Also: [Download Audio: "Complete Address by Tim Solso '69" - 15,722kb]; 512 Students Receive DePauw Diplomas; Three Honorary Degrees Awarded; Photo Galleries 1, 2, 3; Order Your Commencement DVD

May 22, 2011, Greencastle, Ind. — [Download Video: "Guidelines and Contributions" - 1707kb] "I am excited about the prospects ahead of you," Theodore M. "Tim" Solso, chairman and chief executive officer of Cummins Inc., told 512 graduates of DePauw University at the 172nd annual commencement this afternoon. The ceremonies were held outdoors in Holton Memorial Quadrangle. The start of the proceedings were delayed a half-hour because of a storm cell that passed through the area in the late morning/early afternoon.

Solso, who graduated from DePauw in 1969, told the Class of 2011, "Each generation has the opportunity to do things better than the previous one, to resolve issues that push us to conflict, to find cures for the diseases that plague us, to develop the technology that helps protect our environment or enrich our lives, to create a more civil world where actions are driven by consideration for others. Ultimately, each of you will define your own guidelines for life and determine what kind of contribution you will make."

A psychology major at DePauw, Tim Solso earned an M.B.A. from Harvard University in 1971, the same year he joined Cummins Inc. He has served as the company's chairman and chief executive officer since January 2000. Prior to his current role, he was president and chief operating officer from 1995-2000 and served as vice president – engine business from 1988-1995.

When he received his DePauw diploma 42 years ago, [Download Video: "Thinking Bigger" - 823kb] "I was focused mostly on myself," Solso told the graduates, faculty and large crowd that gathered for today's proceedings. "I did not know what I wanted to do or could do, but I was definitely not thinking about what my contribution would be. I suspect many of you are in that same boat." He added, "I believe if you ask yourself what your contribution will be at the beginning of your adult life and focus on contributing in all that you do, you will have a meaningful life." 

Solso offered the Class of 2011 five "guiding principles" to take into the world after college:

• Character matters
• Embrace change; it is inevitable
• Give back; it will make you a better person
• Be civil, and...
• Have fun, every day.

He noted, [Download Video: "Character" - 777kb] "Character is an internal value, sometimes known only to you. It is about what you do and think privately. It is what you do when no one else is looking. It is about the choices you make at the very core of your being."

Two "challenging dynamics" -- globalization and the shifting demographics of the American population -- "require us to embrace change if we want to be successful and lead fuller lives," Solso insists. Noting that DePauw students come from 36 countries and 46 states on campus and that many of the undergraduates study abroad, he added, [Download Video: "Embracing Difference & Change" - 2113kb] "Meeting and knowing -- really knowing -- people who are different from you is enriching. It is a great learning experience that helps you better understand a changing world and prepares you for the future. Frequent dealings with people who are different can take you out of your comfort zone. That is when the best learning occurs. I believe your own personal success will be affected by your ability to treat others as you would like to be treated. That is especially true of people who are different from you. How well we manage this diversity will have a direct influence in our ability to contribute."

Barron's has listed Solso as one of America's "30 Most Respected CEOs" and he was one of five finalists for MarketWatch's "CEO of the Decade." Looking at the students before him, he stated, [Download Video: "Privilege" - 987kb] "Almost everyone here today comes from privileged backgrounds. Some may not be financially privileged, but privileged to have the opportunity to study at DePauw through scholarships. Having a DePauw education and being a part of the DePauw community is a privilege for life."

With 1.1 billion of the Earth's people living on less than $1 a day, the need for compassion and understanding is great, the winner of the 2007 International Executive of the Year award said. "As you go through life, you can use your own success to help create a better existence for those who are less fortunate."

The Cummins CEO cited the personal volunteer stories of DePauw seniors Donta Goodwin, Minnu Paul, Katie Sink, Liz Massoth, Arielle Brosman and Adam Hawkins as an example of the good deeds the University's students do on a consistent basis.

[Download Video: "Making a Positive Difference" - 3885kb] "Volunteerism and community service is a long-standing tradition at DePauw and is one of DePauw’s values of which I am most proud," Solso declared. "When your goal is to make a positive difference, the benefits from your actions can literally touch hundreds, maybe thousands, of people. You make the world a better place. And the experience makes you a better person."

Solso also called on graduates to bring civility to the nation's daily conversations. [Download Video: "Communicating with Civility" - 1200kb] "It is important for us to pause for a moment and make sure we are talking with each other in a way that heals, not in a way that wounds," he stressed. "If your behavior is more civil, it will become contagious and others will behave in a similar manner. These collective individual acts of civility will enrich our lives and make our societies better."

Finally, when it comes to fun, Solso told the young scholars, [Download Video: "Loving Your Life's Work" - 1505kb] "If you are passionate about what you do, you will do it well. It is possible to feel good about your job. In fact, I think it is essential if you want to have a fulfilling life. I believe that if you enjoy what you do, have a passion for work, face life and its tasks with a positive attitude you will achieve more than you and perhaps others thought possible. And you will do it with a great sense of satisfaction and fulfillment."

Solso and two other distinguished individuals -- Cassel Grubb, professor emeritus of music at DePauw and former director of the DePauw University School of Music; and Ian Morris, Jean and Rebecca Willard Professor of Classics and professor of history at Stanford University, received honorary doctoral degrees.

For the tenth year in a row, DePauw is producing a limited edition commemorative DVD.  The disc, which is professionally replicated, will include footage of graduates receiving their DePauw diplomas as well as a range of bonus materials. 2011 graduates will each receive a free copy of the DVD this year, to make up for the disruption to the commencement ceremony caused by the threat of dangerous weather.  Other orders are now being accepted at $19.95 for the first disc; additional DVDs sent to the same address are $8 each (7% sales tax will be added to Indiana orders). An online order form is available here; you can learn more about the disc in this article.

The Latin honors for the class of 2011 graduates are listed here.  For more information on DePauw's 172nd commencement, click here.

Also: [Download Audio: "Complete Address by Christine Walker '11" - 4716kb]; Tim Solso '69 Addresses Class of 2011; Three Honorary Degrees Awarded; Photo Galleries 1, 2, 3; Order Your Commencement DVD

May 22, 2011, Greencastle, Ind. — [Download Video: "The Class of 2011" - 661kb] "I have no doubt that our class has great things in store, but only if we do not forget all of the lessons we have taken from the past," senior Christine Walker told fellow members of DePauw University's Class of 2011 this afternoon. "We have all of the direction we need as long as we are willing to trust what we have already been through."

Walker is the 2011 recipient of the Walker Cup, which recognizes the senior student judged to have contributed the most to the University during his or her four-year college career. The Walker Cup winner has the honor of speaking to the graduating class.

A total of 512 students received degrees today during DePauw's 172nd commencement, which began outdoors in Holton Memorial Quadrangle , with the scheduled 1 p.m. starting time delayed a half-hour by threatening weather.  Stormy weather finally did arrive shortly after the process of distributing the diplomas began.  The senior class moved to Meharry Hall in historic East College, where the remaining diplomas were handed out as heavy rain began to fall outside.

[Download Video: "Our Generation" - 1509kb] "We are a generation that until a few years ago had never known a president that did not have the last name of Bush or Clinton," Walker said. "We are the text messaging generation. We are the first generation to be plugged in completely, in which no area of information or the world is off limits. We are the generation for whom, as author Thomas Friedman states, the world is flat. As we grew up we were told that we can retrieve information faster, travel further, and dream bigger than any who came before us. And then we came to DePauw."

She recalled late nights of studying, of the lifelong friendships that were forged, and of memorable moments like the 47-yard field goal that won the 2007 Monon Bell Classic during their first year on campus.

[Download Video: "Looking Ahead, Embracing the Past" - 2214kb] "We will always be teenagers of the millennium," Walker noted. "We will always be members of DePauw. None of this should end here today. Your DePauw experience should not end here today. Everything you have learned, everything you have been been challenged to do, should continue far beyond this moment. We have all come from very different places and we are heading different directions. We shared these four years and all of the lessons they taught us. So as we head forward, don’t forget to look over your shoulder as well. When you come to a life-changing crossroad, such as today, look behind you because that is where your map may lie."

The principal address at the 2011 commencement was delivered by Theodore M. "Tim" Solso, chairman and chief executive officer of Cummins Inc. and 1969 graduate of DePauw University. Solso and two other distinguished individuals -- Cassel Grubb, professor emeritus of music at DePauw and former director of the DePauw University School of Music; and Ian Morris, Jean and Rebecca Willard Professor of Classics and professor of history at Stanford University, received honorary doctoral degrees. (at right: the graduates in Meharry Hall, after the proceedings were forced indoors by stormy weather)

For the tenth year in a row, DePauw is producing a limited edition commemorative DVD.  The disc, which is professionally replicated, will include footage of graduates receiving their DePauw diplomas as well as a range of bonus materials. 2011 graduates will each receive a free copy of the DVD this year, to make up for the disruption to the commencement ceremony caused by the threat of dangerous weather.  Other orders are now being accepted at $19.95 for the first disc; additional DVDs sent to the same address are $8 each (7% sales tax will be added to Indiana orders). An online order form is available here; you can learn more about the disc in this article.

The Latin honors for the class of 2011 graduates are listed here.  For more information on DePauw's 172nd commencement, click here.

Also: Tim Solso '69 Addresses Class of 2011; 512 Students Receive DePauw Diplomas; Photo Galleries 1, 2, 3; Order Your Commencement DVD

May 22, 2011, Greencastle, Ind. — [Download Video: "Prof. Cassel Grubb Honored" - 6714kb] "This is a day that I shall always remember," Cassel Grubb, professor emeritus of music at DePauw and former director of the DePauw University School of Music, said this afternoon as he was presented with an honorary doctorate at the 172nd annual commencement.  "I'm especially honored because it's given from the University where I taught and performed for 40 years." (at left: Professor Grubb with DePauw President Brian W. Casey at today's commencement ceremonies)

Grubb, who is 87, was a professor of cello at DePauw from 1949 until his retirement forty years later. He was appointed director of the School of Music in 1978 and held that post until his retirement in 1989.

Ian Morris, Jean and Rebecca Willard Professor of Classics and professor of history at Stanford University, received an Honorary Doctor of Letters degree from DePauw today.  He called it an "enormous honor," adding, [Download Video: "Prof. Ian Morris" - 4533kb] "And I was feeling a little bit humble just now listening to what some of you graduating seniors have already managed to do."  Morris said, "For an academic this is the greatest award you can possibly hope to get in a lifetime, so I'd like to thank everybody at DePauw for doing me this enormous honor."

Theodore M. "Tim" Solso, chairman and chief executive officer of Cummins Inc. and today's principal commencement speaker, was awarded a Doctor of Business Administration degree.

Learn more about the three honorary degree recipients in this previous article.

A short time after the awarding of the honorary degrees, stormy weather forced the 512 graduating seniors and President Brian Casey indoors to Meharry Hall, where the program concluded. 

Two retiring members of the DePauw faculty were also honored today: Barbara Bean, professor of English, who came to DePauw in 1987; and Cynthia E. Cornell, Jane Cooling Brady Professor of Early English Literature and professor of English, who has been on the faculty since 1975.

DePauw senior Christine Walker, the recipient of the 2011 Walker Cup, also addressed her classmates today.  Access a summary of her remarks here.

For the tenth year in a row, DePauw is producing a limited edition commemorative DVD.  The disc, which is professionally replicated, will include footage of graduates receiving their DePauw diplomas as well as a range of bonus materials. 2011 graduates will each receive a free copy of the DVD this year, to make up for the disruption to the commencement ceremony caused by the threat of dangerous weather.  Other orders are now being accepted at $19.95 for the first disc; additional DVDs sent to the same address are $8 each (7% sales tax will be added to Indiana orders). An online order form is available here; you can learn more about the disc in this article.

The Latin honors for the class of 2011 graduates are listed here.  For more information on DePauw's 172nd commencement, click here.

May 23, 2011, Greencastle, Ind. — As the final new episode of The Oprah Winfrey Show airs this week, wrapping up the enormously successful daytime talk show which has aired for 25 years, "the time is clearly right," according to Jeff McCall, professor of communication at DePauw University in an Indianapolis Star op-ed. "It's been a great run, but the Oprah touch is not as magical as it once was, with ratings wobbling."

It's been an "amazing" television success story, according to Dr. McCall. He writes, "Oprah entered the daytime television world at an opportune time, when the lineup included soaps and goofy discussion shows such as Donahue. Oprah grew up in the South and broadcast from the Midwest, which surely helped her understand a wide range of viewers. She understood the ups and downs of real life, having battled her way out of poverty with an industrious, can-do approach. Oprah was sociable, empathetic, and just as important, not perfect. These traits helped her reach viewers across all demographic and socioeconomic boundaries. Viewers liked Oprah because they knew her emotions were real. Oprah's program had a solid balance of serious and fun topics. She took on challenging social issues with sophistication. Local television affiliates often used the Oprah show as a lead-in to late afternoon newscasts, so it was in their interest to promote Oprah heavily."

The professor, who authored Viewer Discretion Advised: Taking Control of Mass Media Influences, asserts, "But even the most popular television shows and personalities eventually rust, and Oprah is no exception. Her ratings have slipped by about a third in the last five years, with even Judge Judy providing competition. It is likely some conservative and politically independent viewers cooled on her in 2008 when she became a visible political partisan with her active campaigning for then-candidate Barack Obama."

McCall states, "Oprah's departure leaves a void, and programmers are scrambling to find a replacement personality. Anderson Cooper has a talk show ready to debut this fall, but let's face it, audiences already know him, and his ratings on CNN are dreadful. It will be hard for him to be a somber newsman on CNN and a do a light, talkie show in the daytime. Katie Couric appears headed to a daytime talk show, but it will be fall 2012 before it gets going. Ellen DeGeneres' current show could move into Oprah's time slot, but her zaniness might not work as well with Oprah viewers who are used to serious conversation. Rachael Ray is successful, she's still largely identified with cooking, and she would have to expand her subject range."

His column concludes, "A number of current Oprah affiliates are simply planning to start local newscasts earlier. They know, like Oprah's fans, that Oprah can't be replaced."

You'll find the complete essay at IndyStar.com.

A 1976 graduate of DePauw, Jeffrey M. McCall is frequently called upon by major media outlets to discuss media matters. Last week he was quoted in a story in the UK's Guardian on Oprah Winfrey and the week before discussed Jim Lehrer's decision to step away from PBS' NewsHour with the Christian Science Monitor. On May 7, McCall's op-ed column on the state of TV news was published in the Indianapolis Star.

May 23, 2011, Greencastle, Ind. — Kristen Pflum, a 2004 graduate of DePauw University, has been recognized as "Best News Anchor" in the 2011 Kentucky Associated Press Awards. Nicole Pence, a 2006 DePauw graduate, took second place honors in that category. Pflum   anchors the 4 p.m. newscast at Lexington, Kentucky NBC affiliate WLEX-TV while Pence is the station's morning news co-anchor. (at left: Pflum; below right: Pence)

See the list of winners here.

Pflum came to WLEX from WISE-TV  in Fort Wayne, Indiana. She's received several previous awards including "Best Television News Reporter" from the Kentucky AP in 2006. In May 2005, Pflum was honored with a third place award for "Best News Reporting" in the Society of Professional Journalists' "Best of Indiana" competition for her work at DePauw's student-run television operation, D3TV.

Pence joined the NBC affiliate in August 2008 as a reporter and was named to the anchor post in March 2010. A 2010 nominee for a regional Emmy Award, she previously worked for Indiana's News Center in Fort Wayne, where she was a reporter and fill-in news anchor. In 2004, she was one of four DePauw students to share a national Society of Professional Journalists' "Mark of Excellence" award for "Best Radio Sports Reporting."

Read more at the station's website.

May 23, 2011, Greencastle, Ind. — "When WBBM-Channel 2 anchor Rob Johnson was asked to be the master of ceremonies for the Neumann Family Services' spring fund-raiser Tuesday at the Merchandise Mart, no one had to twist his arm," begins a story in today's Chicago Sun-Times. "Supporting people with disabilities is an issue dear to Johnson's heart. His younger brother, Edward, lives with Down syndrome."

The mission of Neumann, writes Stefano Esposito, is "helping people with disabilities live more independent lives by integrating them into the community as much as possible. The organization "is raising money to build an industrial-size teaching kitchen for the agency’s clients. Johnson said teaching such skills is vital in making folks like his brother more marketable in their search for work. Too often people with disabilities end up doing short-term, menial work, he said.

The article notes Johnson's community outreach efforts on behalf of the disabled. "When Johnson is at the podium, there’s a good chance he'll talk about an issue that he brings up whenever he can: Getting people to stop using the 'R' word, or 'retarded.' Use that word in Johnson's presence, and he may ask you, bluntly, if you’re referring to his brother. 'It's a little awkward,' the DePauw University graduate says of having to correct folks. 'I'm not going to deny it. I really feel strongly about it.' " (photo, l-r: Johnson with CBS 2 colleagues Kate Sullivan, Bill Kurtis and Walter Jacobson)

You'll find the complete text at the newspaper's website.

An Emmy Award-winning journalist, Rob Johnson is a 1990 graduate of DePauw, where he majored in communication. Before moving to Chicago in 1998, he worked at KPRC-TV in Houston, Texas as an anchor and reporter (1995-98). Previously, Johnson worked as the lead anchor at KATV in Little Rock, Arkansas; anchor and reporter at KLFY in Lafayette, Louisiana (1992-94); and at KALB in Alexandria, Louisiana (1990-92).

Last November, Johnson received the Northern Suburban Special Education District's "Outstanding Advocate Award." Learn more in this story.

May 23, 2011, Greencastle, Ind. — "I couldn't be more excited," says Mike Howland, a 2002 graduate of DePauw University, who was today introduced as the new boys basketball coach at St. Viator High School in Arlington Heights, Illinois, his high school alma mater. He replaces Joe Majkowski, who retired after 24 years pacing the baseline. "I've always had this dream of taking the program over when Joe was done," says Howland. "And now it's here. I feel like I'm ready." (at left: Majkowski and Howland, courtesy Chicago Daily Herald)

As a high school junior, Howland helped Viator win a share of the East Suburban Catholic Conference titlein 1996-97. "Howland went on to be a standout player at DePauw University in Greencastle, Ind.," reports the Chicago Daily Herald's Marty Maciaszek. "He played alongside Brad Stevens, who has coached Butler University to NCAA runner-up finishes the last two years."

Read more at the newspaper's website.

Another story on Mike Howland can be found here.

May 24, 2011, Greencastle, Ind. —Two Greencastle residents, Linda Sebree and Patrick Aikman, have been named community coordinators for the Program Academic Exchange (PAX), a not-for-profit agency based in Port Chester, N.Y.," reports the Banner-Graphic. PAX offers both inbound and outbound high school students international experiences with hosting families with whom they live, in most cases for one or two semesters and sometimes 4-6 weeks. Aikman is a 1957 graduate of DePauw University, while Sebree is an assistant at the DePauw Archives and Special Collections.

The newspaper notes that "Sebree has been designated to work with students and families in North Putnam and Greencastle High School, as well as schools in Montgomery County. Aikman is assigned to assist with South Putnam and Cloverdale schools, as well as other nearby communities and their high schools -- Brazil, Plainfield, Spencer and Rockville -- to establish contacts and enrollments. However, both Sebree and Aikman can work with any high school in the county based on the family's decision.

Read more at the newspaper's website.

May 24, 2011, Greencastle, Ind. — "A new book about ESPN mixes a detailed corporate history of the 24-hour-a-day sports network with off-camera gossip and after-hours tales about the personalities there," reports the Associated Press. "Called Those Guys Have All the Fun: Inside the World of ESPN, the book is due for publication today, but some copies were distributed last week."

More than 550 people were interviewed for the project, the article notes. "Chris Berman, Keith Olbermann, Bob Ley and other on-camera stars join network executives including founding chairman Bill Rasmussen, who initially incorporated his company as the ESP Network in 1978, in chronicling the rise of 'the worldwide leader in sports.' The interviews are published, according to the authors, with minimal editing and provide in-depth looks at many of the key moments that helped propel the network to an international behemoth."

Rasmussen, a 1954 graduate of DePauw University, co-founded ESPN with his son Scott, a 1986 DePauw grad.

Others interviewed for the book -- authored by James Andrew Miller and Tom Shales -- include President Barack Obama, Warren Buffett, Peyton Manning and Spike Lee.

Read more in the Salem News of Beverly, Massachusetts or at the website of the Green Bay Press-Gazette.

A Sports Illustrated look at Those Guys Have All the Fun notes, "Much of the first quarter of the book focuses on the network's rise from humble origins, from founder Bill Rasmussen's decision to buy a transponder in 1978 on RCA SAT-COM 1, to Getty Oil's early investment of $15 million, to the genius of creating a dual revenue stream in the form of payments from cable operators and advertising sales (which set up ESPN for world domination)," writes Richard Deitsch.

Bill Rasmussen authored Sports Junkies Rejoice! The Birth of ESPN and is among 39 business leaders interviewed in a recent book, Tough Calls From the Corner Office. He was recently recognized as one of the 2011 class of "The Champions: Pioneers & Innovators in Sports Business." 

Scott Rasmussen is founder and president of Rasmussen Reports, one of the nation's leading polling firms.  Learn more about him in this recent article.

May 25, 2011, Greencastle, Ind. — "For a politician, 'I will not compromise!' seems like a sure-fire applause-getter -- at least, when preaching to the choir," writes Lee Hamilton. "It’s not so good for the nation as a whole, however." The veteran statesman and 1952 graduate of DePauw University offers his thoughts in a newspaper op-ed.

"There is room in politics for elected leaders who won’t back down on their principles," writes the Democrat who served 34 years in the U.S. House of Representatives and later co-chaired the 9/11 Commission and Iraq Study Group. "But if they dominate the political sphere, representative government becomes impossible, as making progress on the many ills that beset us takes a back seat to declarations of principles."

Hamilton continues, "This does not mean that political leaders need to abandon their principles. One secret to Ronald Reagan’s success as president was his ability to communicate his firmly held beliefs and his vision for where he wanted to take this country -- and at the same time to recognize that in a country as large and diverse as ours is, he needed to be able to listen to the other side, determine where he could show flexibility, and find common ground. Pretty much every clause of our Constitution was the result of talented and committed politicians going at it hammer and tongs, and then seeking the best compromise they could find in order to move forward. I simply do not see how this nation could have been formed or could have survived without the skillful use of compromise. What is representative democracy about if it does not entail the accommodation of different points of view?"

The spirit of compromise may be weakened these days, but it "is not dead," according to Hamilton. "You can see it in the work of the bipartisan group of senators who recently came together to make the confirmation process for executive-branch nominees more efficient and rational. And you could see it last winter when President Obama and congressional leaders agreed to allow tax breaks for the well-to-do to continue in exchange for securing an extension of unemployment benefits for the jobless. These deals leave everyone unhappy to a degree, but also with something they wanted. They allow the nation to square its shoulders to confront the next challenge. Without them, we’d be stuck arguing endlessly over irreconcilable positions; government would become dysfunctional. And whatever a politician who rejects compromise might think, his constituents definitely did not send him to Capitol Hill to allow that."

Access the complete text at Ohio's Circleville Herald.

Now the director of the Center on Congress at Indiana University, Lee H. Hamilton returned to DePauw on March 15 to address "The U.S. Role in the World After Afghanistan and Iraq" in a Timothy and Sharon Ubben Lecture.  A summary including video clips can be accessed here.

May 25, 2011, Greencastle, Ind. — Jeyson H. Florez, a 2007 graduate of DePauw University, was honored as a 2011 "Posse Star" at the Posse Foundation's annual gala tonight at Pier Sixty in New York City. Florez, a federal strategy & operations consultant for Deloitte Consulting LLP, was one of four honorees and was recognized as an outstanding alumnus of the Posse program.

"A Posse Star is an individual who exhibits leadership, who makes a significant contribution in the field of education, and who positively affects people's lives," notes the foundation. Each year, The Posse Foundation identifies honorees who exemplify these attributes. They are public leaders, presidents and chancellors of Posse partner colleges and universities, and Posse Alumni. The Posse Foundation also awards a star to an outstanding company or foundation that has invested significant resources in helping Posse achieve its goals. We are proud to acknowledge these honorees as role models for all of us."

The event was emceed by 60 Minutes correspondent Lesley Stahl, and featured an appearance by Saturday Night Live's Jay Pharoah.

The Posse Foundation identifies public high school students with extraordinary academic and leadership potential, who may be overlooked by the traditional college selection process. The Foundation extends to these students the opportunity to pursue personal achievement and academic excellence by placing them in supportive, multi-cultural teams ("posses") of 10 students. The Foundation's partner universities acknowledge Posse Scholars by awarding them four-year, full-tuition, leadership scholarships. DePauw hosts two Posses each year -- one from New York City and the other from Chicago -- and has been a Posse partner since 1996.

In 2004, DePauw's eighteenth president, Robert G. Bottoms, was recognized as a Posse Star. Two years ago, Posse honored Timothy H. Ubben '58 and Tiffany A. Schiffner '02.

Jeyson Florez spent the 2007-08 academic year researching wealth distribution and poverty in Costa Rica as a Fulbright Scholar. Learn more in this article.

May 26, 2011, Greencastle, Ind. — "Conducting the Spoleto USA production of The Medium will be Joseph Flummerfelt, who has a longstanding and close association with Menotti's music," notes an article in the City Paper of Charleston, South Carolina. "The Medium was the first opera Flummerfelt conducted as undergraduate director of the opera workshop at DePauw University in 1956. For him, Menotti counts as a major 'theatrical genius,' both as a composer and director."

The article by Blake Stevens, assistant professor of music history at the College of Charleston, previews Saturday's opening of The Medium. "This year's Spoleto Festival USA production of Gian Carlo Menotti's The Medium is the first staging of a Menotti opera at the festival since 1993, his final year as festival director," he writes. "2011 marks the centenary of his birth, and with this production, Spoleto audiences may be invited not only to revisit a classic work that appeared in the festival in 1979 but also to re-examine Menotti's place in contemporary opera."

According to Stevens, "Flummerfelt believes that with this new production, honoring the founder of the festival in the centennial year of his birth, the time may have come to rediscover the 'masterpieces' Menotti produced in the 1940s and '50s."

Access the complete text at the publication's website.

Joseph Flummerfelt, a 1958 graduate of DePauw University, has been called "the greatest choral conductor in the world" by Leonard Bernstein (the two men are seen in the photo at right) and was named 2004 "Conductor of the Year" by Musical America.  He returned to his alma mater in the spring of 2005 as a Distinguished Visiting Professor. 

May 26, 2011, Greencastle, Ind. — DePauw University junior Rachel MacBeth has been named to the 2011 Capital One Academic All-America® Softball team.  The announcement of the squad was made today.

"A biochemistry major with a minor in religious studies and a 3.96 G.P.A., MacBeth was the leading hitter for DePauw University and led the Tigers to a fifth place finish at the NCAA Division III Tournament," notes the citation. "She batted .443 with two home runs, 13 doubles, 32 runs batted in and 43 runs scored. She was runner-up for Division III Softball’s Elite 88 Award at the 2010 NCAA Tournament. As a junior, MacBeth was named to the Southern Collegiate Athletic Conference (SCAC) first team and the Louisville Slugger/NFCA All-Central Region second team. A native of Indianapolis, Ind., she has been a member of three NCAA Tournament teams and two SCAC championship squads."

To be eligible for Academic All-America® consideration, a student-athlete must be a varsity starter or key reserve, maintain a cumulative G.P.A. of 3.30 on a scale of 4.00, have reached sophomore athletic and academic standings at his/her current institution and be nominated by his/her sports information director. 

Since the program's inception in 1952, CoSIDA has bestowed Academic All-America honors on more than 14,000 student-athletes in Divisions I, II, III and NAIA, covering all NCAA championship sports.

Read more here or here.

For comprehensive information on the Tiger softball program, visit the team's official online page.

May 27, 2011, Greencastle, Ind. — Lisa (Reynolds) Schlehuber, chief executive officer of the Indianapolis-based Eli Lilly Federal Credit Union and 1983 graduate of DePauw University, has been elected to the board of directors of CO-OP Financial Services. Based in Rancho Cucamonga, Calif., CO-OP bills itself as the industry leader in access and convenience products for credit unions.

"Lisa Schlehuber is an outstanding addition to the board, particularly with her background in compensation and benefits, investments and financial management," states the board chairman, Doug Allman.

Schlehuber was named CEO of Eli Lilly FCU in January 2005, after serving on its board of directors for two and a half years. She joined Eli Lilly and Company in October 1999 and served as director of Investments and then director of global compensation and benefits. An economics major at DePauw, Schlehuber previously held finance management positions with Caterpillar, Inc., and worked in public accounting at Arthur Andersen & Co.

Read more here.

May 27, 2011, Greencastle, Ind. — According to a new survey of employee attitudes by Lumesses, a London-based consulting firm, "Thirty-eight percent of older workers (ages 56 to 60) said they believe they will always be recognized and rewarded if they work harder or take extra responsibility; only 19 percent of Gen Y workers (ages 18 to 25) feel the same way, according to the survey," reports Human Resource Executive's Michael O'Brien. "Steve Langerud, a workplace consultant and director of professional opportunities at DePauw University in Greencastle, Ind., says he was 'shocked the numbers are that high for Gen Y employees who believe that about rewards.'  "

Langerud tells the publication, "Typically, they believe they will be rewarded for results. Not [for] how much time on task or how they do a job but [for] how much they produce. Period." O'Brien writes, "(Langerud) also says Gen Y employees are motivated by the process of work, more than just completing an assignment. 'Doing more is not an end in and of itself,' he says, 'but rather part of an interesting and engaging game they get to play with other smart, interesting people.' "

Read the full article -- "Generational Differences in Recognition and Rewards" -- at the magazine's website.

Steve Langerud has helped more than 15,000 people with workplace issues and is regularly quoted in articles on the job market and career development. Earlier this month he was interviewed for a Voice of America segment and was quoted in a recent Philadelphia Inquirer piece and an MSNBC.com column.

Visit DePauw's Office of Civic, Global and Professional Opportunities here.

May 28, 2011, Greencastle, Ind. — Pamela Jones Davidson, a nationally-known speaker on philanthropic planning and gift techniques, will give a special presentation at DePauw University on Friday, June 10, as part of Alumni Reunion Weekend 2011. Davidson will offer advice on "Smart Planning for Personal and Philanthropic Success" at 9 a.m. in Thompson Recital Hall, which is located within DePauw's Green Center for the Performing Arts. 

The program is presented free of charge and is open to the public, but pre-registration is required. To reserve a spot for the session, please contact Melissa Kirkham in the Office of Advancement at (765) 658-4200 or e-mail mkirkham@depauw.edu.

What are practical and pragmatic ways for you to take care of family first, then decide who else will benefit from your estate? Can you be a giver to your favorite charities without hurting loved ones? Davidson will examine these questions and more.

A 1979 magna cum laude graduate of Indiana University School of Law, Davidson has more than 16 years experience in the planned giving field. From 1984-96, she served at Indiana University Foundation, leaving as its executive director, planned giving and associate counsel. Previously, she was an examiner in the gift and estate tax division of the Internal Revenues Service and in the private practice of law in Indianapolis.

Davidson is a past president and board member of the Planned Giving Group of Indiana and past treasurer and board member of the Indiana Chapter of the National Society of Fund Raising Executives. She served on the board of directors of the National Committee on Planned Giving (now the Partnership for Philanthropic Planning) for six years, beginning in 1994, and was chair of its education committee in 1995 and secretary in 1996. She was the 1998 president-elect of NCPG and served as its president in 1999 and, as a former president, now serves on its ethics committee. She is a member of the Indiana State Bar Association.

Learn more about Alumni Reunion Weekend in this previous story.

May 28, 2011, Greencastle, Ind. — "Most people haven't noticed yet, but according to a recent study by the Brookings Institution in Washington, we have just lived through the most dramatic decrease in global poverty in history," notes a story published today in Canada's National Post.  "And the transformation has almost nothing to do with debt relief or higher aid flows. According to the Brookings report, 'Poverty in Numbers: The Changing State of Global Poverty from 2005 to 2015,' we are living in a period of rapid global poverty reduction that is driven by high, sustained economic growth across the developing world. Nearly half a billion people escaped living at or below the poverty threshold of U.S. $1.25-a-day between 2005 and 2010, say the study's authors Laurence Chandy and Geoffrey Gertz. 'Never before in history have so many people been lifted out of poverty in such a short period,' they said."

Geoff Gertz, a 2007 graduate of DePauw University, is a research analyst, global economy and development, at Brookings Institution.

Access the full story, and learn more about the report here.

In 2007, Gertz  is received a Junior Fellowship from the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace. Details are available in this previous story.

May 29, 2011, Greencastle, Ind. — "In his provocative and hard-hitting new book, James B. Stewart warns of the risks from an epidemic of perjury that has 'infected nearly every aspect of society,' " begins a Washington Post review of Tangled Webs: How False Statements Are Undermining America -- From Martha Stewart to Bernie Madoff. Sissela Bok writes, "As in earlier books such as Blood Sport and Den of Thieves, Stewart offers riveting accounts of the unfolding of each drama. He brings to bear his superb skills as an investigative reporter, interviewing the main participants in the four cases, and acquiring previously secret grand jury transcripts and notes by FBI agents and other investigators through Freedom of Information Act requests."

Read more at the newspaper's website.

A 1973 graduate of DePauw University and a member and former chair of the college's Board of Trustees, Stewart won the Pulitzer Prize in 1988 for his coverage of the stock market crash of 1987 in the Wall Street Journal, where he worked as a reporter and served as a Page One editor. He recently joined the New York Times as a columnist.

The author of nine books, Stewart received the George Polk Award in 1987 and Gerald Loeb awards in 1987, 1988 and 2006. The editor of The DePauw while an undergraduate, Stewart earned a juris doctor from Harvard Law School. He serves as the Bloomberg professor of business journalism at the Columbia Journalism School.

The San Francisco Opera has commissioned Heart of a Soldier, a new opera based on Stewart's critically acclaimed nonfiction book of the same name, which will premiere in September.  Details can be found in this recent story.

May 29, 2011, Greencastle, Ind. — "ESPN was founded by Bill Rasmussen in 1978 with $9,000 on his credit card," begins a Hollywood Reporter story. "Today, it encompasses six U.S. networks, 46 international ones, a radio network, websites, a magazine, even a restaurant chain. It is worth more than the entire NFL, or more than the NBA, the NHL and Major League Baseball combined. The subject of Those Guys Have All the Fun: Inside the World of ESPN by Tom Shales, the Pulitzer-winning former Washington Post TV critic, and James Miller, a former journalist and cable executive, is the 'mystery of ESPN's rise to stratospheric heights from subterranean depths.' "

In the book, which was released last Tuesday, "The authors' answer -- pulling out seven key moments in the network's history -- is less compelling than just enjoying the whole story," opines Andy Lewis. "And oh what a story: larger-than-life personalities, salacious gossip, backstabbing and corporate intrigue set against the backdrop of the rise of cable television as an economic and cultural force."

Read more here.

A 1954 graduate of DePauw University, Bill Rasmussen authored Sports Junkies Rejoice! The Birth of ESPN and is among 39 business leaders interviewed in a recent book, Tough Calls From the Corner Office. He was recently recognized as one of the 2011 class of "The Champions: Pioneers & Innovators in Sports Business." 

May 29, 2011, Greencastle, Ind. — "At Indiana Humanities, we believe that meaningful change begins with conversation, and real conversation results from a blending of different knowledge, perspectives, opinions and passions," writes Keira Amstutz, president and chief executive officer of Indiana Humanities, in the Indianapolis Star. "Like a great recipe, a good conversation embraces a variety of flavors, combines the common with the unexpected, and allows disparate ingredients to merge, mingle and complement each other."

Amstutz, a 1991 graduate of DePauw University, offers an essay on "Chew on This," an event sponsored by her organization, which recently brought together about 150 people at nine ethnic and international restaurants in Indianapolis' Lafayette Square area. 

"As they shared dishes and sampled new flavors, the diners agreed that, whatever the cause, the emergence of the neighborhood as a global marketplace is good for the area and for Indianapolis," Amstutz notes. "Asked how the city could help these independent businesses thrive and encourage the area's growth, diners dove into the conversation with gusto."

Those attending the event included "writers, artists, lawyers, engineers, nonprofit employees, young professionals and more," according to Amstutz. "As a result, the conversation sparkled with diverse opinions. Visions grew from amalgams of varied viewpoints, and ideas sprang from unexpected collaborations. Did we emerge with a concrete and clear action plan for making the Lafayette Square area a thriving dining destination? No. But we welcomed into that area people who otherwise might not have ever gone there. We helped area residents experience new cultures through the cuisines of other nations. And we launched conversations that we expect to continue and flourish."

Read more at IndyStar.com.

Amstutz previously served as chief counsel and director of policy for the City of Indianapolis. She led the city's successful Cultural Development Initiative, a public-private collaboration launched to elevate the city's cultural profile. Learn more about her in this previous story.