Reflections Magazine Issue #51 - Summer 1999 | Page 2

Commencement 2 Nothing but Blue Skies! Table of Contents he future looked bright as associate’s, bachelor’s and master’s degree candidates celebrated a sunny Siena Heights graduation on the Adrian campus. About 450 graduates were honored at commencement ceremonies held May 2 in Adrian, May 8 in Benton Harbor and May 9 in Battle Creek. The Class of ‘99 is the first group of new alumni to hold diplomas from Siena Heights University. President’s Message ............................ 3 Three outstanding women were honored with special distinction during the Adrian campus commencement ceremony. Eleanor Josaitis, co-founder and executive director of Focus: HOPE, and Susan Van Baalen, OP ‘65, a national leader in prison ministry, received honorary Doctor of Humane Letters degrees from Siena Heights. Josaitis founded Focus: HOPE, a non-profit civil and human rights organization in Detroit, to nurture diversity in the aftermath of the 1967 riots. Van Baalen, Chief of Chaplains for the Federal Bureau of Prisons, coordinates religious programs and protects the religious rights of 100,000 inmates. Author and theologian Elizabeth Johnson, CSJ, received the Siena Medal during graduation. Currently the Distinguished Professor of Theology at Fordham University in New York, Johnson has opened a contemporary dialog on many issues in Catholicism, specifically promoting the cause of women in the church. Cover: Beaming with pride, members of the Class of ‘99 process across the Siena Heights campus, from Trinity Garden to the Fieldhouse, for a sunny Commencement ‘99. From left are: Adrian campus graduate Holly Buku Brielmaier (B.A., mathematics), Metropolitan Detroit Program graduates Doreia Bragg (B.A.S., electronic engineering technology) and Tereasa Boyd (B.A.S., allied health/medical assistant), and Adrian graduate Corey Burgermeister (B.A., tri-minor). Hidden behind Tereasa is MDP graduate Gwendolyn Bryant (B.A.S., allied health, dental assisting). For more graduation coverage, see Class Notes (pages 19 - 23). Also, check out the corner photos on each page of Reflections. Teaching Excellence ........................... 4 Alumni/Family Weekend Guide........ 11 Sports News ...................................... 15 From the Heights............................... 16 Class Notes........................................ 19 Alumni Board President Judy Lavelle ‘58 Vice President Debra Parish Spann ‘89 Past President Mary Hellner Lash ‘88 Board Members Amanda Adams ‘97 Donna Kisner Baker ‘84 Terrence Beurer ‘80 Petrina Biondo ‘72 Diane Moro Deveau ‘70 Scott Dienes ‘90 Elizabeth Dolan, OP ‘46 Cindy Doyle ‘72 Joann Phillips ‘93 (LMC) Mary Phillips ‘71 Alexandra Harvey Quinn ‘91 Earl Reber ‘88 (LMC) Lawrence Richardson, Jr. ‘76 Tara Severhof ‘98 Susan Strupulis ‘95 (KCC) Honorary Member Sr. Marie Irene Miller, OP ‘36 Reflections Staff Editor: Contributors: Jennifer Hamlin Church, Assistant Vice President for Communications and Constituent Relations Helen Bommarito ‘99 Karen Glaser, Associate Vice President for Advancement Steve Ott, Communications Specialist Graphic Designer: Mary Griffin, Professor of Education and Child Development Kristopher Stanton ‘01 Richard T. Mertens, Publications and Public Relations Specialist Lynne Redman Hill, Director of Alumni Relations Karla Pennington ‘00 Lad Strayer Photography ©1999. Siena Heights University. Reflections is published by the Communications Office at Siena Heights University. Send correspondence to: Office of Communications, 1247 E. Siena Heights Drive, Adrian, MI 49221 or phone [phone] or e-mail [email protected].