Cleveland State Univer sity College of Liberal Ar ts and Social Sciences

New Directors pg. 4

Visiting Scholars pg. 6

10-Year Anniversary pg. 7 & 8

Alumni pg. 10 & 11

Fall 2014

2004 – 2014

LIBERAL ARTS &SOCIAL SCIENCES

2014 Distinguished Alumnus Richard Janus, MA ’77pg. 5

Letter from the Dean

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Ten years ago, the old CSU College of Arts and Sciences split into two, the College of Sciences and Health Professions (COSHP) and the College of Liberal Arts and Social Sciences (CLASS). Back then, under the leadership of Interim Dean Earl Anderson, CLASS celebrated its own creation by staging an inaugural series of events, including music concerts, a performance of Twelfth Night, and a series of lectures on everything from the 2004 elections to the DaVinci Code. Hopes were high for the new college, but there were also some doubts. What would unify this collection of diverse disciplines, located not in a single iconic building but in many locations across the wide expanse of our campus? How would CLASS succeed in building a coherent identity?

Regarding our identity: One of the cornerstones of our college is diversity. We are diverse in almost every way possible, and we not only celebrate diversity but we also study it. Another cornerstone is our commitment to studying what it means to be human—how humans construct their worlds, how they act in groups, what they have accomplished in history, how they communicate with each other, and how they create beauty and express emotions through the arts. We also teach such transferable skills as written and oral communication and critical thinking. In short, we deliver a comprehensive education for the whole person, going well beyond the (worthy) goal of training students for a place in our 21st-century economy. Some CLASS disciplines—like Social Work and Communication—are more professionally oriented, while others are more purely academic. We embrace them all. All are committed to a broad-based liberal education, but all are increasingly concerned with providing the hands on learning experiences, such as internships, that prepare our students for success in the job market. Over the past ten years, we have striven to build the college’s identity through the writing of mission and vision statements, the staging of important collective events, and the sharing of crucial information about the college via our two newsletters, our web site, and our arts calendar. We still have work to do, but in ten years we have laid a good foundation.

Our ten-year history is a history of dramatic accomplishment. Between 2003 and 2013, CLASS increased the number of our undergraduate student majors by 90%, and we increased the number of our graduate student majors by 23%. Over the past ten years, approximately 730 graduate and undergraduate CLASS students have graduated each year, adding about 7,300 highly educated citizens to our community and to our regional economy. As an indication of the quality of the best CLASS students, I note that seven CLASS graduates have been named university Valedictorian since 2006. In addition, the incredible accomplishments of our annual Distinguished Alumni Award winners—like Richard Janus, who is featured in this issue—suggest just how powerful a CLASS education can be when combined with determination and hard work.

This story is continued on pages 7 & 8

Best wishes, Gregory Sadlek Dean of the College of Liberal Arts and Social Sciences

Visit us online at class.csuohio.edu

College of Liberal Arts & Social Sciences Dr. Gregory Sadlek, Dean

Dr. Joyce Mastboom, Associate Dean Dr. Eric Ziolek, Associate Dean

Staff Lesley Lang, Designer & Assistant Editor

Jody Milkie, Editor

Contributors Rita Gardosi

Richard Janus Cathleen Lewandowski

Yanli Li Tomasz Markiewka

Jane McCrone Caryl Pagel

Richard Perloff Ying Tang

Paul Wolansky

Table of Contents1 Letter from the Dean

2 Table of Contents

3 Keeping Up With CLASS and The Dynamics of Political Communication: Media and Politics in a Digital Age by Richard M. Perloff

4 New Directors for The Poetry Center and School of Social Work

5 Richard Janus ’77, CLASS Distinguished Alumnus

6 2014 – 2015 CLASS Visiting Scholars

7 Reflections on Our 10-Year Anniversary

8 Reflections on Our 10-Year Anniversary

9 Alumni Updates and Scholarships

10 Dean’s Circle and Highlights

2014 Faculty/Staff 10-year Anniversary Reception

The Dynamics of Political Communication: Media and

Politics in a Digital Age by Richard M. Perloff

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Promotions/Tenure

ProfessorAnnie Jouan-Westlund

Department of Modern Languages

Christopher A. Mallett School of Social Work

Associate ProfessorRussell D. Borski

Department of Theatre and Dance

Holly A. Holsinger Department of Theatre and Dance

Anup Kumar School of Communication

Mamadou M. Seck School of Social Work

Stephen C. Taysom Department of Philosophy and Comparative Religion

Abed El-Rahman Tayyara Department of Modern Languages

RetirementsHoward G. Meeker Department of Music

Robert P. Mensforth Department of Anthropology

Lee F. Wilberschied Department of Modern Languages

AwardsJohn Brentar

CLASS’s Excellence in Teaching Award, English Department

Michelle Knapik CLASS’s Staff Engaged Service Award, CLASS Advising Office

KeepingCLASSup

withStanding in the storied home of Paul Revere and speaking in the aw-shucks, small-town, good ol’ American twang that endeared her to supporters but angered opponents to the point of apoplexy, Sarah Palin proceeded to offer a view of Paul Revere’s storied

ride that was at variance with the facts. But the truth of her story, which dates back to 2011, was less important than how it played out on the political communication landscape. Network newscasts leapt onto the story, and on the Internet the fusillade was so vitriolic that the online encyclopedia Wikipedia padlocked the site to prevent disruptions.

So begins Richard M. Perloff’s scholarly textbook account of the processes and effects of political media. His 2014 book, The Dynamics of Political Communication: Media and Politics in a Digital Age, views political media through different disciplinary lenses, with Perloff following the pluralistic, Pascalian mantra that truth can best be glimpsed not “by being at one extremity, but rather by touching both at once.” The 16-chapter book introduces readers to normative models of democracy, media’s role in presidential nominations, and the impact of political advertising on voter psychology.

Calling on scholarly studies, Perloff, professor of communication and political science, debunks popular myths, like the notion that news reflects a liberal bias; negative advertising is bad for the political system; and the simplistic, romantic notion that political communication was better in days of yore. He leaves readers with a nuanced view of the promise and pitfalls of a media-centered democracy.

The Cleveland State University Poetry Center was established in 1962 and has since published over 150 rangy, joyful, profound, astonishing, complicated, surprising, and aesthetically diverse collections of contemporary poetry by established and emerging authors. As the new Director, I’m grateful to the past staff (many of whom are dedicated creative writing students at CSU or in the NEOMFA program)

for their contributions to this distinctive book-making history. There are few universities that are as supportive, anymore, of a university press and arts organization like the Poetry Center, and the opportunity to imagine projects, plots, and possibilities for the future has been an extraordinary gift.

So what do we do? The Poetry Center publishes between three and five collections of contemporary poetry a year, with a national distribution and reach. Our books have won a variety of competitive prizes and awards and our authors are some of the most thrilling writers out there. The Poetry Center mainly acquires manuscripts through two annual contests (one dedicated to publishing and promoting first books and emerging authors, the other to supporting an established poet’s career), and although the Poetry Center has predominantly focused on contemporary poetry, it has a history of dabbling in other forms (novellas, pamphlets, and the like) and I’m interested in developing an innovative prose series (most likely focusing on book-length essay collections) as a way of promoting prose genres that, like poetry, welcome messy structures, troublesome subject matter, and surprising language.

In addition to publishing, the Poetry Center actively promotes poetry through an annual reading series, collaborative art events, participation in national poetry and publication conferences, and as an educational resource for the undergraduate, MA, and MFA students at Cleveland State by providing internship opportunities and involving students in the editorial and production aspects of literary publishing. This year we will also be launching a new Poetry Center website that will feature author books, links to author updates, reviews, and readings, a platform for interviews and blog posts, submission guidelines, and the option to purchase books directly through our website. I hope that this new platform provides even more options for the writing community to participate in Poetry Center readings, discussions, and events.

In reflecting on what I would like to accomplish, I focus on three themes: community engagement, competency, and collaboration. These will guide me in working with our faculty and community partners to build upon our School’s strengths in educating the next generation of social workers.

Community engagement is part of our responsibility as social work educators in a public institution. Our students and

faculty are already engaged with the community through our partnerships with 300+ agencies, and through our faculty’s scholarship and community-based service projects. I would like to highlight and build upon our established partnerships, especially with agencies and organizations serving at-risk groups. As a veteran, I am especially committed to increasing our partnerships with those who serve and support the veteran community. I would like to continue the dialogue with our faculty on incorporating a focus on health and integrated behavioral health care practice into our curriculum. Such practice models are relevant for work with veterans as well as most other client populations.

Regarding competency, I will look to build on an already strong curriculum. As a part of our profession’s commitment to social justice and human rights, I want to assure that we continue to integrate diversity across all dimensions of the curriculum. I want to work with faculty to promote an educational culture that fosters the spirit of inquiry, promotes both creativity and critical thinking, supports difference and diversity, and pursues continued excellence in students’ learning in their field placements. I would like our students to develop an even deeper appreciation for the foundational knowledge they’ve acquired in the liberal arts, which provides them with a deeper understanding of the human condition as well as a sense of who they are, and their place in our increasingly global society.

Finally, we cannot do it on our own, and we are stronger through our partnerships. I will look to lift up and celebrate our long-standing existing partnerships, and seek to build new partnerships. In closing, it is an honor and a privilege to be working with colleagues who have a genuine commitment to our students, their scholarly endeavors, the university and community. I am energized and inspired by our students, and what they accomplish.

Caryl Pagel

Cathleen Lewandowski

Director, CSU Poetry Center Director, School of Social Work

Caryl Pagel is an Assistant Professor of English and Director of the Poetry Center at Cleveland State University. She is an author of two books of poetry: Twice Told and Experiments I Should Like Tried At My Own Death. Previously, she has taught at the Milwaukee Institute of Art and Design, The University of Iowa, Carthage College, and Columbia College Chicago. Caryl is also the co-founder and editor of Rescue Press and a poetry editor at jubilat.

Dr. Lewandowski is Director and Professor in the School of Social Work at Cleveland State University. In addition to research and education, she has experience in social work practice and administration across a 30-year career in several states. Prior to arriving at CSU, Dr. Lewandowski’s previous positions include Chair and Professor, Department of Social Work, George Mason University; Director, Center for Humans Services Research, School of Social Welfare, University at Albany, State University of New York; Team Prevention Leader for the 1908th Medical Detachment, Iraq; and Director, Army Community Services for two U.S. military installations in Germany.

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Meet Richard Janus ’77, CLASS Distinguished Alumnus 2014!

Richard “Rich” Janus, MA Economics ’77, is the senior managing director and chief investment officer, convertible securities for Victory Capital Management. He joined the firm in 1977 after serving as a bank examiner with the U.S. Treasury Department.

An expert in his field—he has been a guest lecturer at conferences sponsored by Goldman Sachs, Certified Financial Planners, and Cleveland State.

He is a four-year member and current chair of the Visiting Committee for the College of Liberal Arts and Social Sciences and is also a two-year member of the CSU Foundation Board of Directors, where he serves on the Investment Committee.

Earlier this year, he and his wife Jayne of Brecksville, created the Richard A. and Jayne Z. Janus Endowed Scholarship to help support students from the City of Cleveland and “first ring” suburbs in the College of Liberal Arts and Social Sciences with a particular focus on those studying Economics.

Why did you choose to attend CSU? It enabled me to maintain my employment and enhance my education at the same time.

How did CSU and your degree field prepare you for your life and career? My education instilled in me the ability to examine different perspectives (even ones that I don’t believe or endorse). In the world of economics and investing there are always several opinions on any given topic and it is necessary to study several perspectives before making a decision.

The rigorous study of Economics at CSU encouraged the curiosity to “securitize opinions.” When you think about it, in the world of investing, whenever I purchase a security, someone is selling it to me and whenever I sell a security, someone is buying it. Only one of us is correct. So before I make a decision as to buying or selling, I have to examine as many perspectives as I possibly can.

What are your fondest memories/impressions of your time at CSU? The impression of CSU when I attended was that it was a means to an end. The campus was only a fraction of its current size in the mid 70’s. As for my fondest memories, they were of going on study dates with my lovely wife Jayne, who was pursuing a graduate degree at Kent State University at the same time I was attending Cleveland State.

Were there any favorite professors… and do you stay in touch today with students/faculty met at CSU? Dr. Allan Taub in Econometrics was by far my favorite. When you are talking about subjectivity in his class there was hardly any. It was formula after

another model after another formula. The subjectivity was in the interpretation of the results of the models. I was so afraid to miss one of his classes that I showed up after I had my wisdom teeth pulled. I would not recommend it.

What would you like to say to current students if you could do it over again? Be passionate and prioritize everything you do. Things don’t always go the way you anticipated, but learn from the mistakes and prosper from your achievements. BE POSITIVE!!! During [the Great Recession of] 2008 investing was not fun, but perseverance, even in dire circumstances, does pay off even if at the time the road seems impassible.

What are your proudest achievements in life and/or career? Starting the Convertible Securities Product at Victory and watching the assets grow. Investors are sometimes viewed as callous individuals but investing for the pension plans of teachers, policemen, firemen, municipal workers, as well as individuals in 401 K plans places another perspective on what I do. Plus, introducing investors to an asset class that is not well known is challenging and fun.

With all of the many wonderful philanthropic opportunities in Cleveland, why did you and Jayne decide to channel your support to create a scholarship at CSU? I believe that every person “owes” back to the things that helped make them successful. I did not come from a wealthy family background and it would have been nice to receive a scholarship. Hopefully a deserving student will be able to “prosper” in life because of the help that Jayne and I are giving them.

Dr. Rita Gardosi is a Fulbright Scholar from Hungary, most recently a faculty member at the Sorbonne, France. She is also a visiting professor of Hungarian language and culture and will reside in the Department of Modern Languages at Cleveland State University.

At the University of Sorbonne Nouvelle Paris III, she worked for six years as a Hungarian lecturer and assistant professor in Hungarian linguistics. She also gave language lessons and taught

courses in Hungarian linguistics and civilization as well as Hungarian literature. While teaching in France she also wrote a Hungarian textbook for beginners entitled Hungarolingua Basics.

Gardosi earned two Master’s degrees in Hungarian language and literature and Hungarian as a foreign language from Eötvös Loránd University. She earned her doctorate in linguistics and language teaching, graduating with a specialization in languages,

literatures and societies. Her dissertation, written under the direction of Thomas Szende, is entitled Pragmatics, didactics, and contrastively: the terms of address in the Hungarian Language.

“In my research project I study the place of the terms of address in pragmatics, in language learning, and in translation theory. I also put forward a methodology as well as exercises concerning these expressions with a strong cultural connotation.”

2014 – 2015 CLASS Visit ing Scholars

Dr. Yanli Li is a visiting scholar from Wuhan University of Technology, China. Li will be in residence in the Department of Political Science at Cleveland State University.

Currently, Li is an associate professor and chairperson in the Department of Political Science at Wuhan University of Technology. Her research focuses on political

psychology, especially the political psychology of villagers of China.

Dr. Li earned her undergraduate degree from Wuhan University in 2000 with a focus in science of politics and administration. She also attended Wuhan University for her Master’s and Doctoral degrees where she focused on political theory.

Li is currently an executive member of the Society of Politics of Hubei Province and has been a member since 2007. In 2008, Li published a book entitled An Analysis of Political Subculture: a Special Factor Influencing the Political Development in Contemporary China.

Dr. Ying Tang is an Exchange Scholar from the College of Foreign Language at Jilin University (JLU), which is in the top ten universities in China. Tang has been teaching for more then 23 years and will reside in the Department of Modern Languages at Cleveland State University.

“Currently I reside in the Department of Modern Languages here at CSU where Chair Antonio Medina-

Rivera, Professor Tama Engelking, Secretary Laura Graf and other teachers are very helpful. I hope we can collaborate to make some contribution to both CSU and JLU.”

In recent years, Tang has taught English reading, English rhetoric, and second language acquisition. Her current research focuses on second language acquisition, especially for Chinese students learning English.

“I am very grateful to Dean Sadlek—who visited Jilin University last year [2013] and signed Memorandum of Understanding with us—for inviting me as a visiting scholar at CSU.”

Dr. Tang earned her BA in English, MA in English linguistics, and her doctorate focus was on western literary criticism. Her dissertation is entitled A Study on I.A. Richards’ Theory of Poetry Criticism.

Dr. Tomasz Markiewka, a graduate of the Catholic University of Lublin, received his PhD at the University of Silesia in Katowice. His main fields of research include contemporary Polish literature, literary theory, translation and comparative literature. He specializes in Teodor Parnicki, Polish historical novelist and author of intellectually sophisticated prose, who was born in Berlin, bred in Russia and China, and wrote most of his novels in Mexico City.

Dr. Markiewka has edited the writer’s diaries from the 1980s (Kraków 2008) and is now working on the first official edition of Parnicki’s debut novel from 1929. Since 2007 Dr. Markiewka has been working at the University of Bielsko-Biała where he teaches classes in the Departments of Polish and English. He is now working on a book on the cultural contexts of translation. In his free time he loves

cycling and cannot imagine life without good music and films.

“I am very excited to participate in the Kosciuszko Foundation project and I am looking forward to starting my one-semester program within the framework of the Polish Studies Initiative at CSU. Teaching Polish culture and literature to students who may have no previous experience and knowledge of Poland will definitely be an interesting intellectual adventure.”

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2004 – 2014

LIBERAL ARTS &SOCIAL SCIENCES

1. 2.

6.

7. 8.

During this period, CLASS renewed itself by hiring approximately 70 new full-time faculty, nearly half of our current full-time faculty cohort. (Two of these new faculty are featured in this issue.) Our new and continuing faculty have continued to produce not only compelling classroom experiences but also a wealth of new research and creative activity—like Rick Perloff’s recent book publication, which is featured in this issue. Many have been recognized, both internally and externally, with prestigious awards. For example, in the past ten years, six CLASS professors have won the CSU Distinguished Faculty Award for Teaching, four won the Distinguished Faculty Award for Service, and seven won the Distinguished Faculty Award for Research. This fall, one CLASS faculty member will be recognized in each category: Samantha Baskind (Art History) for research; Jill Rudd (Communication Management) for teaching; and Mike Geither (English/Creative Writing) for service.

The high quality of our faculty is matched by the quality and dedication of our staff, who provide a wide variety of services including, for example, advising students, providing essential clerical functions, running costume shops, and tuning pianos. They have excelled in providing the services necessary for the college to thrive.

In addition, the college has created productive new programs and structures. For example, four new CLASS research or cultural centers were created to increase our effectiveness as teachers,

Reflectionson our

ANNiVERSARY10-year

This story starts on page 1, Letter from the Dean

3. 4. 5.

9.

researchers, or community partners. These include the Center for Public History and Digital Humanities, the Criminology Research Center, the Center for Arts and Innovation, and the Center for Slovenian Studies. We also added five new undergraduate degree programs—Communication Management; Journalism and Promotional Communication; Film, Television, and Interactive Media; Criminology; Black Studies—and one graduate degree program—the Master of Arts in Global Interactions. Some are among the most well enrolled programs in the college. Moreover, we also created three new academic units, including the School of Communication, the Department of Theatre and Dance, and the Department of Philosophy and Comparative Religion.

In 2004, Interim Dean Anderson wrote that CLASS would be a “window on the world,” and, indeed, we have lived up to his expectations. We created study abroad programs in Spain, Costa Rica, and France. We not only entered into international partnerships with universities in France, Slovenia, Hungary, Poland, China, Korea, and Turkey but also regularly hosted international visiting scholars or creative artists from Egypt, Poland, Slovenia, Hungary, China, Turkey, and India. (You are introduced to the most recent of these scholars in this issue.) All these visitors significantly enriched the international awareness and academic life of our college. Further enriching our international profile, I note that nine CLASS faculty

have been awarded Fulbright appointments to such countries as Morocco, Jordan, Kyrgyzstan, Nepal, Guatemala, Sri Lanka, Zambia, Ethiopia, Turkey, and Nigeria.

Finally, we have witnessed the creation of our amazing new arts campus—which includes spaces in the Middough Building, the Allen Theatre, and the Galleries at CSU (on 13th and Euclid). It also includes performance spaces in the Music and Communication Building. With the support and vision of the CSU administration, the campus grew out of important collaborations between CSU and major community partners such as the Cleveland Play House, Playhouse Square, and the Middough Corporation. Combined with the excellence of our arts faculty, our arts campus promises to place the study of the arts at Cleveland State University prominently on the national stage.

In sum, the faculty, staff, and graduates of this young college have already created a proud history of accomplishment in our first ten years. We have also been fortunate in gaining critical financial and moral support from many important community friends and alumni. As a result, although we will certainly face new challenges in the next ten years, the future of the college is even brighter than the present. Thanks for celebrating with us!

— Greg Sadlek, Dean College of Liberal Arts and Social Sciences

Photo Captions:

1. Przemysław Jasielski, Visiting Polish Scholar and Ed Horowitz 2. The Galleries at CSU Opening 3. Student 10-Year Anniversary Pop-Up Party 4. Dr. Regennia Williams, Fulbright Scholar, Nigeria 5. Students Abroad in China 6. Students at Pop-Up Party 7. Arts Campus; Allen Theatre 8. 10-Year Anniversary Reception, Faculty/Staff 9. Michelle Knapik (Staff Award), Dean Sadlek 10. 10-Year Anniversary t-shirt design

10.

Scholarships

Judith Crawford (’73 BMus Music) visited Cleveland this summer to spend time with family members and to visit campus. Judith, a retired Virginia Beach Public Schools teacher, is active in her community teaching piano lessons to children and adults and serving as the Director for the orchestra at Queen Street Baptist Church in Norfolk, VA. She offers this advice: “Never give up on your dream. Do not let doubt creep in when things do not go as planned. Get a mentor, whether on campus, at a church, or on your job. Stay around positive people and if you need assistance in any matter, ask for it. Success is yours, so go for it. It is not always easy, but it is so worth the effort.”

Jay Wills (’75 BA Religious Studies) and Susan James (’75 BA English) of Coronado, California visited CSU’s campus in September. They were impressed with the campus enhancements and new buildings since they attended CSU in the seventies. “CSU has become an urban gem along the Euclid Corridor. I am proud to be a CSU alum. I want to re-enroll!” notes Jay. Jay was also recently named Coronado Little League’s Umpire of the Year!

Judith E. Thomas, M.A., RPA (’76 BA Anthropology) is a Historic Archaeologist at the Mercyhurst Archaeological Institute, Mercyhurst University.

Kurt Steigerwald (’86 BA Communication, ’88 MBA) is Vice President, MarketVision Research. Kurt and his wife, Karen Perez-Steigerwald (’88 BS Nursing), participated in the Parade of the Decades at CSU’s Block Party representing alumni and CSU memories from the 80’s.

Co l l ege o f L ibe ra l A r ts and Soc ia l Sc iences

Alumni Updates

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David Ehlert (’87 BA Communication) is the Director of Research Operations at University Hospitals Case Medical Center.

Tamara S. Honkala (’89 BA Social Work) is the President and CEO of Help Foundation, Cleveland, Ohio.

Kelly Falcone-Hall (’92 BA Political Science, ’95 MA History) is the CEO of the Western Reserve Historical Society.

Jeff Harris (’97 BA Political Science) is the news director at Cleveland ABC affiliate WEWS Channel 5.

Natasha Pogrebinsky (’05 BA in Social Studies and History) is the owner of Bear, a fine-dining restaurant and bar in New York City’s neighborhood of Long Island City. Her business partner is also her brother, Alexander A. (Sasha) Pogrebinsky (’06 BA in Social Studies and History). “I was a CSU History Major, and so was my brother! We are both very proud graduates of CSU...” You may remember seeing Natasha on the past two season’s of Food Network’s “Chopped.”

Dena Warmuth (’05 BA Dramatic Arts) currently works as a State Tested Nursing Assistant (STNA) for a non-medical home health care organization. She is also a freelance stage manager and has worked on professional shows in the Cleveland area, including venues like TrueNorth Cultural Arts (Sheffield, OH).

Allison Bencar (’07 BA Dramatic Arts) released her debut album “First Call” on July 10 that includes 11 original songs. Allison currently works as a vocal instructor at The School of Rock in Franklin, Tennessee.

Anthony J. Alto (’12 BA International Relations and Political Science, minor in Philosophy and Arabic) is a Recruitment Election Official and Bilingual Poll Worker Recruiter, Cuyahoga County.

Nick Camino (’12 BA Journalism and Promotional Communication) is host of the “Nick Camino Show” featuring the latest in sports and other top news of the day on WTAM 1100 AM. While studying at CSU, Nick served as sports editor and later editor-in-chief of the Cauldron.

Nate Miller (’11 BA Film and Digital Media and ’13 BA Theatre Arts) helped to launch a new theatre company called World Without Windows Theatre (WWW)—based in Cleveland, Ohio—focusing on original works by local emerging artists. WWW’s The Mad Butcher of Kingsbury Run, is a historically accurate murder mystery extravaganza, that was featured at Cleveland Ingenuity Fest 2014. The show was directed by CSU Theatre alum Tim Maca (’13), and featured fellow CSU Theatre alums Richie Gagen (’14) and Christopher Walker (’13).

Margaret (Maggie) McGuire (’13 BA Anthropology) is Program Assistant at the Ohio Alliance to End Sexual Violence.

Josh Usmani (’13 BA Studio Art) was recently named the Visual Arts editor for Cleveland Scene. Josh is also a working artist and teacher.

Crystal Prizner (’14 BA Communication Management) is a Marketing Coordinator at Sherwin Williams.

Cody Kilpatrick Steele, current student in the Department of Theatre and Dance, was cast in the role of Romeo for the Cleveland Shakespeare Festival’s Romeo and Juliet, performed this past summer.

This year funds from endowed scholarships for CLASS were awarded to more than 100 students. These donors are helping our students build their futures through education.

THANK YOU! Here are just a few of them!

Photos Left to right: Michelle Rollins, Dr. Elizabeth Lewis Endowed Scholarship for Community Based Social Work; Rebecca Spagnuolo, Raab-Brennan Endowed Scholarship in Creative Writing; Marlie Hooper, W.O. & Naomi Walker Memorial Scholarship; Seth Alan Thomas, Leonard and Joan Terr Ronis Memorial Scholarship; Christina Pierce and Shannon Sharkey, Reuben and Dorothy Silver Scholarship, Betty Walls Waetjen Theatre Arts Endowed Fund, and W.O. & Naomi Walker Memorial Scholarship

The College of Liberal Arts and Social Sciences has launched the CLASS “Dean’s Circle,” an honorary group celebrating those who have committed to supporting the college at a leadership level on an annual basis. This new recognition society for CSU friends, alumni and supporters honors those who make an annual gift of at least one thousand dollars ($1,000) annually.

Supporters who make a gift of at least $1,000 during the College’s fiscal year (July 1 – June 30) each year will automatically be admitted to the Dean’s Circle. Gifts may be designated to any College of Liberal Arts and Social Sciences department, fund, program or scholarship. Donors are encouraged, if they do not have a preference, to direct their support to the CLASS Dean’s Discretionary Fund, which allows Dr. Gregory Sadlek, Dean of the College, to use their support for areas of opportunity or unexpected need throughout the academic year.

www.csuohio.edu/giving/

CLASS Announces New

Dean’s CirCleLeadership Society

“The College appreciates, and is in need of, all levels of support,” notes Paul Wolansky, Senior Director, University Advancement. “Whether a gift is $10, $10,000 or $100,000, each one makes a difference in its own way. Our friends and alumni who commit to making an annual

gift of at least $1,000 help the College and the Dean by providing significant resources in a tight budget environment. These gifts are a welcome “vote of confidence” celebrating the positive momentum and

direction that the College and University are experiencing. ”

Leadership Gifts in Action!

Highlights

Over 100 5th graders from the Medina School District experienced “At Home in Af-rica” this past September due to the generos-ity of the Char and Chuck Fowler Family Foundation Fund. Jennifer Hayden, Medina elementary art teacher, served as CSU’s con-tact person and helped to arrange the visit.

Benoy and Sue Joseph celebrate with Rachel Murar, the student who holds their named scholarship in Theatre and Music, at CSU’s 2014 Distinguished Alumni Awards Dinner.

Fifteen students were given scholarships during the summer to study abroad in France.

College of Liberal Arts and Social Sciences2121 Euclid Avenue RT 1822Cleveland, OH 44115-2214

Cleveland State University is made great by the many faculty who impact our

students on a daily basis. The Golden Apple Award is a brand new initiative

sponsored by the Young Alumni Council of the CSU Alumni Association to recognize

the outstanding contributions of our dedicated faculty to the lives of students.

Nominations are accepted from alumni who graduated in the past decade.

Thirteen faculty were recognized from the College of Liberal Arts and Social Sciences.

Here is a listing of our Golden Apples and the alums who nominated them.

Peter Dunham, Anthropology Department Jennifer West (’13 BBA)

Betty Clapp, School of Communication Ashley Ammond (’12 BA Journalism & Promotional Communication)

Mark Souther, History Department John Horan (’14 MA History)

Jeffrey Lewis, Political Science Department Khus Baig (’14 MA Global Interaction)

Martin Plax, Political Science Department Anthony Alto (’12 BA International Relations & Political Science)

Cheryl Bracken, School of Communication Michael Buncer (’13 MA Communication Theory)

Patricia Burant, School of Communication Crystal Prizner (’14 BA Communication Management)

James Denny, School of Communication Erini Anthopoulos (’13 BA Journalism & Promotional Communication)

Edward Haymes, Modern Languages Department Rachel Schafer-Vanek (’10 BA Communication Management)

Rachel Carnell, English Department Mark Boyd (’14 BA English)

Michael Mauldin, Theatre and Dance Department Tim Collingwood (’10 BA Theatre Arts and English)

Elizabeth Babin, School of Communication Sarah Amer (’13 BA Communication)

Deborah Willis, School of Social Work Terica Gould (’14 MSW Social Work)