TRAil of A TERRoRisT - Point Park University

POINTTheSpr i n g 2009A MAGAZINE FOR ALUMNI AND FRIENDS OF POINT PARK UNIVERSITYRevisiting theTrail of aTerroristBusinessEthics inUncertainTimesPioneers share stagewith NBA’s elite

PresidentPaul HenniganVice President ofUniversity AdvancementMariann GeyerSenior Directorof Marketing andCommunicationsMary Ellen SolomonDirector of PublicationsDalton GoodManaging EditorKate Beard MillerGraphic DesignersChristie MartzTom PhillipsManager of Printing& Office ServicesDon PastoriusContributing WritersColleen DerdaCamille DowningElizabeth MayKelli McElhinnyKate Beard MillerGrace MillerKevin TaylorCheryl ValyoCONTENTS2 Letters to the Editor2 News & Views8 Getting Down to BusinessStudents Create Plans for New Businesses at Point Park10 Double ExposureStudents Photograph Youth to Increase Exposure in theAdoptive Community12 Big Screen DreamsPoint Park’s New Screenwriting Major Gives Aspiring Writersa Leg Up in the Competitive Entertainment Industry14 Revisiting the Trail of a TerroristA Faculty Member’s Experience as an FBI Counterterrorism Agent18 Point of View with Professor Joan MoseyBusiness Ethics in Uncertain Times20 Alumni Success Stories22 Blueprint for a Bright Future$2 Million Grant from The Heinz Endowments InitiatesArchitectural Design Process for the Academic Village Initiative26 Donor RecognitionContributingPhotographersTom BellRic EvansKaren MeyersLaura PetrillaIsaac Taube34 Especially for Alumni38 Class Notes39 Nostalgic Notions40 Pioneer AthleticsWE WANT TO HEAR FROM YOU!Comments and suggestions are welcome!Please send letters to: Managing Editor,Point Park University, Dept. of Communications201 Wood Street, Pittsburgh, PA 15222Phone: 412.392.4747 Fax: 412.392.6185Copy EditorCheryl ValyoOn the cover: Mike Finnegan,assistant professor in theSchool of Arts and SciencesDepartment of CriminalJustice and IntelligenceStudies, is profiled in ourstory about fighting terrorismon page 14.Photo by Karen MeyersThe Point is published by the Office of University Advancement, Point Park University, 201 Wood Street, Pittsburgh, PA 15222. Everyeffort has been made to ensure the accuracy of published information. Please visit our web site at www.pointpark.edu for currentinformation regarding University programs, departments, alumni activities and events.Point Park University educates students in a diverse environment and prepares graduates to apply knowledge to achieve their goals, advancetheir professions and serve their communities.Point Park University does not discriminate on the basis of race, color, national origin, sex, age, relation, ancestry, disability, veteran status,sexual orientation, marital status, or familial status, in the administration of any of its educational programs, activities, or with respect toemployment or admission to the University’s educational programs and activities.This policy is in accord with state and federal laws, including Title VI of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, Title VII of the Civil Rights Actof 1964, Title IX of the Education amendments of 1972, Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973, the Americans with DisabilitiesAct and the Age Discrimination Act of 1975. Inquiries regarding these regulations, policies, or complaints of discrimination should bereferred to the Human Resources Officer, 2nd floor, Thayer Hall, telephone number: 412-392-3952. Inquires regarding Title IX and theTitle IX regulations can also be referred to the Human Resources Officer as the Title IX coordinator.www.pointpark.edu 1

Letters to the EditorThank you for the great issues of The Point - excellentpublication! I enjoy learning about all that is new at PointPark.– Ellen (Harbold) Gamble (COM 1990)I enjoyed the last edition of The Point I just received and I wasvery pleased to see Prof. Bob O’Gara on the cover. I enjoyedhis course a great deal back in 1992. I hear from my otherfavorite professor, Kathleen Donnelly, fairly regularly. As youwould expect, her blogs from the UK are very entertaining!– Julian Asenjo (MA, COM 1993)I have now read several issues of The Point, and I continueto be amazed by the professionalism, as well as the overallentertainment value provided in each issue. The photographyis crisp and creative, and the text is detailed, yet concise andinsightful.In the Winter 2008-2009 issue, I was particularly pleased tofind a small, but relevant section titled Class Notes. Withinthis section, several Point Park alumni were recognized forsome of their professional and other life accomplishments andprogressions after earning degrees at Point Park. Seeing someof these successes reminds one of the true meaning behindreceiving a quality education from a progressive, forwardthinkinginstitution of higher learning.The Point and Point Park University continue to motivatecurrent students and alumni to make the best of the educationthey have received, and to realize that dreams are advanced bythe Point Park community every day.– Jason Bloom, M.B.A. (BUS ‘05)Keeping Up the REPutationJohn Shepard,chair of PointPark University’sConservatory ofPerforming Artstheatre department,was recently namedPerformer of the Yearby the PittsburghPost-Gazette for hisacclaimed role as Willy Loman in The REP’s Sept. 2008production of Arthur Miller’s Death of a Salesman. Thesold-out production was named as one of the top ten playsof the year. Also mentioned were the Conservatory TheatreCompany’s productions of Can-Can and Thou Shalt Notand The REP’s world premiere production of EastburnAvenue, written by Point Park alumnus Marcus Stevens(COPA ’03) with music by Doug Levine.Scholarly PursuitsRobert J.Fowler, Ph.D., adjunct faculty member in theSchool of Arts and Sciences Department of CriminalJustice and Intelligence Studies, recently completedpostdoctoral studies at Yale University in New Haven,Conn. His area of advanced studies pertained to cognitivescience and brain-based learning.Dane Claussen, Ph.D., professor and director of graduateprograms in the School of Communication, presented apaper at the Seminar on Media Consumption and Youthheld Oct. 27–28 at Shanghai International Studies2 www.pointpark.edu

news & viewsUniversity’s main campus in Shanghai,People’s Republic of China. His paper,“Ideology Makes for Bad Social Science: TheCase of U.S. Research on Youth and MassMedia Violence,” started the conferencewhich included more than 25 participants,eight from outside China. Claussen was oneof only three participants from the UnitedStates. Claussen also attended the SecondEuropean Communication Conferenceheld Nov. 25-28 in Barcelona, Spain. Theconference’s theme was “CommunicationPolicies and Culture in Europe.” Claussenwas one of only four U.S. scholars whoattended the conference. He representedthe Association for Education in Journalism& Mass Communication, for which he editsJournalism & Mass Communication Educator,the world’s oldest and largest scholarlyjournal devoted to journalism and masscommunication. He was reappointed inDecember 2008 for a second three-yearterm as international editor of the journal.ProfessionalAdvancementAnthony Moretti, Ph.D., assistant professorin the School of Communication, hasbeen elected to the national board of theBroadcast Education Association. Moretti,whose two-year term begins in April, willrepresent the organization’s District 8,which includes 17 divisions. In addition toattending two national board meetings eachyear, he will coordinate the selection of theannual convention program chair.Jan Getz, broadcaster in residence in theSchool of Communication, was selectedfor two national conferences. In August2008 she attended the International Radioand Television Society’s Digital Summit atDisney/ABC studios in Los Angeles whereshe was one of 60 faculty from around thecountry who had the opportunity to learnabout the wide variety of digital content,developments and distribution formatsbeing used in the company. In November2008 she joined 19 other faculty for theprestigious Academy of Television Arts andSciences’ week-long faculty seminar, alsoin LA. The seminar explored prime timetelevision, cable and Web programmingwith leading producers, writers, editors andexecutives.Wendy L. Hardy has been named directorof the Point Park University Children’sSchool. She was previously director of theEarly Learning Center in Mt. Lebanon, Pa.A specialist in the arts, Hardy has taughtpreschool through high school. She holdsbachelor’s and master’s degrees fromCentral Michigan University and is finishingWalden University’s doctoral program ineducation leadership.

news & viewsCulturalOfferings OnlinePoint Park’s University Center offers accessto digital resources by The American Mosaic,which documents the multiethnic experienceof American Indians, Latino and AfricanAmericans. The resources can be accessedthrough the library’s Web site at: pointpark.edu/library. The Latino American Experienceis the first-ever database dedicated to thehistory and culture of Latinos, the largest,fastest growing minority group in the UnitedStates. The databases feature more than650 titles of full-text content on AfricanAmerican, U.S. Latino, American Indian, andmulticultural history, politics and culture aswell audio and music files, maps,photographs, timelines, speeches,court cases, advertisements,treaties, Spanish-languagetexts, captivity narratives, andover 3,500 slave narratives. Thedatabases contain search andbrowse functions as well as links tovetted Web sites and blogs hostedby leading scholars and librariansin the field.Seeing STARSDeveloped by a committeecomprised of staff from officesand departments throughout theUniversity, STARS, or Striving toAchieve Remarkable Service, is astaff service initiative that supportsPoint Park University’s guiding principleof Quality Student Experience. This staffdriveninitiative was launched in Januarywith focus on service to distinguish theUniversity community with new andprospective students and to better positionthe University for challenges of the currenteconomic environment.LearningfromLichensMatthewOpdyke, Ph.D.,and Laura Frost,Ph.D., assistantprofessors in the Schoolof Arts and Sciences Department of NaturalSciences and Engineering Technology, andBryan Dolney, a senior biological sciencesmajor, received a grant from thePennsylvania Department of NaturalResources and Conservation for alichen study that will include surveysof Frick Park and parks outsideAllegheny County to assess anyecological impact on their populationscaused by air quality or other urbaninfluences. Dolney will be conductingthe majority of the fieldwork and plansto publish and present his study at nationalconferences.Student PosterDisplayed at the ZooStudents in the Department of NaturalSciences and Engineering Technologydesigned and published a poster on displayat the Pittsburgh Zoo and PPG Aquarium inthe Education Complex as part of their classwork in biological evolution. The posterillustrates the evolutionary lineages inprimates and saltwater fish. It is used asan educational tool for visitors to the zoo.Thanks to Our StateRepresentativesThanks to support from area legislators,Point Park University has received grantsfrom the Pennsylvania Department ofCommunity and Economic Development forthe following projects:$5,000 toward completion of the Tap Studioin the Dance Studio Complex, supported byState Representative Thomas C. Petrone;$10,000 toward the establishment ofa National Security Training Center forCriminal Justice and Intelligence students,supported by State Representative PaulCosta; and $10,000 toward the University’smentoring initiative, supported by StateRepresentative Jake Wheatley.Alumni AssociationScholarship InitiatedThe Point Park Alumni Association launchedan Alumni Association Scholarship duringthe University’s Second Annual AlumniHoliday Party at the LeMont on Dec. 13.Ellen Gamble (COM 1990) was the keynotespeaker and Taylor Chalker, junior theaterarts major, entertained the guest withsome holiday songs. Over 250 faculty, staff,students and alumni were in attendance.4 www.pointpark.edu

news & viewsFrom left: John Taormina and his wife, Carolyn, Ellen Gamble and herhusband, Eric, at the Alumni Holiday Party held at The LeMont.Architectural DetailsPoint Park’s University Center is featuredin the Pittsburgh History and LandmarksFoundation’s Whirlwind Walk Architectureand Urban Spaces in Downtown Pittsburgh,the first fully-illustrated comprehensivewalking tour guidebook to many of theprincipal buildings and public spaces indowntown Pittsburgh. The guidebook detailsthe University Center’s original design inthe early 1900s and notes its Greek ioniccolumns with scroll-like capitals. Theguidebook was published in conjunction withPittsburgh’s 250th Anniversary.Innovative EntryDan McVeagh, a senior information andtechnology management (acceleratedprogram) major, invented a multi-touchcomputer table for the Pittsburgh Innovatescompetition sponsored by City Live. Hisinvention, along with 76 other entries,was presented on the competition’s Website, where winners were selected by anopen vote. Prizes of $20,000, $10,000and $1,000 were awarded at the NewHazlett Theatre on Pittsburgh’s North Sideon Nov. 24. To view McVeagh’s entry visitpittsburghinnovates.com.Breaking RecordsWhen radio stations played records, it wasbad news to break one. Not so today. PointPark’s WPPJ670-AM brokea record byraising over$3,000 insponsorship for67 consecutivehours of studentbroadcasting heldOctober 28–31. The 28thannual Rock-A-Thon, under theleadership of general manager JaymesProgar, senior broadcasting major,benefitted The Early Learning Center, aprivate, non-profit organization that providescomprehensive early intervention servicesto infants, toddlers, preschoolers and theirfamilies. The agency serves more than1,600 children throughout Allegheny County.WPPJ has raised over $21,000 for the EarlyLearning Center through Rock-A-Thons heldduring the past 27 years.Tell us what you think.Tell us what you really think.In less than five minutes, you could help the editorial team ofThe Point know what you expect to find in your alumni magazine. We’dlike to know your thoughts on The Point. Please participate in our onlinesurvey at http://www.pointpark.edu/readersurveyPlus, survey participants may enter to win in a drawing of five $50 Visa giftcards. The random drawing will take place on April 3rd. Winners will benotified by Point Park’s Office of Marketing and Communications and listedin the next issue of The Point.So go ahead and let us know. We value your input.

news & viewsIntegratingIntelligenceSpecial Agent William J. Crowley, directorof media relations for the Federal Bureauof Investigation’s Pittsburgh office,spoke at Point Park on Nov. 1 as part ofthe University’s Integrated MarketingCommunications Luncheon series. Theevent was co-sponsored by the IntegratedMarketing Communications Program andthe Department of Criminal Justice andIntelligence Studies. Crowley spoke withstudents about his work in media relationsand how the FBI actively communicates withother organizations.Oh, Say Can You See?Caroline Nicolian, senior musical theatermajor in the Conservatory of Performing Arts,performed the national anthem at a rallyA Pointed LectureNicolas Petrov, professor of dance in theConservatory of Performing Arts, presentedA Point View on Dance as part of theUniversity’s 2008 Leonard Finkelhor FacultyLecture on Oct. 22 in the Lawrence Hallballroom. Nicolas Petrov studied dance inhis native Yugoslavia. He started as corpsde ballet with Ballet de France, working hisway into the ranks of soloist with many otherTalking Backand Juliet. The Finkelhor Faculty Lecture wasestablished in honor of the late LeonardFinkelhor, husband of Dr. Dorothy Finkelhor,and founders of the University.PhotographicPreservationPoint Park presented an exhibition featuringthe work of Slovak photographer RastislavBroadway legend Elaine Stritch visited Point Park’s Pittsburgh Playhouse for atalk back session on her one-woman performance of “Elaine Stritch at Liberty”which was performed as a benefit for the Pittsburgh Irish and Classical Theater inOctober 2008. Stritch, 83, has a long career on stage that has included workingwith such Broadway notables as Ethel Merman, Noel Coward, George Abbott andStephen Sondheim. Faculty, staff and students filled the Rockwell Theatre forStritch’s candid discussion about her life as a performer.Misik Oct. 17– Nov. 30 in the secondfloor gallery of Thayer Hall. The exhibition,“Banska Stiavnica,” features the sites ofBanska Stiavnica, a fully preserved medievalcity in central Slovakia that is listed as aUnited Nations World Heritage Site. Duringhis visit to campus, Misik presented hiswork and stories to photography andsociology classes in addition to conductinga photography portfolio review. Misik’svisit was organized by the School ofCommunication and the Department ofHumanities and Human Sciences within theSchool of Arts and Sciences.Elaine Stritch at Pittsburgh Playhouse.for the presidency of Barack Obama on Oct.27 in the Mellon Arena in Pittsburgh. The17,000-seat venue was filled to capacity.companies. He was pricipal dancer withBalleto Eurpeo. He founded Ballet Petrov,Pittsburgh Ballet Theatre and the AmericanDance Ensemble and has choreographeda number of ballets including the firstAmerican production of Prokofiev’s RomeoEliminating ViolencePoint Park hosted the YWCA of GreaterPittsburgh’s “Week Without Violence”program on Oct. 24 in the JVH Auditoriumin Thayer Hall. Writer Elizabeth Kirschnerpresented “Confronting Violence AgainstWomen,” which included readings fromher book of poems, My Life As A Doll. Theannual Week Without Violence, sponsored6 www.pointpark.edu24 www.pointpark.edu

news & viewsby the YWCA of Greater Pittsburgh, focusedattention on practical, sustainable nonviolentalternatives.Reporting fromthe HillDavid Greene, NPR (National PublicRadio) White House correspondent, visitedPoint Park Dec. 1 and 2 as part of a grantprovided by the Pennsylvania Association ofBroadcasters. During his visit he met withclasses, interviewed with student mediaand observed and offered post-newscastcritiques for Field Reporting, Interviewing andEditing students. Greene also gave a formalpresentation to the University communityand met with University officials. Greenecan be heard on NPR programs includingMorning Edition, All Things Considered,Weekend Edition, Day to Day and Talk of theNation. Diane Sutter, president and CEO ofShootingstar Broadcasting of New England,will bevisiting campusas an invited speakerin the spring.Soup ’s OnMembers of the Point Park baseball teamvolunteered at the Jubilee Soup Kitchenin the Hill District during the month ofDecember2008. At leasta dozenplayershelpedout bypreparingfruit andvegetablesalads,servingfood, cleaningtables, doingdishes, stocking shelves,unloading shipments of foodand mopping floors. The Jubilee SoupKitchen is located on Wyandotte Street offof Fifth Avenue in Pittsburgh. The kitchenserves food to the hungry of Pittsburgh atnoon 365 days a year. For information onvolunteering, call the Jubilee Soup Kitchen at412-261-5417.With Annual Fund support,is left behind...• Every gift no matter the size, makes a differencein the lives of our students.• Strong alumni participation helps increasePoint Park’s ranking for Alumni Support.• With the increasing changes in federal funding,a weakening economy and family struggles, studentsface more challenges than ever before. Your support,now more than ever, helps to keep their dream of acollege education alive despite the times.To donate online or for more information visitwww.pointpark.edu/annualfund or call 412.392.3999.

Getting Down toStudents Create Plans for NewBusinesses at Point ParkBy Camille DowningMost people would agree that learning is most effective when a studentbecomes intimately involved in the classroom experience. For studentsin the Introduction to Business courses last fall, learning was taking placeat a rapid pace, thanks to an innovative approach to fullyunderstanding business theories and practices.Students were involved in a school-wide business plancompetition in which they were given hands-on experiencewith creating, developing and starting a newbusiness—at least on paper. While thestudents were not actually footing thefinancing or building storefronts, they gainedfirst hand knowledge of the intricacies ofentrepreneurship as they planned all aspectsof the start up of their new business.It all began in Provost Charles Perkins’ classas he strove to teach his students about theins and outs of business management. In aneffort to bring the lessons to life, he approachedElaine Luther, associate professor in the Schoolof Business, about bringing their sections togetherto participate in a competition. Three classes hadstudents form groups that were charged with thetask of researching and developing a plan to opena new business on the University campus. It wasup to each group to determine the needs andinterests of the University community, thendevelop a plan to reach them through a newproduct or service.The results were impressive as the creativeminds of the students took flight. The ideasrevolved around what is most important tostudents: food, studying, entertainment andspecialized services that make life easier.“In their plans, the students showed someareas where campus needs were not beingmet,” explained Luther. “They saw a gapbetween supply and demand, and then reallythought out how they could meet these needsbased on a solid business model.”Madori Rouse, a freshman business major, and hergroup developed a Web site titled studentprice.com.8 www.pointpark.edu

BusinessPhotograph by Ric EvansThis university-based site would be a clearinghousefor textbook exchanges in which students receive andspend credits for books they need each semester.Mike Palmer, a freshman business major, and hisgroup decided there were not enough sweettreats close by and developed a plan to bringa Dairy Queen to the campus. His group sawthis need after noticing there were no majorfood chains, other than Starbucks, on campus.Marie Maullon, a senior mass communicationmajor, and her group developed Work&Play, anInternet gaming café where customers could playboard or video games and surf the Internet.Of the 16 plans initially presented, ten teams werechosen to participate in a three-hour competitionheld in the JVH Auditorium. Dressed in their bestbusiness attire, the students developed PowerPointpresentations and explained in detail their ideas toa panel consisting of faculty members Bob O’Gara,School of Communication, and Paige Beal, School ofBusiness, and administrative staff J.W. Tabacchi,student affairs, and Ruth Rauluk, purchasing.Two teams took home first place honors.The first, consisting of Annie Perri, seniorbroadcasting major; Ben Cole, seniorbroadcasting major; Amy Bell, senioradvertising and public relations major; SteveStudentprice.com teammates Madori Rouse, Elizabeth Meedler, Ashley Smith,Jenee Pastva and Work&Play teammates Colin Vilsack and Marie MaullonFrom left: Dairy Queen teammates Lee Bonar, Drew Kury, MikePalmer, Dillon Sauers and Nick MerichLinkowski, junior broadcasting major; and CaitlinSmith, freshman business management major;developed a plan for an organic grocery store and fastfood restaurant. The second was a laundry and dormroom cleaning service developed by Angelica Blouch,sophomore journalism and mass communication major,and Danielle Gruzosky, junior broadcasting major. Arunner up prize was given to Eric Perkins, freshmanbusiness management major; Holly Shrum, freshmanaccounting major; Brianne Feindt, freshman businessmanagement major; and Zeke O’Donnell, freshmanbusiness management major, for their plan to placevending machines with microwaves in the dormitories.The students who were involved in the competitiongave rave reviews about this different approach toteaching.“The competition helped me better comprehendthe theories learned in class because we were reallyworking on the plan and applying the theoriesourselves,” notes Maullon. “It wasn’t information justmemorized or the typical research paper on a company.It was starting something from scratch and being ableto work through it to the end.”Rouse agrees. “I want to be an event planner somedayand own my own business. The competition helped meto learn how to brainstorm ideas and get a real feel fordeveloping a business plan. It was really good.”For Luther, the students’ work optimally captured theconcepts and theories she teaches in her class everysemester.“The students really thought through how they wouldrun their businesses,” says Luther. “They seemed to liketheir ideas – we might just have some entrepreneurs inthe making.”Who knows? With Point Park University expanding sorapidly, one of the new business ideas bred by a simpleclass project may just end up being part of the plans forthe new Academic Village Initiative.Photograph by Ric Evanswww.pointpark.edu 9

Students Photograph Youth to Increasethe Potential of Adoption through thePittsburgh Heart GalleryBy Kate Beard MillerDouble ExposureFrom left: Luke, William, Allias.Photos by (respectively): EmilySniegocki, junior photographymajor; Molly Foster, sophomorephotojournalism major; andChelsey Engel, sophomorephotojournalism major.After countless hours of practicingthe technical aspects of digitalphotography, 14 Point Park studentsclosed their books and took theircameras on location to the UniversityCenter for a practical, real-lifeassignment that could lead to matchingchildren and teens with adoptivefamilies.Chris Rolinson, assistant professorin the School of Communication,encouraged his students to engagethe subjects of the photo shoot:four boys, between the ages of 10and 17, who are part of foster careor residential programs for childrenwho have been removed from theirhomes because of family crisis, abuseor neglect. Their photographs will bepart of the Pittsburgh Heart Gallery,which is used as a child-specific andgeneral recruiting tool for potentialadoptive families throughout WesternPennsylvania. The traveling exhibitcan be seen on display throughout thePittsburgh community. It is modeledafter the Pennsylvania Heart Gallery,which is supported by the PennsylvaniaAdoption Exchange. The Pittsburghgallery, organized by Three RiversAdoption Council, highlights childrenand teens who are waiting to be placedwith a “forever family.” This particularphoto shoot included childrenregistered with Holy Family Institute,Adelphoi Village and Family Pathways.“Kids who are adopted and grow upin families do so much better. We really10 www.pointpark.edu

Photograph by Laura Petrillago the extra mile and it saves in the end,” said Lee Maley,adoption caseworker at Adelphoi Village in Greensburg,Pa. “Most of our kids are above 10 years old and they wantto find a family.” Maley described a young woman whohas grown up through Adelphoi Village’s program andjust completed her first semester in college. He said sheis still open to finding an adoptive family but was not ableto participate in the Heart Gallery photo shoot due to herclass schedule.For many students, this was their first experienceworking with subjects outside of the classroom.“It’s my first professional experience,” said Abby Neely,sophomore photography major. “I like that we can helpthese kids.”Prior to the photo shoot, the students met with thesubjects over cookies and juice in a room just beyondseveral clusters of tripods and studio strobes. The studentsasked about where their subjects grew up and what theylike to do in their spare time.Luke is 16 years old and likes to play baseball andenjoys the outdoors. William is 15 years old and, aside fromvideo games and football, he has a growing interest in girls.Alias is a 17 year-old Steelers fan who hopes to somedayown a carpentry business. Cody, the youngest of the groupat 10 years old, is shy yet admits he enjoys the opportunityto get out of school for the day as he has traveled from Erie,Pa with a caseworker.“Whatever it takes to get the kids exposure, to get thema family; that’s what is important, ” said Sheila Hill, childspecific recruitment specialist at Three Rivers AdoptionCouncil. “The experience with the Point Park students waswonderful. They really took time to get to know the kidsand to take the best pictures.”Previous assignments in the Intro to DigitalPhotography class covered lighting, composition andtechnical aspects of capturing a well exposed image.“It pulls all their skills together and gets them to putinto practice what they’ve learned in theory,” said Rolinson.“It gives them the opportunity to put all of that together intoone package.”The students grouped into teams and selectedlocations throughout the center that would make forsuitable backdrops. They took turns suggesting posesand directing the shoot from behind the camera. Thestudents created a comfortable atmosphere by engagingtheir subjects in conversation and giving positive feedbackabout the photos. Some of the students encouraged inputfrom the subjects by showing them their portraits on thecamera’s LCD screen.The students’ next assignment is to print the images forthe Pittsburgh Heart Gallery. In addition, the students willcreate their own exhibition, which will be included in PointPark’s Panopticon exhibit in the JVH Gallery.“This puts a whole new spin on portraits with a bigemphasis on getting to know your subject so that they’llopen up to you and you can get that portrait,” said SaritWork, junior photojournalism major. “I’m a huge fan of thisorganization and I hope we can do this again. If we can helpthem out in this small way, it’s something we should do asoften as we can.”Since its inception, 28 of the 77 total children featuredin the gallery were placed in pre-adoptive homes. Of those,15 children had their adoptions finalized. As each child isadopted, a special sticker is placed on his or her portrait.The portraits of those children who are successfully placedwill be given to their adoptive families as a keepsake.For more information about any of the childrenfeatured in the Pittsburgh Heart Gallery, please callSheila Hill at 412-471-8722.Photograph by Laura Petrillawww.pointpark.edu 11

BIGBy Elizabeth MayS c r e e nD r e a m sFrom left: Jeremy Clemmer and Lou D’Ambrosiodiscuss their latest screenwriting projects.Photograph by Ric EvansPoint Park’s new screenwriting major gives aspiring writersa leg up in the competitive entertainment industry.Ayoung, bearded man struggles and grunts as hetries to free himself from duct tape handcuffs.“So, what do you have to say for yourself?” saysthe man sitting across the room. The young man,who also has his mouth taped shut, looks at the manpointedly. The bad guy looks down for a moment,realizing this was a pretty stupid question.“It seems our mutual acquaintance is Mary,” the thugsays. “She must be trying to thwart my plans forruining Christmas.”The film—an irreverent, but funny glimpse into aplot by Joseph to destroy Christmas after he finds out12 www.pointpark.edu

he’s not Jesus’ real father (a fact he discovers in a veryentertaining scene on the “Givaldo Rivera” show)—waswritten, directed, filmed and performed by six PointPark University film students, including Jeremy Clemmer(who plays God) and Lou D’Ambrosio (who plays theyoung man kidnapped by Joseph).“Twice a year, our student-run cinema society hosts the“24-hour film festival,” explains Clemmer. “Basically thereis a prompt toward your film’s subject matter. Studentsthen form their own groups and have a total of 24 hoursto quickly make the film. I love the improvisation ofideas and jokes, since we also tend to act in everythingwe film. The final film is a testament to hard work andhaving fun.”•••Like the 24-hour film festival, Point Park’s newscreenwriting major will encourage collaborationand out-of-the-box thinking to create an engagingstory. Housed within the Department of Cinema andDigital Arts, the new major—with a planned launchdate in fall 2009—will build on the current curriculum’sexisting strengths, broadening and expanding what waspreviously a concentration in screenwriting.“We diversified the course offerings so that studentscan learn how to write for television, documentaries,interactive media and the Web—in addition to featurefilms,” says Fred Johnson, chair and associate professorof cinema and digital arts, and director of the newscreenwriting program.“Our hope is to train filmmakers and screenwriters whorecognize that good storytelling is essential to goodfilmmaking,” Johnson says.He explains that, in addition to a focus on creativestorytelling, the program will emphasize collaboration,providing students with the opportunity to see theirscripts produced as films. “Screenwriters will havethe opportunity to make films and work with actors,so they can better understand how the directors,cinematographers, producers, editors and actors workwith the scripts they write.”•••Seniors Clemmer and D’Ambrosio both feel likethey’ve been lucky to see their work brought tolife at Point Park. In addition to the films they’vecompleted through the student cinema society’s 24-hourfilm festival, they worked with other students in theirconcentration (screenwriting for Clemmer and directingfor D’Ambrosio) to produce short films in their junioryear, as part of a class assignment.“It was an eye-opening experience, almost like simulatingthe real world of film production,” says Clemmer.This year, the big project for screenwriting studentsis a full-length feature script. Clemmer is half waythrough his—a “sci-fi comedy drama” about a loner whodiscovers a parallel dimension.“You’re writing the script with, hopefully, the task ofeither selling it or producing it into a movie,” Clemmersays. “It’s one thing to graduate with a diploma that saysyou’re a screenwriter, but if you never actually writeanything, you’re not a writer.”•••That’s not a problem for Clemmer, who’s had ampleopportunities to hone his craft. He’s completedseven short scripts and three feature-length scriptsto date. Clemmer also landed an internship last summerreading and reviewing scripts for Intrinsic Value Films/Red Giant Media in New York City.Like Clemmer, future screenwriting majors will haveplenty of opportunities to write while they’re at PointPark—but, with one big difference. Thanks to thestructure of new major, they’ll start right away.“In many other programs, students spend two yearstaking core courses and undergraduate requirements.This forces them to sit on the sidelines waiting to dowhat they love,” says Johnson. “One big advantageof both the cinema production and screenwritingbachelor’s degrees at Point Park is that students startto work in their major the first semester at school.Filmmaking and screenwriting are complex crafts, andthe more time students can work within their discipline,the more prepared they’ll be to produce quality workwhen they graduate.”D’Ambrosio agrees.“I really feel like the cinema program has been a big helppreparing me for my future,” he says. “The program hereis set up to give you very well-rounded knowledge whenit comes to filmmaking. Then, once you have these skills,you can decide which direction you’d like to go for thefuture.”And, for promising young filmmakers like Clemmer andD’Ambrosio, there’s only one direction to go: Up.www.pointpark.edu 13

New YorkPhotograph by Karen MeyersRevisitingthe Trail of aTerroristBy Kelli McElhinnyMarch 1973, a Palestinian terrorist group hatchedIn a plot to detonate car bombs outside of two Israelibank branch locations in Manhattan and at the El-Al airlineterminal at Kennedy International Airport in New York.Their plan fizzled, however, when faulty wiring thwarted theexplosions.Flyers retrieved from one of the cars implicated BlackSeptember, a group that also was responsible for the murderof Israeli athletes at the 1972 Munich Olympics, in the attack.The Federal Bureau of Investigation issued a warrant for aBlack September member known as Khalid Duhham al-Jawarishortly after the attack, but he became a fugitive and noperpetrators were taken into custody at the time.The case remained dormant until 1988, when a youngFBI agent who had been recently promoted to the New YorkPolice Department-FBI joint terrorism task force found its20 volumes of files on his desk one morning. That agent wasMichael Finnegan.“I honestly don’t think [the supervisor] assigned methe case to find him. I think he did it to make my lifeuncomfortable,” said Finnegan, who is now an assistantprofessor in the School of Arts and Sciences Department ofCriminal Justice and Intelligence Studies.Finnegan was up to the challenge. After re-interviewingsome 300 people who were originally questioned in thedays and weeks immediately following the plotted attack, he14 www.pointpark.edu

ItalyGermanyCyprusIraqconstructed a 30-page personality profile on the suspect. Healso had colleagues in Washington alter the driver’s licensephoto from the rental car company’s files to reflect thesuspect’s appearance after 15 years.His efforts paid off in late 1990 when his review ofthe evidence and a strong network of contacts led himto a Cyprus-based official of the Palestine LiberationOrganization. Unfortunately, the suspect got wind that theFBI was on his trail and fled to Baghdad.The suspect stayed under the radar until the followingyear, when he surfaced in Rome. Finnegan had issued aprovisional warrant for Al-Jawari’s arrest in Italy, amongother countries, so Italian authorities detained him.After an extradition process that dragged on for 18months, much longer than the typical 30- to 90-day window,Finnegan flew to Italy himself in order to make sure that thehandoff didn’t get botched.“That was an unreal experience,” Finnegan said of theharrowing trip. “Switzerland banned us from their airspaceon the way back, and other countries wouldn’t let us land, sowe had to refuel in midair.“They missed on the first try, but, fortunately, it workedthe second time.”Incidentally, the United States might have missed amuch earlier opportunity to take Al-Jawari into custody.The suspect, who has also been referred to in publishedaccounts as Khaled Mohammed El-Jassem, had previouslybeen arrested in 1978 in Germany but released by Germanauthorities shortly thereafter, although he was found withover 100 pounds of plastic explosives, detonators and eightforms of photo identification under different names.“To this day, I still don’t know what his true identity is,”said Finnegan, who continues to refer to the man as Al-Jawari.Upon Al-Jawari’s arrival in the United States, he wascharged with three counts of attempted bombing, with eachcount carrying a 10-year sentence. Delays and continuancesrequested by Al-Jawari’s legal team pushed his trial backuntil March 1993, just days after the first bombing of theWorld Trade Center. At trial, prosecutors produced all threeintact explosive devices recovered in 1973 as well as Al-Jawari’s 1973 international driver’s liscense which he usedto rent the three vehicles used to plant the bombs. However,only one piece of evidence directly tied Al-Jawari to theactual devices—a lone fingerprint lifted from a propanetank attached to a bomb inside one of the rental cars—Al-www.pointpark.edu 15

Jawari was convicted after a trial that lasted less than aweek. The trial judge sentenced Al-Jawari to the maximumterm of 30 years in prison (three consecutive ten-yearsentences) with a recommendation that he serve the entiresentence. However, under the federal sentencing guidelinesoperative at the time of the offense, a 30-year sentence canbe reduced with good behavior in the prison system.Now 61 years old and 16 years later, Al-Jawari has nearlycompleted his sentence and is scheduled to be releasedfrom prison in February.Throughout the entire process, as Al-Jawari changedlegal teams and transferred between different prisons,Finnegan remained the lone constant in his life. Over time,the two men developed a friendship of sorts.“It was never a hostile situation,” Finnegan said. “For us,it was professional courtesy. I was always respectful towardhim.”For several years after his conviction, Al-Jawariwould occasionally call Finnegan collect from the FederalCorrectional Institution where he was lodged. However,after Al-Jawari’s transfer to the United States SupermaxFederal Prison in Florence, Colo., all telephonic contactceased. Finnegan is not aware of Al-Jawari’s post-prisonplans.While Al-Jawari may have been the highest profilecriminal in Finnegan’s arrest portfolio, he was one of manycaptured in the illustrious FBI career of a man who at onetime thought his poor vision would preclude him frompursuing law enforcement as a vocation.After all, Finnegan had been rejected for employmentby a number of local police departments before he decidedto enroll in law school at the University of Pittsburgh.Nonetheless, when the FBI sent a recruiter to Pitt, he wentto hear her speak. The recruiter was a former Catholic nun,and that piqued Finnegan’s curiosity.Photograph by Karen MeyersWhen the recruiter listedoff the bureau’s physicalfitness requirements, Finneganrealized that, with correctedvision, he would qualify. Then,he had a question for her.“I was sort of a smartaleck,so I asked her how an ex-nuncould possibly meet thoserequirements,” he said.She showed him, droppingto the ground to do pushups,and thus began Finnegan’s20-year FBI odyssey. His worktook him to Wisconsin, WestVirginia and eventually backto Pittsburgh in addition tohis tenure in New York, and hepursued cases ranging frompublic corruption to gangviolence.When Finnegan retiredfrom the bureau in 2004, hewas ready for a new adventure.He tried his hand at writingscreenplays and televisionshows, and while some ofthem garnered interest inPhotograph by Karen MeyersHollywood, nothing ever cameto fruition. A few years intohis retirement, a chance encounter led him to Point Park.Finnegan was on his way home from the gym one daywhen ran into an acquaintance who was on the Point Parkfaculty and encouraged him to think about coming on boardas an adjunct professor. The idea wasn’t a completely foreignone for Finnegan.“My wife always told me I should teach, so I told him Iwould go in for an interview. They gave me the job,” he said.The following semester, he landed a full-time facultyposition at the school and is now on the tenure track. Heteaches undergraduate and graduate courses, along with apopular course on federal test-taking.The opportunity turned out to be a perfect one forFinnegan, whose passion for his work becomes clearlyevident within the first few minutes of a conversation withhim.“I love my students,” Finnegan said. “I respect and admirethem for trying as hard as they can, and I do my best toprepare them as well as I can.”His real-world experience in law enforcement is aparticularly valuable asset to his work in the classroom,noted Karen S. McIntyre, dean of the School of Arts andSciences.16 www.pointpark.edu

Cold CaseCrime SceneComes to Life“I love mystudents,”Finnegan said.“I respect andadmire them fortrying as hardas they can, andI do my best toprepare them aswell as I can.”“Professor Finnegan knows what kinds of competencieswill be expected of his students, and he stays verywell-connected,” McIntyre said. “He is able to keep thecoursework real and relevant to the students.“He’s also able to use examples from his professionalcareer to show why they need to succeed even in coursesthat aren’t related to their major.”Finnegan puts a great deal of effort into staying currentand keeping abreast of developments in the FBI and inlaw enforcement in general. He maintains a law licenseand occassionally practices in the Pittsburgh area. He alsorecently presented a paper on pre-9/11 intelligence failuresat a conference at Oxford University in England.For criminal justice students who may find themselvestracking down terrorists or drug dealers someday,Finnegan’s classes present a healthy dose of realism andpreparation for their future careers. Even his colleaguespick up a few things from him.“You definitely read a newspaper differently after youtalk to him,” McIntyre said.For more information related to this article, visit thePoint Extras page at pointpark.edu/pointextras.Photograph by Tom BellOn Tuesday, Nov. 11, a model of the Lizzie Borden housewas unveiled by Steven Koehler, Ph.D., adjunct facultymember in the School of Arts and Sciences Department ofCriminal Justice and Intelligence Studies, in the lobby ofLawrence Hall. Students and faculty gathered to see theminiature crime scene created by David Presnell and JamesHudak, students at the Pittsburgh Art Institute. Koehlerconceptualized the replica as a teaching tool for visualand hands-on learning and collaborated with Bill Mitas,professor of industrial design at the Pittsburgh Art Institute.“This will provide a scaled version of a real crime scenewhich will make the students think of different forensicsavailable for analysis,” Koehler said. “This step-by-stepexamination of evidence allows for a unique hands-onapproach for the students.”The model of the Borden house includes furnishedbedrooms where the murders took place, bodies, bloodsplatter and removable floor levels for easy access. Themodel is a 1/12 scaled replica of the house as it was whenLizzie Borden was tried and acquitted of the stabbingdeaths of her father and stepmother in Fall River, Mass.in1892. While she was the only suspect and was in thehome at the time of the murders, there was not enoughevidence to convict Borden of the crime without modernforensic technologies.The model will be used in forensic science classes in thespring of 2009. Koehler said another collaboration with thePittsburgh Art Institute is in the works for a model of theJohn F. Kennedy assassination.www.pointpark.edu 17

Point ofViewProfessor Joan Moseyon Business Ethics inUncertain TimesBy Kate Beard MillerJoan Mosey is a professor and directorof the information technology programin the School of Business. She isphotographed in the future siteof the School of Business onthe 12 th floor of the West PennBuilding on Wood Street.Photograph by Karen Meyers18 www.pointpark.edu

Q. Point: Do you believe business ethics have improved overthe last 30 years?A. Mosey: No, business ethics hasn’t improved. What isdifferent in the last 30 years is that large corporations havehad to pay more attention so that they do not get involvedin lawsuits. Until laws are passed and regulations occur thattell us we have to do something differently, we concentrateon the bottom line. Ethics is ethics. It’s not just about whatone aught to do or what’s right and wrong. It’s really moreabout trying to find universal values, principals and virtuesthat contribute to the good life. Philosophers in Westernphilosophy have always contemplated what makes a justsociety. Some students come into the classroom thinkingthat ethics is just their value system. So the first thing Ialways says is ethics has nothing to do with your religion,it has nothing to do with your value system, it has nothingto do with the legal system, it has nothing to do with whatsociety values as right, because that changes. It’s really aquest to discover those universal values and principals thatwill give us the good life and the just society.Q. Point: In your opinion, could our current economic state beattributed to poor judgment, unethical behavior or both?A. Mosey: I think there were a lot of very well intentionedpeople, CEOs, CFOs, who just didn’t know the decisionsthey were making were really poor ones. That’s at the best.But there were many people in business, those with themost to gain, who had unbridled greed. We’ve all heard ofEnron, WorldCom, and Lehman Brothers and all the financialinstitutions we’re bailing out: Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac.We may have just seen the very tip of the iceberg.Q. Point: In these uncertain times, do you feel that companieswill behave less ethically in their own-self interest? Or couldcompanies react by realigning their ethical standards?A. Mosey: The good thing is, in times of crisis, peoplebecome much more introspective and contemplative. As acorporation is nothing more than a bunch of people, nowis the time to apply what we’ve been thinking about. If wedecide, as consumers, that we will support sustainablebusiness, we will get sustainable businesses.Q. Point: With recent bailouts and layoffs, should executivesbe expected to take a cut in salary?A. Mosey: If they had the slightest bit of humility, it wouldn’tbe expected, it would be the only thing to do. If you’regoing to provide ethical leadership, you have to let go ofthe ego. We need leaders who listen, think and questionand who do not feel vulnerable at being wrong. I believethere are universal principles like integrity, compassion,humility and courage. If you have leaders who can create thatethical culture inside the business, then you do everythingdifferently.Q. Point: When looking at the large number of foreclosuresacross the United States, it could be argued that both thepredatory lenders and consumers share the blame. Arecompanies expected to act more ethically than individuals?A. Mosey: We all share the blame. Capitalism married greedand this is what we’ve got. Companies cannot be expectedto act more ethically than individuals. Companies are nothingmore than a group of individuals to begin with. How could weever expect a company to act more ethically? We can’t.Q. Point: As a result of sub prime mortgages, deflatedstocks and bailouts, do you believe that there will be moreregulation in the future?A. Mosey: Most definitely. And there will be somethingelse: over the last eight years, we’ve lacked enforcementof regulation. There have been a lot of regulatory laws onthe books, yet there hasn’t been any enforcement to makesure companies follow the regulations. But that’s not reallythe point, we have to be more self-regulated and that’s whyethics is so important because that’s where a business canbuild the culture of integrity.Q. Point: In many cases, those found to be acting unethicallyseem to be without remorse. What do you believe causesthese individuals to view the world so differently?A. Mosey: When you think about an ethical leader, you thinkabout one who has self-knowledge. A true leader empowerspeople and that means humility; that you’re able to giveup power. Ethics implies that you don’t have a just societywithout people living together in community and caring forone another. Unethical individuals are totally without selfknowledge,they’re not contemplative and they’re caught upin their ego. As you gain in power, your ego begins to takeover. They begin to feel they’re special and they deservemore. Power is addictive.Q. Point: Have globalization and technological advancesimproved or weakened ethics or both?A. Mosey: Technological advances are coming fast andthey’re huge. We cannot stop it, but we can manage it. If wedecide, as a people, that we want to produce good from ourtechnology, then that will happen. If, however, greed andpower are the winners, it could destroy us. For example,radio-frequency identification or RFID, makes George Orwelllook like he’s not even close. With RFID, every product,every person and every animal could have a chip imbeddedthat could track what you are doing, where you are and whoyou’re around every minute of the day. There are prototypesfor this technology in use today. People don’t realize theamount of harm that can be done with this technology bythose who are unethical. The economic globalization hasembraced capitalism. We have a much tougher problem,to bring us all together because we’re so diverse. But onceagain, ethics is perfectly placed because we’re talking aboutuniversal principles and values. I’m optimistic about this. Wealready have organizations that talk about a global code ofconduct in business and that’s a good thing.Q. Point: Is free trade an ethical issue for our increasinglyglobal economy?A. Mosey: Sure. Capitalism is built on free trade. Whathas been problematic: in order to make sure that we canoffer our customers the lowest price, we’ve outsourcedour manufacturing by going into third world countries tomanufacture and pay the workers peanuts. Then we bringthat product back in and sell it for way more, but still at alow cost. Wal-Mart is a perfect example. Wal-Mart will buyfrom the lowest manufacturing bidder. Wal-Mart is not aparticularly ethical company even though now they’re tryingto say that they care. You have to remember that socialresponsibility is not ethical responsibility. Corporations mustsay that they care. Behind the scenes, those are words,marketing tools.Q. Point: Do you feel sustainability will continue to be a keyword in the future of ethics?A. Mosey: Absolutely. That’s the only way we can go. Asustainable business is like having a three-legged stool.One of the legs is people, another one is planet and thethird is profit. And so a sustainable business says, I have anobligation to the people, my stakeholders, to the planet, andto profit. If you don’t have ethical leaders, you will never havea sustainable business.Professor Mosey can be reached at jmosey@pointpark.edu.www.pointpark.edu 19

Alumni ProfileProfileBy Kate Beard MillerLynn FeroInspired Alumna CreatesArt for Academic HallLynn Fero has always had a creative streak. Shetakes every opportunity to create, whether it isacting, writing, teaching or painting, and sheattributes her education at Point Park to preparingher for her career every step of the way.After graduation her mother encouraged her to moveto New York to pursue her dream. She was up for thechallenge and left her hometown of Penn Hills, Pa.Within a few years of living in the city, she took asecretarial position at Viacom, which was then a smallbusiness. In a mere eight years, Lynn received a seriesof promotions and became vice president of businessaffairs administration. She has held the same positionthrough buy-outs and mergers from ParamountPictures to CBS Television Distribution where shemanages the classic film and television library.However she found her greatest creative fulfillment inan unexpected way. After her father passed away, sheasked her mother, an artist, to teach her how to paint.“Sometimes when a parent does something well,you build up a wall and say ‘I can’t do that.’” ForLynn, painting became a wonderful outlet ofemotion during the time of mourning for herfather. She found it was a natural talent she hadnever explored or taken time to develop.Fero is well known for her impressionistic landscapesusing bold colors and strong, dramatic composition.In 2007 when Fero returned to Point Park ascommencement speaker, she met Jack Tomayko,an art collector and member of Point Park’sBoard of Trustees. He recently commissionedFero to create new works to be displayed theadministrative suite of Academic Hall. In one suchpainting, she created a series of trees symbolicof a student’s journey out into the world.During a recent visit to Point Park in the fall, Ferotoured the campus and said she was surprised athow the University has grown and improved.“Watching Point Park evolve just makes yougrin with pride.” She said her educationalexperience at Point Park was exceptional and wasthrilled to see how the University continues toprepare students for achieving their dreams.20 www.pointpark.edu“Life is about the art. It’s that feeling you getwhen you create something and someone elselooks at what you’ve expressed – there are nowords to describe it. That is very satisfyingand that’s when you find real purpose.”

Alumni ProfileProfileBy Colleen C. DerdaJohn Isaac HarrisAlumnus Serves DetroitKids as Teacher, Coachand Community Leader“Larry Anderson was a big influence on my life,”says John Isaac Harris (A&S 1983) about the PointPark University Hall of Fame member. “As a coachand member of the student affairs staff, he took aninterest in me, helping me to determine my major andsucceed in both basketball and academics.”The combination remains a big part of John Harris’life, thanks to Anderson and other Point ParkUniversity faculty and administrators. Today Harris isa teacher, basketball coach and civic leader in Detroit.After graduating with a bachelor’s degree in publicadministration, Harris returned to his hometown togain a master’s degree in education from Wayne StateUniversity and serve his community.He is running for Detroit City Council this year(www.johnharristodetroitcitycouncil2009.com),while maintaining a busy schedule of teaching 10 thand 12 th grade special education students and runningH.O.P.E., or “Helping Other People Everyday,”a program he founded to promote communityinvolvement. He stays active in basketball through hiscompany “Shooting for Excellence,” which providesconditioning and offensive skills drills at clinics andcamps.“I believe a coach is a teacher first,” says Harris.Kids from elementary school through high schoolattend “Shooting for Excellence” sessions to work onfundamentals. Along the way, they absorb more thana few lessons about the importance of education andworking hard. The boys and girls can earn copies of amanual with photos of all of the offensive drills shownin the session plus conditioning tips, all based onHarris’ more than 35 years in the sport.“Sometimes jobs choose you,” says John Harris of hisability to combine sports, community service andeducation. “Working with kids always seemed to be anatural fit,” he says, noting that he is the oldest siblingin his family. “I certainly enjoy teaching and coaching.I also enjoy working with community groups.”Harris was a candidate for mayor in 1989 and 1993.The time is right, he says, for his election to DetroitCity Council in 2009.“People are fed up with some of the political leadershere,” he says. “They are looking for new, qualifiedpeople. I am ready to serve.”www.pointpark.edu 21

BlueprintBrightfor aFutureBy Cheryl Valyo$2 Million Grant from TheHeinz Endowments InitiatesArchitectural Design Processfor the Academic VillageElevated by a $2 million grant from The HeinzEndowments, which supports the architectural designphase of the University’s Academic Village Initiative,Point Park continues to make important strides towardrealizing its $210 million campus master space plan.Announced last December, the grant from the HeinzEndowments underwrites a comprehensive designprocess that will result in a specific set of architecturaland engineering blueprints necessary for construction ofkey components of the Academic Village.Point Park President Paul Hennigan said the Endowmentsgrant allows for the building of “the human infrastructureat the University necessary to undertake the design andconstruction of our transformational campus plan. We arevery grateful to count the endowments as our partner inthis initiative.”“Even during these difficult economic times, Point Parkis fortunate that we have been able to build upon allof the planning dedicated toward the Academic VillageInitiative over the past two years,” said Mariann Geyer,vice president for University Advancement.“This generous grant from the Heinz Endowments hasenabled us to move from the concept phase of theIn addition, the grant will support a University architect/planner to oversee the initiative in its entirety and tohelp construct an environmental, sustainable overlay forthe project.“Point Park’s campus space plan weaves its presence intothe Downtown fabric in a very exciting way,” EndowmentsChairman Teresa Heinz said. “It expands considerablythe opportunity for Point Park students to engage theiracademic programs in a vibrant urban setting.”22 www.pointpark.edu

Academic Village, announced last May, into the designphase. This takes us another step closer to constructionof some of these key projects.”For example, “the grant enables the University tocarefully select the appropriate architect for the plannedpublic space enhancement at the corner of Wood Streetand the Boulevard of the Allies,” said Geyer. Nowoccupied by a parking lot, the corner will be transformedinto an urban park with adjacent retail elements.The grant also supports the selection of an architectfor the design of the student center that will occupy theformer YMCA building on the Boulevard, according toGeyer.“In addition, thanks to the Heinz Endowments, we wereable to engage the engineering construction firm GAIConsultants Inc. to produce the design of the plannedstreetscape enhancements along the Wood Streetcorridor.”All of these building projects, along with continueddevelopment of the new student residence halls, theBoulevard Apartments on the Blvd. of the Allies, mustreflect a continuity of design, according to Geyer. “Ourultimate goal is to produce a well-designed AcademicVillage that will be good for the University and good forour Downtown neighborhood.”The design and construction process will also providea positive economic impact, she added. “We’ll beengaging excellent architects and hiring local designand construction firms, which will also serve to boostlocal employment, during this next phase of developmentof the Academic Village.”Photograph by Tom BellStreetscape to Bloom alongWood Street CorridorOne of the most architecturally diverse and continuouslyused commercial streets in Downtown Pittsburgh, theWood Street Corridor has long been the beating heartof Point Park. Under the Academic Village Initiative, thestreet (between Ft. Pitt Blvd. and Third Avenue) will berevitalized to become a truly pedestrian-friendly corridor.With the help of the Heinz Endowments grant, theUniversity engaged GAI Consultants Inc., a Pittsburghbasedengineering firm that provides transportation,energy, environmental, land development andconstruction services, to spearhead design for theWood Street Corridor project.According to Jim Saxon, project manager for theUniversity, the Wood Street Corridor project will includemilling and resurfacing of the street, including newcrosswalks, and feature such elements as exposedaggregate and granite.Among other planned improvements, all of which willcomply with city standards, are new pedestrian lighting,new street signals and signage, and additional Point Park“way-finding” signage. Trees will be planted along thestreet and appropriate irrigation installed, said Saxon.With the design process and survey phase now complete,construction documents are expected to be ready bysummer, he said.www.pointpark.edu 23

Annual List of DonorsFiscal Year 2008 (September 1, 2007 to August 31, 2008)IndividualsAnonymous (5)Mr. and Mrs. H. David AbbottRobert AbelJuilanne AbouzaidAlyson AbrahamDiane AbrahamJames and Francine AbrahamMr. and Mrs. Gary AbramsMr. and Mrs. Lawrence AcklinMr. and Mrs. Earl AcquavivaJennifer BarnadaBeth Adamczyk-GlickHelen AdamsJeffrey AdamsTimothy AdamsDr. Vishnu AgrawalaMr. and Mrs. Skylor AhnReverend Paul AielloRonald AkinsAmanda AldridgeJames AlexanderDr. Robert AlexanderWilliam AlexanderMarsha AlicoDoug AlspachLaureen AltNick AltebrandoShawn AmblodMatthew AmedeoBernadine AmendolaLarry AmmonDavid AndersonDonald AndersonDouglas AndersonFlorence AndersonJill AndersonLeslie AndersonLisa AndersonSheila AndersonKent AndioriAnne AndradeHelen AndrekoMalcolm AndrewsRichard AndrusKevin AnkenyMark AnsaniDavid AnselmAnna AntolickMr. and Mrs. John AntonelliAamir AnwarCharles ArentPaul ArentNorman ArmonatMichael ArnoldKelli ArtisJames AstutoAndrew AugustBrenna AveryTrudy Avery, Esq.Rachel AyersKaren AzerStephanie AzmoudehNoreen BachJeffrey BachnerBrenda BaldwinFrank BalestrieriKathryn BallasAnnette BanderinkoJoseph BanishSandra BarancykRonald and Shirley BaraschRichard BarbaritaFrank BarboskyRandy BargielReverend Martin BarkinJeffrey BarlowCindy BarnettJeffrey BaroneNanci BaroneMartha BarryMichael BarryDavid BarsottiniEdward BartekSuzanne BarthMarlin BartosNancy BartramGarry BashoreMitchell BassmanJustin BatchenNatalie BatchenDeborah BatemanEric BauerKirkley BealMr. and Mrs. Phil BeardG. Nicholas BeckwithRaymond BeheJeanne BelcherBrian BelitskusTom and Amy BellKara BelloraFrank BelsarThomas BensonDouglas BentzDennis BeranLouis BernardiAdam BernsteinAldo BettaBarry BevecJeanne BeveridgeJoseph BevevinoMichael BewakDessie BeySavana Bezzera-DiasDon BialonRene BickertMelinda BierJarrett BittnerRichard BittnerNancy BlackwellWilliam BlackwellKenneth BlairWilliam BlairSusan BlassKathleen BlauthMary BliceSusan BlissMr. and Mrs. Alan BoartsAlexander BoburkaJoe BobynRobert BogaskiAllan BoggsNadine BognarDavid BoguszewskiEarl BohnJudith BolsingerErin BomgaarsMichael BondiJon BosciaRobert BosciaAdam BowserJames BoyceAnne BoydRichard BoydDonna BoyerPatricia BoykinRobert BoykinCarol BoyleE. Michael BoyleGarry BoylesDebra-Ann BrabazonSuzan BrandKenneth BrandeburgJoyce BrandonDeborah BranthooverEileen BraunsteinJeremy BravermanCarmen BrayRichell BreakwellTerry BreitbordGeraldine BrennanJoann BrewerBernadette BridgeMary BrieckCarol BrinjakNancy BromallSheila BromanDennis BrongFrances BrooksDiane BrownEdward BrownMr. and Mrs. Norman BrownRussell BrownRobert BrozanskiLinda BrubakerMichael BrunnerRaymond BrunnerMarya BryanMelissa BuddemeyerJason BuggJeannine BurdsallWilliam BurgessJoe BurgunderDennis and Annette BurkeJenniffer BurkeLynda BurkelThomas BurnsBruce BurwellJohn BurwellJohn BuskoRobert ButeraCarmen ButlerTheodore ButlerMark ButtaCallie BuzardVeronica ByersJune CahallMr. and Mrs. Paul CainRonald CairnsYolanda CaldwellJohn CalhounMr. and Mrs. Reggie CalhounAndrew CaliguiriMary CallaghanWilliam CameronJoseph CamizziDavid CampbellGlen CampbellNina CampbellKaren CannonChristopher CapizziBurt CaplanDr. Paul CaplanDoreen Cappozalo-CugnoJanet CappsTheresa CapraraRobert CaptorTheresa CardDouglas CareyNancy Carns PottsDavid CarrollCynthia CarrowJoseph CarsonJuanita CarterSharon CarterGregory CarusoLance CashCarrie CasperJames CassinBarbara CastanzoEdward CastnerAudrey CastracaneGuy CataniaPatricia CataniaKaren CathersRobert Caughey, Jr.26 www.pointpark.edu

Ronald CavanaghMargaret CavanaughMollie SiefertCarol CelinDale CepullGeraldine CerchiaroVincent CerchiaroLarry CerviMary CesarespadaAmy CesarioWalda CestelloDennis CestraAlan ChamberlainJack ChambersVictoria ChambersJudy ChanyiRobert ChappelWendy CharltonJames Chase, JrJeanie CheungGregory ChiappelliNancy ChicchiSally ChildsRoger ChipmanBrian ChitesterChristopher ChoncekRon Cicchinelli, Jr.Barbara CinpinskiJoseph CioccaCheryl ClarkGeorge Allen ClarkJohn ClarkJoseph ClarkPhilip ClarkeRobin ClaudioDane ClaussenJerrold ClaussenKellybeth ClawsonEdward ClaypoolePhilip CleaverTerrence Cleis, Sr.Michelle ClemensonLynn ClevengerSheila ClowneyMark CoffieldDonald ColaizziBettie ColeDebbie CollavoCharles CollinsTheresa ColonieLaura ColtonRichard ColwellTeresa CommissoEleazer ComstockTenley ComunaleGary CondonCarol CongedoTimothy ConnDeborah ConnellyBeth ConnerAnne ConradJeanne ConradRene ConradAndrew ConteTania ConteAndrew ContraelSara ConwayMr. and Mrs. William CooperMark CornynMaria CorreiaMelissa CorrinsRichard CosgroveAnthony CostanzoNorma CovanPaula CoxCynthia CrassJames CraverWilliam Crawford, CFEGordon CribbsSandra CroninGrace CropperPatrick CrowleyDavid CroyleLynn CummingsViola CunninghamCharlene CusickEliese CutlerMelinda Cutright-RothfussElizabeth CzerniewskiMr. and Mrs. Robert CzerniewskiSabrina D’AgostaMr. and Mrs. Thomas DaileyTerry DaleyAngelina D’AmbrosioCarmen D’AmbrosioDaniel DankoAnna D’AntonioCora DarraghRonald DaughertyJudy DavenportLeslie DavidowDan DavisDenise DavisGary DavisJudy DavisNicki DavisSally DavisNancy Davis KahrsRobert DawsonDebra Konieczka andMichael DeCourcyLouis DecrooCathy DeFruscioFred DelgrossoThomas DelimanRenee DelprinceNorman DelucaEdward DemengoRoger DemidioNancy and David DenneyRobert DenoveDonna Dent-NelsonSamuel DepeWarren DepietressJohn DeriggiAugust DeritoCatherine DernLawrence DeSantisSusan DesantisLouis DeshantzRonald DeutschDianne DevinRick DevinCarolelinda DickeyAlexis DickinsonFaith DickinsonPasquale DidomenicoRobert DidomenicoDr. and Mrs. Daniel DillardW. Daniel DillonDaniel DimmockLouis DiNardoCynthia DingerJoseph DionisioDaniel Dionne, P.E.Linda DipasqualeLawrence DirisioMichael DiscelloRachel DisselSandra DolenceAlfred DonaldsonRobert DonatelliJoseph DonovanBarbara DornenburgEric DotterbockRobert DraperJoan DristasMarcia DrugaGregory DruschelJerry DruschelThomas DubanBenita DuckettBradley DudaDavid DuncanCharles DunnDaniell DunnJames DuratzBohdan DurkaczJeanne DutelTheresa DvorakRichard DyerMichele EarhartHelen EarlyChristine EbkenAngela EckardKimberly EdborgMr. and Mrs. Robert EddinsHenry EhlersKendra EikenberryM. EngMr. and Mrs. Alan EngstromNicholas EpitropoulosGretchen Esch-KyteLinda EspostoMary EstesRonald EtzelThomas EvakElizabeth EvansJanet EvansJoy EvansTracy EvansMatthew FaganElma FahieRichard FairmanJane FalkowskiHelen FallonJohn and Evelyn FallonCindy FaloticoSondra FandrayRobert FarberErin FarrellMichelle FatfatLouis FedelJennifer FedeleWynne FedeleMark and Susan FehrPhilip FeinertEdward FeltisFrancis Ferragonio, Jr.Mary FerranceDenis FerraraVincent FerriStephen FerrisSharon FerroJodi FickJoyce FicoCharles FifeThomas FilerThomas FilliponeMarjorie FineEtta FinkKevin FinlayRichard FinleyJoseph FioriNathan FirestoneJames FischlJohn FisherKenneth FisherRichard FisherRichard FisherJohn FitzpatrickAlva FlemingClifton Flenniken, IIIPaula FlenorySuzanne FloodDr. Stacey FoerstnerWilliam FogleCristy FolinoWilliam FongDawn ForbesChris FordingPatricia ForestThomas FosterHarold FozardBetty FragosoMr. and Mrs. Anthony FrancartKaren FrankMr. and Mrs. Michael FrankBobby FranklinSusana FranzenColette FreiwaldRose FridaySusen FridayHoward FrisciaJohn FritzVirginia FrizziPatrick FroncekNancy FryJohn Frydrych, P.E.Robert Fryerwww.pointpark.edu 27

Dr. Freddie and Ms. Hilda FuJoseph FunaroThomas FunkAlice FurmanRose GabbianelliAnthony GaglierdRita GainesKristina GaitherDeborah GalbraithAntoinette GallTheresa GallagherViolet GalloMarlene GalluzeRaymond GambinoMarie GanassiNicole GannonJeffrey GansShirley GarberJudith GardaKen GargaroAmy GartinJeffrey GasparikJoseph Gastan, Jr.Shirley GaudetteGeorge GazzamRobert GdovicBarbara GearyRobert GeetingGary GelfoAmy GelzheiserNorma GentileAnn Gentile RealeReverend Robert GepertJudith GeriotElizabeth GerthofferSusan GettingJan GetzMariann and Dr. Stan GeyerEdwin GhahramanPatricia GibsonBonnie GielDaniel GildeaMargaret GilfillanEmerson GilloolyDonald GiudiciRegina GlassCasey GnageMr. and Mrs. Joseph GnazzoJoyce GoddardDavid GodlewskiThomas GoelzRalph GoetzRobert GoetzJeffrey GoldenPamela Golden-LoderEdward GoldstonThomas GolonskiCharles GomulkaMr. and Mrs. Robert GondaMarta GonzalezDalton GoodJohn GoodnightAlbert GoralczykCatherine GordonJulie GordonMelvin GornicJames GorskiGregory GraeffKelli GraeffIrene GramzaCynthia GranceRandall GratchickJanet GrayGail GraysonSandra GrecianoCarol GrecoJoseph GrecoMr. and Mrs. Ed GreenJeffrey GreenwaldCharles and Connie GregoryWalter GregoryJoan GrejdaJoseph Gribbin, Jr.Brian Griffin, Jr.Chiara GriffinRichard GriffinRobert GrigasRobert GriggPatricia GrindelMary GroganMartha GrollWilliam GrollWilliam GrossMr. and Mrs. Charles GrubbDarlene GuestJuan GuevaraMichael GuglielmonJacqueline GulbinAmy GustafsonRichard GutkindWendy Gyurisin-BrodeLinda HaberstichTerry HagenbuchDr. and Mrs. James HainesJanet HainesJulie HalapchukDavid HallSteven HallockNorma HamillJames HamiltonSimon HammelRobert HammondBarry HanburgerLorraine HancockMichael HanczarHoward HannaL. Robert HannaFreda HannafonJim HardtDiane Harmon-EdelKathleen HarrellKimberly HarrisThomas HarshbergerCarolyn HartCharles HarterDavid HartwickDiane HartzDan HartzellAnne HatgelakasMarie HaugJoseph HavrillaJames HawrotChris HaysBarry HeasleyWilliam HeavnerAngela HeckerBrenda HeckerPaul HeckmanThomas Hedderman, Jr.Randy HedglinHarry Heh, Jr.David HeimTammy HeldDenise HelferRosemary HelmichDaria HemmingsAlvin HendersonTracy and Dr. Katherine HendersonPaul and Colleen HenniganBlake HenryJeanne HepburnMary HertweckLee HertzSteven HerzCecia HessStacey HeywardArlene HicksTonya HicksChristopher HillKaren HillDuane HillegasDavid HillerThomas HilliardThomas HillmanBecky HinchmanPatrick HinesPatricia HipplerMr. and Mrs. C. Talbott HiteshewNadine HladShari HlutkowskyPamela HockMartha HoegleGarnet HoffmanJoan HoffmanSharon HoffnerJohn HofscherSoren HogsgaardT. Dixon Holladay, Jr.Lloyd HollandBahman HomayoonfarMadeleine HomayoonfarMohammad HomayoonfarWendy Follansbee HomeroskyJoseph HoneychuckN. HooperDeborah Hooten-KioussisMary HorganGeorge HornRonald and Marilyn HornerRichard Hosey, IIFaith HoskinsonDonna HoustonKaren HowardHarry HowdenJane HowellJohn HredzakRand HudsonCarl HughesHazel HuntJoseph HunterMaryanne HuntressLarry HurtTerrilee HutterVirginia IhrigRenee IllesPatricia IlligMarilyn InfanteGerard IngoldJennifer IrwinRobert Ivey, Jr.Samuel Jackendoff andRoberta HorwitzNancy JacksonRobert JacksonSharon JacksonRonald JacobsLeif JacobsenUmesh JadhavNancy JaegerLinda JakDonald JakielEllen JakubMargaret JamiesonDean JanasMelodi-Jo JanoskoMr. and Mrs. Alan JanusSuzanne JeneDonald JenkinsSusan JennyBridgett JochumRobert JoeFredrick JohnsonJulia JohnsonMr. and Mrs. Ted JohnsonMr. and Mrs. William JollieGail JonesDr. Jeffery JonesJeffrey JonesRobert Jones, Jr.Edward JosefoskiConnie JosephGregory JoyceSean JoyceKelly JubakDennis JuranMitchell JurecksonA. KacinStanley KaczmorskiBrianna KaiserCaroline KalichRichard KalosJo Ann KaminskiNatalie KammeraadDonna KaneEleanor KaneGary KannNatalie KapeluckThomas KaplanSteven KarnsTheodora Katsis28 www.pointpark.edu

Liese KauffmanThomas KayserMr. and Mrs. John KeenMalcolm KeenJohn KeffalasMargaret KelleyJ. KellyNora KellyBetty KemererMary KempfferDoreen KendoRuth KendrickRobert KennedyJanet KerlinDan KernsMr. and Mrs. Gregory KerpcharCharles KhalilStephen KielnarAmy KierMichele KierskiBeth KilbaneEileen KileySharon KimbleDarrell KingKevin KingRichard KingJames KingerskiPaul KirchnerAlfred KirschmanRobert KirschnerDavid KirshnerJames KisicMatthew KissaneMary KisterEllen KitayMr. and Mrs. Frederick KitnerLloyd KleinRochelle KleinDavid KlimaMelissa KlinePatricia KlinePhilip KlinedinstPatricia KlingensmithKristin KlocekGary KlubertRobert KlucsorDr. Joyce KnestrickJames KnowlsonEdgar KobakSomatie KochharChristine KocianLee KohlerAngela KokanosRalph KollarThomas KondratSamuel KosanovichJohn KovachKathleen KovacsCyril KovalAlbert KowalewskiRichard KowiatekLaurie KozbeltJohn KrajnakCharles KrallFred KramerRobert KrandelNick KrausEric KreshPaul KressDr. Diane KrillMichael KriznerHeather KruseAmber KrzysElizabeth KubicJason KukolAnna KulikowskiRobert KulpaPatricia KummickM. KuppelweiserKaren KurimcakGeorge KushmaPhilip KushnarFrancine KuzmaSharon KuzmankoCharles KuznickiJo Ann KylanderRoberto LacayoDonald LacherRaymond LaderJoseph LaganaRoy LahetLou LambrosAlan LandayAndrew LangMichele LangbeinSteven LaPataTom LaporteDavid LarsonMr. and Mrs. William LaspinThomas LatonMaureen Laughery JacobPaul LavertySteven LayDr. John and Ms. Jacqui LazoStephen LazurVincent Le DonneDr. Larry LeahyGeary LeasureArgie LeechRaymond LeechMichael LehmanJudith Leifer-BentzGerard LenthallGloria LeonardM. LeonardLinda LeongPasquale LeretsisIrene LeskovicJudith LettrichJohn LevensonDeborah LevyAllen LewisMr. and Mrs. Douglas LewisMr. and Mrs. James LewisKathleen LewisMaureen LewisDr. Robert LewisAlbert LiberiMichael LichtenbergerMarc and Patricia LiebmanCynthia and Paul LiefeldWilliam LigettiSusan LindbergRichard and Susan LinzerMichelle LioonMichele LitchThomas LittleDiane LitzAudie LloydNancy LobaughB. Wayne and Roberta LohrFrank LongJeffrey LongNancy LongAudra LopezAnita LorekMr. and Mrs. Ricardo LorenzoCornelia LouisAngela LoveFrank LoweBarbara LowrieBrett LubayHeather LubayMaribeth Lucci, Ph.D.Patricia LukesDaniel LundieShaina LuntzTracy LuppeLorene LutckensElaine LutherAlan LutzJoseph LuvaraEdna LyleDennis LynchJerry LyonsMichelle MacekGloria MacinCalla MaciochRobert MackRichard MacklinCarol and Douglas MacPhailHelen MaddocksLawrence MagarRobert MagieraEarl MainJoseph MalloreyBridget MancoshDebbie ManculichAlexis MancusoRonald ManganLes ManganelloJeffrey MangusCatherine MannEric MannHarvinder MannLinda MannLindsey MannsRobert MarcinkMarciann MarcusArthur MarinoMarianne MarkelzDebra MarkoGeorge MarkovicDr. Darlene MarnichMarianne MarnikBarbara MartinJason MartinPaul Martin, IIIRachel MartinRobert MartinacValerie MartinceckDonald MartiniNorman MartsJohnna MaryakCynthia MarynakDonald MasonLucille MasonMary MasonSteven MassaroAnn MassieJoyce MatthiesDonna MauleJohn and Joan MazurGarland McAdooAlthea McCalmontDr. M.J. McCartyChristine McClureReverend John McCoy, Jr.Pamela McCrackenDr. John McCutcheonMegan McDermottAnna McDonoughJanet McDonoughShannon McEnteerJohn McFarlandGerald McGinnisEdward McGuiganJoyce McguireDr. Timothy McGuire andDr. Nancy MeloneDavid McGuirkDr. Karen McIntyreJames McKeenDaniel McKennaSheila McKennaRonald MckinneyRobin McKownJanet McLaughlinRobert McLayJean McLeanDr. Stuart McLeanJ. Kevin McMahonMr. and Mrs. Richard McMillenPat McVickerEdward MeenaPaul MeeseDonna MegaClaire MegyesyMargaret MeighanNelson MellitzPaul MelvinAnthony Meneo, IIIMichelle MenozziKimberly MergeMichelle MerloKimberly MervilleSandra MervoshDaniel MeshankoThomas MeslerDavid Metinkowww.pointpark.edu 29

Charles MeyerJacquelyn MeyerDean MichaelBesnik MiftariKaren MihalAnna MihalegaMary MikesellWilliam MikesellRonald MikolajczykJean MikulskiCarl MilanoNancy MilinskiJohn MilkoJimmy MillerMary Ann MillerVicki MillsMr. and Mrs. David MiloJoell MinfordDonald MinnerPeter MinydzakMolly MisgallaJohn MitchellLynn MitchellJan Mitchell SherrillKarl MoadMaria MoioDr. Lori MolinariWilliam MolloyCynthia MolsLynn MonahanBarbara MooreDeborah MooreLinda MooreJeffrey MoranQuincy MorelliBarbara MorganDaniel MoriartyLeigh MorlockThomas MorrisCharles MortimerJames MoryczClifford MoskalJoann MospanDavid MotakMr. and Mrs. Todd MoulesWilliam MountsierLinda MowerAllan MozeJennifer MroczkowskiMarian MuderElizabeth MudgeDiane MudryMr. and Mrs. Roy MunshowerLouis MuracoBing MurphyPaul MurphyDavina MurrayElsie MurrayPatrick MuthKathryn MyersCharles NadejaJohn NadzamRobert NapkoriEunice NasriCharles and Diana NeidigKathleen NelsonVaunda NelsonJames NemecJohn NestorKaren NeubauerDr. Channa NewmanMr. and Mrs. William NewsonEric NickesonSue NicklinTeddy NisenbaumJames NolanRuth Novak, CPAMary Nowak-RossDianne NowinowskiBarbara NyeJennifer “Sue” OateyPaula OchoaDavid O’ConnerJudy O’ConnorMr. and Mrs. Charles O’DonnellRobert O’GaraMr. and Mrs. Carl OlianDr. Gerald OlsonFrank OrbanJames OrfanopoulosMark OroukinJanel OrwigDee Jay OshryJosiah OsiboduRachael OtienoWilliam O’TooleRochelle PackardZygmunt PaclawskiMary PageColleen PaigeBarbra PaklerSteven PakulaKathleen PalketMark PalmerMark Palmerino, Jr.Daniel PampuchPeter PanagiotatosJoseph PanarellaDavid PantaloneJohn PanzaDr. Emmett PanzellaMartin PaonessaMichael PaprockiNancy ParkerRita ParlatoRobert PartridgeRaymond PasternakMarybeth PastoreDonald PastoriusHelen PatrickLisa PattersonStephen PaulovitchMichael PaviaStephen PavleckaKim PayneFrances PeachNicole PefferRichard PegherHarry PehoteJanette PekarSusan PelekanosMelissa PelisariCarmen PellegrinoDouglas PembertonMelanie PembertonMarya Pendro-ThomsonJeri PenroseRichard PentzDr. Charles and Ruth PerkinsJohn PerryNorman PeszkoRosemary Peta-EizenhaferMonica PetakWarren PeteElizabeth PetersMary PetersCynthia PetriskoJohn PetriskoDawn PetronicMary PetroskyNicolas PetrovPaula PfeiferStephen PfoutsCharles PhillipsDr. George PhillipsSusan PhillipsThomas PhillipsWilliam PhillipsMark PhillisJack PiattSusan PiccirilliDaniel PieRoberta PiekarskiNancy PierceHolly PietrzakJohn PineTimothy PiotrowskiJames PiroliJulius PistoriaLinda PitnerWilliam PittTodd PiwowarskiRussell PixleyRita PlattGreg PolandLeonard PolizianiJoyce PolovichRobert PopelkaDennis PoppDaniel PorchSheila PorcheBrad PowandaDaniel PowellKatherine PowellMichael PowellSuzanne PowellWilliam PowellBarbara PowerPatricia PreisingerMr. and Mrs. Guy PrestiaRobert PresuttiDavid PrevostThomas PribicinGeorge PribickoMr. and Mrs. Geoffrey PriceCharles PrillMr. and Mrs. Robert PrioreDave Przeslawski and Terrilee HutterJon PucJack PuglisiJanis PurinsHolly PursellPaul PyshCharles QueenanEmily QuidettoAnna Quigley WolfDr. Charles QuillinPatricia QuolkeAlan RabinowitzEdward RabonKeith RadakovichRobert RagerEileen RandolphJohn Rankin, P.E.Kristen RathburnRichard RauhMarvin and Sheila RawlingsChristopher and Mary RawsonDale RaymondJanalyn ReardonJames RebracaKaren RecrosioAudrey ReedDr. Herman ReedJames ReedJay ReedMr. and Mrs. John ReedMr. and Mrs. Thomas ReepingDavid ReginaJohn ReguleDavid ReicheneckerEugene ReidMary Margaret ReidMr. and Mrs. Eugene ReillyJeffrey ReisMary ReisVicki ReisDavid RembiszMark ResnickEric RettigJennine RevillaDr. Vincenne Revilla BeltranEileen ReynoldsMaryann ReynoldsMartha RhoneLynn RibarGregory RiceMary RichardMr. and Mrs. Bruce RichardsElizabeth RichardsRick RichardsChristina RichterJeffrey RickertLinda RiggsAgnes RileyPatrick RileyDomenic RinaldiSusan Rinaldo HigginsClayton RiosShirley Ritchie30 www.pointpark.edu

Louis RobertsDiane RobertsonRobert RobinsonChristine RodgersColleen RoellJudith RogersBernard RoheChristopher RolinsonMary RomanelloBonnie RomaryLinda Romine-McKinzieMichael RosenbergSharon RosenbergJames RossKenneth RossMelissa RossiterDr. Ellen A. and Dr. Loren H. RothLora RotheDr. Judith RowlandsJeffrey RozranCarl RubinCaryn RubinoffStephen RudinecMr. and Mrs. Dale RuedigerThomas and Vicky RumpfDarryl RungNorman RuppenMichael RuppenthalBill RushJames RushinJames RussellAnthony RussoJan RyanPatricia RyanSusan RybergJayne RydzakRobert SabotNatalie SaccoJoann SalernoRobert and Deborah SalineErik SalineRussell SalminenFrank SamRose SamaniegoBonnie SampsonJudith SamuelsWill SanbornMartin SandersPeggy SandersMr. and Mrs. Charles SanfordRick SantaNaomi SapirKaveh SaremiRobinsone SarliMaria SartiDavid SauerWilson SaulAmy SaundersRosanne SaundersCarol SavageJason SavastaAlice SaxonDaniel SaylorDonna ScarilloJohn ScarpinoJoseph ScarpoDr. Marcia SchachnerJames SchaferPeggy SchaferChristopher SchallHenry SchallAlfons SchermaierJanette SchickMr. and Mrs. Charles SchilleciSandra SchillingerKarl SchmidtPatricia SchmidtJanice SchmittJames SchnareWalter SchratzJames SchrenkCharles SchrockmanJames SchultisePaul SchwartzRobert SchwilleAngelo SciulliChristine ScottMary Clark ScottPatricia ScottSusan ScottMr. and Mrs. Walter ScottJohn A. ScottiJoseph ScrivofiloBruce SeavyLanny SeedJoann SeifriedCheryl SellaAlan SemegoTerence SenayAlbert SenicClyde SeybertMichael ShahenSteve ShanahanCharles ShapiroAndrew ShaulFredric SheafferJohn SheehanBarry ShenckJeffrey ShermanDamian ShieldsMary ShieldsSharon ShipleyMichele ShiversJames ShockMr. and Mrs. Michael ShrianeJack ShrumWilliam ShutyAlice SignoreMegan SikoraPaul SikovArnold SilvermanJames SilvestriMarie SimmonsEugene SimonDr. J. Matthew and Dr. Janet SimonKenneth SimonEstate of John SimpsonMichelle SimpsonReverend Jason SinagraCarol SinatraTony SinatraPatrick SinopoliSean SkelleyVicki L. SkinnerCathie SkoogRandy SkubekAndrew Skurnick, Jr.Dale Sleva, Jr.Eric SlifkinEric and Susan SlifkinLaura SmagalaJudy SmallSally SmileyPhilip and Ann SmithBernard SmithGary SmithHarry SmithHeidi SmithHillary SmithJanet SmithLeslie SmithMelissa SmithOlivetta SmithPhilip SmithDr. Rande SmithRobert SmithRobin SmithMr. and Mrs. Scott SmithSherry SnyderC. SoboczenskiRichard SofelkanikSusan SoniakCarol Ann SpendiffCharles SperandeoJ. Len SperlGeorge SpilkaAdam SpitznagelWendy SprattMark StacyPaula StadelmanMarie StadulisKelly StaleyMargaret StampaharDonald StanichPhilip StansonMarlene StantonJ. StaufferKaren StaufferKathleen StaufferGeraldine SteckoBruce SteeleGretchen SteeleCarol SteinDr. Lorelei SteinSteve SteinThomas SteinBarbara SteinbergDavid SteinbergDavid SteinbergerMargaret SteinmanTodd StephensonKimberly SteudlerMargaret StewartRichard Stewart Jr.Joan StiefvaterStephanie StockmeisterMark StoneJames StonerCharlotte StotelmyerCharles StoutGrace StranahanDeborah StrangerRyan StrenoJ. Watkins StroussEllen StubnaLinda SuicaSam SuicaMaryjane SunderDiane SunderlinSusan SundoKenneth SunseriKim Sutherland-EvansRosemary SvonavecDaniel SwalgaCharlene SwearnginMr. and Mrs. Joseph SwedishSharon SweeneyRobert Swider, Sr.David SyskowskiGail SzafranskiEugene SzestakJohn SzulAnthony SzuszczewiczMohammad TaheriRoi TamkinShirley TannenbaumStephen TanzilliJohn TaorminaMary Beth TaylorWendy TaylorRaymond TedfordRonald TeleskoRodger TempleRobert ThewesDenise ThomaThomas ThomasWilliam ThompkinsMr. and Mrs. Ron ThompsonLois ThomsonM. Marcia ThorpeMichael ThorpeBenjamin TimkoMargaret TolbertJohn TolentinoTodd TomasicJohn Tomayko, Ph.D.Leslie TothPatricia TracyRichard TrainorYvonne TrimbleNicole TrombettoMelissa TroxellJanice TrubySusan TruloveMarsha TuckerTerrence TullyMeltem TunasarMichael TysarczykKaren TysarczykEvangeline Ugorjiwww.pointpark.edu 31

Scott UngerMary UrquhartTroy UssackJudith UttJohn VagianosCharlotte VaidyaJenny ValenteRoger ValentineVirginia ValentineBarbara Van KirkMr. and Mrs. Bill VandivierRichard VangenewittBruce VargaPatricia VaughnAngelo VerdoneLee VeriMary VeselyKatherine VidakovichMary VidraCharles VietmeierKelly VignaleDeborah VincentThomas VincettDavid VinskiPatricia VioliJohn VisnickEleanor VisteinJ. VogelKeith VollbergKaren VormackBarbara VujevichEdward and Andrea WachterDavid WagnerJudith WagnerSteven WagnerSteve and Donna WalkerJoseph WalkerThomas WallaceRobin WalshWilliam WalshDelonda WardHoward WardRuth WardWilliam WarrenDr. Milton and Dr. NancyWashingtonCharlotte WatersAnnette WatkinsPaul WauthierBarbara WaxenfelterLauren WayEdward WeaverRonald WebbBeverly WeberMark WeberMarvin WedeenDiane WeidnerRebecca WeilerJohn WeinsteinCarol WeisJudith WeismannRobin WeissStephen WeissRobert Welch, IIIWilliam WelchPeter WentzelGail WesleyKristin WessellDeborah WestPortia WestonMonique WetliCelia WexlerEric WheelingDr. Albert WhitcombFrank White, IIIDr. George andMrs. Kathleen WhiteLisa WhiteRichard WhittierJulie WhitworthClarence WiederMichelle WildenValerie WildenCheryl WilkDemetrius WilliamsLaura WilliamsMartha WilliamsStephen WilliamsDaniel WilloughbyJohn WilsonLazenia WilsonDr. Timothy WilsonLori Wilson-ClarkeMargaret WimmerMr. and Mrs. Joe WindleDavid WintermuteEdwin WintermyerPhilip WintersRichard WirthMr. and Mrs. James WiseScott WiseRaymond WisloskiEdward WisniewskiElizabeth Witzke-BaumMr. and Mrs. John WoffingtonLynda WojanisDavid WojtaszekJessica WolmanPhoebe WoodingChristopher WoodleyMr. and Mrs. Gary WoolridgeCarol WordKimberley WrightMichael L. WrightMichael R. WrightWilliam WrightEdward WuenschellDiane WuycheckDuane WykoffZemin XuCatherine YakemovicStephen YarnotTracy YatesSister Rita YeastedSamuel and Sandra YoungPaul and Denise YourickJohn YugovichJoseph YuhasseTatyana ZagortsevaJeananne ZamberlanMary ZdarkoGeorgia ZeedickJanet ZegarThomas ZelchMr. Richard and Dr. Nancy ZelonkaJoseph ZenkAndy ZibritoskyCarl ZibritoskyDavid ZiemkeBarbara ZirngiblMARC USA/Stuart M. ZolotJoe ZordJames ZumboTom ZytkaCorporations &Foundations1997 Aztec Buildings Corp.3M Foundation84 Lumber Co.A.G. Mauro Co.ABARTA Inc.Abbott Laboratories FundAFTRA Pittsburgh LocalAHRCOAlcoa FoundationAll Pro Painters, Inc.Allegheny County IndustrialDevelopment AuthorityAlliedBarton Security ServicesAon Risk Services Inc.of PennsylvaniaAramark Educational Services Inc.Arch Street Management, LLCArt Institute of PittsburghBarnes and Noble CollegeBookstore Inc.Baum Family FundBeechie’sBeynon & CompanyBank of New York MellonBoden Inc.BP Fabric of America FundBlattner-Brunner, Inc.BT Property Associates, LLCBuchanan Ingersoll & Rooney P.C.Building Control Systems Inc.Business AlternativesButler Auto AuctionThe Dr. Paul S. and Gertrude F.Caplan Philanthropic Fund ofthe United Jewish FederationFoundationCarnegie MotorsCentral Property Services L.P.Chatham UniversityChics PlaceCJL EngineeringCNA FoundationCohen & Grigsby P.C.Commonwealth of PennsylvaniaCWM Environmental Inc.DB Construction Group, Inc.Deloitte FoundationDirect Mail Service Inc.DJ’s 7141 Inc.DRS ArchitectsDSF Charitable FoundationDuncan Financial GroupDuquesne Litho Inc.Eckert Seamans Cherin & MellottEden Hall FoundationEHS SupportElg Haniel Metals CorpElizabeth Carbide Die Co. Inc.Exelon CorporationExpress MED Pharmaceuticals Inc.Exxon Mobile Matching Gift FundFederal Home Loan Bankof PittsburghFederated Investors Inc.Feldstein Grinberg Stein & McKeeFifth Third BankFountainhead FoundationFrank Sinatra AdvertisingFulton Financial CorporationGAI Consultants Inc.GE FoundationGetting to the Point, Inc.Glaxo SmithKlineGreater PittsburghDiversity FestivalGreco Gas Inc.The Heinz EndowmentsHenderson BrothersHighmark FoundationHighmark Inc.Hilda M. Willis FoundationHilton Pittsburgh & TowersHornfeck Engineering Inc.Howard Hanna RealtyHuntington National BankIBM International FoundationIndustrial Employees Inc.Jack Horner Communications Inc.Jewish Healthcare FoundationJG Drywall Company Inc.John F. Graff Insurance AgencyJohnson & JohnsonJPMorgan Chase BankThe Thomas R. T. Kaplan FamilyPhilanthropic Fund of the UnitedJewish Federation FoundationKDKA-TV2Kennametal FoundationKetchum Inc.Konhaus-Robertson AgencyKostovny ElectricKriebel Minerals Inc.L. D. Astorino & AssociatesLangholz Wilson Ellis Inc.La Roche CollegeLexus of North HillsLighthouse Electric Co. Inc.Littler MendelsonLogical AutomationM.B. Peterson Charitable TrustMahla Office EquipmentMARC USA Inc.Margaret Hardy TrustMassaro CorporationMcKamish Chesapeake Inc.McKnight Development CorporationMEDRAD32 www.pointpark.edu

Mellon FinancialCorporation FoundationMerrill Lynch & Co. Foundation Inc.Millcraft Industries Inc.Modern Reproductions Inc.Mt. Lebanon Office Equip Co.Multicultural Arts InitiativeMurray Insurance AgencyMutual of AmericaNational City Bank of PennsylvaniaNewspaper Guild Of PittsburghNicklaus Golf Equipment CompanyNico’s Recovery RoomNorfolk Southern CharitableMatch TrustNorthwestern Mutual FoundationNOVA Chemicals Inc.Oxford Development CompanyP. J. Dick Inc.P.L. Frank Inc.Paul & Dina Block FoundationPennsylvania Associationof BroadcastersPennsylvania Trane IncPeter Hantz Company, Inc.Pittsburgh Board of EducationPittsburgh ChildGuidance FoundationPittsburgh Civic Light OperaPittsburgh MagazinePittsburgh Post-Gazette CharitiesPNC Bank NAPNC FoundationThe Remmel Foundation throughthe PNC Charitable TrustPPG Industries FoundationPPG Industries Inc.Precision ElectricalContractors Inc.Price Waterhouse CoopersPrivate Wealth Advisors Inc.Procter & Gamble Dist. Co.Quinn Electric Inc.R & V AssociatesResources Global ProfessionalsRichard P. SimmonsFamily FoundationRobert Half International Inc.Shadyside DentistryShadyside InnShaherazad AntiqueOriental Rugs Inc.Sippel Co., Inc.Sky InsuranceSnyder Brothers, Inc.Spectra Contract FlooringServices, Inc.Stacey’s Just For YouThe Audrey Hillman FisherFoundation Inc.The Buhl FoundationThe Consortium forPublic EducationThe Design Alliance ArchitectsThe Grable FoundationThe Hershey FoodsCorporation FundThe Hill Group Inc.The Hillman CompanyThe MillsteinCharitable FoundationThe Pittsburgh Cultural TrustThe Pittsburgh FoundationThe Rockwell FoundationThe Rubinoff CompanyThe Tomayko Group LLCThomas & McMenamin, Inc.Three RiversCommunity FoundationThyssenKrupp Elevator CorporationTKA ArchitectsTomsin Steel Co.Tribune Review CharitiesTucker Arensberg P.C.Turner Construction CompanyUllrich Shoe RepairUnited States Steel CorporationUPMC Health PlanUrban RedevelopmentAuthority of PittsburghVentura Group, LLCVerizon FoundationVolunteers of America of PA, Inc.Wachovia FoundationWachovia SecuritiesWashington Family FundWashington Mutual FoundationWAXWealth Preservation &Management Inc.Wells FargoCommunity Support CampaignWestmoreland Supply Inc.Wholesale Builders SupplyWomen’s Press Club of PittsburghWPXI-TVWTAE-TVWTW Architects Inc.YMCA of PittsburghZonta Three RiversPittsburgh North

Especially for AlumniDear Fellow Alumni,Spring is just around the corner and the Point ParkAlumni Association is buzzing with all that is new.Our alumni association is now on Facebook and wehope you’ll seek out and join the Point Park AlumniAssociation group. This is just another way to stayconnected with your former classmates and alma mater.If you weren’t able to make it to the first-ever alumniassociation trip to Las Vegas in February, look out forother exciting travel opportunities in 2009. In additionto the many benefits offered by our alumni association,Point Park alumni can now take advantage of our travelWeb site and special insurance offers made possible bythe Office of Alumni Relations. To find out more, pleasevisit our Web site at pointpark.edu/alumni or call theOffice of Alumni Relations at 412-392-4750.Lastly, I’m proud to report on the launch of our AlumniAssociation Scholarship. We initiated fund raising forthis scholarship at the Second Annual Holiday AlumniAssociation Dinner held at the LeMont in Pittsburghon Dec. 13. What better way to support our alma materthan to support its students? To make a donation to theAlumni Association Scholarship, please call 412-392-4750.I hope you will join me in future events and programs tosupport this worthy cause.Sincerely,34 www.pointpark.eduaJohn Taormina (A&S ’00, MBA ’01)President, Alumni Association Board of Directors

RobMatzieAnnouncerElected StateRepresentativeby Colleen C. DerdaRob Matzie grew up inAmbridge, Pa., listening topolitics around the kitchen table.His grandfather was a councilman,and everyone in the family hadopinions about local and nationalpolitics. His parents even namedhim after Robert Kennedy.“The political bug bit me,” saysRob Matzie (COM 1992). “SoI started getting involved in myhometown and it progressed fromthere.”Matzie was appointed to theplanning commission a yearafter graduating from Point ParkUniversity and soon was workingfor the area’s state senator as astaff member. His first electedseat, in 2002, was a countywideposition on the Democratic StateCommittee. A year later, he wasappointed mayor of Ambridgewhen the officeholder died.Matzie made major politicalstrides in 2008 when he waselected representative forPennsylvania’s 16th legislativedistrict, which includes parts ofAllegheny and Beaver counties.During the race he receivednumerous endorsements,including that of the PittsburghPost-Gazette, which praised his“knowledge and experience.”Along with political experience,Rob Matzie has expertise and aPoint Park University bachelor’sdegree related to another field—broadcasting.For years, Matzie has served asa play-by-play announcer forMSA Sports Network (www.msasportsnetwork.com), whichbroadcasts high school and collegegames on AM and FM stationsin the tri-state area and on theInternet. Before that, he workedfor WMBA Radio in Ambridge,a job that helped him pay his waythrough college.Matzie announced high schoolfootball and basketball games forMSA Sports. Point Park Universityalums Don Rebel (COM 1987),the network’s operations manager,and announcer Ed Troup (COM‘02) continue to serve the network.It was KDKA-TV sportscasterBob Pompeani (COM 1984), aBeaver County native and PointPark alum who led Matzie to theUniversity to study journalism inthe first place.“I heard all about the program’sstoried history,” says Matzie. “BobPompeani certainly led me to theright place.”The announcer/Representativecredits the University’s emphasison professionals teaching practicalskills as one of the keys to hissuccess in broadcasting and otherareas of life. “I formed manystrong relationships at Point Park,”he notes.As much as Matzie has enjoyedbeing an announcer, he isn’tplanning to combine his politicaland sports careers anytime soon.“It takes a lot of preparation tocall a game,” says Matzie. “Youneed to have time to devote to it.Now I need to serve my districtduring the week and my family onthe weekends.”Rob Matzie and his wife Pattyhave a six-year-old daughter. Thefamily resides in Ambridge.www.pointpark.edu 35

Cavaliers’ Announcer Launched Career from Point ParkFred McLeodby Colleen C. DerdaFred McLeod (COM 1974)credits a senior-year internship and along-shot contact made during a baseballchampionship trip with helping tolaunch his television broadcasting career.The Cleveland Cavaliers’ play-by-playannouncer was a broadcast journalism/mass communication major and a pitcherat Point Park College in 1974 whenthe baseball team traveled to St. Joseph,Mo. for the National Association ofIntercollegiate Athletics College WorldSeries. Realizing that he would needto start in a small market, McLeod36 www.pointpark.educontacted the local television station andasked if he could send an audition tapeafter returning to Pittsburgh.“The station manager said he had ajob open in sports, and I should comecut a tape,” said McLeod. “I wentin and banged out a script and dida mock broadcast. I was completelynervous, but I had learned enough andwatched Sam Nover (the WPXI-TVveteran sportscaster) enough during myinternship that I was able to do it.”McLeod got the job and returned twoweeks after graduating.“It was baptism by fire,” says McLeod,noting that he made rookie mistakeswhile covering studio wrestling and othersports. “But that’s how you learn.”McLeod eventually moved to positionswith television stations in Steubenville,Ohio and San Francisco, Calif. By age24, he was working in Cleveland, Ohioas one of the youngest broadcasters in atop-10 market. The National Academyof Arts and Sciences recognized McLeodfor achievement in television during hisdistinguished career.Fred McLeod made his mark in Detroit,Mich. where he hosted a half-hour weeklysports show and served for 22 seasonsas the voice of the National BasketballAssociation’s (NBA) Detroit Pistons.Along the way he was the voice of theMajor League Baseball’s (MLB) DetroitTigers and National Football League’sDetroit Lions. He also took on playby-playduties for the MLB’s ClevelandIndians during an earlier Cleveland stint.He is back in his hometown, now in hisfourth season with the NBA’s Cavs.He feels well suited to the Cavaliers andbasketball in general. “I love the energyand the speed of the game,” he says.Plus, Cavaliers’ star LeBron James “is anannouncer’s dream.”The challenge announcing every game,McLeod says, is to enhance the play onthe court but not overshadow it.“A good play-by-play announcer describesthe excitement but doesn’t go over the top.”Fred McLeod writes about play-by-playannouncing for the Cavaliers in a blog,www.cavfanatic.com/fredmcleod/blog.

class notes19801962Joseph Dentici (BUS 1962), president andowner of Kuhn’s Market, will oversee thefinancing and construction of a full-servicegrocery store in Pittsburgh’s Hill District.Kuhn’s Market was selected by the cityUrban Redevelopment Authority board. The40,000-square-foot store will include apharmacy, bakery and café. The future site ofthe store is Centre Avenue at Heldman Street.Jimmy Miller (COM 1980, HON ’00) producedShe’s Out of My League to premier in the springof 2009. The movie is a romantic comedy aboutan everyday man meeting the girl of his dreamsbut outside influences affect his confidenceabout the relationship.1983Nancy (Schmitz) Dickson (COM 1983) wasrecently hired as vice president of publicrelations and community development at theCommunity College of Beaver County.1988David Perozzi (COM 1988) produced AlRoker Reporting: Armed In America, a MSNBCdocumentary for Al Roker Entertainment. Thedocumentary investigates the dangers ofworking behind the scenes at the Bureau ofAlcohol, Tobacco and Firearms to find out howthe federal agency is working to eliminategun crimes in the United States. The showpremiered on Nov. 23 at 10 p.m. EasternStandard Time. It is the first of a series ofinvestigative documentaries reported by “Today”anchor, Al Roker, which will air on MSNBC in thecoming months.1989Renata Mastrofrancesco (COM 1989) wasmarried on October 4, 2008 to Mark DavidShaw. Mrs. Shaw is a staff assistant at PennState Beaver in Monaca, Pa.1990Ellen (Harbold) Gamble (COM 1990) isthe Director ofDevelopmentfor PressleyRidge, whichserves troubledchildren andtheir families ineight states, the District of Columbia, Portugaland Hungary. Prior to accepting the position atPressley Ridge, Gamble was the DevelopmentDirector at Women’s Center & Shelter of GreaterPittsburgh. Ellen and her husband Eric live inPittsburgh and she is the proud step-mother ofErica, 22, and Elaine, 20.1998Sabrina D’Agosta (COM 1998) is now theDeputy Communications Director for DenverMayor John Hickenlooper.Alumnae Linda (Con) Kistler, Robin Brandt, Charla Chiappelli and Candy McClellan2002Meghan Heimbecker (COPA ‘02) recentlyperformed in the musical Quilters with TheGreat Plains Theatre in Kansas and appearedon the east coast premiere of The War Partywith Philadelphia’s Interact Theatre Company.Meghan also works as a children’s theaterdirector and teaching artist for the WalnutStreet Theatre where she will be directing aworld premiere of the musical The BerenstainBears: Family Matters. The production runs onselect dates on March and April.2007Crystal Herbert (COPA ‘07) is design assistantand office manager with Abkco Music &Records, which is owned by The Rolling Stonesand is located in New York City. She is assistingwith photography and flash design and videofor the company Web site.2008Two photos by Issac Taube (COM ’08) werepublished in the New York Daily News on Nov.2. The photos illustrated an article titled “WhatReal People in Battleground States Say Aboutthe Election.”Beverly Edwards (COPA 1983) visited Point Park on Dec. 4 to talk with studentsabout her career as a performer and her transition into her current positionas company manager of Frost/Nixon while in town for the show’s run inPittsburgh.www.pointpark.edu 37

Point ParkAnnual FundPhone-A-ThonSets a RecordPoint Park on Facebookoint Park is in the midst of the Facebook revolution and isprepared to call in the post-graduate troops. A Point ParkFacebook page directed toward and designed for alumni hasbeen in development and will be launched in early 2009. Inaddition to encouraging alumni to stay in touch with classmates,the page is intended to keep graduates current on Universitynews and events and promote a more interactive connection totheir alma mater.Alison Boron (BUS ’08) will manage the Facebook page. Shesees the project as a chance to give back to Point Park, as wellas an opportunity to create a more effective networking systemfor graduates. “Hopefully, this will help the University reach adifferent demographic of alumni,” says Boron. “This will be amore accessible way for younger alumni to stay up to date andinvolved with Point Park.”Alumni will be encouraged to seek out and join the networkand participate as much or as little as they like. Another benefitto the method of Facebook communication is the culturalpopularity the site has gained since its 2004 inception. With atleast nominal familiarity, new users can ease their way into theonline community and explore new ways to get involved withPoint Park alumni.In the fall of 2008, 27 students mademore than 27,000 phone calls overa period of three weeks and raised arecord-breaking $70,000 in the historyof Point Park’s annual fund. For thefirst time after many years, the annualfund phone-a-thon was brought back tocampus so that current students couldshare their Point Park experience withdonors. After all, our students serve asambassadors, representing the veryheartbeat of our University.Student callers were selected basedon their performance in telephoneinterviews. Students were trained andreimbursed for their time and they madea big difference. Isabel Power, juniordance major, was the top caller in 2008with more than $10,000 raised.WE WANT TOHEAR FROM YOU!Send us photosshowing yourPoint Park prideto thepoint@pointpark.edu.38 www.pointpark.eduSend your news to alumni@pointpark.edu.

eAeNostalgicNotionsSurvival of the SisterhoodThough the presence commitment. Though it was outwardlyof the sorority would described as a clique, a gang, a cult, tobegin to fade only three the sisters, Sigma Delta Sigma really wasyears later, in the spring of 1971 SigmaDelta Sigma was a campus presence ofunrivaled effervescence. Occupying the fifthand eighth floors of Thayer Hall, the groupof undergraduates was not the largestsorority on campus, but they boasted a wellknown presence both on - and off-campus.The sorority, with the residual homecomingqueen and mandatory ‘fingertips or higher’hemlines, was also a familiar force in thecultural activism growing inFrom left, top row: Vicki Harpster; middle row:Candy Stefl, Robin Brandt; bottom row: CharJones Chiappelli, Sharon Frost, Linda Kistlerthe city and members became acquaintedwith city politicians, including formercounty commissioner, Tom Forrester.They worked as hall advisors andmail sorters, held fundraising shoeshines and promoted school spirit ascheerleaders. But behind the ceaselessactivity and shining social presence wasa bond rooted in loyalty and compassion,upon which the sisters of Sigma DeltaSigma built lasting relationships thathave withstood the strains of time anddistance, proving the untiring value ofsisterhood nearly forty years afterthe dissolution of the chapter.a family. Charla Jones Chiapelli, class of‘73 and Sigma Delta Sigma historian, wasdrawn to the sorority asmuch by the familial feelas the social perks. “Nomatter who was squabblingwith whom back in thedorms, out in the worldyou were part of theSigma Delta Sigma familyand that was a unitedand loyal front.Nobody questionedthe bond and that’swhat still brings usback together.” Andbehind that unitedfront, the strength ofthe friendships was thestrongest within pledge classes.Chiapelli’s younger fifth floor crew couldshare the trials of the pledge period,learning from their big sisters on theeighth floor but cringing through initiationactivities like cleaning an older girl’s fishbowl. Together the combined pledgeclasses would hold informal and formalteas, fraternity picnics, scavengerhunts and other events to promoteactivity and teach the girls socialBy Grace Millerskills. These frequent events helped thegirls network on campus, but they alsotaught them how to nurture their characterand to find what they wanted in theirfriendships and in themselves.From left, top row: Anna Marie Quigley, Annie Strishock, Carol RidenSpendiff, Kathy Walton Heimann, Vicki Harpster, Sue Rudensy, Debbie Briley;middle row: Robin Brandt, Candy Stefl, Sue Heatherington, Renay Friedman,Debbie Black; bottom row: Karen Zunick, Char Jones Chiappelli, Robin Mason,Mary Beth London Gibbon, Terry BreitbordYears after turning their tassles, theSigmas have spread out from Pittsburghbut their friendships are firmly based inPoint Park history. No matter what hashappened over the years, the women havebeen secure in knowing who to count on intimes of trouble. “Just like we were therefor each other through all the heartbreaksand stresses of college,” remembersChiapelli, “we’ve been there for eachother through marriages, divorces,sicknesses and deaths. No matter whathappens, they’re there.” Despite theabsence of Sigma Delta Sigma at PointPark today, Chiapelli has faith that thesorority’s mission will still be survivedthrough the sisters’ example. “Mychildren have really great, unconditionalfriendships and I think they learned theimportance of loyalty and friendship fromgrowing up and looking at my friendshipswith the Sigmas.”As the sorority song asserts,“we’ll be sisters forever”, joiningthe group would be a lifelongFrom left: Char Jones Chiappelli,Linda Kistler, Vicki Harpsterwww.pointpark.edu 39

By Kevin TaylorDirector of Athletic CommunicationsPioneers share stagewith NBA’s elitePhotography by Lindy DobbinsAshleigh Hays dribbles downthe sideline.Terrica Jones getsready to go up for arebound.Nov. 7 members of theOn Point Park women’sbasketball team had a chanceto share the spotlight withCleveland Cavaliers, one ofthe top teams in the NationalBasketball Association.The Pioneers opened their2008-09 season that day atQuicken Loans Arena, homeof the Cavaliers. And althoughthey lost to Northwestern Ohio,68-66, in overtime, it was agreat day for the players andfans who made the trip.More than 100 friends, family,staff and alumni attended thePoint Park women’s basketballgame, which was the AmericanMideast Conference openerfor both teams. After thegame, the group from PointPark enjoyed a private, allyou-can-eatbuffet receptionbefore watching LeBronJames and the Cavalierstake on the Indiana Pacers.to play in an NBA arena, andhopefully everyone involvedhad an enjoyable time.”Kosanovich had a few remarksat the reception, which washeld in a VIP room in thearena. Point Park PresidentPaul Hennigan and ActingDean of Student AffairsKeith Paylo had some wordsfor the group, as well.“On behalf of the women’sbasketball team and PointPark, I would like thank youfor coming tonight,” saidPaylo. “There was a lot ofhard work that went intomaking this a special event,and it was a great day forPoint Park University.”Kosanovich, who is in his thirdyearas women’s basketballcoach, deserves the credit forsetting up the game at theJames scored 27 points tolead the Cavs to a thrilling,111-107 victory, and by theend of the night, everyonehad a day they wouldremember for a long time.“This was a great event forPoint Park women’s basketballand for Point Park University,”said women’s basketball coachSam Kosanovich, who initiatedthe event. “It was very excitingQuicken Loans Arena40 www.pointpark.edu

By Kevin TaylorDirector of Athletic CommunicationsNBA arena, and manyothers across campushad a hand in makingthings go smoothly.Kosanovich tweakedthe women’sbasketball schedule toallow for the game tobe played at The Q.Originally, the gameversus NorthwesternOhio was scheduledfor Dec. 13 at PointPark. Kosanovichasked the Racers ifthey were willing toBrittney Wilson takes a 3-pointer.move the game aheadto Nov. 7, and Northwestern Ohio, which is located inLima, Ohio, gladly obliged.Tickets were sold to Point Park students and alumni at aspecial rate, and for the price of the ticket, fans receivedadmission to both games, transportation and admissionto the all-you-can-eat reception. Transportation wasprovided by a bus, which transported students to andfrom the game.Point Park’s hip-hop dance group, Impulse, performedat halftime, and Point Park’s broadcasting students wereshowcased, as well, as members of the WPPJ radio andU-VIEW television crews were on hand to cover the game.In addition, Fred McLeod (COM 1974), the play-by-playvoice of the Cavs, stopped by the reception to say a fewwords to the group.As the women’s basketball game got underway, PointPark took an early 12-3 lead on a 3-pointer by AshleighHays, who scored 12 points. The Pioneers led 31-25 athalftime, and took a 47-32 lead with 13:26 to play.But Northwestern Ohio battled back to force overtime,and Stacy Feathers led the Racers to victory with a gamehigh21 points.Terrica Jones scored 12 points for the Pioneers whileAshley Henderson added 11 points and 10 rebounds.Emily Anderson chipped in 10 points and four steals.FALLSPORTSROUNDUPCross CountryThe women’s cross country seasonwas highlighted by a third-place finishat the Pitt-Greensburg InvitationalOct. 4. Lindsay Dill, who placed ninth,led the women’s team is six of sevenraces. Reuben Rono, a native of Kenya,took third place Oct. 4 and paced themen’s team in six of seven meets.VolleyballThe volleyball team (19-18) posted awinning record for the second straightyear and missed qualifying for a playoffspot in a re-aligned AMC conference byone game. Ashley Zietak was named to theAll-AMC third team, and Megan Lamenswas an honorable-mention choice.Women’s SoccerThe women’s soccer team won four of itsfirst six games and featured two recordsettingplayers. Senior goalkeeper EmilyTomalewski finished her career as PointPark’s all-time leader in wins and saveswhile junior Angela Olivieri is the school’sall-time leader in points and goals.Men’s SoccerSeniors Steve Fabian and Dustin Hessearned All-AMC honorable mentionhonors for the Pioneers. Fabian rankedthird in the NAIA in saves per game,and Hess was second on the team with11 points. The Pioneers won threeof five games at the end of the year,including a victory on senior day.www.pointpark.edu 41

THE POINTPOINT PARK UNIVERSITY201 WOOD STREETPITTSBURGH, PA 15222www.pointpark.eduNon profitorganizationU.S. PostagePAIDPittsburgh, PAPermit No. 1674