From the Alumni Office:

My College, My University, My Siena!

Jennifer Hamlin ChurchAssociate VP for Advancement & Director of Alumni Relations

Homecoming 2013: What a weekend! Hundreds of alumni came back to campus, the rain stayed away, there were reunions of all kinds—classes, cheerleaders, sorority sisters, fellow semester-travelers to Italy, baseball players. Read all about it in this issue of Reflections.

We work all year on Homecoming and when it’s over, I’m always in a reflective mood. That was especially true this year, because I was honored to be one of your 2013 alumni award winners. Standing on the awards stage at the start of Homecoming gave me a new perspective on Siena. So this seems a good time to talk about my work and why I am so grateful to be at this place.

My job is all about building relationships: inviting friends and alumni (you!) to reconnect meaningfully with the school you once attended. Sometimes, alums are concerned that today’s University seems different from the college they attended 20, 30, 50—or 5—years ago. And it is different: There are new buildings. There are men. There are no uniforms or room inspections, no mandatory Mass. There are students who never set foot on campus. Depending on when you attended Siena, any or all of those differences might be jarring.

From the President:

Success Comes in Many Forms

What’s your definition of success? In higher education, it may depend on the person whom you ask.

If you’re asking those in government, then it may be about student outcomes and the educational value that a college or university provides its students. I’m happy to report that over the summer Siena Heights was listed in several surveys that cited SHU as being a good return-on-investment. I certainly count this as a success story and reaffirms what we are doing as an institution. You can read more details about these honors in this issue.

For our students, I’m sure the answers will be all over the board. Many gauge success on what kind of grades they receive in the classroom. Others on the success of their athletic or extracurricular endeavors. Of course, we hope all of our students measure success when they are holding their diplomas in their hands!

For our faculty, staff and administration, their success is directly tied to our students’ success. It is our mission to see our students become more competent, purposeful and ethical during their time at Siena Heights. We want our students to not only become successful in their future jobs and careers—but also in their lives. Our Catholic, Dominican tradition mandates that we prepare our students to be agents of change in the world. We want them to help transform the world for good. And that’s a success story by anyone’s definition.

Class Notes—Fall 2013

Notables:

Eric Walter ’05 set a couple of joggling Guinness world records at O’Laughlin Stadium in April 2013. Joggling is running while juggling. He ran 1,000 meters on the SHU track in a record time of 2:46.63. The time to beat was 3 minutes flat. In the 400 meter he ran a 56.47 (57.32 was the old record). Walter also won the 200, 400, 800 and the 4×100 relay at the 2011 World Joggling Championships in Rochester, Minn.

Sister Donna Kustusch, OP, ’63 a long-time faculty member at SHU, passed away in July 2013. “Donna’s determination came from her deep commitments—to her students and to the mission of Siena Heights; to her sisters and to the mission of the congregation; to the call of the gospel for a preferential option for the poor; and to her prayer relationship with God,” said SHU Vice President of Academic Affairs Sister Sharon Weber, OP, a former colleague. A faculty member in the Religious Studies program from 1975-92, she had the challenge of bringing the curriculum to a new generation of students. For her enthusiasm in the classroom and her concern for the growth of each of her students, she received the award for outstanding teaching in 1991.

She also established the Spirituality and Peacemaking Institute in 1988. The institute provided such offerings as a variety of lectures in collaboration with Weber Center, prayer opportunities for students and a conference “Dominican Education in Search of Peace.” Her commitment to the Adrian Dominican Sisters’ vision of acting on behalf of the poor drew her to her work on the U.S.-Mexico border. In fact, she received the Sister Ann Joachim Award in 2002 for her work serving impoverished women and children in Juarez, Mexico, and El Paso, Texas.