Devorah Lieberman prepares to take the reins from retiring

VOICE
Winter/Spring 2011
Smooth
Transition
Devorah Lieberman prepares to take the
reins from retiring president Steve Morgan
“When we see the University develop and
grow in facilities, student body, faculty, and
still maintain the values upon which it
was founded, we say to ourselves,
‘We want to furnish support,that
the University might continue
its mission.’ The gift annuity is
a good way to do this. It merits
consideration.”
— Gerry & Bernice Pence
Nancy Newman image
Gift of Love, Tax-Free Income
O
ne example of the generosity and
philanthropy that permeates the
University of La Verne community
is the Pence family. Gerald Pence ’49
is retired from a career as a music and
English teacher at Bonita High School.
His wife, Bernice Pence ’48 is a retired
Kindergarten teacher from Bonita Unified
School District. Both Gerry and Bernie
were active in the campus community
while attending La Verne. Gerry was on
the football and basketball team and
participated in choral music and theater.
Bernie was also involved in choral music and theater and
was a member of a sorority. In gratitude for their education
and subsequent opportunities that the University of La Verne
provided them, they decided to establish a two-life charitable
gift annuity with La Verne.
Sample Annuity Rates
One Life
Your Age
65
70
75
80
85
90
Rate of Return
6.3%
6.7%
7.3%
8.3%
9.7%
11.5%
Two Lives
Your Ages
65/70
70/75
75/80
80/85
85/90
90/95
Rate of Return
6.0%
6.3%
6.8%
7.5%
8.6%
10.3%
For more information or to request a personalized printout of
the annuity benefits for you, contact Julie Wheeler, Director of
Development, at [email protected] or (909)593-3511 Ext. 4686.
With this Charitable Gift Annuity, they receive fixed
payments for the remainder of their lives, with a percentage of
that income being tax-free throughout their lifetime. They also
received an immediate charitable deduction. After the Pences’
lifetime, the remaining amount is used to support La Verne’s
mission. We thank the Pences for their constant support of La
Verne.
www.laverne.edu/planned-giving
MESSAGE FROM THE PRESIDENT
A Privilege to Serve La Verne
A
s I write this, my final President’s Message
for the Voice, I must begin by saying what a
privilege it has been to be part of this learning
community, both as a student and as president.
My wife, Ann, and I are both proud alumni, and if
the past 26 years have taught us anything, it is that
Thomas Wolfe was mistaken when he wrote “You
can’t go home again.”
Being this university’s president, like most jobs, had
its share of highs and lows. Yet through it all, there
was always one remarkable resource that always kept
me energized – the students. While the names and
faces change, La Verne students share a thirst for
knowledge and a desire to succeed. One of my great
passions involves helping our students attain their
educational aspirations. What we do here makes a
difference in their lives, which in turn allows them
to make a difference in their chosen professions and
communities.
I am extremely proud of the people who make
this such a special place. Our faculty, staff and
administrators are all committed to helping our
students achieve their dreams while furnishing a
safe and caring environment in which to learn. The
Board of Trustees provides leadership to continue the
university’s mission while also ensuring its future. Our
alumni share a deep love for their alma mater and give
generously of their time and resources. And donor
contributions ensure that a La Verne education will
remain accessible and affordable and the university
competitive in higher education.
My true wish for La Verne is that it remains an
active and engaged institution. As I often say to our
graduates, it is good to aim high, to set their goals just
a beyond their reach. It is essential for La Verne to
keep evolving, to remain strong, vital and competitive.
And under the leadership of new President Devorah
Lieberman, I am confident great things are ahead for
this university.
In the time following my retirement, Ann and I
have no intention to vanish from La Verne. We plan
to return to campus and enjoy ourselves at many
events, especially those held in Morgan Auditorium.
We are and will remain Leos for life.
So this is not goodbye. Ann and I extend our
sincere appreciation to the extended University of La
Verne family and hope all of you will fare well in the
years ahead.
LETTER FROM THE EDITOR
If You Like Your Alma Mater To Keep
Things Moving, We've Got Good News
T
he Voice is designed to “Showcase the
Excellence of the University,” but it’s
also a news magazine, and, believe me,
it was never so easy to fill a magazine with all
the goings on right now at the University of
La Verne.
Where do I start? How about at the top?
You’ve probably heard by now that President
Steve Morgan ’68 is retiring, effective July 1.
This is major. For 26 years, President Morgan
has guided the university, leading it through
some dire financial straits early on and, later,
presiding over the most dynamic and prolific
growth in the school’s 120-year history.
To say the university will miss Steve Morgan
is one of history’s great understatements. His
legacy, forged during the longest tenure of
any La Verne president, is the product of hard
work, vision, creativity, inspired cooperation
and a strict adherence to the university’s
Mission Statement, among other things.
His accomplishments are matched only by
his grace and the ease with which he carried
himself, warm and eloquent during good
times, firm yet poised in the face of adversity.
Charles Bentley writes about President
Morgan in this issue.
So, how does an institution replace a legend?
Devorah A. Lieberman has already given those
of us on campus every day a glimpse. Currently
the Provost and Vice President of Academic
Affairs at Wagner College in New York, Dr.
Lieberman has already spent many hours in La
Verne working tirelessly in preparation for the
day on which she will assume the presidency,
July 1. She will be La Verne’s first female
president, which is obviously news in and of
itself. Learn more about Dr. Lieberman in a
story in this issue written by Lisa O’Neill Hill.
This is a time of tremendous growth at La
Verne. Enrollment is at a record level and
our current and future students will enjoy
a significant upgrade in facilities. The new
Campus Center and renovated Sports Science
& Athletics Pavilion (formerly the Super
Tents) opened in the past three years, and the
paint is barely dry in the Ann & Steve Morgan
Auditorium. Formerly Founders Auditorium,
the remodeled and renewed performance
venue is now state of the art. Wendy Leung
writes about it in this issue.
Construction has just begun on a new
residence hall, which, with its short walk to
the center of campus, will fulfill one of the
goals of the university’s 10-year Master Plan
2
Voice
Winter/Spring 2011
— to make La Verne more of a residential
school. In short, the university is completely
changing the feel of the campus. Randy Miller
has details in a story in this issue.
Part of keeping the university moving in
the direction set forth by the Board of Trustees
more than a decade ago with the Master Plan
requires moving a few things around. Land
has always been at a premium at La Verne, and
so to provide the best facilities and services for
the greatest number of students now and in
the future, a decision was made to move the
baseball, softball and soccer fields. Brand-new
sports fields and facilities will soon be built on
land newly acquired by the university and just
a few blocks from the main campus. It’s called
Campus West, and we examine the impact of
such a move.
As a member of the 1982 La Verne baseball
squad, I have mixed feelings about the team
being relocated. There are a lot of emotions
and anxieties among the current players, and
I’m sure I would feel the same way.
On the other hand, I’ve seen up close the
benefits that new facilities like the Campus
Center, Pavilion, Morgan Auditorium, and
the rebuilt Hanawalt House (after a perilous
fire) present to all of our students. I’ve also had
the privilege of meeting several members of
the Board of Trustees and it’s clear that they
genuinely and deeply care about all La Verne
students and the future of the university.
Just as with our beloved campus, there’s
not always enough space here in the pages of
the Voice for everything we want to present
to you. Fortunately, we now have the Voice
Online, which can be accessed through the
university website at www.laverne.edu/voice
Stories that we have to cut short in this printed
issue will appear in their entirety in the Voice
Online.
As always, we’d love to hear from you, and
we have a little form on the back cover of this
magazine, should you wish to submit your
Leo Lines.
VOICE
Vice President, University Advancement
Jean Bjerke
[email protected]
Director of Public Relations
Charles Bentley
[email protected]
Editor and Creative Director of the Voice
Rusty Evans
[email protected]
Writers
Charles Bentley, Randy Miller,
Lisa O’Neill Hill, Wendy Leung
Rusty Evans
Cover Image
Tom Zasadzinski
Photographers
Jeanine Hill, Nancy Newman,
Walt Weis, Tom Zasadzinski,
Rusty Evans
Graphic Designer
Rusty Evans
Director of Alumni Relations
Beth Elmore
[email protected]
Leo Lines
Malissa Hernandez
[email protected]
The Voice is published by
the University of La Verne
Office of University Advancement
Please address all correspondence to:
Voice, University Advancement,
University of La Verne,
1950 Third St., La Verne, CA, 91750
e-mail [email protected]
Rusty Evans
Editor
Contents
University of La Verne
VOICE
Vol. 91
No. 2 Winter/Spring 2011
Steve Morgan: La Verne, Heart & Soul
6
8
12
For the past 26 years, Steve Morgan has
demonstrated that the best way to provide stability
and security is to keep moving — forward.
Spot On
Steve Morgan is a tough act to follow, but in Devorah
Lieberman, the Board of Trustees have found a
worthy successor.
Going Out on a High Note
Retiring president Steve Morgan and his wife, Ann,
see the gloriously renovated theater in Founders Hall
reopen with their names on it in tribute.
Dynamic Digs
14
16
4
20
The university's new residence hall will be the
largest building ever built on the property and may
completely change the entire feel of life on campus.
Hitting Home
Relocation of the baseball field becomes a reality as
construction starts on the new residence hall, part of
a 10-year campus transformation plan.
News & Notes
Leo Lines
Too much mail? If you would prefer to enjoy the Voice online at www.laverne.edu/voice
instead of receiving the printed version, please check the box on the back cover of this
magazine and send it in. Thanks!
Winter/Spring 2011
Voice
3
News & Notes
fund scholarships for La Verne students.
The evening focused on the university. It was
“University of La Verne Go Green & Teacher
Appreciation Night” at Citizens Business Bank
Arena in Ontario, and served to recognize
two longstanding La Verne commitments
– preserving the environment and teacher
education. The Reign provided the university
with 500 tickets to distribute to students,
faculty, staff and alumni. Biology professor
and Natural Science Division Chair Robert
Neher participated in the ceremonial pre-game
puck drop. And junior biology major Kristen
Chapman, who is also a Reign Ice Girl and
student scholarship recipient, was interviewed
between periods.
This is the second straight year the Reign and
the university have partnered for this essential
cause, around which more than $58,000
has been raised to benefit La Verne student
scholarships.
La Verne judged to be
one of nation's most
La Verne business administration students second
eco-friendly campuses
in national marketing competition staged by Honda
From left, Stefanie Schmidt, Mark Wilson and Melly Ramirez finished second as a team in the Honda
CR-Z Media Challenge sponsored by American Honda Motor Company, Inc.
University of La Verne image
What began as a class project turned into an
award-winning effort by three La Verne students
as the trio finished second in the national
Honda CR-Z Media Challenge sponsored
by American Honda Motor Company, Inc.
Melly Ramirez, Stefanie Schmidt and Mark
Wilson – all business administration majors
with marketing concentrations – had their
assignment for Professor Constance Rossum’s
Integrated
Marketing
Communications
class selected to represent the university in
the national media challenge conducted by
EdVentures Partners and American Honda.
Their proposal, “Join the CRaZe,” competed
against entries from colleges and universities
across the country. After making the top 10, the
team was given use of a Honda CR-Z Hybrid
for six weeks to implement their proposal. In
addition to using social media and appearances
at public events to generate interest, the students
received help of classmates Mandy Yeh, George
Bell, Raphy Buenafe, Chris Ruiz, Dominique
Koch, Sameer Bhatt, Osman Fuentes, and
Paveen Patel, support from College of Business
& Public Management Dean Abe Helou and
faculty, and the assistance of Sierra Honda in
4
Voice
Winter/Spring 2011
Monrovia. After submitting a final report,
the La Verne team was named one of three
finalists and made a 45-minute presentation
at American Honda’s corporate headquarters
in Torrance. Ramirez, Schmidt and Wilson’s
presentation earned them a second place finish
and virtual internships with Honda during the
Spring 2011 semester.
University teams up with
Ontario Reign to raise
student scholarships
A hot night on the ice provided a welcome
assist to student financial aid as the university
teamed with the Ontario Reign professional
ice hockey franchise to raise money for student
scholarships. Following its home game against
the Las Vegas Wranglers, the Reign – minor
league affiliate of the Los Angeles Kings –
auctioned off specialty jerseys worn that night
by all its players. That effort raised $24,500 to
With a longstanding commitment to valuing
the planet and its environment, the University
of La Verne has been recognized as being
among the nation’s most eco-friendly collegiate
campuses. The Princeton Review included La
Verne in the recently released 2011 edition
of its “Guide to 311 Green Colleges,” which
features higher education institutions from
throughout the United States that promote
living and learning green to its students.
The guide notes La Verne’s efforts involving
sustainability, environmental studies and
literacy programs: La Verne was one of only
five colleges in California to earn a WRAP
award from the California Integrated Waste
Management Board; The Campus Center,
which opened in fall 2010, is the first facility in
the City of La Verne to receive a Silver LEED
Certification from the U.S. Green Building
Council; The university signed the American
College & University Presidents’ Climate
Commitment.
One of the tenet values found within the
University of La Verne Mission Statement
promotes appreciation and biodiversity
through helping students understand the
impact/dependence of human beings on their
environment.
NEWS & NOTES
From left, Brandon
Tedrow, Laurie
Zernickow, Jeanette
Ehrich, Carolyn
Smith (for the late
Jack Smith); Andre
Bossieux; and Wanda
Flora.
Tom Zasadzinski
image
Athletic Hall of Fame welcomes eight new members representing six decades
Eight former Leopard standouts spanning six
different decades were recently welcomed into
the Leopard Athletic Hall of Fame during a special dinner ceremony held at the Sheraton Ontario Airport. Established in 1994, the Hall of
Fame highlights the university’s proud athletic
tradition by recognizing the accomplishments
of its student-athletes, coaches and administrators.
This year’s inductees include Wanda Flora
’64, five-sport standout who later served as head
women’s basketball coach at the University of
Connecticut; Todd De Mitchell ’69, linebacker
on the football team and 1969 honorable mention Small College All-America; Tim Burzette
’78, three-time All-America baseball catcher
and recipient of the 1978 NAIA’s Charles Berry
Hustle Award; Andre Bossieux ’83, basketball
guard who earned first team All-SCIAC three
straight years and a two-time All-District selection; Jeanette Ehrich ’91, starting setter for
volleyball who was SCIAC Player of the Year
and second team All-America in 1989; Laurie
(Grey) Zernickow ’97, softball standout who
twice led the conference in batting average and
was 1997 SCIAC Player of the Year and a twotime All-Region selection; Brandon Tedrow
’03, the NCAA Division III javelin champion
and SCIAC Athlete of the Year in 2003 and a
2002 All-America in the decathlon; and the late
Jack Smith ’55, outstanding football and basketball player who later coached at both Claremont High School and La Verne.
Cornel West, Robert Kennedy Jr. among first to speak in renovated auditorium
Two nationally recognized speakers made
first-time visits to the La Verne campus as the
university celebrated the renovation of a historic
hall. Cornel West and Robert Kennedy Jr., each
popular and respected activists in their respective
fields, lectured to capacity crowds in the recently
renamed Ann & Steve Morgan Auditorium
during spring 2011 semester.
West’s appearance on Friday, Feb. 11, for the
2011 Fasnacht Series Lecture marked the first
public event in Morgan Auditorium. He said
he felt honored to “consecrate this beautifully
renewed space” and applauded the founders
of the university, the Morgans and childhood
friend/La Verne Professor Richard Rose for
their efforts to educate. His lecture then weaved
comments, philosophies and creative genius
from a diverse range of recognizable names as he
urged his audience to examine their own lives
and ideals. “What kind of human being will you
be between the womb and the tomb?” he asked.
Kennedy, senior attorney for the National
Resources Defense Council and one of Time
magazine’s “Heroes for the Planet,” called for
the U.S. to increase green energy production
during his April 14 lecture, sponsored in
part by the university’s International Studies
Institute. Kennedy pointed to society’s ongoing
dependence on “the dirtiest, filthiest, most
destructive, most addictive fuels” and the
need to turn “every American into an energy
entrepreneur.”
Cornell West, left, spoke at the first public
event in the renovated Founders Auditorium,
renamed the Ann & Steve Morgan
Auditorium. Robert Kennedy Jr., right,
followed with a lecture there on April 14.
Winter/Spring 2011
Voice
5
ADMINISTRATION
Steve Morgan
La Verne, Heart and Soul
President, 1985 – 2011
As the embodiment of the University of La Verne for the past 26 years, Steve Morgan '68 has
demonstrated that the best way to provide stability and security is to keep moving — forward.
By Charles Bentley
S
tanding near the top of Founders Hall’s
front steps on a recent sunny day,
University President Steve Morgan, a
third-generation La Verne alumnus, looked
north across the campus and spoke of his
undergraduate days here.
“When I was running for student body
president, my campaign slogan was ‘Move with
Morgan.’ So some of my friends thought it was
a good idea to really get me moving. They put
my bed on one of the landings on the Hoover
Building,” Morgan said. “One of the girls I
knew gave me a blanket to keep me warm and
I spent the night out there.”
Morgan’s anecdote does more than just
illustrate a time when La Verne was a small,
residential college. It provides a glimpse of the
man who has spent more than a quarter-century
leading his alma mater. It is one thing to be at
the helm of a company or organization that you
come to as part of a professional career; it’s a
completely different aspect when the person at
the top is firmly rooted in the foundation itself.
When he was named La Verne’s 17th president
in 1985, Morgan, at age 39, was the youngest to
hold that title in the United States at that time.
One of his mentors, Harold Fasnacht, spent 20
years as La Verne’s leader, a record of endurance
Morgan never thought he’d challenge.
“I thought I’d be at La Verne for 10 years
or so. That seemed about the right amount
of time to make things happen, achieve good
things and then look to move on to the next
career stop,” he said. “But like so many others, I
just found myself staying far longer than I ever
imagined.”
Longevity is, however, a matter of perspective.
November 2011 will mark La Verne’s 34th
6
Voice
Winter/Spring 2011
Always accessible to the students and approachable, Steve Morgan's legacy will reflect his
efforts to provide students with an educational environment second to none.
University of La Verne image
anniversary of becoming a university. A
landmark occurrence, but one Morgan believes
needs to be placed in the proper context.
“I think it’s important for us to realize, and
for others to recognize, that we’re still pretty
young as a university,” Morgan said. “We’re
probably out of our infancy; maybe we’re in
our late-teens. But we still have a ways to go,
and so much to learn when it comes to being a
university. I remember hearing about La Verne
announcing its decision to go from a college
to a university back in 1977. I recall shaking
my head and wondering if anyone really knew
what that meant.
“I honestly think we’re still learning today
what all it means to be a university. We have
seen so much growth, and I think we’re still
learning how to deal with that growth. We’re
still working on the financial aspect of being
a university. We have a lot of challenges we’re
still looking to answer, and I believe we will
answer them. That’s why I believe, in the long
term, our biggest challenge is to mature as a
university.
“We’re still young as a university, but look
at all we’ve accomplished this far. We have
so much to look forward to, so much to
Continued on 10
ADMINISTRATION
A dynamic speaker, Morgan has demonstrated a gift for galvanizing those close to the university to pull together to achieve great things.
Jeanine Hill image
Winter/Spring 2011
Voice
7
ADMINISTRATION
Devorah Lieberman grew up in nearby Covina and will be the first female president in the history of the university when she takes office on July 1.
Jeanine Hill image
8
Voice
Winter/Spring 2011
Spot
On
Steve Morgan is a tough act to
follow, but Devorah Lieberman,
the university's next president,
projects an image of success.
W
By Lisa O'Neill Hill
hen Devorah Lieberman first read
the University of La Verne’s mission
statement, she immediately noticed
a common thread: Everything about the
institution is focused on student success.
Lieberman, a nationally recognized academic
leader and award-winning educator, knew the
values that were first instilled in her growing
up in Covina and honed in her 33-year career
in higher education were consistent with those
of the university.
Described as an engaging and passionate leader,
Lieberman has the distinction of being the first
female president in the University of La Verne’s
119-year history. She will take office as La Verne’s
18th president on July 1, replacing Stephen C.
Morgan, who is retiring after 26 years and who
has described Lieberman as “the kind of person
who lights up a room when she walks in.”
Lieberman said she admires what La Verne
stands for and commends the institution’s
commitment to diversity, quality of life for
students, faculty and staff, engagement,
community service and empowerment of firstgeneration college students.
“Here is an institution that speaks to my
heart, that values what I value,” she said.
When Lieberman read the mission statement
and learned more about La Verne, she knew it was
a good fit. For her, students always come first.
“It felt to me when I went through this
process that they were choosing me as their
next president and I was choosing them,” she
said. “It was an institution and an individual
choosing each other.”
The Board of Trustees picked Lieberman
ADMINISTRATION
Warm and personable, Devorah Lieberman, front center, has already endeared herself to
students in visits to the campus since her introduction as the university's next president.
Jeanine Hill image
after an intensive, 10-month national search.
She has been recognized for promoting
national initiatives including institutional
transformation, balancing graduate and liberal
education, student and faculty development,
internationalization and diversity.
Board Chair Luis Faura said Lieberman’s
selection was a significant achievement for the
university.
“Throughout her career she has fostered
personal learning experiences for students,
"It felt to me when I went
through this process that they
were choosing me as their next
president and I was choosing
them. It was an institution and
an individual choosing each
other."
— Devorah Lieberman
promoted expanded multicultural and diversity
education opportunities, pioneered programs
designed to support faculty development and
research, and advanced the scholarship of civic
engagement,” Faura said.
Lieberman will shortly leave her role as
Provost and Vice President for Academic Affairs
at Wagner College, a private comprehensive
liberal arts institution in Staten Island, N.Y.
At Wagner, Lieberman administered all
academic, curricular and student-related elements.
Under her direction, the college has seen
the ethnic diversity of entering students rise,
the overall student enrollment change from
featuring primarily in-state residents to having
the majority of students come from outside
New York state, and the student retention
rate between the freshman and sophomore
years increase to nearly 90 percent. All of this
occurred while financial support for faculty
research and scholarship increased dramatically.
Prior to her time at Wagner, Lieberman
spent more than 16 years at Portland State
University in Oregon as both a faculty member
in the Department of Communication Studies
and an administrator. During her final four
years she was vice provost and special assistant
to the university president. In 2000, she was
honored as Oregon Professor of the Year,
awarded by the Carnegie Foundation for the
Advancement of Teaching. She also received
the 1999 Distinguished Faculty Award from
the Portland State Alumni Association.
While at Portland State, Lieberman extended
the Oregon Leadership Institute to become
a statewide mentoring program for Latino
students, helping them to successfully graduate
from high school and enroll in college.
She was part of a transformation team that
created an innovative education program that
earned the university national recognition.
That led her to Wagner College, where she
Continued on 11
Winter/Spring 2011
Voice
9
ADMINISTRATION
Steve Morgan's priority has never deviated: Every day as president of the University of La Verne has been about the students.
Jeanine Hill image
impressed by her skills, her ideas and her
energy,” Morgan said. “I believe she’s the right
person to continue La Verne’s progress. She
has a vision of where La Verne can go and how
accomplish. We’re trying so hard to become
it can enhance and expand its profile locally,
a better place while still finding ways to hold
nationally and globally.”
on to what’s made this such a special place
Just before Lieberman starts her presidency,
for so long. I think the addition of the new
Morgan
officially concludes his. Yet when five
faculty is what helps keep us fresh and active
o’clock comes on June 30, he won’t just fade
and moving forward, and it’s our experienced
into the shadows and become a name in the
faculty members and alumni that help keep us
institution’s history books. But just how will
in touch with our history.”
the “Morgan” era be remembered?
Therein lies the greatest challenge facing any
A list of the accomplishments achieved
successful enterprise: progress. Maintaining
during Morgan’s 26 years would certainly
the status quo can be considered a decision to
appear impressive in print, but could also
stagnate. Yet to ignore tradition is to abandon
be viewed as completed to-do list. That’s far
what led to success in the first place. How do
too confining for someone who has been
you hang on to the past and still push toward
the physical embodiment of the university
the future?
for so long. It is his dedication to service –
“We can’t continue to grow and remain
a fundamental tenet of La Verne’s mission
what we were. No organization can. If we
statement – that directly reflects a deep
try to do that, we’ll die,” Morgan said. “It’s
personal commitment. His style has always
important that we strive to move
been that of leading by example.
forward, continue to grow and
“One of my great passions
realize how we can best continue
involves helping our students attain
our educational mission. As long as
their educational aspirations. What
we’re moving forward and looking
we do here makes a difference in
forward, we’ll do what we’ve always
their lives, which in turn allows
done – educate.”
them to make a difference in
During his presidency, Morgan
their chosen professions and their
discovered the toughest answer
communities,” Morgan said. “I
often proved the most common
firmly believe there is not another
response: wait. In good times and
college or university that takes
bad, needs always outnumber
students farther in their educational
resources. And because everything
mission than we do.”
cannot be accomplished at once,
Like all engaged leaders,
there are always projects and
Morgan’s legacy will far outlast his
programs that must bide time until
time in office. And by continuing
the next opportunity.
“I salute those who have been To no one's surprise, Ann and Steve Morgan were honored as "Alumni to follow his example, La Verne will
continue moving with Morgan for
patient and continue to be patient,”
of the Year" during Homecoming Weekend 2010.
generations to come.
Morgan said. “It’s their creativity
Jeanine Hill image
Continued from 6
10
Voice
Winter/Spring 2011
and their dedication that has allowed us to
make the best use of the space available to us
and not allow it to affect what our students
learn.”
Devorah Lieberman officially begins her
tenure as La Verne’s 18th president in July,
bringing new ideas, a new vision and a new way
of dealing with the challenges ahead. As with
any departure from the familiar, there will be
a period of adjustment as the university and its
new leader begin to mesh.
Since the official announcement of her
selection last December, Lieberman has spent
the ensuing months researching and preparing
for her new role. During that span, Morgan
reached out to his successor to help make the
transition as smooth as possible. He applauds
the selection of Lieberman, calling it a brilliant
conclusion to the intensive nationwide search.
“I have had several opportunities to meet
and speak with Devorah since she was named
as La Verne’s next president and I am extremely
ADMINISTRATION
Continued from 9
expanded upon and deepened elements of a
curriculum that unites focused learning and
practical application.
At La Verne, there is an opportunity to
create what Lieberman calls the “La Verne
Experience,” an interdisciplinary curriculum
that will be threaded through all programs and
campuses of the institution and will include
components of reflection and giving back to
the community.
“I think this will be a remarkable model that
campuses around the country can look at and say,
‘We can learn from this and we can adapt a “La
Verne Experience”’ and I think that will give the
institution national distinction,” she said. It is her
dream, she said, to have that begin incrementally
in fall of 2012 with that freshman class.
Lieberman has returned to La Verne several
times since her presidency was announced.
She spent a week on the campus in March
that was very important. I really liked her. I
think she’s going to be great for the university.”
Daniel Loera, Multicultural Affairs Director,
described Lieberman as a person with
“contagious vitality.”
“She is going to create a lot more excitement
into the work we undertake here,” Loera said,
adding that Lieberman has a lot of passion,
focus and vision. “She brings a lot of heart,
I think.”
Lieberman’s focus and passion have been
shaped by her experiences.
During her undergraduate years, Lieberman
spent about 18 months doing experiential
learning while living in Israel and Europe.
“I became very aware of how important it
was to be a global citizen, even though at the
time I didn’t know the phrase ‘global citizen,’”
she said. What she did know, however, was what
she wanted to study. She earned her bachelor’s
degree and then began a master’s program in
intercultural communication.
While working on her master’s degree,
diversity of its students and commitment to
lifelong learning, among other things.
Lieberman would like to take the first
academic year to put together a strategic plan
to take the university to the next level and
plans on working closely with the campus
community and the Board of Trustees.
Lieberman said La Verne alumni should
be very proud to have graduated from the
university because they received a quality
education. She anticipates spending a lot of
time with them locally and nationally and
said she would like alumni to get connected or
strengthen their connection because they are a
tremendous resource to the institution and to
students.
She said it’s important to reflect on significant
experiences and think about people who helped
shape values and choices, professionally or
personally. It’s also important to let those people
know the impact they had, she said.
“We often only experience the present
and look to the future without letting those
On her first official visit, Lieberman sat down to lunch with La Verne students, left. Center, husband Roger Auerbach and daughter Emery were on
hand to share in the excitement. Right, stopping for a photo with Peggy Redman '60, '87, '91, Adeline Cardenas-Clague '86 and Loretta Rahmani '94.
Jeanine Hill images
during Morgan Auditorium dedication week,
attending each one of the celebrations.
“I got such an understanding of the
community, the faculty, the staff, the students
and the love for this institution,” she said. She
also was impressed by the faculty’s dedication
to their own scholarship and to their students.
And she commended Morgan for his guidance,
adding that many presidents as they transition
out don’t take the time, energy and care to
counsel the incoming president.
“His mentoring since Dec. 8 — and I’m sure
after I take office — symbolizes the same values
that ground this institution,” she said.
Lieberman already has left a distinct
impression on those she has met.
“I think she is really amazing,” said junior
Michael Phillips, who dined with Lieberman
during one of her campus visits. “I felt like she
was very student-centered and she really cared
about what we thought. She was interested
in our lives as well. She wanted to help better
our education here and make La Verne more
recognized for the great things it does. I thought
Lieberman decided she wanted to live in
a French-speaking country in Europe. She
contacted the Swiss Embassy, which gave her
a list of every school in the French-speaking
part of Switzerland. She wrote to every school
and was hired to teach courses in English to
students from around the world. It was one
classroom, with students ranging from first
grade to eighth grade.
“It was exhilarating and exhausting,” she said.
After a year in Switzerland, Lieberman
moved to Greece and applied for two jobs. She
was offered both. She stayed there for five years,
teaching a variety of subjects.
She returned to the U.S., earned a Ph.D.
in Intercultural Communication/Gerontology
from the University of Florida and taught for
many years. She then became an administrator
but has continued to teach. She said she takes
pride in being a scholar.
La Verne’s values capture exactly what
Lieberman thinks institutions of higher learning
should be doing. She is impressed by the
university’s breadth of courses and programs,
along our paths know the influence they had,”
Lieberman said. “I hope that the La Verne
alumni stay in contact with those La Verne
faculty and staff who served as these pivotal and
influential individuals.”
Lieberman and her husband, Roger Auerbach
— who was a senior policy adviser to former
Oregon Governor Barbara Roberts and who is
now the principal of Auerbach Consulting —
have two daughters.
Allie Lieberman-Auerbach is a research
analyst for RTI International in Raleigh, N.C.
Emery Lieberman-Auerbach is a freshman at
Scripps College in Claremont – 3.9 miles away
from the University of La Verne.
Emery, who had been thinking about staying
on the East Coast to attend college, jokingly
told her mother that in choosing Scripps, she
thought she was going be 3,000 miles away from
home. It was all meant to be, Lieberman said.
“We both laughed and realized it was really
a blessing in disguise,” Lieberman said of her
daughter’s college choice. “Now three quarters
of the family is in Southern California.”
Winter/Spring 2011
Voice
11
CAPITAL PROJECTS
The Ann & Steve Morgan Auditorium at the University of La Verne has been reborn, with all new materials — wall to wall and floor to ceiling.
Jeanine Hill image
Going Out on a High Note
As the university's most prolific president approached retirement, the gloriously renovated theater
in Founders Hall reopened with a new name in tribute: The Ann & Steve Morgan Auditorium.
By Wendy Leung
The old and much used auditorium in the
University of La Verne’s Founders Hall didn’t just
get a facelift, it got a whole new identity.
When officials unveiled the newly renovated
Ann & Steve Morgan Auditorium in February,
students, faculty, trustees and guests couldn’t help
but do a double-take. The renovations, costing
$4.2 million and taking nine months to finish,
completely transformed the historic venue.
“It looks better than the drawing,” said Ben
Harris, longtime La Verne trustee. “It turned out
better than anticipated.”
Built in 1926 inside the third-oldest building
12
Voice
Winter/Spring 2011
on campus, the former Founders Auditorium
was a sad affair. The seats were unforgiving, the
temperature never right and the acoustics inadequate.
“It was cold, cold, cold in the winter and
unbelievably hot in the summer,” said Amanda
Hanson ’08, assistant to the vice president for advancement. “The seats were probably the biggest
complaints. They were springy and you would
get poked in the bottom.”
But the seats and an air conditioning unit
weren’t the only things new. Everything about the
auditorium was refurbished, from the ceiling to
the foundation. Gone were the creaky and nearly
useless ceiling fans. Replacing them are beautiful
light fixtures that can turn a rehearsal space to an
elegant concert hall. Even a new foundation was
poured and the floor re-sloped, making the new
auditorium three inches taller.
At a dedication ceremony following a weeklong speakers series, Ann Morgan, wife of University President Steve Morgan, declared future
audience members will have “happy tushies.”
The 379-seat auditorium, in addition to receiving new carpet, sound equipment and a larger stage, also took a new name. In February 2010,
the Board of Trustees, at the behest of a group of
Continued on 13
CAPITAL PROJECTS
Continued from 12
donors, renamed the auditorium after the Morgans, saying it’s a fitting tribute to the school’s
first couple. The timing is also appropriate as this
is Morgan’s last year leading the university.
Harris said the couple has contributed so
much to La Verne, naming the new space after
them is the least they could do.
“As far as I’m concerned, maybe that isn’t
enough for them, for all that they’ve done,” Harris said.
President Morgan, who graduated in 1968 to
become a third generation La Verne graduate,
said he and his wife are “deeply touched.”
“There could be nothing more significant to us
as we make our exit,” Morgan said. “We are delighted that La Verne now has an auditorium that
is indeed a point of pride, and what an honor
that it carries our name.” When the idea to put the Morgan name behind the renovated auditorium was proposed, the
president objected, saying it needed to be named
after a major donor.
But when a group of leading donors specifically requested that the new auditorium have a
Morgan name, the Board of Trustees voted unanimously to do so.
“We did that behind his back. We wanted to
surprise him,” said trustee Paul Moseley ’88, who
sought $165,000 from his fraternity brothers for
the auditorium. “It was one of the few times he
had no say.”
Donors contributed nearly $1.5 million to the
project.
Moseley was in his first year as a La Verne student when Morgan became president in 1985.
“I have seen firsthand, his and Ann’s commitment was every day,” Moseley said. “This is a way
to honor their legacy. The auditorium is a central part of the campus and to be able to name
that after Steve and Ann, it’s certainly appropriate. They have been at the heart of the campus
all along.”
The popular university president guided La
Verne through expansive growth and spearheaded major infrastructure projects like the Campus
Center and the remodeled auditorium. Ann
Morgan, who received a bachelor’s and two master’s degrees at La Verne, was also instrumental in
planning a number of campus projects including
the Wilson Library/Landis Academic Center and
the Oaks Residence Hall community.
With more than four decades of memories at
La Verne, the Morgans have fond and not-sofond stories of the old performance space.
“Our first memories are as students in the late
’60s and early ’70s. We both agree the auditorium needed remodeling way back then,” said
President Morgan. “It was a dingy place with a
leaky roof, no heating, no air conditioning and
With Dr. Jonathan Reed and Board Chair Luis Faura officiating, Steve Morgan and his wife, Ann,
cut the ribbon officially opening the renovated auditorium that will bear their names.
Walt Weis image
miserable seats that had bulging springs. There
was no sound shell for musical performances and
the stage sagged in many spots. It was definitely
not one of our points of pride.”
Now, it’s a showpiece.
Chip West, senior director of capital planning
and central services, has received a steady stream
of compliments since the auditorium reopened.
“The best compliment is that it’s being used,”
he said.
The sparkling new auditorium began a new era
84 years after Founders Auditorium was officially
dedicated in 1927. In February, the renovated
space hosted polemicist and professor Cornel
West as the 2011 Fasnacht Lecturer. In March, a series of events welcomed the
entire community to hear author and organizational consultant Warren Bennis, educator Erin
Gruwell, retired California Supreme Court Justice Carlos R. Moreno and veteran journalist
Mark I. Pinsky.
The Ann & Steve Morgan Auditorium was
formally dedicated in April with a concert featuring La Verne faculty. Later in the month,
environmental law attorney Robert F. Kennedy
Jr. gave a guest lecture on “Our Environmental
Destiny,” and the LA Opera celebrated its 25th
anniversary at the auditorium.
Hundreds have visited and it’s safe to say nobody complained about the seats. Why would
they? With new, plush cushions, the seats are also
wider than the old ones by two to four inches.
“People’s rear ends were a bit smaller back
then,” said West, who served as project manager
during the remodeling.
You might say this is the first time the auditorium offered welcoming seats. The original chairs
in the 1920s were made of wood. In the 1970s,
the school replaced the original seats with cush-
ioned seats that were already 30 years old. They
were hand-me-downs from a different theater.
Those second-hand seats hung on for more than
three decades before finally retiring.
Everything was renewed. New rebar was added
to bring the structure to code. New speakers and
digital audio equipment replaced the analog version. Restrooms got an overhaul and now are lift
and seating compliant with the Americans with
Disabilities Act. The stage was extended by about
nine feet, giving more room for orchestras and
musical ensembles. There are shutters that cover
the once bare windows that can darken the auditorium even at high noon.
These are crucial details appreciated by alumni
like Hanson, who monitored the auditorium’s
progress for a university blog. As a student, Hanson found herself in the auditorium often as a
member of the school choir. She even met her
husband there.
But her recollections of the performance space
weren’t always sweet. The auditorium was the
site of a pesky bee problem. If the insects weren’t
swarming outside, their dead bodies were falling
from the ceiling inside.
Hanson recalled the late afternoon student
recitals, when the sun’s rays would penetrate
through the windows into the eyes of faculty
members in the audience. To avoid the glare, they
would switch seats throughout the recital.
“I called it musical chairs,” Hanson said.
“You’re either poked in the bottom or bothered
by sunlight.”
Finally in April, Hanson and her husband,
Merrill, got to perform on the new stage for an
alumni recital. Unlike their previous appearances
on stage, the audience this time had happy tushies.
No bees attended.
Winter/Spring 2011
Voice
13
CAPITAL PROJECTS
Dynamic Digs
The university's new residence hall will be the largest structure ever built on the property,
accommodate 387 students, and is intended to completely change the feel of life on campus.
By Randy Miller
W
ith hard hats in place and shovels
at the ready, University of La Verne
officials and local civic dignitaries
stood shoulder-to-shoulder, poised to break
ground as photographers captured the historic
moment. Then, turning over shovelfuls of dark
earth, incoming university president Devorah
Lieberman joined Steve Morgan, La Verne
mayor Don Kendrick and others on March 31
in the ceremonial launching of construction of
a new residence hall on the corner of D and
Second Streets, next to the historic Hanawalt
House and just blocks from Old Town La
Verne.
As the huge yellow tractors standing quietly
behind the assembled group indicated,
however, work has already begun on the site
of the former parking lot (and before that,
tennis courts). When completed in the fall of
2012, the four-story structure will house 387
students and will be the largest building on the
main campus — bigger than even the nearby
Campus Center.
In addition to construction of the hall itself,
the overall project also calls for creating a
parking lot capable of holding more than 300
cars, as well as spots for barbecues, picnics,
volleyball, and a spacious grassy area stretching
from the new hall to the west end of the
Campus Center.
“With this facility, we want to offer a
comfortable environment for our students,
with all the amenities and state-of-the-art
technological capabilities,” Morgan said. “We
want this to be an environment where students
can socialize and feel at ease and at home. We
want it to be an environment for interaction,
both indoors and out.”
The new facility marks a significant step
forward in the university’s overall master plan
to revamp the campus in the coming years.
Current residence halls, such as Brandt and
Studebaker/Hanawalt, while still useable,
lack certain amenities — air conditioning,
for instance — placing the university at a
disadvantage in relation to other campuses in
the region when it comes to attracting new
students.
14
Voice
Winter/Spring 2011
“I feel that having this new residence hall
will make a big difference for our campus,”
Morgan said. “We’re in competition with other
schools, so it’s important that we try to provide
an appropriate and appealing environment for
current and potential students.”
With a dramatic increase in the number of
students applying to the university over the past
halls on campus, in part because administrators
at La Verne believe that, while commuting to
campus from area cities is unavoidable for some,
nothing quite compares with living on campus
around the clock in order to get the full benefit
of the “college experience.”
In recent decades, the percentage of students
living on campus at La Verne has decreased.
Morgan and others in the administration
would like to see that trend reversed.
“In 1990, some 40 to 45 percent of our
student body lived on campus. Then, as our
student population grew, that percentage
shrank to 26,” Morgan said. “We continue to
believe that students who live in residence halls
have more opportunities to take advantage
Continued on 15
two years, the new residence
hall will not come a moment
too soon. Current residence
facilities are not able to meet
the demand for on-campus
lodging, resulting in some
50 students being housed a
mile south of the university
at the Sheraton Fairplex
Hotel. According to
Morgan, once the new
hall is built, those
students will be able
to move back to the
main campus, and
the university will
be capable of housing
another hundred students
beyond what it can now.
In time, the university
plans to build more residence
This rendering of La Verne's new residence hall shows the variations
room, private bath plan, upper left; double room, shared bath plan,
Hanover
CAPITAL PROJECTS
Continued from 14
of all that the university and the surrounding
community have to offer. We try to engage our
commuter students, but there really is nothing
like being here 24/7, from a social, community
and cultural standpoint. There’s nothing like
living on campus.”
Lieberman, who comes to La Verne after
seven years as provost and vice president of
Academic Affairs at Wagner College in New
York — where some 80 percent of the students
live on campus — agreed. “Commuter students
are on campus, in their classes, maybe 15 hours
a week, but there’s so much more going on
beyond that. It’s so important for students, if
at all possible, to experience life on campus
beyond just what goes on in the classroom, and
that’s where living in a residence hall can be so
beneficial to their college experience.”
Chances are, once potential
students get a look at the new
hall, convincing them of its
appeal should not be a problem.
Single- and double-room suites
will be situated in groups of
four around a common living
area. No one will
have to share a
bathroom with more than one other person
(and single-room residents will have facilities
all to themselves). And the entire structure will
be air-conditioned which, Morgan points out,
will make the hall useful even in the summer
for outside groups, providing opportunities
for added revenue and helping to make more
people aware of the campus.
“It’s a far cry from when I was a student living
in Woody Hall, back when it was a dormitory,”
Morgan said, reflecting on his own college days.
“Back then we shared a bathroom with eight
other guys, and really didn’t think much of it.
That’s just the way it was. But now students are
a little more demanding. So we need to provide
what is expected by them, and what is being
provided by other campuses in the area. We
watch other schools closely, and try to remain
competitive.”
Looking ahead to the summer, when she
takes the reins from Morgan, Lieberman said
she eagerly anticipates moving ahead with the
increased emphasis on building
the
on-campus
student
presence already under way at
La Verne.
“When I come here in
July to begin my new role,
I’ll be working on a very
thoughtful plan for how
we align our need for
more housing with the
interest and direction
of the university,”
Lieberman
said.
“What do we want to
be as an institution?
Who are we? As we
look ahead and
think about new
residence
halls,
we will want to
keep in mind the four
pillars that make La
Verne what it is: a
in accommodating 387 students upon completion of the structure. The single
place that fosters
upper right; and four-bedroom, four-bathroom (six student) plan, center.
lifelong learning,
Pacific LLC image
civic engagement, diversity, and the importance
of giving back to the community. These have to
be part of the whole discussion.”
Lieberman is quick to acknowledge, however,
that the move toward increasing the percentage
of on-campus residents does not mean
diminished attention to commuter students.
“Having this new residence hall and having
more students living on campus than we do
now does not mean that we will become a
resident-oriented campus. We still want to meet
the needs of our students from the surrounding
area who choose to commute. And that’s OK.
We don’t want to be an either/or campus, but
one that can provide the best opportunities for
both kinds of students.”
Getting the ball rolling — and keeping it
rolling — for the residence hall project has
not always been easy, but Morgan and others
with an eye toward rebuilding the community
atmosphere that has long been a hallmark of
La Verne never lost sight of their goal. And
Lieberman, for one, says she is grateful for that.
“I think Steve Morgan has provided truly
phenomenal leadership in this process of
getting the new residence hall project going.
People would ask, ‘Can we afford it?’ And he
would respond by saying ‘This is the right time
to do this for the university.’ He was committed
to it. And I commend him for that. He stayed
the course and made it a priority.”
Lieberman herself would appear just as
committed to this vision. To get a feel for
what it’s like to live on campus, Lieberman has
promised to spend some quality time in the
new hall soon after it opens.
“Once the hall is built, I am going to spend
a night in it just to get a feel for what it is like
to live in the place where many of our students
will be spending so much of their time,”
Lieberman said. “As a resident at Humboldt
State University, I spent as much time at the
library as possible — something that would
have been hard to do if I’d been a commuter. I
also had a night-time radio program there one
night a week from midnight until 3 a.m. It was
so convenient to be able to just walk from the
studio to my residence hall. Living on campus
was great.”
So, come the fall of 2012, La Verne’s new
president will get to take a trip down memory
lane and experience life in a residence hall
firsthand all over again — minus the midnight
radio show.
Randy Miller is an adjunct professor in the
University of La Verne’s Journalism Department,
and interim editor of the Church of the Brethren’s
monthly publication, Messenger.
To read more about the new residence hall
and to view renderings, visit http://laverne.edu/
news/2010/11/dynamic-digs/.
Winter/Spring 2011
Voice
15
ATHLETICS
Members of the 2011 La Verne baseball team practice in early May, awaiting news of a possible NCAA Division III playoff berth, while construction
Rusty Evans images
16
Voice
Winter/Spring 2011
ATHLETICS
Hitting
Home
Relocation of the baseball field becomes a
reality as construction starts on residence hall,
part of a 10-year campus transformation plan.
L
By Rusty Evans
a Verne batters usually heard the jab at away games. One of them
would hit a routine fly ball that the left fielder would camp under
then catch, and as the hitter returned to the dugout someone from
the opposing team would yell, “that woulda been out at La Verne!”
Then, laughter.
The joke referred to La Verne’s baseball field and its notoriously short
distance to the left field fence. It may have started back when the left field
fence stood parallel to Second Street – a mere 290 feet down the line.
Even with wooden bats, balls would be driven over the fence, across the
street and off the wall of the old Alpha Beta, and sometimes fly balls that
would be caught at most any other field cleared the fence at La Verne.
This was not a place where pitchers rushed out to the mound.
The field was later turned clockwise 90 degrees, adding 25 feet to the
left field dimensions. But with the introduction of aluminum bats and
the prevailing wind now blowing straight out to left, home runs flew out
just as fast.
Baseball humor can be brutal, but the “out at La Verne” crack points to
an unfortunate truth: the school has always been short on space. Wedged
between Second Street to the north, railroad tracks to the south, D Street
to the east and campus buildings to the west, the baseball field was cozy,
nestled into its confined area.
The baseball diamond doubled as the soccer field and was widely
ridiculed by visiting teams from around the Southern California
Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (SCIAC). The problem: nowhere else
Continued on 18
crews work on the new campus residence hall just beyond the left field fence.
Winter/Spring 2011
Voice
17
ATHLETICS
Bonita Avenue
Residence
Hall
D Street
Wheeler Avenue
A purchase of acreage from the
Metropolitan Water District, coupled
with a gift of property from trustee
Mike Brown, nearly doubled the
university's land. This new plot, south
of Arrow Highway and west of Wheeler
Avenue, will be the home of the
school's new athletic complex, with
baseball and softball diamonds and a
soccer field in its first phase.
Campus
Center
Founders
Hall
2nd Street
Arrow Highway
Campus
West
●
Baseball Field
●
Softball Field
●
Soccer Field
Note: Location of fields on map are an approximation. Actual
positioning is yet to be determined.
Rusty Evans graphic
Continued from 17
to squeeze in a soccer field on campus.
Founded in 1891, the university may be one
of the city’s oldest inhabitants, but it still must
comply with a modern city hall. A bedroom
community, La Verne has remained one of the
most desirable cities in Southern California in
which to live largely through its reputation of
respect for traditional values and its conservative
approach to expansion.
The university works within those constraints,
and, despite the limitations, recognizes that
such a small-town feel is both good for those
already enrolled and a strong selling point for
prospective students. The city doesn’t want
skyscraper science buildings towering over its
residents, as can be seen in other college towns.
So the university does its best to move things
around in such a way to keep the city happy and
also to best serve its students.
Room to grow
The baseball team played its final game on
the baseball field on April 29. The target date
is December 2013 for the opening of a new
18
Voice
Winter/Spring 2011
baseball field a few blocks away on a plot of
land previously acquired by the university. The
acreage, presently referred to as Campus West, is
also where, in addition to an NCAA-compliant
baseball field, the university will construct a
softball field and a soccer field.
Finally, room to grow.
“The university’s plans for Campus West
appear accommodating,” said softball coach
Julie Smith, a starter on the 1996 U.S. Olympic
softball team. Softball has practiced and played
games at a city facility, Wheeler Park, for several
years since demand for additional student
parking became so great that the on-campus
softball field, with no other city-approved
options, was converted.
Moving athletic facilities to Campus West has
been part of the university’s 10-year Campus Master
Plan for more than a decade, and in mid-spring, it
became a reality. Earthmovers began preparing the
ground along D Street for construction of a new
residence hall that would address another space
deficiency: adequate and ample student housing.
This is also part of the master plan approved by the
Board of Trustees long ago.
The new residence hall will accommodate
nearly 400 students. Currently, a number of
“on-campus” students live at the Sheraton
Fairplex Hotel or in aging Studebaker-Hanawalt
and Brandt residence halls. The new hall ties in
with the Abraham Campus Center, Johnson
Family Plaza and renovated Sports Science &
Athletics Pavilion to promote identity and a
stronger bond among students. It’s a bold step
toward re-establishing La Verne as a residential
school rather than a commuter school, a move
designed to change the entire feel of the campus.
Change has come slowly at La Verne during
its 120-year history, though lately the university
appears to be making up for lost time. The
Campus Center project brought three new
facilities to the campus. Then, Founders
Auditorium underwent a complete renovation.
Athletics felt some of the impact.
The old gym and an adjoining athletic
training room and classroom were removed to
make room for the Campus Center, although
Athletics got some of the space back when the
Super Tents were renovated and re-configured
to produce 25 percent more usable floor space
than before. Upstairs, in what is now called
Continued on 19
ATHLETICS
Continued from 18
the Sports Science & Athletics Pavilion, the
volleyball and basketball teams enjoy the use of
rejuvenated Frantz Athletic Court, regarded as
one of the best in the conference.
Outside, the all-weather track will soon be
completely reconstructed, and the football field
inside Ortmayer Stadium re-sodded.
Because La Verne has never had a pool,
the water polo and swim teams have, since
inception, utilized Las Flores Park a few blocks
from campus. But the relocation of the softball
and tennis teams, and now baseball and soccer,
has many in athletics concerned. There was a
strong emotional attachment to the field named
after longtime coach Ben Hines. Suitable
temporary practice and game facilities will
be located and secured for the two years until
Campus West opens, but how will potential
recruits feel about that?
Rex Huigens, arguably the most successful
sports figure in the school’s history, first as a
player, then as a coach, was a master recruiter
and doesn’t mention facilities early in the
conversation.
“I don’t think you sell La Verne athletics as
much as it is the idea that each coach has to
sell himself,” Huigens said. “I think most kids
that you’re trying to recruit … we say and we
try to sell the whole school, the education, the
classes, the professors and you’re trying to sell
your program. But the bottom line for most
kids who are athletes, they want to play for a
coach that they identify with, who has the same
philosophy or who has a philosophy they can
buy into.
“You also have to have the major that they
want, obviously, but they’re going to want to
play athletics because of the coach more than
anything else. Then facilities get involved in it a
little bit. If it’s a toss-up between one school and
another, they start looking at facilities. I don’t
think, if it’s a school they don’t want to go to,
they’d go because of better facilities. But if it’s
a contest, then they start looking at those kinds
of things.”
New Coaches Selected
In a sign of changing times, two of the
school’s highest-profile coaching positions were
filled recently with coaches who were neither
household names nor previously affiliated with
the university.
Christopher Krich, previously an assistant
coach at Millikin University in Illinois, was hired
to coach football and help the program rebound
from its recent struggles. New volleyball coach
Jenna Panatier, who most recently served as an
assistant coach at Lipscomb University (Tenn.),
brings with her eight years experience as a
collegiate head coach.
In the La Verne College days, coaches were
typically “home-grown,” and often selected
from whoever was on staff. These days, things
are much more complicated. Athletic Director
Julie Kline has observed that the hiring process
at La Verne and in NCAA Division III is
different than what most sports fans are used to
based on alumni feedback.
“We just finished this football coach search,
and during the process, I’d get e-mails and calls
from alumni who’d say, ‘I’m watching ESPN
and schools fire a coach one day and two days
later they’re hiring a coach.’ So that’s what they
had expected from us throughout the process,”
Kline said. “We don’t have the resources to buy
a coach or to fly across the nation and find a
coach and offer him millions of dollars. There’s
a process. There’s a recruitment process.
“Even before that, there’s the process of
gaining that position, gaining approval to
advertise and continue that position. Once that’s
approved, there’s a budget process that you have
to go through. You have to identify the salary
range. Then you go into the advertisement
process, and because we went through a national
search we had a longer timeline for accepting
applications – which was until we felt like we
had a qualified pool of applicants. We’re talking
at least a month before you feel like you have a
good-quality pool of applicants.
“Then you go through the screening process
of those applicants. That takes a lot of time. We
had more than 200 applicants. Then, there was
a search committee – and I sat separately from
the search committee – and they go through the
pool of what we believe are qualified coaches
that meet our current needs and philosophy
and the direction we’re headed. Then there’s
a telephone interview process and then you
take your top people from there and you bring
them on campus and you have on-campus
interviews. Each one is a full day. You try to
get the travel arrangements made for people on
the East Coast and coordinate schedules with
everyone on campus, to meet with Admissions,
meet with the provost, meet with the Board of
Trustees.”
Past experience is an important factor. But
it is only part of the picture when it comes to
selecting a new coach.
“My image of a head football coach at La
Verne is someone who’s full of vinegar and
energy and ambition,” said university president
Steve Morgan. “I think we made a great choice.
We got a guy who really wants to be successful,
and I think he’s got what it takes.”
It’s safe to say the people in La Verne’s athletic
department are hungry, and they’re competitive.
Krich was hired for the football job after the
program had managed only four victories in as
many years. Krich is rated a strong recruiter, and
he has already reached out to former La Verne
players who are coaching at local high schools
and community colleges in an effort to get more
talented players coming to play for the Leopards.
Panatier has head coaching experience both
within the SCIAC and at the NCAA Division
I level. Smith’s softball program is among
the school’s most successful. Richard Reed,
another young coach, had the men’s basketball
team contending for the conference title last
season. The golf team has won five consecutive
conference championships, including this
spring, and are nationally ranked year after year.
So while La Verne still sports that old-style,
family-type, school-with-a-heart attitude, Kline
makes it clear that being competitive is just as
important.
“It isn’t winning at all costs,” Kline said, “but
the level of student athlete that we’re getting now,
the year-round training and opportunity that
these kids are getting now, their expectations,
when they come into our program, winning’s
part of it. So we have to change with the times
and I think that’s the direction we’re heading.
“They need that opportunity to compete.
They need to be in the ballgame. They deserve
the opportunity to compete. They deserve the
opportunity to win. They’re athletes. So it’s our
job, as an athletic program, to provide that for
them and support them in those efforts.”
Facilities have taken a hit lately, and its
impact on recruiting is undeniable. But the
Board of Trustees and the Administration see
the current growing pains as temporary and
necessary for the common and long-range good
of the university.
“I think it’s unfortunate that we have had
to displace baseball and soccer,” said Gregory
Dewey, who, as part of his responsibilities as
university provost, oversees athletics. “We have
a small campus and we’re not going to grow
within the confines of the city. I view it as
growth pains, and, unfortunately, athletics has
taken the bullet in this period. It’s not a lack of
commitment. It is just an uncomfortable period
of time where you can’t do everything at once,
and I see it as more of a staging issue. It’s been
unsettling for some of the coaches, but at the
end of the day, my sense is they want it to work;
they’re going to be good soldiers.”
In the end, it’s clear that when Campus West
construction is completed, the athletic facilities
at La Verne will have improved dramatically.
As is the case at many other colleges and
universities, those facilities will not be right in
the middle of campus, but they will be more
modern, improved and NCAA-compliant.
Who knows? The term “out at La Verne” may
one day soon be a compliment.
Rusty Evans is Assistant Director of Public
Relations at La Verne and played on the 1982 La
Verne baseball team.
Winter/Spring 2011
Voice
19
ALUMNI
1940s
Leo Lines
Ruth C. Beard ’48 moved to Church of the
Brethren Cross Keys retirement center in October
2010. She is excited to be closer to her nephews,
Ralph and Joe Detrick, who were both Church of
the Brethren ministers. Both nephews graduated
from Manchester College in North Manchester,
Indiana.
1960s
George Willmore ’61 Shortly after graduating
from the University of La Verne, George was
employed in the Ontario-Montclair school
District, where he remained until 2000 as a
teacher, and later as a principal. In 1964, George
married Judith Gordon, with whom he has 2
children; Kevin Willmore, four years varsity
soccer and track and; Caid Willmore, two years
varsity soccer and track, MVP of track team.
George’s daughter-in-law, Jamie (Hutchinson)
Willmore ’92, was involved in varsity basketball,
tennis and volleyball at La Verne. George’s other
daughter-in-law, Melissa Estrada Willmore, is
a school psychologist in the Chino Hills School
District. George has three grandchildren: Kellen,
Kinnidi and Chase.
Lynn Casella ’87 whips up an Italian sausage
Tuscan vegetable soup while competing in the
Aetna Healthy Food Fight cooking contest
held in 2010, at the Fairplex in Pomona.
Laos is currently a professor and co-coordinator
of the Faith-Based Diplomacy Doctoral Program
at the St. Elias Seminary and Graduate School in
Purcellville, Virginia.
2000s
Douglas F. Carter ’83, ’85 and Dena
K. Carter ’83 are pleased to announce
that their daughter, Mackenzie Carter,
(pictured) Miss Teen Bakersfield,
was crowned Miss Teen California
International 2011 on September 11,
2010. She is also granddaughter of Warren
’58 and Lenore ’58 (deceased).
1990s
Lynn Valdez ’69, Barbara Reynoso ’69,
Barbara Gross ’67 and ’74, Susan Daniel
’67, Ginny Noyes ’69, Pamela Henry ’69,
Marjorie Bothwell ’69, and Teresa Kennan
’69 share memories on their 18th annual get
together, January 2011.
1980s
James Kababick ’87 was awarded a Fellow of
AOAC International, the professional scientific
society’s second highest honor. This honor reflects
nicely on the quality of the education James
received at the University of La Verne.
20
Voice
Winter/Spring 2011
Maurice T. Hilliard ’91 is pleased to announce
the release of his new book, “The Price of a Pearl:
The Transforming Power of God in the Lives of
Women.”
Susan L. Zytnik-Kunzler ’91 is proud to
announce the release of her book, “Between a Rock
and the High Place: Poetry Inside Transition.”
Alfred Preston ’93, also known as “Big Al” on
blog talk radio, is pleased to announce his new
show, The Science of Violence (TSOV). The
TSOV show looks to bring together the sports of
Boxing and Mixed Martial Arts, as well of fans of
both sports.
Nicolas Laos ’96 is pleased to announce the
release of her new book, "Foundations of Cultural
Diplomacy Politics Among Cultures and the
Moral Autonomy of Man," in February 2011.
Lynsey Best Mikhail ’00 has become a coach
for Team Beachbody, after nearly a decade of
serving as La Verne Lutheran high school’s athletic
director.
Dana El-Mahmoud ’00, ’03 is proud to
announce she has reached teaching’s top milestone
by achieving a National Board Certification for
Teaching in November 2010.
Matthew Wiegand ’07 is pleased to announce
that after a couple of years at various universities,
including Occidental and Utah, he accepted
a graduate assistant football coach position at
University of California, Berkeley. While at
Berkeley, Wiegand will be pursuing a Master of
Arts in Cultural Studies of Sports Education.
Little Leos
Amanda (Kennan) Horn ’02 and her husband,
Chris, are pleased to announce the birth of their
son, Austin Daniel, on January 5, 2011. Austin
Daniel joins big sister, Faith, 6, and brother,
Brady, 3.
Kimberly Phye ’08 and her husband, Craig
Hickman, welcomed home their new daughter
and future Leo! Their daughter, Savannah, was
born February 5, 2009.
Continued on 21
ALUMNI
Continued from 20
In Memoriam
J. Edwin Jones ’43 passed away on June 16, 2009,
at Hillcrest Homes in La Verne, at the age of 87.
He was preceded in death by his wife, Nellie Mae
(Jamison) Jones ’43 in August 2007. Ed and
Nellie Mae met as freshmen at La Verne College
and were married for 65 years. After 4 years serving
the country as a Civilian Public Servant, Ed finished
his education and completed his career as an
outstanding pitcher for La Verne's baseball team. He
was a teacher, counselor, vice-principal and principal
in the Ontario-Montclair School District for 44
years. Nellie Mae taught elementary school for the
Charter Oak School District for over 20 years after
raising 4 children. Nellie Mae's father, Benjamin
Franklin Jamison, also graduated from La Verne.
Ed and Nellie Mae are survived by daughter Carolyn
Ortmayer & husband Lou; son James E. Jones ’71
and wife Melinda (Southworth) ’71; daughter
Sharon Matson & husband Dale; son Thomas
Jones ’75; and seven grandchildren, including Adele
Jones Vail ’05 and husband Bobby Vail ’04, Jenny
Jones Chabolla ’08 and husband Nathan Chabolla
’04, and Crista Jones Jordan ’10 and husband
Ryan Jordan ’09.
Fred L. McGuire ’58 passed away on October 26,
2010 at his home in Seattle, Washington. He was
a business major and was involved with all sorts of
activities while at La Verne College. He married
Anna Belle (Crum) ’59 from San Dimas and they
lived in the La Verne area for many years before
moving to Seattle. Fred was active with the Junior
Chamber of Commerce in Pomona and La Verne
for many years. He is survived by his wife, Anna
Belle, and their children.
Eddie R. Appel ’66 passed away May 1, 2010, in
Wenatchee, WA, where he had lived for 10 years.
He had battled with many health problems that
took their toll on him. Eddie was a master picture
framer and started the LaPume Gallery, which
is now the Wenatchee Gallery. He also owned
and operated the Happy Apple Tonasket variety
store. Eddie played baseball at La Verne College.
Survivors include his children, Paul Appel of
Wenatchee and Nita Appel ’91 of Los Angeles;
his brother, Howard Appel of Gordes, France; and
his sister, Ruth Temby of Tonasket, WA.
Thoedore H. Rahn ’73 passed away on October
27, 2010. He attended La Verne College from
1968 to 1973 and was on the volleyball team for
four years. He enjoyed being involved in biology
classes with his friend, Kent Cope ’72, as well
as photography and art classes. His wife Linda
(Lehman) ’73 also attended La Verne for 4 years
and was a cheerleader, among participating in
other student activities.
Collegiates musical ensemble, from left:
Arlene (Johnson) Harms ’51, Mary (Heiny)
Baker ’51, Neva Jo (Eisenbise) Dull ’51.
Mary E. (Heiny) Baker ’51 passed away
peacefully on April 6, 2011, at English Oaks
Convalescent Hospital in Modesto. After Mary
received her teaching credentials from La Verne
College, she taught for 50 years. Mary was a
musician and singer and enjoyed playing the
violin with the Modesto Symphony. Until
recently, she had sung in the choir and also
played hand bells in the Modesto Church of
the Brethren. She is survived by her daughter
Marcia Priddy of England; 3 step-children:
Patricia Holden, Gary and Dan Baker; her
sister Dorothy Hunter; one grandchild
Joshua Knapp; seven step-grandchildren;
one great-granddaughter; and 13 step-greatgrandchildren. Mary had planned to sing at
her upcoming class reunion in October along
with her friends Neva Jo (Eisenbise) Dull ’51
and Arlene (Johnson) Harms ’51. Mary was
involved in Choral Music at La Verne. Mary,
Neva Jo, and Arlene were part of the musical
ensemble called Collegiates.
James O. Nations ’76 passed away on December
6, 2009 at the G.V. (Sonny) Montgomery V.A.
hospital in Jackson, Miss. He died of heart
failure. James received a Master of Science from
La Verne College.
Rebecca V. Ramirez ’82 passed away of cancer
in 2010. Rebecca was a teacher who taught
in the Montebello Unified School District.
Rebecca received a Master of Education from the
University of La Verne.
Claudia L. Sidebottom ’85 passed away on
August 14, 2010. She suffered a stroke on March
8th and died after a long hard fight. Claudia
was a business major and had retired as the
office manager for the Domestic Safety Resource
Center. She and her husband enjoyed spending
time with their 4 grandchildren and their
retirement home in the Colorado Mountains.
Her husband described her as, “A proud alumna
of La Verne.”
Roy L. Dunn, Jr. ’90 passed away in his home
on February 12, 2011, in Post Falls, Ida., with his
family at his bedside. Roy received a Master of
Science in counseling from the University of La
Verne and worked for the Veterans Administration
in Los Angeles as a rehabilitation counselor. He
was a member of the American Legion, Veterans of
Foreign Wars and Fleet Reserve Association. Upon
retiring from the VA, he moved to Post Falls in 2002
to be closer to his son, Jeff, and family in Sandpoint,
ID. He is survived by his wife, Diane; son, Jeffery,
and wife, Christine Dunn; brother, Ira Martin; and
many grandchildren and great-grandchildren.
Suzanne M. Bailey ’04 passed away on December
11, 2010 after a battle with cancer. Suzanne had
worked as a Nuclear Medicine Technologist at
the Flagstaff Medical Center in Arizona. Suzanne
received a Bachelor of Science in Organizational
Management from the Bakersfield/Kern County
regional campus of the University of La Verne.
Dr. William Donald Clague passed away March
20, 2011. Don was an educator, administrator
and friend of the University of La Verne. During
a long and productive tenure he held a number of
important positions including Dean of Graduate
& Professional Studies, Vice President of Academic
Affairs, university Executive Vice President
and faculty administrator in the Education
Department’s doctoral program. Don worked
with Department Chair Dr. Tom Fine to start the
Doctorate in Educational Management program.
He also developed the curriculum for the Marriage,
Family & Child Counseling Masters Program,
was instrumental in developing the School of
Continuing Education, and oversaw operations for
the La Verne College Law Center, which became
the College of Law. He administered relations
between the university and the City of La Verne
as well as the Church of the Brethren, and acted
as liaison officer for La Verne with the Western
Association of Schools & Colleges. In 1996,
he was chosen La Verne’s Graduate Professor of
the Year. Upon retirement, Don was bestowed
the title Executive Vice President Emeritus. He
remained involved with the university and served
as a dissertation advisor in the doctoral program.
Don was also active in the community, serving as
president of local organizations such as the La Verne
Rotary Club, the David & Margaret Home and the
La Verne Chamber of Commerce. An involved
Church of the Brethren member, he served on
numerous boards and committees and was Chair of
the Pacific Southwest Conference. Don is survived
by his children; Skip Clague ’74, ’76 and Gayle
(Clague) Graef ’75, his grandchildren; Jessica
(Clague) DeHart, Alexander Clague and Brandon
Graef, and his great grandson, Samuel DeHart.
Rosemary L. Gehring, of Walnut, Calif. passed
away in April 2010. Rosemary was a friend of the
University of La Verne.
Winter/Spring 2011
Voice
21
Jeanine Hill image
COLLEGE OF EDUCATION & ORGANIZATIONAL LEADERSHIP
Got College?
Local junior high school students and their parents spend a day at La Verne
and discover that a college education is well within their reach.
By Lisa O'Neill Hill
A
s she turned to her 13-year-old twins
and pledged to support them through
their education and help get them into
college, Emily Ramirez was overcome with
emotion. Her eyes filled with tears.
“I will never give up on you as a student,”
Emily and her husband, Sabino, said to their
children, Sabina and Sabino, Jr, who wore black
“Got College?” T-shirts. “I will never give up
on myself as a student,” the twins answered.
The Ramirez children were among 165
middle school students from the OntarioMontclair School District who, accompanied
by their families, came to the University of La
Verne in early spring to get a first-hand view of
the college experience. As part of the event, the
students and their parents made promises to
one another during a welcoming presentation
at the Sports Science & Athletics Pavilion.
22
Voice
Winter/Spring 2011
“Having to actually make some kind of
commitment to one another and seeing each
other’s eyes, that’s what we want and that’s
what they want, that’s why I got emotional,”
Emily Ramirez said, dabbing at her eyes with
a tissue. “For myself, it means everything. I’m
glad we had an opportunity to be here. It gives
us an opportunity to see what college is going
to be like for them and expose them to the
environment.”
Her husband, Sabino, agreed.
“I think we can get a better idea of what
it’s like, see what it is. It’s important to go
to college,” he said. “It’s the only way to do
anything different than what we do now at
home.”
A partnership between La Verne and the
school district, the day-long “Got College?”
program was aimed at alleviating students’
fears about college and instilling in them the
importance of preparing now. During their
time on campus, students and parents took
tours, learned about various aspects of college
preparation and met and spoke to La Verne
students and educators.
“The reason why we are starting to talk about
college in middle school is that we know that
it is a process,” said Cindy Cary, La Verne
Associate Professor of Education. “We know
that there is a lot of anxiety and fear about the
college process. We want to relieve those fears
before they get to high school.”
The middle school students came from the
district’s six middle schools: Wiltsey, Serrano,
Vernon, De Anza, Vina Danks and Oaks. They
had a chance to talk to and ask questions of
La Verne undergraduates who had been in their
shoes. Many of the La Verne undergraduates
who talked to the middle school students
are first-generation college students and
understand the trepidation that can go along
Continued on 23
COLLEGE OF EDUCATION & ORGANIZATIONAL LEADERSHIP
Continued from 22
with the process.
Alma Sanchez, 19, said being the first in the
family to go to college involves taking risks.
“We can’t ask our parents (for advice) because
they don’t really know,” she said.
Sanchez, a freshman, said her mother had
been sick and she was unsure if she should leave
to attend the university. Everyone in her family
supported her going to college and encouraged
her to go, she said. Her mother still calls every
day, she said with a smile.
La Verne senior Jennifer Juhasz, 21, was also
the first in her family to go to college.
“My parents were excited because it was
something that they didn’t have the opportunity
to do,” she said. “They were living through me
vicariously, in a sense.”
Maritza Barajas, a 14-year-old student at
Oaks Middle School, admitted she was a little
uneasy.
“I’m just nervous because I don’t know what
this school offers,” she said. But Maritza, who
says she wants to become a teacher, said she was
eager to learn more about La Verne.
She was accompanied by her sister, Jazmin, 21.
“I’m really glad they are doing this for her,”
Jazmin Barajas said. “I wish more students had
the opportunity to come and look.
“I just want her to get the feel of what she
wants before she makes a decision, to think
about her college experience and what she
wants to get out of it and just enjoy looking
around. If you really like it, then start working
right now to get there.”
For numerous students, it was their first time
on a college campus.
“You can definitely see the excitement,”
said James Hammond, superintendent of the
Ontario-Montclair School District. “This is a
dream that is possible. This gives these students
and their families a real, legitimate experience.
It’s empowering to the families but for the
kids, it’s planting that seed. It’s inspiring to me
because you see the hopes and dreams in all
their eyes, to know this is part of the American
dream.”
The middle school students who took part
in the program were a diverse group; some
students are already excelling in their studies,
while others are not.
“Some of these kids are at risk for dropping
out of school,” said Marga Madhuri, La Verne
Associate Professor of Education. By getting the
students to think about college now, educators
can offer support and show them that it’s not
too late to get on a better path.
Madhuri said her long-term vision is to
continue to work with the students when they
get to high school. La Verne educators plan to
Sabino Ramirez and his twin sister, Sabina, were two of 165 junior high school students from the
Ontario-Montclair School District to get detailed information about how to set a path to college.
Jeanine Hill image
track the students by offering workshops over
the next two years that will help them prepare
for college.
“We want it to be where these kids have an
opportunity,” Madhuri said. “If you want to go,
you should be able to go.”
Educators from the university, the school
district and the county agreed that the
partnership between the district and the
university set an excellent example. Gary S.
Thompson, superintendent of San Bernardino
County Schools, said the county of San
Bernardino has a low percentage of students
moving on to college.
“Events like these are going to help students
see the possibilities and hopefully encourage
them to consider attending college and
pursuing their dream,” he said. The event also
lowers the anxiety level. “The fact that they
are here with their parents is key, I think, in
terms of encouraging students to seek higher
education.”
“I would imagine they will walk away from
this pretty excited about the possibilities for
their future.”
La Verne President Steve Morgan said he
was pleased to see the middle school students
touring the university.
“Higher education is the most effective
vehicle to level the playing field for students
from a wide variety of backgrounds and to
prepare them to pursue their dreams and that’s
what we are about,” Morgan said.
Mark Goor, Dean of the College of Education
& Organizational Leadership at the University
of La Verne, was one of the welcoming speakers
and emphasized to the young students that
they could become college students and college
graduates.
“The reason we want to bring you to campus
is because going to college is about dreaming,”
Goor said. “You will have an experience today
on this campus that will make you say, ‘I can
see myself on a college campus. I could see
myself at this college campus because I like the
way it feels.’”
Goor said educators want the students to be
comfortable on campus, to feel excitement and
to start asking questions about how they can
get to college.
Throughout the day, one of the themes was
working hard now to prepare for the future.
“One of the things I would like families and
parents to know today is the difference between
a high school diploma and what it takes to get
admitted to a four-year university,” Hammond
told the group. There are various pathways to a
university, he said, whether it is straight out of
high school or through a community college.
But, he continued, “The requirements needed
to get admitted to a university require planning
today.”
Julio Felix, 12, who is in seventh grade at
Wiltsey Middle School, said he was enjoying
the experience.
“It’s a good idea to get kids ready for college,”
said Felix, who said his aunt went to college. “I
think it’s pretty cool.”
He said he doesn’t know what he’d like to
study and said he expects to figure that out later.
But, he said, he is positive about one thing.
“I will go to college for sure,” he said.
Winter/Spring 2011
Voice
23
OFFICE OF RELIGIOUS & SPIRITUAL LIFE
A
Spiritual
Revival
As university chaplain, Zandra Wagoner has
answered a calling and will work to bring
people of many faiths and beliefs together in
an atmosphere of cooperation and tolerance.
By Wendy Leung
Y
ou might say this is Zandra Wagoner’s dream job. The former
assistant dean and assistant professor at University of La Verne
boasts a resume steeped in academia. The La Verne alumnus, who
majored in psychology and minored in religion, may hold a master’s degree and a doctorate but she is not just a scholar.
“My heart has always been in ministry,” said Wagoner, an ordained
minister in the Church of the Brethren.
So when the university revived its chaplaincy post, Wagoner, who
served as the assistant dean of the College of Arts & Sciences, jumped at
the opportunity.
“When this position came open and especially with it reconceived
with a broad, interfaith perspective, it just seemed like coming home,”
she said.
La Verne has always had some form of a religious life director. But the
new university chaplain post, which became Wagoner’s official title on
April 1, has been reconceived to be an interfaith religious leader who will
develop programs for students and the wider community to celebrate
diversity in spiritual life.
Provost Greg Dewey said Wagoner brings many talents to this position.
“We are pleased that Zandra has taken on the challenge of revitalizing
this important function at the university and welcome her into this new
role,” Dewey said.
Today, La Verne students are Catholic, Protestant, Muslim, Jewish,
Hindu and many other religions. Some may consider themselves spiritual but not necessarily religious. Wagoner said she wants to set up an
Interfaith Student Council to spearhead dialogues and activities across
the myriad faiths.
“One thing we do know,” Wagoner said, “when students make connections across differences — in terms of religious traditions and spiritual traditions — bias and prejudice go down.”
Speaking from her office at Miller Hall, Wagoner outlined her goals as
head of the Office of Religious and Spiritual Life. Some are lofty ambitions; others are a continuation of existing programs.
24
Voice
Winter/Spring 2011
Zandra Wagoner '89, an ordained minister in the Church of the Brethren,
will be an interfaith religious leader as newly appointed campus chaplain.
University of La Verne image
Wagoner wants to start a leadership program — one in which interns
or fellows will commit to community service and organize activities
around peace and social justice. She wants to initiate a speaker series
and integrate intellectual and spiritual inquiry. She envisions an annual
interfaith event, such as a candlelight vigil allowing students and others
in the community to memorialize a loved one.
“My vision for this program is for the University of La Verne to become a model campus for interfaith cooperation and religious pluralism,” Wagoner said.
The office of the chaplaincy will continue the tradition of the interfaith baccalaureate service during graduation season, and the Summer
Service program, in which Wagoner took part as an undergraduate student. Wagoner is planning an alumni event for next fall for past Summer
Service workers.
As a spiritual leader building an office of programs from the ground
up, Wagoner’s plate is full. But the La Verne native continues to be active
in the Church of the Brethren, the church she attended while growing
up. Wagoner heads the La Verne church’s peace and justice commission.
An animal lover, Wagoner also trains her dog, Papillion, in agility exercises, and once a week she can be found in the middle of a drum circle.
For the past two years, Wagoner has been playing African drums under
the tutelage of music department coordinator Steve Biondo.
Mostly, Wagoner will be crossing off items from a long list of hopes
and goals she would like to accomplish in this new role. It’s no easy feat
but Wagoner says she wants to help students build a strong sense of religious identity and encourage them to see the legitimacy and integrity of
traditions outside their own.
“For now,” she says, “that’s what’s guiding everything I do.”
Kristin Lewis is a busy
mom and a graduate
student at La Verne
working towards
becoming an
educational grants
writer and teacher.
Private support from
donors like you enable
her to work towards a
better life for herself
and her children. Read
more about her story in
the “Lives in the
Balance” article at
www.laverne.edu/voice
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