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Around Circle Drive
Cruise the Yangtze River
Join fellow Spartans on this spectacular journey to Classic China October 1-14, 2013.
This journey begins in 2000-year-old Beijing, China’s capital city. Experience its legendary sites—Tiananmen Square, the Forbidden City, the Summer Palace, the Temple of Heaven, and, of course, the Great Wall. A tour highlight is a special inside look at communal life along Beijing’s ancient alleyways or hutongs, fast disappearing as the city rushes to modernize. Continue to Xian, site of the recently excavated terra-cotta army of nearly 8,000 life-size warriors, called the Eighth Wonder of the World. Then board the Victoria Cruises ship at Chongqing for a three-night cruise on the Yangtze, one of the world’s longest and busiest rivers. Witness daily life along its shores and see the spectacular Three Gorges and the much-heralded new dam. The tour concludes in Shanghai, where you will discover the European-influenced Bund, the Children’s Palace, and the renowned Shanghai Museum. Also available is an optional three-day/two-night post-tour extension to Nanjing. Click here for more information. Click here to request a brochure.
New MSUAA Webcasts
Free webcasts for alumni will cover topics of interest to professionals.
Beginning this month, the MSU Alumni Association will offer alumni free webcasts covering a variety of professional topics. The webcasts will run on the 2nd and 4th Thursday of every month from 12:30 to 1:30 p.m. ET. They will be presented by MSU experts or by alumni from the vast global network of accomplished Spartans. For more information, visit alumni.msu.edu/professionalseries. “We recognize that experienced Spartans have different professional needs than those of recent graduates,” says Lisa Parker, director of Alumni Career & Business Services (see photo). “Whether navigating a job search, growing a business, exploring professional development or pondering meaningful ways to keep active in retirement, the MSUAA wants to be a resource.” Topics covered this month include (May 9) the value of an MBA degree, presented by Cheri DeClercq, director of MSU’s Weekend MBA Program, and (May 23) trends in executive education, presented by David Frayer, director of the Eli Broad Graduate School of Management’s Executive Education Program.
Agriculture Hall is Renamed
The Justin S. Morrill Hall of Agriculture will honor the architect of land-grant universities.
MSU’s Board of Trustees has approved the renaming of Agriculture Hall to the Justin S. Morrill Hall of Agriculture in honor of the man who, as a United States Congressman, helped to establish the land-grant university. The Morrill Act was signed into law by President Abraham Lincoln in 1862. “The original Morrill Act spurred Congressional action in funding agricultural experiment stations and cooperative extension services,” says Fred Poston, dean of the College of Agriculture and Natural Resources. “These pillars of the Morrill Act were at the time, and continue to be, central to MSU’s identity and mission. It is therefore fitting that the name Morrill Hall be attached to MSU’s agriculture building.” Earlier this year, the existing Morrill Hall was vacated and the building is now slated for demolition. A wooden structure originally built in 1900, Morrill had suffered irreparable deterioration. The academic units that were housed in Morrill Hall have moved to locations in Wells Hall and the Old Horticulture Building. Plans are currently underway for an early fall renaming ceremony.
Two Students Honored
Juniors in Honors College win the coveted Goldwater Scholarship for 2013-14.
Two MSU students have been named 2013-14 Goldwater Scholars. Both are juniors in the College of Natural Science and the Honors College. Erik Bates of Ada and Kayla Felger (see photo) of Ft. Wayne, IN, will receive a Goldwater Scholarship for the 2013-14 academic year. To date, 34 MSU students have been named Goldwater Scholars, who come from the areas of mathematics, science or engineering. “It is very exciting that these students have been recognized for their excellence in and dedication to research,” says Cynthia Jackson-Elmoore, dean of the Honors College. “The Goldwater Foundation plays an important role in helping MSU and other research universities assist students in following their research passions.” Bates is majoring in advanced mathematics and plans to obtain a doctorate in mathematics and perform research in a pure or applied mathematical discipline while teaching at the collegiate level. Felger is majoring in chemistry and human biology and plans to obtain a doctorate in organic chemistry and design biomedical materials that are both affordable and manufactured from renewable resources.
Spartans on the Move
Top 25 Women in Health Care
Two MSU College of Nursing graduates were selected for this honor in 2013.
Patricia Hemingway Hall, ’75, and Shirley Weis, ’75, have been named to the 2013 Top 25 Women in Health Care by Modern Healthcare. Hemingway Hall (see photo) began her career as an intensive-care nurse in the 1970s, but since 2008, has led Health Care Service Corp. HCSC covers more than 13 million members in four states. As president and CEO, she has grown the insurer by more than 1 million members and increased its health initiatives, including the Healthy Kids, Healthy Families program.
Top 25 Women in Health Care
Two MSU College of Nursing graduates were selected for this honor in 2013.
Patricia Hemingway Hall, ’75, and Shirley Weis, ’75, have been named to the 2013 Top 25 Women in Health Care by Modern Healthcare. Weis (see photo) is chief administrative officer and vice president of the Mayo Clinic, Minneapolis, MN, a $9 billion system that treats more than 1 million people annually. Weis served in various administrative roles at the clinic since the 1990s, including chair of administrative services before being named chief administrative officer in 2007. Originally trained as a nurse, she spent a decade in Michigan hospitals before becoming medical administrator and eventually COO of Blue Care Network of Mid-Michigan.
Boxer Takes On Challenges
New book by alumnus describes how he survived his longstanding war with the mafia.
Doug Dane Fenske, ’71, of Santa Barbara, CA, still competes as an amateur boxer at age 61, sometimes fighting opponents 30 to 40 years younger than himself. But boxing is hardly the biggest challenge faced by Fenske, who won the Southern California Golden Gloves Championship several times. His toughest challenge has been surviving a longstanding battle with the mafia, which he documents in Holding On—I Sued the Mafia and Lived to Tell About It (Strategic Publishing Group, 2013), available at Amazon, Barnes and Noble and the book’s publisher. Doug Dane explains the extraordinary circumstances that led to this conflict when his life was threatened, and how he and his wife Kerri James survived. This story is told in graphic terms and, according to Doug Dane, took 10 years to write. It is the story of a man whose life occupation has been waste recycling, processing, trucking and disposal, with a lifelong goal of developing a system of waste recovery parks throughout the world.
Alumna Named President
Heads a 30,000-member national association of interior decorators
Barbara Marini, ’76, a 15-year veteran in interior design education, has been named national president of the American Society of Interior Designers (ASID), a 30,000-member organization based in Washington, DC. ASID focuses on communicating the impact of interior design on peoples lives and supports a research foundation. Marini has engaged in interior design education at the College for Creative Studies and at Eastern Michigan University. She has owned her own commercial interior design firm, Marini Interiors Inc., since 1987. She recently served as interior design program chair at the International Academy of Design and Technology, Troy, and successfully led the institution’s accreditation process. She is a frequent speaker on design related issues and is currently a doctoral candidate at Eastern Michigan’s College of Educational Leadership.
Wellness Expert Reveals Secrets
New book provides a guide to living a life of balance
Nationally-recognized health and wellness speaker Chris Johnson, ’89, has published his system for enhancing employee health and productivity. On Target Living: Your Guide to a Life of Balance, Energy, and Vitality (Wiley, 2013) reveals what Johnson refers to as “the simple steps to get adequate rest, exercise and nutrition to reach one’s greatest potential.” He is the founder and CEO of On Target Living, a Lansing-area wellness consulting company that helps organizations achieve fitness goals and increase efficiency. He regularly lectures on the health and wellness strategies needed to infuse energy into their lives and increase productivity in the office. Along with speaking and consulting, he also offers health programs and one-on-one coaching. Besides his degree in exercise physiology from MSU, he also boasts certifications from the American College of Sports Medicine, National Academy of Sports Medicine and the American Council on Exercise. He has received the endorsement of NFL Quarterback Kirk Cousins, a former three-time football captain for the MSU Spartans.
Sports News
New Sports Chief at WKAR
MSU alumnus succeeds Earle Robinson, who retired after serving 39 years.
Allen (Al) L. Martin Jr., ’12, has joined public broadcasting station WKAR as its new sports producer and host. He will host the daily call-in program “SportsTalk/870” on WKAR Radio, contribute to WKAR Radio’s daily talk show, “Current State,” and bring his sports expertise to other projects at WKAR Radio and Television. Prior to joining WKAR, Martin was a sports reporter at WLNS-TV/6 in Lansing, where he anchored sports twice daily. He received a 2013 Michigan Association of Broadcasters Award for the sports program, “The 5th Quarter.” He also did sports production internships with the Big Ten Network and HOMTV. He served as sports announcer for MSU’s 2012 men’s baseball team and was honored as “Big Ten Student U Sports Cameraman of the Year” for the 2010-11 season. Martin lives in East Lansing. During his undergraduate years he was involved with Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity, Greenpeace and March of Dimes. He succeeds Earle Robinson, a member of the Lansing Sports Hall of Fame who spent 39 years as a sports broadcaster at WKAR.
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Join our worldwide organization of Spartans helping Spartans and discover how the MSUAA is "Your Personal Network for LIfe."
Locate a Club
The MSUAA has clubs in every corner of the U.S. Locate a club near you!
Alumni Reunion Days
Return to campus June 6 & 7, 2013 and celebrating the 1960s. Register for this year’s Alumni Reunion Days. Click here to see a schedule of events and to register.
Watch the MSUToday Show
MSUToday appears regularly on the Big Ten Network. View online or watch them on the Big Ten Network.
Spartans Will. 360
Join the adventure as the MSU President’s Report 360 describes firsthand the life-changing work of MSU researchers around the world.
Got MSU Memorabilia?
Help University Archives & Historical Collections document Spartan students of all generations. Donate your papers, photos, scrapbooks or videos—contact the Archives at 517-355-2330, email archives@msu.edu, or visit www.archives.msu.edu.
