News University of Northern Colorado

UNC Scholar Earns One of 15 National Awards

Wed, 19 Jun 2013 00:00:00 GMT

University of Northern Colorado senior Owen Volzke was honored this month as one of 15 winners of the 2013 Gilder Lehrman History Scholar Award.

Selected from candidates across the country, Volzke was recognized as an outstanding graduating college senior who demonstrated academic and extracurricular excellence in American History or American Studies.

The Gilder Lehrman Institute brought the awardees to New York City from June 7-10 for a series of special presentations in their honor, including meetings with eminent scholars, exclusive behind-the-scenes tours of historic archives, and an awards dinner.

Museum and archive visits included stops at the Metropolitan Museum of Art, The Gilder Lehrman Collection, and the Schomburg Center for Research in Black Culture, with talks and discussions led by Kenneth T. Jackson, Khalil Gibran Muhammad and Adrienne Petty.

Read more about Volzke at: www.unco.edu/news/releases.aspx?id=5282

For more information about the award, visit www.gilderlehrman.org/historyscholaraward

UNC Broadway Cast Members to Perform at Tony Awards

Fri, 07 Jun 2013 00:00:00 GMT

Two University of Northern Colorado graduates who are currently in Broadway productions nominated for Tony Awards will be among the groups that perform during the televised ceremony Sunday, June 9.

Andrea Dora Smith and Andy Kelso will appear in the Motown and Kinky Boots ensembles, respectively. The Tony Awards will air starting at 6 p.m. on CBS.

Smith was cast in the Broadway musical Motown, up for four Tony Awards, which opened March 11 in New York City. She has also appeared on Broadway in Disney's Tarzan.

Kelso left the national tour of Wicked for the Cyndi Lauper musical Kinky Boots, up for 13 Tony Awards including Best Musical, which opened April 4 in New York City. He previously performed for three years in the Broadway production of Mama Mia.

For more updates on faculty and alumni appearing on stage, click here.

UNC Gallery Exhibit to Honor Faculty Member's 47 Years of Service

Wed, 29 May 2013 00:00:00 GMT

A gallery exhibit opening June 7 and running through July 30 at the University of Northern Colorado will recognize a faculty member who is retiring June 30 after serving at UNC for 47 years.

The opening reception and retirement celebration for Dennis Morimoto will be 4-7 p.m. Friday, June 7, in Mariani Gallery in Guggenheim Hall, intersection of 8th Avenue and 18th Street. The reception is free and open to the public.

Morimoto, a photo imaging professor and director of the School of Art and Design, invited 15 photographers who studied with him while they were students at UNC to exhibit their work. "47, a Dennis Morimoto Invitational" promises to be a showcase of the photographic talent of his students during Morimoto's career at UNC.

The work of the following will be on display:

Eric Bakke
Stephanie Burchett
Clint Bush
Allison Dyer
Nick Eubank
Jim Gipe
Jeffrey Johnson
Barry LaPoint
Susan Nelson
Lys Olson
John Payne
Valerie Photogoddess (Santerli)
Dan Rioz
Kelly Smith
John Tonai

The exhibit will be on display at the Mariani Gallery June 7-July 30. The gallery is open Tuesday and Wednesday, 2-6 p.m.; and Thursday and Friday, noon-4 p.m. or by appointment by calling 351-2184.

Up, Up and Away

Mon, 20 May 2013 00:00:00 GMT

UNC Writers’ Conference Features Internationally Renowned Sci Fi Author

Wed, 27 Feb 2013 00:00:00 GMT

The 2013 Rosenberry Writers' Conference at the University of Northern Colorado March 4-6 will feature readings by an internationally renowned, award-winning science fiction author and two other writers who also have Colorado roots.

Greeley's own Connie Willis, whose 15 novels and seven collections of short stories have earned an unprecedented seven Nebula awards and 11 Hugo awards, will close the three-day conference with a reading at 7 p.m. Wednesday, March 6, in the Panorama room in the University Center, intersection of 10th Avenue and 20th Street.

The reading and a question-and-answer session, reception and book signing that follow it, are free and open to the public.

In addition to her Nebula and Hugo awards, two of the genre's most prestigious, Willis received the Science Fiction and Fantasy Writers of America's 2011 Damon Knight Memorial Grand Master Award recognizing her lifetime achievements and placing her in the company of science fiction and fantasy writers such as Anne McCaffrey, Ursula K. Le Guin, Ray Bradbury, Isaac Asimov and Arthur C. Clarke.

Willis, a 2009 inductee of the Science Fiction Hall of Fame, earned her bachelor's degree in English and Elementary Education from UNC in 1967. She last appeared at the Rosenberry Writers' Conference in 2006.

The conference's other readings will be by Dan Beachy-Quick on Monday, March 4, and Aaron Abeyta on Tuesday, March 5. Both will start at 7 p.m. in the Panorama room and also will include a question-and-answer session, reception and book signing. Free parking will be available in lots adjacent to the building.

Beachy-Quick's works include five full-length books of poetry, five poetry chapbooks and a book of interlinked essays on Moby Dick. He grew up in Colorado and after graduating from the University of Denver, he attended the Iowa Writer's Workshop. He's taught at Grinnell College and the School of the Art Institute of Chicago, and is currently teaching in the MFA Writing program at Colorado State University.

Abeyta, a Colorado native, is an associate professor of English at Adams State College. Two collections of his poetry have been published, including Colcha, which received a 2002 American Book Award and a 2001 Colorado Book Award. He won a Colorado Council on the Arts Fellowship for Poetry in 1998 and received the grand prize from the Academy of American Poets while a graduate student at Colorado State University. His first novel was published in 2007.

In addition to the readings, the writers will hold informal discussion sessions with students and faculty from UNC's literature and writing classes.

Now in its 12th year, the conference is named in honor of the late philanthropist and English teacher Walter Rosenberry, who supported the conference and nonprofit organizations throughout Colorado.

For more information, contact conference organizer Lisa Zimmerman, assistant professor of English, at 970-351-2033 or lisa.zimmerman@unco.edu.

In the Navy

Wed, 27 Feb 2013 00:00:00 GMT

When the 60 members of the U.S. Navy Concert Band arrived in Greeley for their March 1 performance at the Union Colony Civic Center, only one of them - its newest member - was looking forward to renewing connections she made while attending and teaching at the University of Northern Colorado.

Adele Mayne knew that she wanted to play the clarinet in a military band even before she earned her undergraduate and graduate degrees in music from UNC.

The seed was planted when she heard about some of the 20-plus graduates from UNC's music programs known to have gone on to play with one of the nation's military bands. They include Lowell Graham, who in 2002 finished a 30-year career with the U.S. Air Force Band as its conductor.

Then shortly before she finished her bachelor's degree in 2007, she attended a Navy Band concert in Denver with UNC Associate Director of Bands Dick Mayne, who's her father-in-law. The seed germinated.

Adele, who started the clarinet in fifth grade, spent the next three years developing her skills by performing throughout Colorado. She was principal clarinetist of the Boulder Chamber Orchestra and performed regularly with the Colorado Symphony Orchestra, Colorado Springs Philharmonic, Boulder Philharmonic Orchestra, Greeley Philharmonic Orchestra and Cheyenne Symphony.

In 2011, the seed bloomed. That's when, after returning to UNC and earning her master's in Instrumental Performance, she was hired as a clarinet instructor in the School of Music and met fellow clarinet instructor and UNC alumna Lauren Jacobson, who'd just completed four years as a member of the U.S Marine Band.

"That's what really had the most impact on my decision," Mayne remembered during a recent telephone interview. "Lauren inspired me to achieve my goal."

So when a rare opening in the Navy Concert Band came up - members receive a permanent duty assignment and most complete at least a 20-year Navy career with the band - Mayne traveled to Washington, D.C., to audition along with what she estimates were 50 other clarinetists.

When she was notified that she'd been selected for the band, Mayne already knew how to find the Navy recruiting office in Greeley and she didn't waste any time enlisting.

But before she could take a coveted seat in the band's woodwind section, she had to pass the same medical physical and go through the same nine-week basic training, or boot camp, required of any Navy enlistee.

Last summer, Mayne and her husband moved to Washington D.C., and she reported for duty at the band's home at the Washington Navy Yard on the banks of the Potomac River. Goal achieved.

In addition to touring one of five designated regions of the U.S. each year, the band performs concerts in the D.C. area, including Virginia and Maryland. Many of them are part of its Music in the Schools program and are held in middle and high schools in the region.

Members of the Concert Band also make up the Navy's Ceremonial Band, which performs music at official military and government events, including funerals at Arlington National Cemetery.

"Playing at Arlington is very special," Mayne said. "It's the best part of my job."

The band's current tour, which started Feb. 12 in Seattle and includes 18 performances in 20 days, included stops at Disneyland and the University of Nevada-Las Vegas before reaching Greeley. It ends with concerts in Denver on March 2 and Longmont on March 3.

It was pure coincidence that Mayne's first tour with the band is bringing her back to Colorado and Mayne is taking advantage of the the opportunity to return to her home state for the first time in nine months. She's scheduled her first leave to start after the tour's final performance and is looking forward to visiting friends, former students and in-laws in Greeley and spending time with the many friends and family members she has in Colorado Springs.

But as soon as the last good-bye is said before flying back to D.C., Mayne will be looking forward with excitement to her next concert.

"I'm proud and happy to be a member of the U.S. Navy," Mayne said. "I hope to be in the band forever; to make a career out of it."

- UNC News Service

Of Note

Because the band is supported with tax dollars, all of its performances are free.
The Concert Band, the premier wind ensemble of the U.S. Navy, presents a wide array of marches, patriotic selections, orchestral transcriptions and modern wind ensemble repertoire.
While it was no coincidence that Adele Mayne's first tour with the band brought her to Colorado, proud father-in-law Dick Mayne set the wheels in motion to bring the group to Greeley by making staff at the UCCC aware of the band's availability.
The band travels by bus when on tour. It's newest member said she's been listening to a lot music to help pass the time.
As of Feb. 27, a few tickets remained for the U.S. Navy Concert Band's 7:30 p.m. performance at Greeley's Union Colony Civic Center on March 1. Free tickets must be picked up in person; call 970-356-5000 to confirm availability.

30 Years Later

Thu, 21 Feb 2013 00:00:00 GMT

As UNC's Marcus Garvey Cultural Center celebrated its 30th anniversary Feb. 15, one of its co-founders, who couldn't attend the event, shared some memories from his time on campus.

Before the center opened on Feb. 1, 1983, Neil Williams, now a retired Air Force captain and successful author living in Florida, was a Black Studies major and president of the Black Student Union.

In a telephone interview, Williams said that his primary hope for the center was that it might improve the quality of campus life for African-American students.

At the time, he and other BSU members were concerned that there were no African-American administrators to promote minority welfare, and Black Studies, Anthropology and Women's Studies seemed to be underfunded and understaffed programs without department affiliations.

The creation of the center helped those programs gain the support they needed to become academic departments and acquire more funding, he said.

But Williams and the BSU weren't working alone. There were many groups who supported the idea.

"We were getting support not only from African-Americans, but from the Greeley community, other student unions and the faculty," Williams said. "It was a great time and place in my life to be able to assist."

Williams said that while working to create the center, he became close with many of his mentors, including then-President Robert Dickeson, who Williams credits as a co-founder of the cultural center.

"When I walked at graduation, Mr. Dickeson, instead of just handing me my degree, pulled me and gave me a much needed hug," Williams said.

Williams and Dickeson both spoke at the dedication ceremony for cultural center, as did Black Panther Party co-founder Bobby Seale, who gave the keynote address.

According to a Feb. 2, 1983, news story about the ceremony, after the BSU's vice president made critical remarks about UNC and its administration, "Seale broke the tension by referring to his former outlaw Status as a hunted Black Panther, saying ‘Most of you did not know I was living in Denver in 1974, 1975 and 1976. That's because I did not want you to know.'"

Seale ended the ceremony on a positive note, talking about Marcus Garvey and his role in representing "black people's historic resistance to racist oppression" and the importance of centers like the newly established one named in Garvey's honor.

Thirty years later, the center's anniversary celebration exemplified the foundations it was built upon - to provide academic and cultural support, help students achieve their educational goals and to serve as a home away from home for UNC students of different ethnic, racial or geographic backgrounds.

Speakers during the celebration included Ty'Ray Thompson, director of the center; UNC President Kay Norton; Anita Fleming-Rife, special assistant to Norton for equity and diversity; several students and former Denver mayor Wellington Webb.

For Thompson and the students, the Garvey Center serves as a place where people can grow as leaders, support one another, give back to the community and more. For Webb, who earned both his bachelor's and master's degree from UNC before the center opened, it helps provide a basic understanding of people.

"Everyone has something to give," Webb said in his keynote address. "What's most important is the legacy we, as individuals, leave behind. Never lose sight of that goal."

A gift from Wellington and his wife, Wilma, will fund an annual scholarship for an African-American student with financial need and a commitment to community service.

Fleming-Rife echoed Webb in her closing comments.

"Your job here at UNC is to succeed in acquiring an education," she told the audience. "An education opens up doors of opportunity for you; and as you receive, don't forget to look back at your alma mater, and lift as you climb."

For more information about the Marcus Garvey Cultural Center, visit its website.

- Jaidree Braddix and Katie Owston, Senior Journalism Majors

Of Note

Even though the center didn't exist when they were attending UNC, alumnae Gayle Hamlett and Celeta Houston, childhood friends who attended UNC together and remain close friends, made a point of attending the anniversary celebration. The two, who earned their bachelor's degrees in 1965 and their master's degrees in 1968, are volunteering their time to develop an alumni mentoring program for African-American students.
According to enrollment records, in 1983 fewer than 200 UNC students self-identified as African-American. During the 2012 fall semester, the figure was slightly more than 400.
When it opened in 1983, the Marcus Garvey Cultural Center was in the Weber House, which was located on the current site of the parking lot on the corner of 20th Street and 10th Avenue, diagonally across from its current home in the Davis House.

Grad's Group Nominated for Two Grammys

Tue, 05 Feb 2013 00:00:00 GMT

University of Northern Colorado alumna Neyla Pekarek and the band she joined after graduating, the Denver-based indie group The Lumineers, have been nominated for two 2013 Grammy Awards.

The group, which is scheduled to perform during the live TV broadcast of the awards on Feb. 10, received nominations in the Best New Artist and Best American Album categories.

The Lumineers are touring in front of sell-out crowds and have enjoyed multiple television appearances over the past two months including a recent performance on Saturday Night Live.

Pekarek earend her bachelor's degree in Music Education in 2010.

Read more about Pekarek in a story on the Greeley Tribune's website.

Grad's Group Nominated for Two Grammys

Tue, 05 Feb 2013 00:00:00 GMT

University of Northern Colorado alumna Neyla Pekarek and the band she joined after graduating, the Denver-based indie group The Lumineers, were nominated for two 2013 Grammy Awards.

The group, which performed during the live TV broadcast of the awards on Feb. 10, received nominations in the Best New Artist and Best American Album categories, but came up short in voting.

The Lumineers are touring in front of sell-out crowds and have enjoyed multiple television appearances over the past two months including a recent performance on Saturday Night Live.

Pekarek earned her bachelor's degree in Music Education in 2010.

Read more about Pekarek in a story on the Greeley Tribune's website.

A Day in the Desert

Wed, 07 Nov 2012 00:00:00 GMT

UNC Day at the Zoo

Tue, 31 Jul 2012 00:00:00 GMT

A longstanding working relationship between a UNC professor and one of his former students resulted in a unique opportunity at the Denver Zoo recently for University of Northern Colorado alumni and other members of the UNC community.

Nearly 200 UNC alumni, faculty, staff, students and their friends and family members were on hand July 22 for the first-ever UNC Alumni Day at the Denver Zoo, organized by the Alumni Association in conjunction with the help of UNC alumnus Brian Aucone, the zoo's vice president of Animal Collections.

Aucone and UNC Professor of Biology Stephen Mackessy were featured speakers during the event's luncheon. Both spoke of their love and passion for animals that has kept them in contact since Aucone graduated in 1998 with a bachelor's degree in Biology.

Aucone explained that a shared affinity for reptiles - Mackessy is internationally known for his research on venomous snakes - is just part of their ongoing connection.

When Aucone landed an undergraduate internship at the zoo, Mackessy helped make it possible for him to receive elective credit toward his degree, a new concept at the time.

"He's the one who was willing to go to the head of the biology department," Aucone said of Mackessy's assistance in convincing the department chair to grant special permission for the elective credit.

Aucone parlayed the internship experience and the knowledge from his degree into a full-time job at the zoo for two years after graduating. He then moved on to zoos in Dallas and Oklahoma City before returning two years ago to the Denver Zoo, where he's now responsible for the care of more than 3,500 creatures.

Since then Aucone and Mackessy have continued to keep in touch through email and phone conversations. Anytime the zoo has a surplus of venomous snakes, Mackessy is the first one Aucone calls.

And recently, they've been talking about how to get more undergraduate UNC students involved in research and internships at the zoo.

"Research is not just for graduate students," Mackessy said. "At UNC, undergraduate students across the campus have the opportunity to work on novel projects with faculty."

In addition to the luncheon presentations by Aucone and Mackessy, Zoo Day included a special tour of the Toyota Elephant Passage, the zoo's new $50 million exhibit for Asian elephants, Malayan tapirs and greater one-horned rhinos; a meet-and-greet session with a red-tailed hawk, a hedgehog and other animals; and plenty of free time to enjoy the zoo's other 600-plus species.

- Reporting by Sara Regan, Senior Sport and Exercise Science Major

Browse additional photos on the Alumni Association's Facebook page.

Creative Credits
- Reporting by Sara Regan
- Still photos courtesy of Jesse Clark
- Video footage courtesy of Michelle Fargher Clark
- Video editing by Amy Dressel-Martin

Going for Gold

Fri, 20 Jul 2012 00:00:00 GMT

Former University of Northern Colorado quarterback Dominic Breazeale never dreamed when he was throwing passes at Nottingham Field that he'd someday be going for gold in the 2012 London Olympic Games.

However, that's exactly where he's headed — as a boxer.

Breazeale, who played football for UNC from 2006-07, qualified for a spot as a super-heavyweight on the U.S. National Boxing Team with his runner-up finish at the Americas Qualifier tournament in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil this May.

It comes only four short years after leaving UNC with his bachelor's degree to become a member of the All-American Heavyweights, a boxing program out of The Rock gym in Carson, Calif.

The program is run by Michael King, who's best known as the president and CEO of King World Productions, which syndicated such television hits as the "The Oprah Winfrey Show."

Breazeale got the call from a recruiter with the boxing program, which was trying to create the next generation of great heavyweight champions, while he was still at UNC. He said no at first because he wanted to pursue a career in the NFL, but when he realized that was not going to be a possibility he took up the offer to box.

Still, his football career at UNC served him well and helped him transition into the sport of boxing.

"The mental aspects of playing are similar in the sport of boxing," Breazeale said. "To know what my opponent is going to throw before he threw it just kind of helps out. It is kind of like playing chess. I know my opponents move before he makes it. It is definitely beneficial in the ring."

At 6-foot-6 and 225 pounds, his trainer, Manny Robles. called him "the perfect poster boy" as a super-heavyweight because of his size, strength and athletic ability. However, Breazeale still had a lot to learn as he made the transition from football to boxing. He started from scratch, learning everything from conditioning for a fight to how to hit the speed bag.

"I have never had to run any kind of long-distance in my life before," Breazeale said. "Back in football I never had to do three miles to five miles in a morning run, so that was something that was brand-new."

Robles saw how much potential Breazeale had from the start. Still, Robles admitted that it's rare to see someone like Breazeale who's never boxed before have so much success in such a short time.

"He is not like the majority of boxers who started out when they're young or for that matter in any other sport whether it be football, baseball, basketball or boxing," Robles said. "Typically you start out when you're in your early teens and whatnot. This kid is just one of these boys that is really strong and has unlimited potential and the rest is history."

Breazeale hopes that potential will help him bring home the gold from London. If it does, he knows his time at UNC helped pave the way.

"Football builds great character in guys and you are always instilled with the edge to never give up and never quit," Breazeale said. "So that is definitely something I can take from football that can serve me in the ring."

Read more about Dominic Breazeale's quest for gold at the 2012 Olympic Games in Northern Vision, UNC's magazine for alumni and friends of the university, due out this fall.

Contributing writer Matt Schuman is a 1986 UNC graduate and a journalist for the Greeley Tribune covering UNC athletics.

UNC's Other London Olympics Connection
Lisa Elson helps make a lot of athletes' Olympic dreams come true.

Whether it's the Olympic or Paralympic Games, Elson is working behind the scenes to make sure that every athlete's experience at the games are enjoyable and memorable.

Elson, a master's student at UNC from 2009-10, is a coordinator with the United States Olympic Committee that handles the 2012 Paralympic Games, which will be held in London beginning Aug. 29, just after London Olympic Games conclude.

Prior to her current role with the USOC, she worked as an executive assistant to the managing director in international games doing all the preparation for the Olympic, Paralympic, Pan American, Paralympic Pan-American and Youth Olympic Games.

In her current role, she works on getting the U.S. Paralympic team entered for all the events and working with the organizing committee at the games to make sure all the information is correct in the system and matches up with all the other international federations.

She also worked in the 2010 Olympic Games in Vancouver where she worked in the Olympic village processing center where all the athletes get their clothes for the opening and closing ceremonies as well as the uniforms for the medal ceremonies.

Part of her responsibilities also included handing out the commemorative items the athletes receive like their Olympic rings and watches.

"It is kind of the very first stop for the athletes to get their first experience if they have never been to the games before," Elson said. "It is the first point in their journey, so it is really neat to see all the athletes react and how excited they were seeing someone like Apollo Ono walk in and get his outfit for the games is kind of surreal."

Of course, watching the Paralympic athletes succeed gives her just as big a thrill.

"Especially the Winter Games and like seeing the blind athletes skiing because I can't even ski and here they are going down a hill at a very high speed and relying entirely on a guide," Elson said. "So it is pretty impressive to see how they perform and hear their stories as well."

- Matt Schuman

UNC's Other Olympic Connections from the Past

The late Tony Rossi was head coach of the men's gymnastics team, an athletic trainer and a faculty member at UNC from 1949-83. He was on the U.S. Olympic Committee from 1956-60 and was named USOC Trainer of the Year in 1954. (http://uncbears.com/information/halloffame/1995Class)
Patrick Burris (BA-72) wrestled at UNC and went to the 1972 and 1976 Olympics in judo and wrestling. He was also coach of the 1996 USA Judo Olympic Team. (http://burrisusastars.org/id21.html)
Scott Hasson, (EdD-82) served as assistant wrestling coach at UNC and is now part of China's Sports Training & Rehabilitation Committee for the London Olympics. (http://www.angelo.edu/news/PTOlympic.php)
William H. White III (BA-82) ran track at UNC and went to the 1988 Winter Olympic Games in the bobsled.(http://www.sports-reference.com/olympics/athletes/wh/bill-white-1.html)
David Stotlar, Sport and Exercise Science professor, was selected by the USOC as a delegate to the International Olympic Academy in Greece and the World University Games Forum in Italy. He also served as a venue media center supervisor for the 2002 Olympic Games. (http://www.unco.edu/nhs/ses/staff/stotlar.htm)
Kenny Hashimoto (BA-2010), was an alternate in judo for the 2004 Olympics in Athens.
Dorna Schroeter (MA ‘81) served as range communicator at the biathlon venue for the 1980 Winter Olympics in Lake Placid and was also chosen to represent the venue's officials in the opening ceremony.

- Compiled by Department of Athletics and UNC News Service. Did we miss someone? Let us know and we'll include them in an update to this list that will appear in the fall/winter edition of Northern Vision, UNC's magazine for alumni and friends of the university. UNCNews.Service@unco.edu

Generations Reunite for Alumni Band Concert

Wed, 11 Jul 2012 00:00:00 GMT

A first-ever UNC alumni band concert July 24 that's part of UNC's Concerts Under the Stars series promises to be an entertaining evening for concert-goers at the Garden Theatre. But for some of the musicians who'll be playing, it will be more than just another gig. It will be a musical trip down memory lane.

"I'm so excited! My 20-year reunion pales in comparison," said bassoon player Karen Crews Gregg (BM-97), a Greeley native who's now the band director at Lyons (Colo.) Middle/Senior High School. "Being a music major is more than just a course of study. It's not really about classwork, but about relationships with other students that may be forged at two in the morning in practice rooms."

Shanna (BME-98, MM-03) and Peter (BME-98, MM-07) Toevs know firsthand about relationships harmonizing in band. The flutist and trumpeter met in band at UNC and fell in love. The couple, now married with twins, will both play at the alumni concert.

"Shanna and I played in the Summer Symphonic Band Series so we are really looking forward to this," Peter said.

The symphonic series was the predecessor of Concerts Under the Stars, which includes performances by both UNC and non-UNC bands.

As band director at Mountain View High School in nearby Loveland, Peter expects to play with some of his former students who have since completed music degrees at UNC and the reunion concert's organizer agrees.

"We will have several generations represented," said UNC Associate Director of Bands Richard Mayne. "We expect to have 80 to 100 people on stage. Anybody who was ever in any UNC band is invited to come play."

Most of the alumni who have signed up to play in the concert are band teachers or performers who graduated between 1962 and 2011.

Mayne and UNC Director of Bands Kenneth Singleton will be conducting and many students are coming back for the opportunity to play with the influential professors again.

"The success of music school can be attributed to Dr. Mayne and Dr. Singleton and the relationship they have with each other and with the students," Gregg said. "They share such strong educational values, a passion for music, and a complete commitment to each and every individual student."

- Amy Dressel Martin,

If You Go
UNC Alumni Band Concert
Tuesday, July 24; 8 p.m.; Garden Theatre
Free admission. Blankets, picnic food and lawn chairs are welcome.
http://www.arts.unco.edu/calendar/concerts.html

Reunion Info
July 23 and 24
http://www.unco.edu/arts/music/ensembles/bands/default.html

Camping by the Numbers

Thu, 05 Jul 2012 00:00:00 GMT

Math doesn't usually induce tears, at least not tears of joy. But it just might at the Las Chicas de Matemáticas summer math camp for girls at the University of Northern Colorado.

"This is really about making them leaders," said Las Chicas founder and UNC math professor Hortensia Soto-Johnson. "I want them to recognize and take advantage of opportunities presented to them. My passion is math, so I teach this through math."

It could be a music camp, a history camp, or a sports camp, but a math camp for girls is especially powerful, Soto-Johnson said.

Research shows a dearth of female role models in STEM (science, technology, engineering, and math) careers because women are not choosing careers in math-related fields, according to a study at the University of Washington. Research from Stanford University's School of Education reveals bias against girls in K-12 math classes, where boys are assumed to be "better" at math and, therefore, treated differently from female students, resulting low self-confidence for girls in a subject at which they may excel.

But Soto-Johnson forges a bridge over this chasm of typical math education as she pours her energy, resources and personal experience into a week that can truly influence lives.

As it did for camper Silvia Gonzales, a 15-year-old from Denver's Bruce Randolph High School. Along with two co-campers, Gonzales explained to the group what would happen to a vector as they changed the variable coordinates. And then she tried to hold back her tears when she realized her answer was wrong. But clear and supportive direction from Soto-Johnson and Gonzales's peers helped her understand the concept backward and forward, which is how she recited it, through tears and then a relieved smile.

"Perfect time for some chocolate," instructor Jess Ellis, a graduate student from San Diego State University, said as she threw Dove chocolates to the girls in the middle of their afternoon session studying complex valued functions. Ellis volunteered at the camp to gain experience working with high school students.

The third-floor computer lab in Ross Hall emanated female energy, camaraderie and support. These girls, who came to camp as strangers, bonded over eight hours of math by day and over pizza, rock climbing, swimming, movies, theater and rooming together by night.

In its fourth year, the camp is the often the first experience on a university campus for many of the girls, and Soto-Johnson hopes it helps them decide to attend college. According to a 2011 Colorado Commission on Higher Education report, UNC had more students enrolled in the Mathematics Endorsement/Licensure program (149) than any other Colorado institution.

Camper Ashley Dafoe, 17, a senior at Horizon High School in Thornton, Colo., plans to go to college and major in forensic science and anthropology.

"The math is hard, but it's fun," said Poudre High School senior Carmen Muñoz-Andrade. She knew one student when she arrived on Sunday, but by the end of the week she knew 29 girls her age who were as motivated by math as she was. "It's cool, because I get to make a lot of new friends."

Soto-Johnson selected 30 girls out of 70 applicants who submitted a letter stating why they wanted to attend and a recommendation from a math teacher. Girls are encouraged to apply to attend the camp again if they've attended in the past; this was Katy Beckel's third year.

"I think back to who I was as a freshman and realize that math camp is one of the events that has truly defined who I am as an individual. I am better academically because of math camp. I have leadership skills because of math camp . . . . I am a stronger young woman because of math camp," Beckel wrote in her application letter, articulating the results Soto-Johnson hopes for and encourages with guest speakers - women successful in math careers - who come for lunch each day.

Heidi Olinger, CEO of Pretty Brainy, a girls and womens online clothing retailer with an academic theme, kicked off the camp, with a design workshop to create their camp T-shirt with a math theme. Other guests included an agent from State Farm Insurance, an architect, a finance director at phone case company Otterbox, an engineer from Noble Energy, an author, and a veterinary epidemiologist. Discussions ranged from families to education to careers and how to balance it all. The message, loud and clear, was: "Follow your dreams."

The sponsors enabled Soto-Johnson to offer the camp for free - room and board, instruction, recreation - everything is covered by private support.

"It is very important that the camp be free to these girls to ensure we have the diversity we do," Soto-Johnson said.

Half of this year's group was Hispanic; the remainder was a mix of other ethnicities. They came from all over Colorado, including the Denver metro area, the Western Slope, Colorado Springs and Pueblo, and northern Colorado. The girls ranged in age from 13-17, the majority entering eleventh or twelfth grades this fall.

Soto-Johnson, a native of Mexico and first-generation college student, started the program because she benefitted from a teacher's belief in her.

"My fifth grade teacher in a small town in Nebraska kept me in from recess to work on math until I could move up from the low group to the high group," Soto-Johnson said. "But I didn't want to move up - it was too scary!"

Today, she can trace her success as a mathematician and educator back to that teacher. Soto-Johnson started Las Chicas as an instructor at Colorado State University-Pueblo because very few Hispanic girls enrolled in the math programs. She also was a math camp counselor for middle school students when she was in college.

"I know it can be scary, but you learn that when somebody puts their trust in you, just do it."

Soto-Johnson put her trust in these girls. And they did it. By Friday, the classroom was abuzz with collaboration and problem solving using real and imaginary numbers, the geometry of knots, the function f(z)=z2.

And there were no more tears, just smiles and friendships and lots of math.

- Amy Dressel-Martin

Related
The 2012 Las Chicas de Matemáticas was made available to participants at no cost by the generosity of State Farm Insurance Co., Noble Energy Inc., The Women's Foundation of Colorado, OtterBox/OtterCares Foundation, UNC NOYCE Scholars from the MAST Center, UNC Provost's Office, Cooper & Holly
and Klick & Associates Inc.

Hail to the Chief’s Volunteer Extraordinaire

Wed, 13 Jun 2012 00:00:00 GMT

View E-Appeal Video to Alumni and Friends

Fri, 01 Jun 2012 00:00:00 GMT

UNC has launched its first e-mail solicitation to alumni and friends featuring current students and accomplished alumni. View "Right now UNC is . . . "

Love Letters from WWII Bring Stories of Home and War Together

Mon, 26 Mar 2012 00:00:00 GMT

Before Bill Brenner left to serve in World War II, his wife Josephine promised to write to him twice a week. When 63 of those letters were returned unopened, she didn't know if her husband was dead or alive, but she kept on writing.

She eventually learned that Bill, a physician, had been among those captured by the Japanese shortly after his unit arrived in the Philippines. After surviving the 60-mile Bataan Death March and time in three Japanese death camps, Bill returned home to his wife and son at the end of the war, four years after he had left.

When Linda (Fox) McCaffery, who received her master's degree from UNC in 1976, contacted him to see if he would share his experiences through an oral history project she was working on, he politely declined.

A year later however, McCaffery, a history instructor at Barton Community College in Great Bend, Kan., received a phone call from Brenner, who lived in the nearby town of Larned, saying he had changed his mind.

After McCaffery and Brenner's initial meeting, Brenner brought his wife along for the second. As he recounted his experiences, his wife began to cry.

"Bill never told Josephine what he saw and went through during the war," said McCaffery. "Many of the things he was telling me, she was hearing for the very first time."

During that meeting, McCaffery learned about Josephine's returned letters, sitting in a shoe box unopened, because Bill had decided they'd be too painful to read.

"While discussing the letters, Bill suggested we share not just his story but the hardships his wife endured as well," said McCaffery. "First we thought of putting on a program, then we considered writing an article and eventually, we decided it was best to write a book."

I'm Praying Hard for You - Love Letters to a Death Camp: The World War II Ordeal of Bill and Jo Brenner is a combination of Josephine's letters and Bill's words. The book, which took McCaffery three years to research and write, tells the story of how the couple's love for one another helped them never give up hope, even in the worst of circumstances.

Sadly, Josephine passed away in 2000 before the book was published.

McCaffery and Brenner hope to commission a bronze statue with the proceeds from the book's sales. The statue will be of a soldier returning from war, with a woman and child running toward him, and it'll be dedicated to all who served and all who waited.

Signed copies of the book can be purchased for $27, including shipping, by contacting the author at mccafferyl@bartonccc.edu.

- Katie Owston, Junior Journalism Major

UNC Names New Head of Alumni Relations

Fri, 13 Jan 2012 00:00:00 GMT

Matt Manfra joined the University of Northern Colorado as assistant vice president of alumni relations on Jan. 2.

Manfra comes to UNC from Rutgers University, where he was director of outreach programs and alumni events for the alumni relations office. Before that he worked as alumni affairs director at his alma mater, The College of New Jersey, where he also served two terms on the alumni association executive board. His 13-year career in education also includes management positions in admissions and human resources.

Manfra will lead UNC's alumni relations efforts, including overseeing annual giving and alumni mentoring programs, and providing leadership to the UNC Alumni Association board of directors.

Iron Chef Contestant Shares Story, Recipe for Thanksgiving Leftovers

Tue, 22 Nov 2011 00:00:00 GMT

Long before his appearance on the Food Network's reality-based Iron Chef America in 2011, Wayne Johnson cooked for his roommates while he attended UNC as an accounting major and competed on the wrestling team.

Using the money they would have spent on processed foods, he made meals from scratch. Not only did they taste better, they also cost less, he said.

Johnson didn't have an inkling he would someday operate his own restaurant while he was working at two now-defunct Greeley eateries - Conan's Cave and The Firehouse Restaurant.

"I think I fed the whole campus pizzas from Conan's in 1979!" Johnson said, reflecting on the former 8th Avenue eatery.

He says his mother always told him, "Boy, you're a jack of all trades. You need to master one."

He mastered two.

"I could not be more pleased that I studied business and accounting," Johnson said in a telephone interview from Seattle, where he's executive chef of Andaluca Restaurant, Oliver's Lounge and the Mayflower Park Hotel.

"It's given me a world of confidence in the budgeting and cost controls that are so very important in running a restaurant."

After leaving UNC, Johnson worked in a variety of positions in a hotel in Vail before finding his way to San Francisco where he worked as an executive chef in several Bay-area restaurants.

Twelve years ago, he moved into his current position in Seattle, which is where a Food Network producer approached him about competing on an episode of of the Iron Chef America show, a timed cook-off between top chefs who are given a surprise ingredient to use moments before the contest begins (in Johnson's case, a cucumber).

And although he didn't defeat Iron Chef Michael Symon, Johnson said he was glad he had the opportunity to compete.

"My experience on ICA was surreal," Johnson said. "To be asked to cook on the show was amazing but then to be on the floor of kitchen stadium was like ‘wow.'"

- Brittany Sarconi, Sport and Exercise Science graduate student

Thanksgiving Croquettes
Yield: 8-10 appetizer servings or 2 dozen hors d' oeuvres

2 cups Mashed potatoes, cooled
1 cup Turkey meat, cooked, cooled, minced
1 cup Dressing, prepared, cooled
½ cup Cranberry Sauce
As needed Salt
As needed Black Pepper

Breading
2 cups All Purpose Flour
2 cups Panko (Japanese Bread Crumbs)
2 cups Eggs

How to make the filling
Cool the mixtures in the refrigerator until it's firm and easy to handle. Mix potatoes, turkey, dressing and cranberry sauce until well blended.

How to assemble the croquettes
Make 1 ½ - 2 oz balls out of the filling. Set a breading station (Pans of flour, eggs and bread crumbs). Dip them all in the flour first, then egg and last Panko. Chill in refrigerator for about 1-2 hours. Fry in 350º F oil until it's golden brown. Serve with turkey gravy on top.

A Recipe Created by Johnson on Iron Chef

Green Gazpacho Soup
Yield: 9½ cups (serves 3-4)

1 TBSP Garlic, minced
4 oz Onion, coarse chopped
1 lb Kirby cucumbers, seeded, coarse chopped
4 oz Green bell pepper, coarse chopped
1 oz Cilantro, coarse chopped
1 oz Italian parsley, coarse chopped
6 oz Potato bread, crusts removed - cut into 2" cubes
8 oz Romaine, washed, coarse chopped
8 oz Celery, coarse chopped
1/2 cup Olive oil
1/3 cup Sherry vinegar
3 cups Water, cool
1 TBSP Salt Mix 3:1 (see recipe procedures)
1 tsp Black pepper, fresh ground fine

Puree all ingredients in batches, using a little liquid in each batch. After pureeing, mix batches well in a large container to ensure even flavors. This soup must chill at least 2 hours to let flavors blend. Serve after refrigerating.

Theatre Arts and Dance Alumni, Faculty Garner Roles, Positions and Awards

Tue, 15 Nov 2011 00:00:00 GMT

Graduates and faculty of the University of Northern Colorado's School of Theatre Arts and Dance have advanced their careers and received awards during the past few months of 2011.

Jessica Mueller was hired as assistant professor of costume design at Belmont University in Nashville.
Kym Kral appeared at the John Lovitz Comedy Club in Universal City.
Berto Martin appeared on an episode of Operation Repo, an upcoming episode of Fear Factor and in three episodes of Steve-O's Killer Karaoke. Episodes will air in early 2012.
Jodie Grundin will be joining the cast of Cockroach for a six-week run at the Hudson Theatre in Hollywood.
Maren Uecker appeared in an episode of Disappeared on Discovery.
Catherine Pilafas will appear in an episode of the new true crime documentary series Fatal Encounters for NBC Universal. The show will air in early 2012 on Discovery.
Laura Ryan-Krausa was named manager of advocacy at Catholic Health Initiatives of Denver.
David Bryant Johnson, Matt LaFontaine, Julie Perotta and Joey Revier have been cast in the Arvada Center's production of 1940's Radio Hour. The show runs Nov. 29 through Dec. 23.
Jennifer So has been cast in the role of Rose Hsu in Joy Luck Club at the Vintage Theatre! in Denver. The show is scheduled for spring 2012.
Ben Klingemann's play Every Few Seconds will be published by JAC Publishing this spring. The play had a staged reading here at UNC and was subsequently performed at University of Colorado Denver.
Matthew Hagmeier was hired as a teaching assistant for the Teen Prep BFA Theatre Programs at the Stella Adler Studio in New York City.
Derek Hanson was cast in the Broadway production Anything Goes starring Sutton Foster. He will appear in the dancing ensemble and also cover Billy Crocker and Sir Evelyn Oakley, the two male leads.
Hayley Wells has been performing stand-up in New York City and has performed regularly at Stand-up New York. On November 15th she had the honor of opening for Jerry Seinfeld at the Gotham Comedy Club.
STAD faculty member Gillian McNally was awarded the 2011 Engaged Scholar Award for 2011 at the Embracing Community Luncheon.
Lincoln Hayes will appear in an upcoming episode of Pan Am on ABC.
Deborah Voss was hired as the equity stage manager/company manager of the national tour of Doubt.

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Theatre Arts and Dance Alumni, Faculty Garner Roles, Positions and Awards