Winter 2008 Family endowment supports Native American studies at CMU CMU research and education to make roads safer Capitol internship endowment will guide future political leaders Employees support university through generous financial donations Foundation endows new honors scholarship
BUILDING PROJECT MOVES FORWARD Jansons' pledge provides fundraising momentum
Perhaps it’s because his enthusiasm for serving as an educator has never changed. “I remember telling one of my colleagues that first year, ‘I love this job so much, I’d do it for nothing.’ I felt that same way right up until I retired,” said Janson, ’62, who began his career teaching in the Lakeview St. Clair Shores School District and eventually retired in 1997 as superintendent of the Mount Pleasant Public School District. “I definitely would do it all over again.” Janson’s wife, Cathie, ’63, also is a longtime educator who shares his passion for education. She invested her career in teaching at the elementary and middle school levels in the Lakeview St. Clair Shores and St. Louis public school districts. She also taught classes in reading at CMU. The Jansons’ collective interests in education and unwavering commitment to their alma mater inspired them to make a $50,000 pledge to name one of the Reading Clinic classrooms in the new Education Building at CMU. The Reading Clinic was of particular interest to them because of Cathie’s deep interest in the importance of the teaching of reading, which is a fundamental to learning. “Our undergraduate degrees prepared us well for our careers in public education,” Bob Janson said. “Our gift is given to thank CMU and also to help support CMU in its mission to prepare future public school educators.” The new technology-rich Education Building will consolidate CMU’s “Cathie and I are enthused by what the college wants to do with this building to continue providing excellent training for public school teachers,” said Janson, who is chairing the Education Building Steering Committee. “The future is going to depend on strong public education, and anything CMU tcan do to enhance teacher training we are pleased to be able to support.” Construction on schedule for 2009 completion Jeff Krebs, director of development for the College of Education and Human Services, said the college has raised nearly $5.4 million toward its $7.5 million goal for the new building. He said college officials are grateful for the Jansons’ pledge and their involvement in the fundraising efforts. “Every gift is important, and a pledge like this really gives us momentum,” Krebs said. “It’s roughly 18 months before the new building opens, and we’re trying to raise all the money before then.” Krebs said construction is “right on schedule” to be completed in 2009. Crews recently placed the final beam at the highest point of the four-story building. •
To learn more about contributing to the new Education Building, contact Jeff Krebs by email at krebs1ja@cmich.edu or by phone at (989) 774-1554. FAMILY ENDOWMENT SUPPORTS NATIVE AMERICAN STUDIES AT CMU Denison gift benefits entire community
The gift, from their children Spencer and Daniel Denison and Diane Dahnke, will support an endowed professorship in CMU’s College of Humanities and Social and Behavioral Sciences. “We hope that this will be a catalyst for both the local Saginaw Chippewa community and the university community to get involved,” Daniel Denison said. “Native American studies should be an area of interest, research, and excellence at CMU so as to attract more Native American students and to ensure that all students graduate knowing more about the Saginaw Chippewa Tribe than just that it’s the name of the football team. This contribution also is a way to honor and preserve some of our parents’ legacy, and for us it’s a way to stay connected.” The endowment will help to further the understanding of the historical experiences, cultural traditions, innovations, and political status of indigenous people in the United States and Canada. Courses will discuss Native American ways of living, understanding the world, organizing societies, and the affect of invasion and colonization on American Indians. “The Denisons were longtime friends and supporters of both CMU and the individual members and culture of the local Tribe,” said Mike Leto, vice president of development and alumni relations at CMU. “This endowment is a way to bring both of these passions into one very positive program benefiting students and our entire community.” Endowment will fund visiting scholars To create greater awareness of the need for endowed faculty, the university also announced that the Faculty Endowment Matching Program will match the income from the family’s gift dollar-for-dollar. Each year the endowment will bring in a scholar from another institution to teach courses and participate in related activities in order to strengthen core offerings in Native American studies at CMU. “The visiting professor’s ideas are intended to inform, inspire, and challenge our understanding of Native American issues,” Leto said. Also known for their love of Native art, the Denisons collected hundreds of tribal pieces that were donated to CMU’s Clarke Historical Library. “The Saginaw Chippewa Indian Tribe of Michigan recognizes the Denisons’ gift to CMU in honor of their parents, and it is with great respect that Rollie and Olga Denison are remembered for their contributions to the community,” said Joseph V. Sowmick, public relations director for the Saginaw Chippewa Indian Tribe of Michigan. “This endowment fund will not only strengthen cultural awareness, but also will lend support to the Native American studies offered at CMU. The Tribe is supportive of the Denisons’ generous gift that will benefit not only CMU but the community as a whole.” PASSING THE BALL 1963 CMU alumna donates estate to women's athletics Dee Pommerenk squared up for a jump shot during the first CMU vs. Michigan State University women’s basketball game. The ’63 CMU graduate launched the ball, and it soared toward the rim. Clank. It was her only shot of the game. “Well, you can’t make them all,” Pommerenk said with a laugh in a 2008 interview recalling the game played nearly 45 years ago. “I was just happy to play. I hurt myself in practice a few days before that game, but I wasn’t going to let that stop me … During that time, when you, a woman, were given an opportunity to play organized sports, you took it.”
Pommerenk returns the favor to benefit future athletes She contributed funds in 2002 to establish an endowment that supports the women’s basketball annual budget and an annual award – the Dee Pommerenk Women’s Basketball Team Player Award – that is given to the individual who exemplifies positive attitude, teamwork, and a willingness to contribute to the maximum effort regardless of ability, individual statistics, or class year. Then in 2007, Pommerenk decided that she also will donate her estate to CMU women’s athletics. “I want to give something back to the place that taught me so much about teaching and about life,” said Pommerenk, who still has a basketball hoop on her garage and enjoys giving swimming lessons to seniors. Pommerenk, who retired in 2000, spent the majority of her life teaching and coaching. “I learned so much from the CMU physical education faculty, like Louise Williams, Charlotte Denman, and Jane McNamara. I tried to apply what they taught me,” said Pommerenk, who moved to Texas in the 1970s to take a teaching job at the University of Texas-Austin. “Now it is time to pay back for what I’ve learned.” Pommerenk said the 1963 basketball match-up against MSU was the only game the CMU women played that year. But because of it, she feels very connected to the women’s basketball program. “I check the stats on my computer every game,” she said. Reliving the past, she still recalls missing the shot. But looking to the future, Pommerenk is passing the ball for another CMU women’s basketball player to take the shot. CELEBRITY BROADCASTER BACKS CMU Enberg supports academic excellence among athletes, health students
The Dick Enberg Academic Center was dedicated last fall in honor of Enberg’s long-term affiliation and demonstrated generosity and affinity for his alma mater. The famed TV sports broadcaster and his wife, Barbara, made a significant gift to fund two endowed scholarships and academic initiatives in the Indoor Athletic Complex. “Dick is so well known all over the world as a sports broadcaster,” said Richard Juday, CMU senior development officer for major gifts. “For him to give back and really feel that CMU gave him the opportunity to go out and do what he has done is just as significant as the money he gave.” The gifts include funding for the academic center and two scholarships: The Dick Enberg Endowed Scholarship for Health Professions, which will go to an incoming freshman who is studying to become a teacher/coach, and The Dick Enberg Scholar-Athlete of the Year Award, which will go to a varsity athlete who is CMU’s highest academic achiever each year. An overflow crowd filled the main hallway in the IAC for the academic center dedication. CMU Athletics Director Dave Heeke and President Michael Rao lauded Enberg prior to unveiling the new entryway to the center. The 6,000-square-foot academic center houses a computer lab with 31 workstations, five tutoring rooms, a quiet study room, and the offices of the full-time academic staff. A display commemorating Enberg’s career, including one of his 14 Emmy awards, now fills one of the walls adjacent to the entrance. Enberg presented the inaugural Dick Enberg Scholar-Athlete of the Year Award to senior wrestler Wynn Michalak, a two-time All-American at 197 pounds. Michalak maintains a 3.83 grade-point average and is pursuing a degree in secondary education with a double major in mathematics and physical education. The CMU women’s soccer team, which has posted the highest grade-point average of any women’s soccer program in the country the past two seasons, also was recognized for receiving the Dick Enberg Team Leadership Award. Enberg: An American sports broadcasting icon Enberg is known for his work as a sports broadcaster with CBS and NBC. He has covered the Olympics, Super Bowl, Rose Bowl, World Series, U.S. Open, NCAA Men’s Basketball Tournament, and Wimbledon, among other major sporting events. He is an honorary member of the Academic All-America Hall of Fame and has been inducted into the Michigan Sports Hall of Fame, the National Sportscasters and Sportswriters Hall of Fame, and the CMU Athletic Hall of Fame. The Armada, Michigan, native began broadcasting as a student at Central Michigan University, where he also served as the student body president. In 1980, CMU awarded Enberg an honorary Doctor of Laws degree. A father of six, Enberg and his wife reside in La Jolla, California. PLANS TO RENOVATE ROSE Campaign begins for new events center
The proposed $20.3 million project to expand and renovate Rose Center will create a new multipurpose events center that will improve the experience for CMU guests through significant enhancements in seating, restrooms, concessions, accessibility, service, and comfort. The project will be funded completely by private contributions. CMU’s Board of Trustees in December confirmed its support for the renovation project and the initiation of efforts to secure necessary funding. The university already has $1.5 million in pledges and commitments from its previous efforts toward a new events center. “We look forward to our alumni and friends supporting what will be the largest single fundraising project in this university’s history,” Heeke said. “We are confident people will make an investment in the life of this great university and campus.” Construction is anticipated to begin in spring 2009, with project completion targeted for August 2010. Project provides for needed improvements The Rose Center arena currently hosts graduation ceremonies, concerts, speakers, special events, and athletics contests. The new facility will provide an enhanced experience for all those activities while keeping the seating capacity right around the current 5,200 guests. The new seating configuration will include mostly chairback seats along with some improved bleachers. One of the top features of the expansion will be the addition of a practice gymnasium featuring two courts. This auxiliary gym will provide dedicated practice space for CMU athletics teams and also will provide staging space for major events in the arena. “It will make the arena an exciting place to attend sporting and concert events by adding much-needed improvements to the facility in seating, restrooms, and entrance and lobby,” said University Events Director Bob Ebner. “The addition of a practice facility will make it more available for concerts and other programming as well.” An exhibit gallery also is planned that will highlight CMU’s championship culture and its relationship with the Saginaw Chippewa Indian Tribe. CMU RESEARCH AND EDUCATION TO MAKE ROADS SAFER AAA Michigan gift enables CMU to acquire advanced driving simulator Research and education at Central Michigan University soon will make roads safer, thanks to a generous gift from AAA Michigan. The gift enabled CMU to purchase an advanced driving simulator that is being used in the CMU Center for Driving Evaluation, Education, and Research. The DEER Center provides clinical services to evaluate cognitive fitness to drive and education to improve the safety of older drivers. Research is conducted on older drivers and drivers with attention disorders. The simulator, which was named the “AAA Michigan Driving Simulator” at a dedication in November, is modeled after an actual vehicle and has a 180-degree field of view. “This simulator will be an advanced clinical and research tool and is the only one in Michigan operating at this level,” said Richard Backs, CMU psychology professor and DEER Center director. “We are very proud and excited to have this technology at CMU.”
AAA Michigan: Part of the team AAA Michigan’s involvement in the CMU DEER Center does not stop with its gift. Many of its employees have participated in the planning process for the center since its conception, teaming with Backs and using their own efforts on safety issues to develop the program. “AAA Michigan has been involved with this project since the earliest stages of planning,” Backs said. “Their counsel and encouragement was vital in making the DEER Center a reality.” A DEER Center advisory board – which consists of community stakeholders; CMU faculty and staff; and driving safety, health-care, and senior services professionals – meets twice a year to provide oversight for DEER Center operations including strategic planning, development activities, and standards of care and record keeping. “We are very pleased and honored to be working with CMU and appreciate the opportunity to be a part of this effort,” said Jack Peet, AAA Michigan community safety services manager. “This project will enforce the goals and focus of AAA Michigan, which are to keep seniors behind the wheel as long as possible and keep the roadways as safe as we can.” While the DEER Center is scheduled to begin operation in the fall 2008, DEER Center research scientist and CMU psychology faculty member Nick Cassavaugh already has started conducting research on how driver attention changes as people age, especially adults 65 years of age and older. CAPITOL INTERNSHIP ENDOWMENT WILL GUIDE FUTURE POLITICAL LEADERS Program honors former instructors Ballenger and Browne Two political leaders who have influenced hundreds of former CMU political science students will have an effect on future students through an endowment in their names. The William S. Ballenger III and Dr. William P. Browne Capitol Internship Program Endowment will benefit students and political science majors in CMU’s College of Humanities and Social and Behavioral Sciences beginning in the fall 2008. The endowment will place students in 15-week internship programs within the Michigan Senate and House of Representatives. Students will have firsthand interaction with current public policy issues in state and federal government and opportunities to learn how policy is molded through public opinion, political leadership, interest group advocacy, legislative and executive branch processes, and media coverage.
Ballenger (pictured left), editor of Inside Michigan Politics, served as the Robert and Marjorie Griffin Endowed Chair in American Government at CMU from 2003-07. He is a former state representative and senator, director of the State Department of Licensing and Regulation,
The William S. Ballenger III and Dr. William P. Browne Capitol Internship Program Endowment was designed to continue the internship program that Browne helped to establish. Students who are awarded the internships will receive a stipend for transportation and other expenses. CMU EMPLOYEES SERVE UNIVERSITY Campaign participation reaches record level Central Michigan University employees stepped up to the plate in 2007, raising more than $680,000 for the university during its annual fundraising drive. During the Annual University Campaign, which ran from October 15 through December 7, faculty, staff, and retirees were encouraged to contribute to the university, with the option of designating their donations to a particular program or department. For each donation, the university provided a 50 percent match in funds. A total of $680,528 was contributed by 960 donors, exceeding the campaign’s goal of $600,000. The dollars raised represent a 21 percent increase over the 2006 campaign, while the number of donors increased by 9 percent. The 2007 Annual University Campaign had the highest participation on record. “I was amazed by the dedication and generosity of our faculty, staff, and retirees,” said Bryan Griffin, director of annual giving. “It is a huge achievement when you not only beat the campaign goal by more than $80,000, but also fund many worthwhile programs on campus.” Tony Voisin, assistant dean and director of Student Life, and John Nichol, School of Music faculty member, served as cochairs of the 2007 campaign. “They did an outstanding job as the cochairs and should be recognized for their great enthusiasm, hard work, and dedication to the campaign this year,” said Griffin. Each year, awards are given to colleges and departments in recognition of their dedication to the campaign. This year’s recipients include: • College of Science and Technology pledged the most money for a college for the fourth year in a row with $103,385. • College of Business Administration had the highest participation by a college, with approximately 41percent of employees donating. • University Libraries showed the greatest improvement in participation this year, with a 7 percent increase. • CMU Athletics was recognized for the highest participation and most dollars pledged by a department with more than 25 employees with 100 percent participation and $54,853 raised. • School of Accounting raised the most dollars for departments with fewer than 25 employees with $50,638 pledged. • School of Broadcast and Cinematic Arts showed the highest participation for departments with fewer than 25 employees with 74 percent of employees participating. For information about the university campaign, visit giving.cmich.edu/campaign, or contact Bryan Griffin by email at griff3bl@cmich.edu, or by phone at (989) 774-7112. FOUNDATION ENDOWS NEW HONORS SCHOLARSHIP Northville philanthropist loved education Sometimes gifts come to CMU in unlikely ways. The Ruth Heyman Foundation gave $500,000 to establish the Ruth Heyman Scholarship, an endowment in memory of a philanthropic woman who loved education but didn’t have direct ties to CMU. Heyman established the foundation and asked her attorney and accountants to decide where the money should go after her death. Fred Foley, a 1971 CMU graduate, was Heyman’s attorney at Ehrlich, Foley, and Serwer P.C. of Birmingham. He and Heyman’s accountants, Scott and Sheree Lowery of Scott Lowery CPA P.C. of Northville, are the Ruth Heyman Foundation board of directors. “We really liked the idea of being able to help students forever,” said Scott Lowery, whose daughter is a CMU sophomore. Heyman was a retired teacher and longtime Northville resident who loved the arts and taught private piano and harp lessons. Lowery said he knows Heyman would be happy that her money is supporting students. The scholarship will pay full tuition, room and board, and books. Applicants must write a special application essay and be enrolled in the Honors Program. Honors Program academic requirements are a minimum 3.6 grade point average and ACT score of 25. The $500,000 gift is endowed, so as the interest grows it could fund two full scholarships, said Jim Hill, director of the Honors Program. “We appreciate all gifts to the Honors Program and are especially thankful for endowed gifts that can help students year after year,” Hill said. “We look forward to choosing a high-quality student who also has financial need.” The Lowerys and Foley decided the scholarship should help students with high grades and test scores and who are in the middle financially – children of hard-working parents who can’t quite make ends meet. “We liked the idea of helping the range of kids in the middle,” Lowery said.
Mark your calendars to save the dates for these upcoming CMU events. April 12, 2008 April 19, 2008 May 1, 2008 For more information about these events, call (800) 358-6903, or visit www.cmualum.com.
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At left : Construction continues throughout the winter on the new education building. Shown here, workers place a beam at the highest point - complete with an American flag, a CMU flag, and the traditional evergreen tree. 
A $500,000 endowment in honor of the late Central Michigan University alumni Rollie and Olga Denison (pictured left) will help to enhance CMU’s Native American studies program.
Pommerenk (pictured left), a retired high school teacher who now lives in Texas, 
An aggressive university-wide fundraising campaign is under way 
Pictured left: CMU Psychology Professor and DEER Center Director Richard Backs uses the simulator to assess driver attention to help make roads safer for drivers.
“Many students in the seminars that I taught showed interest in internship opportunities in Lansing, but did not know how to go about applying for and securing one,” Ballenger said. “It was hit-and-miss as to whether they would even be able to obtain a position, and I realized that there was nothing established at CMU to encourage and offer guidance and financial support to these students. It is my hope that this endowment will be an organized process of applying for and gaining opportunities to work in Michigan government.”
Browne (pictured right) taught political science at CMU for more than 30 years and was instrumental in establishing both the master of public administration and internship programs within CMU’s Department of Political Science. Browne passed away in 2005 after a 12-year battle with chronic myelogenous leukemia.
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