May 2009
A cup of coffee, an armadillo and some awards
This year's spring faculty meeting had a little fun with the cooperation of this year's two Alumni Award recipients, professors Kelly Kissock and Steve Wilhoit, who were honored for the excellence of their research and teaching. As the videos show, maybe there's also an award down the road for their acting.
Kissock, who bears more than a passing resemblance to a certain Scottish secret agent, directs UD's Department of Energy-sponsored Industrial Assessment Center, which has performed more than 300 industrial and commercial building energy assessments and helped manufacturers save more than $4 million and reduce carbon dioxide emissions by millions of pounds. Kissock received the 2009 Alumni Award in Scholarship.
Wilhoit — textbook author, swimmer and English department professor — teaches a variety of undergraduate and graduate courses. He is a campus leader in both faculty development and coffee consumption. Wilhoit received the 2009 Alumni Award in Teaching.
Capturing joy
Bro. Ray Fitz, S.M., has never particularly enjoyed being the center of attention, so when organizers planned a dedication and blessing of his official presidential portrait, they wisely didn't share details.
"Just show up," Father Paul Marshall, S.M., rector, told him. For nearly an hour at a May 21 dedication ceremony, friends and family paid heartfelt tribute to the longest-serving president in school history. He served from 1979-2002.
"His presence is not a momentary flash," said Bro. Tom Giardino, S.M., trustee.
"Ray Fitz, above all else, is a leader who builds communities and teaches others by example how to do so," observed Dick Ferguson, executive director of the Fitz Center for Leadership in Community.
Father Jim Fitz, S.M., assistant provincial and a trustee, shared family reflections. "In the same year Ray became president, my brother, Mike, became a first-year student," he said. "Let me share that experience in Mike's words. … 'I wanted to fit in and having a brother as a University president definitely did not make me a normal college freshman, so I spent the vast majority of my freshman year trying to hide the fact that Bro. Ray was my brother. As I matured, I came to realize my big brother was a special man. …I learned (from him) that great people can be humble and being humble makes these people better leaders.'"
Moved by the unexpected tributes, Fitz thanked those gathered and praised artist Seth Wade for his work. "I never looked that good any time," he quipped. "That portrait says the joy I feel at being president of the University of Dayton."
Biking for the cause
During his sophomore year of college, Ross Pleiman ’09 listened wide-eyed as a professor told stories of his former cross-country biking trips. Three years later, Pleiman is preparing to pedal off on his own 4,200-mile biking trip, which will begin June 14.
He and longtime friend Matthew Evans of Wright State University, brain tumor survivor, will be riding to raise money for the American Brain Tumor Association.
“I told Matt about how I wanted to bike across the U.S., and he wanted to join,” Pleiman said. “We thought we might as well raise money for a good cause, and it really was pretty obvious what we’d fundraise for since Matt had been battling a brain tumor his whole life.”
Pleiman, who currently works as an Ulliman Schutte Construction project engineer, remembers Evans having to take injections to treat the cancer when they were in grade school. Now Evans runs marathons, he said.
The men will depart from Yorktown, Va., and hope to travel 50 to 70 miles each day. They expect the journey, which ends in Eugene, Ore., to last three months and are preparing the best way they can — riding a couple of hours on the weekends.
“The only nerve-wracking thing is I don’t know how my body will hold up,” Pleiman said. “It’s hard to go from riding on the weekends to riding five hours a day for months at a time.”
But Pleiman isn’t too worried. He believes his itch to ride West, instilled by his professor years ago, will keep him going. So, too, will the number of lives he saves with every mile. The men hope to raise $10,000.
Donate here to support their cause.
Standing O
Former University of Dayton pitcher Craig Stammen left his Major League debut Thursday to a standing ovation. The Washington Nationals' newest pitcher took a no-hitter into the fifth inning, retiring the first 12 batters he faced and 19 of the first 20. He left in the seventh inning trailing 4-3 to a standing ovation from the hometown fans. The Nats rallied in the eighth to win 5-4.
The fans promise to be less supportive tonight when Stammen makes his second career start against veteran Livan Hernandez and the New York Mets at Citi Field. First pitch is 7:10 p.m.
Take me out to the ballgame
As the Flyers faced second-seeded Rhode Island in Game 7 of the Atlantic 10 baseball tournament today, more than 700 fans showed up at lunchtime on an arguably perfect day for a ballgame.
Almost perfect, that is. The Flyers fell to the Rams, 9-2 — their fourth loss of the season to the squad from Kingston, R.I.
But the Flyer faithful got to celebrate some nice plays, including a beautiful diving catch by third baseman Jimmy Roesinger for the second out in the third inning. Zach Jacob went 3 for 4, drawing cheers each time he came to the plate.
As pleasant as the web gems were for the folks on their lunch breaks, they were even more so for the several dozen suspiciously school-aged youth in the crowd — including the two teenage boys accompanying unapologetic chemistry lecturer Kim Trick.
“We’re playing hooky,” she said, blushing or perhaps just pink from the overcast sunshine. “But it’s the end of the year. I think they’ll be OK. It’s a perfect day for it.”
At 7 p.m., the Flyers face the winner of this afternoon’s matchup between Massachusetts and Xavier. If they come out on top, they’ll earn not only a last chance at redemption with the Rams, but also the opportunity to seize the A-10 crown in the finals at noon Saturday.
Poet Ernest Lawrence Thayer described such faith thusly: “the hope that springs eternal in the human breast.”
And, paraphrasing Thayer, may tomorrow in our favored land the sun be shining bright.
One down, two to go and a new strikeout record
The Dayton Flyers won their first game of the Atlantic 10 Conference baseball tournament with a 9-5 win over Massachusetts this afternoon at Fifth Third Field in downtown Dayton.
Atlantic 10 Conference rookie of the year Cameron Hobson, who set the Flyers single-season strikeout mark during the game, got the win for the Flyers. Sean Finn picked up a four-out save. Aaron Dunsmore went 4-for-5 with three runs batted in and two runs scored. Marshall McDonald went 3-for-5, drove in two runs and scored three times.
The Flyers play again at noon Friday versus the winner of the Rhode Island-Xavier game being played at 4 p.m. today. The winner of Friday's Dayton game will earn a spot in Saturday's championship game at noon. Tickets are $8 for adults and $4 for students and senior citizens. Call 937-228-BATS to purchase tickets. Or follow the Atlantic 10 Conference baseball tournament online.
'Topographing' UD
Through rain or shine, farmer tans and sunburns, more than 30 civil engineering majors scatter around campus, long yellow tripods, laser beams and notepads in hand.
Clumped into 12 groups of three, they’re surveying the UD landscape and constructing a topographical map of campus for a three-week surveying field practice course.
“We’re basically looking for and recording elevation changes by using coordinate systems,” said Geoff Holmes, whose group covers land from St. Mary’s to Baujan Field and behind Humanities Plaza.
Each group places a laser receptor at major landmarks — including buildings, street signs and trees — then uses the tripod to shoot a beam to the staff for elevation measurements.
With two prerequisite courses on mapping elevations, the students said they’ve been prepping to apply their knowledge in the application class for almost a year.
Held at the beginning of each summer, the course runs from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m., Monday through Friday. Some even record on weekends, one student said.
Show goes on
The Hangar may be closed — the lights dim on the bowling lanes and the ice cream parlor empty of sweets and hungry students — yet singing echoes through the halls of Kennedy Union.
UD’s theater program, along with several music and theater faculty and student volunteers, are not ready for summer break nor finished with their yearly projects. They’re rehearsing for this year’s Children’s Theatre production, The Elves and the Shoemaker.
With 14 performances scheduled beginning May 13, Boll Theatre will host 65 Dayton-area school field trips, entertaining children from kindergarten to third grade.
“I’ve been performing in Boll Theatre for a few years, and I never see it as packed as during Children’s Theatre productions,” said Walker Foley, theater and electronic media major and “Shoemaker” in this year’s production. Walker said students began rehearsing for the 40-minute show during the last week in April and will remain on campus for at least a few more weeks.
Top assistant
Flyer men's basketball assistant coach Billy Schmidt, a fixture on the sidelines for the past six years, was named Critical Reload "Rising Star" Coach of the Year by Basketball Scoop.com and ONS Performance.
"Billy Schmidt is truly one of the elite assistant coaches in the country," head coach Brian Gregory said. "He has a great basketball mind. He knows the right way to run a program on and off the court and he represents our program very well."
Hiring Schmidt for the top assistant position was Grgeory's first move when he came to UD in 2003. Since then, the Flyers have returned to the Top 25 and the NCAA tournament.
Graduation
UD Arena was all smiles during the University's 159th commencement ceremony. On May 2 and 3, the University celebrated what is believed to be its largest graduating class — 1,770. Click here to see
a slide show of the highlights.
Reasons to celebrate
Forget graduating from college. Ashleigh Kussman of Kettering, Ohio, just wanted to make it through the sixth grade.
At age 11, Kussman was diagnosed with acute lymphoblastic leukemia. Because the cancer was slow to respond to chemotherapy, doctors stepped up treatment to include brain radiation, although she was told it could lower her IQ.
"This was the most devastating setback because I took great pride in academic achievement due to my minimal or non-existent natural athletic skills," Kussman said.
Kussman will graduate cancer-free with a bachelor's of science degree in chemical engineering with pre-med preparation. She will also receive the Victor Emanuel Award of Excellence as the outstanding senior chemical engineering student.
"I strongly desire to help ill children, particularly those afflicted by cancer," she said. "I am dedicated to fighting the battle against cancer so others don't have to."
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