75, A ’47) on Aug. 27, 


Edward Assip (’76) on May 26, 2010, in 

Sarasota, Fla. 

Gail Ann (Stangl) Darby (’76) on Dec. 26, 

2010, in Bellevue, Wash. 

1980s 

Daniel Markham (’81, ’86) on Sept. 18, 


Angela Simon (’81) on July 31, 2010, in 

England. 

Mark Fasselius (’82) on Dec. 21, 2010, in 


Michael Sand (’82, A ’48) on Aug. 21, 


William Forslund (’84) on Oct. 29, 2010, in 

Ironwood, Mich. 


Angela (Beasley) Thomas (’84) on Nov. 10, 

2010, in West Burlington, Iowa. 

1990s 

Linda (Denlinger) Kauffmann (’93) on 

July 26, 2010, in Dubuque, Iowa. 

Jennifer (Galloway) McDevitt (’95) on 

Nov. 16, 2010, in Palatine, Ill. 

Angela (Weisberg) Burger (’99) on Nov. 

21, 2010, in Gowrie, Iowa. 

Alumni 

John Adams (alumnus, A ’49) on Aug. 10, 


Clifford Becker, Sr. (alumnus) on Dec. 30, 

2010, in Overland Park, Kan. 

John Bergquist, D.D.S. (alumnus) on Aug. 

18, 2010, in Milford, Del. 

John Bronenkant (alumnus) on Aug. 16, 

2010, in Naples, Fla. 

Joe Burgermeister (alumnus) on Dec. 28, 

2010, in Marion, Ill. 

Sister Mary Clementine Cashman, RSM 

(alumnus) on Oct. 22, 2010, in Cedar 

Rapids, Iowa. 

Francis “Frank” Conlon (alumnus) on Dec. 

10, 2010, in Canton, Ga. 

Sister Mary Kevin Cummings, PBVM 

(alumnus) on Nov. 6, 2010, in Dubuque, 

Iowa. 

William Derby (alumnus, A ’52) on Nov. 4, 

2010, in Cedar Rapids, Iowa. 

James Derks (alumnus) on Oct. 8, 2010, in 

Fredonia, Wis. 

Richard Dwyer (alumnus) on Oct. 9, 2010, 

in Woodstock, Ill. 

Cyril “Mike” Elwanger (alumnus) on July 

21, 2010, in Sioux City, Iowa. 

Frederick Gallardo (alumnus, A ’48) on 

Nov. 12, 2010, in Cathedral City, Calif. 

{ 49 }


Marvin Gassmann (alumnus) on July 26, 

2010, in Earlville, Iowa. 

John “Jack” Grein, Jr. (alumnus) on Sept. 

13, 2010, in Chicago, Ill. 

Jesse Hamel (alumnus) on July 21, 2010, in 

Reno, Nev. 

Deacon Joseph Hayes (alumnus) on Jan. 28, 

2011, in Cascade, Iowa. 

William Helling (alumnus) on Oct. 24, 


Herbert Herber (alumnus, A ’44) on Sept. 

15, 2010, in Dubuque, Iowa. 

Gary Kalishek (alumnus) on May 9, 2010, 

in New Hampton, Iowa. 

George Kallansrud (alumnus) on Nov. 8, 


Robert Kallmer (alumnus) on April 16, 

2010, in Bangkok, Thailand. 

Sr. Mary Eunice Kane, PBVM (alumnus) 

on July 7, 2010, in Dubuque, Iowa. 

Ralph Kennedy (alumnus) on June 7, 2010, 

in New Hampton, Iowa. 

Ronald Kuczynski (alumnus) on April 23, 

2010, in Loomis, Calif. 

Lloyd Lensing (alumnus) on Sept. 28, 2010, 

in La Crescent, Minn. 

Roger Menke (alumnus) on Sept. 5, 2010, in 


Michael Molloy, Sr. (alumnus) on Nov. 11, 

2010, in Alton, Ill. 

Charles Murphy (alumnus) on Jan. 6, 2011, 

in Clinton, Iowa. 

Sr. Mary Ellen Murphy, PBVM (alumnus) 

on June 29, 2010, in Dubuque, Iowa. 

{ 50 } 

Michael Neyens (alumnus, A ’64) on Oct. 4, 

2010, in Jaffrey, N.H. 

Charles Offerman (alumnus) on Sept. 10, 

2010, in La Crosse, Wis. 

Charles “Chuck” Pauler (alumnus) on 

Nov. 7, 2010, in St. Joseph, Mich. 

Eugene Quinn (alumnus) on July 20, 2010, 

in Rockford, Ill. 

Wilbert Schulte, Jr. (alumnus) on Oct. 18, 


Sister Mary Dominica Schumann, PBVM 

(alumnus) on May 9, 2010, in Dubuque, 

Iowa. 

Leon “Bud” Sheehan (alumnus) on Nov. 8, 

2010, in La Crosse, Wis. 

Francis Spahn (alumnus) on Aug. 16, 2008, 

in Hartford, Wis. 

Vince Stankewitz (alumnus) on Oct. 27, 

2010, in Beloit, Wis. 

Arthur Trausch (alumnus, A ’47) on Oct. 2, 


John Wagner (alumnus, A ’51) on Oct. 22, 


Joseph Wagner (alumnus) on Jan. 5, 2011, 

in St. Paul, Minn. 

Gerald Worzella (alumnus) on July 15, 

2010, in Stevens Point, Wis. 

Academy 

Lester Wallis (A ’39) on Dec. 23, 2010, in 


Elmer Nehls (A ’40) on Jan. 30, 2011, in 


Herbert Van Zile (A ’41) on Oct. 25, 2010, 


Daniel Bahl (A ’43) on May 26, 2010, in 

Fort Madison, Iowa. 

William Schmid (A ’43) on May 24, 2010, 


Thomas Pedersen (A ’46) on July 14, 2010, 

in Sierra Madre, Calif. 

John Bunbury (A ’47) on Nov. 29, 2010, in 

Grand Rapids, Mich. 

William Welu (A ’47) on Sept. 5, 2010, in 


Richard Recker (A ’48) on Aug. 29, 2010, 

in Rio Rancho, N.M. 

Robert Spofford (A ’48) on July 10, 2010, 

in East Dubuque, Ill. 

Thomas Christ (A ’49) on Jan. 18, 2011, in 


Robert Daniels (A ’50) on Jan. 1, 2011, in 


Donald Schlader (A ’50) on July 30, 2010, 


John Greener (A ’51) on Dec. 4, 2010, in 

Las Vegas, Nev. 

Joseph Bleile (A ’58) on Aug. 23, 2010, in 


David Beecher (A ’59) on Oct. 20, 2010, in 


John Tow (A ’60) on July 10, 2010, in 

Mobile, Ala. 

Joseph Meyer (Academy) on Dec. 9, 2010, 

in Scottsdale, Ariz. 

Robert Moore (Academy) on Nov. 27, 

2010, in Dubuque, Iowa.

Life-Long Learning at Loras 

BY RAY J. WERNER (’11) 

It was nearly four years ago when I 

entered my first Loras College classroom. 

I had College Algebra at 8 a.m. on that 

very first day, way back in the fall of 

2007. And to that class, I was 10 minutes 

late. I was not late because I had overslept. 

I had risen an hour ahead of time— 

nervous, excited, giddy—and arrived at 

what I thought to be the classroom, with 

time to spare. However, nobody else 

showed up! So, my natural instinct was 

to crack open my brand-new laptop and 

check my class schedule; I was in the 

right place. Then I checked my email, 

only to find the registrar had moved 

the class to a larger room in order to 

accommodate more people. In a panic, 

I darted up the stairs to the newly 

designated classroom. As I rushed in, 

10 minutes late to my first college class, 

the professor sternly informed me I was 

never be late to his class again. The other 

students chortled and jeered in response. 

Due to embarrassment, I was never late 

to that class again. 

Things have undoubtedly changed since 

that awkward and discomforting 

moment nearly four years ago. I have 

made a multitude of great friends and 

helpful acquaintances; I met fun-loving 

neighbors and supportive peers; and I 

learned from brilliant teachers and 

fascinating role-models. It has been 

through these relationships my college 

experience flourished and I have come 

to a great, appreciative understanding of 

what a liberal arts education truly is. In 

my wide-ranging classes, from history 

to philosophy, and economics to music, 

I have been able to make inspiring 

connections and build skills many 

people my age might lack. These people 

and these classes, united with my extracurricular 

involvements—concert choir, 

chamber choir, Knights of Columbus, 

student union, and so forth—have made 

me a powerful and skillful individual. It 

is difficult to explain in words, but the 

sum total of these things has made me a 

powerful and socially-conscious citizen. 

As cheesy as it may sound, my life has 

made manifest the truly meaningful 

benchmarks and dispositions Provost 

Jacobsen discussed earlier in this issue. 

A specific example of this manifestation 

is in my involvement with Tallgrass 

Historians, a historical preservation and 

archaeology company based out of Iowa 

City. With this company, I have been 

employed for nearly two years working 

on projects in the Dubuque and Cedar 

Rapids areas. My primary role is to 

assist in archaeological excavations and 

analyses to preserve and document both 

historic and pre-historic artifacts, in 

Ray Werner (’11) (Dysart, Iowa) assisting the Tallgrass Historians with an archaeological excavation. 

Perspective | Spring 2011 

order for public works projects to utilize 

the space. The Loras College liberal arts 

curriculum has definitely prepared me 

both for this and my upcoming graduate 

program in public history. It has not 

only prepared me in knowledge but in 

skills and attributes as well. The four 

dispositions help me to demonstrate this, 

but I need not go into exhaustive detail 

as to how ethical decision-making, 

responsible contributing, reflective 

thinking and active learning are 

integral behaviors for the workplace. 

As you are Loras alumni and workplace 

professionals yourselves, I am sure you 

can understand how these qualities can 

set a potential employee above the rest. 

I find it important to reflect on these 

dispositions from time to time—practicing 

reflective thinking—and it helps me 

stay goal-oriented and community-minded. 

It just makes life easier and I hope 

you do the same. Furthermore, this 

seemingly-trivial exercise can help 

people to reflect on their Loras experiences 

and gain a new-found appreciation 

for their time, effort and money spent 

here. It helps me to understand and 

whole-heartedly appreciate the personal 

advancements I have made from the time 

I showed up late to my very first class to 

the time I currently spend working with 

professional archaeologists. A liberal 

arts education, in my view, has been the 

best investment of my life. It propels 

me deep into the contemporary world 

of competition, technology and 

temptations. It prepares me for these 

challenges. � 

{ 51 }

THE LORAS COLLEGE MAGAZINE | VOL. 59 | NO. 1 | WINTER 2010

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