W I D E N E RWidener Magazine

Innovation/

Entrepreneurship Issue

Volume 18

Number 01

Spring ’08

Widener UniversityOne University PlaceChester, PA 19013Phone: 1-888-WIDENERWebsite: www.widener.edu

Published by theOffice of University Relations

Executive Editor: Lou Anne Bulik

Editor: Debra Goldberg

Class Notes Editor: Meghan Radosh ‘00, ‘02

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Widener Magazine Volume 18 Number 01 Spring ’08

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Contributing Writers:Mary AllenPat BrandtLou Anne BulikDerek CrudeleTom DursoDebra GoldbergDan HansonJennifer PinelAmy SheelySandy Smith

Photographers:Jim GrahamSabina Louise Pierce

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The Fast TrackSophomore Greg Budriss turnsordinary cars into lean, meanracing machines.

Wood U.Cabinetmakers rebuild theirbusiness with tools from theWidener Small BusinessDevelopment Center.

UncorkedA passion for winereleased Chris Boyd’sentrepreneurial spirit.

Field of DreamsSports marketing studentsscore major league successwith Philly’s pro teams.

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Engineering InnovationNew ideas and a-ha! momentsinspire three engineeringprofessors.

Labor of LoveSheila Salvant Valentine MJ ’07combines medical and legalexpertise to help fellowHaitians.

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2 / President’s Message

4 / Arts and Culture

6 / Research

8 / Sports

9 / PMC Remembered

10 / Innovation/Entrepreneurship

26 / Class Notes

DEPARTMENTSMagazine Advisory Board:Jo AllenGerry BloemkerVirginia BrabenderLou Anne BulikDebra GoldbergDan HansonCecilia McCormickTina PhillipsMeghan RadoshKevin RalphGeorge Thompson

Pres iden t ’ s Message

Just as going to college launches anexciting new course in one’s life,starting a business is a thrillingjourney that also must be carefullyconsidered, planned, and cultivated.A successful outcome is no happyaccident for either the student or theentrepreneur. Rather, it is the resultof intensive strategy, focus, and hardwork. Widener celebrates the spiritof innovation and entrepreneurshipevery day in myriad ways, from studentscholarship to faculty research toalumni achievements.

Throughout the metropolitanregion, Widener alumni and friendsare creating dynamic businesses andhelping others reach their potentialthrough innovative thinking andenterprising action. Board ofTrustees members such as LeadershipPhiladelphia’s Liz Dow and Dr. KarolWasylyshyn PsyD ’82, president ofLeadership Development, are workingwith individuals and corporations tofoster new paradigms for 21st centuryleadership and social activism.

Nowhere is the marriage ofbusiness theory and practice moreevident than at the Widener SmallBusiness Development Center, which

provides consulting services andeducational programs such as “The 7Habits of Highly Effective People” forstart-ups and established businessesalike. Our students also benefit fromthe SBDC when clients are broughtinto the classroom for case studies andhands-on learning projects, includingthe one detailed in our story aboutAmerican Wood Design Co.

It’s no surprise that the mostsuccessful entrepreneurs are fueledby passion and lofty goals, as demon-strated in profiles on student race cardriver Greg Budriss and winemakerChris Boyd ’90. Both men are productsof Widener Engineering, a hotbedof innovation and discovery centeredin Kirkbride Hall.

Read our story about thepioneering research being conductedby professors Maffia, Huang, andTwardowski, and you’ll find yourselfagreeing with old Ben: When weinvest knowledge and resources inpeople and our community, thereturns are inspiring, measurable,and lasting.

–Dr. James T. Harris III

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INNOVATION/ENTREPRENEURSHIP“An investment in knowledge still yields the best returns.”–Benjamin Franklin

Thanks to our generous alumni,friends, and donors, Wideneris able to inspire the nextgeneration of entrepreneurs andinnovators. Our honor roll ofdonors recognizes those whochoose to help Widener reachhigher and go farther.

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By Pat Brandt

Acting on Promise: Reflections ofa University President exposes theissues and dilemmas faced by a chiefexecutive officer of a university intransition. “My interest in becomingpresident of Widener in 1981 wasbased upon on my belief in thepotential of the university to increaseits academic stature and excellence,”says the author, President EmeritusRobert J. Bruce.

In 1981, Widener was still in itsformative stages as a university. Ithad only been nine years since themomentous and difficult decision tochange the name of the institution. Inassuming the presidency, Bruce wasaware that his stewardship wouldrequire re-conceptualizing manage-ment strategies, reorganizing theinstitution’s schools and departments,redefining reporting and governancestructures, revamping the budgetprocess, and expanding academicopportunities.

As Bruce writes the history ofWidener’s transformation from 1981to 2001, he makes public, insights andstrategies that even those who workedclosely with him will find interestingand perhaps surprising. Using hisextensive collection of diaries, memo-randa, confidential notes and reports,he details the rationale for decisionsthat turned a college still in transitionfrom a small, tradition-rich militarycollege into a multi-college, three-campus comprehensive university.

On management style he writes:“You don’t always have to be thebrightest person in the room. If youare, don’t let them know right away.”

On faculty: “Faculty instinctivelybelieve they are the quintessentialcore of the university. In mattersacademic, they are correct . . . theyare the continuum of the academicstandards. They can be extraordinarilycreative or doggedly intransient.”

On students: “I found all studentsengrossing. I loved their enthusiasm,their candor, their ‘can do’ attitudes,their passion, and their curiosity. Evenon those occasions when the issueswere serious and negative in nature,I found the interaction with studentsinstructive.”

But, Acting on Promise alsosteps beyond Widener’s campusesto explore Bruce’s observations aboutthe problematic issues faced by mostuniversity presidents. With the knowl-edge of “one who has been there,” theauthor shares his perceptions on,among other things, faculty, life inthe “glass house,” interaction withpolitical and civic leaders, and therole of athletics in higher education.

The thread that runs throughActing on Promise is Bruce’s obviouspleasure in what was a fascinatingcareer packed with eclectic momentsand exposure to a broad array ofunique personalities. For anyone whois curious about the workings of auniversity, the book has much to offer.

Bruce will visit Widener to talkabout his book and his experiencesat the university as part of AlumniWeekend on June 21. For more infor-mation on Bruce’s visit and Alumni

Weekend, visit the Alumni Servicessection of the Widener website atwww.widener.edu.

Acting on Promise can be orderedfor $26.95 plus $4.60 Priority Mail®

shipping from Polyglot Press, Inc. Formore information, visit www.polyglotpress.com or e-mail order requests toorders@polyglotpress.com. The bookwill also be available in the WidenerUniversity Bookstore.

Proceeds from the book willbenefit the Robert J. and Judith G.Bruce Endowed Scholarship Fund atWidener. The scholarship is awardedto a sophomore who demonstratesoutstanding academic achievementas well as financial need.

Photo: Olan Mills; Cover illustration:Scott Santoro, Worksight.

Acting on PromiseOffersBehind-the-ScenesLook at 20 Years ofWidener HistoryBook by President Emeritus Robert J. Brucein Bookstores this Month

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Junior Brian DiBiagio firstpicked up a guitar when hewas 10 years old. A decadelater, he plays in four bands,has performed at severalprominent Philadelphiavenues, and participates inWidener’s Jazz, Wind, andPercussion ensembles, andthe Pep Band. He teachesguitar lessons every week.In addition, DiBiagio com-posed original music andlyrics for the FreshBakedTheatre Company’s productionof Hansel and Gretel last fall.

At 14, DiBiagio playedat Finnegan’s Wake, apopular Irish pub inPhiladelphia. Since then,he has performed at WorldCafé Live, Grapestreet,Doc Watsons, and CitizensBank Park. DiBiagio iscurrently the guitar playerfor Mark Register & theChange, The Chris DespoBand, The Bill MonaghanBand, and Celtic Pride, anIrish band. He released his

MusicMan

The ProducersAs part of their SeniorCapstone Project, threeWidener communicationsstudies students are teamingup with Philadelphia-basedfood bank Philabundance,whose mission is to endhunger in the Delaware Valley.

Seniors RachelChizmadia, Lindsay Brady,and James Valentine arecreating a promotional filmto raise awareness for thisnon-profit organization. Thestudents work under a grantfrom the GreaterPhiladelphia Film Office,called The Tripod Initiative,which collaborates with fivecolleges in the Philadelphiaarea to aid students withtheir film projects.

So far, the studentshave filmed severalPhilabundance events, suchas the Turkey Round-Up andthe Campout for Hungerwith WMMR. “Our goalwith Philabundance is toproduce a promotionalfilm that they can show topeople to spark their interestto donate or volunteer tothe organization,” saysChizmadia. “It would alsoserve as a reminder forthose that do donate tocontinue to do so.”

Dwight Dewerth-Pallmeyer, director of theCommunication Studiesdepartment and courseinstructor for the Capstone,believes that the service-learning component of the

A R TS AND CU LTUR E

Left to right: Dr. Dwight Dewerth-Pallmeyer, Lindsay Brady,Rachel Chizmadia, and James Valentine.

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first album with MarkRegister & the Change in2006, and a new album isset for 2008.

“I love music: everythingabout it,” says DiBiagio.“I love seeing and feelingthe sounds, and what it cando to me. Dribbling a ball,hammering a nail—it’sall music!”

DiBiagio is inspiredby musicians Jeff Buckley,Miles Davis, Joni Mitchell,Wes Montgomery, and TheBeatles. “Music is endless,”he explains. “The people Ilook up to are all playingthe same 12 notes . . . justin different ways.”

DiBiagio minors inmusic with a dual Englishand creative writing major.He is the treasurer for theEnglish and Creative WritingClub and regularly con-tributes to its open micnights. He is also a writerfor The Pioneer Review,Widener’s literary journal.

For the past three years,Thomas Benedetti, associateprofessor of Italian andSpanish, has collaboratedwith the Chester-area Sonsof Italy and several Widenerstudents to present ItalianCinema Night at Widener.The screenings aresponsored by the ItalianClub, Il Circolo Italiano,whose goal is to bringculture to campus throughItalian cinema. Films areshown in Alumni Auditoriumon the last Wednesday ofeach month.

The program was createdas a way for students andlocal community membersto interact with one another.After each screening, thegroup discusses both thethematic issues in the filmand how the film’s eventsrelate to their experience.

“The community membersare usually a generation ortwo apart from the students,so they are interested inhearing what a studentthinks of a situation,”Benedetti explains.

Last year, the ItalianCulture Attaché, AngelaConstantini, met withBenedetti at the Consularoffices in Philadelphia abouthow the Italian consulatemight interact with theWidener community.Additionally, AssociazioneRegionale Abruzzese Delco,a regional group of mem-bers from the Abruzzi areaof Italy, was also interestedin collaborating with localstudents. The society hasset up scholarships toreward students who areof Italian heritage andwho excel in Italian studies.

Kirk Pavoni, a juniorInternational Relationsmajor with a pre-law minor,received one of the scholar-ships, while Benedettipresented at the awards.

Benedetti believes thatthe Italian Cinema Night willcontinue to be successfulas long as the relationshipbetween the community andthe students stays intact.“The community membersare often pleasantly surprisedby what they hear from thestudents,” he says. “It isrefreshing to see both groupsinteracting and reacting.”

Films have included: IlBagnoTurco and La DolceVita, Fioretti di SanFrancesco, Roma Citta Apertà,and Matrimonio all’italiano.

Above: Anita Ekberg inFellini’s La Dolce Vita.

project is significant forhis students. “The film forPhilabundance is a greatexample of Widener stu-dents using the skills theyacquire to do great thingsfor our local community,”he says. “Not only do thestudents get a chance toperfect their skills, they alsoget a chance to do somethingof real significance: help anorganization feed hungrypeople.”

While searching for anarrator for the project,the students wrote to actorand Philadelphia native,Will Smith, seeking hisinvolvement. The film isscheduled for completionin May.

Viva Italia

EQ

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For ten weeks during thesummer of ’06, while manyof her peers were relaxingat the shore, chemical engineering senior CaitlinFeeser worked eight hoursa day conducting graduatelevel research at theUniversity of Colorado at Boulder. As part of theResearch Experience forUndergraduates (REU) program through theNational Science Foundation,Caitlin was able to workalongside faculty, post-doctorate, and graduatestudents to study polymersthat are often used as dental fillings.

The goal was to find apolymer that could resistshrinkage, and in turn,increase the lifespan ofcommon fillings. Their dedication was rewardedwhen the research unveileda polymer which met therequired standards. An article about the team’sgroundbreaking researchmethodology and studyresults was published in the July 2007 issue of TheJournal of Polymer Science.Feeser was named a co-author, something “quiteimpressive for anyone, letalone an undergraduate,”

You may be smart, but your IQ will not determineyour success. In fact, it is believed that IQ onlyaccounts for approximately20 percent of our accom-plishments. The other 80 percent is determined by social and emotionalcompetence, a form ofintelligence which can belearned and is based onfive basic components: � Awareness of ones ownemotions

� Awareness and sensitivityto others emotions

� Self management of onesemotions

� Tolerance for differencesand conflicts

� Flexibility in one’s behavior and in the ability to see things frommultiple perspectives

It is believed that individualswith higher levels of socialand emotional competenceare not only more success-ful, but also happier andmore likely to engage inleadership roles. Knowingthese concepts could betaught prompted WidenerUniversity Board of Trusteesmember Karol Wasylyshynto push for further researchinto its application here atthe university. Tom Young,professor of social work,was recruited to develop an instrument that couldeffectively measure thisconstruct. With supportfrom Ning Wang, assistantprofessor of education,

Compound Success

R E S E A R CH

the Widener EmotionalLearning Survey (WELS)was born and has sincebeen tested extensively on campus.

Says Young: “It is trulya versatile concept that hasproven itself valuable inmany departments of theuniversity aside from theCenter for Social WorkEducation, including theCenter for Education, theInstitute for Gradate ClinicalPsychology, and on variousservice learning initiatives.”

Most notably, in a Fall ’07 freshmen seminartaught by Jeannette Wyatt,assistant professor of socialwork, the survey wasadministered to evaluatestudents’ level of the construct at the beginningof the academic year. Thegoal was to assess whetherthe curricula on emotionallearning taught in the fallwould lead to an increase in social and emotionalcompetence by the end ofthe academic year—thusresulting in higher gradesand retention rates.

Results will not beavailable until students areofficially re-surveyed, butanecdotal feedback suggeststhat the course did assiststudents in adjusting tocampus life. There is also an indication that studentsbelieve their levels of socialand emotional competence have increased across all five components.

Caitlin takes a break fromher research at the University of Colorado.

THE ABCs OF

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says Gennaro Maffia, aWidener professor of chemical engineering.

In her senior year, Feesercontinues to demonstratehard work and dedicationto her field. Last Decembershe organized a toy drivewith Engineering HonorSociety Tau Beta Pi to providegifts for more than 20impoverished children in Chester. This semestershe has an internship withDuPont and also workingwith classmates on a seniorproject—in conjunction withthe Keystone Innovation Zone—to develop a chemical thatcan increase blood clotting.

“If we are able to successfully develop thischemical, we hope it willhave practical use in thebattlefields for our troopsby helping them stop theblood flow of a seriouswound while on the frontline,” she says.

Feeser is applying tofour prestigious graduateprograms in chemical engineering and aspiringtoward a career with thegovernment in research anddevelopment. It’s a safe betthat her future will bringadded accomplishments.

Compound SuccessPeanut butter and jelly;cookies and milk; baseballand hot dogs: Some thingswere just meant to betogether. This semester, seniors in the School ofEngineering and the Schoolof Business Administrationare testing that notion byteaming up to create whatthey hope will be touted asthe next great partnership.

Supported by a grant from the Delaware CountyKeystone Innovation Zone,students in Engineering401/402 and Management451 met in the fall of 2007to brainstorm research topics for their senior projects, which capitalize onthe unique talents of bothschools. For each project,the engineering studentsare responsible for choosinga product or process todevelop or enhance, whilebusiness students are challenged to explore themarketability and commer-cial value of the conceptthrough market research,feasibility studies, and business plans.

For example, one project is titled “Large ScaleProduction of Peptides forBiotechnology.” Peptides are small proteins that canbe used to increase blood clotting. They are presumedto have commercial value,especially within the military,if the cost of production canbe reduced to a level thatsupports reasonable marketpricing. For this study, engineering students willattempt to develop a costeffective manufacturingtechnique, while the businessstudents will assess the

potential value of peptidesin the marketplace.

Results are presentedfor an audience of facultymembers and business professionals in April aspart of Project Day at theuniversity. Not only is it anexciting experience for thestudents, but a practicalone, as well. In the “realworld,” collaboration andconsensus building will be the keys to success forWidener graduates. Here,they are learning first handthat the whole is greaterthan the sum of its parts.

DynamicDuos

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S POR TS

There’s not much more toadd to the courageous sagaof former Widener track andfield All-America MachariaYuot. But ESPN recentlyfound a way on the net-work’s news magazine show E:60.

The story chronicled his torturous journey acrossSudan, his record-shatteringtrack and cross countrycareer at Widener, his struggles to become a U.S.citizen and his emotionaljourney back to Sudan toreunite with his mother.

A preview was heldOctober 25 before a packedaudience at Lathem Hall.Yuot, Widener track & fieldcoach Vince Touey, ESPNreporter Tom Farrey, andseveral “Lost Boys ofSudan” spoke.

The six-time NCAA champion won the 2004NCAA Inspiration Award,was honored in 2006 as theMost Courageous Athlete by the Philadelphia SportsWriters Association and that

same year received theGiant Steps Award from the National Consortium for Academics and Sports.

Yuot’s story is one ofexcellence and inspiration.He spent most of his child-hood as a member of theLost Boys. When he was 9,he fled his home in Sudanas a refugee from a two- decade-long religious civilwar. Trekking nearly 1,000miles on foot with limitedfood and drink, Yuot and thesurviving Lost Boys arrivedin Ethiopia in 1991 only tobe chased after their arrival.Once again finding them-selves homeless, the LostBoys ate wild berries

to survive. They eventuallyfound their way to Kenya,where they lived in refugeecamps.

In 2000, Yuot and 3,600 other Lost Boys weremoved to the United Statesin one of the most ambitiousrelocation programs sinceVietnam. Yuot was relocatedto Pennsylvania and, withthe help of the LutheranChurch, was enrolled atWest Philadelphia CatholicHigh School. There, heplayed soccer and landed aspot on the track and fieldteam where he caught theattention of the Widenercoaching staff.

Donations are beingaccepted for The SorghumFields Project to help “provide alternative livingsituations that will enablethe inhabitants of theSudanese village of Anyidi,birthplace of Yuot, thenecessities of life.”

For more informationgo to thesorghumfieldsproject.org.

MachariaYuot’s Storyof CourageRuns onESPN’s E:60By Derek Crudele

An Officerand aGentlemanEnsuring the Band ofBrothers Marches OnLouis F. Horner, BSBA, PMCClass of 1962, is a trail blazer.

Born Oct. 7, 1939 inBridgeport, CT, he was thefirst African American toplay Little League ball inStratford. He was captain of the varsity basketball and baseball teams in highschool and became the firstAfrican-American to beaccepted to, and graduatefrom, Peekskill MilitaryAcademy. Horner enteredPennsylvania MilitaryCollege as a freshman cadetin 1958. He was the thirdAfrican American to gradu-ate from PMC and the firstto play varsity sports there.

Upon graduation,Horner earned a U.S. Armycommission as a 2nd Lt. inthe Signal Corp. He playedbaseball for the Army andserved for three-and-a-halfyears, finishing the remainderof his six-year obligation inthe reserves and attainingthe rank of Captain. Heworked as an internationalmarketing representative for Homelite Corporationbefore moving into humanresources with companiessuch as AVCO Lycoming and Digital EquipmentCorporation.

Horner is most proud ofhis role as human resourcesmanager of Digital’s firstinner-city manufacturingplant in Springfield, MA.

PMC R EMEMBER ED

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BuildingBridges

The work was as challengingas it was rewarding.

“For some of these people, we had to teachthem everything, and notjust about manufacturing,but about the basics,” herecalls. “I worked 6 a.m. to 9 p.m. every day, but itwas worth it to watch thebusiness and the peopleblossom.”

Three years later, theplant employed 850 peopleand had become the mostsuccessful minority-managedbusiness in the world. Hornercontinued to advance at thecompany, creating innova -tive programs that benefitedthe corporation and thecommunity. He also beganto focus on three distinct personal legacies.

First was Project 50/50,which earned him a Presi -dential Citation by RonaldReagan in 1985. The programwas designed as a summercomputer enrichment pro-gram in collaboration withthe French River EducationCenter in Uxbridge, MA. Inless than four years theprogram trained 6,000 students and 600 teachersin the use of computers inthe workplace—the “nuts andbolts” of computing, plushi-tech work skills, computer history and more. Project50/50 has been endorsed by the U.S. Department ofEducation and replicated by more than 20 schooldistricts since its inception.

The second of Horner’slegacies is the ShadowBracelet. It is an awarenessbracelet designed to promoteglobal peace, unity, andmutual respect. The braceletis sky blue with five coloredcircles that represent thefive races of the world.“Whether white, black,brown, red, yellow, disabled,or veteran” say Horner, “we all cast the same color shadow.”

Horner’s third legacy is abook about his PMC Class of1962—or “band of brothers”—titled Who Will Water theFlowers. Every year, whenthe graduates have theirreunion, there are class-mates missing. Yet Hornercredits all 265 men for helping him become theman he is today.

“Someday, only one ofus will be left,” he says. “Iwant to capture everythingthat they have accom-plished.” For Louis Hornerand the Class of ’62, that is quite a lot.

With the goal of maintain-ing—and celebrating—theties between PennsylvaniaMilitary College (PMC) andWidener University, a newlyformed Cadet-CivilianMemorial Committee plansto build a memorial tributethat represents the core values of both schools.

Over the years, bothPMC and Widener have supported academic achieve-ment and civic engagementto build grad uates of character, courage, andhonor. A statue depicting aPMC cadet and a civilianWidener student will serveas a historic icon that

immortalizes the CadetCorps and welcomes theemergence of Widener. Thebronze edifice will be placednear Muller Hall, which wasonce the school’s library.

Committee members,Ollie Armitage ’49, HebButler ’49, and Fred Shahadi’49, invite alumni and friendsof PMC and Widener to sharetheir pride in both schoolsand to help make this excitingproject a reality.

For more informationabout the Cadet-CivilianMemorial and ways todonate, please contact MikeTalarico at 610-499-4118 ormjtalarico@widener.edu.

Pictured above: John R.Cellucci ‘52 and OllieArmitage ’49.

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I nnova t ion/En t repreneursh ip

Sophomore Greg Budriss turns ordinary cars into lean, mean racing machines.

“Maybe when I’m 80, you’ll be drivinga Budriss.”

That’s a pretty lofty goal for a college student with a passion forturning stock cars into high-perform-ance racers. And Greg Budriss knows full well the fate of the automotivemavericks who tried to transform theindustry with innovative cars. Butgiven that Budriss is already runninghis own successful motorsports firm at age 20, it’s not that far-fetched toimagine him succeeding where Tuckerand DeLorean came up short.

The Langhorne, PA-native, who is studying mechanical engineering,possesses the two main prerequisites of any race car builder: a love of drivingfast and an ability to take things apartand put them back together again,only differently and better. “I’ve beeninterested in auto racing as long as Ican remember—probably since I was11 or 12,” he said. “I used to read aboutit and watch it on TV.”

At Widener, Budriss has learnedhow to break down and analyze engineering problems, develop work-able solutions, and use the latest inengineering software. But he came

already prepared for his studies, for he has been reverse-engineeringmachines as long as he can remember.

“Me and my brother were alwaystaking apart stuff and tinkering withit,” he says. “For instance, my mombrought us a treadmill one Christmasand told us to put it together. Shecame back downstairs to find thetreadmill in pieces. We had taken the motor out of the treadmill andattached it to a bicycle. I guess youcould say we built a motorized bike.

“Anything she bought with anengine on it, we would take it apart.”

As soon as he and his older brother,Ed Jr., were old enough to drive, theystarted doing the same thing with cars.“I remember my religion teacher inhigh school,” Budriss recalls. “He had a 1990 Geo Metro that he sold to mefor $100, and we took the car apart.It’s a front-drive car. We moved theengine, built a whole frame forward of it, and turned it into a rear-drivecar sort of like a dune buggy.”

Unlike treadmills or lawn mowers,though, cars aren’t cheap to rebuild.For instance, he says, “it costs $700 to get an exhaust.” So he gradually

began making his own small parts toreplace things that broke on the carshe tinkered with. Then he got towhere he started rebuilding cars forothers—and for money.

“The first time I did anything for pay was two years ago, when I feltcomfortable enough doing work forother people. I started doing it inorder to get the money I need to buy materials to build other cars,”Budriss explains.

“And the more I did it for pleasure,the more I discovered I could sell mywork. Then I found that I could usethe money I made in other placesbecause I made my own parts. If you can save $600 here, $1,000 there, by making your own parts from rawmaterials, it adds up to big cost savings.”

It didn’t take long for the Budrissbrothers to go from making dune buggies out of mini-cars to turningstreet sports cars into true racingmachines, bringing their father, Ed Sr.,a retired Cisco Systems sales director,into the business with them. “It allstarted when Dad bought a Viper as astreet car and took it to a local clubrace event at Pocono Raceway,” he says.

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“We showed up at the track withone of those plastic egg crates filledwith random tools. We had no ideahow to use them, but we learned, and Dad said, ‘Wow, this is fun.’”

One race led to another, thenanother. “We kept learning more andmore, and eventually Dad brought atruck and trailer for our equipment.We outgrew that too, and now wehave a mobile workshop.”

Now, other auto enthusiasts arelining up at his door. “Last summer, I had to turn people away,” he recalls. “I couldn’t handle that many cars.” Last summer, he handled 16 customersin a 16-week period; this summer, hisoutput will be less, because he is alsocontinuously refining his own car, astock Dodge Neon that he has rebuiltas a racer.

And in order to continue improving the car, Budriss has to race it. In his first race session, atSebring International Raceway inFlorida, his car experienced enginetrouble on the first day and he missed the qualifying heats. “But I did compete in a fastest-time trial and came in second,” he notes.

“My car had a stock motor,” headds. “I lost to a professional driverwith a 600-horsepower Neon by just a hundredth of a second.” TheNeon’s standard engine produces 230 horsepower, but he had modifiedit to increase its output.

Last May, at a race meet at Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course,Budriss’ Neon finished second overallin its class, close behind the car thatfinished ahead of him in the Sebringtime trial.

“It’s funny when you look back,”he says. “We have some pictures withDad and our first car. We had thestock wheels, and the stock seatbelt.Now we have cars with full safetycages, racing tires, five-point harnesses,and engines putting out two-and-a-half times the horsepower they should”—built almost entirely with Budriss-made parts. “It’s gotten something big.”

The Budrisses race their Viper and Neon in the Viper Days ChallengeSeries, the only national driving schoolofficially sanctioned by the Viper Clubof America for owners interested inlearning more about high-speed, high-performance driving

“I would love to race professionallyafter college,” he says. “That is mydream. . . . My far-off dream is to have my own car company, like Ford and Dodge.”

I nnova t ion/En t repreneursh ip

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face of disappointment or frustration,it’s going to be difficult to start a successful business.

Attunement: Once you’ve started thebusiness and you’re serving customers,you have to be very alert to your cus-tomers in such a way that you’re ableto put yourself in their shoes. You mustbe able to assess the product you’redelivering and identify other things youcan do to ensure that customers con-tinue to want what you have to offer.

Relationship traction:You need to form relationships that are not justtransactional, but are meaningful, visceral relationships with the cus-tomers. Again, things go wrong inbusiness and if you don’t have thesetypes of customer relationships, thingscould go wrong pretty quickly.

Dr. Karol Wasylyshyn ’82 is a consultingpsychologist specializing in businessmanagement, as well as professor,author, and president for Philadelphia-based Leadership Development. Amember of Widener University’s Boardof Trustees, Wasylyshyn’s businesscareer has evolved through the disciplines of journalism, psychology,and management consulting.

Vision: Entrepreneurs have a very clearpicture of what it is they want to do.Their leadership is very much aboutwhat they see out there stretchingtoward the horizon—that big pictureand the ability either to get themselvesor the people working around themaligned with that vision. Once theyhave the vision they need to create astrategy about how to achieve it withstrategic priorities.

Innovation management:Whatever thisvision is, it needs to be an innovativeidea, so there’s some niche that’s been identified by the entrepreneur. If it’s not a new niche, there must be a way to do something that peopleare already doing—but to do it betterand more creatively.

Customer focus:You could have a brilliantvision and manage innovation in a verycreative way, but if you’re not meetingan existing need, you may not get veryfar. Focusing on what the customerneeds and delivering something thatwill address those needs are critical.

Results-orientation: If you are not very driven, practical, pragmatic, andfocused, you won’t be able to build abusiness. And if you don’t understandall the financial aspects of building

a business and all the managerialaspects of running a business, you will not be a successful entrepreneur.These are important leadership competencies that can be taught.

Core behaviors

(also called emotional intelligence)

Self-awareness:There are a lot of peoplewho say, “I’m fed up with the corpo-rate world or the academic world andI’m just going to go into business formyself.” If they’re not self aware, theremay be some aspects of going intobusiness for themselves that they arenot in touch with. For example, if youlike to be around other people, work-ing in your home office where you’relooking at a computer screen all day is not going to work for you. You needto understand who you are and whatyour drivers are.

Self-management: You have to have acompelling desire to build this businessand be willing to do what it takes tobuild a business successfully. You needto be able to do these things consis-tently, day in and day out. And thatincludes being resilient enough whenthere are disappointments. There willbe frustration, and if you are not thick-skinned enough to react well in the

Born to Run [With It]Can entrepreneurship be taught or is it innate?Karol Wasylyshyn PsyD ’82 has identified certainleadership competencies and core behaviors thatare essential for successful entrepreneurship. Some can be taught. Others may depend a lot onyour personality. Either way, successful businessowners, inventors, and innovators share many ofthese common traits.

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Cabinetmakers rebuildtheir business with toolsfrom the Widener SmallBusiness DevelopmentCenter.

W D U.

By Debra Goldberg

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Michael Gilhool founded American Wood DesignCo. with wife JoAnn because he wanted a niceplace to work. Specializing in custom cabinetryand countertops for office buildings, the couplestarted the business in 1996 after Michael lost his shop job. Just one week into another gig, herealized he’d be happier as his own boss, “It wasthe best decision I ever made,” he says.Originally based in a rough part of South

Philly, American Wood operated from the secondfloor of an office building, where the work had tobe done at night. A year later, the Gilhools movedto an office park in Claymont, DE. Since thenthey’ve moved within the park “probably aboutfour times” as the shop grew from 2,000 to10,000 square feet and one to a dozen employees. Business was chugging along nicely—until the

company lost a major account mid-way through2007 and began “nosediving,” according to Gilhool.“For the first 10 years I did it all on my own for survival,” he explains. “A consultant recommendedWidener’s Small Business Development Center andit has been a wonderful relationship. We needed togrow and mature as a company and they’ve helped us.” That help has come in many forms during the

past year, spearheaded by the SBDC’s Jim Porterand business professors Glenn McAllister andMary Williams. “We worked with the Gilhools togain an understanding of both their market andinternal financial situation, including developing a schematic of their value chain to their various

D U.market segments,” Porter explains. “This view of their business helped them to set priorities and confirm strategies for growth.”The key to rebounding was landing the

New York market—and landing the capital to fund the endeavor. In addition to helping theGilhools secure a line of credit though CommerceBank, the trio provided financial advising, salesforecasting, and business and growth planning. Now the Gilhools find clients in New York

though acquaintances and a local contact who recommends their shop for jobs. The work is done in Delaware and then delivered to New Yorkby truck. “We are years ahead of where we wouldhave been if we’d taken a train up to New Yorkand tried to land the business [ourselves],”Gilhool says, citing the company’s recent produc-tion of 500 Corian® vanities for Google’s offices in

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Rockefeller Center. “We’re a job shop for largercompanies that have the sales and marketing anddesign teams in place. I’ll do the executive suites,grand entrances, pantries, and copy areas.” New York accounts for 75 percent of American

Wood’s annual sales of $1.2 million—up fromclose to $800,000 in 2006. Gilhool would like to increase that number to between $3 million and$5 million, “so if we ever had a loss we would stillsurvive. We want to be able to make decisionsbased on what we want to do.”The SBDC’s help also proved invaluable to

JoAnn, who handles the financial side of the business, including payroll and accounts payable.“They helped us update our QuickBooks, managecash flow, and taught us how to do back orders andkeep an order back log,” she says. Last summer,American Wood was used as a case study forMGT 451, an MBA accelerated class offered by the School of Business Administration.The Gilhools have invested in modern

equipment and technology for their shop and

also the best people to work in it, including Mario DelConte, their foreman and estimator.“He shares our mindset that the company has to thrive,” says Gilhool, who prides himself in providing a great work environment for his “professional family.”“I’m a cabinet maker who owns a business

and has business sense,” he says. “We didn’t go into business to become monetarily rich. . . . Sure, I created the company out of the need to work . . .but the business has paid us freedom.”That philosophy has paid off, for both the

American Wood family and the Gilhool family,which includes Michael, 19; Annie, 18; James, 15;Emily, 13; and Duffy, 11. “To be able to be at thekids’ events has been priceless.”

The SBDC’s mission is to “help businesses start, grow, andprosper.” The center provides confidential one-on-one consult-ing at no charge to clients and offers educational seminarson a wide array of business topics. Clients include peoplestarting up new businesses as well as existing businessowners seeking to expand or improve their operations.www.widenersbdc.org.

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Widener trustee Liz Dow has embarked upon aquest to broaden the definition of leadership toinclude “connectors.” Connector is a key termused in Malcolm Gladwell’s book The Tipping Pointto describe someone who thrives as a provider of information and connection among diverseelements in a community. Think of George Baileyin It’s a Wonderful Life, whose character providedthe glue that held the community together.As President of LEADERSHIP Philadelphia,

Dow showcases the region’s leaders to local executives. Over time she has concluded that theleaders who have mobilized her graduates havebeen connectors. Last year, she approachedGladwell about the possibility of studying con -nectors in Philadelphia. He referred her to thenHarvard faculty member Karen Stephenson, whomLEADERSHIP engaged to help with the study. Working with the Philadelphia Inquirer and Daily

News, and LEADERSHIP’s alumni network, theteam solicited 4,300 nominations of area con-nectors. They narrowed the group to the mostfrequently mentioned 101, and studied thatgroup. Dow was moved by a quote from the bookthat “perhaps poverty is less about deprivationthan isolation.” She committed to using the study to create a competency model to teachadolescents to connect.

The study revealed several key competencies:� Connectors can be counted on to achieveresults.

� Connectors are unusually trustworthy.� Connectors seek diversity in friends and contacts.� They have a gift for empowering others.� They are adept at keeping an inventory of their contacts.While many models focus on power and influence, this model focuses on empowering and achieving results.

LEADERSHIP used this model to work with the Philadelphia Youth Network to create a pilot youth program this year. One hundredhigh school seniors and returning drop-outs were selected to learn these skills over the year.They were matched with 100 adult connectors as part of the effort to teach them to broadentheir contacts. Thus far the participants arereporting great progress in increased confidenceand willingness to reach out to others. The pilot will be evaluated for broader distribution in the fall. Meanwhile, regional leaders applaudthis motivating and uplifting project. For additional information on this program

go to www.leadershipphiladelphia.org.

C O N EC T O

RS

NTHE

A new leadership model reaches out to city youth.

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“112” is not the price of asandwich at Mrs. Marty’sDeli in Media, PA. Nor is itthe number of items on thedeliciously extensive menu.It is, however, the numberof hours that owner ScottFinklestein ‘04 has clockedeach and every week sinceits grand opening lastNovember.

Finklestein is no strangerto hard work and long hours.He began his career at theoriginal Mrs. Marty’s Deli inBroomall, PA, as a busboyearning $4.25 an hour morethan 12 years ago—and hasworked there almost everyday since. By the time hewas 16, Finklestein had

proven his loyalty to thebusiness. Owner MartyGodfrey jokingly said, “Buyme out, Scott. I’m tired!”

Instead, Finklestein beganhis collegiate studies atDelaware County CommunityCollege in architecture anddesign. But it was at DCCCthat a professor recognizedhis appreciation for the hospitality industry andencouraged him to transferto Widener’s leading hospi-tality program.

Finklestein began studying at Widener in thespring of 2001 and was takenunder the wing of AssociateProfessor of HospitalityManagement John Mahoney.

Finklestein credits “Doc’s”class in restaurant operationsfor igniting his entrepre-neurial spirit.

“We learned everythingin that class on how to runa restaurant, but I alsolearned a lot about myself. I will never forget the daywhen I assumed the role of manager for one of ourdinners. At max, we couldserve 50 guests in oneevening, but we had over 78 people with reservations.Doc told me we’d have tocancel some due to theinexperienced servers. Iinsisted that we keep all ofthe reservations knowingthat if these students weregoing to be professionals in the industry, then theywould have to learn to hustle. To Doc’s—and evenmy—amazement, I guidedthe staff through the eveningand we pulled it off likechampions.”

During his senior year,Finklestein completed hisinternship in the food service department at SAPin Newtown Square, PA. Bya twist of fate, the directorof food service was leavingthe company and Scott wasasked to assume the heftyrole upon his 2004 gradua-tion. With his new demandingjob consuming his days from7:30 a.m. to 3:30 p.m., hestill managed to work at thedeli on nights and weekends.

Observing Finklestein’sinsatiable work ethic, Godfreyapproached Finklestein inthe fall of 2006 with the ideaof expanding his businessand making Finklestein afinancial partner and sole

operator of the new estab-lishment. The two beganlooking for locations innearby Media. After lookingat several properties, theformer Trolley Stop Dinerwas chosen and the twomade settlement on October31, 2007. The new Mrs.Marty’s Deli opened just two weeks later.

After deciding againstformal advertising and opting to promote strictlythrough word-of-mouth,Scott has been amazed day after day by the line of patrons waiting to enter his establishment. Workingfrom 5:30 a.m. to 9 p.m.daily and overseeing every-thing from back- and front-of-the-house operations, tobudgeting, inventory, andpayroll, this 27 year oldfeels the rewards of hisefforts every time he seesthose customers.

“I have always workedlong hours, but now thosehours are for me. EverythingI’m doing is for my future,my employees, and my customers. That’s a realbonus. But I’ve also learnedthat you can’t do everythingyourself and that you needto surround yourself withgood people. If you do,everything will fall in place.”

So “112” may not be alot of things to many people,but it does represent theblood, sweat, and tears of this passionate, young proprietor. We also bet itcould be the number ofMrs. Marty’s corned beefspecials we could down ona challenge, if only giventhe chance.

House Special

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Hard work and dedication are theperfect combo forScott Finklestein ’04.

By Amy Sheely

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Beach, FL, and both were passionateabout athletics. They also shared a passion for horse breeding and racing.In 2006, Borislow pledged a major giftto the School of Hospitality Manage -ment’s new racing and gaming program.

Now a member of Widener’s Boardof Trustees, Borislow retains many tiesto Philly, including friendships with theowners of Philadelphia Park and theBorgata. “I thought it would be greatfor Widener to get people involved inthat industry,” he says. “When you talkabout this program with the casinosand the track, there are very importantissues that need to be taught becauseit’s difficult [in that business] to get anon-the-job education.”

“Unretired” since ’05, Borislow isback at work as president and CEO ofYMAX Corporation, bringing a newinvention to market. The magicJack is aUSB for the PC that providesphone service. It costs $39.95for the first year, and $19.95a year thereafter, and can be used anywhere a laptopgoes. The largest user groupwants to get rid of the $90 phone billthey have at home but can’t get rid oftheir land line because their cell phonewon’t work well in house, he says.MagicJack’s sales also come fromoverseas where rates are sky high and country codes confusing.

Initially sold online and throughinfomercials, Borislow says he willcontinue to grow the business throughcustomer education and brand aware-ness before he takes the product toretail. “Like a fine wine, it has tomature,” he says. “We’re on our way to building a valuable business.”

So to all you budding entrepreneursout there, take heed from one who knows:

“Work hard and maintain goodcredit . . . The rest you’re going to haveto do on your own and educate your-self in whatever way is best for you.”

Because business success is anything but magic.

–Debra Goldberg

The Natural

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If necessity is the mother of invention,then Daniel Borislow ’84, ’05, is theprodigal son.

Throughout his life, Borislow hasapplied the art of innovation to hisbusiness ventures—whether mowing alawn or taking a company public. Howdoes he do it? “Develop somethingthat is more efficient than anyone elsehas done or built before,” he says.

It started at the tender age oftwelve. Lots of kids cut lawns duringthe summer. But Borislow got a new mower that cut grass faster. He mowed more lawns at lower prices. A businessman was born.

In college, he created a cordlesshammer drill. Later, Borislow constructedthe initial infrastructure of residentialcable in Philadelphia. As CEO of Tel-Save Holdings, he went on to pioneerthe resale of wholesale long distanceunder the AT&T name. In 1995 he tookthe company public and built a longdistance network with just five switches.

“They were very large switchesand it was a lot cheaper to run thatway,” he says. “In ’97 we serviced ourcustomers online [through AOL] andthat was the first time that was done.”

Two years later, at age 39,Borislow retired. He re-connected with Widener after former ChairmanEmeritus Fitz Dixon looked him up, and Borislow discovered they hadmuch in common: Both men were fromLafayette Hill, PA, and lived in Palm

“When you talk aboutthis program with the casinos and the track, there are very important issues thatneed to be taught because it’s difficult [in that business] toget an on-the-jobeducation.”

Borislow’s magicJack is a USB forthe PC that provides local and longdistance phone service using abroadband connection. Plugging in a landline phone to the magicJackeliminates mon thly phone bills.

A passion for wine released Chris Boyd’s entrepreneurial spirit.By Debra Goldberg

Uncorked

20

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As different as wastewater and winemight be, for Chris Boyd ’90, one hasquite naturally followed the other.

Boyd is a regional sales managerfor Ashbrook Simon-Hartley, a water andwastewater treatment solutions firm.He’s been with the company 10 yearsand hopes to retire there. On the side,he’s turned a personal passion for wineinto a growing business: Boyd’s CardinalHollow Winery in North Wales, PA.

Boyd started out in process engineering as a project manager.Over the course of six years, he conducted 100 pilot tests in 46 states.When he moved into sales, his base of operations shifted from site trailers to airplanes and hotels.Entertaining clients at high-end restau-rants meant foregoing Bud Light infavor of something suitably moresophisticated—a beverage to pair witha three-pound lobster or medium rarefilet mignon. A glass of wine, perhaps?

“I was lucky to have good winesright off the bat,” notes Boyd. “I wasdrinking middle- to high-end wines somy palette developed immediately.”

Boyd realized that he had a genuinetaste for wine and set out to learn allhe could. His studies began with a subscription to Wine Spectator, and on all those flights he devoured booksabout regional winemaking.

As a chemical engineer with a strong mechanical background, Boydwas somewhat of a natural oenologist.He was schooled in chemical processesand possessed an inherent curiosityfor how things work (he’d been buildingcars since age 13). He also admits tohaving a “green thumb,” cultivated bya lifelong interest in gardening.

In 1996 Boyd planted a few vines inhis back yard and started experiment-ing with viniculture. A local outfitterset him up with some basic wine making equipment. He started slowly,a gallon at a time. A batch turned intoa barrel, and that one barrel turnedinto fifty.

How does he do it all? “It’s a lot of work in a very short period of time,”says Boyd about the initial process of crushing, fermenting, and pressinggrapes, which happens on holidays,weekends, and vacations. It’s then athree- to four-month waiting game.“It’s a slow process,” he says. “The key is patience. The longer you wait,the better things will be.”

Since it takes anywhere from ninemonths to three years or more beforethe wine is ready for bottling, Boyd

began using 55 gallon barrels to produce25 cases of wine as a cost effectivesolution to producing only a coupledozen cases a year.

Pennsylvania law allows hobbyiststo produce 300 gallons of wine annuallyfor consumption per household—aslong as it’s not for sale. When Boydreached that number, he had to make a decision: keep his winemaking as a hobby or “share it with the publicand make it a business.” That choicebecame a long-term commitment to develop a sustainable businessinvolving the entire family.

Boyd’s wife, Carolyn, (above, withChris) runs the tasting room in historicNorth Wales on Saturdays and alsoassists with bottling and pressing.Samantha, 6, helps dad pick dande-lions for Cardinal Hollow’s “nostalgic”

dandelion wine, while Harris, 2, super-vises. “The wine business pulls thewhole family together.” Boyd says.

Boyd has a one-acre test vineyardat his home, where the winery isbased. (Even Boyd’s classic Packardsplay second-fiddle when it comes togarage space.) He deals with five localfruit growers, using certified organicstrawberries, blueberries, apples, andpeaches from Willow Creek Orchard in Reading, PA.

Cardinal Hollow’s fruit wines havea “fruit forward” flavor profile, whichmeans they are not sweet and sugary.The fruit’s essence, such as the pith ofthe watermelon, is the foremost taste.Last summer he used 600 pounds ofwatermelon and 200 pounds of straw-berries. Boyd is also one of the fewU.S. producers of mead, a honey-based wine—rare due to a difficult,long, and costly fermentation process.Whites and reds include Riesling,Meritage, and Cabernet Sauvignon.

With 122 wineries boostingPennsylvania to the country’s fifth-largest wine producing state, unusualwines are an important part of Boyd’sbusiness plan. He is building CardinalHollow’s business with a loyal clientele,a good reputation, and a marketingniche of high quality, low productionwines. In 2006, Cardinal Hollow produced1,500 gallons of wine and sold 600gallons. When Boyd retires from his “day job,” he will run the winery full time.

Next on the horizon is a new 2,000-square-foot tasting room, which Boydcan also use as a storage and bottlingfacility. When it opens, Carolyn justmight get her garage back.

Boyd’s Cardinal Hollow Winery winetasting room is open on Saturdays from12 p.m. to 6 p.m., 405 E. Walnut Street,North Wales, PA in MontgomeryCounty. For more information, go to cardinalhollowwinery.com.

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Sports marketingstudentsscore majorleague experiencewith Philly’spro teams.By Lou Anne Bulik

Take a course with BrianLarson and your classroommight be the Linc. Or one ofyour team members couldbe the Phillies Phanatic.

Larson, associate professor of marketing,developed Sport EventMarketing, MKT 388, withprofessionals from the marketing department ofthe Philadelphia Phillies “in order to further bridgethe gap between theory andpractice.” John Weber, vicepresident of ticket sales andoperations for the Phillies,and Rob MacPherson, director of corporate partnerships, taught thecourse last spring. Studentswere required to develop aweek-long series of eventsfor the Phillies’ Paint theTown Red Week, whichdirectly precedes openingday of baseball season.

Weber and MacPhersondivided the class into teamsof four students to mirrorthe actual Phillies corporatestructure and charged eachteam with reaching a differ-ent target demographic. Theycharged each team memberwith a different aspect ofevent marketing, such asticket sales, com munity relations, advertising, etc. To further immerse studentsin a professional sports scenario, they invitedadditional Phillies marketingcolleagues to class to sharetheir expertise with the students.

By the end of thesemester, the student teams had created a host of events for Paint the Town Red Week, which they presented to members of the Phillies’ marketingdepartment. MacPhersonrecalls that the teams recommended partneringwith Bubblicious bubblegum to have the PhilliesPhanatic blow a giant redbubble that would pop andcover him in red paint. Thecorporate team proposedchallenging corporations toa Phillies spirit competition,where the winner would be rewarded with an opportunity to advertise in the ballpark. The group targeting college studentsrecommended a red-zonetailgating area in the parking

lot, and the young adultgroup recommended anOscar-like “Red CarpetNight” at a Phillies gamewhere everyone wouldarrive at the ballpark on a red carpet.

Students and professorswrapped up the semesterby attending a Phillies gamein a luxury box. Needless tosay, the course “has createdsome buzz around the Schoolof Business Administration,”Larson says. And Weber andMacPherson returned toteach the course again this spring.

“We were reallyimpressed by Widener students,” says MacPherson.“We focused on real-worldexperience and simulating areal workplace environment.Most of the studentsembraced this readily. Wewere impressed with theirwillingness to participate atthe levels that we wanted.”

Last fall, students inLarson’s Sports Marketingcourse, SMGT340, got someprofessional advice fromthe Eagles, 76ers, Flyers,and Comcast executives.Moreover, the studentsdeveloped marketing plansfor Philadelphia sportsteams. In the course of thesemester, they got a taste of professional sports marketing work at twoEagles games, a PhiladelphiaFlyers game and a ’76ers

game. “They concentrated ontwo aspects of marketing,”Larson says, “customerassessments of their experience and making sure the game-day market-ing plan was implemented.”After attending a pre-gamepresentation for the Eaglesquality control staff, the students surveyed fansattending about their experiences at the game.They also worked alongsidethe quality control staff to monitor customer experience.

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FIELD OFDREAMS

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At the ’76ers and Flyersgames, the students per-formed a sport audit. “Thestudents drew a diagram ofthe customer’s experiencefrom the moment he entersthe marketer’s domain byturning into the parking lot

to when he leaves. . . . Eventhings like cleanliness ofrestrooms and clarity ofdirectional signage fall underthe domain of marketing,”Larson says.

For the last seven classes, Bob Schwartz, thevice president of marketingfor Comcast-Spectacor,helped students walkthrough a marketing plan.The students were assignedto one of five teams. Twoteams tried to grow thedatabase for the PhiladelphiaFlyers and came up with aplan to collect fan data righton the ticket.

Another team chargedwith increasing ticket salesfor the ‘76ers suggested aretro theme night. This plancalled for the ’76ers to goback to the Spectrum toplay a game where theyplayed in the ’70s and ’80s,dress in their team jerseysfrom their glory days in the’80s, and invite customersto dress up in ’80s attire andpay prices from that decade.

Comcast, which ownsboth the Flyers and the ’76ersinvited two of the studentteams to present their plansat the Wachovia Center toComcast executives. The

vice president for marketingwas particularly interestedin the recommendation fora ’76ers retro theme.

For senior BrianChambers, the sports marketing course was awinner: “When I first cameto Widener and I spoke withsome upper classmen abouttheir experiences, they toldme that through your fouryears here you will have oneclass and one professor thatwill stick with you for therest of your life. This wasthat class and that professor.”

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“We wereimpressed with their willingness toparticipate atthe levels thatwe wanted.”

By Thomas W. Durso

The avenues that lead to discovery are nearly asnumerous as the discoveriesthemselves. Innovation canproceed in an orderly fashion,with each generation ofinventors building upon theaccomplishments of thosewho came before. But it canjust as easily be the resultof a happy accident, with thea-ha! moment happening tothe right person at the righttime, leading to somethingnew and wonderful.

As a trio of Widener faculty members can attest,there is no right way orwrong way to innovate.

Gennaro J. Maffia, aprofessor of chemical engineering, credits serendipity for his discoveries. In graduateschool at Dartmouth, he wastrying to unravel collagen, a rope-like substance thatcomprises much of the body’sconnective tissue. He hadplaced some collagen andwater into a mill, and thegrinding grew so noisy that afaculty member placed a boxover the device. The next dayMaffia discovered that thecollagen had come apart; covering the mill had trappedenough heat to separate thesubstance’s fibers. The discovery led to a patent for him and his colleagues.

“That was a goodexample of serendipity,” hesays. “I might have come upwith that, but it would prob-ably have taken me another10 years. A guy put a boxover it and it got too hot and

the fibers unraveled beforemy eyes. Isn’t that cool?”

Sometimes necessitytruly is the mother of invention. A few years agothe City of Philadelphia put out a call for a newinsulating material thatcould be applied to theexterior walls of row houseswhose neighboring houseshad been condemned andtorn down. The exposednonstructural walls bledwarmth, often forcing thehouses’ residents to leavebecause they couldn’t afford to pay the suddenlyincreased heating costs. In addition to retainingheat, the material needed tobe impervious to chippingby kids playing in the now-vacant lot next door, and tobeing dissolved by spraypaint. Thomas E. Twardowski,a visiting associate professorof chemical engineering,was part of a group thatanswered the city’s call.

“We designed somethingthat was airy in the baseand provides insulation,”Twardowski says. “On theoutside you can pound on it with a hammer and youwon’t get through it. It wasn’t anything like whatwe thought we were goingto solve the problem with,which is, I guess, Edison’s 1-percent inspiration,

99-percent perspiration.That ‘How do you makeyour idea work?’ is the 99 percent.”

Of course, once inspiration strikes and the discovery is made,researchers face the oftendaunting prospect of what todo with their new innovations.

Zhongping Huang, an assistant professor ofmechanical engineering,believes commercialization—bringing the discovery tothe market—is vital. Huangcollaborated with industryresearchers and used priorresearch and advances todevelop a more precise artificial-kidney membrane,one that better eliminates toxins from the body whileretaining necessary sub-stances. Commercializationwas important to thembecause their intent inworking together on kidneydialysis was to improvehealth and well being.

“If you have very goodtechnology, you don’t justwant to keep it in the labora-tory,” he says. “You want it to have some application to benefit society, to savepeople’s lives or to improvethe life quality of patients.Commercialization is veryimportant because you wantthe product to be exposedto society.”

Twardowski and his colleagues developed theirinsulating panels while hewas affiliated with anotheruniversity, which didn’t havethe proper resources to pursue commercialization.

While their invention finallyhas made it to the patentprocess, he, Huang, andMaffia note that higher education—especially universities that are notlarge research institutions—is only now beginning todevelop processes to turnbreakthroughs into com-mercial enterprises, some-thing the corporate worldhas been doing for sometime. Still, they say thatWidener, with its collegialatmosphere and pool ofcurious students to provideassistance, makes for a terrific environment inwhich to develop and testnew ideas.

And as with Huang, the altruistic aspect of shepherding new ideas andproducts to the marketplaceappeals greatly to Maffia,who makes a point of integrating that mindsetinto his classroom.

“When I teach I tell thestudents that, more thananything, they’re going tobe able to make an impacton the world,” he says.“This is a concrete examplefor them so they can seethat they’re actually goingto do something that mighthelp somebody. There are alot of hurdles you have togo through, but it’s a veryrewarding field. At the endyou can see what you’vedone and say, ‘Hey, this madea difference in the world.’”

Clockwise from top: Tom Twardowski, Zhongping Huang, andJerry Maffia.

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Engineering Innovation

“If you have very good technology, you don’tjust want to keep it in the laboratory.”

25

New ideasand a-ha!momentsinspire three engineeringprofessors.

Class of 1955Colonel Vincent Land, BS,

Accounting, was awarded the

General George A. Joulwan

Achievement Award for

conceiving and then over -

seeing the con struction of

a Congressional Medal of

Honor monument. This monu-

ment was erected to honor

the 15 military men from

Schuylkill County, PA, who

received our nation’s highest

military award. After reading

a list of the Medal of Honor

recipients in a local paper,

Vincent enlisted the help

of the City of Pottsville, the

Pottsville Joint Veterans

and the Lasting Legacy

Committee, to bring his idea

to fruition. The Congressional

Medal of Honor monument is

located at the Gen. George A.

Joulwan Park. Pottsville, PA.

Vincent is retired from the

army after 30 years having

served two tours in Vietnam,

16 months in Korea, and

seven years in Germany. He

currently serves as board

chairman of Minersville Safe

Deposit Bank.

Class of 1967Leon LaRosa Jr., BS,

Accounting, has joined the

firm, Goldenberg Rosenthal,

LLP, as partner and will serve

as the chair of Goldenberg

Rosenthal’s litigation support

services.

Class of 1973Doug Cervi, BA, History, has

been an educator for 35 years

at Oakcrest High School in

Mays Landing, NJ, where he

teaches AP History and U.S.

History II. He has coached

baseball, football, and

wrestling. Upon graduation

from Widener he was com-

missioned as a 2nd Lt. in the

Army Reserve and retired

from the NJ National Guard

as a Captain in 1980. Doug

was honored this fall

as an Honor Graduate in the

Master of Holocaust-Genocide

Studies at Richard Stockton

College of NJ and was the

NJ Holocaust Educator of the

Year in 2003, and Teacher of

the Year in 1997. From 1999

to 2002, Doug was part of a

teacher group that developed

a revised NJ curriculum in

Holocaust Studies for Grades

9-12 entitled “The Holocaust

and Genocide: The Betrayal of

Humanity.”

Class of 1976Paul W. Gery, BA, Political

Science, received the degree of

Doctor of Modern Languages

on August 17, 2007 from

Middlebury College. It was

Paul’s sixth academic degree

and third degree from

Middlebury College. He

holds Masters of Arts degrees

from Middlebury in French,

received in 1977, and German,

received in 2001. Paul is a

former assistant professor

of French and German in

the Department of Foreign

Languages at the U.S. Military

Academy, West Point, NY, and

also taught foreign languages

for seven years in New York

state, Maryland and Florida.

He is currently employed as a

linguist with CACI International,

Inc. in Elkridge, MD, and is a

retired Army Lt. Col. who

served over 20 years on

active duty.

Class of 1977Jeff Fine, PsyD, Hahnemann,

is currently working in private

practice, Dr. Jeffrey A. Fine

and Associates, PC, along

with other Hahnemann/

Widener PsyDs. His profes-

sional activities include

directing a group practice

and providing a full range of

psychotherapeutic services

including psychological testing.

He has two children, ages 23

and 26, who have graduated

from college and are in their

“odyssey years.”

Class of 1978Robert Madonna, BS,

Management, was named

the Alumni of the Year by

Delaware County Community

College on Sept. 28, 2007

for his career achievements,

volunteer contributions, and

dedication to his family.

Class of 1980Nancy (Hollis) Wolf, CPA, BS,

Management, MBA, was

elected treasurer of the

National Association of Tax

Professionals DE/MD/VA

chapter.

Class of 1983Constance (Errikson) Miller,

RN, BSN, CCRN, BS, Nursing,

accepted a position as an

adjunct clinical nursing

instructor with Harrisburg

Area Community College—

Gettysburg where she will be

working with nursing students

in the critical care units at

Chambersburg Hospital.

Constance and husband, Mike

Miller ’93, have been married

11 years and have two boys,

Matthew, 8, and Daniel, 6.

They reside in Greencastle, PA.

Class of 1984Richard DeLuca, BS,

Accounting & Business

Administration, was elected

to the position of president,

Fort Dodge Animal Health

for Wyeth.

Meeta

Gajjar

Parker, AS,

Govern -

ment and

Politics, left

Chrysler’s

worker’s

compen -

sation

department where she

worked as an analyst and has

owned a telecommunications

company in Philadelphia with

her husband of 14 years,

Francis X. Parker Jr. She has

recorded three music CDs.

Meeta has taught yoga for the

last 10 years and graces the

cover of her father’s book

Class No tes

26

Save the date for 2008!

2008 Homecoming/Reunion WeekendOctober 3-5, 2008We welcome all Widener~PMC alumni!

For more information check outwww.widener.edu/alumni

Yoga For Health, Happiness

and Liberation. She has also

recently published her first

novel for children called

Cookie the Clown. Meeta

enjoys

performing

live as a

vocalist,

teaching

yoga,

traveling

the world,

and

promoting

her book.

Class of 1988Thomas Day, BS, Electrical

Engineering, ME, Computer

and Software Engineering,

has received his PhD in

Engineering Management

from the School of Systems

and Enterprise at the Stevens

Institute of Technology in

Hoboken, NJ. Thomas is the

recipient of the first PhD in

Engineering Management

to be conferred by Stevens

Institute in its 135 years of

service to education.

Class of 1989Ilene (Litz) Goldman, PhD,

EdS, BS, Management,

MEd, received her PhD in

Philosophy, Computing

Technology Education in

2007. She works for Drexel

University as the director

of web communications.

Ilene and her husband,

Kenneth Goldman, have

one daughter, Alexis.

Class of 1991Stefanie (Rietz) Hutchison,

BS, Hotel & Restaurant

Management, was appointed

to the Board of Directors for

the Phi Sigma Sigma

Foundation.

Class of 1992David Almacy, BS, Manage -

ment, was honored to be

listed on PRWeek’s “40 Under

40” list in December 2007. In

May 2007 he left the White

House and has since joined

Waggener Edstrom Worldwide

in Washington, D.C. as VP of

digital strategies for North

America.

Susan Anderer, PsyD, works

in a private practice in Bryn

Mawr, PA. She does psycho-

logical evaluations, individual

psychotherapy, and school

consultation. She has three

girls, Arielle, 11, Meredith, 9,

and Samantha, 6.

Phyllis Perna, PsyD, is working

in private practice in the Lehigh

Valley. Phyllis and her hus-

band are renovating an old

farmhouse in the Adirondacks

and plan to move there within

the next two years.

Class of 1993Jeff Smith, BS, Science

Education, MEd, has been

a physics teacher at Radnor

High School, Radnor, PA

since 1993 and a football and

wrestling coach for the past

10 years. He has taken on a

new role with Radnor High

School as assistant principal.

Class of 1995Hugh Allen, BA, Government

and Politics, MPA is the senior

director of special projects

and government relations for

the National Constitution

Center in Philadelphia. Before

becoming vice president for

National Constitution Center,

Hugh was government rela-

tions coordinator before being

named deputy chief of staff

for the School District of

Philadelphia. He also teaches

Introduction to Public

Administration at Widener.

J. William Haas, PsyD, and

Karol Wasylyshyn, PsyD ‘82,

along with Barbara Gronsky,

published “Tiger, Stripes,

and Behavior Change Survey

Results of a Commissioned

Coaching Program,” in the Fall

2006 edition of Consulting

Psychology Journal: Practice

and Research. The article

reviewed the effectiveness of

a coaching program commis-

sioned by a global company

for high-potential employees

who wanted to develop their

emotional competence.

Class of 1996Mark Schellenger, MEd, was

appointed principal of Radnor

High School in Radnor, PA. He

had served as RHS assistant

principal and athletic director

since 2004, coming from the

Pottsgrove School District.

Mark began his career as a

coach—in wrestling, soccer,

football, and track and field—

at various schools around

the region.

Class of 1997Serra Ekinci, MBA, is an

investment officer with

the International Finance

Corporation in Turkey.

Bryan Engebretsen, BA,

Psychology, and his wife

Rachael have six children,

Benjamin, Jonah, Ammon,

Maren, Hanna, and Daisy,

five of whom are under 5

years of age.

27

Tell usWho are you now? Where are you now? You can now submit your class notes and photosthree ways:

1. Log on to the Widener Pride Network atwww.widener.edu/alumni

2. E-mail your note and photo* to Meghan Radosh atmeradosh@widener.edu or

3. Mail your note and photo* to the Alumni Engagement OfficeOne University Place, Chester, PA 19013

*Submit digital photos as hi res jpegs (300dpi).

The Engebretsens

Widener-PMC AlumniOnline Community

Join Widener’s new alumni online community to connect with other alumni, create online profiles,

submit class notes, explore alumni clubs, or check outphoto galleries, events, online giving, and more.

Make a lasting connection!

www.widener.edu/alumni

Remembering a Fallen HeroCaptain Nathan Raudenbush, 26, a

member of the Widener Class of 2005,

died February 20, while serving his

country in Iraq.

Raudenbush was the husband of

the former Casey Herrmann, a 2005

graduate of the Widener School of

Nursing. The couple has a 20-month-

old son, Jackson.

A computer information systems

major at Widener, Raudenbush was

a member of the Widener Army ROTC

and was commissioned as a 2nd Lt. in the U.S. Army just prior

to his graduation from Widener.

“We called his class the Class of 9/11,” says Lt. Col. Robert

Sewall, professor of military science at Widener and commander

of the ROTC Freedom Battalion, based on the Chester campus.

“He was a very good cadet. I always thought he had a great

command presence about him. He was an excellent mentor of

the more junior cadets.”

Raudenbush was serving as a tank commander with Bravo

Troop of the 3rd Platoon, 6-8 Cavalry Regiment based in Fort

Stewart, GA. He was killed when a vehicle he was riding in struck

a roadside bomb in southern Baghdad. Two other soldiers were

injured in the explosion.

The university has extended a Widener CARES scholarship to

Jackson to attend Widener University when he reaches college age.

Melissa Johnson, PsyD, works

for the Girl Scouts of Eastern

PA as general counsel and as

vice president of human

resources. In addition, she

is a trustee of the Jewish

Federation of Greater

Philadelphia, vice president

for Women’s Philanthropy,

secretary of the Plymouth

Elementary PTO, and trustee

of the Jo Cooper Foundation.

Melissa and her husband,

Howard, have three children,

Asher, 8, Samara, 8, and Toby,

6. They recently spent two

weeks in Israel and a month

in South Africa. Melissa won

the 2007 VJC National Young

Leadership Award.

Wendy Lim,

BS, Hospitality

Manage ment,

has been busy

as a stay-at-

home mom

since she got

married five

years ago. She now has two

wonderful children, ages

4 and 2. And Wendy is a

blogger mom too! Feel

free to visit her site to

catch her daily updates

at http://kiddosrealm.com.

Susan E. R. Mitchell, PsyD,

works in a private practice in

Exton Behavioral Health and

Rehabilitation. Her son, Ian,

was born December 2000.

William (Bill) Morgan, PsyD,

is in private practice in Paoli,

PA. He is involved in clinical

psychology practice, execu-

tive coaching, and business

consulting.

Ari Tuckman, PsyD, is in

a private practice in West

Chester, PA, and frequently

writes and lectures about

Attention Deficit Hyperactive

Disorder. His first book,

Integrative Treatment for

Adult ADHD was recently

published, and he and his

wife just had their first child

on July 4th, 2007.

Ada Ponpipom Martini, PsyD,

is living in Media, PA and has

two children, Nick, 6, and

Julie, 4. She works for Elwyn

Education Division as the

clinical director of training

and technical assistance. Her

division has contracts with

seven different Delaware

County school districts. They

are hired as consultants to

go in the public schools to

provide mental health services

to students and support for

teachers. Ada developed

and started a self-contained

emotional support program

at Chichester High School

four years ago. She is now

at Penncrest High School

helping with their emotional

support program. Ada provides

supervision and in-service

training for different districts.

David Weiman, PsyD, is

the president of Weiman

Consulting, a firm that helps

senior executives achieve

their leadership goals. He

has been quoted regularly

on leadership issues in

BusinessWeek Online and the

Los Angeles Times; and has

appeared on Fox News

Philadelphia. David has

published two books The

Stress Solution and The

Jewelry Selling Answer

Book. This past summer

an article he wrote with

Kathryn Leugers ’07

titled “Transforming Your

Organization from the Inside

Out” was published in

Nonprofit World Magazine.

David is also an adjunct

assistant professor at

Widener’s Institute for

Graduate Clinical Psychology.

Class of 1999Tracy Fooks-Michnya, MSW, is

the director of social work at

South Jersey Health System

Regional Medical Center, the

newest hospital built in New

Jersey. Her staff of 13 profes-

sional social workers includes

several Widener graduates

and students. She is married

and has two children, Gabriel,

5, and Isabella, 3.

28

Class No tes

Wendy Lim

Christian Mcfadden, BS,

Business Administration, is

the vice president of sales

for Keane Business Risk

Management Solutions.

Christopher McLain, MEd,

Secondary Education, is the

Chair of the History Department

at Northland Baptist Bible

College in Dunbar, WI.

Class of 2002Tamara April, BA, Psychology,

is engaged to Gary Davis Jr.

They are planning a January

2009 wedding.

Cheryl Helman Madden, PsyD,

has opened her own practice,

Psychological Services of

Jenkintown, in Jenkintown,

PA. She is practicing psy-

chotherapy and assessment

with adults, children, adoles-

cents, and families. She is

also a board member for

the Philadelphia Society of

Clinical Psychologists. See

also “New Arrivals.”

Andrew McMeekin, PsyD,

is affiliated with a private

practice, Clearings, in Bala

Cynwyd, PA. As part of that

practice he provides several

hours a week of clinical and

organizational consultation

to Episcopal Academy. He

practices traditional psy-

chotherapy with children and

has a growing organizational

consulting practice.

John Terrell, PsyD, works at

St. John Vianney Center in

Downingtown, PA.

Sean Wagner, BA, Com mu-

ni cations, along with the

men of Pi Delta Theta’s

Pennsylvania Mu chapter

helped their founders

celebrate their 20th reunion

during Widener University’s

homecoming events on

October 6, 2007. Founders

Nick Schaefer ’87, Hans

Balterzan ’87, William Treubert

’87, and Robert Garrymore ’87

returned to Chester to join

over 40 of their alumni

brethren and the active

chapter. Events included the

founders ceremony, an all-

Greek picnic, the homecoming

game—where brothers Tim

Becker ’08 and Jeremy Koenig

’08 sat on the homecoming

court—and the announcement

of the Schaefer Fund honoring

Nick Schaefer ’87, and his

father Wes Schaefer, Texas

Tech ’59. The Schaefer Fund

is endowed through the Phi

Delta Theta Educational

Foundation to allow additional

members of Pennsylvania Mu

to attend fraternity leadership

programming and to provide

scholarships for current and

future brothers.

Class of 2003Courtney McCormick, MA,

Criminal Justice, married

Michael Cifaloglio on Nov. 17,

2007. Courtney works for the

State of New Jersey in the

human resources field. The

couple lives in Vineland, NJ.

Please see “Marriages.”

29

Remembering a Fallen HeroCaptain Nathan Raudenbush, 26, a

member of the Widener Class of 2005,

died February 20, while serving his

country in Iraq.

Raudenbush was the husband of

the former Casey Herrmann, a 2005

graduate of the Widener School of

Nursing. The couple has a 20-month-

old son, Jackson.

A computer information systems

major at Widener, Raudenbush was

a member of the Widener Army ROTC

and was commissioned as a 2nd Lt. in the U.S. Army just prior

to his graduation from Widener.

“We called his class the Class of 9/11,” says Lt. Col. Robert

Sewall, professor of military science at Widener and commander

of the ROTC Freedom Battalion, based on the Chester campus.

“He was a very good cadet. I always thought he had a great

command presence about him. He was an excellent mentor of

the more junior cadets.”

Raudenbush was serving as a tank commander with Bravo

Troop of the 3rd Platoon, 6-8 Cavalry Regiment based in Fort

Stewart, GA. He was killed when a vehicle he was riding in struck

a roadside bomb in southern Baghdad. Two other soldiers were

injured in the explosion.

The university has extended a Widener CARES scholarship to

Jackson to attend Widener University when he reaches college age.

Benjamin R. Balin, Widener Donor and Friend

Benjamin R. Balin, 91, formerly of Wallingford, a family

physician who became an expert in weight control, died

March 4 in Boca Raton, FL.

Dr. Balin opened his practice on Saville Avenue in Chester

in 1947. He later moved his office to Providence Avenue,

adjacent to Widener University. He made house calls and

delivered babies while his wife, Sally, ran the office. In the

1950s he established a weight loss practice, developing

high-protein, low-carb diets that were adopted by

thousands of dieters.

When he retired in 1994, Balin donated his medical building

to Widener—named Balin Hall—now home to the Neuro -

psychology Assessment Center. He and his wife were involved

in fund-raising for Widener programs for many years.

Balin was a proponent of fitness. He skied until he was 80—

taking up the sport at age 40—and enjoyed sailing, bridge,

ballroom dancing, and playing the classical guitar.

Balin grew up with six siblings in North Philadelphia and

graduated from Central High School. He earned a bachelor’s

degree from St. Joseph’s University and a medical degree

from Thomas Jefferson University. During World War II,

he served as a first lieutenant in the Army in based in

San Antonio, TX, where he met his future wife.

Balin is survived by two sons, Arthur and Kenneth; a daughter,

Nancy Sharpe; a sister; and seven grandchildren.

Memorial donations may be made to the Balin Chapel

Fund at Congregation Ohev Shalom, 2 Chester Rd.,

Wallingford, PA 19086.

Back row from left to right: Shawn Haney ’90, Penn MuFounders Bill Treubert ’87, Hans Balterzan ’87, Nick Schaefer’87, and Bob Garrymore ’87, alumni Sean Wagner ’02, andMichael Holmes ’01. Front row from left to right: studentsJon Hurst, Ben Ferenchak, and Tony Cellini.

30

Class No tesMike Tenney, BS, Hospitality

Management, manages a

Chick-fil-A and hopes to oper-

ate his own store very soon.

He resides in Florida with his

wife, Kristin Auteri ‘04, who

is a second grade teacher.

Please see “Marriages.”

Class of 2004Philip Hutson, BS, Civil

Engineering, passed USGBC’s

LEED AP exam, and is work-

ing as an assistant project

manager for Maryland

Stadium Authority.

Class of 2005Tina Bridda, MEd, has joined

the private mediation compa-

ny of South Jersey Mediation

Center in Cherry Hill, NJ, and

will be conducting separation,

divorce and post-divorce

mediations. Learn more

about the company at

www.sjmediation.com.

New ArrivalsTo Gina (D’Amato) Kaufman

’91 and Kevin Kaufman, a

son, Carson James Kaufman.

He joins big sister Lucia Jane

Kaufman.

To Julie and David Almacy

’92, a daughter, Caroline Mae

Almacy, on Oct. 26, 2006.

Caroline Mae joins her older

sister, Grace, who will turn

5 in June.

To Liz and Brian Kendall ’95, a

daughter, Abigail Kendall, on

Dec. 30, 2007.

To Lindsay (Edgerton) Malejko

’98 and Chris Malejko, a

daughter, Lila Frances, on

Nov. 14, 2007. Lila joins big

brothers Timothy and Ben.

To Kate Meakim ’98 and

Matt Fornwalt, a son, Brian

Fornwalt, on March 28, 2007.

To John and Cheryl Helman

Madden ’02, a daughter,

Dahlia Sophia Madden,

April 2007.

Career Advising andPlanning Services(CAPS)Career Advising and Planning Services offers life-longcareer counseling and job search advising to alumni.

Alumni are encouraged to make appointmentswith a CAPS counselor to discuss career and job searchneeds. Alumni may also access current job listingsthrough an online CAPSnet system, as well as par -ticipate in campus career fairs, career events, andnetworking opportunities with students and fellow alumni through the CAPSnet Connect Mentor Program.

For more information on Career Advising andPlanning Services, visit www.widener.edu/CAPS, or call610-499-4176.

Christy Neill & Jerome Robinson

Cheryl Ferry & Patrick Wade

Abigail Kendall

Lila Frances Malejko

Timothy and Ben Malejko

Brian Fornwalt

MarriagesHenry Danish ’89 and Ronda

Danish.

Aliza Bruther ’93 and Mark

Thomas, Sept. 8, 2007. Guests

included other Widener

graduates: Andrea (Cardone)

Meier ’92, Eileen Mullarkey

’93, Tonia (Czarzasty) Arthur ‘92,

and Mary (Johnson) Kinka ‘93.

Jill (Howard) Cozzens ’98 and

Justin Cozzens, Aug. 25, 2007.

Kate Meakim ‘98 and Matt

Fornwalt, July 1, 2006.

Cheryl Ferry ‘98 and Patrick

Wade, Sept. 15, 2007.

Courtney McCormick ’03 and

Michael Cifaloglio, Nov. 17,

2007.

Mike Tenney ’03 and Kristin

Auteri ’04, June 30, 2007.

Christy Neill ‘04 and Jerome

Robinson ’02, May 2007.

31

In MemoriamPatrick S. KainWilliam Armitage Robert BrandauHorace Russo ‘43 Greydon Tolson ‘47 William Howells ‘49 Raymond Keiser ‘51 Cyric Cain ‘51 Charles Boles ‘51 Wesley Shull ‘52 Donald Clifton ‘53 Norman Cohn ‘56 Charles Shisler ‘57 Rosario Ferrar ‘59Arthur Malmstrom ‘59 Clarence Chew ‘61 Richard Young ‘64 Frederick Grau ‘65 Stuart Smith ‘66 Thomas Nolan ‘68 Thomas Uleau ‘69 Paul Bartholomew ‘76 Thomas Schmucker ‘77 James O’Brien ‘79 James Melzi ‘79 Marcia Doggett ‘81 Diane Pagliei Sheeler ‘81 Susan Smith ‘81 Charles O’Kane ‘82 Brett Kates ‘82 Cheryl Stout Eckstein ‘83 Molly Whalen Demuth ‘84 Lucy Kendikian-Smith ‘85 Paul Provenzano ‘86 Louis Reilly ‘86 Dianne Filliben ‘87 James Graham ‘89 Shirley Knorr ‘90 Ann-Michele Higgins ‘92 Evelyn Jordan ‘94 Mary Cline ‘95 Julia Romaniello Nation ‘97 Lori Grant ‘99

Friends, Faculty, and StaffBenjamin R. BalinIrv GottliebChristine McDermott HarkerWilliam HaggertyEugene Johnson Ruth H. MollAllen PhillipsNathan RaudenbushJulian Skaggs

What do alumni want?Thanks to an Alumni

Attitude Survey conductedby the Alumni Engagementoffice and the PerformanceEnhancement Group, wehave a very good idea.

According to a spring2007 e-mail survey of 3,500Widener and PMC alumni:

� Widener graduates wantto know that the value oftheir degree is increasing invalue and respect. Alumnicite knowledge of faculty andstudent accomplishmentsand access to job andcareer-related activities asindicators that their degreesare increasing in value andrespect.

� Out-of-state alumni want toparticipate in activities andbe able to provide feedbackon an ongoing basis.

� Alumni want the univer -sity to communicate in different ways, especiallywith younger alumni under30. Most want more e-mailcommunication.

Overall, alumni expressedgreat satisfaction with theirWidener education, andover 50 percent rated theirstudent experience as excel-lent. Alumni reported thattheir Widener education

� prepared them for theircurrent work,

� prepared them to respondto new career opportunities,

� inspired them to contributeto their community, and

� deepened their com -mitment to personal development, continuouslearning, and further graduate education.

The level of satisfactionamong alumni seemed to

correspond with their proximity to graduation. Themore recent graduates gaveWidener the highest marks:graduates from 2001 andlater were most pleasedwith their education, followed by alumni in the classes 1994 to 2000,and then those who graduated in 1981 to 1993.

Seventeen percent of thealumni surveyed* responded.Rates of response were highest among alumni whohad graduated within thelast 25 years. The strongestresponse came from alumniwho graduated in 1994 to2000, followed by thosewho graduated in 1981 to1993, and then by graduatesof 2001 and later. Most ofthe respondents werewomen—55 percent versus44 percent men. The majorityof the respondents (55 percent) were Pennsylvaniaresidents. This 2007 studywill serve as a baseline to compare or measurefuture findings.

As a result of the feedback from alumni in the 2007 survey, the Alumni Engagement officeis planning an AlumniWeekend, June 20–21, 2008,with programs that are both fun and educational.Families are encouraged to attend.

For more informationabout the study contact Dr. Tina Phillips, director of alumni engagement, at 610-499-1154 or e-mailalumnioffice@widener.edu.

*The survey was sent toalumni for whom Widenerhad valid e-mail addresses.The national average ofalumni response to this kindof survey is 20 percent.

Overall, alumniexpressed great satisfaction with their Widener education, and over 50 percent rated their studentexperience as excellent.

Alumn i Survey

AlumniGiveWidenerHighMarksfor CareerPrep

Labor of LoveBy Mary Allen

Sheila Salvant Valentine has heart.The Delaware campus alumna is

a remarkable example of what drive,determination and a love for herHaitian heritage can do. Valentine, aDecember 2007 graduate of the masterof jurisprudence in health law program,spent her final five months in Delawarejuggling her studies and her role as anAlbert Schweitzer Fellow.

The fellowship put Valentine onthe road twice weekly to Bridgeville in southern Delaware, where she didoutreach work educating members ofthe Haitian community on the risks anddangers of cardiovascular disease. Shealso worked to educate Delaware med-ical professionals about the needs ofHaitian patients. It was a labor of love.

Valentine was born and raised inHaiti, but she earned a medical degreein 2001 in Mexico. A medical intern-ship took her to Jamaica, where shemet and fell in love with her husband,a surgeon. He stayed behind inJamaica when she came to Delawareto work on her master of jurisprudencethrough the Health Law Institute at the school of law. She traveled homeevery few months, where she is stillconsidered a primary care doctor inthe Montego Bay area. She completedwork on her master’s degree—normallya two-year process—in 18 months.

And at the same time, Valentinecontinued studying for her law degreethrough a distance learning programwith the University of London inEngland. She travels to London aboutonce a year and does the rest of thework online.

The 30-year-old daughter of ahomemaker and retired engineeraspires to dedicate her life to publicservice. Someday she hopes to gohome to Haiti to create health policywhere none exists, such as creatingpolicies on patient consent to treatment.

Her fellowship work was doneunder the supervision of DelmarvaRural Ministries. She learned about the fellowship opportunity from a lawschool bulletin board and was able to personally design her program.About twice each week from July to December she left her home inWilmington and traveled about twohours to the Sussex County, Delawaretown—often battling beach traffic—where she met with people in a space at Elizabeth CornishLanding apartment complex. Shetook on the added commitmentin a spirit of public service; shereceived no credit for it in anyof her schooling, although therewas a small stipend.

“It has been rewarding,”she says of her experience.“They really appreciated it.”

32

Alumn i P ro f i l e

Ruth H. Moll, “First Lady” of Widener

Widener University is deeply saddened by the death of university matriarch Dr. Ruth Henderson Moll, wife of the late Dr. Clarence R. Moll, who served as president of Widener and PMC from 1959 to 1979. Mrs. Moll died March 23at the age of 92.

Mrs. Moll fully enjoyed her role as first lady until her husband’s retirement in1981. Throughout those years, she graciously entertained students and visitingdignitaries alike, including the architect Buckminster Fuller and actor Bob Hope.She was a kind-hearted woman who loved life and was a familiar face at all typesof Widener events.

Whether attending a football game, a homecoming dinner or a student presentation, Mrs. Moll was full of energy and appreciation for campus life. Shewas respected and admired by both PMC and Widener alumni, who often openedtheir homes to her as she traveled the country and the world with Dr. Moll. In1981, she received an honorary doctor of humane letters from the university.

After her husband’s death in 2002, Mrs. Moll remained a strong supporter of Widener. In 2006, Mrs. Moll was inducted into the MacMorland League inrecognition of her and her late husband’s contributions to the university. Amongtheir many contributions to the university was the Clarence and Ruth MollEndowed Scholarship Fund. The Moll Scholarship was created to assist studentsseeking to enter the medical field.

Mrs. Moll earned a bachelor’s degree from Temple University, where she mether future husband, and taught at Clayton High School in New Jersey. She is survived by two sons, Bob Moll of McLean, VA, and Jonathan Moll of Berwyn, PA;two daughters in law, Robin Moll and Victoria Moll; and three grandchildren.

NONPROFIT ORG

US POSTAGE

PA ID

PITTSBURGH PA

PERMIT NO. 5605

One University Place

Chester, PA 19013-5792

Address Service Requested

Widener’s First AnnualAlumniWeekendCelebrate Your Widener Pride!

The 2008 Alumni Weekend is a wonderful way for Widener alumni tokick-start the onset of summer and reconnect with each other, the campus,and fond memories of college years.Alumni Weekend kicks off at the main campus in Chester on the evening

of Friday, June 20, 2008 with the Alumni Awards Celebration, an eveningunder the stars. The good times continue to roll on Saturday, June 21 withsocial gatherings, academic and cultural programming, and fun-filled familyfriendly activities.Come join your Pride for a ROARING a good time!