Spring - University of Central Missouri

Kathy humphrey believes
she can improve the world
— one student at a time. as the vice provost and dean
of students for one of the nation’s largest universities,
she acts on that philosophy every day.
“i am a leader who believes that everything can be
made better,” she says. “making the world better by
positively impacting the lives of students is my life’s
mission.” She does that at the University of Pittsburgh,
more commonly known as Pitt, with 27,000 students at
its main campus and another 32,000 at four regional
locations.
the 1984 Central missouri graduate got her career start
as a resident assistant in houts-hosey hall. “i always
loved working with young people,” she says. “i feel like
my life’s mission is to make a difference in their lives.
higher education is a launch pad for young people to
be what they want to become.”
humphrey returned to UCm to become associate
director of university housing from 1991 to 1994. She
continued to advance her career at St. Louis University
as director of residence life, associate vice provost
for student development and then vice president for
student development before arriving at the University
of Pittsburgh in 2005.
there, she developed outside classroom curriculum
to provide a well-rounded education for students. the
curriculum has students preparing for their careers
early through building resumes, visiting job fairs,
earning credit for leadership positions and public
speaking experiences.
— By Matt Bird-Meyer ‘97
Dick Schromm ’57 received
Sacramento’s Lasalle Club Coaches
Hall of Fame award. He was
honored for his 20+ years of major
college basketball officiating and
for serving 12 years as Northern
California Commissioner of
Officials, assigning officials for
all sports for more than 100 high
schools. He is president of the
59,000
Students,
her Daily
mission
Sacramento Valley Chapter of the
National Football Foundation and
Hall of Fame.
Morris Collins ’69 has been
named a 2011 Icon of Education
by Ingram’s magazine. The Kansas
City business publication chose
nine people for the annual award
based on their contributions to
the success of their grade schools
or universities. Collins, a retired
K-12 educator, was the first black
teacher in the Warrensburg school
district as well as the district’s first
black school board president. He
currently is an adjunct professor
for the UCM Department of Art,
which is chaired by one of his
former students, Mick Luehrman.
He notes that five of the eight art
instructors in the Warrensburg
district were his student teachers or
he was their university supervisor.
Jane (Luehrman) Hillhouse
’77 is owner and president of
Hillhouse Graphic Design in
Kingsport, TN. The firm won five
local Addy Awards at the 2011
annual celebration of the Northeast
Tennessee Chapter of the America
Advertising Federation. They
received best of show overall for
a campaign produced for the
Silent Heroes Foundation, which
raises funds to help veterinarians,
rangers and conservationists to
protect animals in Africa as well
as a gold for the campaign and
a silver for its stationery. They
also won silver awards for author
Barbara Kingsolver’s web site and
for Eastman Corporation’s history
and vision wall mural. Hill, a
1973 graduate of University High,
started Hillhouse Graphic Design
in 1984.
Steven Larson ’80, ’02 is teaching
and coaching at Warsaw High
School. His Warsaw Lady Wildcats
won the 2010-2011 Class 2 State
Championship in softball, finishing
the season 25-4 with a 4-0 win
over Palmyra in the championship
game.
Meryl Lin McKean ’80 received
the Achoth Award at the 2010
National Delta Zeta Convention
in recognition of service to the
Epsilon Gamma chapter. She
also won a Mid-America Emmy
for health science news. She is
the health and medical reporter
for Kansas City’s Fox 4 News and
produces the nightly segment,
“Fox 4 Health.”
Kenneth Ervin ’88 received
second and third places in the Iowa
Newspaper Association Better
Newspaper contest in the Breaking
News Photo category for weeklies
under 1,399. His winning entries
were for his coverage of the floods
in 2010 and a picture of a fivevehicle
accident that closed I-35.
He also received second place in
the best agricultural advertisement
for an ad thanking Ag Partners for
helping DFS after a fire at its feed
mill. Ervin is editor of the South
Hamilton Record-News in Jewell, IA.
Thomas Turner ’90 has been
promoted to executive director
for American Bonanza Society Air
Safety Foundation, which publishes
Flying Lessons Weekly, a free aviation
safety eNewsletter. He was honored
in 2010 as National FAA Safety
Representative of the Year. In 2008,
he was named FAA Central Region
Flight Instructor of the Year.
Amanda Duffy ’99 was awarded
the UCM theatre department’s Ed
See Outstanding Alumnus Award.
She completed the professional
internship program in the wig
program at The Julliard School
and a master of fine arts degree
from Case Western Reserve
University’s Cleveland Play House
after completing her degree in
design technology from UCM. She
has done professional wig work
on Broadway and has worked
regionally and in New York as an
actress in professional productions.
Jesse Zeugin ’06 won his first
headlining mixed martial arts
event. He defeated Chris McDaniel
for the 155-pound pro title belt
Feb. 5 at the XCF 14 Super Brawl
in Springfield, MO. This was
McDaniel’s 28th career fight and
Zeugin’s sixth. Zeugin teaches
and coaches at Logan-Rogersville
Middle School in Rogersville, MO.
Eric Czerniewski ’10, former
Mules quarterback from
Montgomery City, MO, was
honored at the state capitol in
Jefferson City by the Missouri
House of Representatives and
Senate with a proclamation,
recognizing his achievement
as the 2010 Harlon Hill winner.
Czerniewski was the first Missouri
native to win this award.
University of Central Missouri | today 27
awards & honors