Center Stage—College for Professional Studies News

Editor’s Note: “Center Stage” is a new feature in this issue that highlights news of interest from around our College for Professional Studies degree completion centers statewide and online program.

Battle Creek

Scott Rubley ’09 was recently featured in the Battle Creek Enquirer newspaper for an unusual achievement: He has never missed a day of school (kindergarten through college) or a day of work. Rubley, who received his bachelor’s degree in business administration from SHU’s Kellogg Community College center, told the newspaper his “get up and go” positive attitude as well as his family upbringing probably contributed to his feat. Rubley is currently employed with the Sturgis Bank and Trust in Climax, Mich.

Benton Harbor

Paget Mangold was recently promoted to assistant director of SHU’s Lake Michigan College Center. Mangold earned her associate’s degree from Lake Michigan College, her bachelor’s degree from SHU and her master’s degree from Aquinas College. Before her promotion, she was an advisor in the SHU@LMC Center. Mangold was previously employed in various student service capacities at LMC for 14 years before joining SHU. She’s a member of the Race Relations Council of Southwest Michigan, United Methodist Women, the Staff/Parish Relations Committee and the Stevensville United Methodist Church. She also teaches pre-school Sunday school at SUMC as well as developmental writing and keyboarding classes at LMC.

Team Player

Peggy McCann Honored with 2013 Eileen Rice Award
for Outstanding Teaching

By Doug Goodnough

When Peggy McCann arrived on the Siena Heights campus in fall 2006, she meant business. The business of sports, that is.

McCann, an associate professor of Sport Management, was honored last spring with the Eileen Rice Award for Out-
standing Teaching, which is selected by previous winners and students. She said she was “shocked” when she learned about the award and called the moment “emotional” when she heard her name announced as the winner.

“It wasn’t anything I was expecting,” said the soft-spoken McCann of the award. “You have to share this award, because you can’t say that you did it all yourself.”

McCann’s “team” approach has worked well in the Sport Management program, which prepares students for careers in the business of sport – including college, professional and recreational. The Illinois native was a former four-sport standout high school athlete who was inducted into her school’s hall of fame as a bowler. McCann realized early that she wanted to carve out a career in an area she is passionate about. The teaching part came later.

“While I was at Michigan State (completing her PhD), I found out I love to teach,” McCann said. “I wanted to get a position in a teaching college.”

And she wanted to stay in Michigan. She heard from a friend about an open faculty position at Siena Heights, and hand-delivered her application to Adrian to check out the campus.

Rays of Hope

SHU Volunteers Help Camp Sunshine Shine a Little Brighter

Several Siena Heights students and staff members gave up part of their summer vacation to give others a needed break from the concerns of a life-threatening illness.

A dozen or so from Siena Heights traveled by minivan to Casco, Maine, in July to work at Camp Sunshine, a nonprofit operation that provides a retreat for children who are battling life-threatening illnesses and their families.

SHU Dean for Students Michael Orlando (photos below) learned about Camp Sunshine three years ago and involved Siena Heights through the Siena Serves volunteer program on campus. Orlando, his wife, Becky, and SHU Director of Counseling Sandy Morley joined nine SHU students from varying backgrounds on the weeklong experience.

“(Camp Sunshine) lets the families be treated as royalty and loves them as much as possible,” Orlando said. “It’s a way for everyone to come together with a sense of shared understanding.”