But after 24 years at what is now known as Pay Less grocery, Cross said he knew it was time for a change. He turned in his two weeks’ notice and registered to go back to school, initially to study computer science.

His boss, family and friends thought he was crazy for quitting a well-established career, but Cross thought there was something better out there for him. And he wanted to set a good example for his children — now 17 and 24 — by going to college.

Two years into school and after working a “desk job” during that time, Cross knew computer science wasn’t for him.

“I always wanted to be a doctor so I thought, ‘I should be a nurse,’” he said. “I always have liked helping people and making people feel better. Nursing was the right fit.”

Cross graduated from Anderson University with a bachelor’s degree in nursing and has been working as a registered nurse. He began at Community Hospital Anderson while still in school as a nursing student and continues to work for the hospital. After several years as a medical/surgical nurse, Cross began working on the cardiac interventions unit about six months ago.

“It is definitely rewarding,” he said. “I love what I do. And the great thing about nursing is that you could be doing one thing today and then tomorrow do 10 different things with the same license.”

In addition to his work at Community, Cross is an adjunct instructor, teaching nursing at Ivy Tech. A number of his students are “non-traditional” like he was and are turning to nursing as a second career.

“There are so many opportunities,” he said. “And the money and benefits are good. And I have more time with my family.”

Beth Tharp, vice president of patient care services and chief nursing officer at Community, has been a nurse for 30 years. She’s noticed an increase in people turning to nursing as a second career.

“There are so many opportunities in nursing beyond just working in the hospital,” Tharp said. “Nurses play a really important role not only in patient care, but they are also becoming more and more involved in public policy making and helping shape what health care is going to look like in the future.”

Opportunities include work at a hospital, a doctor’s office, insurance companies or teaching, among others. And the levels of nursing are just as diverse, such as licensed practical nurses, registered nurses or nurse anesthetists.

Nancy Pitcock, chief nursing officer at Saint John’s Medical Center, said she, too, has noticed more “non-traditional” nursing students applying for the hospital’s summer nursing technician internship program.

There are a number of factors that are leading to an increase of people turning to nursing as a career, even after they have established themselves in another job. Nursing, Pitcock pointed out, is a stable career as there will always be a need for nurses. Also, the flexible schedule and good wages are enticing.

Pitcock said universities are also making the transition to nursing easier with flexible scheduling and online classes to work around a student’s current work schedule.

“It’s a wonderful career,” she said. “The ability to care for others is vital to me. There is constant growth — both personal and professional growth. You never get bored.”

—Abbey Doyle is a reporter for The Herald Bulletin. Photo credit: John P. Cleary. Story republished with permission.

Anderson University is a private Christian university of 2,600 undergraduate and graduate students in central Indiana. Anderson University continues to be recognized as one of America’s top colleges by U.S. News and World Report, The Princeton Review, and Forbes. Established in 1917 by the Church of God, Anderson University offers more than 65 undergraduate majors and graduate programs in business, education, music, nursing, and theology.

Blankenship, along with recent grad Stefanie Vinsel and senior Andrew Stuart, are working as production assistants for the Super Bowl edition of NBC’s “Late Night with Jimmy Fallon” at Hilbert Circle Theatre in Indianapolis. The show airs locally at 12:35 a.m.

Junior audio, video and cinema production major Patience Randle will also be involved in Super Bowl activities as a production assistant for MidAmerica Jibworks. [Photo on left: Josh Blankenship and Andrew Stuart talk about their roles with NBC's "Late Night with Jimmy Fallon." Both are working as production assistants for the Super Bowl XLVI edition of the show.]

Blankenship, who graduated in December with a degree in broadcast production, started Sunday and will be working up until the Super Bowl game on Feb. 5. There will be a live show after the Super Bowl, he said.

“I’m a little bit nervous,” he said last week as he was getting prepared, “but think I’ll be fine once I get into the swing of things.”

Blankenship was actually supposed to start Monday, but got a last minute call to start Sunday instead. He said he was ready.

He’s been helping out with errands and assisting stage managers to make sure they have everything they need.

The assistants’ work can range from standing in for people to fetching coffee, and involves working from eight to 16 hour days, he said.

Blankenship doesn’t mind the long hours, though.

“I think it just comes with the territory,” he said. “Being there until the job’s done.”

Plus, working with Covenant Productions^® and on class projects during his time at AU, along with an internship with WTHR over the summer, he’s already had to work long days.

“I love it more than I hate it,” he said.

Blankenship worked a 13-hour day Monday and expected to have another long one Tuesday.

So far, he said he’s enjoyed seeing professionals come and work together to get everything up and running.

“It’s going great,” he said. “It’s been a lot of fun. I’ve met quite a few interesting people.”

While he’s a fan of Fallon’s show, Blankenship said his favorite part is just being there and being a part of the production.

Andrew Stuart, a senior audio, video and cinema production major, said he was looking forward to the experience and meeting professionals, although he added he really had never seen the late night show.

“It’s a nice change of pace really,” he said. “It’s cool to have something like that in Indy and be a part of it.”

Stuart said they were told to “expect a lot of different things.”

“They just told us to have an open mind and be ready,” he said.

To help with nerves, he said he’s just going to treat it like any other job and do his best to contribute good work.

“Any experience at any level is great,” he said. “On this level, it’s top notch.”

Stuart was to work Monday and today, balancing the job with his school schedule.

As will Patience Randle, who will be in Indianapolis through Thursday, working for pre-game activities and events.

She had been a camera operator and helped with some crane and camera work during AU’s “Candles and Carols.” She gave her contact information to a guy from the company and later got a call about helping out with Super Bowl activities.

“I was really surprised,” she said. “That wasn’t my goal. I had just helped him.”

She said people in the business appreciate hard work and that she’s willing to do.

“It’s a big deal for me just as far as being able to have the opportunity,” she said.

[Update: Other Anderson University alumni working on Super Bowl coverage include David Neidert BA '07 and Luke Renner BA '98, both working with the NFL Network; and Samuel McDonough BA '03, working with Puls4, an Austrian NFL affiliate.]

—Dani Palmer is a reporter for The Herald Bulletin. Story republished with permission.

Anderson University is a private Christian university of 2,600 undergraduate and graduate students in central Indiana. Anderson University continues to be recognized as one of America’s top colleges by U.S. News and World Report, The Princeton Review, and Forbes. Established in 1917 by the Church of God, Anderson University offers more than 65 undergraduate majors and graduate programs in business, education, music, nursing, and theology.

The two teams both sport red and blue colors.

And that meant she could design her hand-warming muff, known as Z-Muff, using two basic shades.

“I was biting my nails waiting to see which teams were going to be in the Super Bowl,” said Dobrikova, 28, of Anderson.

After Sunday’s playoff games, she began sewing game-related muffs — made-in-America long-hair shag fabric — and has 200 for sale.

She is offering Z-Muffs through her website and is working to distribute the red, blue or red-and-blue muffs in Indianapolis during Super Bowl week.

She just received a U.S. patent for her Z-Muff this week. Dobrikova’s design differs from most hand muffs in that it has a pocket for each hand. Usually, hands touch in muffs.

“The hands don’t touch inside. There’s a faux fur lining,” she said. “There’s a benefit in having the hands separated. When they touch, they sweat together, and you take your hand out and they’re colder because they’re wet. Having the pockets insulated keeps the hands warm.”

She came up with the concept while a student at Anderson University. She offered them at the annual homecoming fair and sold out. She then competed for a $15,000 prize in the 2006 INvision AU business competition and won. The prize money allowed her to seek a patent.

She is married and the mother of two.

The big game-related Z-Muffs are $30 each and two for $50. They can be purchased through the website.

—For The Herald Bulletin. Photo credit: John P. Cleary. Story republished with permission.

Anderson University is a private Christian university of 2,600 undergraduate and graduate students in central Indiana. Anderson University continues to be recognized as one of America’s top colleges by U.S. News and World Report, The Princeton Review, and Forbes. Established in 1917 by the Church of God, Anderson University offers more than 65 undergraduate majors and graduate programs in business, education, music, nursing, and theology.

That was the message delivered Monday afternoon by Madison County Circuit Court Judge Rudolph Pyle III (a 1992 Anderson University graduate) during his keynote address at the 32nd annual Citywide Celebration of Martin Luther King Jr. Day.

Pyle, addressing a full house at the Paramount Theatre, spoke about “A Stone of Hope.”

“It’s about treating others as you would want to be treated,” he said.

The analogy Pyle gave reflected a statue of King in the Washington, D.C., Martin Luther King Jr. Memorial called “A Stone of Hope.” It is carved out of “The Mountain of Despair;” the theme based on some lines from King’s “I Have a Dream Speech.”

“If you’re asking is there something we can be hopeful about, yes, there are some obvious things,” Pyle said.

Progress is being made in social justice, he said, pointing to the fact that five decades after black men were forced to sit in the backs of buses in the South, a black man now sits in the White House.

Pyle’s address explored ways to generate hope, such as donating food or clothes, in Anderson. He also noted the importance of choosing words — and the delivery of them — with care to avoid hurting others.

“Words are like bullets. Once they leave, you can’t call them back,” Pyle said.

He also spoke of education in Anderson and said failure should not be an option; that “a sense of shame” must be given to those who drop out.

“We, as a community, can’t claim to value education when dropout rates are in the double digits,” he said. “It is unacceptable for us to let students drop out. … Dropping out of school is a form of economic suicide. Might as well take a knife and cut every opportunity out of your life.”

Audience member Audrey Chantel Clark noted that Pyle’s speech was addressed to the children in attendance. She said she appreciated his emphasis on action, as well as his vision for the community.

“We have plenty of dreams, plenty of ideas, but we lack the action,” she said, noting that fear — particularly the fear of failure — could lead to community paralysis.

Paris Vaughn was inspired by Pyle’s address.

“He was short, sweet, and to the point,” she said, then added that she planned to encourage more food donations through her church, Restoration Fellowship Ministries in Anderson.

At the end of his speech, Pyle said he wants Anderson to develop a reputation as a city where residents are taking care of one another and building hope.

— Dani Palmer is a reporter for The Herald Bulletin. Story reposted with permission, with additions to include Anderson University graduation year. Photo credit: John P. Cleary/The Herald Bulletin.

Anderson University is a private Christian university of 2,600 undergraduate and graduate students in central Indiana. Anderson University continues to be recognized as one of America’s top colleges by U.S. News and World Report, The Princeton Review, and Forbes. Established in 1917 by the Church of God, Anderson University offers more than 65 undergraduate majors and graduate programs in business, education, music, nursing, and theology.

Crosby thrived at AU from 2004 until his graduation in the spring of 2008, when he earned a degree in athletic training. After he crossed the stage and received the diploma for which he worked relentlessly, Crosby turned his attentions to graduate school. He attended Ball State University, where he earned a master’s degree in sport performance.

Crosby worked as an athletic trainer for a high school in Chicago for a year, but his goal was to work in a university setting. It wasn’t long before he received a call from Steve “Doc” Risinger, director of sports medicine and head athletic trainer at AU.

“Doc called me up in July and he told me to come back and interview for an opening in the athletic training department,” Crosby said. “We had a great relationship when I was a student. He had a lot to teach and I asked a lot of questions. He appreciated that.”

Crosby got the job as the new assistant athletic trainer and served as the head athletic trainer for both the men’s soccer and women’s soccer teams.

But the season was not without difficulty for him. He returned home to Anderson late one night after a road game and went to bed with a headache.

“It was just a headache,” Crosby said. “I really didn’t think anything of it.” Crosby woke up barely an hour later with severe nausea, and the headache had intensified. Unable to get back to sleep as a result of the sickness that had suddenly overtaken him, Crosby rushed to the hospital. “They thought it was just a bad flu at first, but then they did an MRI and a CT scan and that’s when they found it,” Crosby said.

The doctors found a tumor the size of a golf ball pressing up against the young athletic trainer’s pituitary gland. “It stroked,” Crosby said. “The tumor did, not me. But when it did, that’s what caused all the symptoms.” After spending four days in an Indianapolis hospital and enduring a series of tests and medications, Crosby returned home. With the help of rest and medication the tumor is now shrinking. “It’s not life-threatening,” Crosby said, “but it is life-changing.”

“AU was great to me the whole time,” Crosby said. “Everybody helped out and covered my classes and teams. There were no pressures at all to rush back.” But he couldn’t wait to return to work. “It’s a great environment,” Crosby said. “It’s a Christian environment. The facilities are top-notch. It’s everything you want in one place.”

Crosby returned to the training room around Christmas break. He loved working with the soccer team, interacting with the student-athletes and the laid-back atmosphere of the athletic training facilities. For the spring semester, Crosby will serve as the head trainer for the AU men’s baseball team.

“I love this place,” Crosby said. “It really just doesn’t feel like work.”

— Kyle Beckman is a senior from Auburn, Ind., majoring in communication arts and business/information systems and minoring in political science. Beckman is an associate with Fifth Street Communications™
, writing on behalf of the Anderson University Office of University Communications.

Anderson University is a private Christian university of 2,600 undergraduate and graduate students in central Indiana. Anderson University continues to be recognized as one of America’s top colleges by U.S. News and World Report, The Princeton Review, and Forbes. Established in 1917 by the Church of God, Anderson University offers more than 65 undergraduate majors and graduate programs in business, education, music, nursing, and theology.

Last year the 89-year-old retired public accountant became the oldest person to graduate from Anderson University with a bachelor’s degree in English.

More recently, she was named Indiana Senior Poet Laureate in a national writing competition.

And, while some people might think a poem by an elderly woman submitted to a poetry contest would be traditional and syrupy, Brant’s winning poem was far removed from such stereotypes. “Too Late I Know My Brother” touches on the friendship of two soldiers from diverse racial backgrounds who become brothers in battle.

“My son’s experience during the Vietnam War inspired me,” Brant said in her East Cross Street home. “Donald was a radioman in the Air Force and was stationed for a while in Biloxi, Miss., where he was appalled at the treatment of blacks by the local people. He became good friends with one of the young black men he met there.”

In the poem the two men go into battle together. One steps on a mine and dies in his young friend’s arms.

“My son felt bad for him,” Brant said. “The description of their friendship is true. The event is not. My son came home safely from the jungle.

“We are a family of soldiers,” she added. “My late husband, Edward, was also in the Air Force and my grandson, Michael Smith, was a Marine who served during Desert Storm. My great-grandson, Anthony Smith, served two tours in Afghanistan.”

The award was presented by Amy Kitchener’s Angels Without Wings, a private literary society in Monterey, Calif. The poem will be published in an anthology, “Golden Words.” The contest was for poets 50 and older. More than 900 poems were submitted by 219 poets for the 2011 contest, according to the society.

There was a $3 entry fee per poem and the national runner-up winners received prizes of $500 and $100, respectively.

“It was the first national contest that I have entered,” said Brant, who grew up on a farm near Lapel. “I’ve dabbled in poetry ever since I was 12 years old. I’d write poems for friends’ birthdays and about our great Lapel High School basketball team. I even had a poem about our 4-H Club girls in the local Lapel paper.”

But writing poetry took a back seat to raising her three children and career as real estate broker and public accountant with the family business, Edward Brant Accounting. After her husband died five years ago, she decided to return to college to earn her bachelor of arts degree. While there, she got involved with the school’s literary magazine and published a few more poems.

Brant is a member of the National and Indiana State Federation of Poetry Societies. The local chapter meets every third Wednesday at the Anderson Public Library. Her entry into the “senior poets” contest was through a notice in the organization’s newsletter.

“She is an amazing, down-to-earth poet,” said Glenna Glee, president of the state organization and an Anderson resident.

“She has a real talent of taking the voice of somebody else on just about any subject and doing something special with it,” Glee, 93, said. “She’s a great addition to our group here in Anderson.”

Too Late I Know My Brother
by Gail M. Brant

I never really noticed him before.
He was just there –
a tall dark shadow in the ivied hall.
I didn’t see his dignity, his gentle air,
The firm determination of his jaw.
He looked like all the rest of them
who lived beyond the track.
I never really noticed him.
His skin was black.

And then, one day, the trumpets blew
and drummers beat
a cadence for our marching feet.
And gray ships sailed across the sea
and cannons roared and shrapnel flew
And I was there. And so was he.

I never really noticed then, his skin was black.
We were just two lonely soldiers far from home.
And we could talk and we could walk
down common yesterdays,
And share each others’ dreams of days to come.
For he was brave when I was most afraid.
And he would laugh when I could only cry.
When I would curse, he bowed his head and prayed.
When I dared not, he gave me strength to try.

And then, one day, the enemy
charged up our hill
and overran the outpost that we kept.
But just before we reached our line,
his big boot touched a hidden mine;
and while the battle around me raged,
I held him in my arms
and wept.

—David Allen for The Herald Bulletin. Story republished with permission.

Anderson University is a private Christian university of 2,600 undergraduate and graduate students in central Indiana. Anderson University continues to be recognized as one of America’s top colleges by U.S. News and World Report, The Princeton Review, and Forbes. Established in 1917 by the Church of God, Anderson University offers more than 65 undergraduate majors and graduate programs in business, education, music, nursing, and theology.

To access, please visit the Millennial Survey January 1-31, 2012.

Learn more about previous Millennial Donor research or sign up to get updates on the study progress at www.millennialdonors.com.

Anderson University is a private Christian university of 2,600 undergraduate and graduate students in central Indiana. Anderson University continues to be recognized as one of America’s top colleges by U.S. News and World Report, The Princeton Review, and Forbes. Established in 1917 by the Church of God, Anderson University offers more than 65 undergraduate majors and graduate programs in business, education, music, nursing, and theology.

“Theatre has a way of connecting any community through emotion, communication, and through the sharing of similar circumstances,” Bush said. “Creating and sharing a part of yourself with another human being has a powerful way of healing and nurturing someone who otherwise feels broken and alone.”

Holding this view is what inspired Bush to pursue graduate studies at one of the most prestigious theatre schools in London.

With a passion for acting, Bush held a few acting jobs upon graduating. However, it was her internship with the Indiana Repertory Theatre that ignited her passion and talent for teaching, directing, and facilitating.

Bush worked with the IRT’s youth conservatory on the technical track, which allowed middle and high school students to learn how to develop their own craft from the IRT’s designers, directors, and playwrights. At the end of the conservatory, the students showcased the work they did, the plays they wrote, and the sets, props, and costumes they designed.

“The most inspiring part of the finished product, for me, was not hearing the words they wrote acted out by IRT actors, but them knowing that as young artists they hold the power to stir emotion and evoke change.” Bush said. “This sparked the ‘teacher’ in me.”

More opportunities opened up for Bush as she directed for AU’s Wisdom Tooth Theatre Project and worked at Shawnee Summer Theatre in Bloomington, Ind., for two summers, as head of their children’s theatre program.

Bush said, “It was these experiences, of encouraging the art out of people who are skeptical or unfamiliar with referring to themselves as artists that led me to pursue my MA in applied theatre.”

Having traveled to London previously with Tri-S, Bush decided there was no better place to study than in the theatre capital of the world. She had an interview in New York with representatives from University of London’s Central School of Speech and Drama, and was offered a place in the program.

Bush said the strength of the AU theatre program worked in her favor. “My performance-based theatre background from AU sets me apart from a large number of the students who had only studied theatre education as an undergraduate,” she said.

— Corinne Schmitt is a senior from Geneva, Ill., majoring in communication arts. Schmitt is an associate with Fifth Street Communications™, writing on behalf of the Anderson University Office of University Communications.

Anderson University is a private Christian university of 2,600 undergraduate and graduate students in central Indiana. Anderson University continues to be recognized as one of America’s top colleges by U.S. News and World Report, The Princeton Review, and Forbes. Established in 1917 by the Church of God, Anderson University offers more than 65 undergraduate majors and graduate programs in business, education, music, nursing, and theology.

Production will be a collaboration between the Alumni Office and Harris Connect , the nation’s leading alumni directory publisher. Beginning in January, Harris Connect will contact alumni via postcard and email to invite them to update or verify their profiles for inclusion in the directory. Alumni will be given a phone number or a website they can use to update or verify their information.

Profiles in the 2012 directory will present a preferred mailing and email address for alumni of the undergraduate and graduate schools. In addition, alumni-submitted photos and biographical notes will be featured. The directory will be sold in hardbound and CD-ROM formats.

The Alumni Office encourages all alumni to take a few moments to participate to make this the most complete and accurate resource possible. The last print alumni directory was published in 2008.

For more information on the directory, please contact the Alumni Office at (765) 641-4100 or alumni@anderson.edu.

Anderson University is a private Christian university of 2,600 undergraduate and graduate students in central Indiana. Anderson University continues to be recognized as one of America’s top colleges by U.S. News and World Report, The Princeton Review, and Forbes. Established in 1917 by the Church of God, Anderson University offers more than 65 undergraduate majors and graduate programs in business, education, music, nursing, and theology.

Radaker presented his Thoreau monologue on Oct. 15 at First Parish Church in Concord, Mass., in celebration of the church’s 375th anniversary. More than 100 people sat in the audience as Radaker discussed, in character, Thoreau’s political thoughts and ideas, many of which were inspired by the women who attended First Parish Church in the 1860s. Thoreau attended the church until 1840, when he objected to the tax placed on churchgoers to pay for clergy. Many of the women who remained in the church’s congregation were active in the anti-slavery movement, and they influenced Thoreau’s thoughts and behaviors.

Rewind to when Radaker was 16 years old. He picked up Thoreau’s most well-known book, Walden, and discovered his love for the author. Radaker, who grew up in Pennsylvania, was fascinated with nature. “My primary interest in Thoreau concerns his realization and celebration of the natural world,” said Radaker. “He is one of our first environmentalist voices, one of the first voices in American culture and American literature urging us to reconsider our views and attitudes toward what we now call the environment.”

After reading more from Thoreau, Radaker discovered that Thoreau advocated for more than just nature; he was a political dissenter and a social critic as well. “He was a very important voice in responding to perceived governmental injustice. He is the well-known author of what most Americans know as Civil Disobedience,” said Radaker. “That essay has inspired many great reformers since it was first published in 1849. Gandhi, Martin Luther King Jr., Bishop Desmond Tutu, and many other reformers from the past century have been influenced by that argument, which argues for how even one principled individual should consider not cooperating with the government, but doing so nonviolently and in the process objecting on a moral level to what the protestor perceives as some form of injustice.”

Along with politics, Thoreau also questioned materialistic values. “He’s the great advocate of simplifying our lives, urging us to not be so stuck on having large and impressive things, whether it’s our home or our wardrobe or even our diet. He even criticizes Americans’ diet, which is way ahead of its day,” said Radaker.

While attending college at AU, Radaker portrayed Thoreau in the play The Night Thoreau Spent in Jail. “I landed that part and it meant a great deal to me. At the time I thought it was a dream come true! I also thought, ‘I’m sad I’ll never get to portray Thoreau again in my life,’” said Radaker. Thirteen years later, his mentor told him about the Great Plains Chautauqua Society, where scholars spend their summers portraying various authors from the mid-19th century. His mentor urged him to try out. Many national scholars competed for one of the seven coveted spots, and in December of 1990, Radaker was chosen to portray Thoreau. “I like acting, but I also love this combination of acting and scholarship,” said Radaker. “Because to portray someone well, the more you know about your author, the better you’re going to depict him.”

Once the Chautauqua tours were over in 1993, Radaker continued depicting Thoreau, performing at universities, conferences, libraries, museums and parks. Over the last 20 years, he has become very comfortable performing as Thoreau and uses a wide variety of material. “If you care about the acting side of something like this, and I do, then you’re continually crafting your delivery,” said Radaker. “So people who hear my Thoreau show now often do compliment me for its dramatic, evocative, poetic flavor.”

Diane Weiss, who was in charge of special programs for the celebration, was one of those people. “He created such a dramatic atmosphere and made it seem so real. It was spell-binding and mesmerizing,” she said.

Even though this was the fourth time Radaker had performed in Concord, his shows always have something new to offer, even to those who have seen him before. “Because of my acting experience and the fact that I’ve had these wonderful 20 years rehearsing certain passages, my shows are never the same,” said Radaker.

Weiss saw him perform once before, but it was a very different show. “The first time, he presented Thoreau’s reaction to Captain John Brown and Harper’s ferry. This time he talked more about the three major anti-slavery speeches Thoreau wrote and women’s influences on his ideas,” said Weiss. “It’s not like you get the same performance. He really listens to what each venue wants and caters to them.”

Radaker’s performances portray different sides of Thoreau, so the audience understands the complexity of the author. “I’m depicting someone who had some distinctly different selves and I’m trying my best as an actor to offer that. I try to emphasize these dramatic shifts and the tones you can find in all of his writings,” said Radaker. “People are more interesting if they have different selves. They’re not really just one self, they’re competing, a compendium of selves. And Thoreau was that too.”

Radaker’s monologue stirred the audience as he stressed Thoreau’s political thoughts. His progressive beliefs and fiery fervor came through in Radaker’s presentation. “When I get to the end of the political material, Thoreau is defending someone who has taken his outrage about slavery into the public arena in a violent way and Thoreau was agreeing with him,” said Radaker. “That’s very passionate, it’s very radical and it demands a radical, passionate voice. Then, there is a long, dramatic pause between the end of that material and Thoreau suddenly becoming a different human being. Suddenly, he is talking about how he spends most of his time ‘not upon the affairs of men, but upon nature.’ It’s supposed to jar you in the audience.”

Weiss not only experienced Thoreau’s transformation, but also Radaker’s conversion to Thoreau. “I was very impressed with the way he was able to get into character. I watched him in the five minutes before he went on. I was able to see him transform from his usual self into his character, and it was very profound. He really becomes Thoreau.”

Radaker’s performance also showed the impact Thoreau had on American literature. “Sometimes we in Concord feel like we own Thoreau since he lived here. We forget there are other people outside of Concord who are just as knowledgeable, if not more so, than we are about him,” said Weiss. “To have someone from Indiana come in and do a perfect portrayal of him was very impressive. He feels like a son of Concord and he understands his subject matter deeply. Plus, he does a very good New England accent.”

— Alyssa Applegate is a senior from Dayton, Ohio, majoring in communication arts and minoring in Spanish. Applegate is an associate with Fifth Street Communications™, writing on behalf of the Anderson University Office of University Communications.

Anderson University is a private Christian university of 2,600 undergraduate and graduate students in central Indiana. Anderson University continues to be recognized as one of America’s top colleges by U.S. News and World Report, The Princeton Review, and Forbes. Established in 1917 by the Church of God, Anderson University offers more than 65 undergraduate majors and graduate programs in business, education, music, nursing, and theology.

Orcutt and a friend began the Shadeland Bicycle Collective in the fall of 2008 in a classroom at Shadeland Elementary School. After his graduation in May 2011 with a fine arts studio major, Orcutt turned all of his attention to the Shadeland Bicycle Collective. Through donations and word of mouth, the collective grew into a full nonprofit organization, complete with professional bicycle repair tools, stands, an official logo, a website, and a new location on West 11th Street in Anderson. The collective held its grand opening on Oct. 22, 2011. [Photo on left: Ben Orcutt talks with Kris and Lisa Stevens at the grand opening for his bike collective.]

The collective functions as an educator, an advocator, and a repair service — with priorities in that order. “We run a full-service repair shop like any bike shop does,” said Orcutt. “The main difference is that we do that so we can fund what we do with the rest of our time, which is primarily education. You have a membership to the shop and that membership gives you access to all the tools, equipment, repair manuals, and knowledge of the other people in the room with the intent to repair your own bicycle. The whole project is empowering people to maintain their own form of transportation.”

[Watch an interview with Ben Orcutt during the Anderson University Homecoming 2011 Webcast.]

Since education is the goal, Orcutt works with various other organizations, such as the Cub Scouts, the Park Place after-school program, and the Christian Center. “For example, the Park Place after-school program has different clubs for the kids. There’s an art club, a reading club, a sports club, and then there’s a bike club. They have kids sign up to work directly with me,” said Orcutt. “We strip [the bicycle] all the way down, and we learn all the names of the parts and what they do. We clean it all, and then we repaint the frame and rebuild it all clean and new. It’s pretty cool because the kids get to see everything completely disassembled and their own ability to rebuild it and make it look completely new.”

Orcutt enjoys teaching children, along with encouraging people in homeless shelters and drug and rehabilitation transition homes. “All of those places are filled with people that don’t have a lot of control over things in their own life,” said Orcutt. “They’re told what to do a lot of the time. We found that giving people the ability to control just one little thing in their life, like transportation, has a really big impact on their self-esteem. That is the goal, and we get to that through a variety of bicycle-related means.”

The bicycle collective is part of a larger nonprofit organization, The Shadeland Project, which also includes a thrift store and an after-school program. Many of the people who started The Shadeland Project also attend church at The Mercy House, the same church Orcutt attends. “We’ve always believed in the bike collective,” said Matt Connor, senior pastor at The Mercy House. “Our ministry philosophy is that we support whatever the people in the church dream up.”

Advocacy for bicycles is another goal of the collective. Orcutt is working with the Madison County Council of Governments — specifically with the bicycle and pedestrian coordinator of Madison County. The objective is to lower the number of cars and other polluting vehicles on the road and to increase the number of bicycles.

“The collective is a beautiful mission on every level: helping the environment, supporting healthy lifestyles, empowering people to own their own transportation, and building community,” said Connor. “Riding bicycles helps in so many ways, even in terms of being aware of all aspects of your neighborhood and community versus driving with no concern for the space between.”

Experiences at the church and at AU have prepared Orcutt for his new role at the bicycle collective. “The thing I learned in college is figuring out how to do something on my own. If I don’t know how to do something, I know how to figure it out,” he said. “When I came to this campus, everything I wanted to do didn’t exist here. My group of friends and I realized if we want something to happen, we have to do it for ourselves. And through that, I feel like I have a confidence to just go for it.”

Connor agrees, saying he has seen the same changes in Orcutt. “I believe the art department at AU taught Ben a special do-it-yourself work ethic and ingenuity that allowed him to feel like he could also do the same with his life. His mission has been one great art project of making old things new and bringing something into existence that was previously only in his head.”

Following graduation, Orcutt chose to stay in Anderson to continue pursuing the Shadeland Bicycle Collective. “People talk about trying to do missions somewhere, trying to save the world somewhere else,” Orcutt said. “But nearly all of the kids in this city are on free or reduced lunch. The graduation rate is around 60 percent. If anybody needs help, this town needs help. I think there are too many people who are ignoring what’s already happening in their own backyard.

“There was a guy we worked with at the Christian Center. He was young — 18 or 19 — and he had never graduated from high school. He grew up in what I gathered to be an incredibly abusive home, and he had mental issues. But he learned how to take the chain off of a bike and fix it with a chain breaker tool. So every time someone would come in to the shop needing their chain fixed, I would send them over to him. He was really nervous at first to show somebody else how to do it. But I think that was the first time he had ever taught somebody else something successfully and I could tell that was a really big deal for him. That was when I decided that this project was worth pursuing.”

— Alyssa Applegate is a senior from Dayton, Ohio, majoring in communication arts and minoring in Spanish. Applegate is an associate with Fifth Street Communications™, writing on behalf of the Anderson University Office of University Communications.

Anderson University is a private Christian university of 2,600 undergraduate and graduate students in central Indiana. Anderson University continues to be recognized as one of America’s top colleges by U.S. News and World Report, The Princeton Review, and Forbes. Established in 1917 by the Church of God, Anderson University offers more than 65 undergraduate majors and graduate programs in business, education, music, nursing, and theology.

Less than two years removed from open-heart surgery, Brandon has mustered both the energy and ambition to cross the Atlantic to bring together his two greatest loves — people and baseball — and impact the lives of young Kenyans. “It’s my understanding that they know very little about baseball,” said Brandon.

Brandon will begin his trip by teaching a group of 60 youth coaches for the first two days. He will then work with children in Nairobi for the rest of his stay. When he introduces the game to the coaches and children, Brandon intends to focus on the big picture of the game. Such a reversion to basics may be a challenge to a man who spent the last 38 years of his life teaching intricate techniques to competitive college baseball players.

“We’ll have to start by telling them that you swing a bat from the small end, not the big end,” said Brandon.

Brandon does not expect to struggle with a language barrier. The schools in Kenya teach English to children from a young age, and most adults are also familiar with the language. Moreover, Brandon anticipates communication to be relatively easy because it will be through the sport of baseball.

“Sports are a universal language,” said Brandon. “I may have to learn about cricket, though, so I can communicate baseball to them.”

The facilities where Brandon will teach the game are a sharp contrast from what the coach is used to. “We’ll probably hit ground balls on fields that have glass on them,” Brandon said. Hoping to find clear, unadulterated fields of grass and dirt will be a struggle. The country offers no semblance of baseball diamonds or fields that have ever hosted the American pastime. To avoid injuries on such unpredictable surfaces and fields, and because the children will not all have appropriate gloves, Brandon will have an ample supply of “rag balls” with him that are soft and pose very little physical danger.

Baseball captures the hearts of Americans young and old not only because of its tradition and history, but, at a more basic level, the game is fun. Brandon understands this and recognizes the importance of teaching while also making sure it is enjoyable for the children.

“If you’re introducing a game to someone, then they have to have a smile on their face. They need to have fun,” said Brandon. “The children don’t have an intrinsic motivation. If they’re not having fun, they’re done.”

When Brandon was coaching at Anderson University, his love for the game extended to the field itself. On more than one occasion he would work on the field under the stars, aided only by the headlights of his truck. Brandon will take this tireless devotion to Africa and use the sport of baseball as a vehicle to impact the lives of children in Nairobi. While he’s taught the game to thousands of children during his lifetime, the children of Kenya may be the ones who make the biggest impact of all on him.

Anderson University is a private Christian university of 2,600 undergraduate and graduate students in central Indiana. Anderson University continues to be recognized as one of America’s top colleges by U.S. News and World Report, The Princeton Review, and Forbes. Established in 1917 by the Church of God, Anderson University offers more than 65 undergraduate majors and graduate programs in business, education, music, nursing, and theology.

The fictional movie tells the story of a not-too-distant future in which society has collapsed. In its place, is a country divided into 12 districts and a capital. Once every year, each district chooses two young representatives to participate in The Hunger Games.

Okeniyi will play the role of Thresh, the representative selected from District 11 to partake in The Hunger Games. “Thresh is definitely the strong, silent type and does more speaking with his actions than his words,” said Okeniyi. “However, he does have a gentle side to go along with his rough exterior.” Director Gary Ross often told Okeniyi to think of his character as a gentle giant.

Born and raised in Lagos, Nigeria, Okeniyi came to AU with plans to become a graphic designer, not an actor. “I have always enjoyed performing, whether it be acting, singing, or dancing,” said Okeniyi. “When I initially moved to the United States, I put performing on hold because it was now time to ‘grow up and be realistic,’ but the longer I put it on hold, the more the passion festered and grew inside of me.”

During his time at AU, Okeniyi participated in step dancing, “Cheap Thrills,” and the university production of “Nickel and Dimed.” His true passion, however, was discovered when he took an introductory acting course during his senior year. The class was taught by an AU alumnus, Steven Pierce. “Instead of treating the class like an intro class,” said Okeniyi, “Steve took us on as serious acting students. Through his teachings, he inspired me and reignited the fire for acting within me.”

“The purpose of this class is to create actors who can honestly and deeply relate to each other,” said Ronald Johnstone, director of theatre arts. “It doesn’t matter if you are a beginning student or a world-renowned actor. That is the essence of acting.”

After graduation, Okeniyi moved Los Angeles to pursue his dreams. He now lives with AU alumni and fellow actors Marcus York and Alex Davis. “Living with close friends who are fellow actors, you are able to share the weight of your stresses, concerns, and success,” said Okeniyi. “They keep me very grounded.”

Upon arriving in Los Angeles, Okeniyi enrolled in acting workshops and learned about the film industry by working as an extra in various films. “Learning your craft is the job,” said Okeniyi. “As an actor, you have to stay sharp and really be on top of your game.”

According to Okeniyi, his experience between projects includes a lot of time reading scripts for potential projects which then lead to numerous meetings with casting directors and directors, auditioning for projects, and promoting upcoming projects like “The Hunger Games” for various events. “One day I may be going on an audition, another day it might be a meeting for a project, or another day it may be some kind of event,” said Okeniyi.

Okeniyi’s first acting jobs were the lead role in an independent horror film called “Slew Hampshire,” followed by the co-lead role in a short film titled “Lions Among Men.”

According to Okeniyi, finding out that he had landed his first major role in “The Hunger Games” was a surreal moment. Barely over the excitement of his newly found success, the exciting news sent him into a mild shock. “It was not until I called my family that the moment became real to me,” said Okeniyi.

Although he is working alongside many famous actors, Okeniyi was never made to feel excluded or isolated by his fellow cast members. “Everyone involved in the movie was extremely welcoming to me,” said Okeniyi. “They really made the newcomers feel important and necessary to the success of the film.”

Although he cannot currently release the details, there are several other exciting projects lining up in Okeniyi’s future. His career is quickly growing, yet he has never lost site of God and relationships with friends and family.

“You really have to want it within yourself. It can’t be about fame or money. It has to be for the passion of acting. Everything begins with a vision and you have to be willing to work hard to fulfill that vision,” said Okeniyi. “There are definitely going to be hard times involved when anyone chases a dream, but this experience is different. So many things can cause difficulties: money, missing friends and family, people telling you what you can’t do, etc. You really have to be confident in yourself and develop thick skin in order to protect that dream.”

— Kelly Gualdoni is a junior from Fort Wayne, Ind., majoring in communication arts. Gualdoni is an associate with Fifth Street Communications™, writing on behalf of the Anderson University Office of University Communications.

Anderson University is a private Christian university of 2,600 undergraduate and graduate students in central Indiana. Anderson University continues to be recognized as one of America’s top colleges by U.S. News and World Report, The Princeton Review, and Forbes. Established in 1917 by the Church of God, Anderson University offers more than 65 undergraduate majors and graduate programs in business, education, music, nursing, and theology.

In September, Chappell attended the Experiential Classroom XII Conference in Stillwater, Okla., which focused on teaching professors to be great entrepreneurship educators. “I never really thought of myself as an entrepreneur before, but it was pointed out to me that I started Orangehaus Records, Orangehaus Publishing, Orangehaus Entertainment, Orangehaus music business camp and that I even teach a class called ‘Beyond Talent: Entrepreneurship for Musicians,’” said Chappell.

By starting these programs, she helps students apply the skills they learn to real-life situations. Junior music business major Victoria Hall said, “I definitely see her as an entrepreneur because she is always looking for ways to make the programs here profitable and help us to learn at the same time.”

“[Chappell] is very vivacious and fun to be around. People like her in the AU community because she helps students feel comfortable in the classroom,” said Hall. “Her teaching style is very effective because she uses a lot of resources. Seeing examples of what’s going on today in the music business helps us to apply what we learn. She also recognizes talent and helps those people to rise where they need to be.”

Music was a huge part of Chappell’s childhood. “My father was a songwriter, and both of my parents were musicians,” said Chappell. “They had great talent but they didn’t really understand how to make money from their talent, so when I decided I wanted to work full time in the music industry, I wanted to learn ways to teach others how to make a living in music.”

Debbi Brock, assistant professor of business and entrepreneurship in the Falls School of Business, agreed that business skills are important for everyone to learn. “If you’re a music major, art major, dance major, you’re going to be running your own business. Most people don’t work for a company their entire lives,” she said. “You have to learn how to manage your income, finances and career and learn how to market yourself.”

After Chappell decided to attend the four-day conference, she applied for several scholarships to cover expenses, and in September she found herself at Oklahoma State University, ready to learn. “I love that she will take time to go to events like this and learn new things. It creates great opportunities for her,” said Brock.

Out of the nearly 80 professors who attended, less than a handful of teachers did not work in a school of business, including Chappell. “They’ve been trying to open it up and get more involvement from other disciplines because their philosophy is that every discipline should teach entrepreneurship,” said Chappell. “I find that musicians are natural entrepreneurs because entrepreneurship involves creativity and musicians are naturally creative. So I think it works well for that discipline.”

Chappell and the other professors spent the first two days learning about teaching case studies and the Socratic Method. This encourages critical thinking on the students’ part and uses a lot of questioning to come up with the right answer. “I have never used case teaching in my discipline because, outside of entertainment law, there are no case studies for music business. So this idea was foreign to me,” said Chappell. “I wanted to learn how to do it because I thought it was an interesting approach to teaching.”

After learning the new method, delegates divided into two different groups: one group entered the teaching competition and the other entered the curriculum competition, with Chappell taking on the teaching challenge. Bright and early on Saturday morning, Chappell taught her assigned lesson to 20 Oklahoma State University business students and two faculty members, who scored eight different aspects of her lesson using a 1-6 rating scale. The combined scores of the students and faculty members determined who won the award.

The case study assigned to Chappell was about the Intellefit. The Intellefit was a glass booth that customers walked into to have their exact measurements determined so they knew what size clothes would be appropriate for them. Stores like David’s Bridal, Gap, Levi and Macy’s used this technology. The Intellefit is now being used in airports as a full body scanner that checks for weapons and potentially harmful substances. “I had to explain the Intellefit and try to get the students to figure out if it was a good opportunity or a good business concept,” said Chappell. “I asked them to summarize the case, and I asked them a series of questions about it to get them to determine the answer for themselves.”

Even though she had never taught a case study before, Chappell captivated her audience. All of the students gave her between a 5.4 and a 5.9 for all eight of the components they graded her on. The comments she received from them were all very positive: they said her presentation was very engaging, she did a great job of reinforcing key learning points derived from the case, and that it was a great way to explain a topic. These scores, combined with the teacher ratings, placed her at the number one slot for outstanding case teaching.

On Sunday morning of the conference, Chappell received a certificate for the “Outstanding Case Teaching Award.” She was shocked to hear that she won. “I didn’t think I would win!” she said. “I’ve never taught case study before. It’s not a part of my discipline, and I was very intimidated by all of these people from prestigious schools who taught case study all the time in their classrooms.”

Even though she won’t only use case study methods in her classes, the conference still taught her an important lesson. “I’m less preoccupied with content now and more about the implications of that content on music business. For example, if I asked a student to give me an explanation of copyright for published works, another student could Google that and get the answer on their phone before the student could answer. They have a wealth of information at their fingertips,” said Chappell. “So what is my role as a teacher? I need to teach them to ask the question, ‘How does the fact that copyright duration is life plus 70 years promote or prohibit the creation of new works?’ That’s the question they should ask, so it’s those things that I now try to figure out.”

— Alyssa Applegate is a senior from Dayton, Ohio, majoring in communication arts and minoring in Spanish. Applegate is an associate withFifth Street Communications™, writing on behalf of the Anderson University Office of University Communications.

Anderson University is a private Christian university of 2,600 undergraduate and graduate students in central Indiana. Anderson University continues to be recognized as one of America’s top colleges by U.S. News and World Report, The Princeton Review, and Forbes. Established in 1917 by the Church of God, Anderson University offers more than 65 undergraduate majors and graduate programs in business, education, music, nursing, and theology.

Seventh grade St. Mary’s teacher, Sally Ness, a 2008 Anderson University graduate in elementary education and special education, will use the Make Activities Count (MAC) grant money she’ll be receiving from McDonald’s Restaurants of Central Indiana to do a project she said is about “anti-bullying and diversity all meshed into one.”

She wanted a big multicultural project since the student population at the school is diverse.

“It’s kind of a celebration of who they are and about being who they are and owning up to it,” she said.

The seventh-graders will make self-portraits with the assistance of a painter friend of Ness who will focus on what is unique about each student, like mixing paints to match skin color.

She said they will also try to incorporate some Frida Kahlo work since they have a large Latino population at the school.

When finished, the portraits will either be displayed in the classroom or throughout St. Mary’s,1115 Pearl St., and the students will then be making presentations to younger kids in the school.

The presentations will give them a chance to be leaders and work on public speaking skills, Ness said.

But first, they will read “The Skin I’m In” by Sharon Flake to get some good dialogue going.

Coming from teaching first to seventh grade, Ness said she read books this summer that were at a junior high level to prepare and came upon “The Skin I’m In.”

It brought her back to being that age and reminded her what it was like to be in school.

And even though the book is about a poor inner-city school, she said there is still important meaning behind the story.

It’s about a young girl who is bullied, but learns to stand up for herself and love who she is.

Moving up to a higher grade level, Ness said she immediately saw the differences between the two groups of students.

“It was so apparent how brutal junior high can be with all the insecurities and being 12, 13.”

She said bullying isn’t really so much an issue at St. Mary’s as older students just feeling excluded and having a lack of self-confidence.

The students are good kids, she said, but there are a lot of differences.

For example, since it is a private school, some are of wealthier families while others are there on scholarships, she said.

And then there’s the diverse population she mentioned.

“(I want the students) not only being tolerant of one another, but celebrating those differences,” she said of the lessons she hopes her students take from the project.

With the $350 from the grant, she plans to buy the book for all of the seventh graders — there are 11 of them — and a nice canvas for each to paint on.

Any money left over will be used to buy books for the nine eighth-graders.

Right now, the project is still in the idea phase and will start a week after Christmas break, Ness said.

The MAC grant Ness is receiving has provided funding to teachers for projects that supplement regular classroom learning and are interesting since 2003, according to Cher Nelson, assistant account manager with McDonald’s Restaurants of Central Indiana.

Each project is reviewed and selected by a group of judges with the number of grants awarded each year varying, she said.

This year, Nelson said, 51 grants worth up to $500 each, were awarded, and applications for the grant can be submitted at www.mcindiana.com during fall 2012.

—Dani Palmer is a reporter for The Herald Bulletin. Photo credit: John P. Cleary. Story republished with permission.

Anderson University is a private Christian university of 2,600 undergraduate and graduate students in central Indiana. Anderson University continues to be recognized as one of America’s top colleges by U.S. News and World Report, The Princeton Review, and Forbes. Established in 1917 by the Church of God, Anderson University offers more than 65 undergraduate majors and graduate programs in business, education, music, nursing, and theology.

For nearly two years, Wiese has worked as a junior digital specialist at the agency. He was recently recognized for a case study he wrote and produced for the Grammy Awards. The case study, providing a strategic solution for the Grammy Awards, earned him a Silver Effie, an award showcasing advertisers who did outstanding work, in May 2011.

“I am extremely grateful for the outcome of our work,” said Wiese. “Even though it was not gold, I am happy with the outcome. It was a great achievement since it was my first year at Chiat\Day.”

Wiese is proud of what he has accomplished so far. He believes both his undergraduate and graduate schooling prepared him for his career. Wiese attended Virginia Commonwealth University’s Brandcenter and received his master’s degree in advertising.

“Adam is creative, culturally aware, a strong presenter, and has an ability to lead without being overbearing,” said Dr. Michael Wiese, professor of marketing at AU (and Adam’s father). “His experience at the VCU Brandcenter will differentiate him in the marketing communication industry.”

Adam was part of the Students in Free Enterprise (SIFE) program for four years at AU. He believes his undergraduate experience provided him the knowledge he needed to achieve what he wanted.

“Adam always showed keen interest in marketing communications and especially in the area of branding,” said Deidra Colvin, assistant professor of marketing. “He had a very positive attitude and a constant desire to know more about marketing and branding. It was no surprise when I learned that he had done some research to find the best school out there for a master’s degree for those who want to work in advertising and branding.”

“What AU did best to prepare me was the support they offered, especially from the professors,” said Wiese. “There are few universities where the professors are willing to sit down and work with a student. At AU, the professors care to find out what your strengths and interests are and help guide you in a direction to help you find the right career for you. The projects I worked on for class at AU were for real companies. Those types of projects really prepared me for VCU and Chiat\Day.”

Wiese’s personal advice to anyone going into the marketing field is to tell stories. “Have the ability to break through to a group of people, to inspire them, to change their minds, and rally around an idea,” said Wiese. “This skill applies not just on a professional level but on a personal level as well.”

— Matt Dougherty is a senior from Breese, Ill., majoring in communication arts and marketing. Dougherty is an associate with Fifth Street Communications™, writing on behalf of the Anderson University Office of University Communications.

Anderson University is a private Christian university of 2,600 undergraduate and graduate students in central Indiana. Anderson University continues to be recognized as one of America’s top colleges by U.S. News and World Report, The Princeton Review, and Forbes. Established in 1917 by the Church of God, Anderson University offers more than 65 undergraduate majors and graduate programs in business, education, music, nursing, and theology.

Gaither, an Alexandria-based filmmaker and 1992 Anderson University graduate, was shooting a fan-submission commercial for Doritos. The hope is that the 30-second commercial will be selected to air during the 2012 Super Bowl in February.

The theme of the commercial is a group of senior citizens at a retirement home playing cards and other mildly exciting activities. Magically after eating Doritos, they are turned into much younger versions of themselves. [Photo on left: Kids act out a party as they take part in a commercial to be entered in the Doritos "Crash the Super Bowl" contest at Bethany Pointe on Wednesday.]

Penny Stevens, director of residential programming at Bethany Pointe Health Campus, came up with the idea while brainstorming with her two daughters. The finished product will be submitted as part of Doritos’ Crash the Super Bowl Contest. If it’s selected, not only will it appear during the Super Bowl, but could win up to $1 million.

Stevens said there’s only a slim chance it will win, but said filming was great experience for Bethany Pointe residents, several of whom had parts in the film.

“We’re always looking for ways to do intergenerational activities. I thought ‘wouldn’t it be fun to mix our residents with children and film a commercial?’” Stevens said.

Getting Gaither to direct the commercial was an added bonus, she said. Initially Gaither said he didn’t think he could do it with his busy schedule; however, after hearing Stevens’ idea for the ad he found a way to make time.

“It was a lot of fun. The kids were great, the old folks were awesome,” Gaither said.

As soon as filming wrapped about 7:30 p.m. Wednesday, Gaither said he had to get going as he had an early flight to Los Angeles this morning.

Unlike most of Gaither’s previous work, including recently released “The Last Ride,” the commercial had no script, using improvisation instead. When one of the child actors accidentally spilled his bag of Doritos, Gaither told him not to worry about cleaning it up and continue with the scene.

Filming was a collaborative effort between Gaither and Anderson University’s Covenant Productions^®, which provided the equipment and, more importantly, a production crew.

“It was a great opportunity, just great to see how everyone pitched in to make this happen,” said AU senior Andrew Stuart, who was an assistant director for the shoot.

Filming started Tuesday night with the crew filming the seniors’ pre transformation, and continued Wednesday. In all, Stevens said filming took about four hours. It was a bit surreal, she said.

“I had this little idea, and then I saw all this expensive equipment come in, and I was stunned,” Stevens said.

—Sam Brattain is a reporter for The Herald Bulletin. Photo credit: Don Knight. Story republished with permission.

Anderson University is a private Christian university of 2,600 undergraduate and graduate students in central Indiana. Anderson University continues to be recognized as one of America’s top colleges by U.S. News and World Report, The Princeton Review, and Forbes. Established in 1917 by the Church of God, Anderson University offers more than 65 undergraduate majors and graduate programs in business, education, music, nursing, and theology.

If that doesn’t seem like enough of a challenge, she acts the part of seven different characters in “It’s a Wonderful Life.”

“I keep running backstage, changing costumes, and running back out a different person,” said Sands during a phone interview between rehearsals. “A couple of them are pretty stressful. I even have to rip off my wig.”

[Photo: Meaghan Sands stars as the Blue Fairy, along with Danny Kingston as the main character, in “Pinocchio, ”playing through Nov. 19 at Beef & Boards Dinner Theatre in Indianapolis.]

Since graduating with a degree in voice performance in December, Sands has spent a good deal of time on the stage. In addition to her work at Beef & Boards, she has also performed with the Indianapolis Opera in the productions of “La Traviata” and “Madama Butterfly.”

“I really want to blur the lines between genres,” she said. “Some people think it’s important to be specific in your type of genre, but I would like to do everything. I would like to sing opera and soul in the same song.”

This versatility serves her well as she shifts gears between her many characters in the classic “It’s a Wonderful Life,” which runs through Nov. 20, and her role as the Blue Fairy in “Pinocchio,” which ends Nov. 19.

Originally from northern New York state (about 20 minutes from the Canadian border), Sands was drawn to this area after a car accident interrupted her dance major at a state school. A friend beckoned her to the Hoosier state, where she found a home at AU.

Although she plans to return to New York eventually, she is currently enjoying her work in Indiana and her home in Anderson.

“I really like it here right now, and I am learning a lot from these experiences,” she said. “There are some fine actors right here, and I’m always a student. I’m always watching somebody.”

With 11 performances each week, she is quickly chalking up experience points. And, when she needs a little extra encouragement, her professors are nearby and willing to help.

“I feel like they are family now,” she said. “When you go back to Anderson University, that’s how everybody is — like family. I made arrangements to continue to take voice from Fritz Robertson and Laurel Goetzinger, and they helped me develop some of the lines in the show that felt unnatural.”

Knowing this kind of support is nearby, her plans of traveling to New York or Chicago are distant and hazy. Still she is confident that she has chosen the perfect career.

“It’s what I love,” she said. “There’s nothing I’d rather do than this. This is the best thing I could have hoped for.”

— Emma Bowen Meyer for The Herald Bulletin. Reposted with permission.

Anderson University is a private Christian university of 2,600 undergraduate and graduate students in central Indiana. Anderson University continues to be recognized as one of America’s top colleges by U.S. News and World Report, The Princeton Review, and Forbes. Established in 1917 by the Church of God, Anderson University offers more than 65 undergraduate majors and graduate programs in business, education, music, nursing, and theology.

A street fair and Raven Fest closed a section of University Boulevard going through campus leading up to AU’s football game against Defiance College’s Yellow Jackets. Unfortunately, the Ravens took a loss.

Freshman Michaela Hammel wasn’t sure how the Ravens were going to fare before the game. [Photo on left: Anderson University homecoming king and queen Dawed Chung and Liz Cox are introduced during halftime of the home-coming football game Saturday.]

“They’ve had an OK season,” she said. “But I don’t care. I’m excited because it’s the team for my school, and I’m going to cheer them on.”

Hammel, from Anderson, said she’s been to numerous AU football games throughout the years but has never been to homecoming events.

“It’s so cool to see all the people out here,” she said. “To see the ones (people) that have been here and used to go here.”

Free Raven’s Nest sundaes were another appeal that attracted Hammel and her friends to the booth, and people filled the street and green area on campus.

“It’s a weird mixture, but I don’t know, it worked,” Hammel said. “There was puppy chow on the bottom, some pretzels and chocolate on top.”

Not far from where Hammel laughed and joked with friends, a young woman stood under a tent dressed like a princess.

“I’m just here to pass out candy and have a picture taken with the kids,” Anne Barlow said.

The sophomore from London, England, said divine intervention led her to AU. She’s adjusting to the culture and idioms, and her experience has been “wonderful.”

“It’s just been a wonderful homecoming,” she said. “My favorite part was the luminaries and, of course, all the tradition.”

Welcoming home graduates from the past were a series of tents for each decade. Signs on the front indicated specific reunion years, but everyone was invited to check out what was inside.

Ron Moore, the senior development consultant for AU, stood near a table under one of the tents. He proudly wore his AU letterman jacket and said he graduated in 1966.

“This is part of alumni development,” he said. “We’re trying to recognize specific groups and invite people close to that date to share in the reunion.”

Moore said he spent most of his morning talking to familiar faces from the past.

“A lot of people I knew have come by here and even some I had to be reminded of,” he said. “I saw a couple from St. Joseph, Mich., that I knew when we went here. I haven’t seen them in 43 years.”

The tents were filled with old photos and yearbooks. The walls had a collage of facts from the specific time period.

“It’s hard to believe a gallon of gas was only 40 cents back then,” Moore said. “You know, the advantage of AU is the experience. It’s large enough to offer a wide selection of educational programs, but small enough to meet people and make lifelong friends.”

—April Abernathy is a reporter for The Herald Bulletin. Photo credit: Don Knight. Story republished with permission.

Anderson University is a private Christian university of 2,600 undergraduate and graduate students in central Indiana. Anderson University continues to be recognized as one of America’s top colleges by U.S. News and World Report, The Princeton Review, and Forbes. Established in 1917 by the Church of God, Anderson University offers more than 65 undergraduate majors and graduate programs in business, education, music, nursing, and theology.

The two met during finals week in May 1996 while attending Anderson University. It was Susan’s sophomore year.

“I think a friend of hers liked my brother,” Jake said. “She dragged Susan over to my house to hang out with my brother and me.”

The two connected almost right away although Susan said she waited two days for Jake’s call and a chance at a second meeting.

That second encounter quickly turned into many more, and within a few weeks, the couple was embarking on their first joint camping venture to Indiana Dunes National Lakeshore. It was the first of many more adventures that included marriage in 1999, a multi-day canoe trip on the Current River in Missouri’s Ozarks, backpacking in the Rocky and Smoky mountains, kayaking in the Everglades, whitewater rafting in North Carolina and Colorado, and camping in Virginia, Michigan’s upper peninsula, Wyoming, Kansas, North Carolina and more.

The backpacking duo, still hungry for the next big thing, turned their attention to the Yukon wilderness of Canada.

“Soon after we married, I bought Jake a collection of Jack London’s short stories for Christmas,” Susan said. “Since then, intrigue slowly began to take root in our imaginations as we explored London’s Yukon, where so many of his stories are set.”

With zero funds, the couple began planning their own Yukon River adventure.

“The first draft had blue 50-gallon barrels tethered together with a platform and a tent,” said Jake, owner of Tech Heads, LLC. “After numerous sketches and after researching Archimedes’ Principle of Buoyancy, aluminum pontoons with living quarters built on top seemed to be a better fit for the Yukon River than some jank plastic barrels for our pontoons.”

Susan, an English and drama teacher at Noblesville High School, heard about a unique grant opportunity for teachers called the Teacher Creativity Fellowship Program.

Through the Lilly Endowment, up to 120 awards of $8,000 each are given to public and private educators to support creative projects every year.

“It’s for personal and intellectual renewal,” said Gretchen Wolfram, communications director for Lilly Endowment. “The projects aren’t always related to what’s taught in school. It’s a testament of the curiosity and quest for knowledge and adventure that teachers have.”

For Susan and Jake, it was a chance to fund a dream.

“I told her to do it (write the grant),” Jake said. “I thought the trip would be an ideal adventure for us, but we needed the funds, and this was a perfect opportunity to help with the funding. We hashed it out together, the trip plans, but she wrote it. I helped her proofread and contributed the conclusion that summed up the idea of our reasoning for such a trip.”

Susan’s winning proposal was “My Call to the Wild: A Journey of Self-Discovery Through Writing in the Land of the Midnight Sun.” The ultimate goal: to float the Yukon River through Canada from Whitehorse to Dawson City. That’s 3,000-plus miles of driving and 460 miles on the river in a boat.

Jake’s mother and father weren’t surprised when he told them he wanted to paddle and float down the Yukon River. Jake was 7 weeks old the first time he went camping, an activity that his family did often.

“Camping, canoeing and hiking seem to be Jake’s first love, after his wife Susan, of course,” said Shelia Nieten, Jake’s mother. “I have to admit, visions of mountain lions, grizzly bears and moose is what ran through our minds when he first mentioned the Yukon River trip.”

Susan’s mother also was uncertain upon hearing the plan.

“Since this is not something I would ever want to do myself, it was hard for me to understand why anyone would want to do this crazy thing,” said Donna Sharp, Susan’s mom. “The mom in me started worrying about all the unknowns and dangers. However, once I saw how much planning was going into the trip and how much they both wanted to do this, it was hard not to get excited. I enjoyed learning about all the preparations being made and seeing the progress on the boat, their home away from home.”

With help from friends, family and some sponsors, The Sundowner, Susan and Jake’s boat, was completed, loaded and hitched to the couple’s Expedition.

“We probably had a little more than we needed,” Susan said.

On June 25, Susan and Jake started the six-and-a-half day, three-night drive to Whitehorse.

“We didn’t expect it to be so slow,” she said. “But the boat only allowed us to go about 55 and then we had to go through the mountains in Canada.”

While in Whithorse, the couple befriended Glenn Babala and his wife, owners of Sports North.

After Jake excitedly discussed the details of the coming adventure while purchasing last minute fishing gear, Babala offered to let Susan and Jake park their truck and trailer at the store and drive Susan to the launch point. The Nietens had originally planned to park at the airport and pay.

“We do meet a lot of people canoeing down the Yukon River every year but not a lot in a boat like Susan and Jake had,” Babala said. “They seemed very excited about their venture, and it was nice to be able to share their launch with them.”

The Sundowner glided into the Yukon’s waters on Independence Day. Friends, family and other followers were able to track the Sundowner on a map as it made the journey.

“While they were gone I stayed close to the computer,” Jake’s mom said. “We could follow their signal on a map to see where they were as they traveled.”

“I carefully watched the little dot move on the map, looked up information about each place they were in, and worried myself silly when the dot didn’t move for days at a time,” Susan’s mom added. ”I imagined every scenario possible as to why they weren’t moving and cheered when they made miles of progress along their route.”

Despite overwhelming excitement, the trip was far more exhausting than Susan had planned.

“We didn’t know it would be so hard to pull over. Sometimes it would be hours before we could,” she said. “We saw lots of grizzlies and brown bears. We slept better than I thought we would. The night sky is different up north. It’s brighter so I wasn’t sure if that would be a problem.”

The bears were almost always more of a fear of Susan’s than the water until a terror-filled day on Lake Laberge.

“The water was calm then out of nowhere the wind picked up-not like white caps just windy,” Susan said. “We got turned sideways and I felt us teetering.”

Jake paddled hard to avoid getting sucked out to the middle of the 30-mile lake, something they were told to avoid at all costs. He said it was his least favorite memory of the Yukon. The entry in the blog Susan kept called it near-death.

“The trolling motor was just drained,” Susan said. “I don’t know how we did it.”

Exhausted, Jake said the couple took a break for a few days to relax and enjoy the trip.

“We fished and panned for gold and finally relaxed,” he said. “I also enjoyed the scenery and physical aspect of the entire trip.”

Sixteen days and 202 miles into the trip, Susan and Jake decided to retire and eventually pulled the Sundowner out near the village of Carmacks.

“Though we definitely could have made the 460 miles to Dawson City, it became quite clear that we were losing sight of some of our original trip goals,” Susan wrote in her blog. “Our venture quickly took on the feel of all work and no play.”

Together, the couple officially announced their arrival on dry land on the eve of their 12th wedding anniversary.

“We were glad they made it home safe and sound,” Sharp said. “We are sure their future contains more dream trips down other wonderful rivers, and we look forward to following along on their GPS.”

The Yukon River trip didn’t dampen or hinder the Nietens’ sense of adventure. It taught them great lessons and instilled the hope for future dreams.

“I did this trip with the person I wanted most,” Jake said. “She (Susan) is my best friend, companion and love of my life-till death do us part.”

—April Abernathy is a reporter for The Herald Bulletin. Story republished with permission.

Anderson University is a private Christian university of 2,600 undergraduate and graduate students in central Indiana. Anderson University continues to be recognized as one of America’s top colleges by U.S. News and World Report, The Princeton Review, and Forbes. Established in 1917 by the Church of God, Anderson University offers more than 65 undergraduate majors and graduate programs in business, education, music, nursing, and theology.

And at 7:30 p.m. today, he will perform at the AU homecoming concert at Park Place Church of God, 501 College Drive, and receive the 2011 Outstanding Music Alumni Award.

Coolidge, who graduated from AU in 1987 with a Bachelor of Arts in applied music, said he was asked to come back and play in the early 1990s.

“It was a lot of fun thing then, but the chance to do this and actually be granted an honor like this is quite humbling,” he said. “I’m looking forward to doing it again and having a lot of fun with the kids.”

Growing up in Anderson with a music director of a father, and after seeing some of the trumpet players with his church choir, Coolidge said he wanted to play.

He began in the third or fourth grade, earlier than elementary schools typically offer band, and went on to perform in middle school, high school and college, playing a variety of groups and styles.

“That probably planted some seeds as to what I am doing now as far as variety goes,” he said.

When looking at colleges, the opportunity to go to a bigger school did present itself, but Coolidge said he hadn’t quite committed to music enough to want to leave town.

“The four years being kind of a big fish in a small pond really helped cement my love for the music,” he said, “and wanting to make a career out of it.”

With less pressure and more opportunities, he began to realize performing was what he wanted to do with the rest of his life.

“The more I played and the more I participated in different groups, the more interested I became,” he said.

He remembers doing a musical in Reardon Auditorium shortly after it opened.

After completing graduate school at Indiana University and spending 11 years performing with Disney, Coolidge and his wife moved to Phoenix, where he said he has the chance to approach other opportunities instead of being tied to one job.

“It was refreshing to be able to answer the phone and, no matter what the time or job, being able to say ‘Yeah, I’ll be there. No problem, I’ll be there. I’ll do it.’”

As a freelancer, Coolidge keeps busy with a large variety of performances, including some high profile acts like playing back-up for celebrities passing through town, doing “pretty much anything and everything,” he said.

“A real highlight is being able to play with some of the best players in the world, to rub elbows with them and swap stories,” Coolidge said of working with trumpet greats like Bobby Shew.

While in Anderson, Coolidge said he plans to spend time with his parents, who still live here, and visit with friends from close-by.

—Dani Palmer is a reporter for The Herald Bulletin. Story republished with permission.

Anderson University is a private Christian university of 2,600 undergraduate and graduate students in central Indiana. Anderson University continues to be recognized as one of America’s top colleges by U.S. News and World Report, The Princeton Review, and Forbes. Established in 1917 by the Church of God, Anderson University offers more than 65 undergraduate majors and graduate programs in business, education, music, nursing, and theology.

Anderson University’s 2011 Homecoming celebration is scheduled for October 21-22. To view a schedule of events, visit the 2011 Homecoming schedule.

Dennis Kruse BA ’68 is a member of the Indiana State Senate, representing District 14. He served in the Indiana State House of Representatives from 1989 to 2004. Additionally, Kruse has worked as a real estate broker and an assistant to corporate officers at Ambassador Steel. He has been owner and president of Dennis Kruse and Associates, Auctioneering and Real Estate since 1968. He has also worked as an auctioneer for Kruse International, collector car auctioneers, since 1971 and auctioneer/owner of Reppert School of Auctioneering since 1996.

Chris Witt BA ’03 is a film and video editor based in Los Angeles. He recently edited the film Kavi, which was nominated for a 2010 Academy Award for “Best Short Film (Live Action).” The film also received a Gold Medal Student Academy Award in 2009. Witt also edited the 20-minute film The Butterfly Circus, which garnered the $100,000 grand prize in The Doorpost Competition. Among his many credits, Witt served as one of the principal editors for A Ripple of Hope, a documentary film created by Covenant Productions® at Anderson University capturing one poignant day in the life of Robert Kennedy and his little-known act of personal courage and responsibility.

Dr. Michael Collette serves as professor of management in the Falls School of Business at Anderson University. Prior to joining the faculty in the Falls School of Business in May, Collette served as vice president for marketing and strategic planning at AU. At the completion of the 2011 academic year, Collette concluded a distinguished career of 34 years in administrative leadership. He has worked at AU since 1977 and served as a member of the institution’s executive team since 1986. Prior to joining administrative leadership, Collette served as a full-time faculty member in the Department of Business and Economics from 1984-86. He also served AU as director of placement services and academic advising, director of special academic programs and senior planning officer, and vice president for enrollment management and information systems.

Joe Royer is in his 28th year of service at AU, where he began as director of physical plant. He has been directly involved in many campus building projects, including the Nicholson Library expansion, Hartung Hall expansion, the Welcome Center, the broadcasting complex, University Boulevard renovation, the Kardatzke Wellness Center, Fair Commons, and now the York Performance Hall. He became the director of facilities in 2000 and has assumed additional responsibilities as a purchasing agent for property and liability insurance and risk management.

Courtney Rice is the daughter of Marc BA ’86 and Janet (Isley) BA ’89 Rice and is from Montesano, Wash. Courtney was chosen for the Legacy Scholarship based on her strong academic record and her involvement in athletics, music, and volunteer activities. In her application essay, Courtney wrote, “I know that at AU I will gain a better understanding of the world I live in and will find the mentors, resources, and environment that will prepare me for success.” Courtney feels a call to ministry and looks forward to participating in AU’s Tri-S program.

For more information about Anderson University’s 2011 Homecoming celebration, contact the Office of Alumni Relations at 765-641-4100 (phone), 765-641-3888 (fax), or alumni@anderson.edu (e-mail).

Anderson University is a private Christian university of 2,600 undergraduate and graduate students in central Indiana. Anderson continues to be recognized as a top Christian college: in 2011, U.S. News and World Report ranked Anderson University among the best colleges and universities in the Midwest for the eighth consecutive year. Established in 1917 by the Church of God, Anderson University offers more than 65 undergraduate majors and graduate programs in business, education, music, nursing, and theology.

Ben Davis, director of alumni relations, said they have about 60 or 70 events planned and they are targeted “especially, but not exclusively, to alumni.”

“Homecoming is yet another opportunity for the community to come out to the campus,” Williams said. “And we try so hard to let the community know that this is their university.”

The homecoming king and queen’s coronation will be during Thursday’s chapel, and the five university Alumni Award recipients — chosen by the Alumni Council — will be honored, Davis said.

He said activities pick up Friday with events like the School of Music homecoming concert and presentation of the Outstanding Music Alumni Award, campus illumination, the School of Nursing Alumni Open House and Awards, Cheap Thrills (a variety show like “Saturday Night Live”) and the coffeehouse reunion for alumni of the last five years.

There will be a drawing at the coffeehouse for Jon McLaughlin Indianapolis concert tickets, Davis said.

On Saturday, the Street Fair and Ravenfest — run by the students — will precede the homecoming game.

The Street Fair has “grown and expanded over the years,” Williams said, with street performers and festival food like candy apples and bratwurst, and a bounce house, face painting and games for kids in Ravenfest.

The Street Fair and Ravenfest are from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. Saturday, rain or shine, and Williams said a portion of University Boulevard will shut down from 8:30 a.m. to 2 p.m.

There will be reunion tents set up for 10th, 25th, 40th and 50th class reunions during the fair, too, Davis said.

Each class includes alumni from the year before and after the actual reunion year. Davis said this clustering gives alumni a chance to catch up with friends outside of their class whom they may have grown close to over their years in college.

AU will also be broadcasting live from the Street Fair for the third year. They conduct these webcasts so those who can’t make it can see it.

“Just in the last couple of years — since we’ve started offering that at homecoming — it really isn’t just about people who can make it back to campus anymore,” Davis said. “It’s for everyone.”

Williams said people from as far away as Hawaii, Australia, Beijing, Germany and Ireland, among other places, have tuned in.

Homecoming will be live, too, so viewers “can still feel apart of it, but remotely,” Williams said.

During halftime of the football game, the 2001 conference champion football team will be recognized, and on Saturday night is the Hall of Fame dinner for inductees, multicultural alumni reunion dinner and a special dinner for the Boosters Club’s 75th anniversary.

Davis said the Boosters is the oldest social club on campus and already has more than 200 registered for dinner with six or seven decades represented.

Sunday will close the week out with a choral concert at Park Place Church of God.

Davis said everyone is gearing up for the week, including the staff with an office decorating contest.

“It takes a small army to pull this off,” Williams said. “It’s sort of an all-hands-on-deck weekend.”

Those interested can pre-register for homecoming at www.anderson.edu/alumni/events and receive an AU homecoming shirt for $5.

Davis said more than 1,000 register, but many more just show up.

A full schedule of events can be found at www.anderson.edu/alumni/homecoming/schedule.

—Dani Palmer is a reporter for The Herald Bulletin. Story republished with permission.

Anderson University is a private Christian university of 2,600 undergraduate and graduate students in central Indiana. Anderson University continues to be recognized as one of America’s top colleges by U.S. News and World Report, The Princeton Review, and Forbes. Established in 1917 by the Church of God, Anderson University offers more than 65 undergraduate majors and graduate programs in business, education, music, nursing, and theology.

The women blasted the singer-songwriter’s music on their stereo in preparation for McLaughlin’s Tuesday morning Anderson University homecoming chapel performance.

“My roommates are obsessed,” Bengtson said. “They came a half hour early to chapel so they could be the first in the auditorium.”

The junior from Grand Rapids, Mich., said the university invites successful alumni back to campus every semester.

“It’s so encouraging to see someone who had a great experience at AU and who looks forward to coming back,” Bengtson said. “They show you the different fields and help you picture where you could be in the future.”

[Photo: Jon McLaughlin performs during chapel at Anderson University on Tuesday, Oct. 18. Credit: John P. Cleary/The Herald Bulletin]

McLaughlin caught Bengtson’s attention because of the way she said he connects with students.

“He shows you that there is more to life than just college,” she said. “And it’s fun to go back and tell all your friends about it.”

As McLaughlin took to the stage Tuesday morning, Reardon’s auditorium lights dimmed. The student body quickly grew silent.

Dressed in jeans and a plaid shirt, he sat behind a piano and began to play. The sound coming from the keys crescendoed. McLaughlin’s voice singing “Beating My Heart” soon followed.

“It’s good to be back at chapel. I didn’t go a lot when I was here,” he said. “Chapel was at 6 a.m. then. Oh, it was at 10. It felt so early.”

McLaughlin attended Anderson University from 2001 until he graduated in 2005. It’s the place where he said he wrote most of his songs.

“I thought they (the songs) were gems of pure gold,” he said. “They were really bad.”

Not so bad was the fact that McLaughlin met his wife, Amy, in college on what he called a roommate date where dormmates select a date for a student.

“The roommate date. It’s a million-dollar idea here at AU,” he said. “I was at Harvard and mentioned roommate date. They gave blank stares. They can create Facebook but don’t know what a roommate date is.”

In between songs, McLaughlin shared other personal stories about his life, including how badly he wanted to come home after just a few days of achieving his musical dream.

“I spent four years at AU dreaming. I went off to New York after graduating and played three shows in really tiny rooms,” McLaughlin said. “The label asked me to come to LA. Great! I always wanted to go. I’ll work fast food.”

But after a few days of writing with other artists and songwriters, McLaughlin said he wanted to come home.

“I was miserable,” he said. “I called the label and told them I’d like to go home. They said no.”

From the experience, McLaughlin wrote the relationship-cloaked song “Indiana.”

McLaughlin will return home to Indiana next month as part of his tour to promote his newest album, Forever If Ever. There is even a chance to catch him soon at his alma mater during this homecoming weekend.

“It’s so good to be home,” he said. “I’m going to try to make it this weekend to walk around.”

— April Abernathy is a report for The Herald Bulletin. Story reposted with permission.

Anderson University is a private Christian university of 2,600 undergraduate and graduate students in central Indiana. Anderson University continues to be recognized as one of America’s top colleges by U.S. News and World Report, The Princeton Review, and Forbes. Established in 1917 by the Church of God, Anderson University offers more than 65 undergraduate majors and graduate programs in business, education, music, nursing, and theology.

Born in Anderson, Ind., Coolidge graduated from Anderson Uni­versity in 1987 with a Bachelor of Arts in applied music. He went on to earn a Master of Music in trumpet performance from Indi­ana University and in 1989 began an 11-year career at Walt Disney World, performing with EPCOT’s renowned ensemble Future Corps.

Since moving to Arizona in 2000, Coolidge has become an active freelance musician in Phoenix and a “first-call” trumpet with artists ranging from The Temptations to Mannheim Steamroller. He performs with Broadway musicals, touring celebrity acts, local big bands, church orchestras, Top-40/R&B/Latin bands, chamber brass groups, and studio recording sessions.

The Homecoming Concert on Oct. 21 at 7:30 p.m. in Park Place Church of God is free and open to the public.

Anderson University is a private Christian university of 2,600 undergraduate and graduate students in central Indiana. Anderson University continues to be recognized as one of America’s top colleges by U.S. News and World Report, The Princeton Review, and Forbes. Established in 1917 by the Church of God, Anderson University offers more than 65 undergraduate majors and graduate programs in business, education, music, nursing, and theology.

The same dedication to the university was true of Michael Collette, who had been on the college’s executive team since 1986 and responsible for such assignments as marketing the university and increasing scholarship assistance. Both are among five people receiving alumni awards this week during AU homecoming ceremonies.

[Photo: Anderson University homecoming queen Carly Marler stands next to homecoming king Jake Schwab during the announcement of the homecoming court.]

The connection between Anderson University and the Anderson community is sometimes missed in the day-to-day lives of local residents. This week of homecoming at AU offers a chance for residents to re-connect with the campus.

Friday’s Campus Illumination offers beautiful luminaries at dusk.

Students and alumni mingle at the Street Fair, which helps raise money for campus organizations and runs from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. Saturday. Accompanying the Street Fair is RavenFest which has activities for children.

There’s a variety of sports on Saturday, including the football game against Defiance at 1:30 p.m., a volleyball match against Hanover at 12:30 p.m., and a rugby match at 1 p.m.

At 2:30 p.m. on Sunday, a choral concert will cap the weekend at Park Place Church of God.

Homecoming activities give us all a chance to better understand the roles that Anderson University plays in defining our community, whether it’s finding scholarships for students or making the campus ready for the Colts.

Connect with Anderson University this weekend and maybe you’ll feel like you’re coming home when you step onto campus.

— Published by The Herald Bulletin. Reposted with permission.

Anderson University is a private Christian university of 2,600 undergraduate and graduate students in central Indiana. Anderson University continues to be recognized as one of America’s top colleges by U.S. News and World Report, The Princeton Review, and Forbes. Established in 1917 by the Church of God, Anderson University offers more than 65 undergraduate majors and graduate programs in business, education, music, nursing, and theology.

“Do hard things” is Anderson University alumna Christy Kihm’s mantra.

Kihm, a senior admissions counselor at AU, recently ran in an Indianapolis sprint triathlon, the Indianapolis mini-marathon, and the Sydney (Australia) mini-marathon to raise money for a nonprofit. To stay motivated, Kihm created her mantra.

“I read about how it can help mentally when running to have a mantra to just repeat over and over in your head,” said Kihm. “Part of what I decided on was ‘do hard things.’”

While the mantra was helpful, her underlying motivation came from her Tri-S experiences nearly 10 years ago. Kihm, who earned her BA in 2003 and MBA in 2010 from AU, admits the five Tri-S trips she took while she was a student were some of her favorite memories from AU. Last year, those memories resurfaced and challenged her to compete in her races.

While working in the Admissions Office, Kihm was inspired by student Gracie Winkler’s application letter. That letter touched on her experience working for Active Water, a nonprofit organization that raises money to bring clean water solutions, hygiene training, and sanitation projects to communities in need across the globe. Winkler was familiar with Active Water because they were featured at a Christ in Youth conference she attended the summer before.

Although Winkler never ran a race for Active Water, she organized a 5K event in her community and donated the money to the organization. “I ended up having 30 people come, and we made enough money to give 11 families water filter systems in their homes,” Winkler said. Kihm, inspired by Winkler’s story, decided she wanted to make a difference as well.

“With a new outlook on life and a desire to find a meaningful way to make a difference, I am committing to run two half-marathons and do a sprint triathlon this year while raising money for Active Water!” Kihm posted on her fundraising page. After visiting developing countries and witnessing how precious water is, she hoped to pay it forward.

In the spring of 2011, Kihm committed. She joined the Active Water team and signed up for the Indianapolis and Sydney mini-marathons, in addition to an Indianapolis sprint triathlon. All proceeds went to provide clean water for people in Ndola, Zambia.

The sprint triathlon took place in April while the Indy mini-marathon was in May, followed by the Sydney mini-marathon the very next weekend. The opportunity to run in Sydney came because Kihm was leading a Tri-S trip there.

With the races so close together, repeating “do hard things” helped remind Kihm that sometimes the hardest things can be the most enriching and worthwhile experiences.

“Overall, these events this spring reminded me that the limits that I see in my life are self-created,” Kihm said. “With supportive friends and family, and faith that God is bigger than my circumstances, I can do anything!”

— Corinne Schmitt is a senior from Geneva, Ill., majoring in public relations. Schmitt is an associate with Fifth Street Communications™, writing on behalf of the Anderson University Office of University Communications.

Anderson University is a private Christian university of 2,600 undergraduate and graduate students in central Indiana. Anderson University continues to be recognized as one of America’s top colleges by U.S. News and World Report, The Princeton Review, and Forbes. Established in 1917 by the Church of God, Anderson University offers more than 65 undergraduate majors and graduate programs in business, education, music, nursing, and theology.

The webcast will be streamed on the Anderson University website during the event. To access the webcast, visit: www.anderson.edu/alumni/homecoming/webcast/. Viewers may also join Facebook and Twitter discussions with other members of the AU community during the event. A link to those discussions will be provided on the webcast page.

“We are excited to provide a few hours of the Homecoming Street Fair to alums and friends through the web,” said Chris Williams, director of university communications and community relations. “This online broadcast allows us to deliver a small snapshot of Homecoming to the computer screens of those who can’t make it back to Anderson University. Log on between 11 a.m. and 1 p.m. to see shots from the Street Fair and, perhaps, a familiar face.”

See video highlights from Homecoming Webcast 2010.

For more information about Anderson University’s 2011 Homecoming celebration, contact the AU Office of Alumni Relations at (765) 641-4100, alumni@anderson.edu, or visit the Homecoming section on the AU website.

Anderson University is a private Christian university of 2,600 undergraduate and graduate students in central Indiana. Anderson University continues to be recognized as one of America’s top colleges by U.S. News and World Report, The Princeton Review, and Forbes. Established in 1917 by the Church of God, Anderson University offers more than 65 undergraduate majors and graduate programs in business, education, music, nursing, and theology.

But the journey has been worthwhile as he claimed the statuette at the award luncheon Tuesday, presented by the Anderson Rotary Club at Anderson Country Club.

“When I was graduating from Highland, if somebody had told me that someday I’d be getting this award, I would have said they were crazy,” said Roundtree. “Getting out of Anderson was the first thing I wanted to do.”

So he went to college at Webster University in St. Louis.

“I knew in the first month or maybe after the first week that this wasn’t the place for me,” said Roundtree. “I’m so grateful to (former Anderson University) Coach (Don) Brandon for taking me in and giving me an opportunity to play.”

[Photo, from left: Carl Erskine, Brady Roundtree, and Anderson Rotary Club President Lisa Floyd. Credit: Don Knight / The Herald Bulletin]

He got limited play as a freshman but was second team All-Heartland Collegiate Athletic Conference after his sophomore season. The next two years, first at second base and then at shortstop, he also was all-conference.

For his career with the Ravens, he hit .343 with 14 homers and 105 RBIs. He stole 40 of 43 bases and that .930 percentage is a school record.

AU coach David Pressley, who just completed his first season as head coach, said, “I’m excited about the opportunity to be here. This was a tough decision between deserving candidates. Brady worked hard every day. As a senior, though he wasn’t a vocal leader, he spoke up when he was needed. He just grew and grew and grew every day.”

Roundtree credited Pressley with being instrumental in his development.

“Without your help fixing my swing, I would never have been able to be standing here,” said Roundtree, the 10th recipient of this award.

Also in attendance was Anderson native and former AU baseball coach and alum Carl Erskine.

“The name on the award is really insignificant to what the award is really all about,” Erskine said. “This is about getting the most out of what is given to you.”

Speaking to Roundtree he said, “Baseball has been a good vehicle for you. It was for me.”

“After a year at AU, I fell in love with the program and with my teammates,” said Roundtree, who spent a good deal of time in his speech acknowledging the love for his teammates. “I learned a lot about leadership skills. I wouldn’t be here without the coaches and without my teammates.”

Anderson Rotary Club presented Anderson University president Dr. James L. Edwards a $500 gift. Roundtree’s name will become part of the permanent display honoring the Erskine Award winners at the Kardatzke Wellness Center on the AU campus.

— Rick Teverbaugh is sports editor for The Herald Bulletin. Story reposted with permission.

Anderson University is a private Christian university of 2,600 undergraduate and graduate students in central Indiana. Anderson University continues to be recognized as one of America’s top colleges by U.S. News and World Report, The Princeton Review, and Forbes. Established in 1917 by the Church of God, Anderson University offers more than 65 undergraduate majors and graduate programs in business, education, music, nursing, and theology.

Dr. Frank Campbell, Friend of Nursing Award
The Friend of Nursing Award recognizes a person in the community who has demonstrated leadership ability, professional achievement, and active support of the nursing profession and the School of Nursing.

This year’s recipient is Frank Campbell, a graduate of Butler University where he received his bachelor’s degree in education and a commission of 2nd Lt. in the U.S. Air Force. He served as 1st Lt. in the U.S. Air Force for two years before continuing his education at IU Medical School.

Campbell worked in a private medical practice with two other partners for 30 years. During that time, he served as chief of staff at Community Hospital in Anderson. In 1996, he took time away from his practice to care for his aging father. He served on the board of directors of the Madison County Health Center from 2002-2007. He returned to practice medicine in 2007 at the Madison County Community Health Center, where he continues to serve as medical director. He also serves on the Saint John’s Health System’s Foundation Board.

Heather Sheets, Service to the Community Award
The Service to the Community Award is given to alumni who have demonstrated a clear commitment to serving the community through notable volunteerism, an outstanding act of selflessness, or a pattern of service to humanitarian efforts or causes.

This year, Heather Sheets BSN ’02 will receive the Service to the Community Award. She holds an MSN degree as a family nurse practitioner from Indiana Wesleyan University. She currently works at Med One Urgent Care full time and Madison County Emergency Services (Saint John’s ER) PRN.

During her career, Sheets worked as an assistant professor of nursing at AU for four years, was director of nursing at a nursing home, and worked at Saint John’s in OR, neurology, home care, and wound care. She was instrumental in starting the Christian Center Clinic.

Anderson University is a private Christian university of 2,600 undergraduate and graduate students in central Indiana. Anderson continues to be recognized as a top Christian college: in 2011, U.S. News and World Report ranked Anderson University among the best colleges and universities in the Midwest for the eighth consecutive year. Established in 1917 by the Church of God, Anderson University offers more than 65 undergraduate majors and graduate programs in business, education, music, nursing, and theology.

Discover new services, new programs, and new initiatives for Anderson residents provided in creative ways through innovative community leaders and the organizations they represent. The alumni scheduled to be featured include:

• Chad Schubert, executive director, The Shadeland Project
• Ben Orcutt, director, The Bicycle Collective
• Steve Sipka, co-founder and director, The Exodus House
• Kristin Stayer, director, Park Place Community Center

Please RSVP by Oct 18, 2011 to the Office of Development at (765) 641-4029.

Anderson University is a private Christian university of 2,600 undergraduate and graduate students in central Indiana. Anderson continues to be recognized as a top Christian college: in 2011, U.S. News and World Report ranked Anderson University among the best colleges and universities in the Midwest for the eighth consecutive year. Established in 1917 by the Church of God, Anderson University offers more than 65 undergraduate majors and graduate programs in business, education, music, nursing, and theology.

The health and wellness guru now spends his days trying to motivate cancer patients and survivors who inspire him regularly to appreciate all that life has to offer.

Douglass loves to be there for his clients. And he hopes his clients love to learn how to be themselves despite their diagnosis.

“I try to get them to see the value of exercise no matter where they are in the treatment process or how long they may be in remission,” Douglass said. “Exercise can do so many things for patients, especially in terms of side effects. It can help you fell better regardless of where you are in terms of health.”

[Photo: Matthew Douglass works with an exercising patient at IU Health Ball Memorial Hospital in Muncie. Credit: Jordan Kartholl/The Star Press]

His clients, most of whom are breast cancer patients and survivors at the Cancer Center at IU Health Ball Memorial Hospital, meet with Douglass because they want to feel better. But in truth these patients want more than that.

They want to live for years to come. And Douglass knows his role is about more than creating a fitness plan.

He’s not there to tell people what to do or to get in their faces if they don’t meet his goals for them.

Douglass is a cancer exercise specialist to show his patients what they might have forgotten during the course of their chemotherapy or radiation treatments, their meetings with oncologists and financial advisors.

He shows them that they’re stronger than they realize.

“I’m a pretty personable guy, so when my clients come in I mostly ask them how they’re doing, what’s going on with them and their families,” he said. “I enjoy that about this job. But mostly I love to see the progress each person makes. Even if it’s the fact that they can stay on the treadmill two minutes longer. It doesn’t matter; it’s progress.”

The Kirkland, Ind., native’s journey to the Cancer Center began when he was at Anderson University and realized he wanted to work in the field of health and wellness.

After graduating with a bachelor’s degree in exercise science, Douglass moved on to the master’s program in exercise science at Ball State University’s Human Performance Lab.

While at BSU, he began working with older clients who wanted to improve or to create health and wellness plans to improve their lifestyles. It was then that he came across the cancer survivors who wanted to integrate exercise into their lives.

Not that cancer was new to Douglass. As is the case with many people, he had cancer patients and survivors — including breast cancer survivors — in his own family.

The relatives didn’t have to fight their battles alone, and he brings that message to his clients as well: They do not have to go through this alone.

So he sits next to them on the popular NUStep machine that works the lower and upper body at a variety of paces. He walks along with them on the treadmill. Douglass does whatever he asks his clients to do, smiling and encouraging them along the way.

His exercise suggestions include yoga and pilates for stress management and increased flexibility, using hand weights and resistance bands to improve muscle strength, remembering to take deep breaths to bring more oxygen to the cells and enjoying what’s going on in front of you.

Oh, and smiling.

Douglass has worked with breast and other cancer patients from ages 25 to 95 and he continues to find the work challenging and enjoyable.

But from the 20 patients he works with currently, and every breast cancer survivor and fighter he’s assisted during the past three years, he’s learned the important lesson of never giving up, regardless of what’s ahead of you.

“I am very encouraged when I work with my clients,” Douglass said. “I’ve learned a lot from them about life and about how important it is to appreciate life and to live every moment. They encourage me as much as I encourage them. Probably more.”

— Ivy Farguheson is a reporter for The Star Press. Story reposted with additions to include Anderson University graduation year.

Anderson University is a private Christian university of 2,600 undergraduate and graduate students in central Indiana. Anderson continues to be recognized as a top Christian college: in 2011, U.S. News and World Report ranked Anderson University among the best colleges and universities in the Midwest for the eighth consecutive year. Established in 1917 by the Church of God, Anderson University offers more than 65 undergraduate majors and graduate programs in business, education, music, nursing, and theology.

The 2011 class includes David Edwards, Sara Rychener-Burkholder, Jim Usher, Monica Hostetler, and Norbert Schenhals.

David Edwards came to Anderson in 1962 from Kettering, Ohio, and has been active on campus for almost 50 years. As a student, he earned four letters in football, two in wrestling, and one in baseball. Later he was the head wrestling coach at AU as well as an assistant football coach, assistant baseball coach, and assistant athletic director. He was twice named Hoosier Heritage Conference Coach of the Year in wrestling. Edwards has also served as alumni director and has recently been an announcer for various Raven athletic events.

Sara Rychener-Burkholder came to AU from Archbold, Ohio, in 1996 to play softball and left four years later as the most decorated pitcher in school history. She was a four-year letterman, three-time All-HCAC, two-time team MVP, and the conference MVP in 1998. She still holds nine school records, including career earned run average (2.13), wins (61), saves (6), appearances (106), starts (86), complete games (81), innings (580), season wins (20), and complete games (24). She batted .307 for her career with 20 doubles, three triples, two home runs and 54 RBI. This award is being presented posthumously. Rychener-Burkholder passed away in 2002.

Jim Usher came to Anderson from Meridian, Miss., in 1961 to play tennis for the Ravens. He earned four letters on the court and was also the coach in his junior and senior seasons. He compiled a 45-2 overall record and was a four-time All-Conference selection, leading the Ravens to their first HHC title in 1963.

Monica Hostetler came to Anderson from LaGrange, Ind., in 1995 to run track and cross country for the Ravens. She was a two-time All-American in both track and cross country and eight-time conference champion in track. She was also All-Conference in cross country three times.

Norbert Schenhals came to Anderson from Archbold, Ohio, in 1977 to play football for the Ravens. He earned four letters in football and was three times All-District 21, twice All-Conference, and twice All-American.

Register for the Hall of Fame Dinner

Anderson University is a private Christian university of 2,600 undergraduate and graduate students in central Indiana. Anderson continues to be recognized as a top Christian college: in 2011, U.S. News and World Report ranked Anderson University among the best colleges and universities in the Midwest for the eighth consecutive year. Established in 1917 by the Church of God, Anderson University offers more than 65 undergraduate majors and graduate programs in business, education, music, nursing, and theology.

Crawshaw was a family science and psychology major who took his first dance class during his freshman year of college. He began with a basic jazz course and then auditioned for the school musical Carousel.

After seeing his talent in the musical, Laurel Goetzinger, associate professor of music, and Doug King, dance instructor, encouraged Crawshaw to pursue a dance minor. “I saw something in him that reminded me of myself,” said King. “He was built for dance. He took to it very well and he enjoyed it, so we pushed him to learn the proper technique. I saw a real potential in him.”

Crawshaw declared a dance minor during his sophomore year. He was also awarded a full scholarship to the summer intensive program of the Jordan Academy of Dance at Butler University. During that experience Crawshaw discovered his true passion for dance. “After that summer I tried to be in every technique class of all levels ranging from ballet, modern and jazz, to tap and musical theatre,” he said.

Throughout the next two years, Crawshaw became a common face on the AU stage. Performing in AU shows such as “Spring into Dance,” “Candles and Carols,” “Fall into Dance,” and various operas and musicals, Crawshaw became known for his talent. “As a dance partner he was strong as well as gentle,” said fellow AU dancer Kimmie Icenogle. “I admire Phillip most for his sense of drive and motivation.”

During his junior year, Crawshaw found himself with a dilemma: should he pursue his dance career or his master’s degree in counseling? He decided to pursue both options by auditioning and applying for grad schools. “I always had a great support system from all of my dance professors to pursue counseling in graduate school and all of my family science and psychology professors to pursue dancing professionally,” said Crawshaw.

After graduating, Crawshaw decided to pursue his master’s degree. But after one semester in graduate school, he decided to return to the stage. “Once I was away from dance, I truly believed that dance was what I should be doing right now,” said Crawshaw. “Although getting my master’s is still a huge goal for me, I will continue that when I decide to retire from dance.”

During the audition process for GHDT, Crawshaw found himself struggling. He was disappointed that he was not picking up the choreography right away. He was, however, contacted by the company’s founder and lead choreographer, Gregory Hancock. “Gregory said he saw something that was moldable and he could see me growing and learning a lot from being in the company,” said Crawshaw.

Crawshaw is now one of two male dancers in the GHDT company. GHDT is a professional contemporary dance company that combines several styles of dance to create a unique style and a deep sense of emotion. According to the company’s mission statement, GHDT is a “professional form of dance dedicated to the exploration and presentation of thought-provoking issues with the ability to transcend the barriers that divide our world. We strive to enlighten, educate, and entertain audiences of all ages.” Crawshaw is now an active member in many of the company productions including Seven Deadly Sins, Salome, and Hunchback of Notre Dame.

“I truly thank God for my dance experiences at AU,” said Crawshaw. “With the classes being small, the professors could work individually with me and the other students. Through all of the pain, blood, sweat, and tears, I would not give up the knowledge and strength I gained from AU.”

— Kelly Gualdoni is a junior from Fort Wayne, Ind., majoring in communication arts. Gualdoni is an associate with Fifth Street Communications™, writing on behalf of the Anderson University Office of University Communications.

Anderson University is a private Christian university of 2,600 undergraduate and graduate students in central Indiana. Anderson continues to be recognized as a top Christian college: in 2010, U.S. News and World Report ranked Anderson University among the best colleges and universities in the Midwest for the seventh consecutive year. Established in 1917 by the Church of God, Anderson University offers more than 65 undergraduate majors and graduate programs in business, education, music, nursing and theology.

Now, the Anderson University alumnus is ready to address the effect of the tragedy when 5-year-old Maria was run over by a vehicle driven by a brother in the family driveway in Tennessee.

Chapman is telling fans that through tragedy, God has re-created within himself and his family.

Chapman revisits old songs and sings them with newfound meaning on his new album, “re•creation.” On Thursday evening, Chapman will play to a sold-out crowd at Trader’s Point Christian Church near Whitestown. Joined by friends Andrew Peterson and Josh Wilson, he will share the stories behind the songs he’s written throughout the years.

In a phone interview with Chapman, The Herald Bulletin asked about the album, tour and family.

THB: You are familiar with Anderson. How did you end up at Anderson University?

Chapman: While making my way after high school, I was working at Opryland one summer. It was my first professional gig as a singer. A guy in the crowd saw my bio. He came to talk to me and said, “I see you write gospel music.” Then he asked me to play, so I did. He was part-owner of a recording studio in Alexandria, Indiana. He told me he was good friends with Bill Gaither. Well, I was already heading to Georgetown College in Kentucky. I asked him where he went to school, and he said AU. …

God had plans that I would not only go to school there but meet the love of my life, Mary Beth. That place has a special significance in my life and career. It shaped my understanding of who God is.

THB: Your tour, the Songs and Stories Tour, is a little different. What prompted the change?

Chapman: What if we could take the audience on that journey to where the songs came from? The idea was from that.

I knew a few guys. Josh Wilson — people say he reminds them of me 20 years ago. He’s a guitar slingin’ singer. It’s just great to have other songwriters at different points in time on their journey to share with me.

THB: Where did the idea for “re•creation” come from?

Chapman: I took the songs that have been very significant in my journey in 25 years that have taken on new meanings my life. You get down the road and get to understand more or less. You go to Jesus. There are great adventures, so much adventure in life with higher mountains and deeper valleys. I thought it would be great to record those songs in the meaning that they have now.

THB: Was selecting songs for the new album easy or challenging?

Chapman: I guess they all have some real significant reasons for being chosen. I usually have 30 to 40 new ideas. Some real personal songs came out for me. The “Beauty Will Rise” recording was fresh for me.

THB: The death of your youngest daughter, Maria Sue, has been a driving force behind your new songs. Tell me about it.

Chapman: My wife says it beautifully. God has begun to lead us in our first steps out of a dark forest. It’s been encouraging and scary — scary because she doesn’t want to feel like she’s left things behind. It’s been such a journey for us.

I wanted to sing to my friends that have prayed for us and listened to my music. I wanted to sing to them. I wanted to tell them that we are learning to laugh again and smile again. I wanted songs to represent that. It’s kind of like going back in order to step forward. Here’s what God is teaching me to do.

(The song) “All That’s Left” came from the words (son) Caleb spoke at Maria’s funeral. We spend so much time with things that are temporary, but relationships last. Love remains. It’s so important that I could share this now with such a conviction.

THB: Did you question God a lot about Maria’s death?

Chapman: Absolutely. It continues to be a time full of questions. God, what do I do with this? How do we move on? There were lots of questions about who God is and is not and how to process things. The questions have been a real part of the journey.

—April Abernathy is a reporter for The Herald Bulletin. Story republished with permission.

Anderson University is a private Christian university of 2,600 undergraduate and graduate students in central Indiana. Anderson continues to be recognized as a top Christian college: in 2011, U.S. News and World Report ranked Anderson University among the best colleges and universities in the Midwest for the eighth consecutive year. Established in 1917 by the Church of God, Anderson University offers more than 65 undergraduate majors and graduate programs in business, education, music, nursing, and theology.

Dennis Kruse BA ’68 is a member of the Indiana State Senate, representing District 14. He served in the Indiana State House of Representatives from 1989 to 2004. Additionally, Kruse has worked as a real estate broker and an assistant to corporate officers at Ambassador Steel. He has been owner and president of Dennis Kruse and Associates, Auctioneering and Real Estate since 1968. He has also worked as an auctioneer for Kruse International, collector car auctioneers, since 1971 and auctioneer/owner of Reppert School of Auctioneering since 1996.

Chris Witt BA ’03 is a film and video editor based in Los Angeles. He recently edited the film Kavi, which was nominated for a 2010 Academy Award for “Best Short Film (Live Action).” The film also received a Gold Medal Student Academy Award in 2009. Witt also edited the 20-minute film The Butterfly Circus, which garnered the $100,000 grand prize in The Doorpost Competition. Among his many credits, Witt served as one of the principal editors for A Ripple of Hope, a documentary film created by Covenant Productions® at Anderson University capturing one poignant day in the life of Robert Kennedy and his little-known act of personal courage and responsibility.

Dr. Michael Collette serves as professor of management in the Falls School of Business at Anderson University. Prior to joining the faculty in the Falls School of Business in May, Collette served as vice president for marketing and strategic planning at AU. At the completion of the 2011 academic year, Collette concluded a distinguished career of 34 years in administrative leadership. He has worked at AU since 1977 and served as a member of the institution’s executive team since 1986. Prior to joining administrative leadership, Collette served as a full-time faculty member in the Department of Business and Economics from 1984-86. He also served AU as director of placement services and academic advising, director of special academic programs and senior planning officer, and vice president for enrollment management and information systems.

Joe Royer is in his 28th year of service at AU, where he began as director of physical plant. He has been directly involved in many campus building projects, including the Nicholson Library expansion, Hartung Hall expansion, the Welcome Center, the broadcasting complex, University Boulevard renovation, the Kardatzke Wellness Center, Fair Commons, and now the York Performance Hall. He became the director of facilities in 2000 and has assumed additional responsibilities as a purchasing agent for property and liability insurance and risk management.

Courtney Rice is the daughter of Marc BA ’86 and Janet (Isley) BA ’89 Rice and is from Montesano, Wash. Courtney was chosen for the Legacy Scholarship based on her strong academic record and her involvement in athletics, music, and volunteer activities. In her application essay, Courtney wrote, “I know that at AU I will gain a better understanding of the world I live in and will find the mentors, resources, and environment that will prepare me for success.” Courtney feels a call to ministry and looks forward to participating in AU’s Tri-S program.

For more information about Anderson University’s 2011 Homecoming celebration, contact the Office of Alumni Relations at 765-641-4100 (phone), 765-641-3888 (fax), or alumni@anderson.edu (e-mail).

Anderson University is a private Christian university of 2,600 undergraduate and graduate students in central Indiana. Anderson continues to be recognized as a top Christian college: in 2011, U.S. News and World Report ranked Anderson University among the best colleges and universities in the Midwest for the eighth consecutive year. Established in 1917 by the Church of God, Anderson University offers more than 65 undergraduate majors and graduate programs in business, education, music, nursing, and theology.

The Last Ride tells the story of country music legend Hank Williams’ final days from the perspective of Williams’ personal driver, played by 22-year-old Jesse James. Henry Thomas portrays Williams.

It was just one of the highlights from Saturday’s Homegrown Hoosier Film Fest, which began at 10 a.m. and continued into the night.

Gaither, who produced and provided the film’s soundtrack, said it was the first feature film he has produced.

In a question-and-answer session after the screening, which concluded with a resounding round of applause, Gaither said the film ran into a few bumps early in production. A $2 million check from an investor turned out to be fake, and several of the antique cars used to convey the 1950s setting had mechanical problems.

Despite the setbacks, Gaither’s film has gone on to win several independent film awards, including best picture for a timepiece at the World-Fest Independent International Film Festival.

Gaither said the film took 28 days to shoot while post-production lasted a year and a half.

“We were still in post-production as of three months ago,” he said.

Gaither said he did not ask permission from Williams’ family to produce the film, as copyright law stipulates that any public figure who has been dead for over 20 years is “fair game.”

“We thought it would be easier to ask for forgiveness than to ask for permission,” Gaither said.

But Gaither showed the film to Williams’ daughter Jett Williams. “She threw her arms around me and said: ‘You got my dad. You nailed him,’” Gaither said.

When asked how authentic the story was, Gaither replied that the true story of Williams’ death is only known by Williams and his driver. According to Gaither, the driver was accused by some of murdering Williams. For that reason, Gaither said, the driver asked him to hide his identity in the film.

“He went through hell after this,” Gaither said.

Williams died Jan. 1, 1953. Gaither said he tried to make the film look as authentic to that time period as possible.

Through computer-generated imagery, or CGI, he was able to remove from scenes satellite dishes and other modern technologies. He was also able to borrow a large amount of classic automobiles, such as the Cadillac in which Williams is driven throughout the movie.

Ron Beard of Alexandria said he first started getting interested in cars around the time Williams died. A self-proclaimed “car buff,” Beard said he enjoyed seeing the cars that Gaither rounded up for his film.

“I thought it was well done. (Gaither) did a great job with it,” Beard said.

Gaither said the film will be released to select theaters Oct. 21. Depending on how well it performs, The Last Ride could see a full release in January.

—Sam Brattain is a reporter for The Herald Bulletin. Story republished with permission, with additions to include Anderson University graduation year.

Anderson University is a private Christian university of 2,600 undergraduate and graduate students in central Indiana. Anderson continues to be recognized as a top Christian college: in 2011, U.S. News and World Report ranked Anderson University among the best colleges and universities in the Midwest for the eighth consecutive year. Established in 1917 by the Church of God, Anderson University offers more than 65 undergraduate majors and graduate programs in business, education, music, nursing, and theology.

“We’re very excited to welcome back our wonderful alumni to this beautiful campus … to connect with old friends and reconnect with a place that has meant so much to many of us. We hope you’ll always want to stay connected to AU,” said Elyse Cromer, associate director of alumni and parent programming.

The Alumni Office will have a specially designated area near the Alumni Tent at the Street Fair from 10 a.m. – 1 p.m. on Saturday, Oct. 22 for graduates from all years who are celebrating a class reunion. Along with the class reunions, the Alumni Office is also inviting the years before and after the official reunion year as a “cluster reunion”:

• 10-year Reunion: Classes of 2000-2002
• 25-year Reunion: Classes of 1985-1987
• 40-year Reunion: Classes of 1970-1972
• 50-year Reunion: Classes of 1960-1962

Also returning this year will be the Live Homecoming Webcast from 11 a.m. – 1 p.m. during the Street Fair.

“Since not everyone can travel here to be with us for Homecoming weekend, we’re offering a live webcast with special guests from the Street Fair,” said Ben Davis, director of alumni relations. “That way alumni can feel like they are a part of all the fun even if they’re in their family room back at home. Last year we had alumni tune in to the webcast from all over the country and even a few international alumni.”

The Alumni Office will also host for the second year the “Young Alum Coffeehouse” on Friday, Oct. 21, following the late Cheap Thrills, for graduates from 2006-2011. The Boosters social club will be celebrating their 75th anniversary with a dinner on Saturday at 5 p.m. The School of Adult Learning will host a tailgate party at the Street Fair before the football game against Defiance. The 18th annual 1950s Hospitality Tent and second annual 1970s Hospitality Tent will be located at Macholtz Stadium from 1-5 p.m. Another tent at Macholtz will host alumni for the 10-year reunion of the 2001 AU Football Conference Champs.

Check out the Homecoming Herald [PDF] for details of 2011 award winners, a schedule, reunions, and special events.

“The Student Alumni Association is working to bring back the Homecoming campus decorating contest to show off our school spirit,” said Cromer. “Dorms, apartments, and clubs will all be involved with the contest and the SAA is sure our alumni will notice the difference when they visit.”

The alumni office is encouraging as many people as possible to register for events online at https://co.clickandpledge.com/advanced/default.aspx?wid=46041. Alumni can also pre-register for a special Homecoming t-shirt for just $5.

View the full schedule of events online.

For more information about Anderson University’s 2011 Homecoming celebration, contact the AU Office of Alumni Relations at (765) 641-4100, (765) 641-3888 (fax), or visit the AU website.

Anderson University is a private Christian university of 2,600 undergraduate and graduate students in central Indiana. Anderson continues to be recognized as a top Christian college: in 2011, U.S. News and World Report ranked Anderson University among the best colleges and universities in the Midwest for the eighth consecutive year. Established in 1917 by the Church of God, Anderson University offers more than 65 undergraduate majors and graduate programs in business, education, music, nursing, and theology.

Kahl, originally from Richfield, N.C., traveled in August to Khirbet Qeiyafa in the Elah Valley, Israel. “I applied for this fellowship for many reasons, the most straightforward being for the adventure,” said Kahl. “As a student of the Bible and religions, this opportunity fit into my passion for learning more about myself as a Christian and about a few of the religions I spent my time at AU studying.”

After the dig, Kahl spent a lot of time in Jerusalem, with her favorite location being the Mount of Olives. She also enjoyed going to Qumran, the Dead Sea, the Sun Rise tour of Masada, Hazor, Megiddo, Dan, Korizim, Caesarea, Capernaum, Bethsaida, and Banias. Kahl said, “The highlights to each of these places was when I could relate them to a specific event that happened in the Bible.”

“AU helped me prepare for this dig, historically get my bearings, and not be lost when the directors would throw out different time periods, people, or events. This experience has given me a new appreciation for the Bible, my studies, my faith, and has given me a new passion to learn,” added Kahl.

Kahl is currently working at Shepherd of the Hills Lutheran Church in Fountain Hills, Ariz., as the children and family education director. She hopes to continue her education in graduate school in a few years.

The Jeeninga Fellowship in Archaeology was established by the late Dr. Gustav Jeeninga, founder and former director of the Bible Museum, for assisting students with study for up to four weeks in the Mediterranean basin around archaeology or personalized research in periods from the Early Bronze Age to 1000 A.D.

The selection committee for the fellowship includes Dr. Blake Janutolo, dean of the College of Science and Humanities; David Neidert, Jeeninga Museum director; Dr. Alan Overstreet, chair, Religious Studies Department; and Dr. Kimberly Majeski, assistant professor of Biblical Studies, School of Theology.

“I remember when Lisa began the application process,” said Neidert. “She was nervous about the venture and the writing of the essays. But that work and courage gave her the opportunity of a lifetime. Lisa has gained a knowledge of things she only read about in the past. This Fellowship changes people’s lives, and for that I am grateful.”

Kahl’s presentation on Sept. 26 is free and does not require reservation. Contact David Neidert at dlneidert@anderson.edu or (765) 641-4526 for more information.

Anderson University is a private Christian university of 2,600 undergraduate and graduate students in central Indiana. Anderson continues to be recognized as a top Christian college: in 2011, U.S. News and World Report ranked Anderson University among the best colleges and universities in the Midwest for the eighth consecutive year. Established in 1917 by the Church of God, Anderson University offers more than 65 undergraduate majors and graduate programs in business, education, music, nursing, and theology. The Anderson University School of Theology is the seminary of the Church of God (Anderson, Indiana). The SOT offers a number of seminary degree programs for women and men, including the Doctor of Ministry (D.Min.), Master of Divinity (M.Div.), the Master of Theological Studies (M.T.S.), the Master of Arts in Intercultural Service (M.A.I.S.), and the Online Master of Arts in Christian Ministry (M.A.C.M.).

“While we are grateful to be included among the best of Midwest universities, we want most of all to be measured by our quality and our student success,” said Anderson University President Dr. James L. Edwards. “Our mission to transform lives through education will be met by nothing less.”

The 2012 Best Colleges guidebook provides the most thorough examination of how more than 1,400 accredited four-year schools compare on a set of up to 16 widely accepted indicators of excellence. Among the many factors weighed in determining the rankings, the key measures of quality are: peer assessment, graduation and retention rates, faculty resources, student selectivity, financial resources, alumni giving, and, for National Universities and National Liberal Art Colleges, “graduation rate performance” and high school counselor ratings of colleges.

For more information on the rankings, visit www.usnews.com/colleges/.

Over the past two decades, the U.S. News & World Report college rankings, which group schools based on categories created by the Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of Teaching, has grown to be the most comprehensive research tool for students and parents considering higher education opportunities.

Anderson University is a private Christian university of 2,600 undergraduate and graduate students in central Indiana. Anderson continues to be recognized as a top Christian college: in 2011, U.S. News and World Report ranked Anderson University among the best colleges and universities in the Midwest for the eighth consecutive year. Established in 1917 by the Church of God, Anderson University offers more than 65 undergraduate majors and graduate programs in business, education, music, nursing, and theology.