REPEAT TITLES IN TRACK & MEN’S HOOPS

FIN

E A

RTS

AMBITION & EXPANSION

DCOB EARNS AACSB ACCREDITATION

SPRING 2010

Greetings JU Alumni & Friends,Excitement is the best word to describe the feeling on campus today. So many wonderful things are in progress that it was hard to fit them all into one magazine.

The most visible change has been the construction of the Marine Science Research Institute, which is set to open at the end of summer (page 18). The resources that will be available to students in this facility will be another reason why this University is like none other.

Also adding to JU’s uniqueness is the recent accreditation of our Davis College of Business (page 8). I am proud to say that we now offer the only private, AACSB-accredited business program in North Florida.

Another college taking on ambitious projects is the College of Fine Arts, who for the first time took its students downtown to the Florida Theatre to showcase the musical “Chess” (page 4). The show is set to rival the Broadway touring version.

There was also a new series developed: The Dolphin Alumni Speaker Series (page 24). So far, we have featured three outstanding alumni who have shared stories of their lives after JU.

Let me again congratulate the Track and Field team, who won their fifth consecutive Atlantic Sun title (page 23). This is a result of our dedicated athletes, coaches and instructors who are determined to be the best.

Many more great things are in store for our University. I want to again encourage each of you to get in contact with us and plan your next visit to see what all the buzz is about!

Sincerely,

Kerry D. Romesburg

President

VOLUME 13 • NUMBER 2www.ju.edu

PUBLishER Kerry D. Romesburg

EditOR Traci Mysliwiec-Johnson

CREAtiVE diRECtOR Derek Hall

ARt diRECtOR Taryn Hannah

AssistANt EditOR Kristi Mace

PUBLiCAtiONs MANAgER Robin Bangert-Lenard

CONtRiBUtiNg WRitER Joel Lamp

CLAss NOtEs Patricia Reeves

MAiN NUMBER 904.256.8000

AdMissiONs 904.256.7000 admissions@ju.edu

ALUMNi 904.256.7201 alumni@ju.edu

UNiVERsity MARkEtiNg 904.256.7042 & COMMUNiCAtiONs media@ju.edu

REgistRAR 904.256.7091 cbarret@ju.edu

iNstitUtiONAL 904.256.7021 AdVANCEMENt dyazbec@ju.edu

PUBLishEd University Marketing & sEMi-ANNUALLy By Communications Office

ChANgE Of AddREss tO Institutional Advancement Jacksonville University 2800 University Blvd. N. Jacksonville, FL 32211-3394

JACKSONVILLE UNIVERSITY BOARD OF TRUSTEES

All contents © COPyRight 2010 Jacksonville University. All rights reserved.

Ron A. Autrey ’01

Margaret Black-scott ‘85 Walter P. Bussells Michael Cascone Jr. ‘65

Adrienne Conradtimothy P. Cost ‘81

kevin f. delaney Brian dudley ‘96, ‘05 Wayne A. gallowayJ. Phillip garcia ’90

John g. harrison ’67

Michael howland ’76

Cyrus M. JollivetteMatthew kane ’01

Jack keigwinBruce kernLawrence E. kurziusRaymond k. Mason, Jr. ’78

Michael J. Mckenny f. Andrew Moran ’78

Victoria M. Mussallem ’98 Elizabeth Anne P. Nimnichtfrank Pace ’73

timothy d. Payne Carole J. Poindexter ’77

gilbert J. Pomar, Jr. fred g. Pruitt ’69, ’85

kerry d. Romesburg h.W. shad (Mike) ’85

Linda Berry stein ’69

Chris A. Verlandergordon keith Watson ’71

terry L. Wilcox Carolyn Munro Wilson ’69, ’77, ’89

Charles J.O. Wodehouse

COVER

4 AMBITION & EXPANSION

fine Arts students Are Reaching New Levels

By kRisti MACE

dEPARtMENts

14 NEWs

20 sPORts

24 ALUMNi NEWs

28 ALUMNi EVENts

32 CLAss NOtEs

fEAtUREs

8 DAvIS COllEgE Of BuSINESS JOINS ElITE COMPANy

Earns AACsB Accreditation By tRACi MysLiWiEC-JOhNsON

12 Q&A: KEN OElRICH A soldier & A student

20 MEN’S BASKETBAll Repeats A-sun Championship

With an elaborate new production and upgraded facilities and equipment, Fine Arts students are achieving higher levels of performance experience. The latest production of “Chess” at the Florida Theatre downtown is the most challenging by JU yet. The improvements in the recording studio are already being used to produce new music and students are enjoying many of the newly donated pianos, too.

FINE ARTS STUDENTS ARE REACHING NEW LEVELSBY KRISTI MACE

AMBITION& EXPANSION

4 The Wave

WITH an elaborate new production and upgraded facilities and

equipment, Fine Arts students are achieving higher levels of performance

experience to further broaden their marketability after graduation. The latest

production, “Chess” at the Florida Theatre downtown, is the College’s most

challenging yet for its scope, style and use of multiple performance venues.

The improvements that have been made in the recording studio are already

being used to produce new music and students are busy practicing on

many of the newly donated pianos, including a one-of a-kind grand master

piano only a few colleges have the privilege to own.

CHESS A MUSICAL EXTRAVAGANZA

FOR THE SENSES By the time they graduate, most

musical theatre students will have performed in a variety of shows featuring

a range of music such as opera, pop, orchestral, disco and rock, among

others. However, try and fit all of those styles into one and you’ve got the

musical “Chess.”

Taking on the task this spring of producing a show of such grandeur are 18

JU students, many of whom are being pushed beyond their comfort zone.

“Out of all my performances, this one has challenged me the most,” said

Senior Greg Bosworth, who has been preparing for his lead role in what has

been coined as JU’s most ambitious musical theatre venture. “It was written

in the 80s and has some touches of pop belting, which is hard to do for two

hours in a show, let alone three months of rehearsal. I’ve got to belt some

really high notes and hold them for a really long time.”

Piece by piece, “Chess” the musical with lyrics by Tim Rice (“The Lion

King”) and music by Björn Ulvaeus and Benny Andersson (ABBA, “Mamma

Mia!”) is taking shape.

Not only is the show a vocal challenge, students have also been adjusting

to some unfamiliar territory, as the musical premieres in downtown

Jacksonville at the Florida Theatre on April 9.

“We’re approaching taking this show to the Florida Theatre like a touring

production,” said the director, Dr. Rob Tudor, assistant professor of music.

“This means, our students will experience moving in the set, costumes,

and props; setting the lights and band; walking through the show on a

cue-to-cue shortened rehearsal; and opening all in the same day. It’s

new for all of us, but we are excited about the challenge, and have

been preparing for it since its inception.”

EXPANSION

“It was important for us to take our musical theatre team to

a bigger venue as a way to help them grow,” said Bill Hill,

dean of The College of Fine Arts. “They have to be able to

adapt to a different stage and become aware of the angles

of the audience and how to properly fit in the set design. The

experience will be as real-world as it gets for them.”

The show was such a challenge that many of the lead roles

had to be double-casted.

“The lead roles are very challenging for young voices to

sing,” said Tudor. “Rock-style musical theatre is very taxing on

the voice, and all of our students are learning and practicing

healthy singing habits. They were a bit suspicious of being

double cast at first, but are understanding why I did it now

that we’re running acts back to back.”

Bosworth along with Sophomore Stephen Johns play

Anatoly Sergievsky, a Russian who is the current World Chess

Champion about to challenge American Freddie Trumper

(played by Sophomores Erick Crow and Dean Winter); all in the

context of a Cold War struggle between the United States and

the Soviet Union, during which both countries wanted to win

international chess tournaments for propaganda purposes.

The show also includes Senior Nina

Waters and Sophomore Taylor

Anderson who play Florence Vassy,

Freddie’s manager who falls in love with Anatoly. Senior Lukas

Cyr plays Ivan Molokov, Anatoly’s manager; and Senior Vincent

Teschel appears as Walter Anderson, a secret CIA agent.

“The show is a melodic, daring, witty and ambitious musical.

I have loved seeing what was once believed as too chal-

lenging of a show for JU to produce now come to fruition,”

said Tudor, who has directed musically some of JU’s largest

productions like “Ragtime,” “Oklahoma!” and “Company.”

“Dr. Tudor is a phenomenal director,” said Winter. “He has

definitely challenged me to connect with my character in an area

of my life that I have been skeptical to tap. His constant push

in finding the best objective for every scene has been a key

component to the passion that is coming through in this show.”

The show is set to not only dazzle the ears but the eyes as

it will include chess pieces that double as usable furniture

pieces. There will also be two-dimensional artwork shown in

the background.

“This is truly going to be a spectacular collaborative and

comprehensive production,” said Hill.

The show will also be held at JU’s Swisher

Theatre on April 16 and 17. To order tickets

for the Swisher Theatre showing, call

904.256.7370.

TESCHEL

WATERS BOSWORTH CYR

It began last spring, a project to replace more than two dozen

pianos that sparked excitement and renewed a sense of pride

in the JU music department.

It was during a concert as Assistant Professor of Piano Scott

Watkins led his music students through their first class recital

that he got the surprise of a lifetime.

“Carolyn Munro Wilson ’69, ’77, ’89, was so impressed with

the students that she came up to me immediately following

the concert and offered to purchase a new concert piano,”

said Watkins. “That was followed with a matching donation

by former Board of Trustee member Mary Virginia Terry, as

well as a few other donations.”

As a result, the Steinway Concert Grand Piano was replaced with

a Shigeru-Kawai EX Concert Grand Piano that now sits proudly

in Terry Concert Hall. According to Watkins, this is the only piano

of its kind in Florida, and one of only a very few in the country.

For purchasing the piano, the Kawai Company is installing a

completely new suite of electronic keyboard instruments as

A lot of hard work goes into producing a record, and the

renovations made to the P-19 studio theatre in the Fine Arts

Hall have been making it easier for students this spring.

Equipped with a new booth, the studio now serves as a

professional recording studio.

According to Assistant Professor of Music Business and

Dolphinium Records Adviser Dr. Thomas Harrison, the quality

of the sound in the room has increased significantly, giving

their “thank you” gift to the University. In addition, two new

grand pianos and two vertical (upright) pianos have been

installed in practice rooms. The Sam Marks Chapel, where

the choir rehearses, also has a new medium-sized grand

piano. Professors Marguerite Richardson and John Ricci also

have new studio verticals.

“This has been one of the most targeted quality improvements

for our facilities,” said Ricci. “I’m already enjoying having

an excellent piano for illustrating harmonies/concepts and

accompanying my students, who are already playing better

because of it.”

As more donations are made, more pianos (about 28 in all)

will be replaced.

The new pianos feature carbon-fiber technology in much

of the operating mechanism (action) of the instruments.

According to Watkins, that will help to reduce the amount of

maintenance and repair on the pianos which will be heavily

used and fight the negative effects humidity and temperature

fluctuation have on wooden parts.

students the ability to create more accurate mixes

and translate them to a lot of different environments such

as Ipods.

With the goal of introducing a new CD and a new artist each

year, Dolphinium Records, the student-run, campus based

record label for JU, is already using the upgraded studio to

produce three CDs from the bands “Inside the Target Car,”

“Dancell” and “Newborn Thriller.”

RECORDING STUDIO RENOVATED

NEW ADDITIONS STIR UP ENTHUSIASM

Davis College of Business Joins E lite Company

Accreditation is Good for Students, Good for JU and Good for Jacksonville

BY

TRA

CI M

YSLI

WIE

C-JO

HN

SON

In January, Jacksonville

University’s Davis College of Business (DCOB)

joined the elite company of the five percent

of institutions worldwide that have earned

accreditation from the Association to Advance

Collegiate Schools of Business International

(AACSB). After a long arduous process, the

DCOB now offers the only private, AACSB-

accredited business program in North Florida.

This impressive accomplishment resonated

even more when the November evaluation

yielded a clean report. Most schools expect

there to be stipulations about areas that need

to be improved to earn the official accreditation

and the DCOB had none.

Officially announced by AACSB Jan. 7, the

University celebrated the achievement with

a reception on Feb. 4 in the DCOB. Alumni,

faculty and trustees gathered to mark the

occasion and reminisce in a crowd that

included Dan Davis and Chairman of the Board

of Trustees, Ron Autrey, along with former

presidents Dr. James Brady and Dr. Frances

Bartlett Kinne.

“With much thanks to donors, trustees, faculty

and our students, we met all 20 standards

of evaluation,” said McCann. “This is good

for our students, good for us and good for

Jacksonville. It’s not just a transitional event,

but a transformative event.”

Current students and alumni alike will reap

the benefits of the value the accreditation

WE WERE All A BIT SHOCKED WHEN WE REAlIZED THAT WE HAD A ClEAN REvIEW WITH fOuR Of OuR CuRRENT

PRACTICES AlSO RECOgNIZED AS ‘BEST PRACTICES’ By AACSB,” SAID DR. JOSEPH MCCANN, DEAN Of THE DCOB.

“WE’vE lEARNED THAT ABOuT ONE IN 10 SCHOOlS HAvE THAT OCCuR WHIlE EARNINg INITIAl ACCREDITATION. THAT

SAyS A lOT ABOuT THE lEvEl Of fACulTy, STAff, STuDENT AND ADMINISTRATIvE SuPPORT PROvIDED IN THE EffORT.

adds to their degrees. Accreditation assures

students, parents and the public that a school

adheres to the highest-quality standards

based on the latest research and professional

practices. An accredited school must continue

to demonstrate that it is growing, not just

maintaining existing standards during regular

review cycles.

Exemplifying that growth, accreditation isn’t

the only new development in DCOB. They’ve

also reconfigured the Accelerated and Flex

Master of Business Administration (MBA)

programs, added the Mayo Clinic Executive

Health Program to the Executive MBA (EMBA),

brought in three new Executives-in-Residence

(see sidebar on page 11), started a blog (http://

judaviscollegeofbusinessblog.ju.edu/),

hosted the Political Leadership Institute (PLI)

and joined the Partnership for Responsible

Management Education (PRME), which is

sponsored by the UN Global Compact.

“All business schools today have to continu-

ously change as much and as fast — preferably

faster — than world conditions change. This

means staying in touch with those conditions

and their implications for businesses and our

graduates so that they are best prepared,” said

McCann. “We systematically benchmark our

programs against those of the top business

schools in the world, not just locally, to be sure

that we are responsive. To our pleasant surprise,

we’ve also innovated in terms of content and

program design beyond many of those.”

Spring 2010 9

The MBA programs have adapted to

today’s student needs, offering the Davis

Accelerated and Flex MBA options along

with the EMBA. The full-time, Accelerated

day program includes 12 months of

continuous study designed to help launch

a professional career as many undergrads

move right into this program. Tailored for

experienced, working professionals, the

Flex program is paced in conveniently-

scheduled evening courses.

As part of the Mayo initiative, EMBA

students will receive a preventative medi-

cal examination by specialists in the Mayo

Clinic Executive Health Program designed

for top-level executives, including a

complete checkup and comprehensive

lifestyle assessment. Mayo Clinic and the

DCOB will jointly design a series of short

seminars, briefings and workshops to be

delivered by Mayo Clinic staff focusing on

the connections between mind, body and

human performance and will be woven

into the Davis EMBA curriculum.

Started at the beginning of the last

academic term with contributions by

faculty and administrators providing

content for readers interested in business

and leadership issues, the blog highlights

discussions of newly-released studies,

presentations, articles and teasers into

recent developments in the field.

“‘Relevance’ and ‘academic-business

linkages’ are the key themes. We blog

about topics that are relevant to our

business community and to our students,”

said McCann, the initial force behind the

project. “Similarly, part of our mission is to

link business academic developments to

our scholarship.”

The relationships that the DCOB has been

cultivating have already grown and started

to reap the benefits for students.

“Our hosting of the PLI through the Davis

Leadership Center is also helping identify

and prepare North Florida’s next genera-

tion of public leaders, some of whom are

our alumni. And, of course, there is our

early joining of the PRME,” explained

McCann. “PRME has connected us with the

leading business schools and companies

in the world, all of whom are dedicated to

creating sustainable economies and ethical

professional practices. PRME makes us

smarter and engages students in the larger

world in which they must function.”

Everyone involved is feeling a renewed

enthusiasm with the new developments

and are all energized by the new begin-

ning and the chance to build on it. Now,

with accreditation already earned, the

DCOB looks forward to future innovation

and growth.

The Aviation Program, for example, is

nationally recognized and has tremendous

opportunities ahead of it. The Davis

Leadership Center will also respond

to very significant opportunities in

developing talent management programs

for companies, as well as capitalizing

on growing competence in developing

leaders who understand the power of

public-private partnerships.

THE DCOB IS fAR fROM fINISHED IN ITS EvOluTION, AND WHIlE CHANgE IS SOME-

TIMES uNCOMfORTABlE THERE IS NO AlTERNATIvE. WE HAvE TO MAKE OuR CuRRENT

PROgRAMS WORK EvEN BETTER AND gROW THEM SuBSTANTIAlly MORE,” SAID

MCCANN. “WE PROMISE TO DO OuR BEST TO MAKE CuRRENT AND fuTuRE CHANgE

AS SMOOTH AS POSSIBlE, BuT THE WORlD IS MOvINg fAST AND SO MuST All Of uS.

DAN DAvIS WITH DEAN MCCANN IN fRONT Of THE NEW AACSB PlAQuE IN THE DCOB lOBBy

Alvin Brown, an expert in

public policy and public-private partner-

ships, R. John Kaegi, former chief strategy

officer for Blue Cross and Blue Shield of

Florida (BCBSF), and Glenn Hansen, a

former senior vice president of the Federal

Reserve Bank of Chicago, have joined JU’s

Davis College of Business as Executives-

in-Residence.

Brown, president and CEO of the Willie Gary

Classic Foundation, served as the executive

director of the Bush/Clinton Katrina Fund’s

Interfaith Fund. As former Vice President Al

Gore’s Senior Advisor for Urban Policy and

Vice Chair of the White House Community

Empowerment Board, Brown advised

both Gore and President Clinton. He held a

number of other key positions, including as a

senior advisor in the Commerce and Housing

and Urban Development departments.

Brown graduated from JU with a Bachelor

of Science and a Master of Business

Administration. He has also completed

post graduate work at the Kennedy School

of Government at Harvard University. He

has served on the JU Board of Trustees

and Board of Directors of the Jacksonville

Regional Chamber of Commerce.

Kaegi applies 40 years of corporate

business experience to a new focus

on teaching. His recent role at BCBSF

included facilitation of the processes

and meetings of the corporate strategy

committee and he was deeply involved in

shaping health care reform. He also pro-

vided corporate leadership over solutions

innovation to identify new opportunities in

the marketplace.

Kaegi holds a Bachelor of Science from

the University of Oregon and a Master

of Business Administration from the

University of Memphis.

Hansen was responsible for the Detroit

branch of the Federal Reserve Bank

and served on the Bank’s Management

Committee as well as System committees.

He has more than 35 years of managerial

experience. Currently, Hansen is the

president and founder of STRATEGIC

INTEGRATION, INC., which specializes in

executive consulting, business acumen

training and financial literacy efforts.

He earned a Bachelor of Science degree

and a Master of Business Administration

degree from Loyola University of Chicago.

Hansen also attended the Advanced

Management Program at the Harvard

Business School.

lEfT TO RIgHT: KAEgI, BROWN & HANSEN AT THE ACCREDITATION RECEPTION

DAN DAvIS WITH DEAN MCCANN IN fRONT Of THE NEW AACSB PlAQuE IN THE DCOB lOBBy

D COB Welcomes T hree Ne w Ex ec ut iv es-in-Reside nce

Spring 2010 11

AFTER BEING INSPIRED BY THE Marine Corps, Ken Oelrich decided to join the

many brave soldiers who are traveling across

the globe to fight in the “war on terror.” The

Wave had the opportunity to learn more about

his unique journeys abroad, as well as having a

father who serves in the state senate, and how he

now helps lead the JU football team to victory.

WHAT DID YOUR DAD (FLORIDA STATE SENATOR STEVE OELRICH) THINK ABOUT YOU GOING INTO THE MILITARY DURING A TIME OF WAR?

My dad has always been supportive of my

decisions and this one was no different. I had

impeccable timing and shipped off for boot camp

in July of 2001. The terrorist attacks occurred about

a month before I graduated boot camp and I didn’t

learn of the extent of the damage until I left Parris

Island. When I decided to re-enlist, for the sole

purpose of doing a combat deployment, neither

KEN OELRICHA SOLDIER & A STUDENT

he nor my mother ever told me to reconsider. I

appreciate that and love and respect them very

much for the support they have given me.

YOU SERVED TWO TOURS. WHAT WERE THE EXPERIENCES LIKE?

I did two deployments during my second enlist-

ment while I was serving with the 2nd Batallion, 5th

Marine Regiment, or 2/5 as we call it. The first was a

deployment to South East Asia where we trained in

Okinawa, South Korea and Thailand. We conducted

landslide relief for a village in the Philippines that

had been hit hard by the natural disaster. We also

visited Iwo Jima, which is the site of the famous

flag raising photo and the Marine Corps’ most

famous battle.

The second deployment was to the Al Anbar

Providence in Iraq. Our first three months, we

were in Ramadi conducting counter-insurgency

operations. Iraq is an eye-opening experience. The

extreme poverty and living conditions make you

understand just how blessed we all are to live in

America. Getting to know and talk to the people

and hearing their stories firsthand was remarkable.

The majority of Americans get their information

from a very politically-biased media and to be able

to see the changes and improvements unfiltered,

for myself, made it all worth it. Did bad things

happen in Iraq? Absolutely. But much worse things

were happening before America ever showed up

and now, Iraq and its people are more free than

they have ever been before and I’m proud of that.

DO YOU THINK YOUR EXPERIENCES HAVE INFLUENCED YOUR DAD’S POLITICAL DECISIONS?

Well, my dad doesn’t have much say on U.S.

foreign policy but I doubt the fact that his son

was serving overseas would sway him to make

a decision other than what is best for the people

12 The Wave

he represents. He’s a strong leader with strong

principles so I have faith in the decisions he makes.

WHAT WAS THE MOST CHALLENGING EXPERIENCE YOU HAD IN IRAQ?

Probably the boredom. Even in the infantry, it’s

not like you walk outside everyday and step into

a “Rambo” movie. A vast majority of the time on

patrol or on post, you are just bored out of your

mind. So you just had to do your best to stay

focused on your mission and on your down time,

keep yourself entertained.

WHY DID YOU CHOOSE TO ATTEND JU?

After being away for eight years, I wanted to move

back somewhere close to my family in Gainesville and

I wanted to play football. JU offered that combina-

tion of a small-school environment with a quality

football program. The fact that Coach Bell was here

also let me know this was the right place for me.

TEAMMATES CALL YOU SARGE (SHORT FOR SERGEANT) ON THE JU FOOTBALL TEAM. DO YOU THINK OTHER STUDENTS LOOK UP TO YOU KNOWING HOW MUCH YOU HAVE EXPERIENCED?

I just try to carry myself with confidence and

conduct my business like a professional and if that

rubs off on my teammates then that’s great. Good

leadership is not to tell people you’re a leader, it’s

to show them. While in the Marine Corps, I tried to

give my Marines a good example to follow and if

they ever made a mistake or needed a correction

then I was there to make sure that mistake didn’t

happen again, and that’s no different than on a

football team. I have been the “new guy” enough to

know that you don’t just barge your way onto a new

team and start demanding respect. In order to be

a great leader you have to be a good follower and

right now, as a new member of this team, my job is

to follow our senior leaders and to help the team in

any way I can to achieve another championship.

WHAT ARE YOUR FUTURE GOALS?

I’d like to work in the NFL one day. I love business

and I love football, so I can think of no better

combination. It is a hard business to get into but I

have no doubt that I can succeed.

WOULD YOU EVER GO BACK TO IRAQ?

WITHOUT A DOUBT.

Spring 2010 13

HASKELL ENCOURAGES GRADUATES TO IMPROVE JACKSONVILLE COMMUNITY

WAVE    |  NEWS

THE RAIN DIDN’T DAMPEN THE enthusiasm and cheer of the friends and

family of the more than 300 students who

received their degrees at the annual fall com-

mencement ceremony in December. Keynote

speaker Preston H. Haskell, III, founder and

chairman of The Haskell Company, spoke

about how the world has changed since they

entered the University.

“You’re entering a world which is quite dif-

ferent from when you matriculated,” Haskell

said. “All of you will have opportunities and

challenges on the global, national and local

levels to respond to the complexities these

changes represent.”

He talked to graduates and their families

about the changes that need to be made

to fix the current state of the economy

and the environment on both the global

and local stages.

“I hope many of you will stay in this com-

munity and think of ways to improve the

city and commit your resources,” Haskell

said. “JU has a history of bringing more

of you into Jacksonville than sending

from it.”

He closed with a directive for students

to push themselves to create change to

enhance their world.

“I HOPE I’VE GIVEN YOU A SMALL

GLIMPSE OF THE COMPLICATED

WORLD YOU ARE ENTERING THAT

HAS CHANGED SO MUCH,” HASKELL

SAID. “I CHALLENGE YOU TO USE YOUR

TALENTS, INSIGHT AND INTELLECT TO

MAKE A BETTER WORLD, A BETTER

NATION AND A BETTER CITY.”

An honorary doctor of humane letters was

conferred on Haskell. “When I arrived in

Jacksonville, I was told there were four or

five people I had to meet,” said President

Kerry D. Romesburg. “Preston Haskell was

one of them. He is such a leader — for art, for

education, for business — it is an honor to

have him with us today.”

Haskell graduated with honors from Princeton

University with a Bachelor of Science in civil

engineering in 1960. He earned a Master

of Business Administration with distinction

from Harvard Business School in 1962. He

also attended Massachusetts Institute of

Technology for graduate study in building

engineering and construction. In Jacksonville

and nationally, Haskell has been involved in

community, civic and industry leadership.

The graduates included 272 undergraduates

receiving bachelor’s degrees. Of those, 139

were nursing students. Master’s degrees

were bestowed on 35 graduate students,

including 25 in business administration, six in

nursing and two in education.

Fanya Sabrina DeJesus received a standing

ovation when Romesburg brought her back

up to the stage to acknowledge that she had

not only earned her Master’s of Nursing degree,

but also her Master of Business Administration.

The University’s Navy ROTC Program

commissioned one officer, Patrick Gibbons.

JU’s NROTC program also serves students

at the University of North Florida and Florida

Community College at Jacksonville.

DEJESUS GIBBONS

14 The Wave

Industries of Florida (AIF). Verlander joined

AIF from American Heritage Life Insurance

Company and American Heritage Life

Investment Corporation in Jacksonville.

Verlander retired after 29 years with

American Heritage to join the AIF staff.

He is a past president of both the Florida

Insurance Council and the Gator Bowl

Association. Verlander serves on the board

of directors of SunTrust Bank of North Florida

and Baptist South Hospital. He is a member

of the Rotary Club of Jacksonville and a

board member of Baptist Towers Retirement

Home. He also participates on the Florida

Insurance Council Board, the Management

School Advisory Board at Georgia Tech and

the Executive Committee of Boy Scouts of

America, North Florida Chapter.

Verlander graduated from the Georgia

Institute of Technology in 1970 with a

Bachelor of Science in industrial manage-

ment. In 1971, he received a Master of

Business Administration from the University

of Florida. He spent a year as Second

Lieutenant in the U. S. Army.

POINDEXTER, VERLANDER AND KURZIUS JOIN BOARD OF TRUSTEES

in 2008 and JU’s Distinguished Alumna

award in 2009.

After JU, Poindexter went on to become a

Florida CPA in 1980 and earn a Master of

Business Administration from the University

of North Florida in 1981.

Kurzius is president — International Business

for McCormick & Company, Inc. He is

responsible for McCormick’s consumer and

industrial businesses in Europe, the Middle

East and Africa, Canada, Asia, Australia and

emerging markets. Previously, he served as

the company’s president for Europe, Middle

East and Africa starting in 2007 and president

of U.S. Consumer Foods in 2005 and 2006.

Kurzius joined McCormick’s in 2005 as vice

president and general manager of sales

and marketing following the acquisition of

Zatarain’s in 2003. He joined Zatarain’s in

1991 and became president and CEO in 1997.

Kurzius graduated from Princeton Univer-sity,

Magna Cum Laude in economics.

Verlander is senior vice president of

Corporate Development for Associated

JACKSONVILLE UNIVERSITY

welcomes Carole J. Poindexter ’77, Chris A.

Verlander and Lawrence E. Kurzius to the

University’s Board of Trustees.

“NEW BOARD MEMBERS BRING

FRESH PERSPECTIVES AND

ENTHUSIASM,” SAID PRESIDENT

KERRY D. ROMESBURG. “WE’RE

THRILLED THAT CAROL, LAWRENCE

AND CHRIS ARE JOINING THE BOARD

BECAUSE EACH INDIVIDUAL BRINGS

WITH THEM A UNIQUE BACKGROUND

AND INNOVATIVE IDEAS THAT WILL

HELP US GROW THE UNIVERSITY.”

Poindexter is the president and CEO of Baker

Distributing Company. She started as a staff

accountant at Baker Distribution and rose to

treasurer, CFO and CEO. She is a Chamber

of Commerce Trustee, a governing body

member of the Athena Power Link, as well as

a member of the Davis College of Business’

advisory board.

Poindexter was honored with the Jacksonville

Business Journal Woman of Influence award

POINDEXTER VERLANDER KURZIUS

WAVE    |  NEWS

HUCKABEE TALKS ABOUT PROBLEMS IN U.S. POLITICAL SYSTEM

AS HE WAS FACING A MEDIA frenzy due to a decision he made in 2000

while he was the governor of Arkansas,

Mike Huckabee spoke to JU students and

the community on Dec. 2 in a packed

Swisher Theatre.

A prospective 2012 GOP presidential candi-

date, Huckabee came under fire because of

the clemency order he signed for Maurice

Clemmons. At the time, he thought 108 years

was excessive for a burglary and robbery

committed when Clemmons was a 16-year-

old. The week before his visit, nine years

later, Clemmons is thought to have shot and

killed four Seattle-area police officers.

After a reception with student leadership in

the Terry Concert Hall, local media questioned

him along with CNN before his speech.

He said his order cut Clemmons’ sentence

down to 47 years. Nobody involved with the

case — the law enforcement, prosecutors or

judges — protested the action, he said. And

it was up to the parole board to authorize

Clemmons’ release.

“I’D GIVE ANYTHING IF I COULD

ROLL THE CLOCK BACK AND MAKE A

DECISION ON WHAT WAS GOING TO

HAPPEN,” HUCKABEE SAID. “I DON’T

KNOW HOW I WAS SUPPOSED TO

KNOW THE FUTURE. THERE WAS NO

FUTURE. NOBODY AT THAT POINT WAS

SAYING HE’S A COP KILLER.”

Huckabee finished second to John McCain in

his 2008 run for the Republican nomination.

When asked about the possibility of running

for president in 2012, Huckabee said he

thought it was too early to decide.

“That political race is three years from now.

Barack Obama hasn’t even been president for

a year yet. We haven’t had the 2010 elections,

let’s get those behind us,” he said. “Right

now, it’s a bit offensive to the families of those

police officers to talk about it at this point.”

JU students asked him about the tax system,

student loans and whether young people

should go into politics. They laughed at

his jokes like the one about how “being a

Republican in Arkansas is like being a fire

hydrant in a neighborhood full of big dogs.”

He mentioned faculty should give any

student attended a full letter grade bonus for

showing up, bringing cheers from the crowd.

Then he joked, “That’ll make the faculty mad,

but on most campuses, the faculty doesn’t

like me anyway.”

He spoke of the problems with the current

political system, not particularly praising his

own party or criticizing the other. Talking

about the problems facing the economy, he

said, “I’m not blaming Barack Obama, I’m

blaming it on the system.”

Referring to what is being called the health

care crisis, he said, “We don’t have a health

care crisis as much as we have a health crisis.”

FORMER GOVERNOR & PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE VISITED JU DURING MEDIA FIRESTORM

HUCKABEE SPEAKS TO THE PRESS

16 The Wave

DUNN ENTERTAINS STUDENTS WITH AWARD-WINNING POETRY

NURSING STUDENTS LEARN WITH ELECTRONIC MEDICAL FILES

PULITZER PRIZE AND ACADEMY

Award-winning poet Stephen Dunn was both

personable and mysterious as he sat quietly

signing books and glancing from face to face

on Jan. 29 in Usen Auditorium. His winter

visit brought both laughter and intrigue to the

students, staff and faculty in attendance.

“STEPHEN’S POETRY READING

SKILLS ARE STILL SUPERIOR AND

MASTERFUL,” SAID DR. PETE

MOBERG, ASSISTANT PROFESSOR OF

COMMUNICATIONS.

“His poems are concerned with anxieties,

fears, joys and problems common to the

average person attempting to make sense of

21st-century American life. What he called his

grumpy complaint poems were about how

AT THE BEGINNING OF THE spring semester, School of Nursing students

began using a new program known as the

Cerner Academic Education Solution.

The program, developed by Cerner Corp.,

simulates the kinds of electronic medical

records that are being adopted by hospitals

and physicians’ offices across the country.

Each nursing student received a log-in

identification and a password to use the

system, which runs on the Internet and can

be accessed from any computer.

“It will speed up their training and hopefully

make our JU grads more attractive for hiring,”

said Carla Fry, an assistant nursing professor.

As the education manager for Baptist Health,

Fry trained nurses, doctors and others on the

people abuse the English language but were

never given over to pessimism or excess.”

Dunn began by stating that he usually tries

to read a poem that is “pertinent to where

he finds himself.” Therefore, being in Florida

he started with “The Girl in the Neon Tank

Top.” The poem followed a young girl and her

encounter with a young man. This meeting

marked a new day in the girl’s life. She saw

that she no longer required the bright colors

and flamboyant styles to find her place in

the world, but could instead embrace simply

growing and being.

Dunn followed with poems that addressed

social, emotional and intellectual issues.

He referred to these poems as “complaint

poems.” He delivered them with a calmness

Cerner system used at Baptist South. When

the Jacksonville hospital opened in 2005, it

was the hospital operator’s first to become

all-electronic. Today, three of Baptist’s five

hospitals use electronic records.

The JU student program does virtually

everything that the professional version

does, Fry said. Among other things, it keeps

patients’ medical histories, allows nurses

to create a care plan and warns caretakers

whenever a patient is prescribed a drug that

interacts with another.

The educational software is part of an

overhaul of the nursing school’s practice facil-

ity. Congress included $250,000 under the

JU-Baptist Health of Northeast Florida Health

Information Technology Initiative, which was a

part of a 2010 appropriations bill.

that made any underlying turmoil seem

nonexistent. His poems “Criminal,” “Scape-

goat” and “Language of Love” had a much

more serious tone but still maintained a

demure reflection.

He ended with “On the Airplane” which

seemed to express his previous statement

that “because language is indiscriminate, it is

very hard to be brave enough to make sense.”

Showing support for the initiative was

House of Representatives member Ander

Crenshaw who represents Florida’s Fourth

Congressional District.

“WE ARE EXTREMELY

APPRECIATIVE OF THE EFFORT

THAT ANDER HAS PUT FORTH

IN SECURING THIS IDEA,”

SAID PRESIDENT KERRY D.

ROMESBURG. “THIS WILL BE

ENORMOUSLY BENEFICIAL TO NOT

ONLY OUR UNIVERSITY BUT THE

ENTIRE COMMUNITY.”

Supporters say that electronic records

improve efficiency and reduce the risk of

medical errors, leading to hopes that they will

help reduce America’s $2.2 trillion in annual

health care spending.

Spring 2010 17

WAVE    |  NEWS

MARINE SCIENCE RESEARCH INSTITUTE SET TO OPEN THIS SUMMER

THE MARINE SCIENCE RESEARCH

Institute (MSRI) is scheduled to open “on

time and on budget,” according to Dr.

Quinton White, executive director of the

MSRI. Faculty and staff will move in as the

facility will open its doors in July and classes

will begin in the fall.

The Institute will serve as an on-campus

learning community providing research

opportunities for JU students, visiting high

school and college students, scholars,

scientists and engineers engaged in research

involving local, state and national ecosys-

tems. The building will be LEED certified with

rain water harvesting capabilities, a solar

hot water heater and have natural lighting in

regular occupied space. The marine science

department is developing a master’s degree

program as well.

“THIS IS GOING TO BE AN AWE-

INSPIRING NEW VENUE FOR MARINE

SCIENCE CLASSES, OFFERING

A UNIQUE COMBINATION OF A

PRIVATE UNIVERSITY SETTING, STATE

RESEARCH AND CHEMISTRY LABS

WITH PUBLIC SCHOOL SYSTEMS,” SAID

WHITE. “THE MSRI AND ITS EXPANDED

RESEARCH AND EDUCATION CAPACITY

IS AN EXCITING STEP FOR JU, THE CITY

AND THE ST. JOHNS RIVER.”

To see the current progress of the construc-

tion of the MSRI, visit www.ju.edu/msri.

CARLSON TO RETIRE AFTER MORE THAN THREE DECADES

THE JACKSONVILLE UNIVERSITY

community would like to thank Dr. Jon O.

Carlson for his many years of dedicated service

to the University’s Division of Music and wish

him success in his future endeavors. Carlson will

officially retire after the spring 2010 semester.

As the director of choral activities and profes-

sor of music, Carlson has led more than 300

performances by the Concert Choir, Chamber

Singers and Men’s and Women’s Choruses

of JU. Carlson joined the music faculty in

1978 and from 1991 to 2001 served as chair

of the Division.

During his tenure as chair, he increased

enrollment for music majors from 64

to 97 from 1991 to 1995; initiated JU’s

annual Music Day; created the first recital

handbook for music students; initiated the

music division’s web site and converted the

acoustic piano lab in the Philips Fine Arts

Hall to a digital lab/music technology lab,

among other achievements.

Also retiring this year are Julia Ann Andrae,

assistant professor of nursing, Carole Cayer,

associate professor of nursing and CAPT.

Jerry Terrell, professor of Aeronautics.

WHITE AT THE MSRI CONSTRUCTION SITE

18 The Wave

PORDELI PRESENTS NATIONAL STUDY OF WOMEN-OWNED BUSINESSES

• If women-owned businesses were their own

country, they would have the fifth largest

Gross Domestic Product in the world, ahead

of France, the United Kingdom and Italy.

• Industries where women-owned

businesses have the highest revenues

include Professional and technical

services, Retail and wholesale, Business

services and Communications and

Administrative support.

The study was commissioned by Walmart,

the National Women’s Business Council and

the Center for Women’s Business Research in

Washington D.C.

Pordeli. “The rate of women entrepreneurs

starting a new business has grown rapidly in

recent years, and most of these firms do not

yet have employees — just 20% of women-

owned businesses have employees. Our

research indicated that once a firm has grown

enough to hire employees, what has followed

has been substantial growth. This indicates

a vast, untapped potential for greater growth

and makes a compelling case for increased

funding, training and procurement dollars for

women-owned businesses.”

OTHER MAJOR FINDINGS INCLUDE:

• Approximately 8% of the total labor force

work directly for a woman-owned firm.

PROFESSOR OF ECONOMICS and

Finance Dr. Hassan Pordeli, co-authored a study

last fall entitled “The Economic Impact of Women-

Owned Businesses in the United States.”

Pordeli presented the results at the 2009

National Economic Summit for Women

Business Owners in October, which revealed

that women-owned firms are responsible for

more than $2 trillion in total economic output

and create some 11 million jobs.

“We believe the findings from this research

will provide critical knowledge that will help

to propel women-owned businesses toward

further growth and greater profitability,” said

EMPLOYEE GIVING CONTINUES TO IMPROVE IN TOUGH TIMES

EDUCATION THAT IS PROVIDED BY JU,”

SAID GRADY JONES, VICE PRESIDENT

OF INSTITUTIONAL ADVANCEMENT.

Nine departments were recognized for 100

percent participation. To make a donation, visit

www.ju.edu/giving

DURING THE 75TH ANNIVERSARY

celebrations, our employees, like our alumni

and friends, were proud to celebrate and

honor Jacksonville University’s past and rich

history. Numbers continued to rise, bringing

in 65 percent participation, beating last year’s

high of 62 percent.

Many used the anniversary as an opportunity

to make their gift in honor of a coworker or

beloved faculty member. This year, there were

incentives provided for all levels of contribu-

tions to The JU Fund. In a difficult economy, the

University was pleased to see how important

supporting the school was to employees.

“OUR EMPLOYEES REALIZE THAT

DURING THESE TOUGH ECONOMIC

TIMES, IT IS AS IMPORTANT AS EVER

TO GIVE BACK TO JU TO ENSURE THAT

STUDENTS CONTINUE TO BE ABLE

TO ACHIEVE THE QUALITY, PRIVATE

INCREASED EMPLOYEE GIVING THROUGH PAYROLL DEDUCTION

Spring 2010 19

WAVE    |  SPORTS

BACK-TO-BACK: JU REPEATS AS A-SUN CHAMPIONS

Over the next five weeks, JU focused on

getting better — a mantra that fifth-year head

coach Cliff Warren preached every day. Once

they set their sights on improving, the team

took off, winning 10 straight games to retake

its spot atop the league standings.

Entering its final two home games of the

season, JU controlled its own destiny — and

won its share of the league title by dispatch-

ing Campbell, 65-52, becoming the first

back-to-back league champion in almost a

decade. While JU came up short of its goal

of a spot in the NCAA Tournament, the

Dolphins made the most of their postseason

trip. The NIT sent the Dolphins out to Arizona

State for a first-round matchup on ESPN2

that saw Ben Smith bank home a 3-pointer

with 1.6 seconds left to give JU its first

postseason win in 36 years with a 67-66

victory over the Sun Devils.

For Smith and Lehmon Colbert, it was

a senior moment — becoming the first

four-year seniors in program history to never

endure a losing season and will walk away

with two championship rings and most

important, a degree.

When they came to JU, the Dolphins

were coming off the worst season in

program history — having won just one

game. They knew playing time was available

and that this new coach had a vision of

winning titles.

Little did they know then what they would

be able to do together for four years. The

duo became the all-time leading scoring

1,000-point duo in JU history, scoring more

than 3,400 points during their careers. Smith

WINNING YOUR FIRST championship is easy. Repeating as

champions is harder.

Nothing came easy for the 2009-10 JU men’s basketball team, but

in the end, they battled through the ups and down to come away

with their second straight Atlantic Sun Conference title and a

berth in the NIT.

Picked in the preseason to repeat as conference champi-

ons, hopes were high at the start of the year. But what

happened at the start was nothing short of a nightmare.

Jacksonville opened its season by winning one of its first

eight games, with a close loss at South Carolina, 97-93, and

dropping a home game to #13 Florida, 85-67. Topping it off

were two blowout losses on the road to start conference

play. Going into the Christmas break, JU sported

a 1-7 record and was 0-2 in the conference.

Then, something happened over the

break — and when the Dolphins

returned, it was a whole new team

with a different attitude. That

attitude was on full display at

the UCF Holiday Classic as JU

won the event by beating

in-state rival UCF on its home

floor in the championship

game — the Dolphins’ first win

over UCF since 2001.

And just when it looked like

the Dolphins were going to

roll, the rug got pulled out from

under them. A controversial loss

to Mercer on a 3-pointer that came

after the buzzer was the last wake up

call the Dolphins needed. They were

sitting in 11th place three games into

conference play — the preseason pick

looking up at the entire league.

SMITH

COLBERT

is third on the all-time scoring list at JU with

more than 1,900 points while Colbert is 14th

with more than 1,400 points.

While he put up a ton of points, Smith’s

name is already littered throughout the JU

record books.

He leaves

JU as

the

all-time

leader

in steals,

assists,

games played

and minutes

played along with

being second on the

all-time 3-pointers made list.

Colbert meanwhile has grabbed more

than 700 rebounds in his career and ranks

11th on the JU all-time list.

“YOU LOOK AT THE BODY OF WORK

THAT THESE TWO YOUNG MEN HAVE

ACCOMPLISHED DURING THEIR

CAREERS AND YOU HAVE TO BE

AMAZED,” SAID WARREN. “I’M

FOREVER INDEBTED TO THESE

YOUNG MEN FOR TAKING A

CHANCE ON OUR PROGRAM

FOUR YEARS AGO.”

While the ultimate goal was a trip

to the NCAA Tournament, this year’s

team broke through in the postseason

and accomplished a great deal to rebuild

the foundation of JU basketball, creating

excitement and anticipation of bigger and

better things in the future.

ON FEBRUARY 12, the JU basketball family was

reunited with a celebration of JU Basketball at the

Jacksonville Veterans Memorial Arena. More than 500

people were in attendance as JU recognized all of

the former players, coaches and staff that made JU

basketball a staple in the city of Jacksonville.

The highlight of the evening was the reunion of the

1970 team on the 40th anniversary of its epic run to the

national title game. Each member of the team was given

a championship ring in honor of this achievement, with

former director of athletics Dr. Judson Harris handing

them out to the players and coaches.

Former head coach Joe Williams talked about the run

the Dolphins made in 1970, with highlights from their

wins over Kentucky and St. Bonaventure in the NCAA

Tournament being shown.

A host of JU basketball legends attended the event, includ-

ing Roger Strickland, Rex Morgan and Artis Gilmore.

“To have so many former Dolphins back together

brought back a lot of good memories for everyone who

came,” said JU Director of Athletics Alan Verlander. “To

honor a group as accomplished as the 1970 team was

long overdue and that was a special moment for me.”

JU BASKETBALL CELEBRATED WITH REUNION OF 1970 TEAM

WILLIAMSWARREN

WAVE    |  SPORTS

MEN’S AND WOMEN’S LACROSSE EACH EARN FIRST VICTORYSIX DAYS AFTER MEN POST FIRST WIN, WOMEN FOLLOW WITH THEIR OWN

WHEN THE JU DIRECTOR OF lacrosse, Mindy McCord, began putting

the wheels in motion to bring lacrosse to

Jacksonville, she never imagined that it

would be successful so quickly.

A program two years in the making

grabbed the attention of the first coast on

a sunny saturday when the dolphins took

the field for the first time for a men’s and

women’s double-header.

More than 4,500 fans came to D.B. Milne

Field to witness the action of the first

university in Florida to offer both men’s and

women’s Division I lacrosse.

For the men’s team, a scrappy loss to No.

4 North Carolina showed signs of good

things to come and two weeks later, all

the hard work paid off.

Facing No. 18 Denver and legendary

coach Bill Tierney, the Dolphins

completed a six-goal comeback to win in a

triple overtime thriller, 13-12.

The Dolphins dominated faceoffs all game,

while the home side assisted eight of its

13 goals in front of more than 700 fans.

JU was led by freshman attackman Ryan

Serville, who entered the game leading the

country in goals and points. Serville netted

three goals and three assists, while four

Dolphins also tallied two goals each.

“I’M SO PROUD OF THEIR EFFORT

AFTER GOING DOWN SIX GOALS

TO A STRONG, WELL-COACHED

TEAM,” SAID JU HEAD COACH

MATT KERWICK.

In the third overtime, the Dolphins gained

possession and pushed for a winner when

sophomore Jeremy Tissenbaum fired a

shot from five yards out with 34 seconds

remaining but the ball

was saved. Freshman midfielder Cameron

Mann was in the right place at the right

time, however, to scoop up the ground ball

and complete a quick pass to freshman

attackman Nick Scalzo who pushed the ball

past goalie Butex Zander for the program’s

first win.

The Dolphin bench cleared and dog piled

near midfield as the celebrations began.

The new team has a challenging schedule

with games still to be played at Duke,

Bucknell and Hofstra but the sky is the limit.

Six days later, the women’s team clinched

their first victory as well. Campasano led

the Dolphins in points for the second time,

scoring the program’s first hat trick and

adding an assist for four points while eight

Dolphins scored goals with six scoring more

than one. Freshman goalie Karli Tobin also

turned in an inspired performance, making

12 saves, turning away several point-blank

shots in the dying minutes of the game.

PHOTO COURTESY OF BLUEPRINT LACROSSE

22 The Wave

THE JU TRACK AND FIELD team again saved its best performances

for the final day as the Dolphins won

the first six events on Feb. 27 to secure

their fifth consecutive Atlantic Sun

Indoor Championship. JU posted 23 all-

conference performances, 10 individual

titles, two conference records and one

new school record.

“THE A-SUN CONFERENCE

CONTINUES TO IMPROVE EACH

YEAR SO WINNING AGAINST

STRONG COMPETITION IS

REWARDING,” SAID HEAD COACH

RON GRIGG. “TO WIN AS MANY

EVENTS AS WE DID AND TO HAVE

AS MANY ALL CONFERENCE

PERFORMERS AS WE DID WAS

PRETTY STAGGERING.”

After taking second on the first day, the

Dolphins took the top four spots in the

mile and 200-meter and the top three

spots in the 60-meter hurdles, while

getting the top two spots in 60-meter

and 400-meter on the final day to finish

with a personal-best 211 points for

the title. Kennesaw State, the day one

leader, finished second with 154 points,

while cross-town rival UNF took third

with 98 points.

Freshmen Charlene Charles and Joane

Pierre each had a solid meet to sweep

individual honors for JU. Charles was

named the “Most Valuable Performer,”

“Most Outstanding Field Performer”

and “Most Outstanding Freshman

Performer.” Pierre was the “Most

Outstanding Track Performer,” while

Grigg was named “Coach of the Year”

for the fifth consecutive time.

Pierre earned her honors after winning

the 800-meter with a conference record

time of 2:14.66 and took first in the mile

with a time of 5:03.63. She also ran a

leg of the distance medley relay that

finished first with a time of 12:14.57.

Charles finished second in the

60-meter (7.66) and fourth in

the 200-meter (25.00) on

the final day of the meet.

She also took third in

the pentathlon (3,431

points) and first

in the long jump

(19’8”) on the first

day of the meet

to help secure

her accolades.

Junior sprinter Louise

Kiernan won the

200-meter with a school

record time of 24.16

and ran a time of 7.55 to

win the 60-meter, while

junior Hillary Crook

tossed a life-time best

46’10.25” to win the

shot put title.

DOLPHINS WIN FIRST SIX EVENTS OF THE DAY TO SECURE LATEST TITLE

TRACK & FIELD LOCKS UP FIFTH CONSECUTIVE A-SUN CHAMPIONSHIP

PIERRE KIERNAN

Other championship performances

included junior Danielle Davenport

winning the 400-meter title with a time

of 55.73 and sophomore Stacey Young’s

conference record

3,431 points to win

the pentathlon.

SIMENDINGER TELLS STUDENTS ‘BEING POSITIVE IS A CHOICE’

WAVE    |  ALUMNI NEWS

Circle.” Three of his 10 books have been

optioned for movie development.

Among other life lessons, he told the crowd to

realize that time is short and we can all choose

to live the life we want. “Manage your time

with urgency,” he said. “A full life is not lived

on the sofa. The couch will make you older.”

Advising the students to travel alone

somewhere they do not speak the language

to learn more about themselves, he said a

“battered suitcase can be your best friend.”

OF THEIR POTENTIAL, INNER

STRENGTH AND IMMEASURABLE

WORTH,” SAID MULLARKEY.

Since she left JU, Mullarkey became a health

and physical education teacher and created The

Foundation of Infant Awareness, Inc., Tumbling

for Tots, Inc. and SOS. She also served on the

St. Johns County School Board from 1984

to 1994 and was an International Abstinence

Speaker and Trainer from 1999 until 2008.

Mullarkey has also authored the book “All

Teens Destined for Greatness” and was

the 2009 Kiwanian of the Year given by the

Kiwanis Club of Jacksonville.

HE CAUTIONED THE AUDIENCE THAT

WE SHOULD ALL CHOOSE TO BE

GOOD TO OTHER PEOPLE, BECAUSE

“WE ALL TAKE TURNS IN THE BARREL

AND THE NUMBER OF HANDS PULLING

YOU OUT WILL EQUAL THE ONES

YOU’VE HELPED ALONG THE WAY.”

After graduating with a major in business

and triple minors in marketing, economics

and psychology, he went to work for a

daily newspaper. He decided to pursue a

corporate career instead and returned to

Florida to join Xerox Corporation. Since he

left Xerox in 2000, Simendinger has coached,

taught and lectured on four continents.

Dr. Pam Mullarkey’69 ’72, founder and

director of Project SOS, Inc. (Strengthening

Our Students) kicked off the new series

in January (see below). Channel 4’s

Meteorologist Rebecca Barry ’05, appeared

on Tuesday, March 2 (see top right).

For more information on the Dolphin Alumni

Speaker Series, contact Alumni Relations at

904.256.7201.

THEODORE SIMENDINGER III ’76,

author and international sales leadership

coach, entertained students, alumni and staff

as part of the Dolphin Alumni Speaker Series

on Feb. 10 in the Ross Theater. Much of his

presentation focused on what he learned

during and after his time at JU.

Also published under the name Ocean

Palmer, Simendinger has written novels,

such as “The Rise and Fall of Piggy Church”

and “Jurassic Trout,” as well as business

books, including “Managing the Worry

MULLARKEY SPOKE ABOUT creating SOS and said that young people

today live in an incredibly challenging environ-

ment. “We can get so unfocused with the

stresses of technology these days,” she said.

She also spoke about the voices of hope

and character that are being drowned out

today by the alluring cries of negative cultural

forces like drugs, alcohol, peer pressure and

sexual activity among our youth.

“WE AT PROJECT SOS HAVE MADE

IT OUR MISSION TO REMIND TEENS

SIMENDINGER IN ROSS THEATHER

NEW ALUMNI SPEAKER SERIES GIVES STUDENTS A GLIMPSE INTO LIFE AFTER GRADUATION

MULLARKEY24 The Wave

While at Mississippi State, Barry got a

call from WJXT’s Chief Meteorologist John

Gaughan, who asked her to come in for an

interview the next day. Barry drove 10 hours

to interview and got to be on air for the first

time that weekend.

“They never actually offered me an official

position,” said Barry. “That weekend, I was

just filling in for someone else. However, that

weekend turned into two then three and the

rest is history.”

Barry was able to finish her master’s

degree online and is now working 35-hour

weekends at Ch. 4. Barry says that the only

reason she has survived in the business

is that she has had to learn to deal with

criticism gracefully.

BARRY, ONE OF ONLY TWO

current Jacksonville female meteorologists,

spoke about the challenges and rewards of

her career on TV. “You’re going to face some

challenges that could be derailing,” said

Barry. One of the challenges Barry faced was

hearing that she had to take Calculus I and

II before being accepted into the master’s

program for meteorology at Mississippi

State University.

She decided to move to Tampa for the

summer to take accelerated classes before

the fall term began. After hours each day with

a tutor, she completed the classes in time.

“The things that you think you can’t do, a lot

of the time you can,” said Barry.

EXPLORE YOUR NEW ALUMNI HOUSE IN PERSON OR ONLINE

MOVING INTO THE OLD PRESIDENTS’ HOUSE ON THE

NORTH END OF CAMPUS, ALUMNI

RELATIONS HAS CREATED A

WELCOMING AND IMPRESSIVE NEW

SPACE FOR ALUMNI EVENTS WITH

GOOD TIMING AND GENEROUS HELP

FROM A GOOD FRIEND.

“We do plan to have events here going

forward including Alumni Board and other

group meetings, barbecues, low-country

boils, welcome receptions and Presidential

dinners among other types,” said Kimberly

Mariani-Hernandez, assistant vice president

of Institutional Advancement. “Carolyn

Munro Wilson once again stepped in as a

friend to the University and furnished the

entire space! We’re lucky to work in such a

warm, welcoming environment.”

To see more of the new space and learn

more about upcoming events, visit www.

ju.edu/alumnihouse or call 904.256.7201.

BARRY

Spring 2010 25

WAVE    |  ALUMNI NEWS

NELLIE’S DECK REDEDICATED TO CLASS OF ’59

IN HONOR OF THE CLASS OF ’59’s

50-year reunion, Jacksonville University

rededicated Nellie’s deck at the Davis Student

Commons on Oct. 17 as the Senior Plaza.

“The rededication of the Senior Plaza

during our historic 75th anniversary has

helped to bring a renewed sense of history

GREEN GLASS ‘RIVER OF DOLPHINS’ GIFTED BY CLASS OF 2009

“We looked at buying statues and foun-

tains — way too costly,” said Jackson. “So we

went back to the art department who created

the fountain the year before and Mark Hursty

was more than willing to develop our ‘River

of Dolphins.’ He created an artistic rendering

we could use to advertise and promote the

idea and now they are finally real.”

“THE UNIFYING THEME FROM the

discussion at the Green Key meeting was

that the campus needed more dolphins,” said

Dr. Karen Jackson ’89, the faculty adviser.

ACCORDING TO JACKSON, THE 2009

CLASS RAISED MORE MONEY THAN

ANY PREVIOUS CLASS AT $2,500

AND HAD THE MOST GRADUATE

PARTICIPATION AT 102 STUDENTS.

Each year the Green Key organization

sponsors the Graduating Class Gift, a way for

graduates to say thank you and to help make

the University a better place for current and

future students by supporting a gift of their

class’ choice.

This year, that choice was a ‘River of Dolphins’

featuring six green dolphins made out of glass

placed behind the Gooding Building.

and tradition to campus like never

before,” said Matthew Kampfe, director of

Alumni Relations.

The Senior Plaza was first created by the

class who started the tradition of the senior

glass gift. The plaza stood in front of the

Wolfson Student Center back then.

MEMBERS OF THE CLASS OF ’59 AT THE GREEN AND GOLD GUARD INDUCTION CEREMONY

2009 CLASS GIFT - A RIVER OF DOLPHINS

NEW SENIOR PLAZA IN FRONT OF NELLIE’S

26 The Wave

PEP BAND INVITES ALUMNI TO PLAYJU boasts having a Pep Band for a fourth

consecutive year. If you have an instrument

and feel like playing, just sit down and

join the fun. Pep Band includes 20 paid

university students and is student-run.

To request a song for the band to play

or contribute via old or new instrument

donations, e-mail the current student

director, Thomas Urbanek at turbane@

jacksonville.edu.

DISCOVER THE GALAPAGOS ISLANDSMembers of the JU community are

taking a trip to the Galapagos Islands at

the end of July (approximately July 28 -

Aug. 8) and there is room for more! The

estimated cost is $4200 - 4500, inclusive

depending on airfare. JU faculty have lead

numerous study trips to these enchanted

isles and each one has been an interest-

ing and exciting opportunity to see this

unique set of islands. If you’re interested,

please contact Dr. Quinton White at the

Marine Science Research Institute at

904.256.7766.

GARCIA TAPS AND TEACHES IN THE BIG APPLE

Not only is Garcia busy teaching, she also found

the time to complete a master’s in dance education

at New York University and is dancing professionally

as a company member of Les Femmes, Sasberg’s

tap dance company, and Folktap, Carlos Donan’s

tap dance company.

“I BELIEVE THAT ARTISTIC DANCE ENGAGES

EXPRESSIVE CAPABILITIES OF THE SELF

THROUGH THE INSTRUMENT OF THE BODY,”

SAYS GARCIA.

“Dancing expressively plays creatively dynamic

chords with one’s individualistic tune of expression.

As an advocate for academic achievement and

creative inquiry, I would like to one day assist college

students in reaching their full potential as professional

dancers, profound thinkers and imaginative artists.”

Garcia says her biggest challenge for now is the

time commitment, explaining that in dance you are

always pushing yourself to be better and you always

want to put your best foot forward no matter where

you find yourself.

“You never want to burn any bridges,” said Garcia.

“Every day in New York is like an audition because

it is such a small community here even though it

seems so large.”

THEY SAY NEW YORK CITY IS the

place to be for any aspiring artist looking for

an abundance of opportunity to grow in their

field. And, taking full advantage of those

opportunities is Julie Garcia ’06.

Garcia received her Bachelor of Arts in

communications with minors in dance and

Spanish. After graduation, she decided

to pursue her love of teaching dance and

became the assistant director of dance at

Episcopal High School in Jacksonville. She

is now a teaching assistant for one of the

most influential tap dance teachers in New

York City, Germaine Salsberg at the famous

Broadway Dance Center.

INAUGURAL GROUP OF 75 “DISTINGUISHED DOLPHINS” HONORED

To be recognized at future commence-

ment ceremonies, nominees must have

added significant value to the brand

statewide, nationally or internationally

and demonstrated a high level of

professional success and personal

integrity. To nominate a Distinguished

Dolphin, send an e-mail to media@

ju.edu. For more information, please

visit www.ju.edu.

TO CELEBRATE OUR 75TH Anniversary, Jacksonville University announced

the inaugural group of 75 “Distinguished

Dolphins” at a press conference in February

at the new Alumni House. The honorees

must have at one time either matriculated at

JU or be a former or current faculty or staff

member. Jacksonville Mayor John Peyton

issued a proclamation to honor them and the

University’s contribution to Jacksonville. PRESIDENT ROMESBURG AND MAYOR PEYTON

Spring 2010 27

WAVE    |  ALUMNI EVENTS

NYC ORDER OF THE DOLPHIN1 Bill Ash ‘69 & Judy Romesburg 2 Alan Verlander, Cindy Barquist Chomiak ‘83 &

President kerry Romesburg

SAN DIEGO HAPPY HOUR3 Betsey Patton Johnson ‘73 & Mark Johnson ‘73, tom Whitehouse ‘64 &

Carol & John garger ‘74

4 Omar sanchez ‘01, Charles Armstrong ‘00, Matthew Ward ‘03, Lauren Asp ‘04 & Janet Wolf Eisler ‘69

JU VS. SAN DIEGO PRE-GAME GATHERING5 tanya & steven Modregon ’98 & family

RECENT DOLPHIN NETWORK HAPPY HOUR AT THE BRICK6 Josh gordon ‘09, Ben Bowerman ‘05 & Andrew Murphy ‘06

7 kevin Vucinich ‘05, Matthew kampfe ’06 ‘08 & Adeyemi Mason ’09

COLLEGE NIGHT AT THE JACKSONVILLE FAIR8 Alumni team on scholarship Night

NEW YORK CITY ALUMNI HAPPY HOUR14 Paulina Battaglia ‘08, shana grossman ‘08, Julie garcia ‘06 & Emily townes ‘05

JU AT THE JACKSONVILLE SUNS15 Robert ‘86 & Julie Leverock & family 16 kimberly grigsby Matthews ’83 & family

RECENT DOLPHIN NETWORK & BEACHES ALUMNI EVENT AT RAGTIME 17 Richard Billings ‘73 & Rich gerrity ‘73

ORLANDO ALUMNI LUNCHEON AT THE RAVENOUS PIG18 Lisa Boger sheppard ’84, susan gordon Lindsay ‘83 & Judith Bashian Chiusano ’83

19 frank Casey ‘71 & Artis gilmore ‘71 20 Marshall Reeves ‘51

STUDENT GOVERNMENT PRESIDENTS’ REUNION21 former sgA Presidents at their Reunion

2009 ALUMNI HOLIDAY PARTY 9 Constance doss hutton ‘73, Joseph foy ‘71 & Colleen foy

10 Robert Price ‘67, Matt tuohy ‘75 ‘03 11 stephanie Potts Wholey ‘02, david Wholey ‘08

12 Pamela shelley ‘05 (far left), Matt Eckler ‘96 (far right) and guests

ATLANTA OUTING TO THE BRAVES GAME13 Nancy Whitman duncan ‘77 & Royce duncan ‘75, Vernon ‘00 & Mary Catron

L to R

1

5

9

18 19

2

6

10

14

IMPORTANT NOTICE

20 21

11

15

12

16 17

13

7

3 4

8

AluMNI RElATIONS IS gOINg gREEN! NO MORE PRINTED INvITATIONSIn an effort to promote sustainability, the Alumni Relations department is no longer going to use printed invitations for most events. There are many ways you can keep up-to-date about upcoming events: Friend Dunk’n Dolphin on Facebook and follow JU on Twitter at www.twitter.com/dolphinnetwork to stay connected and learn about events and speakers.

WAVE    |  ALUMNI EVENTS

PRES

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BRE

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HOMECOMING 2009

30 The Wave

GRE

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PRESIDENT’S RECEPTION

GREEN KEY BREAKFASTFOOTBALL PREGAME TAILGATE

GREEN & GOLD GUARD INDUCTION CEREMONY – CLASS OF 1959DISTINGUISHED ALUMNI AWARDS – FOOTBALL HALFTIME

FOO

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ATE

HOMECOMING 2009

Spring 2010 31

ARTIS

GILMORE

’71, paid a

visit to DR.

TOM LONG,

retired

professor

of psychology, at his diner “Toots” in

Baldwin this past fall.

ALAN DEICHLER ’73,

is the new president of

CPAmerica International,

one of the world’s largest

associations of indepen-

dent CPA firms. Deichler

took over leadership of

the association Jan. 1.

JOHN R. “JAY” SLOSAR, PH.D. ‘74,

is the author of “The Culture of Excess:

How Americans Lost Self-Control and

Why We Need to Redefine Success.”

Published in Nov., 2009, the book dis-

cusses that the country’s fast-and-loose

approach to money was symptomatic of

a more widespread pattern of excessive

behavior. To learn more, visit www.

thecultureofexcess.com.

RAYMOND “SMOKE” LAVAL ’77, will

take over as the new head baseball coach

for the UNF Ospreys at the end of the

2010 season.

CAPT. JOHN M. LANDON II, ’78 ’86, was

awarded the Defense Superior Service

Medal for his role as the Director of

Readiness, Office of the Assistant

Secretary of Defense for Reserve

Affairs, upon his retirement in Sept.

2009 after 30 years of active duty with

the Navy.

ANNETTE FUDGE JACOBS ’80, was

recognized as an honored recipient of

the Puget Sound Business Journal’s

prestigious Women of Influence Award

this past October. Jacobs is president

and CEO of Door to Door Storage, Inc.

in Kent, Wash.

DEBBIE JO

ROBERTS

GRELL ’82

and ANDY

HART ’91

coordinated the first alumni event, “JU

Night at the Tides,” for Dolphins in the

Hampton Roads, Va. area.

The Honorable GARY FLOWER ’82, was

elected to serve as president of the Con-

ference of County Court Judges of Florida.

RONALD V. WALTERS

’86, was recently

accepted into the Master

of Divinity Program at the

Samuel DeWitt Proctor

School of Theology at

Virginia Union University in Richmond,

Va. He also recently celebrated his fifth

year as senior pastor of Olivet Missionary

Baptist Church in Lake City, Fla.

STEVE

WISNIEWSKI

’91, KEVIN

HAGA ’92,

BROOKS

TOMLIN ’91 and DENNIS TURCOTTE

’93, reunited at The Greenbrier Resort, in

White Sulphur Springs, W.Va. this past fall.

CINDY WALTRIP HAGAT

’97, earned a nursing

degree in 2009 from

Akron Institute of Herzing

University. A former

JU employee as well,

she is an oncology nurse with Robinson

Memorial Hospital in Ravenna, Ohio.

The sisters of ALPHA DELTA PI celebrated

the 40th anniversary of their sorority

at JU during Homecoming this past

October. Sisters with 10, 25 and 50 years

of membership to the organization were

recognized.

RACHEL

THOMPSON

’04, ELIZ-

ABETH

HEALY

SWEENEY ‘05, NICOLE KEISER ’05,

KASSANDRA GOVE ’05 and AMANDA

MCGRANAHAN ’06 met in Boston this

past fall to discuss creating a Boston

Alumni Chapter.

KELLY FULLER

’89, married DAVID

BRANNON ’86, on

June 13, 2009. They

reside in Virginia.

WAVE    |  CLASS NOTES

1970s 1980s

1990s

2000s

| WEDDINGS

32 The Wave

PATTI JENKINS ’05,

married Jeremy

Reams on March 28,

2009 in Orlando, Fla.

where they reside.

KATE BURKE ’06 ’07,

and BRYAN BROWN

’05 ’06, were married

on Aug. 7, 2009 in

Atlantic City, N.J.

They now live in Cincinnati, Ohio.

JEFF COGGINS ’09,

married JESSICA

MCKINSEY ’09,

on Dec. 27, 2009

in Mississippi. Neil

Armingeon of the St. Johns Riverkeeper

was the officiant. The couple lives in Dallas.

ELLEN ROWE BROWN

’93, and BRIAN BROWN

’92, welcomed their

second child, Bolton Robert

Brown, this past March.

CHRISTY HENDRY

ALEXANDER ’95, and her

husband Jon, are the proud

parents of Pierce Eliott,

born Sept. 26, 2007 and Aubrey Hale,

born May 1, 2009.

JESSICA WINDELL RYALS

’01, and JASON RYALS ’02,

are pleased to announce

the addition of Kailyn Paige

Ryals to their family. Kailyn was born on

June 17, 2009.

Class Notes is compiled by your friends in the Alumni Relations Office. If you’ve got news to share, let us know! We want to stay connected with you so e-mail your information and photos to alumni@ju.edu. Please do not send hard copy photos.

| NEW ARRIVALS

JOHN SESSIONS ’59, BASEBALL’S TOP FAN AND SUPPORTERJohn Sessions ’59, passed away on Nov. 14, 2009, after a long courageous fight against a brain tumor.

Sessions was a constant presence at JU sporting events through the years. On May 4, 2007, JU honored Sessions by naming the baseball stadium after him — forever linking him together with one of his great passions, JU baseball.

“Mr. Sessions was a true gentleman and friend,” said JU Director of Athletics Alan Verlander. “He had a great passion for JU and everyone here knew Mr. Sessions and had a great love and respect for him. We have lost a true champion for JU and an ambassador for life.”

A member of JU’s first graduating class with a degree in business administration, he served his country honorably in the U.S. Army for two years. Sessions taught math at both Terry Parker and Ribault High Schools before joining Arlington Fuel Oil Co., later becoming its vice-president. He then bought a small pest control division of Arlington Fuel (Bug Out Service) which he successfully operated until 1998 when he retired.

His accomplishments and accolades include: Small Businessman of the Year, Colonel Harry L. Kinne Free Enterprise Award and the Pest Control Technology Leadership Award. He was also a member of the Chamber of Commerce and Optimist Club, as well as a past president of the JU Alumni Association, among others.

He is survived by his wife of more than 52 years, Elizabeth Carson, two children and three grandchildren.

LONG-TIME ADMINISTRATOR AND PROFESSOR DAN THOMASDan Anderson Thomas, a physicist who became JU’s vice president and dean of faculties, died Sept. 19, 2009. He was 86 and had been in declining health for several years.

His tenure at JU spanned a quarter-century. Thomas was named dean of faculties at JU in 1963 and became a vice president in 1967. After 17 years as an administrator, he returned to the classroom as a trustee professor of physics at JU.

Thomas was active in the community, serving as president of the Jacksonville Museum of Arts and Science in 1979. He was president of the Meninak Club in 1973. After retiring from JU in 1987, he traveled to 29 countries,

hiked the Swiss Alps and explored the Florida and Georgia wilderness by boat.

He is survived by his wife of 65 years, Elizabeth Glaze; a daughter, a son, two grandchildren and his sister. His son, Roger, also taught at JU.

Spring 2010 33

&Take care of your family

create a legacy at JU.A Planned Gift can do BOTH!

To start the conversation, please contact:Donna Morrow, Director of Planned GivingPh: 904.256.7928 • E-mail: dmorrow1@ju.edu

Make yours today support JU tomorrow. &Every gift matters.

www.ju.edu/plannedgiving

&Take care of your family

create a legacy at JU.A Planned Gift can do BOTH!

To start the conversation, please contact:Donna Morrow, Director of Planned GivingPh: 904.256.7928 • E-mail: dmorrow1@ju.edu

Make yours today support JU tomorrow. &Every gift matters.

www.ju.edu/plannedgiving

Discover Marine Science at JU!

Explore the natural laboratory provided by the St. Johns River and conduct extensive fieldwork as

a Ju marine biology student in the new 30,000 square-foot Marine Science Research Institute. you’ll be

wading through diverse marine environments with your professors and classmates. Our faculty have

active, grant-funded research projects that provide ample opportunities for students to get involved.

To learn more about earning your degree in marine science, call 904.256.7000 or visit www.ju.edu

Nonprofit Org.U.S. POSTAGE

PAIDPermit No. 3160Jacksonville, FL

2800 University Boulevard NorthJacksonville, FL 32211-3394

www.ju.edu

CELEBRATE JU’S 75TH ANNIVERSARY by making

your gift to The JU Fund. Commemorate your years at

JU and honor your favorite member of the JU family.

• Gifts of $75+ to The JU Fund receive a commemorative gift

• $1,000+ qualifies for Order of the Dolphin membership

• $7,500+ (or pledges of $2,500 over 3 years) qualifies for an exclusive private reception

HONORING OUR history... LOOKING TO OUR future...

VISIT www.ju.edu/giving OR CALL 904.256.7612 TO MAKE YOUR GIFT TODAY!