transitions spring 2014 #

Transitions Spring 2014 #

Cover photo: The Horton River with Molly Hutsinpiller, Mike Zimber ’78 and Dave Meeks ’73, Summer 2015, submitted by Steve Huemmer ’73 (story page 18)

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Transitions MagazinePrescott College220 Grove Ave.

Prescott, AZ 86301

Email us [email protected]

Call us. We’d loveto hear your feedback

(928) 350-4506

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From the Archives …This fall marks the 50th Anniversary of Prescott College opening its doors. We’ve been taking time before then to look back, and reflect on the winding journey that has led us to where we stand today.

From Last Issue:Time: January 1992 Place: Just outside Yellowstone National Park Event/Course: Wildlife Ecology class protesting Bison culling. Who: (left to right) Ines Rutkovskis ’93, unknown, Christian Petrovich ’92, Stephanie Abrams ’94, and (not seen) Susanne Nelson ’93 to the right of Stephanie.

There are more ways than ever to tell us what’s on your mind:

Do you know who these animated performers are? If you can identify these folks, what year it was, or what brought them together, please let us know at [email protected].

Publisher and EditorAshley Mains

DesignerMiriam Glade

Contributing WritersJoel Barnes • Shayna Beasley • Sue Bray • Robyn Bryers

Paul Burkhardt • Anita Fernández • Liz Faller • John Flicker Willie Heineke • Steve Huemmer • Aliyah Keuthan Megan Letchworth • Richard Lewis • Ashley MainsMiriel Manning • Robert Milligan • Delisa Myles

Diane J. Schmidt • Carla Smith • Marie SmithSean Thomas • Vicki Yaeger • Lisa Zander

Staff PhotographersMiriam Glade

Photo ContributorsMariana Altrichter • Thomas Bauer • Edouard Beardsley

Gregg Berman • BestDegreePrograms.orgTheBestSchools.org • BestValueSchools.com

Nicole Childs-Sondgeroth • Anita Fernández • Fiske Guide to Colleges • Liz Faller • Hannah Flagg • Jen Chandler

Grand Canyon Wildlands Council • Willie HeinekeSteve Huemmer • Doug Hulmes • Austin Kessler

the family of Josh Keultjes • David Meeks • Robert Milligan Julie Munro • Delisa Myles • Travis Patterson • Joe Piccari

The Prescott College Archives • Prescott Creeks The Princeton Review • Pumpkin Vine Family Farm

Alec Robinson • Joe Schaeppi • Diane J. SchmidtSean Thomas • Bill Timmerman • U.S. News and World

Report • Doug Von Gausig • Washington MonthlyCaleb Wilcox • Lisa Zander • Mike Zimber

Director for Advancement CommunicationAshley Mains

(928) 350-4506 • [email protected]

For Class Notes and address changes, contact Marie Smith • [email protected]

Send correspondence, reprint requests, and submissions to:Ashley Mains

Prescott College220 Grove Ave., Prescott, AZ 86301

(928) 350-4506 • [email protected]

Transitions, a publication for the Prescott College community, is published two times a year by the Office of Institutional Advance-ment for alumni, parents, friends, students, faculty, and staff of the College. Its purpose is to keep readers informed with news about Prescott College faculty, staff, students, and fellow alumni. Transitions is available online at www.prescott.edu.

©2016 Prescott College

Prescott College reserves the right to reprint materials fromTransitions in other publications and online at its discretion.Prescott College is committed to equal opportunity for its employees and applicants for employment, without discrimination on the basis of race, color, creed, sex or sexual orientation, age, disability, marital or parental status, status with respect to public assistance, or veteran’s status. This policy applies to the administration of its employment policies or any other programs generally accorded or made available to employees.

Contact Admissions at(877) 350-2100 • [email protected]

For the Liberal Arts, the Environment, and Social Justice

WWW.PRESCOTT.EDU

TransitionSTransitionS Contents8 Ratings and Rankings9 Vicki Yaeger Revisits a Life’s Inspiration10 Traveling in Page12 Alum Creates Culinary Training for Vets14 Serendipity and the Power of Daydreams16 Alumni Fund for Faculty18 An Arctic Adventure22 Sea Kayaking Course36 Dance Reunion Fall 2015

Departments3 College News26 Alumni Office Briefs27 Class Notes32 Faculty & Staff Notes34 In Memoriam37 The Last Word

Photo by Willis Peterson Scholarship winner Joe Schaeppi M.A. ’16

A theme emerged from this issue of Transitions despite the fact we didn’t set out with one in mind. In the pages of this magazine you’ll find mostly the voices and stories of our remarkable alumni. It’s an oft-quoted stat around here, but one that bears repeating: about 80 percent of our alumni choose what to do with their life and careers based on the capacity of those professions to have a positive

effect on the world.

Like many small colleges, we’ve had our share of challenges over the past few years. Despite these struggles, Prescott College continues to inspire students and transform their lives. Our students, faculty, staff, and alumni remain deeply committed to the philosophy of self-directed, experiential learning we helped pioneer and have been practicing for 50 – yes 50 – years now.

The best news this year is that we reversed the downward trend for resident undergraduate enrollments with an increase in year-over-year spring numbers, and we are projecting an even greater increase for fall 2016. Enrollments in other areas, mostly graduate programs, have been steady or on the rise this whole time.

In fact, the Master of Science in Counseling happens to be the College’s most popular degree program and is recognized as one of the best in the nation (see kudos on page 9). In March we submitted our application, the culmination of six years’ work, to the Council for Accreditation of Counseling & Related Educational Programs (CACREP), and we are cautiously optimistic we’ll be accepted. The combination of our unique pedagogy, alternative modalities, and CACREP curricula will make our Counseling program even more appealing to people seeking licensure.

Our on-campus students made national headlines after petitioning to add a fee to fund a scholarship for their undocumented peers. The scholarship was the Senior Project of then-undergraduate student Miriel Manning (see the story in our last issue of Transitions). Now a graduate student in our Social Justice and Human Rights program, Miriel, along with the students who participate in the fee starting next year, exemplifies the altruistic action we hope to see our grads carry out in the wider world.

We continue value-added partnerships with other likeminded colleges to expand opportunities for students and to potentially share support service functions. We’ve had a long and productive relationship with five Eco League colleges with a rich, active student exchange program. And we are now exploring a partnership with Fielding Graduate University in Santa Barbara to share support service functions with the possibility of launching new learning opportunities together.

A half-century of innovation through transformative education is something to celebrate, and I’m convinced the next 50 years at Prescott College will be brighter yet. Thank you for coming along for the ride so far, and I hope each and every one of you – our friends and alumni – will continue to support us.

Onward!

Transitions Issue 20162

President’s Corner

John Flicker

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Leadership Transition at the Kino Bay CenterEd Boyer left his role as co-director at the Kino Bay Center last year. He was the first Kino Bay Center Director, and since 1993 Ed has been the driving force behind the physical development of the Center. Under his leadership, the site grew from being a residential property with a big vacant backyard to being a multi-use field station, equipped to support a wide variety of educational, research, and community outreach activities for more than 1,000 visitors each year. Ed worked with Doug Hulmes ’74, Tad Pfister ’06, Mark Riegner, Tom Fleischner, Dave Craig, Lisa Floyd-Hanna, Lorayne Meltzer, and others to create and implement one of the most robust undergraduate marine

studies curricula in the country. And although Ed has stepped away from a director’s role, he may continue to teach field courses in Kino Bay. Lorayne Meltzer has taken on an expanded role as sole director of the Kino Bay Center and is currently utilizing funds through the Packard Foundation to create a roadmap for the future of the Center.

Monarch Waystation PlantingHoneybee and Monarch butterfly declines are of great concern right now, with Monarch populations alone seeing a 90 percent reduction in the past 20 years (Xerces Society numbers). To combat this trend, and to create natural history opportunities on campus, the Natural History Institute built a pollinator garden and Monarch waystation last year with the help of students, employees, and members of the local Prescott community of all ages. The garden was made possible through a generous grant from the Prescott College Sustainability Council and donors to NHI’s fundraising campaign.

Salamander Sighting A Prescott College Restoration Ecology class was part of the first recorded sighting of a tiger salamander in the Grand Canyon last spring. A weekend of fieldwork with Dr. Larry Stevens and the Grand Canyon Wildlands Council focused on leopard frog habitat enhancement when students came upon the uncommon creature.

Faculty Member Accepts Award on Behalf of Grandfather JuniperLongtime faculty member Doug Hulmes ’73 was instrumental in obtaining Arizona Heritage Tree status for the Grandfather Juniper rescued by the Granite Mountain Hotshots in June 2013, and was on hand for special recognition of the alligator juniper as one of 2015’s Magnificent 7 trees on State Arbor Day in the State Capitol last year. The Magnificent 7 are selected each year from three sub-programs of Arizona’s Magnificent Trees, which include Champion Trees (largest), Heritage Trees (culturally significant), and Witness Trees (as old as Arizona Statehood). According to the Office of the State Forester, these trees represent the “best of the best” throughout Arizona. The Grandfather Juniper already has Champion Tree status in Arizona, and is one of the two largest recorded alligator junipers in the world.

Employer of National ServicePrescott College is an Employer of National Service, which means we hire alumni of AmeriCorps and Peace Corps. Through this initiative, the College has access to a dedicated, highly qualified, and mission-oriented pool of potential employees, and we provide national service alumni opportunities to apply their skills in the workplace. Prescott College is also a Learning Community of National Service. Many of our bachelors, master’s, and doctoral students have completed service programs or integrated them into their programs of study. To recognize the importance of this service to students’ learning and to increase affordability, Prescott College is one of the only institutions to offer a full match of the Segal Educational Award for all programs of study.

NSF Grant to Address National Decline in Field StudiesThe Natural History Institute at Prescott College has received a $40,000 grant from the National Science Foundation (NSF) to host workshops that will address the rapid national decline in opportunities for students to have field experiences while training for work as biological researchers. The two-phase workshop, titled “Proactive Strategies for Essential Training for the Next Generation of Biological Researchers,” convened a select group of participants for an intensive three-and-a-half-day gathering in

College News

Prescott dedicated to delineating the specific obstacles that have discouraged institutions from supporting field studies, and outlining strategies to overcome these obstacles, while clarifying best practices. Progress is being made on a white paper to be widely distributed to academic institutions and museums. In the second phase of the workshop, a subset of the original group will gather a sec-ond time to write an article for a high profile journal.

Willis Peterson Photographic Award WinnerJoe Schaeppi M.A. ’16 is the 2015 winner of the Willis Peterson Photographic Award – a $1,000 scholarship awarded to a student who “shows promise and insight into seeing the beauty of nature and environmental issues through the medium of photography.” Joe is a user experience designer, photographer, and an athlete ambassador for the North Face from Minneapolis, Minn. Joe’s passion for photography and the natural world started at a very young age, coming to fruition while he was living, working, and skiing as a sponsored athlete in Switzerland. His experiences there led him to return to the United States to pursue a M.S. degree from Prescott College in Clinical Mental Health Counseling with a specialization in Adventure-Based Psychotherapy. In an effort to marry his passion for the mountains, psychology, and photography, he moved to Utah and currently spends a fair deal of his spare time wandering around and slid-ing down the Wasatch Mountains with two planks under his feet and a camera in his backpack.

Ronald C. Nairn Memorial Scholarship Fund and Display The first contribution to Prescott College’s Ronald C. Nairn Memorial Scholarship Fund and Display was made by an anonymous Prescott resident for the amount of $10,000. In 1965, Yale-educated Dr. Ronald Nairn became the first academic president of the College, although at the time there was no school, no campus, no staff, no students, and no curriculum. Under his leadership the first campus was built and opened to the College’s charter class just one year after his arrival. Nairn’s daughters, Belinda Nairn Wertman of Williston, Fla., and Sue Nairn Bray of Prescott, worked with President Flicker and Prescott College to create a scholarship fund in their father’s memory. The fund will provide tuition assistance for Prescott College students, with Yavapai County residents being given first priority. A small portion of the fund will also be used to create a memorial display in the College’s library. Special thanks go to local historian Elisabeth Ruffner for her assistance in obtaining the first donation to this fund. Anyone interested in contributing can contact Sue Bray at [email protected] or at (928) 445-5774 for further details.

Prescott College, Tucson Finds New LocationThe additional site location of Prescott College, Tucson has been making possible student success and community involvement in southern Arizona for more than 25 years. The school recently moved from its longtime location on Speedway Boulevard to a more central location downtown. The new location is 530 S. Main Ave., Suite A. Staff in Tucson offer admissions counseling, academic advising, instruction, administrative support, and opportunities for networking with fellow students in the area. In addition, the center offers select continuing education opportunities, acts as the base for students in on-campus (Prescott) courses taking field trips into southern Arizona, and hosts public workshops. It houses the

statewide Arizona Serves (VISTA/AmeriCorps) office and has been the epicenter of several cross-border student teacher cohorts in Nogales, Ariz.

Natural History Book ClubIn January 2016, with the book Arctic Dreams by Barry Lopez, the Natural History Institute began offering guided discussions on a diverse array of environmental and natural history literature for scholarship, inspiration, and understanding, in a welcoming atmosphere. The club meets the third Friday of each month from 9:30 to 11 a.m. at the NHI Gallery, serving tea. Facilitators include Marilyn McCarthy, a certified Master Naturalist from Indiana; Susie Percy, a trained forester and naturalist focusing on mentoring children; and Lisa Zander ’11, Program Coordinator for the Natural History Institute.


I N T E G R A T I N G A R T, S C I E N C E , A N D H U M A N I T I E S

College News Continued

I N T E G R A T I N G A R T, S C I E N C E , A N D H U M A N I T I E S


Media Resource Center Expands Original Video LibraryUnder the leadership of recent grad Robert Milligan ’15, the Media Resource Center has rapidly expanded its activities. Graduations and other events are now live streamed on the College website, and numerous videos featuring faculty members, courses, and our students are now available online. This past fall “What’s Happening at Prescott College” – a weekly video series focused on Adventure Education – premiered. All of this activity focuses on connecting Prescott College with likeminded people who might want to attend themselves, send their children here, or invest in the College. Check out these shorts, share them with friends, and let the Media Center crew know what you think at [email protected]. A growing collection of videos is already available for direct viewing and sharing at: http://vimeo.com/prescottcollege/videos and https://www.youtube.com/user/MyPrescottCollege/videos.

Fall Fundraising Campaigns a Success The Natural History Institute and the Kino Bay Center ran fundraising campaigns in fall 2015, both of which were quite successful. NHI raised $66,354 (including a $30,000 match) for general operations and programming. Kino raised $52,899 by December 31 for their

“Keep Kino Bay Motoring” campaign to replace failing motors in their fleet of pangas. Kino’s $100,000 goal still stands, and they continue to raise funds at https://www.razoo.com/us/story/Keep-The-Kino-Bay-Center-Motoring-1.

Alligator Juniper Student Prize WinnersThanks to the generosity of current trustee Jim Walsh and his wife Judith, the James and Judith Walsh undergraduate student prizes in fiction, creative nonfiction, and poetry have recognized student artists at Prescott College for 2016. First place winners in each genre will appear in this year’s Alligator Juniper, published in spring. All those who placed, including honorable mentions, will have their names cited in the magazine. Anyone wishing to pre-order copies can order online at alligatorjuniper.org. Creative Nonfiction: 1st Place, “Eagle Down” by Jason Inman ’18; 2nd Place, “Philip K. Dick” by Jason Inman; and 3rd Place, “The Language of Silence” by Amanda Pekar ’17. Fiction: 1st Place:, “Tuk Tuk Ride” by Emilyann Dearborn ’17;

2nd Place, “Creation, Destruction, and Lemonade” by Amanda Pekar; and 3rd Place, “Hardships of a Balloon” by Viktor Gazarian ’15. Poetry: 1st Place, “Suicide Dress” by Sloane Frederick ’18; 2nd Place, “Banding Rose Finches in Early March in the Sandia Mountains” by Claire Reardon ’17; and 3rd Place, “Sunday” by Amanda Pekar.

Visitors from NorwayIn February, a group of faculty and administrators from University College of Southeast Norway (Telemark College) visited Prescott College to discuss and reinvigorate the exchange program that has been in place for the past 20 years. In those 20 years approximately 10 students from Prescott have attended the University in Norway, and 10 Norwegian students have attended Prescott College. This was the first time administrators from Norway made the trip to Arizona. Quickly following on the success of this trip, a group of 11 students visiting from Sogn Folkehøgskule in Norway and their teacher visited Prescott during their annual tour of the Southwest. Hosted by Doug Hulmes, they stopped by Prescott College and explored the forests surrounding our hometown.

The Butte Creek Restoration CouncilThe Butte Creek Restoration Council (BCRC) is a group of restoration-minded on-campus undergrads and faculty members who are continually implementing projects to enhance the ecology, restoration, and educational values of Lower Butte Creek and the College campus. With support from the University of Arizona Wildcat Water Lab and the Arizona Department of Environmental Quality, BCRC President Oren Thomas ’16 led efforts over last summer to monitor water quality, vegetation, and the overall health of the riparian corridor. BCRC is also working with the City of Prescott to extend the Greenways Trial system through our campus along Lower Butte Creek. BCRC members recently installed another creek-side interpretive panel; this one is on the west end of the pedestrian bridge.


Dynamic Student Life Student Housing held a 92 percent or higher occupancy all year with expected increases for next year. In association with the Disappearing Task Force on the Core Curriculum and administrators, the Student Union Board (SUB) hosted a successful Town Hall in March to discuss the future of the College. This was the first time in eight years a town hall meeting had been called, with more than 200 faculty members, staff, and students in attendance. Student groups have been ramping up social activities on campus this year as well, with three well-attended dances to both SUB and the Peer Education & Resource Center’s credit.

CACREP Application CompleteThe Prescott College Limited-Residency Master of Science in Counseling Program (CP) has been preparing for accreditation by the Council for Accreditation of Counseling & Related Educational Programs (CACREP) for more than six years. This preparation has been an intense process requiring the development, creation, and standardization of core courses; hiring CACREP qualified faculty, and developing many formal procedures. On Tuesday, March 15, all that work culminated in mailing the

long-awaited submission of the CACREP Self-Study and Application for accreditation. The next steps involve CACREP staff review of the documentation, and then a site visit to be scheduled within a year.

Early Childhood Education GrantPrescott College has received a $100,000 grant from the George B. Storer Foundation to establish a Center for Place- and Nature-Based Early Childhood Education. The Center will train preschool instructors with an emphasis on working with children outdoors in nature. The Center will provide training to pre-service and current early childhood educators in place- and nature-based pedagogy and will provide ongoing support to such educators. The scope of training will include an annual weeklong summer institute open to all early childhood practitioners for continuing education credit. The Center will also produce scholarship that can be used to further knowledge about effective early childhood education. A majority of the funding from the Storer Foundation will be used to hire

a faculty person to rework the College’s current Early Childhood Education core curriculum to become entirely place- and nature-based, as well as to develop additional coursework focused on place- and nature-based education, some of which will be part of the summer institute. Additional funds will be used to hire a part-time graduate research assistant and to host the institute.

Full Scholarship to Undocumented StudentThe College will offer a full scholarship for one undocumented student starting in the 2016–2017 academic year. The scholarship is made possible by the Freedom Education Fund – an undergraduate student’s Senior Project, a student-led campaign to collect a fee paid by on-campus students, and institutional aid provided by the College. The fee was requested by on-campus students only, and

will not be implemented for students in the distance programs offered at the college. Individual students may request an excep-tion to the fee. Prescott College offers generous scholarships to students from Arizona in particular, but also from across the nation and world. Students interested in applying for the Freedom Education Fund scholarship should contact Admissions at (928) 350-2100 or Financial Aid at (928) 350-1111. Anyone interested in building the Freedom Education Fund can donate at freedom.education.fund.kintera.org, or contact Miriel Manning at [email protected] to get involved.

Earth Day Success Several groups hosted events for Earth Day. Garden Club made a presentation about the history of agricultural justice in the U.S. and provided a meal of fresh greens from the College’s very own gardens, raw honey, nuts, berry pie, grains, and fresh-made bread. The Natural History Institute hosted a presentation on Women (and men) and Birds. Dana Oswald and the Human Ecology class demonstrated how to make bee boxes for wood boring bees. A sizable group of PC folks helped out with the Granite Creek Clean Up, and contingents from Admissions, the Sustainability Council, and the Mountain Biking Team took part in the Earth Day on the Courthouse Square activities, co-sponsored by the Prescott Open Space Alliance.

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From Wolfberry, to Jenner, to Juniper Wells Despite moving from Chino Valley (Wolfberry), to Skull Valley (Jenner), and now to a second loca-tion in Skull Valley (Juniper Wells) within the span of a decade, the Prescott College learning farm will continue to provide an experiential classroom for studies in agroecology. A change in the ownership of Jenner Farm prompted the recent move, and the College was able to negotiate the use of an area at Juniper Wells Ranch, already home to the school’s equine programs, gratis.

Cross-College Quality Initiative As part of our ongoing accreditation with the Higher Learning Commission, Prescott College must engage in quality-improvement activities. On the academic side administrators and faculty have been working together to create the “One College.” This is a four-year project currently underway to bring together and align all Prescott College degree programs into a hybrid learn-ing model, merging online-based (distance) learning with community-based experiential activi-ties. Students may choose flexibly from delivery options that best meet their needs and context: field- and community-based block courses; digitally enhanced, hybrid courses; mentored studies; and external learning for credit via prior learning assessment. Additionally the development of a “Core Curriculum,” which is a new set of courses that bring cohorts together in each year to support student persistence, is nearly complete. On the operational side, a complete mapping of current pro-cesses is underway to improve customer service, student satisfaction, efficiency, and prepare for possible back office integrations with other institutions.

50th Anniversary ApproachesIn the fall of 1966 Prescott College opened its doors to the inaugural class of enterprising and adventurous students. We will be celebrating 50 Years of Innovation through Transformative Education across the 2016–2017 academic year. Celebration events will take place October 27-30, 2016, featuring remarks from President Flicker about the future of Prescott College and a party that could last all weekend! Alumni are encouraged to “come home” this fall for the festivities. Keep your eyes peeled for more details in upcoming communications and on the College website.

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Prescott College Ranks Among Best and Most Innovative National media, ratings, and rankings list Prescott College among top schools

The Princeton Review Best 380 Colleges and Green ListPrescott College is one of the country’s best institutions for undergraduate education, according to the Princeton Review. The well-known education services company features the school in the 2016 edition of its annual college guide. In addition to the Best 380 list, Prescott College has ranked among the Best Western Regional Colleges and was named among the 353 Green Colleges by Princeton Review in their 2015 Guide to Green Colleges.

U.S. News and World Report – Best in West and Top for Veterans Prescott College is featured in the 2016 U.S. News and World Report guide to the best colleges as one of the top Liberal Arts Colleges in the West. U.S. News also ranked Prescott College on their Best Colleges for Veterans list.

Top 10 Most InnovativePrescott College is ranked one of the most innovative small colleges in America by BestDegreePrograms.org. The ranking was created from a list of small schools based on total enrollment, their national and regional awards, flexibility in instruction, and, most importantly, their ongoing commitment to innovation. On the total list of 50 schools, Prescott College was rated higher than schools such as Colby College, Colgate, Amherst, Merrimack, Haverford, Scripps, and others.

Washington Monthly College Guide 2015The leading alternative rankings from Washington Monthly consider social mobility, research, and service to the community. Prescott College made their “Best Bang for the Buck” list as well as the top 100 Master of Arts schools in the country.

Best Value SchoolsPrescott College has been ranked among the nine best value colleges and universities in Arizona by Best Value Schools. For this ranking, the National Center for Education Statistics’ College Navigator database and the PayScale College Return on Investment (ROI) Report were used to determine schools that are the best value for the price. The following factors were considered: Graduation Rate; Net Price; Acceptance Rate; and 20-Year Net ROI.

Fiske Guide to Colleges: Best and Most InterestingCompiled by former New York Times education editor Edward B. Fiske, the selective Fiske Guide to Colleges included Prescott College in its updated 2016 guide to the 300+ “best and most interesting” schools in the U.S., Canada, and Great Britain.

TheBestSchools.orgThe Best Schools, a website devoted to finding the best education for a student’s needs, ranked Prescott College as one of the top 100 colleges in the nation. The ranking presents the best four-year liberal arts college and the best full-fledged university in each of the 50 states. In Arizona, the University of Arizona in Tucson also ranked among the top 100 colleges.


When My Two Children Left for College Alumna Vicki Yaeger ’74 revisits the inspiration, connections found at Prescott College

When my two children left for college, I said to each of them, “Some of the things you learn in college will be learned in the classroom, and some of the things you

learn in college will be learned from the friends you make and the experiences you have. Be open.” But of course as teens about to leave home, they didn’t pay much attention to whatMom was saying. That was fine with me. What I said was mostly for myself, as I remembered what it was like for an introverted girl from a small town in Connecticut to go to Prescott College in 1970. I had never been west of Tennessee, and I had to look at a map to locate Arizona. I was excited, and I was terrified. Along with the brand new hiking boots and typewriter I carried onto the plane, I had a vague plan to major in philosophy and perhaps become a lawyer. In the next two years, I learned a lot of things in the classroom and even more things from the people I met and the experiences we shared. I was reminded of all this recently when I read an article by Lisa Garrison ’75 about the women’s group that met at a farm near campus during my time at Prescott. That group helped change my life in very unexpected ways. During my second year at Prescott College, I went to the women’s group with my friend Marian Marbury ’72. It was an overnight retreat. We were a group of women bonding: we sang songs, we talked, we sweated in a home-made lodge, and we watched a black and white movie on emer-gency childbirth. And although I sometimes to this day sing a song I learned that night, it was the movie that did it. The images from that short movie lodged themselves in my mind and heart. There was unnamed woman giving birth on a kitchen table with paramedics in attendance. There was a waterfall of amniotic fluid mingled with blood. And then almost immediately after the water broke, there was the dramatic delivery of a full-term baby followed by the equally dramatic delivery of a placenta. The whole movie was over quickly. I was stunned. Having lived most of my 19 years in my head, surrounded by books and ideas, the birth of this baby

made me very aware of parts of life I knew nothing about and parts of myself I knew nothing about. It opened a door to the desire to know more. It opened a door to wanting to be one of the people who was there helping that unnamed woman. It took me nine years to become a labor and delivery nurse. In

those nine years, two more Prescott College friends helped to show me the way. The first was Tamara Murray ’74. I lived with Tamara in Santa Fe in 1976, and during that time she gave birth to her son Ian at home with a doctor and midwife in attendance. This was the first real birth I witnessed, and it was as different from the movie as a birth can be. It was quiet, gentle, and controlled. And yet there was still the same sense of drama and wonder. I saw firsthand how important it was to create a safe and trusting environment for a laboring woman. I wanted to learn how to do that. Two years later, I was enrolled in nursing school with the sure knowledge that obstetrics was the only kind of nursing I would ever do. After graduation, I headed back to Arizona to work for the Indian Health Service in Fort Defiance. I went to Fort Defiance because another Prescott

friend, Desmond Skubi ’72, had spent two years there working on the maternity ward. He had just left to attend midwifery school. I knew from Desmond’s experience that Fort Definace was a good place to learn. Learn I did; from the patients who trusted their bodies to deliver naturally and from the midwives who trusted their patients. At last, I was where I wanted to be, doing what I wanted to do. I have been a labor and delivery nurse now for 30 years. I never tire of going to work and seeing babies born. Each and every time, the birth is as moving and stunning and overwhelming as the birth I witnessed in the emergency childbirth movie. I am grateful to have been there that night. I thank all of the ladies who were there with me and especially Marian, who took me with her. Being a lawyer just wasn’t in the cards.

Online RankingsOur limited residency degree programs are often categorized (and ranked) along with strictly online schools. Nonetheless, we find ourselves being recognized as a top educator in distance learning:

• 50 Top Online PhD Programs by Online-PhD-Programs.org• 30 Great Small Colleges for a Counseling Degree (Bachelor’s); Top 25 Most Accessible Online Bachelor’s Degrees in Counseling; and The 50 Best Online Schools for a Graduate Degree in Counseling 2015, all by BestPsychologyDegrees.com• Top 15 Online Master’s Degrees in Clinical Mental Health by BestCounselingDegrees.net• Top 45 Online Master’s Degrees in Psychology Putting Students Before Profits by NonprofitCollegesOnline.com• Best Online Master’s Degrees in Counseling by AffordableCollegesOnline.org• 2016 Best Online Bachelor’s Degrees in Early Childhood Education by OnlineColleges.net

Vicki Yaeger-Patton and husband Jonathan Patton

10 Transitions Issue 2016

Lower Antelope Canyon

(R) Upper Antelope Canyon(L) Lower Antelope Canyon

Traveling in PageA guide to the best spots when visiting an Arizona treasure

Story and photos by Sean Thomas ’14

If you can handle the tourists, Page hosts some of Arizona’s many natural treasures not to be missed. It’s approximately a four-hour drive from Prescott, and the

dramatic landscape changes are truly something to behold as you drive up 89A to 89 North. Once in Page, there are numerous things to see and do, but don’t expect to be in a hurry, especially if you want to visit Antelope Canyon.

The famous slot canyon is the most visited and photo-graphed canyon of its kind in the Southwest, and for good reason. The experience is otherworldly. You have the option of signing up for a guided tour with up to 50 other people, but be prepared to wait if you choose this route. I suggest paying an extra $35 for a photographer’s pass, which allows you to enter the canyon by yourself for two hours. You still have to deal with the massive tour groups coming through, but aside from that, you have free rein. However, in order to get a photographer’s pass, you must have a camera and a tripod with you. Don’t ask me why, that’s just the way it is.


Glen Canyon Petroglyphs

Glen Canyon Dam

Horseshoe Bend, Colorado River

Perhaps the second-most famous sight in Page is Horseshoe Bend. I’m sure you’ve all seen photographs (also see left), but it’s definitely worth experiencing in person. Again, you’ll deal with tourist groups, but it’s more of an open space than Antelope Canyon, so it’s much easier to get around.

From Page there’s an option to float down the Colorado River through Glen Canyon, complete with stops to look at Native American petroglyphs and swim in icy water – some of the coldest I’ve ever experienced. This way you get to see Horseshoe Bend from a different perspective, looking up instead of down.

For overnight trips, I recommend driving about six miles north into southern Utah and camping on a large beach

right on Lake Powell. It’s only $10 per night as op-posed to $30 per night if you camp by Lake Powell in Page. Plus, there is a lot more space and the views are fantastic!

A version of this story was originally written for and printed in The Raven Review, a student publication of the Newspaper Journalism Practicum course at Prescott College. Originally from Elizabethtown, KY, Sean spent 10 years in the IT field before moving to Arizona and enrolling at Prescott College in the fall of 2010. He majored in Environmental Studies with an emphasis in Marine Studies, and minored in Visual Arts with an emphasis in Photographic Studies.

Lake Powell

Large Image: Upper Antelope Canyon


William “Willie” Heineke Jr. was already working for AmeriCorps VISTA through Arizona Serve before he graduated from the On-campus Un-

dergraduate Program in December of 2014 with a degree in Cultural and Regional Studies, Justice Studies, and a breadth in Human Development. He was hired to create and manage a culinary training program and garden for the Prescott chapter of United States Veterans Initiative (U.S.VETS). U.S.VETS is a nonprofit organization with sites across the county that supports homeless and at-risk veterans to transition to a self-sufficient civilian life. They do so by offering transitional housing, job placement, individual case management, employment assistance, and counseling. Willie knew the project could be successful. “There are few causes Arizonans care about more than veterans support,” he says. And the outcomes would provide clear options for vets looking to transition from the housing program into independent civilian life. “When I would tell local Prescottonians about the work I was doing, I could not get them to leave me alone. Whether it was in passing conversation, reaching out to volunteers and community stakeholders, or writing the grant we were awarded, everyone I came into contact with wanted to see this project be successful.” The culinary training program, called Culinary U – The Common Sense Cooking School, lasts 13 weeks and is offered to residents of U.S.VETS’ transitional and permanent housing. After completing the program, vets have either learned enough to start a career in the foodservice industry or simply have learned to cook for themselves. “Food service industry work is abundant worldwide, and can provide a stable income,” Willie says. “And regularly cooking for yourself rather than eating out saves money and tends to be more nutritious.” The garden program, U.S.VETS Victory Garden, has several goals: to grow food to supplement the needs of U.S.VETS’ commercial kitchen; to provide a hands-on way for Culinary U students to learn about picking ripe produce; and to give all residents of U.S.VETS an opportunity to enjoy the therapeutic effects of gardening. During his year of service Willie and U.S.VETS completed two rounds of Culinary U, graduating eight students total, and they built a 10 x 20 x 10-foot greenhouse and four large raised beds protected by a pallet fence. But they didn’t do it alone. “One of the major thematic concepts of my studies at Prescott College was the importance of localism, so I didn’t hesitate to tap into the Prescott College community for help when I started the position.” Willie asked two Prescott College students, Ben Dowson ’14 and Daniel Mobley ’14, to commit their Senior Projects to getting the garden set up, and also garnered the help of an Eco League exchange student, Katherine Sorenson. He had two PC alumni who held jobs as line cooks, Dan Barzilai ’15 and Wyatt Ray ’13, conduct

special classes for the culinary program. And in order to complete the construction of the garden structures, he hosted several volunteer work parties with anywhere from three to nine Prescott College students participating. “Having the Prescott College community with me led to many of the successes. I actually accepted the position, in part, because I knew they would have my back. My studies taught me that local people working on local issues tends to be successful.” Ultimately the work Willie did with U.S.VETS wasn’t about him, but the veterans he was hired to serve. “Part of the trade-off of these AmeriCorps VISTA positions is that you don’t get paid very much, but there’s intrinsic value in helping others.” Culinary U graduate Debra Owens was motivated by a similar call to service, “[I wanted to do this program to provide] home-cooked meals for those of us who don’t have a home; for those of us that are trying to rebuild our lives.” Willie feels Prescott College played a part in every step toward his success at U.S.VETS. “I studied the fields of social, ecological, economic, and political justice, learned to understand how humans cooperate, and learned how to steer and complete projects as efficiently and effectively as possible.” He also points out a learning tool that he didn’t necessarily expect to be as useful as it turned out to be: the narrative instructor and self-evaluations he completed for every course.

Culinary Training and Garden = Options for VetsAlumnus and students serve local veterans through U.S. Veterans Initiative

(L) A vet and two PC students garden, May 2015

(Above)First class of culinary grads with certificates, May 2015


“My supervisors and I would have meetings once every other week to evaluate our progress, troubleshoot roadblocks, and set goals. During these meetings, I was confident, well spoken, and provided critical insights,” he explains. “I had built enough experience analyzing and evaluating myself and my work that talking to people about it in a workplace on a regular basis was not difficult.” Willie is more confident in the career path ahead of him than ever before. Currently he is working as an AmeriCorps VISTA Leader at Housing Action Illinois, where he recruits, trains, and manages other AmeriCorps VISTA members fighting homelessness in the greater Chicago area. “These positions have solidified my desire to work in administrative management of nonprofit organizations, or even do organizational consulting,” he says. And there’s one last thing he wants to make abundantly clear: “I strongly recommend Prescott College alumni and soon-to-be alumni take AmeriCorps positions. AmeriCorps members are not unpaid interns; you are not just taking meeting notes and getting people coffee. These positions give you the chance to see if you really want to work hard, work well, and work on becoming a leader in order to (as Prescott College’s mission statement puts it) ‘live productive lives while achieving a balance between self-fulfillment and service to others.’”

To learn more about AmeriCoprs VISTA, visit www.nationalservice.gov/. For opportunities in Arizona, check out Arizona Serve at www.arizonaserve.org. Contributions to this article were made by Willie Heineke and Ashley Mains M.A. ’11.

First class of trainees cater an event at U.S.VETS, June 2015

PC alumnus Wyatt Ray ‘13 provides instruction, August 2015

(R) Third class of culinary grads, February 2016

I knew I was angry and instead I decided to be creative, as a kind of escape. We were going to be on a long drive up to Chinle, Ariz., where Frank was to deliver training to Navajo health care

professionals just before the New Year. It was eleven in the morning when we started out from Albuquerque, and I started daydreaming that the car we were in was a floating ship and horses and flying coyotes and birds were accompanying us on our journey – and sure enough, I forgot very quickly about our argument and fell asleep. Later, when I woke up, I couldn’t stop taking photos of the fantastic blue sky dotted with improbable puffs of cloud that we seemed to be flying and floating through as we gained elevation into the evergreens and snow. Headed out of Window Rock up toward Ganado, I thought – this is enough to sustain me, this beauty. It isn’t so hard to daydream, I found out. How fun! Why didn’t I ever think of this before? I’d always felt it was my duty as a photographer to be as aware as I could, seeing what was going on around me, although now and then coincidences would crop up in my photos. Passing the turnoff for Pinon about four p.m., I ask Frank if he’s heard from Jerome Bernstein lately. Jerome is a prominent Jungian psychologist from Santa Fe who seeks parallels with Navajo understandings. We’ll be staying at the Holiday Inn in Chinle near Canyon de Chelly, where three years earlier Frank had been a day-long presenter at a Jungian conference that Jerome had organized. We’re having dinner now in the hotel restaurant, it’s about seven in the evening and I keep thinking Jerome is going to walk through

Serendipity and the Power of Daydreams Story and photos by Diane Joy Schmidt ’74

the door. Then, Jerome walks through the door. It’s a Sunday, it’s Dec. 28, it’s twelve degrees outside, and here is Jerome, walking in with his two canes – “like a deer dancer,” he says, beaming. Jerome looks like Christopher Lloyd but with a gentler laugh. He has a great halo of white hair surrounding an otherwise bald pate. He has a friend in tow whom he introduces as Christophe, a French quantum mechanics theorist who is also a Jungian. Christophe wants to hear stories. They’d gone for a jeep tour in Canyon de Chelly that afternoon but were disappointed that the tour guide didn’t know the stories. So, Frank tells him the Navajo creation story about the Twins going to meet their Father the Sun – the short version. It goes on for at least an hour; the full story would take half the night. I ask Christophe, “What are you looking for?” He says, “I want to go beyond my quantum mechanics view through my dreams.” He says that he wants to hear others, that they may have the answer for him. I say, “Look right here, you have an answer, you saw something very magical, very serendipitous. What are the odds that in the dead of winter you would run into someone Jerome knows here? We’re over 300 miles from Santa Fe. The last time the three of us, Jerome and Frank and I, met up here was in the spring of 2011, almost three years ago.” The quantum mechanics physicist says, “The odds actually are not too difficult to calculate.” “But what are the odds,” I say, “that you would visit New Mexico this one week of the year, come on this trip, and run into a

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(L to R) Christophe Le Mouël, Jerome Bernstein, and Frank Morgan

(above) Daydream view from the car, December 2014

connection of psyche and matter, and I have published a few papers on this topic. This is how Jerome and I got to know each other.” And, he was in New Mexico during the holidays visiting his wife’s family. He sent me an essay, “The Necklace of Numbers,” that he had just published in a Jungian journal, in which his wife’s grandmother, Ruth Seligman, played a central role. He had felt very close to her in part because she too had come alone from Europe to America. Escaping Nazi Germany in 1936, Ruth was sent ahead of her family to relatives in Albuquerque. The rest of her family would barely escape Germany in 1938. Christophe first met Ruth just a few days before his wedding to her granddaughter. He wrote, “…Ruth gave me a ring that had belonged to her family. Since it was too small, she hung it on a silver chain . . .” It became part of the wedding ceremony, and a few days after the wedding he dreamed about it: in the dream Ruth is pointing out a mistake he made, and he is correcting it. “The result is a magnificent silver chain, intricate like a spider web. At regular intervals, there is short silver thread where a number hangs. Each number shines with a white light. The necklace of numbers is a gift to us for the wedding.” Ruth figured greatly in his integration into American life, but this necklace also symbolized his efforts at integrating spirit and matter. He wrote, “Numbers are inscrutable things … Like the crystals of white light in my dream, their contemplation gives us access to the intimate order of the universe, which is also found within us.” He explains in the essay that the fundamental numbers of the universe are linked together, as are the past, present, and future of the people that make up the influences in his life, both spiritually and personally. These understandings also underpin Navajo philosophy, and make healing possible, but to be understood must be experienced. “Serendipity and the Power of Daydreams,” was originally published in the Gallup Independent, and was expanded for the New Mexico Jewish Link. Read more from Diane online at www.dianejoyschmidt.com.

Navajo friend of Jerome’s, who doesn’t live here either, hasn’t been up here for a year or more, but who had to arrive here tonight, and not only is a storyteller but is willing to tell you the creation stories you wanted to hear, and it is winter, the only time the winter stories can be told?” He laughs and says, “When you put it that way, the odds are not so easy to calculate.” Christophe then wants to know, is there another world beyond the Fourth World the Navajo say we are in now? Frank says, “They say there are seven.” For each of us this unexpected meeting was remarkable. I know that Jungians and quantum mechanics theorists are especially interested in synchronicity. I imagine that Jerome and Christophe will be discussing what it means and work on putting it into a context that rubs up against Western knowledge. I ask Frank what this coincidental meeting meant to him, as a Navajo. At first, he says, with something of the same amazement I was feeling, “I can’t explain it.” Later he adds, “We always, the elders, say that our thoughts and feelings have powers of creation. The four of us, there was this need that we all had, that we thought about, and then we met. When I got to the hotel and saw the sign for the restaurant on the stone building, Garcia’s, I remembered Jerome and all those Jungian analysts, and I had a certain feeling that their spirits were there. So, it’s not coincidence after all, we all in our minds got there first.” For me, it’s not something I can put words to. I can only tell the story. But this surprising experience, this out of the ordinary surprise, has renewed my faith in the magical, spiritual nature of things. There is a reality that does transcend the normal, the everyday. We worry that mankind will not survive the global warming we have caused, and what the earth is now doing to adjust, “to try to cool itself off,” as Frank has said to me. Some of my friends believe that if we are faithful, and true, that somehow we will survive some sort of transition. I say that I think that is just wishful thinking, and not being “real” about fixing the world’s problems. Jerome then says to me, “Well, what is real?” Indeed. Maybe in these moments when we pray, or meditate, or daydream, or otherwise find a way to take ourselves out of a negative or humdrum frame of mind, we really are creating something better in the universe. I think I will daydream more about flying animals surrounding the space bubble vehicle that I travel in across this earth, my personal merkabah.

A Few Connections We Later LearnedDid we create or foresee this meeting, or both? How malleable are time and space, and how much can our consciousness affect what is to be? Earlier that day in the canyon, Jerome had told Christophe he wished Frank was there to tell the stories. Also, sometimes there is unseen help at work – the next day, Jerome was taking Chris-tophe to meet a medicine man who knew Jerome was bringing an important guest. Later, I learned Christophe Le Mouël is the executive director of the C.G. Jung Institute of Los Angeles. I asked him to tell me something of himself. He wrote back, “I left France (and physics) eight years ago to follow an American woman I met in Paris, and we now are parents of one-year-old twin boys. My passion is the



Five Years in the MakingThe Alumni Fund for Faculty awards its first grants

One key element factors into the transformative experience people go through when they attend Prescott College: the faculty who challenge students, expand their perspectives,

and set them on a path to the myriad of places our alumni find themselves. That individual mentorship continues to be the central component of a Prescott College education. Our students benefit from a distinguished teaching staff who engage, guide, and mentor them on a personal level not often seen in traditional institutions of higher education. Our deeply loyal faculty is the number one asset we have in educating our students to make a difference in their communities. Prescott College’s largest endowment – The Alumni Fund for Faculty – is also one of its newest. The endowment, the purpose of which is to support faculty development, was the brainchild of Lee Caldwell ’73 and a small group of other alumni from the College’s early years – Richard Ach ’73, Lorrie Bonds Lopez ’74, Anne Dorman ’74, Sturgis Robinson ’75, and Tom Robinson ’73. This year, after five years building principal, grants to the faculty are finally being made. According to Lee, “One of the best investments we as alumni can make in the future of Prescott College is supporting faculty professional development. In so doing, we not only acknowledge and honor the unique commitment and skill that Prescott College faculty bring to their work, but also recognize that faculty development provides a direct benefit to PC students.” Faculty development isn’t an extra; it is a necessity for maintaining accreditation, retaining quality teaching staff, and ensuring we are constantly incubating new ideas and programs to ensure the relevance of our curriculum. With the establishment of this endowment, the College can now encourage faculty development even when facing lean budgets. The initial disbursement from the endowment interest was just $15,000, but with additional donations, including a matching gift challenge sponsored by Lee this past winter, the total available for award in 2016 is now more than $50,000. The Grants Committee appointed by the President has already approved four proposals totaling $40,255. Grants are awarded to individual faculty members or groups comprised mainly of members with a minimum of three years as full-time Prescott College faculty. Approved projects focus on experiential, self-directed, individualized, or collaborative learning. Recipients will submit a report to the Grants Committee within three months of completing their project.

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One of the first projects approved was submitted by Noël Cox Caniglia ’72. Her project, “Stories of Social and Ecological Transformation,” is a three-day writer’s workshop that will take place in Santa Fe, N.M. A minimum of two faculty members, two alumni, and two current students will work independently and collaboratively to produce writing or a series of writings to support individual participant needs and the group goal of creating a collaboratively designed document that samples stories of social and ecological transformation. The workshop will be facilitated by the faculty persons and based on an emergent design curricular model. In this way, all participants will be engaged in the planning and implementation of the workshop. “I believe that this project not only supports full faculty in a professional development opportunity, but also it supports our current and past students,” Noël says. “The topic is germane to the College and the curricular format is scalable to all programs and delivery models.” If you would like to donate to the Alumni Fund for Faculty Development, go to http://PCFaculty.kintera.org/ or mail a check to Prescott College Advancement Office, 220 Grove Ave., Prescott, AZ 86301, and make sure to mark the memo area with “PC Alumni Fund for Faculty Endowment.”

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Deep Thanks to ourPhenomenal Faculty

1 Joel Barnes2 Tom Fleischner3 Cecil Goodman4 Erin Lotz and Todd Mireles5 Anita Fernández6 Melanie Wetzel7 Mary Poole8 Paul Smith9 Dave Lovejoy10 Ed Grumbine11 Liz Faller12 Peter Sherman13 Walt Anderson14 Julie Munro

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Alumni Embark on an Arctic Adventure

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Musk ox alongHorton River


The Horton River in the Northwest Territories of Canada is 394 miles of remote wilderness. The nearest paved road to the north is in Russia; the nearest one to the east is in Nor-

way. Not exactly what comes to mind when you think of the ideal place for an extended summer vacation, but it’s where six people over the age of 60 – including four Prescott College Alumni – put themselves last July and August for a three-week canoe journey. Alumnus Steve Huemmer ’73 was the mastermind of the operation, accompanied by Dave Meeks ’73, Anne Dorman ’74, Mike Zimber ’78, and two mutual friends of the alumni, Molly Hutsinpiller and Jeff Hood, whom they knew through past outdoor education and adventure activities. They flew commercial to Norman Wells, NWT, on the Mackenzie River, and rented canoes from an outfitter there. Next was a chartered plane that dropped them at the head of the river. The entire trip took place north of the Arctic Circle, with their

final destination the Beaufort Sea on the Arctic Ocean. Human footprints were spotted just twice, and the only other signs of people were a couple of fire rings and the occasional plane overhead. They were on their own, with no connection to the outside world except a satellite phone borrowed from the Prescott College Gear Warehouse. “We wanted to do a trip that required several weeks’ immersion in a remote, little-traveled wilderness with good possibilities of seeing and being around lots of animals,” Steve says. They also wanted to experience the Arctic before its climate changed too much. “Plus, canoeing to the Arctic Ocean just seemed like a cool idea!” It turned out to be as much, or more, than they could have asked for. The water was stunningly clear and drinkable, with rocks like gems sparkling under the boats. They encountered an amazing array of plants and animals in a vast landscape of 24-hour daylight. The Horton River corridor provides a kind of ecological oasis for many species to push their range much farther north than else-where. Caribou and musk ox were regular sights, sometimes coming right into camp. There were a variety of birds, especially raptors: eagles, peregrine, and gyrfalcon. Jaegers, terns, gulls, loons, ducks, and plenty of songbirds filled the banks, trees, and bushes. Although wolf tracks were all around, they never actually

Anne Dorman (L) and Dave Meeks (R)

glimpsed any of the canines. They did, however, see several grizzly bears as they canoed. One mother bear and her two small cubs put on quite a show when the group floated by one day. “These two cubs were really little, and playing and goofing off with each other,” Steve said. “The mother—a huge golden bear—noticed us and stood up, not alarmed, but curious and wary. She started to move away, and the cubs didn’t want to go. We were so close that we could hear them yammering and bawling—almost arguing with her, but they eventually went along. It was all quite charming.” The animals surrounding the group also inspired awe. “It’s a wonder to just think of the adaptations that so many animals have to survive in such a severe environment,” Steve says, “especially those like the musk ox that stay through the long dark winter.” Although the trip took place during the most hospitable time of year for the area, the journey was more arduous than the experienced group of outdoors people expected, mainly due to

weather conditions. Wind was a constant companion, and the rain and cold only increased as they approached the Arctic Ocean. The river made them earn every mile, allowing only one layover day during the whole trip. Steve and Jeff did the research ahead of time. “What we dealt with wasn’t exactly what the previous trip reports indicated. Fortunately we brought good enough gear to deal with a lot of possibilities.” At one point they were pinned down by a two-day storm in an area of mudflats, earth avalanches all around, rain and wind battering the tents down. It was too dangerous to travel, but the campsite was dubious at best and would have been in danger if the river rose. They were almost out of propane, and firewood was scarce. While they were never in serious trouble, they wondered if they could to make it to the aircraft pickup point a few days later. “We each realized how thin the line was between being more or less okay and having serious problems. There were moments of feeling quite vulnerable.” Melting permafrost was a constant reminder of climate change. Particularly dramatic during the last week as they traveled through the Smoking Hills was an ancient range of silts and lignite held together by permafrost. “Everything seemed to be moving and changing,” Steve explains.

Melting permafrost


They witnessed mud and debris flows and collapses as they were happening. The collapses were like large avalanches falling into the river – sometimes big and loud enough that at first the group thought it was thunder. Trees were sliding down hills, with deep and ancient layers of topsoil falling into the water. “Our charter pilot said that he was seeing it all over his flying territory.” Despite the clear signs of environmental change and at times harrowing circumstances (or the “suffer-fest,” as Mike Zimber liked to put it), the travelers kept a sense of humor and camaraderie at the fore. Each person was a competent outdoors person in his or her own right and up for the challenge. Realizing they we were all literally and figuratively in the same boats, they relied on each other to keep things going with compassion, generosity, and a constant

sense of awe at where they were and how lucky they were to be there. It’s clear that the adventurous and pioneering spirit these people brought with them to a new, innovative school in the mountains of Northern Arizona some 40-odd years ago is still alive. The resources and time necessary to undertake their Arctic adventure are things they didn’t necessarily have in their younger days, but being able to take on the challenge nearing retirement age makes the accomplish-ment all the more sweet. As Anne Dorman put it, “It’s the ongoing story of Prescott College.”

Contributions to this story were made by Steve Huemmer and Ashley Mains M.A. ’11.

Steve Huemmer Age: 67 • Grad Year: 1973 Area of Study: Environmental StudiesOccupation: Property manager for own residential real estate

Anne DormanAge: 63 • Grad Year: 1974 Area of Study: AdministrationOccupation: Consulting CFO for venture-backed companies

Dave MeeksAge: 64 • Grad Year: 1973 Area of Study: Environmental SciencesOccupation: Retired, owner of an equipment rental business

Mike ZimberAge: 61 • Grad Year: 1978 Area of Study: Humanistic Psychology and Natural History of the SWOccupation:Owner of Stone Forest artisan home & garden decor


(L to R) Steve Huemmer, Anne Dorman, Dave Meeks, Jeff Hood, Mike Zimber and Molly Hutsinpiller

Anne Dorman (L) and Steve Huemmer (R) in rapids

“The ongoing storyof Prescott College”


Along the Surface of the Deep BlueStudents find perspective on community through kayaking By Robyn Bryers ’05

Imagine laying your head down to the sound of wavelets lapping at a sandy substrate along the rocky coastline of a remote desert beach. In the background you hear the sound of an

exhaling whale break the quiet of the evening while the moon shines brightly on your tent wall. The air contains the perfect balance of the sweet, dry smell of the desert combined with the salty, refreshing moisture of the ocean. This is the Sea of Cortez, a narrow waterway rimmed by four Mexican states and home to some of the richest diversity of marine-based species in the world. For over thirty years Prescott College students have ventured to the Sea of Cortez, or the Gulf of California, to glide along the surface of the deep blue in sea kayaks. Academic sea kayaking endeavors in the gulf began as explorations of the rugged, desolate, and sparsely populated landscapes of the Mexican coast. Today, Prescott College students participate in the planning and implementation of a semester-long sea kayaking expedition that exposes them to remote coastal ocean travel while simultaneously developing and refining their skills as outdoor educators. Wilderness Explorations and Landscape Studies, or WELS, is a semester-long field-based experience for students at Prescott College studying adventure education. This course offers a distinctive educational experience for students in their junior and senior years to engage in a practicum expedition focused on the study of the ocean as a unique environment for learning. The course spans two and a half months including five to six weeks of expedition travel while living along the coast of the Sea of Cortez. Past classes have spent upwards of 35 days living in a remote backcountry setting while traveling roughly 130 nautical miles in sea kayaks, the equivalent of 150 statute miles. The logistics alone for such an endeavor are daunting, yet equally impressive when you consider that the students do most of it themselves. Students spend four weeks in preparation, creating a food plan and shopping for the entirety of the expedition; calculating water rations; determining the route, including camp locations, daily mileage, and resupply locations; preparing equipment used for navigation, camping, and cooking; and inspect-ing the fleet of 18-foot fiberglass sea kayaks. Additionally, students learn introductory sea kayaking skills including strokes, maneuvers, and rescues before embarking on the expedition.

The adventure truly begins at the Prescott College Kino Bay Center for Cultural and Ecological Studies, located in Sonora, Mexico. Many more logistics unfold there before we finally find ourselves standing on a remote beach. Our duffels of personal effects, water dromedaries, food rations, the fleet of boats and kayak equipment are strewn about under the hot desert sun. The last glimpses of a dusty Prescott College van disappearing behind the desert flora signals the start of an expedition one month in the making. The remainder of our semester is filled with 4 a.m. weather checks, pre-dawn paddling into blazing sunrises, countless shooting stars, and each meal accompanied with a beachfront view. Behind the glamour of this experience there is a rigorous academic course load that is designed to train and refine the skills of outdoor leaders to become professionals within the field of outdoor education and recreation. At its core the WELS Sea Kayaking Semester is a practice in leadership and teaching. From the first day of the semester students are asked to step into facilitating activities. While still in the classroom, students rotate through the responsibility of determin-ing the flow of each day’s agenda, managing time, facilitating discussions, and offering activities. They are practicing and developing their leadership style while simultaneously studying leadership and its influence on group success. Once in the field, the students continue this practice, rotation-ally serving as leaders for each day of the expedition. The students work in teams, taking on various positions and gaining tangible practice leading their peers. The process of leading one’s peers can be fairly challenging, as there is no clear hierarchical structure

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Kayak Lesson at Sauzal, Isla Tiburón


within the student group. Peer leadership is one of the most difficult forms of leadership and provides a rich learning experience. Students engage in a rigorous practice of lesson planning and delivery throughout the semester. Each student is tasked with creating four lessons that they will deliver to their peers: Leave No Trace; a skill-based lesson; a nature connection activity; and a longer lesson of their choosing. Students must create lesson plans and receive feedback on their plans. The students then teach each of their lessons twice, first to half of the class, where they receive feedback on their teaching style and content. The students then refine their lessons and deliver it to the second half of the class, again receiving feedback to finalize their lesson plans for poten-tial professional application as well as to demonstrate competence within the course material. Many of the students who have participated in the WELS Sea Kayaking Semester continue in their pursuit of outdoor education or in guiding as a profession. Some alumni continue their sea kayak development and are easily trained to become instructors in this discipline. Students depart this course having developed advanced expeditionary sea kayaking skills, refined their teaching preparation and delivery, and articulated their innate skills and areas for growth as a leader. The final, and most inspiring, component of this course goes well beyond academic learning targets and professional development. For the past two years, students of the sea kayaking program at Prescott College have participated in a cultural exchange with the indigenous community located in the Kino Bay region, the Comca’ac, or Seri. The Seri people, or Comca’ac as they refer to themselves, are an indigenous people living along the Sea of Cortez whose traditional lands extended out to Isla Tiburón and other islands in the central gulf. The Seri are a people of the sea, hunting and gathering from the gulf and the coastal desert region. They have a long heritage of navigation, traveling the sea for upwards of 500 years in balsa boats made of reed grass to hunt for food and search for water. Their knowledge and skills in predicting weather patterns, includ-ing names for dozens of types of wind and dangerous currents, is extensive. However, over the past few decades they have experi-enced a reduction in professional opportunities for the youth of their community.

Boats to bed at Estero Santa Rosa

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Seri community at Estero Santa Rosa

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As a community the Comca’ac have identified guided sea kayak tours in the estuaries and islands within their region as an opportunity for employment and com-munity development. To support this initiative, the 2014 WELS course, in collaboration with Laura Monti of the Kino Bay Center, engaged in a cross-cultural exchange of knowledge centered on navigation in the midriff island region of Gulf of California. In this exchange the Comca’ac first described their long navigational history by balsa boat and shared an introduction to the geographical and cultural importance of Isla Tiburón. The class was then granted permission from the Comca’ac to paddle and live for three weeks on this sacred island they once called home. Before we embarked, the elders blessed our journey with songs they used to navigate the tumultuous waters of the region for untold generations. Upon our return to the mainland the community welcomed us back with another ceremony filled with song, dance, and food. The exchange was a highlight for each participant, as it also served as a learning opportuni-ty for the Comca’ac youth who have been slowly losing ancestral knowledge. In exchange, Prescott College students planned and implemented an afternoon of lessons and activities to teach the Comca’ac youth about kayaking. This training has the potential to continue through future Prescott College courses with the hope of producing a team of young Comca’ac kayakers who will become expedition guides around the islands in their territory. When reflecting on the opportunities, skills, and knowledge the WELS Sea Kayaking Semester course provides for students, three things stand out. First, students leave this course with profound development of their outdoor skills, ready to enter their careers as highly trained professionals. Second, students depart with a deeper knowing of self by participating in a unique learning experience with their peers, traveling some of the most majestic of landscapes together. Lastly, students recognize their presence as global citizens and gain an increased perspective on the impact their professional path can have on the communities they serve. Through the WELS experience students are prepared to be progressive, contributing members to their communities and to the development of their chosen professional fields.

Robyn Bryers (immediate right) is an alumni of the On-campus Undergraduate Program, with a degree in Outdoor Experiential Education. Robyn is currently pursuing a Master of Arts in Education at Prescott College, teaching several courses, including the WELS sea kayaking semester, therapeutic use of adventure education, and group process. Prescott College intends to offer the WELS Sea Kayaking Semester again in the fall of 2016.

Evening dinner at Ensenada el Mareño

Pod of passing dolphins along Sonoran Coast

Swimming with sea lions at Isla San Esteban

Panga adventure to Isla San Esteban


Camp at Ensenada Blanca, Isla Tiburón


Alumni Briefs

50th Anniversary Alumni Coming Home WeekendKicking off our yearlong celebration of 50 Years of Innovation through Transformative Education, President John Flicker will speak about the future of Prescott College October 28, 2016 followed by a big BBQ for everyone. The rest of the week/weekend will include a variety of events for alumni to participate in, including a mixer with faculty, hikes, and tours around Prescott (it’s likely a lot has changed since you were last here!). More information coming soon …

Make Sure We Have Your Updated InfoAre you receiving the monthly enewsletter Ecos? We can’t stay in touch with you unless we have your current information such as mailing address,

email, and phone number. You can update your info online at http://pcalumupdate.kintera.org/ or by calling the Alumni Office at (928) 350-4502.

Mighty BuckAlumni who give $35 or more to the Annual Fund receive a license plate frame that boasts to the world, “I went to Prescott College.”

Go to

http://MightyBuck.kintera.org/ to give.

Prescott College Email for Life!Stay connected to your alma mater through our Google Apps for Education email service. This service is similar to regular Gmail and can easily be forwarded to your current email address, so you’ll never miss out on Prescott College

news again! Once registered, you can keep in touch with former classmates by searching for their names in the system. As a bonus, retail discounts are associated with having an “.edu” email address. For more information or to register for your Prescott College email for life, visit http://www.prescott.edu/alumni/pcmail-for-life.html today!

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Class NotesPlease send Class Note submissions to [email protected]

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Dr. Gary Nabhan ’73 Dr. Nabhan is the director of the University of Arizona Center for Regional Food Studies. The new center supports the City of Tucson in carrying out the educational and outreach commitments connected with being a UNESCO City of Gastronomy. Read more at http://ediblebajaarizona.com/ua-launches-regional-food-studies-program.

John Flax ’74 John Flax and Theater Grottesco presented Pigeon Show: A Play of Fools, featuring one of America’s leading clowns, Ronlin Foreman. Ronlin studied with Elizabeth Wiseman and John Flax at the Lecoq School in Paris in the1980s.

Judy Greenberg ’74 Judy just started a new job in global mental health in Washington, D.C. She invites old friends to contact her at [email protected].

Matuschka ’74 Matuschka had an exhibit, Manipulations, at Alexandre Gertsman Contemporary Art in New York City in December of 2015.

Diane Schmidt ’74 Diane was awarded two first place awards by the Society of Pro-fessional Journalists Top of the Rockies Journalism Contest, for articles in publica-tions with a 10,000-29,000 circulation. First place in 2016 went to a set of three personal columns, “Serendipity and the Power of Daydreams,” “Who by Fire,” and “The Merkabah and the Exegesis of a License Plate.” And, first place in 2015 went to the article, “The Long Walk and the Holocaust,” a dialog between a Navajo educator and a rabbi about healing the wounds of history and Diane coming to grips with her own heritage. She also won two first place 2015 Rockower Awards from the American Jewish Press Association for news reporting and photography, in two articles done on special assignment for the New Mexico Link about a very small, very determined group of Hillel students who helped reverse the anti-Israel resolutions put forth by the Boycott, Divestiture, and Sanctions movement at the University of New Mexico.

Lisa Garrison ’75 This past summer, Lisa co-curated an exhibit on the Lost Jazz Shrines of Brooklyn at the Weeksville Heritage Center, Brooklyn’s largest African American cultural organization. The exhibit was on display through January 2016.

Windy (Mark) Dankoff ’77 Windy’s career in renewable energy began at Prescott College in 1975,when he built a small wind generator as a class project. By 1977, he was in business to supply wind systems to off-grid homeowners around Santa Fe. Windy became one of the first photovoltaic dealers in the world and one of the first solar water pump manufacturers in 1983. He retired from commerce in 2005 and is now a consul-tant and author. Windy is also a sculptor and a mentor. To keep up with Windy, go to www.windydankoff.com.

1980s

Anna Parker ’80 Anna, widow of Prescott College’s founding president, Dr. Charles Franklin Parker, turned 99 years old on May 22, 2016. She writes, “I am healthy, ambulatory with a walker, do some volunteering, still play the piano for groups, and all-in-all, I am enjoying life. My twin sister moved to Prescott five years ago and the two of us are enjoying spending time together. We each have our own apartment in Prescott Samaritan Village. We participate in some activities, have many friends here in the village, and by taking one day at a time we are doing well.”

Melanie Bishop ’86 Melanie’s article “Helpless in the Face of Senseless Violence” was featured in Huffington Post’s The Blog last August. At the end of her article, Melanie shares The Charleston Eulogies by alumna Susan DeFreitas ’00. Melanie writes, “My hope is that this admirable single effort of Susan DeFreitas can be a balm to the hopelessness we all feel, that her Charleston Eulogies get all the shares and likes the

victims’ lives warrant, and that DeFreitas, a spokesperson for our times, for our collective cultural speechlessness in the face of these horrors, will make a habit of eulogizing those lost so senselessly.”

Cindy Dick ’87 Cindy recently launched a business called On Her Mark to pro-mote women’s sports. For more information go to www.onhermark.com.

Jan Marshall ’89 Recent work from Jan’s artistic series The Space Be-tween was featured in a solo exhibition in the small Jewel Gallery of the Coconino Center for the Arts in Flagstaff, Ariz.

1990s

Ruth Forman ’90 Ruth has lived in California, Colorado, and Arizona. She was raised in Prairie Village, Kans. Ruth was a voice actor until she found her dream come true, Prescott College, “whose ethos is as YOU know it to be.” Ruth loved her lessons and time spent in Prescott and continues to hold those

memories dear to her heart. She is now retired and living back in Prairie Village. She writes of Prairie Village, “The sunsets are truly beautiful, and the trees are gorgeous in the spring and fall. Hello to everyone who remembers me.” [email protected].

Steve Stotter ’92 Steve shares the song and call of a Canyon Wren at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9uuiNfUxqOM. Steve writes, “This song triggers so many wonderful memories of being out on field courses with Prescott College. I miss this song, echoing through the red rock canyons. It brings me peace.”

John Banta ’95 John developed a tool to help beekeepers improve the manage-ment of their hives, based upon an extensive study into historical and current beekeeping practices. CombForms™ is a device that fits between the frames in a beehive to assist beekeepers in guiding their bees to produce uniform straight comb, along with other benefits. More information at http://combform.blogspot.com/.

Kelly Payson-Roopchand ’95 Kelly’s book Birth, Death, and a Tractor: Connecting An Old Farm To a New Family was published in June 2015. Check out The Last Word on page 37 of this magazine for a review. Available on Amazon.com.

Susan (Cummins) Clark ’96 Susan recently contributed a chapter to the upcoming profes-sional book Creative Art Therapies and Clients with Eating Disorders. The chapter is titled “DBT in Action: Integrating Art Therapy Techniques and Dialectical Behavior Therapy Skills Training into the Treatment of Eating Disorders.” Susan is also currently writing a book on DBT-informed art therapy for the same publisher.

Laura Didyk ’96 Laura was recently featured in The Artful Mind artzine January 2016 issue, page 13. She also has a new column in the Berkshire Edge. Check it out at https://theberkshireedge.com/tag/laura-didyk/.

Debra Shirley ’96, M.A. ’99 Prior to 2010, Debra was employed for 15 years as a substance abuse and sexual trauma counselor. She became disabled with multiple sclerosis in 2010.

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Leah Lamb ’97 Leah led a workshop titled The Wild Nature of (Your) Story at Shadowcliff Mountain Lodge last August. Check it out at http://shadowcliff.org/the-wild-nature-of-your-story/.

Eliot Treichel ’97 Eliot Treichel’s debut young adult novel, A Series of Small Maneuvers, was released in November 2015. Eliot is also the author of the story collection Close is Fine, which received the Wisconsin Library Association Literary Award.

Vanessa Belz ’98 Vanessa has worked with Global Underwater Explorers since December 2011 as program manager for the Project Baseline conservation initiative. She coordinates all aspects of program development, including communications, fundraising, technology, volunteer coordination, and project area expansion. Read her article “Project Baseline: Conserving the Underwater World through Citizen Science and Reporting” at National Geographic’s Voices at voices.nationalgeographic.com.

Steven J. Curley ’98 Steven is a licensed psychologist in private practice in Mountain View, Calif.

Sean Nordquist ’98 In summer 2015, Sean studied biotic, physical, and cultural forces that affect tropical biodiversity at the Monteverde Cloud Forest Reserve and La Selva Biological Station in Costa Rica. Sean, who is the program and environmental outreach coordinator at Hillsborough Community College

Institute of Florida Studies in St. Petersburg, took the graduate course in pursuit of his master’s degree from Miami University’s Global Field Program.

Sherry Barnes ’99 After 13 years of marriage, Sherry and Mark White ’00 welcomed their daughter, Cali Elizabeth White, into the world on April 13, 2015. They are excited to walk into the realm of parenthood and continue their adventure together, which began at the January 1997 Wilderness Orientation at Prescott College. Congratulations!

Catalina Claussen ’99 Catalina’s first young adult novel, Diamonds at Dusk, was pub-lished in April 2016 with Progressive Rising Phoenix Press. The place-based novel set in Southwestern New Mexico is designed to connect with rural teen readers. Catalina is a founding English teacher at Aldo Leopold Charter School in Silver City, N.M. She is a graduate of Reed College, Prescott College, and Western New Mexico University and a long-time resident of the Mimbres Valley. She writes poetry, short stories, and YA novels. https://catalinaclaussen.wordpress.com/.

Lauren (Kruger) Tietz ’99 Lauren is currently finishing a master’s degree in fine arts through Transart Institute. You can reach her at [email protected].

2000s

Ethan Hipple ’00 Ethan is the new recreation director for the City of Portland. Ethan will lead the department that manages the Troubh Ice Arena, Riverside Golf Course, and city playgrounds and athletic facilities.

Nathan Montgomery ’00 Nathan is living in Ouray, Colo. He is the owner of Gus Chocolate and is still dancing his heart out. You can reach him at [email protected].

Jay Krienitz ’01, M.A. ’04, and Jennifer (Nishwitz) Krienitz ’03 Congratulations to Jay and Jen on the birth of their son! 7 lbs. 7 oz., 21 inches long.

Karin Linnander M.A ’01 Karin recently published a book, The First Time: Paula’s Story, centered around a young woman’s first sexual experience. Karin explains, “I want Paula’s Story to empower girls and women to trust their own feelings and their own bodies – not the images and messages they get from television, magazines, and the internet. The earlier they find a self-confident attitude toward their own bodies and feelings, the more beautiful will be their sexual

experiences, even as adult women.” Paula’s Story is available on Amazon.com.

Karen Evans ’02 Karen is now co-writing the comic strip Luann with her father Greg Evans. The comic strip celebrated its 30th anniversary last year. Karen was the inspira-tion for the strip about a spunky 18-year-old living the often awkward, but always funny, life of a teenager. You can watch Karen and her father being interviewed on Forefront at http://www.4sd.com/main/game-of-the-week.html.

Grace Schlosser Wicks ’02 Inc. Magazine recently featured Grace’s urban landscape company, Graceful Gardens.

Bryan Snyder ’02 Bryan’s second book is now available on Amazon. Further Off The Map invites the reader on a journey into the wild and inhospitable reaches of our continent in search of natural wonders both breathtaking and obscure.

Beth Cranwell Aplin ’03 Beth just had her essay “How to Make More Room” published at The Rumpus. You can read it at http://therumpus.net/2015/06/how-to-make-more-room/.

Amanda Giracca ’03 Amanda’s new essay, “The Art of Butchery,” was included in Vela magazine’s recent reading recommendations. Check it out at http://velamag.com/women-we-read-this-week-102/.

Deb Matlock ’03 Deb participated in the Colorado Alliance for Environmental Education’s happy hour in Denver on September 17, 2015. She writes, “This was a great way to learn about the amazing work of CAEE.”

Megan Trezise ’03 Megan graduated from AMI Montessori training in 2005 and received an M.Ed. in education, early childhood development specialization, in 2014. She now serves as a public Montessori Instructional Coach and blogger at http://montessoride-constructed.blogspot.com/.

Sara Campbell ’04 Sara recently graduated from Colgate Rochester Crozer Divinity School with a master’s degree in divinity. She is now on track to be an ordained clergy with the United Church of Christ sometime in the fall.

Courtney Osterfelt ’04, M.A. ’12 Courtney founded Women’s Empowerment Breakthrough (WEB), an educational program for teenage girls, in 2004. WEB hosts annual conferences addressing young feminism, women’s rights, and leadership development for local teenage girls in Yavapai County. WEB is also involved in cross-cultural work with Nabolu, a women’s organization in Kenya. Nabolu and WEB work together to increase access to education for teenage girls in Maasailand, Kenya. Courtney is also the founder and director of the Launch Pad Teen Center, a nonprofit teen center for youth in the Prescott area. The Launch Pad provides after school program-ming and services for local youth. The Launch Pad has had its doors open since November 2013.


Kelly Rein ’04 Kelly is working at Cellular One of Northeastern Arizona and was recently promoted to the head of marketing. He specifically oversees branding, advertising, digital marketing, events and sponsorships, public relations, and corporate communications.

Kaitlin Noss ’05 Kaitlin graduated from the Cultural and Regional Studies program with an un-dergraduate degree in Social Justice Education. Working alongside faculty member Mary Poole and visiting instructor Meitamei Olol Dapash, she spent the next seven years helping develop the Maasai Community Partnership Project, which undertakes archival and oral research projects to help support Indigenous claims to land lost during colonialism and subsequent capitalist development in Kenya. She received a master’s degree in 2009 from University of Toronto in sociology and equity studies and returned to teach as a fulltime instructor at Prescott College for several years. Working with Prescott College students and faculty member Zoe Hammer inspired Kaitlin to pursue a Ph.D. in order to continue teaching at the university level. She is now a McCracken Fellow in the American studies social and cultural analysis program at NYU, working on a dissertation about U.S. impe-rialism and racial capitalism in the 20th century. She tries to balance academic life with learning about New York from the many passionate and longtime organizers in the city and walking her very handsome dog Trotsky in Prospect Park.

Marc Wise ’05 Read about Marc in the Chicago Tribune article “Fixing a Broken System: Why an Environmentalist Started a Lawn Care Company” at www.chicagotribune.com.

Alicia Day ’06 Alicia is the new director of the parks, recreation, and community education department in Littleton, Mass.

Sarah Dickson Silver ’06 Sarah has published a historical novel, Dream a Pony, Wake a Spirit, set in the Choctaw Nation Indian Territory in 1900. The story follows a group of children of mixed cultures growing up in the turbulent years just before Oklahoma statehood, and tells of the personal challenges they meet when they rescue an abused wild stallion of ancient Choctaw lineage. Sale of the book supports conservation efforts for the rare Choctaw horses. Now available on Amazon.com.

Sharon Skinner ’06 Sharon’s latest book, The Matriarch’s Devise, was released in November 2015. In this sequel to The Healer’s Legacy, Kira resumes her journey to discover her heritage. More information can be found at http://www.sharonskinner.com/bibliography/the-healers-legacy-healers-book-one/.

Arieh Scharnberg ’07 Arieh is coproducing a film about the amazing Rabbi Menachem Froman, titled A Third Way: Settlers and Palestinians as Neighbors. He is looking for help to finish the film and bring it to the world. Find out more about how to support this effort on Facebook.

Ted Teegarden ’07 Ted sent in a recent photo from New Hampshire, where a group of Prescott College alumni and current students got together. Ted writes, “We realized that there were a number of us living and working here and thought it would be fun to gather and also do a scavenger hunt! We found ourselves here by way of work and the mountains. People have been working for the White Mountain School, Appalachian Mountain Club, and local business owner of Badass Out-doors gear shop in Littleton, N.H.” Ted currently serves as

the director of outdoor education and is the assistant dean of students at the White Mountain School in Bethlehem, N.H.

Joshua Cubista ’08 Joshua recently created a new Social Labs Revolution Blog post. Read more at http://www.social-labs.com/prototyping-our-future-social-labs-for-a-sustainable-regenerative-thriving-future/. Joshua also coauthored a guidebook called Prototyp-ing Our Future: Social Labs for a Sustainable, Regenerative, & Thriving Future at http://www.prototypingourfuture.info. This is an open source, freely available

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otesguidebook. The research explores how social labs can be designed in order to catalyze systemic innovation while contributing to so-cioecological sustainability and providing forums for collaboration, collective impact, capacity building, and the emergence of systemic solutions to complex challenges.

Camilla Fox M.A. ’08 Camilla is the founder and executive director of Project Coyote, which promotes coexistence between people and wildlife through education, science, and advocacy. Camilla was just named the 2014 Conservationist of the Year by the John Muir Association. This pres-tigious award honors “those who have excelled in environmental protection, or made significant contributions to the advancement of conservation.”

Bethany Hannah ’08 Bethany recently launched a Kickstarter campaign to expand the website she created for her thesis project, The Smokey Generation, which captures, preserves, and relates the stories of wildland firefighters. Check it out at https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/2137324187/the-smokey-generation-wildland-firefighting-storie?ref=discovery.

Kado Stewart ’08 Kado is celebrating the 8th year of Camp Outdoors this year! Camp Outdoors is the largest camp in the country for LGBTQ youth, right here in Arizona. LGBTQ and allied youth ages 11 to 24, and volunteers over the age of 25 are welcome to apply at www.outdoorsgaycamp.com. The deadline to apply for camp is June 30. FREE for youth in Arizona. Out of state youth are also welcome to apply.

Tom Hecker ’09 Tom is CEO of Charlotte Harbor Environmental Center, in Florida.

Craig Holdrege Ph.D. ’09 Craig served as a moderator at the UN General Assembly, moderat-ing a session titled Harmony with Nature. Craig was in the first Prescott College Ph.D. cohort; he received a fellowship and is director of the Nature Institute in Ghent, N.Y. The whole dialogue, including introductory comments from UN officials, can be viewed at http://webtv.un.org/watch/interactive-dialogue-on-harmony-with-nature-general-assembly/4199915990001.

Eliza Homer ’09 Eliza was published in the Journal of the American Art Therapy Association. The article derived from her master’s thesis work about using cloth collage with a survivor of trauma. The article is titled “Piece Work: Fabric Collage as a Neurodevelopmental Approach to Trauma Treatment.”

Samuel Leslie ’09 Following two years working in Laos on conservation projects, Sam was awarded an international postgraduate student scholar-ship to the University of Kent’s Durrell Institute of Conservation and Ecology (DICE) in Canterbury, England. Sam continues his involvement in fisheries conservation and rural development as an adviser to projects in the Mekong Basin and beyond. A research project in Malta this winter has led him to a role on a newly established steering board that seeks to protect traditional fishers’ livelihoods by improving their access to the ecotourism market. Taking a break from fish, he focused his M.Sc. dissertation on evaluating novel statistical methods in the context of human–tiger conflict in the Sundarbans mangrove forest of Bangladesh. The project aims to provide new tools for monitoring, assessment, and resource allocation for government agencies and conservation groups in the region that seek to reduce loss of life to both humans and tigers. You can reach Sam at [email protected].


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Jean Millen ’09On January 6 and 7, 2016, Jean, the director of Campo Urbano in Tucson, co-hosted with Prescott faculty member Paul Smith Ph.D. ’09 a training on equine-assisted trauma-informed care. Other Prescott College graduates, including Laura Brinckerhoff ’03, Ta-mara Clause ’14, Christine Wilkey ’13, Sarah Lind ’07, and Mandy Hendricks ’15, along with a dozen current students and equine-assisted professionals from around the country, attended. The guest presenters were Bettina and Tim Jobe from Natural Lifemanship based out of Austin, Tex. Paul wrote, “It was rewarding to see the work our graduates are involved in and the ways in which con-temporary findings in neurobiology align with how the relational, somatic, and rhythmic aspect of equine-assisted approaches can be powerful and evidence-based approaches for working with acute and chronic effects of trauma.”

Vince Palowski ’09 Vince was on the University of Arizona team to attend the Paris Climate summit. Read more at https://uanews.arizona.edu/story/ua-delegation-to-attend-climate-conference.

Deb Stone ’09 Deb volunteered as a court advocate for children in foster care for 20 years. Now she uses those skills to help locate the next of kin for unclaimed deceased individuals.

Lenka V. Studnicka ’09, M.A. ’12, Ph.D. Program ’17Lenka, with her son Sebastian, presented Educating for Sustainability Through the Lenses of Intergenerational Story Sharing (Global Health AIDS Prevention Organization) at the Prescott College Master of Arts Program Colloquium, November 2015.

Abigail Vorce ’09 Abigail graduated from Prescott College with a degree in Social Justice. After working for several years in San Francisco at a small nonprofit fighting the death penalty, she and her long-term partner, Nick Johnson ’11, got married and traveled for a year. Together they explored the wine regions of France by bicycle, meeting with winemakers and eventually working the harvest at a small biody-namic vineyard in Alsace. Inspired by their experience, Abigail and Nick moved to the Sierra foothills of California to start their own winery with a focus on sustainable wine, environmental steward-ship, and ethical labor practices at the vineyard. Abigail is now working to connect with the local community to continue her work in social justice and prison reform.

2010s

Gia Bankanella ’10 2015 was a successful year in many ways for Gia. She and her wife got hitched on June 10 in a small ceremony at their home in Northern Virginia. The work that Gia is doing at Booz Allen Hamilton continues to inspire and challenge her to create strong and engaging learning opportunities. Gia is also working on her first novel and living life to the fullest!

Michael Belt ’10 Michael graduated from the Cultural and Regional Studies (CRS) Program with a degree in Participatory Community Develop-ment. Since then, Michael has participated in the labor movement in New York City. Working with the United Auto Workers, he helped to organize over 6,000 graduate student employees at three universities into vibrant, democratic unions. Michael also helped undocumented workers at the Laundry Workers Center create member-led union organizing campaigns that have resulted in massive improvements for low-wage service sector employees. He is currently attending the University of Massachusetts, Amherst, where he is earning a master’s degree in labor studies and commu-nity organizing. Michael also works at Represent.Us, a nonprofit organization that fights corruption among elected officials on a national and local level.

Amy Ben-Horin ’10, M.A. ’13 Amy started an organization in Eagle, Colo., called Ute Springs Experiential Learning Center. Ute Springs has doubled in size in just two years and the learn-ing center has experienced amazing success in the community. The organization’s focus is on empowering social-emotional leadership through an adventure-based curriculum that works in alignment with CARING values (Compassion, Adven-ture, Relationships, Integrity, Nature, and Giving Back). Check out their internship opportunities at www.utespringselc.org.

Harrison Blythe ’10 and Liz Green ’10 Harrison and Liz were married on September 26, 2015. Congratulations, Harrison and Liz! Also in 2015, Harrison graduated with honors from Case Western Reserve University of Law. Liz is counseling teens in a drug addiction intervention program. They are currently living in Cleveland, Oh.

Aimee Collins ’10 This past summer, Aimee studied the stunning ecosystems, fascinating array of unique desert plants, and the diversity of life at the Bahía de los Ángeles UNESCO World Heritage site and in the crystal blue waters of the Sea of Cortez. Aimee, the Openlands Lakeshore Preserve Site Manager at Openlands in Chicago, Ill., took the graduate course in pursuit of a master’s degree from Miami University’s Global Field Program.

H. Jill McCormick ’10 Jill’s archeology work with the Cocopah Indian Tribe in Yuma, Ariz., was featured in an article in the Yuma Sun.

Lee Ball Ph.D. ’11, Mary Whitney Ph.D. ’14, and Lisa Brennan Ph.D. Program ’18Lee, Mary, and Lisa presented at the Association for the Advancement of Sustain-ability in Higher Education (AASHE) in Minneapolis, Minn., in October 2015.

Patricia C. Bischof ’11 Patricia is selling her artwork at the Tucson Museum of Art Gift Shop located at 140 North Main Avenue in historic downtown Tucson. Her art consists of found objects, including house paint and weathered metal, what she calls “weathered metal art.” To view Patricia’s artwork, go to www.notpcb.wordpress.com.

Tina Evans Ph.D. ’11 Dr. Evans presented Establishing Pipelines for Sustainability Students, Two-year to Graduate Level: A Working Session at the Association for the Advancement of Sus-tainability in Higher Education (AASHE) in Minneapolis, Minn., October 2015.

Matthew Hart ’11 and LeeAnn (Roessler) Hart ’11 Matthew and LeeAnn were married in October of 2014 and sent this picture for all to enjoy.

Morrigan Reilly-Ansons ’11 and Jayna Wekenman ’11Morrigan and Jayna were instrumental in planning and coordinating the 12th An-nual Exploration of Best Practices in Equine-Assisted Learning and Mental Health (EAMH) that was held at Chapel Rock in Prescott. The gathering hosted 30 participants and included presentations by several Prescott College alumni. Laura Brinckerhoff ’03 was recognized as a practitioner who has significantly influenced both the field and the development of the EAMH program at Prescott College.

Rebecca Serratos ’12 Rebecca and her partner, Luis, welcomed their daughters Madelyn in March of 2013 and Ayla in October of 2014. The birth of Rebecca’s two daughters inspired her to take a hard look at food and food systems. She is currently in the applica-tion process to volunteer with a nonprofit that helps school kids engage with and better understand food. Rebecca lives in Dewey, Ariz., and when she isn’t chasing children, she can be found milking goats, making cheese, obsessing about nutri-tion, and desperately trying to grow vegetables.

Kris Abrams ’13 Kris recently published a piece in Ecowatch titled “How to Live a Joyful Life: 5 Lessons from Shamanism.” In addition, Kris spoke at a MeSimple learning seminar, Tapping the Potential of Nature and Simplicity, in Boulder, Colo., on April 25, 2015. Her presentation topic was How Nature Sparks Healing and Rejuvenates Life.


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otesAndriana Bicanin ’13 Andriana graduated in December 2013 with a master’s degree in Social Justice and Human Rights. Her thesis was a case study on redevelopment in the Boyle Heights neighborhood of Los Angeles. She emphasized community organizing as a tool for redevelopment without displacement of marginalized community members. Andriana started law school at Southern Illinois University School of Law in fall 2014 and was awarded two scholarships. She is currently the first-year law student representative for the university-wide sexual assault prevention task force. In fall 2015, Andriana did legal clinical work for the civil law clinic, working on cases for older adult clients. She started an internship with the Fair HousingJustice Center in Manhattan, N.Y., in summer 2015.

Brooke Bischoff ’13 Brooke graduated with a bachelor’s degree in Cultural Studies. After being im-mersed in border and race issues while studying with Prescott College faculty members Zoe Hammer and Mary Poole, Brooke found a passion for immigrants’ rights organizing and activism. This passion led her to Northeastern University School of Law, where she is studying immigration and poverty law as a 2016 J.D. candidate. Since graduating from Prescott College, Brooke has worked with low-income immigrants in Boston on affirmative immigration claims. Brooke was recently selected as a Program on the Global Economy and Human Rights Fellow. She is using her time as a fellow to return to Arizona to work with the ACLU on immigrants’ rights impact litigation.

Abby Davidson M.A. ’13, Eric Lassahn Ph.D. ’15, Lindsey Laret Ph.D. ’15, and Shawna Weaver Ph.D. ’15 Abby, Eric, Lindsey, Shawna, and Andrew Bernier Ph.D. ’15 co-presented a panel discussion titled A Doctoral Program in Sustainability Education: The Student Experience at the Association for the Advancement of Sustainability in Higher Education (AASHE) in Minneapolis, Minn., October 2015.

Phillipe Raoul Holmstrom ’13 Phillipe graduated with a bachelor’s degree in environmental studies, marine studies, and adventure education. Upon graduation, he worked as a WWOOFer (volunteering through World Wide Op-portunities on Organic Farms) at White Buffalo Farm in Paonia, Colo., and on a coffee farm on the big island in Hawaii, while waiting for his application as a Peace Corps volunteer to be processed. In February 2014 he was assigned to the LIFE (Linking Income, Food, and Environment) program in Eastern Province, Zambia. Phillipe lives like the locals in a small rural village, Vulankhulu. After he completes his service in May 2016, Phillipe hopes to bike around southern Africa with another Peace Corps volunteer. To follow Phillipe’s adventures, go to https://peacecorpsmomzambia.wordpress.com/.

Meghan Quigley M.A. ’13 Meghan graduated with a master’s degere in Social Justice and Human Rights. During her graduate studies, with the help of mentors Zoe Hammer and Joan Clingan, she focused on the antiviolence movement with a strong focus on sexual assault on U.S. college campuses, which informed her published thesis, “Journey to Justice: A Critical Analysis of Sexual Assault Response on College Campuses.” Meghan is now working for Green Dot, etc., Inc., a violence prevention organization, which focuses on the power of bystanders to measurably reduce stalking, dating violence, and sexual assault. Meghan is a trainer on college campuses, military installations, as well as in high schools and middle schools nationwide. Meghan lives in Alexandria, Va., with her partner, Steph, and their 15-year-old puppy, Sal.

Jennifer Finn, Ph.D. ’14 Jennifer recently cofounded Spring House Community School, a project-based learning school located in the Blue Ridge Mountains. You can learn more about the school at www.springhousecommunityschool.org.

Katie Fohrman M.S. ’14 and Lura Smedstad M.S. ’14 Katie and Lura will present at the 47th Annual Conference of the American Art Therapy Association in Baltimore, Md., in July 2016. Katie will present about her work with adults with developmental challenges utilizing art therapy as an enhancement to communication and personal expression when verbal methods

are less effective or not indicated. Her presentation will highlight her research into creative therapeutic approaches for clients who are nonverbal, have limited abilities to communicate their needs, or have difficulty with comprehension and processing emotions. Lura will present Art in Worship: Relationships Between art Therapy and Christianity, highlighting research and work integrating spirituality into art therapy.

Connie Giffin ’14 Connie is now a permanent resident of Ecuador, writing two books, creating a global website, and completing her Ph.D. through Dr. Michael J. Cohen’s Project NatureConnect, which is accredited through Akamai University in Hawaii. She hopes to graduate in May 2016. Connie is also a mentor for the project and will soon facilitate NatureConnect classes through her website, bringing together classes globally for relationship and cooperation.

Marna Hauk Ph.D. ’14 Marna, along with faculty member Denise Mitten, presented a workshop titled Starting Up Sustainability: Research Process with Ecosocial Incubators at the North American Association for Environ-mental Education Conference (NAAEE), in October 2015, and a workshop titled Down to Earth: Bringing Biocultural Complexity to Life at the International Association for Experiential Education Conference, also in October.

Corbett Landes ’14 Corbett is working on a Ph.D. in microbiology at the University of Arizona.

Brian Stultz ’14 Brian was featured in the Payson Roundup newspaper regarding a Veterans in Wilderness project he hosts through the Arizona Wilderness Coalition. You can read the article at http://www.paysonroundup.com/news/2015/aug/04/helping-vets-and-environment/.

Andrew Bernier Ph.D. ’15 In October 2015, Dr. Bernier presented Designing a Systems-Based Curriculum to Develop 21st Century Sustainability Literacy and Communication at an Ignite presentation at the Conference of Complex Systems in Tempe, Ariz., and at the 8th Annual Biomimicry Education Design Summit in Austin, Tex. Dr. Bernier also presented a case study of the same title at the Association for the Advancement of Sustainability in Higher Education (AASHE) in Minneapolis, Minn., in October 2015.

Chiara D’Amore Ph.D. ’15 Chiara and faculty member Denise Mitten published “Nurtured Nature: The Connection Between Care for Children and Care for the Environment,” in Pedagogies of Kindness and Respect: On the Lives and Education of Children.

Clare Hintz Ph.D. ’15 and Andrew Bernier Ph.D. ’15Dr. Hintz and Dr. Bernier co-presented a poster presentation titled Beyond Conservation, Reimagining the Purpose of Energy Education: An Interactive Issue of Journal of Sustainability Education at the Association for the Advancement of Sustainability in Higher Education (AASHE) in Minneapolis, Minn., in October 2015.

Jeremy Solin Ph.D. ’15Jeremy facilitated a workshop titled Strengthening American Food System Resilience at the National Council for Science and the Environment’s 16th National Conference and Global Forum on Science, Policy, and the Environment on The Food-Energy-Water Nexus in January 2016.

Shawna Weaver Ph.D. ’15 Shawna established an ecotherapeutic mental health program in which she now conducts a new therapeutic approach called “nature-based therapeutic service,” which merges the benefits of

continued on page 35


Faculty & Staff NotesEllen Abell, Ph.D.Faculty member Ellen Abell was invited to Shanghai, China, in January 2016, to train several groups of mental health counselors in counseling skills and Narrative Therapy’s Tree of Life project. Ellen assisted practitioners who work with the generations impacted by China’s one-child families and the unique mental health challenges that have resulted from this law. Dr. Abell also has two forthcoming publications in The Journal of Women & Therapy and The Fat Pedagogy Reader.

Mariana Altrichter, Ph.D.Mariana, who teaches the community-based conservation course in Costa Rica for Prescott College, participated in the meeting of the IUCN Species Survival Commission Specialist Group Chairs, in September 2015 in Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates. Through this meeting and previous work, Mariana was able to secure funding to carry on her project, “Creating a Participatory Conservation Planning for the Endemic and Endangered Chacoan Peccary (Catagonus wagneri) in the Gran Chaco.”

Walt Anderson, M.S.Environmental Studies faculty member Walt Anderson presented on Wildlife Conservation and Ecotourism: Opportunities for Educational Leadership at the 5th International Wildlife Management Congress in Sapporo, Japan, in July 2015. He also co-led a safari in Tanzania with alumnus Augustine Mwangotya M.A. ’01 in June 2015. Over the next year Walt spoke on open space and the role of the Granite Dells Preservation Foundation to the Good Governance Committee in Prescott. He kicked off the Naturalist Training Series at Highlands Center for Natural History and was keynote speaker at the Keep Sedona Beautiful 36th Annual Native Plant Workshop. Walt was also keynote speaker for the 25th anniversary celebration of the Sutter Buttes Regional Land Trust of which he is founder and Director Emeritus.

Joel Barnes ’81, ’88, Ph.D.Faculty member and GTAP Director, Joel Barnes facilitated a webinar in April with the River Management Society (RMS) that explored the River Studies and Leadership Certificate Program. The certificate is a partnership between RMS and five universities and colleges in the west: Colorado Mesa University, University of Idaho, Utah State University, University of Utah, and Prescott College.

Mary Frances CauseyAssociate Dean for Enrollment Services and Director of Financial Aid, Mary Frances Causey continues to serve on the board for the Arizona Association for Student Financial Aid Administrators (AASFAA). For the 2016–17 year, she is President.

Julie Comnick, M.F.A.Arts and Letters faculty member Julie Comnick exhibited her illustrations to the book A Field Guide to Fire, along with a presentation by the book’s author, David Chorlton, at the Coconino Center for the Arts in Flagstaff, Ariz., in September 2015. A Field Guide to Fire was produced for the exhibition Fires of Change, a collaborative project with the Southwest Fire Science Consortium, the Flagstaff Arts Council, and the Landscape Conservation Initiative, funded by the Joint Fires Sciences Program and the National Endowment for the Arts.

Stephanie Doss ’15 Recent grad Stephanie Doss was hired as a Student Success Coordinator for Prescott College. She is available to assist students with academic planning as well as provide student support on a myriad of topics from time management to learning style assessments.

Anita Fernández, Ph.D.Prescott College, Tucson, Director Anita Fernández published a manuscript, “Construir y no Destruir (Build and Do Not Destroy): Tucson Resisting,” in Workplace: A Journal for Academic Labor. Dr. Fernández also delivered three days of culturally responsive professional development to the New Haven Unified School District in Union City, Calif., with the Xican@ Institute for Teaching & Organizing (XITO), and was the keynote speaker at the Phoenix Union High School District MeChA conference in September 2015.

Tom Fleischner , Ph.D.Faculty member Tom Fleischner coauthored an article in Ecopsychology—“Lessons of the Wild: Nature and Psyche in the Es-calante Canyons”—with teaching assistant Alex Sunseri ’14 and ten students in the Nature and Psyche block course. He had two short contributions, “In the Palace of Rot” and “From: Field Notes,” published in the anthology Forest Under Story: Creative Inquiry in an Old-Growth Forest. Tom was also a keynote speaker at The Second International Dialogue for Relational Leadership and Learning for Hope-full and Sustainable Futures, at Flinders University in Adelaide, Australia, in July 2015.

Doug Hulmes ’74, M.S.The Grandfather Alligator Juniper, saved by the Granite Mountain Hotshots, received recognition as both a Cultural Heritage Tree and one of Arizona’s seven Magnificent Trees of 2015. Doug Hulmes received the award at the State Capitol.

Andrea Jaeckel, M.B.A.Andrea was hired as Prescott College’s new Chief Financial Officer in the summer of 2015. Andrea has considerable financial experience in both higher education and private business. She was Associate Vice President of Finance at Eastern Michigan University from 2007–2015. Prior to that, she held various positions at Stockton University in Pomona, N.J., including Internal Auditor, Director of Fiscal Compliance and Accounting Services, Controller, and Assistant Vice President of Finance.

Megan Letchworth, M.Ed.In October 2015 Megan Letchworth was accepted to the Senior Housing Officer Institute for the Association of Inter-Mountain Housing Officers. In addition to serving as the Director of Student Housing and overseeing student activities, Megan has been asked to serve as the Interim Director of Student Success.

David Lovejoy ’73 After 37 years as a faculty member in Adventure Education, David Lovejoy has announced his retirement. He hopes to continue with the College as Faculty Emeritus, mentoring students in snow and avalanche studies and initiating an outreach program in which undergraduate students lead adventure experiences for local groups.

Megan MerchantAdjunct faculty member Megan Merchant’s debut full-length poetry collection, was released in 2016 through Glass Lyre Press. She is new to Prescott College and currently teaches Life Centering: Mindfulness & Meditative Practices.

Todd Mireles, Ph.D. Faculty members Todd Mireles and Anita Fernández coordinated an exchange with the University of Florida Samuel Proctor Oral History Program at Prescott College, Tucson, during the week of March 1, 2016. Graduate students from Prescott College’s Social Justice and Human Rights Program supported the Florida students with their oral history interviews, and a final ethnic studies panel was held on the evening of March 5. The panel included experts from Tucson, Florida, and California.

Denise Mitten, Ph.D.Faculty member Denise Mitten received the Association for Experiential Education 2015 Distinguished Researcher Award. Dr. Mitten presented “Galvanizing Gaia: A Social Incubator for Women Leaders and Innovators” at the Association for the Advancement of Sustainability in Higher Education (AASHE) in October 2015. At the AASHE conference, Dr. Mitten led the session “Women in Sustainability Network,” drawing more than 75 women. Also in October she presented “From a Parent’s Perspective: What Leaders Should Know” at the Outdoor Orientation Program Conference. Denise presented “The Impact of Time Outdoors on Human Wellbeing and its Relationship to Sustainability” at the Coali-tion for Education in the Outdoors (CEO) Thirteenth Biannual Research Symposium, January 2016.

Faculty & Staff N

otes

College Waterbird Monitoring Program, supported by Kino Center Director Lorayne Meltzer. The paper was Editor’s Choice and was also highlighted on Discovery Channel News: http://news.discovery.com/animals/wading-birds-call-mexicos-alcatraz-home-photos-160121.htm.

Sheila Sanderson, M.F.A.Arts & Letters faculty member Sheila Sanderson had the honor of being Featured Poet in the fall 2015 issue of San Pedro River Review. Included are reprints from her collection, Keeping Even: “Spendthrift,” (orig-inally in Nimrod International Journal), “Easter Sunday,” “The Stopping Place,” “Never and Always,” and “Only One Place to Be: Hell or Kentucky” (originally in Big Muddy). She has also published new work in Hubbub and Miramar, and has had several reprints in recent issues of Southern Poetry Review.

Loren Thomas, Ed.D. Loren began his work as Dean of Prescott College July 1, 2015. He has been at Prescott College since 2013 and is actively guiding and shaping the One College Initiative and Core Curriculum develop-ment, among other efficiency and quality efforts.

Tracy Weber, Ph.D.Associate faculty member Tracy Weber is the recent author of Wildly Successful: Is Effective Leadership Obvious? Wildly Successful invites readers to share in the experience of the Carralot Carrot Company’s (C3) management team as they recognize how the lack of effective communication is creating a frustrating work environment. The book engages the reader in the story of how C3 moves towards building a cohesive, effective, and responsive organization.

Lisa Zander ’12 Natural History Institute Program Coordinator Lisa Zander and NHI Director and faculty member Tom Fleischner convened a National Science Foundation–funded working group meeting, at the Institute, on the future of field studies in the United States. Prescott College was well represented at this meeting: faculty member Steve Pace was one of the participants, sharing his expertise on risk management; Amanda Giracca ’03 was covering the meeting for an essay on the subject to be published in Orion; and Dana Oswald ’71 was present as a filmmaker, to make a short documentary on the topic.

Martin Ziebell M.A. ’06 Martin just completed his first year as Station Manager of the Prescott College Kino Bay Center for Cultural and Ecological Studies. The Center is thriving, with many outside user groups as well as regularly scheduled PC classes visiting the facility throughout the year. Martin has settled in comfortably to the busy routine of life at the Center. He’s adopted two beach dogs—Annie and Zena—and is improving his Spanish daily thanks to help from the crew at the station.


Faculty & Staff N

otesSuzanne MorseSuzanne Morse, Circulation Manager at the Prescott College Library, was appointed by the Prescott City Mayor to serve a two-year term on the newly formed Pedestrian and Bicycle Safety Committee. Suzanne is concurrently completing her Bachelor of Arts in Sustainable Community Development and Master of Arts in Environmental Studies with a focus in Sustainable Community Well-being at Prescott College.

Julie Munro ’85, M.S.A wonderful reunion of sorts took place on the Colorado River in Grand Canyon. Kristine Preziosi ’97 (permittee) and faculty member Julie Munro (trip leader) invited a small all-women’s group to join them on their 18-day river trip. A total of 13 women were a part of some portion of this adventure, and many were familiar faces to Prescott College. KP,

Julie, and current Master of Arts student Cecil Goodman ’16 floated the entire 18 days to Diamond Creek. Additional participants included faculty member Erin Lotz, faculty member and Kino Bay Director Lorayne Meltzer, Heidi Larraz, Mary Shackelton, Kate Pruitt Chapin ’10, Bard Wood Pace, Amber Fields, Abby Strauss Malcolm ’10, Kaitlin Boyle ’09, and former faculty member Laura Sewall.

Steve Munsell ’79 Faculty member Steve Munsell has been on a leave of absence from Prescott College, during which he completed a one-and-a-half-year term as the Associate Director of the Four Corners School of Outdoor Education. He worked on construction project management, field programs, and risk management while the school was building a new 17,000 square foot 10 million dollar campus and visitor center.

Delisa Myles, M.F.A.In June 2015, faculty member Delisa Myles headed a team of performance and video artists at Playa, a retreat for creative individuals, located in the Oregon outback. The group members included Mizu Desierto (Jill Roberts ’97), Miana Grafals ’99, Breanna Rogers, Ashley Fine, and Jayne Lee. Delisa was also chosen to perform at Breaking Ground Dance and Film Festival at Tempe Center for the Arts in the Ten Tiny Dances Series with Breanna Rogers and Ashley Fine. In July, 2015, Delisa opened Flying

Nest Movement Arts, a studio in downtown Prescott. The studio offers classes in dance, yoga meditation, martial arts and all types of movement education. www.flyingneststudio.com.

John Navazio, Ph.D.Former faculty member John Navazio has left the Organic Seed Alliance after a decade as its senior scientist to take over management of the plant-breeding program at Johnny’s Selected Seeds. Previously Navazio was a senior breeder at the Alf Christianson Seed Co. before co-founding the Organic Seed Alliance. He was on the faculty of the College of the Atlantic and Prescott College, where he taught courses in ecological agriculture and plant breeding for sustainable systems.

Pramod Parajuli, Ph.D.Over the spring 2015 semester Pramod Parajuli made several presentations and talks: “Regenerative Abundance: Soil to Supper Pedagogies,” at the Arizona State University School of Sustainability; “Learning to Garden and Gardening to Learn,” at the Mountain Oak School; and “Greener Technologies, Economies and Democracies, The Future is Beneath Our Feet: Soil, BioChar and Learning Gardens” and “Learning to Garden and Gardening to Learn” at Cal Poly, San Luis Obispo, in California.

Mark Riegner, Ph.D.Environmental Studies and Sustainability faculty member Mark Riegner had a coauthored paper published in the journal Waterbirds. Emily Clark, a past Research Fellow at Kino Bay, was lead author, Abram Fleishman ’08, also past Research Fellow, was a second co-author, and Mark was senior author. The paper, “Diversity, Abundance and Nesting Phenology of the Wading Birds of Bahia Kino, Sonora, Mexico,” included ecological research that goes back to 1989, when faculty member Tom Fleischner and Mark began surveying birds in the Kino Bay bioregion, as well as more recent breeding surveys conducted by the Prescott

Nicole Childs-Sondgeroth ’07 Nicole passed away on January 24, 2015. Nicole was a marine studies student and spent much of her time in Kino Bay. She will be missed.

Joshua Keultjes ’12 Joshua Lincoln Keultjes, age 28, passed away from an illness on Monday, August 10, 2015. Josh graduated from Prescott College with a double major in Education and Nonprofit Management. He served on the Prescott College Alumni Association Board for the previous three years. In addition, he was instrumental in forming the Prescott College Student Alumni Association (SAA) while still a student. Josh worked hard to foster school spirit, tradition, and pride at the College by coordinating dance-athons, BBQs, carnivals, and the College’s first spirit week in 2012. His soul was full of an abundance of love and kindness and he will be greatly missed by all.

Sher Shah Khan ’09 Sher Shah passed away in early 2016 at the age of 37. He was an enterprising young man who studied Environmental Design and helped document his and other students’ time at Prescott College through photography.

Paul Smith, Ph.D. ’12Submitted by Paul’s familyPaul C. Smith, a longtime Prescott College faculty member, died suddenly and unexpectedly on April 17, 2016. He was 55. He leaves an enormous hole in the hearts and lives of his beloved family, friends, colleagues, and students. Paul was an avid outdoorsman and lifelong learner and teacher. He devoted his life to those he loved, to adventure, and to nature-based experiential learning, becoming a well-known leader in the fields of equine-assisted learning and equine-assisted mental health. He actively sought out opportunities to explore, support, and facilitate the development of positive human potential.

Paul was born September 23, 1960, in Raleigh, N.C., and grew up in Greenbelt, Md. He received a Bachelor of Arts in Natural Science and Educational Perspectives from Earlham College in Earlham, Ind., in 1982; a Master of Arts in Transpersonal Counseling Psychology from Naropa University in Boulder, Colo., in 1995; and a Ph.D. in Sustainability Education from Prescott College in Prescott, Ariz., in 2012. From 1984 to 1992, Paul was on the staff of Voyageur Outward Bound School in Ely, Minn., running canoe-based and other wilderness programs in Minnesota, Canada, and southwest Texas.

He joined Prescott College in 1996 and served on both the undergraduate and graduate faculties. He founded and directed the College’s equine program and served as Executive Director of Centaur Leadership Services. Paul was also an instructor and facilitator at University of New Hampshire and the Browne Center in Durham, N.H., leading courses and workshops in relational leadership, emotional intelligence, and equine-assisted learning. With his unique blend of transpersonal counseling psychology and adventure/wilderness-based and equine-assisted learning, Paul brought a rich, holistic, and “non-denomina-tional” approach to leadership development and personal growth and transformation.

Memorials may be directed to the Paul Smith Memorial Fund for Equine Learning and Healing, at Prescott College, 220 Grove Ave., Prescott, AZ 86301, or made online at http://PaulSmithMemorial.kintera.org/. The College is also collecting short written stories about Paul. If you have a shared experience or teachable moments with Paul you’d like to share, please send them to Steve Pace at [email protected].

Celebrate Paul’s life with the wind in your hair, a smile on your face, and a twinkle in your eye, your boots on and your sleeves rolled up, listening for his gentle nudge to do something joyful and meaningful with “your one wild and precious life.”


In Mem

oriam

In Memoriam

Class Notes continued from page 31

service, humane education, and mental health. She offers mentorship and support to other humane educators, and phone counseling to those in crisis. She also teaches environmental and social ethics issues to college students, and is working on her next writing project.

Stefanie Argus M.A. Program ’17Stefanie served on the planning team of the World Association of Girl Guides & Girl Scouts’ Stop the Violence ACTIVATE Event. This “training of trainers” conference was held in Briarcliff Manor, N.Y., in October 2015. In addition to shaping the general content for the weeklong event, Stefanie facilitated the sessions Brave Spaces, Introduction to Gender-Based Violence, Myths & Harmful Beliefs of Gender-Based Violence, and Intersectionality.

Sarena Randall Gill Ph.D Program ’17 Sarena and Sam H. Ham presented You Keep Using that Word…, I Do Not Think it Means What You Think it Means at the National Association for Interpretation (NAI) National Conference in Virginia Beach, Va., in November 2015. While at the NAI National Conference, Sarena also presented at these panels: “Stronger Together: How Digital Media Adds Layers to Guided Interpretation,” and “Redefining Interviews: Searching for the Beacon on the Rocky Shore to Land the Best New Employee,” along with Kevin Wright. At the same conference, Sarena participated in an interactive panel session, “The Value of Interpretation at Zoos and Aquariums.” Sarena and faculty member Denise Mitten organized and led an experiential field opportunity to the Galápagos Islands, with optional addition of Quito and the cloud forest in Ecuador, May 20 through June 2, 2015.

Daniel S. Helman Ph.D. Program ’17 At the August 2015 conference of the European Consortium of Political Research (ECPR) at the Université de Montréal, Daniel presented his panel paper “Ice As a Novel Material for Solar Panels in Cold Climates: Potential for Adoption and Usage.” At the same conference he was discussant for a panel titled Conceptual Foundations of Earth System Governance, and participated as a speaker in Beer & Politics, a public debate program organized with other graduate student conference attendees. In October 2015, Daniel presented two versions of his paper titled “Scientific Creativity to Fuel Sustainability: Teaching Math and Science in a Way That Inspires and Heals”—first as a panel paper at ReDo: On Sustainability and Culture’s Role in Sustainable Futures, in Denmark, and then for geological engineering doctoral students at AGH University of Science and Technology in Krakow, Poland, at the invitation of Professor Katarzyna Cyran. In November 2015, at the Biorefineries: Science, Technology and Innovation for the Bioeconomy conference, in Concepción, Chile, Daniel presented a poster titled “Calcium Carbonate in Paper Production: Potential to Mitigate Climate Change,” in both Spanish and English. In the same month, at the Reconceptualizing the Origin of Life Conference, at the Carnegie Institution for Science in Washington, D.C., Daniel presented a poster titled “Using the Axiom of Choice as a Means of Inferring Consciousness in Systems: A Novel Perspective on System Analysis.” In December 2015 Daniel led classroom activities and a discussion (in Spanish) on the subject of sustainability for Universidad Libre, La Desuniversidad, in Valparaiso, Chile. In January 2016, Daniel presented a poster titled “Critical Review: Is Earth’s Outer Core Liquid or a High Density Plasma?” at a conference, Early Earth, Venus & Mars: Three Experiments in Biological Origins, held at the Earth Life Science Institute at the Tokyo Institute of Technology.

Mary A. Jackson Ph.D. Program ’17Mary presented How Matter Comes to Matter in Earthquake Prone Nepal/Himalaya at the New Materialist Politics and Economies of Knowledge conference at the University of Maribor, in Maribor, Slovenia, in October 2015.

Brett Mayer M.A. Program ’16Adventure Education student Brett Mayer had a short film in the running for the Kayak Session Short Film Awards. Alumnus Blake Keogh ’14 is one of the featured folks in the winter scenes.

Karen Walasek Ph.D. Program ’19 Karen co-facilitated a workshop that she developed with Ron Heacock for the Biosafety Alliance’s 2015 Soil Not Oil International Conference held in September in Richmond, Calif. Her workshop title was Changing the Shape of the Narrative: A Workshop for Writers Who Are Activists.

Shellie Zias-Roe Ph.D. Program ’17Shellie presented a design workshop, Rooted in AuthentiCITY, at the American Planning Association (APA) California Annual Conference in October 2015 in Oakland. The workshop explored the challenges and opportunities of applying ideas from ecology to the planning of cities.

Sweet DarknessWhen your eyes are tired

the world is tired also.

When your vision has gone

no part of the world can find you.

Time to go into the dark

where the night has eyes

to recognize its own.

There you can be sure

you are not beyond love.

The dark will be your womb

tonight.

The night will give you a horizon

further than you can see.

You must learn one thing.

The world was made to be free in.

Give up all the other worlds

except the one to which you belong.

Sometimes it takes darkness and the sweet

confinement of your aloneness

to learn

anything or anyone

that does not bring you alive

is too small for you.

- David Whyte

from The House of Belonging

©1996 Many Rivers Press



Of Interest

Dance Reunion Fall 2015Submitted by Delisa Myles and Liz Faller

The Prescott College Dance Reunion was held November 6-8, 2015. Many faces and dances stirred memories and emotions, whirling around in the past, mixed with the present. Liz and I received immense tribute from

students, which is fuel for the future, and at the same time feels like the climax or culmination of this time of our life. It’s a new phase of walking strongly into what’s next, tiptoeing too, for the fragility of new beginnings. Thank you to each of you who came, for making it a priority to be there. And thank you too, for those who couldn’t make it. Granite Performing Arts Center was thick with the spirit of every dance, of every person, every class that has unfolded there in the last 18 years and beyond. We know a secret that starts deep inside the body that has to be shared.

DANCE ON!

#Transitions Issue 2016 37

The Last Word

The Last Word

Kelly Payson-Roopchand’s book is a loving embrace of the family farm. Her

writing is eloquent and a pleasure to read. She guides us through her experience of buying a small farm in Maine and how that experience connects her to the six generations who called it home before her. Weaving her own farming story between describing the farm’s beginning and growth through history gives the reader a

deeper understanding of the impact of farming on families and the nation. Payson-Roopchand has a naturalist’s eye for detail. She describes with clarity and acuity the benefits and realities of living close to the land. Her story is filled with life and death, the struggle to sur-vive, and the appreciation that comes from working so closely with nature.

Birth and death demand our attention, the transformations reminding us of the tenuous place we all hold, the finite within the infinite embrace. But the infinite is no less present in between, in the quiet moments of growth, and here we are richly rewarded as farmers. We pause, hoe or pitchfork in hand, looking out over field or stock, resting our souls as much as our bodies. If we but notice these smallest of moments, do we not gain eternity? (p. 60)

The author earned a Ph.D. in Agricultural Communication and Education, and this background shows in her well-researched sto-ries, involving the trends and changes that have occurred on farms throughout the past 200 years, especially those in New England. The reader gets a sense of the technological changes, from ox-drawn plows to tractors, while also gaining an appreciation for how important community and friendship have been and continue to be to those living on a family farm. There is even the occasional sharing of a recipe that has been passed down from one generation to the next. One of the most impressive lessons displayed in this narrative is the positive effects of raising children on a family farm. In our era of video games and cell phones, it is refreshing to read about chil-dren being raised with a deep appreciation of the cycles of life and an understanding of where their food comes from. Payson-Roopchand deftly demonstrates the relevancy of her Pumpkin Vine Family Farm in today’s modern age. Not only is this book a pleasure to read, it also carries an important message about the benefits of remaining connected to the natural world.

As a Fulbright Fellow, Kelly Payson-Roopchand researched small farms in Trinidad, returning home with her own Trini farmer, her husband Anil. With their two children, Keiran and Sarita, Kelly and Anil are reviving Pumpkin Vine Family Farm, giving Kelly ample material to write about. To learn more about life on the farm, visit www.pumpkin-vinefamilyfarm.com or connect with them on Facebook.

Alumna Kelly Payson-Roopchand ’95 tells the story of a small farm in Somerville, Maine

Review by Richard Lewis, Prescott College Library Director

Birth, Death, and a Tractor: Connecting an old farm to a new family

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Advancement CommunicationsPrescott College220 GROVE AVENUEPRESCOTT, AZ 86301

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Recyclable All contents of this publication are printed on recycled FSC certified paper and are 100 percent recyclable.

Donations to these areas of the Annual Fund support line items already approved and defined within the College’s current fiscal year budget (like salaries, cost to occupy buildings, vehicle use, etc.). They are not additions and might not support special programs within each area. Should contributions exceed an area’s budget, the school reserves the option to direct use of contributions to another area of need.

THE CHOICEIS YOURS! As a donor, the choice is yours to direct your

Annual Fund gift to offset the basic operating expenses of a particular academic area:

• Adventure Education• Arts and Humanities• Environmental Studies/Sustainability• Psychology/Human Development• Social Justice/Global Studies• Teacher Education

Give today at www.af.kintera.org

transitions spring 2014 #

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