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Fall
2005
rOLLING THUNDER ON CAMPUS College of Business Administration Students to Market Donated Motorcylces Tom Celani and his wife, Vicki, are donating some "American thunder" to CMU through a gift of 20 Harley-Davidson and Buell motorcycles to the College of Business Administration. The first installment of six bikes revved up CMU faculty, staff, and students gathered on Warriner Mall September 16. Tom Celani, who is president of both Motor City Harley-Davidson and Buell and Luna Entertainment of Farmington Hills, said he woke up one night thinking about donating motorcycles as a way to benefit the College of Business Administration. The next morning he called Mike Leto, CMU vice president for development and alumni relations, and began discussing the feasibility of making such a gift. "We're always talking about how to get alumni involved in this college, because you need the alumni involved to support what happens here," Celani said. "if this goes off right, I think there are a lot of great alumni in this country who have their own businesses who would love to promote them through this college. Maybe it will be a car dealer or some other product that we haven't heard of yet. Maybe this is a stepping stone for that." Six CMU College of Business Administration students are developing a campaign to market and sell the 2005 motorcycles. The proceeds will be used to support a student investment portfolio and a student venture capital business plan competition. Earnings eventually could provide venture capital for some of CMU's best student-business startup plans. "This gift reflects the generosity of Tom Celani, who is very involved in community activities and in helping prepare the next generation of entrepreneurs," Leto said. "Tom, a CMU alumnus, and his wife, Vicki, are longtime patrons of the university. CMU will benefit greatly from their philanthropic endeavors." The gift will generate a succession of opportunities for College of Business Administration students, said Dan Vetter, interim dean. "This will continue for years," Vetter said. "It's something that will impact students as long as the College of Business Administration exists." The CBA students are exploring the possibility of selling the vehicles online using eBay, an online auction and marketplace. They also are considering some activities at CMU's homecoming celebration. "I am very pleased to be the project manager for this opportunity," said Yuki Watanabe of Rochester Hills, a student majoring in entrepreneurship. "We are going to give it 110 percent to raise as much money as we can for the college." Other students include Ashley Hempton of Goodrich, an entrepreneurship major; Dan Hellerstedt of Newberry, a management information systems and operations management major; Nick D'Ambrosio of Vulcan, a management information systems major; Derek Parmenter of Ovid, and entrepreneurship major; and Scott Lemke of Ionia, a marketing and hospitality services administration major. For information about how to bid on the motorcycles, contact the College of Business Administration dean's office at (989) 774-2130.
William E. Valle (pictured above) began an endowment in his own name to help CMU students in a field that has brought him a lifetime of fulfillment and excitement. Scholarships will be awarded to students with exceptional potential in theatre technical direction, scenery, and lighting design. Valle plans to donate his entire estate, which includes valuable Salvador Dali prints, countless Walt Disney animation cells and collectibles, as well as pieces by Alvar, Coreta, Dega, and Freidliner, to enhance the endowment. He also has elicited contributions from former students. "Bill was a major influence on students for his entire career at CMU," said Doris Ramsey, CMU's costume and makeup designer. "He not only mentored technical students but had a great impact on actors as well. Because Bill has always trained his students to go into theatre as a career, when he retired he did not want gifts, he wanted a scholarship in his name to help future students with their education."
A Lifelong Passion for
Art and Theatre Combine in Valle Endowment Valle taught scenery, lighting design, and technical theatre at CMU for 35 years and also played a large part in the design of Bush Theater. At the time of his retirement he was in charge of the scenery and lighting design, having contributed his talents to more than 350 productions over the years. "I see this endowment as a chance to continue what I've been doing from a monetary point of view, providing an opportunity for students by creating a scholarship," Valle said. For Valle, an important aspect of the scholarship criteria is that the scholarship students be participants in the design and technical theatre program, but that they should not necessarily have to be theatre majors. "In my experience the best students were sometimes people who just wandered into the theatre off the street," Valle said.
back to top "The campaign progress to date is a great success for CMU and the many volunteers and donors involved," said Mike Leto, CMU vice president for development and alumni relations. "Although we have achieved our general campaign goal, there are still many unmet needs and the campaign will continue until its scheduled conclusion in 2006." The ultimate goal for the campaign is to meet all of the individual college and program goals. "Clearly, there is a lot yet to do, and we want all alumni and friends to have an opportunity to participate," Leto said. "We have not yet reached our goal for faculty endowment and the Events Center, and student scholarships also continue to be a priority." CMU President Michael Rao sees priorities in the areas of endowment. "Moving forward, a priority must be placed on increasing endowment for scholarships and also for endowed chairs, professorships, and lectureships," Rao said. "We must build on the great strengths that the university has already built and strengthen further our commitment to academic excellence with the strongest possible professors and students." New Vision of Excellence endowments for student scholarships as well as faculty positions and programs are helping CMU attract and retain exceptional students and faculty. The university's matching program for faculty endowment encourages these commitments. "Our donors are truly helping CMU secure its position as an academically rigorous university that is recognized nationally for exceptional undergraduate and graduate education, targeted research and doctoral programs, and an exemplary learning environment," Leto said.
A Taste of Mark Twain comes to CMU A refurbished one-room schoolhouse on Central Michigan University's campus featured literary readings and performances, thanks to a $108,500 gift from Midland residents John and Margaret Ann "Ranny" Riecker. The Riecker Literary Series, According to Twain: Accounts, Tales and Yarns, took place in the Bohannon Schoolhouse at the corner of West Campus and Preston October 7 and 9. The series was free and open to the public. "This gift helped us feature one of the specialties in our theatre, interpretation, and dance area - the performance of literature that was not originally written for the stage including narratives, poetry, essays, and journals," said Jill Taft-Kaufman, a CMU faculty member in the speech communication and dramatic arts department and the writer and adapter of the text that began the series. The script was a compilation and adaptation of excerpts from about 10 of Twain's writings. The sources included some of Twain's better-known works, such as Tom Sawyer and Huck Finn, as well as some of his lesser-known pieces. "What a thinker, philosopher and humorist Mark Twain was!" Taft-Kaufman said. "He was a man whose ideas remain alive in the 21st century." The show featured SCDA faculty member James Eikrem as Marke Twain and five other student performers. Poetry Reading Inspired
Generosity "Both John and I like reading and literature," she said. "When we attended the Frost in the Rural event, we thought it was a great experience. The schoolhouse provides a fantastic venue for American readings." "We love the old schoolhouse," said John Riecker, who served as a past member and chairman of the CMU Development Board. "This is a small, intimate schoolhouse theater, with old windows, creaky floor, and romantic ties to the past." The Riecker's give included $40,000 for production costs related to one presentation of the literary series; $60,000 for improvements to the schoolhouse, including a rest room; $5,000 to purchase artifacts for the facility; and $3,500 for additional landscaping.
Edowment Funds Newaygo Scholarship "Judy worked very hard and made many sacrifices while I attended college and moved to various locations for my career," said Johnson, former CMU board of trustees member and president of Berean Group LLC. "She worked in CMU's library and effectively put me through graduate school so I could attend full time. We both have a long affiliation with CMu, and we also want to support young, aspiring students from Newaygo High School." Judy Johnson (also her maiden name) graduated from Newaygo High School in 1965. Bill Johnson, a native of Greenville, served on CMU's board of trustees from 1998 to 2003. He received a CMU undergraduate degree in 1965, a master's degree in 197-, and an honorary doctor of public service degree in 2003.
Newaygo High School Scholarship for Students who
show Promise Given the Johnsons' appreciation of quality education and Bill's participation on CMU's national New Vision of Excellence Campaign steering committee, the couple is excited about CMU's push to strengthen its academic profile.
Journalism Chair Takes the
Initiative Professor Maria Marron's (pictured right) determination to provide CMU journalism students with real-world professional perspectives paid off with receipt of a $200,000 William Randolph Hearst Endowment for Visiting Professionals. "I decided we needed to make things happen for ourselves because we do not have the funding necessary to bring in guest speakers," said Marron, professor and chair of the journalism department. In her application, Marron emphasized that her "department made ongoing efforts to engage students with journalism professionals." She also emphasized that the partnership with the Courier-Journal in Louisville, Kentucky, which she had garnered through an AEMJC/Knight Foundation-sponsored Newspapers-in-Residence grant in 2002, had brought several Courier-Journal reporters and other speakers and photographers to the department. "Students like to learn how the real world works in the journalism arena and to hear about the day-to-day events of working journalists," Marron said. "I wanted the Hearst people to see how keen we were to continue doing this." Improved Media Contacts will Enrich Journalism Students' Education After months of correspondence and contact with Hearst committee members, Marron received approval of her endowment application in April. The Hearst endowment, coupled with CMU's matching funds, will bring in a number of top-notch professionals beginning next year. We applaud Dr. Marron's personal initiatives in bringing media visitors to campus even without assured funding. We hope this endowment greatly strengthens those efforts," Eastham noted in the approval letter.
GEM Supported by 3M and Dow Corning Central Michigan University is opening a new center to help prepare teachers in the areas of science and mathematics. The Central Michigan Great Exploration in Math and Science (GEMS) Education Center - the first in Michigan - was inspired by a CMU faculty member who perceived a gap in the professional development of teachers in these critical disciplines. Jim McDonald worked together with various CMU development officers and private foundations to fund and open the center. GEMS holds a collection of more than 70 teacher's guides for science and math units. The units were compiled at Lawrence Hall of Science, University of California, Berkeley. "I had used GEMS when I was a teacher in California," said McDonald, associate professor of science education in the Department of Teacher Education and Professional Development. "The center will give us a chance to work with teachers already out there and develop partnerships between faculty in the College of Education and Human Services and the College of Science and Technology." Collaborative Effort Creates New Development Opportunities The GEMS center will offer professional development opportunities for CMU pre-service and PK-12 in-service teachers using the GEMS curriculum. Following a "train the trainer" model, the center will also prepare GEMS leaders and associates to form a state network of leaders who are prepared to mentor others, present at the Michigan Science Teachers Association conferences, and, in general, spread the news of GEMS. McDonald will direct the center during its inception, working alongside Faculty Fellows and pre-service teachers. "This is an exciting opportunity for both our students and the teachers in the field who we will be training," McDonald said. "We will also be doing research in the classroom as to its effectiveness. It's been a good cooperation in terms of development and seeking private foundation funds. There's a lot of support. We have access to funds we wouldn't have found on our own."
The opportunity to reach CMU's potential in each of these four important
areas has inspired an unreserved belief that CMU's traditional strengths
comprehensive undergraduate education and niche-area applied graduate
programs provide an outstanding impetus and foundation for visionary
progress at this moment in the university's history. |
RIECKER
GIFT LAUNCHES BOHANNON SCHOOLHOUSE LITERARY SERIES
former
Cmu trustee honors wife's commitment to education
HEARST
GRANT TO FUND VISITING JOURNALISM PROFESSIONALS
New
professional development center will enrich learning experience for
math and science students
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