Chapman University - Happenings: August 10, 2009

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Happenings: Chapman's Staff and Faculty Online Newsletter
— Week of Aug. 10, 2009 —

Meet the new director of alumni relations – Dea Marcano

There’s something about volunteerism that stirs Dea Marcano deeply.

“Maybe it’s that some people are just passionate about helping Dea Marcano society,” says Marcano, who last month joined Chapman University as director of alumni relations and who will work with a lot of volunteers.

Some of her enthusiasm comes from her life experience. She volunteered as a teen, mostly through church work. And she learned best from her folks. “I watched my Dad help organize Little League and softball leagues, and raise money and collect articles for the (then) new Vietnamese community that started building in the 1970s. These things had tremendous impact on me,” says Marcano.

But volunteerism helped attract Marcano to Chapman. During interviews here, she met alumni volunteers “who didn’t mind being visible and taking on some work.” She liked that spirit. “I feel that Chapman really wants to pass along this positive experience and grow.”

Marcano knows a lot about working with alumni volunteers and growth. She spent 13 years at Harvey Mudd College, most recently serving as the college’s director of external relations, where she increased alumni involvement significantly by reaching out to people through personal visits, events and developing new programs.

She felt she’d done just about everything she’d set out to accomplish at Harvey Mudd, which named her an honorary alumna for her efforts. (CLICK HERE to read more on her award.)

Chapman is Your Alma Mater At Chapman, Marcano is excited about the upcoming launch of the online community for alumni, working with faculty to help boost some of the alumni events and getting alumni more involved in mentoring programs.

Marcano grew up in Claremont and holds a bachelor’s in journalism from California State Polytechnic University in Pomona. She’s not a stranger to Orange County, either. As a college student, she sold popcorn, ice cream and balloons at Disneyland. She and her family live in Brea.

A few other things you might want to know about Marcano. She’ll tell you straight up that she’s got a pretty bad sense of direction and “doesn’t go anywhere without my GPS.” She loves to read and juggles serious books, such as The Greatest Generation, with light mystery-thrillers.

Her husband Al – who works for UPS – gets her up at 5 a.m. three or four days a week to swim. And she’s got two children. Her daughter will be a senior at Brea-Olinda. Her son, who will be a junior at Pitzer College, is about to return from a two-month trip to Africa.

Right now, Marcano’s spending a lot of time meeting people. And she can’t wait to meet more. But give her and the alumni relations staff a few weeks before dropping in at their recently renovated bungalow at 418 N. Glassell, which was damaged by fire last fall. “Look for an invitation for an open house soon though,” she says with a big smile.

Candidates RSVP to debate at Brandman – via Twitter

It looks like a Twitter first. Brandman University in Irvine – formerly Chapman University College – is organizing a debate among gubernatorial candidates this fall using Twitter. Twitter invitations to the Republican candidates went out last week. Two – from Insurance Commissioner Steve Poizner and former Rep. Tom Campbell – have confirmed via tweets that they’ll participate. (Campbell is a Presidential Fellow at Chapman)

“I think this is the first time in American history that a candidate for a major office has accepted a debate invitation via a social networking site,’’ said Michael Moodian, Ph.D., assistant professor of social science at Brandman University’s School of Arts & Sciences.

To see the Twitter invite Dr. Moodian sent, CLICK HERE. To read Poizner’s confirmation CLICK HERE. To see Campbell’s reply CLICK HERE. Former eBay CEO Meg Whitman is still considering. Read her response HERE.

Dr. Moodian said that invitations for a Democratic debate would go out once the field is set. So far, only San Francisco Mayor Gavin Newsom has entered the race. (And you can’t have a debate with just one person.) Attorney General Jerry Brown is expected to run but has not declared yet.

Moodian said a final date will be decided in consultation with all participating candidates.

The 75-minute debate on how to fix California’s fiscal crisis will be moderated by Dr. Moodian and a second moderator to be named later. Some questions will be developed by the moderators, and others will be culled from e-mail and Twitter.

More details about the debate are coming so check back here!

Chalk up another O.C. Press Club award for Chapman

Orange Press Club awarded journalism student Jennifer Gish top honors at its annual Gala Dinner
Dennis Foley of The Orange County Register,
Jean Pasco of O.C. Press Club, Ryan and
Jennifer Gish, and Susan Paterno.

The Orange Press Club awarded journalism student Jennifer Gish top honors at its annual Gala Dinner on July 30, the second Chapman journalism student to win the award in as many years, said Susan Paterno, director of journalism. Gish was named outstanding student from among four-year college and university applicants. A May 2009 graduate in journalism and English, Gish is working as an editor at The Orange County Register. She is the second Chapman student to take top honors since the Press Club reinstituted its annual student awards in 2008. Last year, journalism and English student Catherine Hall took first place in the same competition. Hall is now in graduate school.

Continuing quest to help his hometown in Ethiopia

It’s all about the water now. Clean water for drinking. Water for irrigating crops. Water that’s close to home and that doesn’t have to be carried for miles and miles.

That’s what Michael Belay – the Public Safety officer who sold his house to help build a school in his hometown in Ethiopia – is after now for the people of Tembien. But he’s $2.4 million away.

Fundraising is tough in this economy. But Belay, who was awarded the Albert Schweitzer Award of Excellence for public service in 2007 by Chapman University, keeps asking anyway.

With the assistance of Pure Effect, an Orange-based water-treatment company that is ready to help out in Tembien, Belay has sent out many proposals for financing to groups, such as the Conrad N. Hilton Foundation. He won’t know until September if he is awarded any money from the Hilton foundation for water treatments in Tembien.

In the meantime, the people of Tembien haven’t forgotten what Belay has done for them. Two months ago, the mayor sent Belay a gold medal and cup as thanks for the four-classroom school, library, bathrooms, showers and playground.

Asked why he didn’t go there to receive his award, he said: “I didn’t have anything to give them, and I didn’t want to go back empty-handed.”

For more info on the project CLICK HERE. See photos (below) of his trip to Tembien last year with Pure Effect’s Michael Slaby.

Remembering the fall of the wall

Congrats to Karen Gallagher, Ph.D., instructor of German, and her team of faculty, students and staff, who were selected as a project partner by the Embassy of the Federal Republic of Germany for the "2009 Freedom Without Walls Campus Weeks," a global program to commemorate the 20 years since the fall of the Berlin Wall.

Chapman University was one of 29 North American universities chosen to participate.

Dr. Gallagher received a grant from the embassy for $5,000. It Fall of the Berlin Wall will be used to hold events about the fall of the wall. Chapman’s "Freedom Without Walls" series, which starts Oct. 10 and runs through Nov. 10, will include a public speaking competition, student presentations, a student art show and a daylong symposium on the issues surrounding the Berlin Wall. Check back HERE for more info about what Chapman is doing to commemorate the 20^thanniversary on the fall of the Berlin Wall.

Connecting students to prestigious institutions

Matthew Strand, a senior studying math and computer science, is visiting the National Center for Biotechnology Information this month, thanks to some help from Chapman faculty. Strand will meet with researchers and attend research meetings to discuss the latest and greatest in comparative analysis of biomolecular structures.

His path to the internship came in a roundabout way. Last fall, Bill Wright, Ph.D., associate professor of biological sciences, tapped Strand to help him study the evolution of limpets that live in tide pools. Also working on the project: Keun-Hang “Susan” Yang, Ph.D., professor of Susan Yang computational science and computational biology. Dr. Yang knew some experts at the National Institutes of Health, who put the Chapman team in touch with James Song, Ph.D., at the National Center for Biotechnology Information.

Dr. Song suggested the Chapman team try new techniques. In science lingo, the method involves looking at the 3D structure of folded proteins. When Dr. Song saw that Strand was interested in attempting this method, he arranged for a visit to NCBI outside Washington, D.C.

Pink update: Are we there yet?

Well – sort of. An odd thing about this Pink deal. The original idea was that Pink, that comfy clothing line from Victoria’s Pink logo Secret, would make women’s spirit clothing with the CU logo on it if Chapman made the Top 25 schools with the most votes. Students were told that the national contest ended Aug. 5. But it appears that voting on Pink is continuing. A call to Victoria’s Secret headquarters in Columbus, Ohio, didn’t clear things up much. Folks there didn’t know when the voting would end. Also, just winding up in the Top 25 doesn’t guarantee that Chapman will be included in the collection. “An agreement must be reached between the college or university and Victoria’s Secret Pink on a number of factors in order for a school to be included,” according to an e-mail from Victoria’s Secret. So for now, it seems the voting continues. Chapman is currently at No. 19. CLICK HERE to check it out.

Wetsuit and surfboard not required

You might feel like breaking out the beach gear Friday as Surfin’ USA cranks out Beach Boys hits and good-time rock. The show Surfin' USA starts at 6 p.m. on the Wells Fargo Stage in Fahmy Attallah Piazza. The campus opens for picnicking at 5 p.m., so bring your favorite munchies. (Sorry, no smoking or barbecue grills on campus.) Also, don’t forget your low-back lawn chairs and blankets. We’ll have free popcorn, lemonade and coffee. Parking in the Lastinger structure is also free.

Upcoming performances: The Alley Cats on Aug. 21.

For more information, call 714-997-6681 or CLICK HERE.

You can still submit a book review and get in on the party!

As of last week, members of the summer 2009 Community of Readers submitted 134 book reviews! (Check out the book Stack of books reviews HERE!)

Community of Readers, sponsored by the Leatherby Libraries, is open to everyone with borrowing privileges and a current library account. There’s still time to get a review in. Reviews may be submitted until 5 p.m. on Aug. 14, but only reviews received by noon on Aug. 14 will be eligible for the prize drawings. CLICK HERE to learn more about the program and prizes, and to submit your first review.

Congrats to the winners of the July prize drawing! (They’ll get an American Library Association reading-themed water bottle):

· Jennifer Bevan

· Mary Platt

· Alli Segal

· Annie Knight

Also, all members are invited to a party Friday at 2 p.m. at Leatherby Libraries, Library Meeting Room 420. Get to know your fellow book lovers and readers. We’ll draw for our final prizes, too. Light refreshments provided. Please RSVP to Stacy Russo by Wednesday at russo@chapman.edu or x7744.

Video contest for a $10,000 scholarship!

Branigan Robertson, who starts his first year of law school at Chapman University this fall, made the final cut for the Access Group Scholarship Video contest. Access Group, a nonprofit student loan provider for more than 25 years, is offering the winner a $10,000 scholarship to law school. Check out his video below. You can see all of the finalists and vote once a day until Aug. 21 by CLICKING HERE. The winner will be announced on Access Group’s YouTube page after Sept. 1.

This Week on TV

Dialogue With Doti and Dodge

Dialogue With Doti and Dodge

Tuesday, Aug. 11, 11:30 p.m. Sunday, Aug. 16, 11 a.m.

“Candid Moments” with famed fine-art photographer Pat York, creator of the new book Fame and Frame, which features her images of Jane Fonda, Robert Kennedy, Robert Rauschenberg, Jasper Johns, husband Michael York and many others.

Watch episodes of Dialogue With Doti and Dodge and view the show's schedule.

Wednesday, Aug. 12, 8:30 a.m., on KOCE-TV

Kelly Tucker, M.D. and one of his patients discuss her new life with an artificial heart. Vintner Don Sodaro explains wine production and the healthy benefits of drinking it in moderation. Larry Santora, M.D. explores the benefits of low-dose aspirin.

Sunday, Aug. 16, 8:30 a.m., on OC Channel

Michael Krychman, M.D. discusses sexual medicine. Jeffrey Johnsrud, M.D. explains LapBand surgery, which ties off part of the stomach for weight control. Show host Larry Santora, M.D. dispels the connection between eggs and cholesterol.

The OC Channel, which is a partnership between KOCE and Chapman University, may be viewed on Channel 50.2 on digital television, Channel 235 on Time Warner, Channel 810 on Cox Communications Cable and Channel 470 on Verizon Fios.

Staff & Faculty Notes

Hesham El-Askary, Ph.D., assistant professor of earth system science and remote sensing, presented a paper titled “Remote Sensing Observations of Yellow Sand Sandstorms” on June 9 at an international symposium on desertification and climate change in Seoul, South Korea. Dr. El-Askary is chairing the session “Applications of Global Earth Observations in Addressing Societal Benefits,” sponsored by Natural Hazards and Public Affairs committees, at the American Geophysical Union meeting in San Francisco on Dec. 14-18.

Christopher Kim, Ph.D., assistant professor of chemistry, has had a manuscript accepted for publication in the Journal of Colloid and Interface Science titled "The Effects of Nanoparticle Aggregation Processes on Aggregate Structure and Metal Uptake" with co-authors Ben Gilbert, Reyn Ono and Kristen Ching (the last two are former Chapman chemistry majors who have recently been accepted to graduate pharmacy school programs at UC San Francisco and the University of Maryland-Baltimore, respectively). This study provides some of the first-known evidence that nanoparticle aggregation affects the sorption and retention of toxic metals differently based on the mechanism of aggregation itself (e.g. through drying, freezing or increases in pH and ionic strength). CLICK HERE to read.

Kent Lehnhof, associate professor of English and comparative literature, was published in The Chronicle of Higher Education with a column titled “When Students Cry.” CLICK HERE to read.

Alicia Okouchi-Guy, assistant professor of dance, was selected to teach a series of master classes in contemporary jazz technique for the California Dance and Movement Workshop for Educators. She also was commissioned to choreograph a new contemporary piece for a cast of nine female dancers for the Studio C dance company in Boise, Idaho. Her work, titled “Walk With Me,” premieres at the Nampa Civic Center in Idaho in January.

Dee Williams, adjunct faculty in photography, participated in the exhibition “Re-figurative Ordering,” at the DNJ Gallery in Los Angeles. Guest curated by Kaucyila Brooke, the group show features the work of European and American artists who use photography, text and collage to address their own interpretations of historical subjects. Williams’ work is a video composed of still photographs. On view through Aug. 29.

Is your faculty listing correct?

Have you updated your faculty profile lately in the Media Guide to the Experts? News organizations – reporters, editors, bloggers – as well as other staff and administration use the listings to help find experts. CLICK HERE to review your listing or add yourself to the guide.

What are you doing this summer?

We’d love to know what you’re up to this summer for Happenings. Great vacation? Pursuing a hobby? Have a new addition to the family? Please send to pr@chapman.edu. (We love photos and videos, so don’t be bashful!)

VISUAL FARE FROM THE FAIR: Mary Platt, director of communications and media relations, takes her camera with her everywhere she goes. Last week she attended the Orange County Fair, which, while not as exciting a summer destination as her still-planned trip to Iceland, still had its exotic moments. Take a look!

Classified Ads

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Ideas, suggestions?

We're still learning as we put out the online edition of Happenings. Please send feedback and ideas to pr@chapman.edu. Diana McCabe, new editor of Happenings, loves to meet people. Give her a call at Ext: 2813 and show her around your area of Chapman or just introduce yourself.

Happenings, Chapman University's faculty and staff newsletter,
is published by the Office of Communications and Media Relations.

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