June 17, 2011, Greencastle, Ind. — "DePauw University's Move Out program is in its third year, but in that third year it was able to reach a number of families it never had access to before," begins an article in the Banner-Graphic. Michael Logli writes, "The Move Out program is a philanthropic project that collects various items from students as they move out of their homes and dormitories at DePauw and donates them to families in need. The program is a result of the hard work of the Putnam County Family Support Services and Missy Orr, assistant director for sustainability at DePauw."

The report notes, "Last year the group donated their items to 11 families in the county, but this year, thanks largely to the efforts of the PCFSS, the Move Out program gave their eclectic collection of odds and ends to more than 50 families." The items include appliances, clothing, furniture, food. and light fixtures.

"Each year has become progressively better in the amount of donations," says Orr, a 2009 graduate of DePauw.

Matt Demmings, a public safety officer at DePauw and coordinator of the local Coats for Kids program, is also cited in the piece.  The organization "helps give coats and jackets to children who need them for the winter. This year the group received 15 to 18 bags of coats, jackets, sweaters and sweatshirts to give to children in need."

Demmings says, "DePauw has donated a tremendous amount of winter/fall clothing wear to us for our Coats for Kids campaign."

Access the complete story at the Greencastle newspaper's website.

Learn more about DePauw's sustainability efforts in this recent article.

June 18, 2011, Greencastle, Ind. — An NPR analysis of the debate over U.S. military involvement in Libya includes comments from Lee Hamilton, the veteran statesman and 1952 graduate Of DePauw University. "The War Powers resolution really does not work," says Hamilton of the 1973 federal law requiring Congress to sign off on a president's decision to send armed forces into action abroad. Alan Greenblatt reports, "Instead, the War Powers Act has largely been used as it's being used now -- as a political tool that allows Congress to criticize a president about the prosecution of a war."

The report notes, "The law was passed over the veto of President Richard M. Nixon. The intention was to prevent America from entering into protracted military engagements, as Vietnam had become, without the approval of Congress. The president has 60 days to seek formal approval from Congress after engaging in hostilities, with the possibility of a 30-day extension."

Hamilton notes, "When the United States makes a decision to go to war, it ought not to be made by one person."

You'll find the complete story at NPR's website.

Now the director of the Center on Congress at Indiana University, Lee Hamilton recently wrote of the need for citizens to have good civic skills in a newspaper op-ed. The co-chair of the 9/11 Commission and Iraq Study Group, 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.

June 19. 2011, Greencastle, Ind. — "It was just in the last year that Pastor Bill Pike heard the calling to begin looking for a congregation to lead," begins a story in the Crawfordsville Journal Review. "As assistant director of stewardship and planned gift administration at DePauw University, Pike felt he was at a place in his life to lead a church congregation."

"I had felt a calling to work for the church in some form," Pike tells the newspaper. "I just never thought that I would be a pastor."

With a degree from the Duke University School of Divinity, Pike "has taken every opportunity to preach, filling in at churches on an interim basis or subbing for vacationing pastors," writes Andy Barrand.  Pike is now preaching at New Market United Methodist Church and Waveland Covenant United Methodist Church.

"We want to find ways to reach out to the people of both communities," says Pike. "We want to make the people of those communities feel welcome and give them a reason to come to church."

Access the complete article -- "First-time pastor takes over two congregations" -- at the Journal Review's website.

June 20, 2011, Greencastle, Ind. — AJ Feeney-Ruiz, a 2004 graduate of DePauw University, has joined Leonard-McDowell, an Indianapolis-based Internet security firm, as a summer management consultant. A practicing public relations professional in both the public and private sector, Feeney-Ruiz will assist Leonard-McDowell by assembling a public relations plan that assists the company’s efforts to connect and grow local startups in the technology field.

Feeney-Ruiz recently served as deputy chief of staff and spokesman for Indiana's Secretary of State.  Earlier this month he announced his candidacy for the Indianapolis City-County Council.

"I hope to create a plan with Leonard-McDowell that can be used for years to come and help in its ongoing mission to provide excellent solutions with integrity," says Feeney-Ruiz. "I was particularly drawn to their desire to help identify and grow local startups and share this plan with their clients and partners."

A political science major at DePauw, Joseph Adamje "AJ" Feeney-Ruiz is completing work on an M.B.A. from Indiana University's Kelley School of Business and a law degree from IU. He will assist in day-to-day operations at Leonard-McDowell related to public relations and use that experience to help craft a final business plan focused on how to best use public relations and marketing at the firm.  As a requirement for this project, he will complete 120 consulting hours.

"We’re excited to have AJ on board," states Leonard-McDowell principal Frank Leonard. "It’s rare that an opportunity like this comes around, and we’re happy for a chance to provide an immersive learning experience to solve real world problems and grateful to the Kelley School of Business for allowing him to complete his coursework by assisting us in our mission."

Visit Leonard-McDowell online.

June 20, 2011, Greencastle, Ind. — Maggie Doherty, a 2004 graduate of DePauw University, is among the members of the 2011-12 United States Telemark National Ski Team. Doherty, who finished in third place overall among women at the U.S. National Championships, competed on the U.S. Regional team last season, her first as a competitive telemark skier.

Twelve competitors comprise the upcoming A and B squads. Doherty has been named to the B squad.

"Doherty trains on Whitefish Mountain Resort and plans to race in Europe and on home soil this upcoming season," notes an announcement. "Last season, she competed in three World Cup Telemark race series in Germany, Austria and Norway. Along with her teammates from the U.S. National team, she will compete in regional, national and World Cup Telemark events this coming winter."

Learn more in this previous story.

In 2007, a short story by Maggie Neal Doherty was published in the inaugural issue of Whitefish Review. Details can be found in this article.

June 20, 2011, Greencastle, Ind. — Trent T. Ritzenthaler, a 1991 graduate of DePauw Univeristy, has been named associate director of the Butler Business Accelerator. A consulting firm in Butler University's College of Business, the Accelerator is designed to serve middle market companies in Indiana.

Ritzenthaler, who majored in computer science at DePauw, "comes to Butler from Navigant Consulting, where he was involved with consulting and strategic planning for local, regional and national health insurers, health systems, hospitals and physician practices," notes Inside Indiana Business. Prior to working with Navigant, he worked for Roche Diagnostics, Divine and Accenture. Additionally, he was president and co-owner of Ascendium Consulting."

"Trent brings a significant background in national and regional consulting firms," says Larry O'Connor, executive director of the Butler Business Accelerator. "He has practical experience in the medical and healthcare fields, which will broaden our capabilities."

Read more here.

June 20, 2011, Greencastle, Ind. — "What expectations did you have of a career path when you graduated from college?," Pittsburgh Post-Gazette columnist Patricia Sheridan asks of Fox News anchor Bret Baier. "Is this where you wanted to be?," she queries the 1992 DePauw University graduate." Baier, chuckling, responds, "It's definitely exceeded where I wanted to be at this point." The newspaper notes that Baier's program "is the No. 1 cable news show in its time slot."

"Listen, I always dreamed about being in the anchor chair in the middle of a political world, covering Washington when people are really into politics and I think now is that time," says Baier, who cut his teeth at DePauw's student television operation, now known as D3TV. "I really do think people are more in tune with what's coming out of this capital city than they have been in quite some time. So that's what I always dreamed of. When I first started with Fox, soon after Fox News started, I dreamed of being Brit Hume. He's my mentor and friend, and it happened. I have big things ahead to make it even better. I love what I'm doing."

Baier took over for Hume in 2009. 

Read the complete interview at the Post-Gazette's website.

At DePauw, Bret Baier majored in political science and English (composition) and was captain of the Tiger golf team. He began his career as a production assistant at CNN and joined FOX News Channel in 1998.

In September 2008, Baier returned to his alma mater to participate in "DePauw Discourse 2008: America's Role in the World." The newsman moderated a session with Lee Hamilton '52, the former congressman and co-chair of the Iraq Study Group and 9/11 Commission. An article -- including video and audio clips -- can be accessed here.

In April, NPR reported that Baier "finds himself at the forefront of a new generation of stars at Fox News."

June 21, 2011, Greencastle, Ind. — Dan Quayle, the 44th Vice President of the United States and 1969 graduate of DePauw University, will be among the celebrity golfers taking part in the 22nd annual American Century Championship, July 15-17, in Lake Tahoe, Nevada. The event, which will be held at the Edgewood Tahoe Golf Course, will raise funds for LIVESTRONG®. Founded by seven-time Tour de France winner Lance Armstrong, LIVESTRONG works to unite people all over the globe to fight cancer and support survivors.

Others in the tournament's 2011 field include Michael Jordan, Charles Barkley, Joe Theismann, Tony Romo, Tim Tebow, Jimmer Fredette, Lou Holtz, Jason Kidd and Ray Romano.

The tournament will be aired on NBC, the Golf Channel and Versus. More than $3 million has been raised for a variety of national and local charities since the tournament's inception in 1990.

Learn more here.

Dan Quayle served as a U.S. Congressman and Senator before becoming America's 44th Vice President in 1989.  He is now chairman of Cerberus Global Investments. A member of DePauw's Athletic Hall of Fame, Quayle captained the Tiger golf team. On October 26, 1990, the vice president was awarded his alma mater's McNaughton Medal for Public Service. On May 22, 1982, as a United States Senator, Quayle provided the commencement address at DePauw.

Access another recent story on Dan Quayle.

June 21, 2011, Greencastle, Ind. — "It takes only one word for those associated with DePauw University and Wabash College to cause a flurry -- Monon," begins an article in Indiana's Fort Wayne News-Sentinel. "For one week each November, two fanatic fan bases go into a frenzy that no other sporting event in Indiana can offer. The two schools' combined attendance is about 3,500, but they still have to build -- yes, build -- more stands at the stadiums every year to seat the 12,000 tickets that will be sold." (at left: 2008 postgame celebration; below: promotion for the 1936 Monon Bell Classic)

The piece is part of a series of stories highlighting "the best events an Indiana sports fan would want to see over a lifetime." It's written by Jonathan Batuello, a 2010 DePauw graduate.

"Every fan and player involved realizes that this is how the season will be defined," declares Batuello, who was a communication major and Media Fellow. "Players and coaches on both sides always say they only care about who wins the Monon Bell game (and they should know since at least one of the two teams has made the Division III playoffs five of the past six years). It's heated enough that coaches who took their teams to the playoffs have been fired over losing too many games to this specific opponent.

Besides being one of America's longest (started in 1890) and closest (55-53-9 in Wabash's favor) rivalries, "realize this game has a national television contract with HDNet, has been on ABC and ESPN2, and has been covered by Sports Illustrated. It was voted Indiana's top sports rivalry in 2005 by fans visiting ESPN's website, beating No. 2 Indiana-Purdue basketball by nearly 10 percent, as well as Colts-Patriots and Notre Dame-Purdue football."

The text concludes, "The great games and finishes could go on forever, but really it comes down to one hope and reason to go. It's not the great tailgating or the intensity on the field – which is as high as any sporting event has to offer when the athletes aren't worried about scholarships or draft status -- but it's simply grabbing that Monon Bell and ringing it with an entire fan base after a win. Ding-ding-ding, it's the easy answer for Indiana's best sports ticket."

Access the column at the News-Sentinel's website.

The 118th Monon Bell Classic will take place on Saturday, November 12, at DePauw's Blackstock Stadium. Access DePauw's Monon Bell Web page here.

[Download Video: "Ballad of the Monon Bell - 2007 Version" - 10,419kb] [Download Audio: "Ballad of the Monon Bell - Stereo" - 2514kb]

Professionally replicated DVDs have been produced of 13 complete Monon Bell games -- the 2000 through 2010 games, as well as the 1977 and 1994 Monon Bell Classics. Learn more here.

A complete roster of "Monon Memories" -- video highlights of past classics -- can be found here.

June 22, 2011, Greencastle, Ind. —  Janice M. Hay,a 1991 graduate of DePauw University, has been promoted to the position of vice president for marketing at the Philadelphia Orchestra Association. Hay had served as senior director of marketing for the Association since August 2010, following a 15-year marketing career with the Atlanta Symphony Orchestra.

In her new position, Hay will be accountable for achieving institutional goals for annual ticket revenue through the creation and direction of subscription and single ticket marketing strategies and plans for all Philadelphia series concerts. Additionally, she will oversee the marketing staff -- including campaign timelines, advertising, and sales tracking.

"I am proud to be a part of (this) management team as The Philadelphia Orchestra takes the next steps to securing its future," says Hay. "I am dedicated to exploring creative and meaningful ways in which we can connect with our audiences as well as identifying areas of potential growth within the market."

The Philadelphia Orchestra is among the world’s leading orchestras. Renowned for its artistic excellence since its founding in 1900, the Orchestra has excited audiences with thousands of concerts in Philadelphia and around the world.

While at DePauw, Hay was a violinist in the DePauw Symphony Orchestra. As a member of the ensemble, she assisted with business aspects of the Orchestra’s budget, planning an ensemble tour, and writing content for a letter to the American Society of Composers, Authors and Publishers when the Orchestra won the ASCAP Award for Adventuresome Programming.

Learn more about the appointment here.

Founded in 1884, the DePauw School of Music is one of the oldest in the nation and has an established tradition of educating leaders in virtually every facet of music -- including performers, educators, composers and administrators. Vist the School of Music online.

June 23, 2011, Greencastle, Ind. — Shannon Hammel, a 1995 graduate of DePauw University, has joined NBC-owned WMAQ in Chicago as assistant news director.  She comes to the Windy City from Dallas where she was managing editor at NBC affiliate KXAS-TV for the last five years and was executive producer prior to that.

Hammel's resume also includes stints at WCMH in Columbus, Ohio, and WILX, located in Lansing, Michigan.

Shannon Harris Hammel was an economics and political science double major at DePauw.

Read more here.

June 23, 2011, Greencastle, Ind. — Two alumni of DePauw University -- Michael "Jud" Fisher Jr. '91 and George R. Rehnquist '64 -- have been reappointed to the Commission for Higher Education.  Both men will serve four-year terms, as announced today by Indiana Governor Mitch Daniels. (at left: Jud Fisher; below right: George Rehnquist)

The Commission is a 14 member public body which serves as a coordinating agency for Indiana's state-supported system of higher education. The governor appoints twelve members -- nine representing each of Indiana's congressional districts and three at-large members -- to serve terms of four years. In addition, the 1990 legislature added a student and a faculty representative who are appointed by the Governor for terms of two years. The Commission is not a governing board, but a coordinating agency that works closely with Indiana’s public and independent colleges. 

Fisher is the executive associate director of the Ball Brothers Foundation.

Rehnquist is past vice chairman of the national board of the YMCA of the USA and currently serves as president of the Gibson County Tourism and Visitors Bureau.

Mike Smith '70 and Dennis Bland '87 are also members of the Commission for Higher Education.

Read more at Inside Indiana Business.com.

June 23, 2011, Greencastle, Ind. — "As we approach the tenth anniversary of the terrorist attacks on September 11th, we face a threat from al Qaeda that is more diverse and more complex than ever," says Lee Hamilton, veteran statesman and 1952 graduate of DePauw University.  "To face this challenge, U.S. policy will require strong leadership and coordination, and the Administration should lead this effort across government."

Today, the Bipartisan Policy Center's (BPC) National Security Preparedness Group (NSPG) -- which is co-chaired by Hamilton and Thomas Kean (who also co-chaired the 9/11 Commission) -- released a report, "Preventing Violent Radicalization in America." The document "makes recommendations to better prepare the United States for the evolving threat posed by violent extremists influenced by al Qaeda's ideology," according to an announcement. "The recommendations aim to inform ongoing policy development by the Administration and Congress to address this growing challenge. Last September, NSPG released a report, 'Assessing the Terrorist Threat', which concluded that the lack of a coherent approach towards domestic counter-radicalization has left the nation vulnerable to a diversifying and intensifying threat." (at right: 9/11 Commission co-chairs Kean and Hamilton deliver their panel's report to President Bush; July 22, 2004)

The new report's key recommendations "include the need for the White House to be the single point from which counter-radicalization policy is led and coordinated.  The report also recommends that a lead department or  agency be designated for each policy function – training, outreach, messaging, capacity-building, and information-sharing -- to oversee its implementation across the government."

Read more by clicking here.

A Democrat who served 34 years in the U.S. House of Representatives and also co-chaired the Iraq Study Group, Lee H. Hamilton is now the director of the Center on Congress at Indiana University. 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.

As an undergraduate, Hamilton majored in history and was a star player on the Tiger basketball team.  He was inducted into the Indiana Basketball Hall of Fame in 1982 and the DePauw Athletic Hall of Fame in 1987.

June 24, 2011, Greencastle, Ind. — The co-chairs of the United Way of Putnam County's new campaign committee, "Dave Bohmer and Marcia McKelligan, are DePauw University employees, signifying that the United Way has made its partnership with the university stronger in the last year," reports the Banner-Graphic. "The committee is comprised of members in the community, not all of them United Way board members, that will focus on different areas of the community, such as realtor associations, lawyers, doctors, small businesses and more."

Bohmer, a 1969 graduate of DePauw, is director of the Eugene S. Pulliam Center for Contemporary Media, director of the Media Fellows Program, and part-time assistant professor of history and University studies. McKelligan is Blair Anderson and Martha Caroline Rieth Professor of Applied Ethics and professor of philosophy. She received the Mr. and Mrs. Fred C. Tucker Jr. Distinguished Career Award on May 13.

"Different members of the committee will focus on particular areas and industries to look for volunteers and help for United Way," reports Michael Logli. David English, director of the local United Way and 1972 DePauw graduate, "believes the new method will help make all United Way efforts more effective and make the connections each representative builds more meaningful."

You'll find the full article at the newspaper's website.

June 25, 2011, Greencastle, Ind. — William S. Hamrick, professor emeritus of philosophy at Southern Illinois University - Edwardsville and 1966 graduate of DePauw University, has published Nature and Logos: A Whiteheadian Key to Merleau-Ponty's Fundamental Thought. Co-authored by Jan Van Der Veken, professor emeritus of philosophy at the Catholic University of Leuven, it's described by the State University of New York Press as "the first book-length account of how Maurice Merleau-Ponty used certain texts by Alfred North Whitehead to develop an ontology based on nature, and how he could have used other Whitehead texts that he did not know in order to complete his last ontology."

The synopsis continues, "This account is enriched by several of Merleau-Ponty's unpublished writings not previously available in English, by the first detailed treatment of certain works by F. W. J. Schelling in the course of showing how they exerted a substantial influence on both Merleau-Ponty and Whitehead, and by the first extensive discussion of Merleau-Ponty's interest in the Stoics's notion of the twofold logos -- the logos endiathetos and the logos proforikos. This book provides a thorough exploration of the consonance between these two philosophers in their mutual desire to overcome various bifurcations of nature, and of nature from spirit, that haunted philosophy and science since the seventeenth century."

Learn more, and order the book, at Amazon.com.

Dr. Hamrick previously authored An Existential Phenomenology of Law: Maurice Merleau-Ponty (Phaenomenologica) and Kindness and the Good Society: Connections of the Heart.

June 25, 2011, Greencastle, Ind. — A feature in the current (June 2011) issue of Ladies' Home Journal, "Lifesavers: Stories of Organ Donation," shares the experiences of Melissa (Reinke) Simon, a 2002 graduate of DePauw University.  The article details how Simon received a heart transplant in June 2007 and how the operation saved and changed her life.

About six months after receiving a new heart, Simon reached out to Jon and Linda Coleman, the parents of the 14-year-old girl whose tragic death led to the organ donation which gave Simon a second chance at life.

"The couple felt an instant connection to the woman they knew only as 'Melissa,' but whenever they tried to write back they fell apart after a few sentences," notes the magazine. "Then one day, sweeping behind a couch, Linda Coleman found one of the origami birds that Chloe's classmates had made in her memory. It opened to reveal the hand-printed word open-hearted. On the anniversary of Chloe's death the Colemans sent that letter, enclosing the bird. Simon was so moved that, with the sponsorship of Donate Life Illinois (where she volunteers), she videotaped herself reading a letter to Chloe and urging organ donation. The link to that video (watch it here) popped up over a year later when Jon Coleman, sitting in an airport, googled 'Melissa, heart transplant, Chicago.' As he watched the video, tears streamed down his face. That experience led to the Colemans' first phone call to Simon."

Access the complete text at the Journal's website.

June 26, 2011, Greencastle, Ind. — Anne Rivelli, who will be a junior at DePauw University this fall, has the featured role in BAMTheatre's production of  Jeanine Tesori's musical, Violet. Rivelli will portray "Violet" in the show, which will be staged July 7-10 at the Hinsdale Community House in the Chicago suburb.

"Writer of four Tony-nominated Broadway scores, including Thoroughly Modern Millie and Shrek: The Musical, Tesori's work with lyricist Brian Crawley on Violet –- a toe-tapping blend of country, rock, gospel and rhythm and blues -- is arguably among her most powerful," notes an announcement. "Based on the short story The Ugliest Pilgrim by Doris Betts, the musical tells the story of a young disfigured woman who embarks on a journey by bus from her sleepy North Carolina town, all the way to Tulsa, Okla., in hopes that a TV evangelist can cure her. Although it ran for less than a month Off-Broadway in 1997, Violet astounded critics and audiences with its energetic music and compelling story of transformation. It also garnered a New York Drama Critics' Circle Award and the Lucille Lortel Award for Best Musical," writes Christy Dimond.

Access the article, which points out that Rivelli is a vocal performance major at DePauw, at the Chicago Tribune's website.

June 26, 2011, Greencastle, Ind. — "The world of Butler basketball is spinning out of control for Bulldogs coach Brad Stevens. And that is a good thing." writes Tom Davis in the Fort Wayne News-Sentinel. "Over the past three days, Stevens has had a vested interest in the NBA draft for the second consecutive summer, and for the third time in three years he's watched one of his players (Khyle Marshall this year) be selected to represent the United States in international play. Stevens, too, will represent the United States in the World University Games in China as an assistant coach in August."

Stevens, a 1999 graduate of DePauw University, has led Butler to the national championship two years in a row.  He says his wife and DePauw classmate, Tracy (Wilhelmy) Stevens, "refers to this as the 'new normal'."

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

Stevens, who has been head coach at Butler for four years, was an economics major and Management Fellow at DePauw, where he played on the Tiger basketball team.

On April 13, 2010, Stevens returned to his alma mater to deliver the Robert C. McDermond Lecture.

Also available is this recent story and an online profile of Brad Stevens.

June 27, 2011, Greencastle, Ind. — An upcoming week-long workshop on the late Kurt Vonnegut will give Indiana students an opportunity to learn more about "one of our state's greatest literary voices," says Keira Amstutz, president and chief executive officer of Indiana Humanities and 1991 graduate of DePauw University. She is quoted in an Associated Press article previewing July's "Teaching Teachers to Teach Vonnegut" workshop, which will be presented by the Kurt Vonnegut Memorial Library in Indianapolis.

"The program aims to help teachers better answer their students' questions about Vonnegut and spark more critical thinking," notes the story. "Teachers will learn about Vonnegut novels such as Slaughterhouse-Five and discuss political problems with teaching high school students his works, some of which have been banned for alleged obscenity. The workshop is being paid for using grants from Indiana Humanities and the National Endowment for the Humanities."

Access the item at the website of Indiana's Columbus Republic.

Amstutz previously served as chief counsel and director of policy for the City of Indianapolis. Learn more about her in this recent story.

June 27, 2011, Greencastle, Ind. — J.K. Wall, a reporter for the Indianapolis Business Journal and 2001 graduate of DePauw University, is the recipient of a national journalism award which was presented Saturday at the Alliance of Area Business Publications' summer conference in Providence, Rhode Island. Wall's weekly "Health Care & Reform" e-mail received the silver award for "best industry-specific e-newsletter."

All told, IBJ collected seven awards, including two golds.

Los Angeles-based AABP is a national organization representing 64 independent magazine and newspaper members in the United States, Canada and Australia," notes the article.

Read more at the publication's website.

Wall, who was a history major and Media Fellow at DePauw, has been a health care/education reporter at the Business Journal since August 2007. He previously spent more than five years at the Indianapolis Star, where he covered business.