A MAGAZINE FOR ALUMNI & FRIENDS OF CHAMPLAIN...

The Office of Career Services Provides Savvy

Strategies for Success in an

Uncertain Job Market

A MAGAZINE FOR ALUMNI & FRIENDS OF CHAMPLAIN COLLEGE

Fall 2009

Continuing Professional Studies • U.S. News & World Report Top Ranking

Fall 2009volume 8, number 2

Editor Erik Esckilsen

Art DirectorJulia Caminiti

Contributing WritersIan Frisch ’09

Stephen Mease

PhotographersKathleen Landwehrle

Stephen Mease

Class NotesElizabeth Scott

Vice President of Development & Alumni Affairs

Shelley Richardson

Director,Development & Campaign

Tere Gade

Director, Alumni Relations & Annual Giving

Alison Johnson ’89 and ’97

Director, Foundation & Corporate Support

Greg Morgan

Assistant Director, Alumni Relations & Annual Giving

Elizabeth Scott

Senior Development OfficersDeadra Ashton

Dannah BeauregardMoneer Greenbaum

Contact InformationSend letters and

address changes to:

Champlain College, Alumni & Development Office163 South Willard St., P.O. Box 670

Burlington, VT [email protected], (866) 421-7170

Champlain View is published twice a year (spring and fall) by Champlain College. Printing

by Queen City Printers Inc., Burlington, VT.

Founded in 1878, Champlain College is an Equal Opportunity Educational Institution.

Departments

2 From the President

3 View from the Hill

Students volunteer at an orphanage in Tanzania … Historic buildings are restored to glory … College earns top U.S. News & World Report ranking …

24 Woodbury Institute Success Stories 25 Class Notes News ... Alumni Lives & More

33 Alumni Voices

Features

9 Working the Room

The Conference & Event Center at Champlain College turns an inviting campus into an attractive venue for meetings of all description.

12 Practical Matters

The Continuing Professional Studies division tailors lifelong learning to adult students’ needs—on the job or in transition.

18 On-the-Job Training

Champlain’s Career Services office is a beacon in the economic storm—for soon-to-be grads, recent grads, and alumni with ample job experience.

Cover: Illustration by Julia Caminiti

A MAGAZINE FOR ALUMNI & FRIENDS OF CHAMPLAIN COLLEGE

Printed with vegetable-based inks on Flo Dull, 10% post- consumer waste recycled paper. Please recycle this magazine. If you would like to read the issue online and would rather not receive it through the mail, please contact the Development Office at (800) 570-5858 or [email protected].

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Calendar of EventsTuesdays & Thursdays During the academic year, the Boardroom Café, operated by the students of Champlain College’s Hospitality Industry Management program and located in the Hauke Family Campus Center at 375 Maple Street, is open for lunch. Seatings are available from 11:45 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. Students create, prepare, and serve guests with a new daily menu each week. Members of the Burlington community are encouraged to take advantage of this unique offering. Walk-ins are welcome, or call (802) 651-5988 to make a reservation.

Wednesdays Enjoy weekly student performances at The Grind Open Mic Coffeehouse during the academic year from 8:30 to 11 p.m. in the Fireplace Lounge in the IDX Student Life Center, 262 South Willard Street. Free. For more information, call (802) 865-6416.

OCTObER 20 bYObiz “Speaking from Experience” Series: Jim Lampman, founder and president of Lake Champlain Chocolates Jim Lampman is a serial entrepreneur who has developed several Burlington businesses, including the acclaimed Ice House

Restaurant. Lake Champlain Chocolates began its successful journey in 1983. The company prides itself on creating quality artisanal chocolates and other specialty products. Join Lampman as he talks about his entrepreneurial experiences and shares his unique story about building a business in a highly competitive marketplace. Alumni Auditorium, 7 p.m. Free. For more information: [email protected].

23–25 CHAMPLAIN ALUMNI EVENT: Alumni Weekend 2009 and Alumni Awards Join us for ALuMNI CELEBRATION! We have a jam-packed weekend planned—full of laughs, memories, and

connections with new and old friends. The weekend starts with Friday evening check-in and social hour. Saturday includes check-in and breakfast, a variety of workshops, and an afternoon choice of wine tasting, hiking on Mount Philo, bowling and pizza, or free time. The headline event is the Alumni Celebration on Saturday evening, to be held at ECHO Lake Aquarium and Science Center on the Burlington waterfront, with the presentation of the 2009 Alumni Leadership Awards, social hour, DJ and dancing, heavy hors d’oeuvres, carving stations, and cash bar. Sunday includes a 5K Fun Run/Walk around Burlington and bagels and coffee as you say your goodbyes. Cost: $30 for the entire weekend. Visit www.alumni.champlain.edu for the full schedule and to register.

NOVEMbER 13 CHAMPLAIN ALUMNI EVENT: Lyric Theatre presents The Full Monty Join us for a pre-performance meet-and-greet reception followed by Lyric Theatre’s fall production. Terrence McNally and

David Yazbeck’s musical comedy follows a group of unemployed Buffalo steelworkers who put on a strip show to earn money. Flynn Center for the Performing Arts, Burlington. Reception at 5:45 p.m., show at 8 p.m. Cost: $29 (includes ticket and sandwich/salad). RSVP by November 6: [email protected] or (802) 860-2785.

17 bYObiz “Speaking from Experience” Series: Liz Robert, principal owner and CEO of Terry Precision Cycling Long a major force in the Vermont economic community as the CEO who led Vermont Teddy Bear Company through its

most dynamic growth period, Liz Robert has recently embarked on a new entrepreneurial adventure. Earlier this year, she purchased a majority interest in Terry Precision Cycling, a rising brand specializing in serving the needs of women cyclists. Robert will share her adventures as an entrepreneur, her plans for Terry Precision Cycling, and her ideas for spurring economic development in Vermont. Alumni Auditorium, 7 p.m. Free. For more information: [email protected].

DECEMbER 11 CHAMPLAIN ALUMNI EVENT: Alumni at the Final Exam Dinner Join fellow alumni as Champlain’s Hospitality Industry Management students present a delicious multicourse dinner

as their final exam for the fall semester. The theme and cuisine are to be determined. But rest assured, it will be a wonderful experience. Limited seating—tickets sell out quickly! Hauke Family Campus Center, 6 p.m. Cost: $28/person. RSVP by December 2: [email protected] or call (802) 860-2785.

JANUARY ’10 TbD bYObiz “Speaking from Experience” Series: Mary Gale, CEO of Pet Health Network An experienced marketing executive in both large and small companies, Mary Gale will share her experiences building

Pet Health Network, which uses innovative communications technology to help veterinarians improve customer satisfaction and build their businesses. Alumni Auditorium, 7 p.m. Free. For more information: [email protected].

FEbRUARY TbD bYObiz “Speaking from Experience” Series: Brad Robertson, publisher, Burlington Free Press In addition to running the Free Press, Brad Robertson is very involved at the corporate level in the paper’s parent

company, Gannett, in defining and developing new enterprises. Robertson will focus his remarks on his experience as an “intrapreneur” (an entrepreneur inside a large company). Alumni Auditorium, 7 p.m. Free. For more information: [email protected].

6 CHAMPLAIN ALUMNI EVENT: Trapp Family Lodge Ski & Snowshoe Day: Watch the alumni Web site at www.alumni.champlain.edu for details!

MARCH 2 bYObiz “Speaking from Experience” Series: Dawn ’89 and Michael Lancaster ’88, Champlain College alums and cofounders of Carved Solutions, Inc., a leading manufacturer of luxury soaps and candles

In addition to telling the fascinating story of how they built Carved Solutions from scratch, the Lancasters will share their insights into how they kept both an entrepreneurial dream and a loving relationship alive in the more than 20 years that have passed since they hatched those dreams as high school sweethearts. Alumni reception beforehand. Watch for details at www.alumni.champlain.edu. Alumni Auditorium, 7 p.m. Free. For more information: [email protected].

ALUMNI, Stay Connected! Watch your email for additional 2009–10 alumni events in your area. To sign up for the Alumni e-newsletter, e-mail [email protected], visit alumni.champlain.edu, or call (802) 860-2785 or toll-free (866) 421-7170.

FSC INFORMATION TK

Champlain View | Fall 09 3

ACTPRESIDENT’S LETTER

Hello from the hill,

In the days just prior to the start of the current academic year, my staff and I convened a campus town hall meeting, as we customarily do, to bring faculty and staff members together for a status report on the College and for a look at the challenges on our near horizon. The mood at these occasions is typically upbeat, as Champlain continues to thrive, even amid the global economic downturn. The tone

at this year’s kickoff meeting was similarly positive—that is, once everyone released the collective breath we had been holding in anticipation of our fall 2009 enrollment numbers.

I am pleased to report that those numbers are strong and that the institution is in good health. In fact, the class of 2013 is the second-largest incoming class in the College’s history.

Naturally, I credit Director of Admissions Ian Mortimer and his team’s agility and drive in matching so many promising students with Champlain College in a highly competitive recruiting climate. As I consider how well the College has weathered these stormy economic times, it is clear to me how deeply such agility and drive run through our institution. Nearly every member of our learning community—without question, every department and academic division—has made a special contribution, over the past year or so, toward distinguishing Champlain College as a national leader in professionally focused higher education.

The articles in this issue begin to tell the story of how this small college on the Hill is managing not only to survive the present conditions, but to grow in innovative ways that fortify its health moving forward. The Continuing Professional Studies (CPS) division, as one article illuminates, is opening doors to a Champlain College education for adult learners by offering academic programs closely tied to marketplace demands—and delivered by industry-savvy instructors leveraging the most effective learning tools available. The Career Services office, the subject of another article, contributes significantly to the College’s success by helping new job seekers and alumni alike approach the job market with confidence, recognizing that the new economy calls for new job-search strategies.

My position affords me an in-depth look at these and other initiatives quietly sharpening Champlain’s competitive edge. A mere walk across campus, however, reveals a vibrancy and optimism nearly impossible to miss. One finds it in historic campus buildings being restored to grandeur; in a bold new campus statue of our old friend and namesake, French explorer Samuel de Champlain; and especially in the ebullient smiles of today’s students—forging onward to tomorrow’s careers.

I expect that the institution will experience additional successes, along with new challenges, in the semesters to come. For now, I am delighted with where the season finds Champlain College, and I thank you for your continued support.

Dr. David F. Finney

President

Robert W. Allen

George F. Bond ’73

Robert D. Botjer

Dawn D. Bugbee

George C. Burrill

Scott D. Carpenter

April Cornell

James H. Crook Jr.

Thomas V.S. Cullins

Laura P. Dagan

Staige Davis

Heather Dwight

Dr. David F. Finney

James B. Foster

Joan Gignoux

Susan Willey Lamaster ’88

Diana McCargo

Mary E. McLaughlin

Michael M. Metz

Dr. Robert B. Moore

Emily Morrow

Ambassador John O’Keefe

Trey Pecor

Mary G. Powell

David A. Scheuer

Dr. Peter Stern

Michael J. Sullivan Jr. ’90

Dawn Terrill ’88

Sarah Gentry Tischler

Leandro A. Vazquez

Lisa Ventriss

Arthur E. Wegner

2009Board of Trustees

CLASS

Seven Champlain College students and one staff member followed their dreams of

helping others all the way to Africa in May, when they spent three weeks volunteering and tutoring orphaned children in Bagamoyo, Tanzania.

Beth Fitzgerald, Champlain’s student activities coordinator, and the students taught children a range of subjects at the Imani, Upendo na Matumaini Center for Orphans and Vulnerable Children (IMUMA). The experience had a profound impact on Fitzgerald. “Bagamoyo means ‘Lay down your heart,’” she says. “That is exactly what I did in this small town filled with such loving and needy people.” The trip’s chief organizer was Elisha Kottler ’10, who had visited IMUMA through a volunteer organization in 2008. A Social Work major from Westborough, Massachusetts, Kottler (pictured at right) was eager to reacquaint herself with life and learning in the developing world. “I felt like I was doing so much for the children just by volunteering my time,” Kottler says of her first trip to IMUMA. “They were giving me so much as well. It’s such a great experience to learn from kids who grow up without all these material things but who still have these amazing values. I wanted Champlain College students to be able to share that with me.” With her knowledge of Swahili and experience in the field, Kottler arrived ahead of the Champlain crew to firm up final details: purchasing a cell phone, settling into a guest house, and finding out what IMUMA needed that her peers could bring—videos, for example. Kottler recalls the IMUMA children’s delight

in watching The Lion King, especially when they heard Swahili spoken in the movie. Prior to visiting Tanzania, Kottler had worked on a volunteer project in Belize through her high school. As a Champlain student, she ventured to the Gulf Coast region to work on a Habitat for Humanity project and has been mentoring a boy from Togo, West Africa, for several years. She is also president of Champlain’s chapter of STAND, a student led anti-genocide coalition. Joining Kottler ’10 on the trip were Laura Greaney ’11 of Mystic, Connecticut, an Early Childhood Education major; Amanda Mahony ’12 of East Durham, New York, a Public Relations major; Shannon Maguire ’09 of West Milford, New Jersey, a Graphic Design major; Lindsey Ganslow ’09 of Wells, Maine, a Secondary Education History major; Marguerite Dibble ’12 of Landgrove, Vermont, a Game Art & Animation major; and Brodie Henry ’10 of Fairfield, Connecticut, an International Business major. To finance the trip, the students held raffles and tapped a grassroots funding network. They also raised enough money to make a financial contribution to IMUMA, where “a little goes a long way,” as Kottler notes, and where attending a secondary school costs roughly $250 a year, $100 per year for primary school—well beyond the means of many. Kottler and Fitzgerald are already planning return trips to Tanzania, both with plans to extend their work over longer periods of time (see “Forever Young,” page 30). With the career goal of running a nonprofit organization, Kottler is applying to the Peace Corps. Her drive to help those in need can be summed up in the Bagamoyo facility’s name. “Imani, Upendo na Matumaini translates to faith, hope, and love,” she says. “These are the things we would like to bring to these children. Faith that there are compassionate people in this world who care about them; hope for their future; and, of course, the love and care they all deserve.”

Learn Locally, Act Globally

| VIEW FROM THE HILL |

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Dave Finney and students in the class of 2013 take time out from orientation to chat about the exciting journey ahead.

by Stephen Mease


4 Champlain View | Fall 09



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During the 2009 graduation ceremony on May 9, Champlain College conferred honorary degrees to Lois H. McClure of Shelburne and Holly D. and Robert E. Miller of Burlington. “Our honorary degree recipients have played major leadership roles in our community and throughout Vermont,” College President David F. Finney said. “By their generous philanthropic nature

Honorary Degrees Awarded to Community Members

and open encouragement to others to support vital organizations, Vermont is a better place to live, work, and play. They are role models, leaders, and mentors acting in the spirit of higher education and community service.”

Robert Miller owns R.E.M. Development Co. in Williston, one of the state’s largest commercial developers. Both Millers have strong ties to Champlain, having led major capital campaigns, served on building committees, and provided scholarship assistance to students over the years. The College’s Robert E. and Holly D. Miller Information Commons is named in their honor, and they were both recipients

of the 1996 Champlain College Distinguished Citizen Award. McClure, along with her late husband, J. Warren (“Mac”) McClure, have combined “giving with warm hands” with “matching gifts” to encourage broad donor support for nonprofit and educational organizations’ projects and programs. Both McClure and Holly Miller are past members of the Champlain College board of trustees. “The philanthropic spirit displayed by both families is evident on our campus, in our community, and in our daily lives. Their willingness to share their talents, time, and financial resources sets an example for all of us to emulate,” Finney added. — Staff report

(from left) Holly Miller, Robert Miller, and Lois McClure

Active community member George Carleton Burrill is also a board member of the Nature Conservancy and head of his own foundation. He is a cofounder of Associates in Rural Development, a global provider of consulting and engineering services toward responsible development and resource use. He received his B.A. in Political Science from Drew University, his M.A. in Government from the University of Arizona, and his Ph.D. in Policy Studies from Union Graduate School. Thomas V.S. Cullins’s expertise is well known to the Champlain community through several campus buildings built by his firm, Truex Cullins & Partners Architects, from which he recently retired. He received his B.A. from Syracuse University and attended Harvard University’s Graduate School of Design. He is also an avid photographer and volunteers his time to such organizations as Burlington City Arts.

Executive coach Emily Morrow brings to Champlain College experience as a board member with such organizations as Fletcher Allen Health Care and the United Way of Chittenden County. She received her B.A. from Oberlin College and her J.D. from the State University of New York at Buffalo. Sarah Gentry Tischler is a partner in the law firm Langrock Sperry and Wool, LLP, who is active in the Vermont and Chittenden County bar associations and a range of community organizations. The St. George town moderator, she chairs the facilities fundraising committee for Champlain Valley Union High School and volunteers with Circus Smirkus and Lyric Theatre. She received her B.A. from Swarthmore College and her J.D. from the Boston University School of Law. —Staff report

New Members Join board of Trustees George Carleton burrill Thomas V.S. Cullins Emily Morrow Sarah Gentry Tischler

Champlain College Restores HistoryWithin the past year, the Champlain College campus has opened new windows on its heritage with two building restoration projects and a salute—in bronze—to the College’s namesake.

Aiken Hall Restored to GloryNamed for Lola P. Aiken, trustee emerita of the College, the Queen Anne–style brick manor house at the corner of Maple and Summit streets has boasted sweeping views of Lake Champlain and the Adirondack Mountains since its construction circa 1885. The building’s recent restoration employed state-of-the-art techniques emphasizing sustainability and reducing environmental impact, earning it LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) Gold certification—the first campus building to meet that standard. Aiken Hall is home to the Core division, Champlain’s interdisciplinary general education program.

Perry Hall Forges AheadPlans to make historic Perry Hall into a new Champlain College welcome center are progressing smoothly. Following the May 28, 2009, groundbreaking, work began on the circa 1859 home at 251 South Willard Street—one of only 11 houses in the neighborhood that predate the Civil War. Most recently occupied by the Cannon family, the property was purchased by the College in 2004 and renamed in honor of former College President Roger H. Perry. At an estimated cost of $15 million, the renovation is slated to be complete, and the building ready for occupancy, in August 2010.

Who’s the big Man on Campus?It’s French explorer Samuel de Champlain. During the “When the French Were Here” symposium held on campus this past summer—part of a regional celebration marking the 400th anniversary of Champlain’s voyage to the lake that now bears his name—a larger-than-life statue in his likeness was unveiled. Trustee emeritus and longtime College benefactor John W. Heisse Jr., M.D., commissioned the work from Vermont sculptor James Sardonis. It sits in the Rozendaal Courtyard between Alumni Auditorium and the IDX Student Life Center. —Staff report

Perry Hall in progress

Aiken Hall’s Morgan Room

Statue of Samuel de Champlain



When students are given an important assignment,

most hope to make a “slam dunk,” figuratively speaking, in bringing the project to fruition. For Champlain College student Alex brandstetter ’10, the slam dunk on his International Marketing assignment was literal. Brandstetter was one of the key players in creating Slam for Sudan, an event held on March 25, 2009, in which dozens of talented basketball players from around Vermont showed off their

court skills to benefit the local Sudanese refugee community. Part public awareness campaign, part entertainment event, Slam for Sudan has become Brandstetter’s signature achievement in his Champlain career. The second Slam for Sudan is already in the works. (For an extended interview with Brandstetter and his Slam for Sudan team, visit www.alumni.champlain.edu/champlain_view.) Here, the Newport, Vermont, native discusses his drive to succeed as a global professional and citizen.

What drew you to International Business as a major?My family comes from all over the world. My mother is Canadian, my father is German, and I have family still in both countries, as well as an uncle in South Africa. My dad’s side of the family owns a clothing company called Bogner, based out of Munich, Germany, and they do business internationally. While I have no desire to work for my family, I think that business is and always has been driven by an international collaborative effort to solve problems. I want to be a part of a business that is not restricted by languages, cultures, or borders. And I want to work with a diverse group of skilled people coming from a wide variety of places because I think that only good things come out of working with people who have a different perspective on life and, ultimately, business.

The major is fairly broad. What kind of career do you envision for yourself after graduation?I am driven by opportunities that require creative solutions. I love developing concepts and coming up with ideas and strategies that help organizations succeed in their industry. I currently work for Shark Communications and love the challenges that come with marketing and branding. I want to start a marketing agency that specifically works with international companies eager to enter foreign markets. By surrounding myself over the years with like-minded and ambitious people from all over the world, I am confident that this will be where I find myself soon after graduation.

We know that Slam for Sudan originated as a class project. Where did the deeper inspiration come from?I have always believed in one general idea when it comes to civic engagement: If you know there is a problem in the world and do nothing about it, you are part of the problem. I have been involved with the Sudanese community for some time now, and to think that people could ignore the issues that they face both here in the States as well as back in Sudan motivated me to make the Slam for Sudan a reality.

What did the event teach you about business?The event was a great way to give the skills we were all learning at Champlain a test run. We essentially were running a business, and I was able to recruit extremely talented fellow students from over seven different majors to come together and get it done. We had Marketing majors developing concepts and designing ads, Web developers building and maintaining our Web site, Design majors whipping up some amazing promo collateral, Accounting majors building and monitoring our budgets, Econ majors designing financial models to find the most efficient way to price and sell tickets, and a bunch of others who helped get the word out. We were able to go out and mingle with some of the most successful Vermont business owners in our attempt to raise money, and the experience was one I will never forget. If it weren’t for the people at Champlain, I don’t think the inspiration needed to accomplish the Slam for Sudan would have found its way to those who came together to make it a reality!

StudentViewQ&A

Jack Dubrul Earns Distinguished Citizen AwardChamplain College named Jack DuBrul of Shelburne its 2009 Distinguished Citizen at this year’s convocation on August 28. DuBrul, 75, was recognized for his longtime support of community and educational programs. “Jack DuBrul long ago figured out that combining his passions with his work was the formula for both a successful business and a rewarding role in the community,” Champlain College President David F. Finney told the gathering, which included 550 incoming students in the class of 2013. DuBrul, owner of the Automaster car dealership in Shelburne, spoke of his early days in business and how an ability to “change his sails” when the business winds shifted helped him grow a fledgling Rambler dealership with five employees into a company with more than 100 employees, selling some of the most prestigious cars available—Honda, BMW, Mercedes-Benz, Porsche, and Land Rover. The Distinguished Citizen Award also acknowledges DuBrul’s many roles in the community, from serving 18 years on the Merchants Bank board of directors to supporting such civic and charitable organizations as Shelburne Farms, Champlain College, the Visiting Nurse Association, Fletcher Allen Health Care, United Way, the National Multiple Sclerosis Society, the Vermont Mozart Festival, and the Flynn Center for Performing Arts. His philanthropy often occurs “behind the scenes,” Finney noted, helping individuals in need without any fanfare or recognition. DuBrul’s zest for living was another highlight of Finney’s remarks, in particular DuBrul’s skill as an airplane and hot-air balloon pilot, which he often shares by taking charitable donors or kids with cancer on rides. “He is in strong contention for the coolest grandpa around,” Finney added, “since not many other grandpas have a fleet of antique sports cars, motorcycles, airplanes and hot-air balloons and are still enjoying all of them.” —SM Ph

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College Supports State Education ReportA new report identifies the benefits and challenges of receiving a postsecondary education in Vermont. The report was jointly sponsored by the Vermont Community Foundation and the J. Warren and Lois McClure Foundation. Champlain College President David F. Finney is a board member of the McClure Foundation, and Lois McClure is a trustee emerita of the College. The result of an 18-month collaboration among educators, nonprofit organizations, state agencies, and foundations, Postsecondary Education reveals alarming trends with short- and long-term impact on Vermonters of every age and income level. The report identifies four barriers to access that are trending in a negative direction: (1) aspirations—students’ lack of interest in education or training beyond high school; (2) readiness—students’ lack of preparedness for the demands of postsecondary education; (3) information—students’ and parents’ inadequate awareness of career options and education and training opportunities; and (4) cost—the failure of scholarship and grant funds to keep pace with the rising costs of continuing education. The report also identifies benefits of education and training after high school. For example, college graduates are more likely to have healthy families, and are more involved in their communities, than those without postsecondary experience. They contribute more to federal, state, and local taxes, and also tend to require less from state support systems, such as unemployment benefits and health care. Finally, the report recommends strategies for philanthropists who wish to make donations that remove barriers to education beyond high school. —Staff report

To read the entire article go to: http://www.vermontcf.org/

Before they graduated in 2009, eight seniors in the Graphic Design & Digital Media program developed multimedia materials for the Safe Streets Collaborative education campaign. The campaign was launched to improve the safety of Burlington’s streets. Participating students were David Maurer, Kat DeHond, Dylan Lebel, James Mastrian, John Plummer, Kyle Simpkins, John Gaida, and Ryan Arsenault.



For more than 50 years, the Champlain College

campus has gained luster as one of Burlington’s

prized architectural jewels. The College’s Victorian-

style dormitories blend with attractive, state-of-

the-art buildings capturing light and commanding views from

a vantage tucked snugly into the historic Hill Section. • As

any campus tour guide will attest, the campus makes a strong impression on

visitors. Ask students, faculty, and staff members, and they’ll tell you that it’s

a pleasant place to live, study, and work. For the past four years, one team

of staff members has worked to open the College’s doors to others who can

benefit from the campus’s aesthetic and functional qualities. The Conference

& Event Center at Champlain College, under the direction of

Linda Wheeler ’80, has marketed and promoted the campus

to an array of companies and organizations seeking a place to

gather for retreats, conferences, camps, and the like.

Working the

Room

Champlain College is one of the nation’s “Top Up-and-Coming Schools,” according to the 2010 edition of U.S. News & World Report’s “America’s Best Colleges.” This is the first year that Champlain has made the “Top Up-and-Coming Schools” list. The category recognizes institutions that “have recently made striking improvements or innovations” in areas such as academic programs, faculty, students, or facilities. Champlain is ranked No. 13 among the overall Best Baccalaureate Colleges—North Region rankings. “Champlain has experienced tremendous transformation and innovation over the last decade, and these rankings recognize and reinforce our many successes,” says Champlain College President David F. Finney. “The rankings also reflect the hard work of our faculty and staff as well as recognition by our peers for the cutting-edge approaches that have made us a national leader in professionally focused education enhanced by a comprehensive and interdisciplinary Core liberal arts curriculum.” The U.S. News & World Report ranking is among several distinctions the College has earned recently. In 2009, Champlain received the Andrew Heiskell Award for international and global education initiatives (see “Champlain Wins Award for International Education” article in the spring 2009 issue). The Chronicle of Higher Education earlier in 2009 published an in-depth article on Champlain’s “Education in 3-D” approach to learning. The Chronicle noted that Champlain’s innovative curriculum produces well-rounded, multidimensional graduates who are ready for life after college. “We frequently hear from students and parents that the approach to, and the associated outcomes of, a Champlain College investment is valuable,” notes Ian Mortimer, the College’s director of admissions. “However, it is very gratifying and humbling for our peer institutions to highlight Champlain during this ranking process.” —SM

Champlain Earns Top Ranking in U.S. News & World Report

Accounting Excellence Scholarship AwardedThe Accounting Excellence scholarship is a permanent endowment fund that honors the tradition of teaching excellence at Champlain College. Thanks to the generous donations of alumni and friends, the College has awarded its second Accounting Excellence scholarship to Katherine Brady ’10—an accomplished Accounting student who has demonstrated great professional promise. The Accounting Excellence scholarship is funded

through interest income on invested contributions. The College seeks contributions to continue cultivating this fund and distributing Accounting Excellence scholarships for years to come. Make a gift today by using the secure online site https://secure.champlain.edu/annualfund/ or by calling (866) 421.7170.

New Head of Global Education Takes HelmJames Cross was recently hired as Champlain College’s associate provost and senior international officer. In this capacity, he will oversee all facets of the College’s global education efforts, including campus internationalization,

study abroad programs, and international students at Champlain. Cross brings to the position more than 25 years of experience in international education in academic and applied settings, including work with the United Nations International Fund for Agricultural Development, the NATO Parliament, Loyola University Chicago’s Rome Center, Heidelberg College, Michigan Technological University, and Clemson University. He holds a B.A. from the University of Vermont and a Ph.D. in Political Science from the University of Geneva, Switzerland. —Staff report

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Written by Erik EsckilsenPhotographs by Kathleen Landwehrle

Guests include youth groups, such as the School of Cinema

and Performing Arts (SOCAPA); government agencies, such as the

Vermont Department of Health; nonprofit organizations, such as

the NeighborWorks HomeOwnership Center; and companies of

all description—ice cream maker Ben & Jerry’s, accounting firm

Gallagher Flynn, and Web analytics consultants EpikOne, to name

just a few. When the College is not in regular session, campus beds

are sometimes occupied by guests affiliated with such nonprofit

organizations as the Vermont Mozart Festival and Burlington

City Arts.

According to Sue Corcoran, Conference & Event Center sales

manager, the College’s media exposure, particularly regarding

expansion and enhancement of the campus footprint, may be

having a beneficial effect on attracting guests. “We’ve been in the

press so much for our growth that people have become curious,”

she says. Corcoran also notes that the campus environment

seems to foster a sense of community for groups that choose to

hold their meeting or event there—just as it does throughout the

academic year.

A stay of any duration on the Champlain College campus is likely

to boost the College’s profile. Wheeler and her team’s overarching

mission, however, is to turn otherwise unused space into additional

revenue for the institution’s bottom line. A look at recent conference

and event traffic indicates that they have been successful.

For fiscal year 2008–09, Wheeler reports, the Conference

& Event Center housed more than 1,500 individuals over 9,000

“bed nights”—in all, more than 5,000 guests representing 79

organizations during this period.

Wheeler sees several key selling points in Champlain College

in the marketplace of hotels, conference centers, and resorts:

• Campus facilities are notably lacking in cinder-block dorms

and, instead, include varied, well-lit spaces. The Miller

Information Commons Vista Room—offering one of the best

views of Lake Champlain in the entire city of Burlington—is also

“a great room for thinking outside the box,” Wheeler says.

• The College’s considerable technology resources appeal to

individual guests and groups that need to make presentations,

connect to the Internet, and undertake other computer-

centered activities.

• The campus is competitively priced among other venues.

• The campus location—in particular, its proximity to Church

Street, Lake Champlain, and the mountains—makes it easier

for event planners to schedule ancillary activities, such as

entertainment outings. “You just turn them loose,”

Wheeler says.

10 Champlain View | Fall 09 Champlain View | Fall 09 11

According to Corcoran, an advantage that

the Champlain campus offers over other college

venues is that the Center creates a one-stop shop

for arranging housing, dining, and so forth. Such

efficiency is appealing to guests used to hotel-

style service, seeking, as Wheeler puts it, “to

meet responsibly, not extravagantly.”

Students in Champlain’s Hospitality Industry

Management program reap an educational

benefit in working at the Center. “It’s a nice

match,” Wheeler says. “It lets them get their toes

wet. It puts them in the fray.”

While the campus bustle from May to

September testifies to the Conference & Event

Center’s success, Wheeler is most pleased by

repeat business. The guests “had such a good

experience,” she says, “that they leave talking

about when they’ll return.” 1

For more information on the Conference & Event Center, visit www.champlain.edu/Conference-and-Event-Center.html.

Residence Hall Room

Dining Hall in the IDX Student Life Center

Classroom

Argosy Gymnasium in the IDX Student Life Center

IDX Student Life Center Terrace

Dining Hall in the IDX Student Life Center

Hauke Family Campus Center Classroom

Lifelong learner. It’s a familiar phrase, one that connotes a curious mind—and an individual perpetually engaged in inquiry and exploration. In today’s knowledge economy, lifelong learning is more than a disposition. It’s a requirement for success.

Champlain College has long prided itself on educating students to meet the ever-shifting demands of the career marketplace. In recent years, the rate of change has accelerated, as we have confronted a rapidly globalizing economy—and an economic downturn with global reach. Thanks to a faculty richly experienced in some of the very fields experiencing the most dramatic change, to the College’s early adoption of cutting-edge educational technology, and to a learning-community ethos that favors innovation over tradition in confronting new challenges, Champlain has redefined what lifelong learning could mean for the 21st-century professional.

Today, multiple doors open into a Champlain College education, inviting individuals at all stages of their lives and careers to receive a relevant, high-quality education delivered with the personal touch that has defined Champlain College for more than a century. Adult learners, in particular, have seen their Champlain options expand, with new graduate programs (see sidebar on page 17) and a revamped continuing education division, known as Continuing Professional Studies (CPS), designed with their unique needs in mind.

CPS: Distinct and DigitalContinuing education is hardly a new development in higher education, at Champlain College or elsewhere. For decades, the College offered adult students alternatives to attending classes on the traditional daytime schedule. When Champlain’s first online courses rolled out in 1993—making the College a pioneer in the field of online learning—adults began migrating in significant numbers to those courses. With the official launch of CPS as its own academic division in 2006, Champlain took an important step in meeting the unique needs of adult learners through an educational offering available only to them, not the same slate of undergraduate courses simply offered at more convenient times for working people. With so many years of continuing education success on which to draw, Champlain educators knew the time was right. “We understand them,” CPS Dean Lynne Ballard says of adult learners. “We know their economic and life challenges, and we’re constantly assessing the workplace to ensure that we offer the most up-to-date knowledge in emerging and high-growth areas.”

The evolution into a distinct academic division is no mere administrative formality. It allows CPS to have its own mission: “to provide a continuum of relevant, lifelong education to adults, leading to their professional advancement and the growth of their organizations.”

Toward this end, CPS currently offers 25 degree and certificate programs that include Accounting, Paralegal Studies, Software Development, Network Security, and Computer Forensics & Digital Investigation. The newest programs, launched in fall 2009, are Healthcare Management and Health Informatics.

Practical Matters

Learning from ExperienceDrilling down into the CPS mission statement uncovers an educational offering finely tuned to deliver instruction optimally beneficial to adult learners—minimum age 23—by tapping into their own knowledge. As CPS Associate Dean for Academic Programs Mika Nash describes the CPS approach, it “recognizes and honors” students’ experiences to a high degree, using such experience as a basis for framing questions and designing assignments. CPS “changes the whole methodology” from traditional undergraduate instruction, Nash adds. “You can’t ask the same questions [that you would ask younger students] necessarily … These are adults, and they’re very matter-of-fact about their experiences.”

What is more, says CPS Assistant Dean for Business and Accounting Linda Miller, bringing adults together in a class enables them to share their rich experiences with one another—to the greater educational benefit of all.

Course scheduling also reflects a careful consideration of what works for today’s busy professional. CPS courses run in seven-, eight-, and 15-week blocks. The variety allows for both traditional course sequencing and an accelerated format, the latter

Champlain College’s

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with Care and preCision.

bY ERIK ESCKILSEN

LYNNE bALLARD CPS Division Dean“WE KNOW THEIR ECONOMIC AND LIFE CHALLENGES, AND WE’RE CONSTANTLY ASSESSING THE WORKPLACE TO ENSURE THAT WE OFFER THE MOST UP-TO-DATE KNOWLEDGE IN EMERGING AND HIGH-GROWTH AREAS.”


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becoming increasingly popular for what CPS Assistant Dean for Information Technology Bob Green calls a sense of “immersion” in the material.

The CPS Support SystemEven in the midst of dramatic changes at the College over the past decade—changes too numerous to mention here—faculty, staff, and administrators have made maintaining a “personal touch” a top priority. When CPS was established as a distinct academic division, College leaders ensured that CPS students would enjoy the same high level of support that traditional undergraduates receive in entering Champlain College—and in succeeding. That responsibility rests primarily with Director of CPS Admissions Bridget Baldwin, Assistant Director of CPS Admissions Lance Millett, Admissions Counselor Sara Hearne, and Senior Academic & Student Services Advisors Christian Berry and Jennifer Stockwell. Together, this team closely guides CPS students—from first contact to graduation—with great sensitivity to the stressors that can accompany such an important undertaking.

Just as the adult learner’s education needs can differ from a traditional student’s, so does the type of support they require. For one thing, continuing education is rarely a short-term process for adults; many spread their studies over significantly more than the traditional four years. “Life happens with adult learners,” Baldwin says, “and we have to be prepared.” This makes the advising piece critically important, Berry adds. “When our students ‘stop out,’ they’re not dropping out,” she says. “Their lives are just different. That’s fine. We expect them to do that.”

While the CPS staffers are well prepared to guide students through a Champlain College experience that may not flow uninterruptedly, students may still feel trepidation about the process. “There’s fear,” Millett says. “They want to know what kind of support will be there. Will there be someone there along the way?”

CPS addresses this concern with the characteristic Champlain College human touch. After students are admitted, they are assigned a Student Services advisor who then becomes their point person for any issues that arise, whether those concern academics, finances, or anything else. Students also receive close attention in mapping out their courses, including the negotiation of transfer credits from other institutions. The goal, Baldwin says, is to make their contact with CPS “a constant” in a learning equation potentially fraught with variables. “They’re not being lost as a number, and they’re not being shuffled along four or five different people,” she says.

Millett knows that CPS students appreciate this responsiveness: “When you’re an adult, you’re used to getting it done,” he says. “The last thing you want to hear is that you’ll have to call someone else for help.”

In addition to an efficient communication process, CPS students are likely to experience a level of understanding

uncommon in support services. That’s because several

members of the CPS

support team—Baldwin, Berry, and Millett among them—are themselves CPS students. “Being able to speak to some of the concerns that they have with your own knowledge is really key to building confidence in us,” Baldwin, a mother of two, says.

“We don’t speak from scripts,” Millett adds. “It’s all from the heart.”

Connecting College and CareersLike the phrase lifelong learning, the word relevance has been redefined by CPS. And for good reason. As Ballard notes, competition in the continuing education marketplace has intensified in recent years. Community colleges are making an ever-stronger bid for cost-conscious students, and other online players, such as the university

bOb GREENAssistant Dean for Information Technology

“ADULTS ARE MUCH MORE INTERESTED IN EXPERIENTIAL LEARNING, SO EVERYTHING THAT WE GIVE TO STUDENTS SHOULD bE MORE RELEVANT TO THEIR LIVES.”

CHRISTIAN bERRY Senior Academic & Student Services Advisor “WE TAKE A HOLISTIC APPROACH TO ADVISING AND STUDENT SERVICES. WE’RE A ONE-STOP SHOP, AND OUR DOOR IS ALWAYS OPEN.”


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of Phoenix, are marketing their programs more aggressively—that is, more expensively—than Champlain College is able to do.

While Ballard recognizes that the College is not nationally dominant in online learning, she has confidence in the CPS strategy for competing. It hinges on “niche programs,” she says, and Champlain’s hallmark nimbleness in capitalizing on opportunities. “We’re going to have to continue to be on the leading edge in the emerging areas … We’re not going to win through marketing dollars.”

Ballard cites the healthcare field as an example. Two of the newest CPS programs are Healthcare Management and Health Informatics, in which students can earn an undergraduate degree as well as a professional certificate. Miller points to direct links between CPS programs and industry certification requirements as another strategic move to enhance the value of courses. “When there are certifying bodies, we make sure that our programs fit into their criteria so that they accept our students,” she says. For example, the CPS certificate program in Human Resource Management is being designed, in part, to meet requirements set forth by the Society for Human Resource Management. Such careful curricular design is not only appealing to students conscious of the value they receive for their education dollar, but it acts as a kind of “quality control” mechanism, Nash says, for “making sure our programs are strong.”

Beyond its strategic soundness, the CPS division’s attention to industries’ learning needs marks a profound shift in the relationship

between academia and the career world. “Businesses are really hungry for higher education institutions not to set the agenda, but to ask what the agenda should be,” Baldwin says.

Online, On Task, On TargetAccording to Green, just as the questions for adult learners must respect their experience and need for relevance, so must the manner in which instruction takes place. “There’s less emphasis on lengthy lectures,” he says of CPS, and more on discussion and independent work. “Most of the assignments tend to involve critical and applied thinking. The added value is in pointing out where students have problems” and helping them see the “real-world applications.”

Given Champlain College’s pioneering presence in the field of online learning, CPS is well positioned to make use of the technology. The curriculum, Green says, draws intelligently on the best online and technological resources. Tools such as Jing, Visual Studio, and virtual whiteboards offer students visual representations of others’ desktop work, and Skype, wikis, Google Docs, and functionalities in the Angel learning management system—the system adopted College-wide—facilitate communication. Course texts are supplemented with such online resources as the TED lecture series, YouTube university, and iTunes university.

The availability of quality online learning tools notwithstanding, Green and his colleagues acknowledge lingering skepticism about the merits of the mode. “I think one of the biggest misconceptions about online classes is that they’re impersonal,” he says, “and that there’s less opportunity to interact with the instructor.” On the contrary, he says, online learning actually increases the level of student-to-instructor interaction. For one thing, because so much of the communication is written, instructors have frequent opportunities to review students’ writing. Discussion, too, can take place more fluidly than in a brick-and-mortar classroom, as students can participate simultaneously. Also, because each assignment has an accompanying discussion forum, students can assist each other—collaboration analogous to professional work. “The only thing missing is eye contact,” Green says.

Seizing the Day—to LearnAlthough adult learners bring an adult level of skepticism and uncertainty to the college experience, CPS enrollment suggests that continuing education is a smart move in today’s job market. The total number of CPS-enrolled students hasn’t seen an uptick in the down economy; however, full-time enrollments and total credit hours have

increased, prompting Champlain College President David F. Finney to note, at a recent town hall meeting, that “CPS is having a banner year.”

In his address, Finney also touched on why CPS has become so appealing. He cited a sense of “susceptibility” to job loss as a motivation for many adults to fortify their learning and credentials. Millett knows those individuals by name. “I’ve seen people coming in who have lost their job and are facing the reality that they need an education just to compete, just as an equalizer,” he says. In other cases, new programs offer a golden learning opportunity for people who developed skill sets in fields that until recently were not served by a four-year degree. Champlain’s program in Digital Forensics, for example, Millett sees as attractive to someone with an information technology background looking to move into a burgeoning new field.

Such opportunities may explain why, as Baldwin says, Champlain College alumni are “coming back in huge volumes”—perhaps the strongest evidence of CPS quality. “Some people with 10 years of experience out in the field, with the degree that they achieved here, are now coming back to further that,” Millett says. “It worked very well for them. This speaks very well of the school.”

Champlain College Master’s Degree ProgramsMaster of Science in Digital Investigation Management (MSDIM) 42 credits, online with a three-day campus residency required

Master of Science in Mediation & Applied Conflict Studies (MSM) Offered through the Woodbury Institute of Champlain College

42 credits, online with three residencies, ranging between six and 11 days, required over the course of the program

Master of Science in Law (MSL) Offered through the Woodbury Institute of Champlain College

42 credits, online with a three-day campus residency

Master of Business Administration (MBA) 57 credits, online with a three-day residency

Master of Science in Managing Innovation & IT (MSMIIT) 42 credits, online with a three-day residency

For inFormATion CALL (866) 282-7259 or ViSiT HTTP://ExTrA.CHAmPLAin.Edu/mASTEr/.

Onward into the Online WorldBallard is quick to praise her staff in transforming CPS into an educational offering with its own distinct identity without sacrificing the signature Champlain sense of community. Or academic rigor. According to Finney, whose background includes many years in continuing education administration, the most valuable programs will be those that prepare students for a working world constantly in flux. “It’s not just training. It’s an education,” he says. “If we can deliver that to an adult learner, that would be a real distinctive strength.”

The CPS division’s contribution to the financial health of the College has been vital to Champlain’s ability not only to grow, but to honor what Ballard calls an “institutional commitment to the future of Vermont.” It’s a role that she embraces. “When you have responsibility,” she adds, “you feel like people are counting on you.”

To meet that responsibility fully, CPS must continue to grow. Given the size of the Vermont workforce, such growth will entail a statewide reach as well as programs offered nationally. In this time of tight budgets—and intense competition—innovation will be the watchword. “What does a small school do in this environment?” Ballard asks. “You have to be more creative, more innovative, faster, and more relationship-oriented than the big guys.” 1

— JENNY D.Insurance Examiner, Burlington Vermont“THE FINANCIAL ACCOUNTING CERTIFICATE PROGRAM AT CHAMPLAIN WAS A GREAT WAY TO GO. IT WAS VERY DOAbLE, AND I’VE bECOME EXCITED AGAIN AbOUT MY FIELD AND MORE MOTIVATED.” Ph

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Article by Erik EsckilsenPhotography by Kathleen LandwehrleIllustrations by Julia Caminiti

The Career Services team brings savvy new strategies to a sluggish job market.

No More Ramen. Don’t Take the Last Donut. Never Eat Alone.

Diet advice?No—career advice.

The above bits of wisdom are the titles of three books among dozens lining the conference room shelves in Champlain College’s Career Services office in Durick Hall. As Career Services staffers

can attest, the titles’ cheeky tone brings a touch of levity to what, over the past year or so, has become a grueling process: the job search. As the go-to group for guidance on turning a Champlain College degree into rewarding work, the Career Services team offers comprehensive services for job-seeking Champlainers—soon-to-be graduates as well as alumni. Help in writing a killer resume is just the beginning. Career Services offers assistance in assessing marketable skills and understanding employment goals at the start of a job search, using such tools as the Myers-Briggs Type Indicator® (MBTI) and the Strong Interest Inventory (SII). When opportunity knocks, staffers are available to help job candidates prepare for interviews. The department also acts as a resource for job postings through its electronic job board, JobSpot; the online job resource CareerShift; and its active network of contacts in the job market. Among the most visible Career Services initiatives are on-campus recruiting visits by employers, which the office facilitates, and the popular job fair—a major community event bringing job seekers and employers together on campus.

Behind the scenes, Career Services staffers often visit Champlain College classrooms to share insights and strategies; each career advisor specializes in a College division, enabling her to develop expertise in the unique challenges and opportunities that students in specific majors encounter. The data that Career Services gathers includes such general information as job titles and average salaries, as well as more targeted information, such as local, regional, and national hiring trends; strengths of Champlain College programs in terms of career preparation; recent grads’ performance in the field; and the specific employers who hired them. A rigorous approach to reaching out to employers to identify relevant career opportunities is a hallmark of Career Services, a quality that Champlain College President David F. Finney sees as complementing well the College’s newly launched LEAD program—short for the Life Experience & Action Dimension (see “Life Lessons” article in the spring 2009 issue). As LEAD helps students develop such life skills as financial sophistication and career management, Finney hopes that students will be inspired to connect with Career Services early in their Champlain careers. Such an intentional, integrated approach to career planning is, he says, “right on the edge of an exciting transformation in higher education.” While integrating LEAD with Career Services will be challenging, he’s convinced that it “will pay huge dividends for students.” For now, job seekers are setting their sights on more modest goals, such as gainful employment. Those prospects, as Career

Services sees them, are not necessarily gloomy. They are certainly dynamic, however, making the age-old problem of landing a dream job a task calling for all-new approaches.

Reframing the Job Picture

According to Daphne Walker, career advisor for the College’s Communication & Creative Media (CCM) division, one of the first changes a job seeker may have to make in today’s economy involves expectations. “Probably they won’t be making as much money as people have in the recent past,” she says. “People are going to be doing a lot of patching work together.” This comes as a shock, she says, for some of CCM’s creative and tech-savvy students. “The usual jobs are just not there,” she adds, citing graphic design as a career niche that, at least locally, is saturated. Education is another field in which jobs are notably scarce in the greater Burlington area. Jana Nixon, career advisor for the Information Technology & Sciences (ITS) division, points out that finding a job may also take substantially longer than in previous economies. This represents a shift in her work with the division; in the past, high demand for IT skills meant that students visited Career Services less often. “That’s not the case,” she says. “The available jobs are not there, so they’re accessing my services a lot more in person and online but in a different frame of mind. There’s more urgency now.” Career Advisor Pat Boera, who focuses on the Division of Business, sees a similar trend in a field historically receptive to

On-the-Job

Training

The Dream Job Team (left to right): Erin Meenan, Meg Sealey, Dolly Shaw, Jana Nixon, Daphne Walker, Pat boera


Champlain grads: “Accounting on the whole has been pretty strong,” she says, “but even this year there have been layoffs, so it’s not immune. That’s the first time I’ve ever had to say that in the time I’ve been here.”

Millennials in the Mix

One of the factors complicating a job search for today’s recent grads may be their inexperience in taking initiative. “There’s more of a reliance on the parents, who have done everything for them for years,” Boera says. Career Services Director Dolly Shaw concurs: “Parents have done so much for the students, and they’ve been so scheduled in their lives, that they have more difficulty making decisions for themselves,” she says. “Taking that responsibility for themselves is difficult, especially for the students who want to ‘fall out of bed and work around the block.’” But even when millennials—roughly speaking, people born in the ’80s and ’90s—make their way into the workplace, their youthful cultural ways may clash with employers’. Walker recalls a student who was released from an internship for using company time to update her MySpace profile. Boera cites a casual attitude toward punctuality and workplace attire as other issues on which the new generation of employees and their employers may differ. “They need an awareness that that time belongs to the employer,” Walker says. And when a work situation doesn’t work out, Boera urges millennials to hold the impulse to quit in check.

“Sometimes I think they don’t realize the impact that has on a reference,” she says. “They’re really burning bridges. They don’t think it’s any big deal, but, all of a sudden, they’re sitting back in our office wondering why they’re not getting job offers.”

Meg Sealey ’07, the Career Services front office manager and work-study coordinator, who is also a career advisor, understands the young mind-set. “Work often comes second to the millennials,” she says. “They might go into an interview or a job search with the salary they want, the corner office, the title—the expectations are very high.” Her advice: Shoot for the stars but be prepared to “meet the employer halfway.”

With the right attitude, Walker adds, millennials might find themselves welcome indeed in the 21st-century workplace. “I’ve heard that employers are bending over backwards to accommodate the millennials,” she says, because they’re capable of “teaching the old dogs some new tricks.”

The Networking Necessity

Not only do millennial employees add something new to the workplace mix, they’re also driving new trends in how job seekers—across generations—find and land jobs. It’s networking with a digital twist.

Career Services staffers now advise clients to use social networking media, such as Facebook, LinkedIn, and Twitter

to make career connections. These tools offer job seekers ways to track online discussions and news about companies and industries. By posting questions and comments, the prospective candidate can establish a presence—a “personal brand,” as Grace Boyle ’08, a network-savvy job hunter, puts it. The Public Relations major from Fairfield, Iowa, leveraged her fluency with social networking media to earn a position with a technology firm in Boulder, Colorado—her dream location for her first post-Champlain job (see “The Contact Person,” page 22). In turn, employers are increasingly seeking candidates through social media—an argument, Sealey says, for crafting a professional online presence. Job seekers who entered the workforce in a pre-Internet economy may be less comfortable with what Walker calls the “new tools in the hunt.” That’s why she and her colleagues recommend that alumni open a LinkedIn account first, a “safe route” for building a network of contacts. The College’s Alumni Relations team has set the process in motion by creating a Champlain College alumni group on LinkedIn, along with providing job-search tools and career-related content on the alumni page of the Career Services Web site: www.champlain.edu/career-services/alumni.html. Walker and her colleagues also champion internships as a way of getting a foot in the proverbial door. When that door could one day open into a desirable job, an unpaid internship can be invaluable. According to Career Services, older job seekers are also more receptive to internships in the current tight job market. This brings to light a startling situation for millennial job hunters: competition with older, more experienced applicants. Walker recalls a student who visited a job fair on campus and saw someone her grandmother’s age strolling the employer booths. “It was a real eye-opener,” she says. “Students saw men and women in suits, clearly professional people. It was really shocking to them.”

Career Comebacks

Without question, the stakes in finding employment are higher for job seekers with dependents. Lynn Banach ’08, a Business Management and Marketing major, remembers well the dread she felt after being laid off in

Events such as the Career Services “Meet and Mingle” provide informal networking opportunities.

When Lynn banach ’08 was laid off in February 2009, she couldn’t afford to languish without a job for long—not with two kids, 10 and 13 but she also wanted to land a position with a future. Here’s how she stayed true to her mission—and succeeded.• She kept a goal in mind—a career, “not a job for the sake

of a job,” and as short a commute as possible from her South burlington home.

• She maintained a positive attitude—“Sometimes when it seems bleakest, it’s because the light is right around the corner.”

• She kept her eyes open—attending job fairs and workshops and using career search engines on the Internet.

• She told everybody the situation she was in—out of work but ready to resume.

• She believed in herself—and in her abilities.• She did her research–

“Feel confident about what you have to offer but know what it is you’re getting into. When [in an interview] they start asking what you can offer, if you don’t know what they’re doing, then you won’t know what to say. The interview is a two-way process. It’s an opportunity to get very specific about what the employer does.”

Tips for a sane, successfulJOb SearCh


February 2009 as an event coordinator with the sales and training firm where she had been working since shortly after graduation. As early as summer 2008, Banach, the single mother of a 10-year-old son and 13-year-old daughter, recalls feeling as though she could be a little choosy in her first post-graduation job search. It helped that she had retained a few clients from her 11-year period of self-employment as a house cleaner to get her through the transition. When the recession worsened in early 2009, she found herself more exposed. “I knew I had nothing to fall back on,” she says. “I didn’t have that cushion.” The day after she lost her job, she called Pat Boera in Career Services, and the two set about reworking Banach’s resume from scratch. Banach then dived headlong into her job search, hitting every relevant job fair, attending career workshops, posting her resume on www.jobsinvt.com and other employment search engines, and letting people in her social circle know that she was looking for work. “A lot of putting-on-the-business-suit-and- carrying-the-briefcase scenario and a lot of networking” is how Banach recalls that period. Four months later, she was back in business: in a position as a project intake coordinator with the Vermont Energy Investment Corp. What makes Banach’s story exemplary in these tense times for job hunters is how she focused her search. “I was very aware of what I wanted as an outcome,” she says. For one thing, she knew she was looking for a career, not just a job—“not just a building block, but a foundation,” as she puts it. “To me, a career meant something that I could see myself doing long-term,” she says, “and learning, having opportunities within the company as well as outside the company to move forward.” Geography was another important consideration. “I wanted to make sure that, wherever I landed, I didn’t have to drive an hour each way,” she says. “Family priority was just as high on my list.”In the end, Banach’s patience paid off (see “Tips for a Sane, Successful Job Search,” page 21). She admits, however, that there were dark days on her quest. “Sometimes it seems bleak because you’re seeing all these not-so-wonderful options out there, and you’re wondering if you’re going to have settle for less than what you’re worth,” she says, adding that depression kicked in for her at around months two and three. But she managed to stay focused on the goal ahead. Even on a day when she didn’t get the job for which she had applied, she remembers asking the Human Resources staffer what she might have done differently to have improved her employability. “I thought of that a lot when I was applying for various positions,” she says.

A Touchstone in Tough TimesBanach credits Career Services with helping her with the nuts and bolts of her job search but also for “a sense of comfort” in this trying time—“crucial,” she adds, “to the person who

feels very anxious about their situation. They handled it very professionally and very sensitively. They were always available. They made time for me even when they were on a tight schedule.” This level of support has always been central to Career Services, but Nixon acknowledges “an elevated sense of tension and anxiety” among her clients. The upside, Walker adds, is that people in desperate straits may be more open to suggestions and self-assessment. This matches her vision of her work as a career advisor. “We’re really solution finders,” she says, “being creative and helping clients find creative ways to get in.” Boera echoes her colleagues’ sentiments when she describes the satisfaction she derives from providing people with resources that they might otherwise not have discovered, giving them hope. As Boyle’s and Banach’s experiences illustrate, Champlain College graduates are navigating the job market with the right tools—and attitudes—for the scarce openings. In fact, success stories are not rare at Career Services, not even in these troubled times. “We continue to put people out who are attractive in the marketplace,” Finney says. “If there’s a report card on Champlain, that’s it.” Such recognition of the department’s work is not rare among job seekers either, a consolation in tough times. “People are saying thank you more often,” Walker says. 1

boyle began using Twitter and email to develop a list of contacts. She also reached out to professors, alumni

(through Career Services), family, and friends for names of anyone they knew in boulder. “Someone on that list

is why I’m at my job today,” she says. j Next, she began targeting her Twitter “tweets,” or 140-character-

or-less messages, to boulder marketing businesses, letting them know that she was looking for work. j One

key facet of boyle’s job search was her blog—www.smallhandsbigideas.com—where she had been discussing

her upcoming move to boulder. She received an email from the marketing manager of the technology firm Lijit,

a startup specializing in blog tools, some of which boyle had already been using. She had not known that Lijit

was based in boulder. j Once she arrived in Colorado, boyle looked up her contacts for coffee dates and

information interviews. She asked everyone she met for the names of other contacts.

“That was a really good strategy,” she says, noting that one contact was the Lijit

vice president of business development. “because I was using their product

and walking the talk, they were really impressed.” During her chat with the

VP, the CEO came by, and the encounter became an interview. j boyle knew

that heading West without a job was a gamble, but she had been planning the

move for months, researching the boulder job scene and gathering contacts,

and she had set aside funds to sustain the transition. Add to this her social

networking acumen, and she seems to have been destined to succeed. “My passion,

following what I wanted, was so important,” she says. “I didn’t want to settle. I recognize

that the economy is very weak … but there are ways of being practical about it by leveraging

the people you know and using the tools.” j

The solution: social networking media

The Contact Person

Few graduates manage to accrue such worthwhile work experience

while in college as Grace boyle ’08. by the time the Public Relations

major from Fairfield, Iowa, was donning cap and gown, she had done

internships or paid work with several of burlington’s leading companies

and organizations: marketing firms KSV and Marketing Partners, Seventh

Generation, and the ECHO Lake Aquarium and Science Center at the Leahy

Center for Lake Champlain. j Problem was, she had her post-Champlain job

sights set on boulder, Colorado, a city where she knew almost no one.

Computer & Digital Forensics major Adam Kutz ’09 from Carlisle, Pennsylvania, interned at blue Cross and blue Shield in Williston, Vermont prior to landing a job in Washington, D.C.


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StrikingAccordGrowing up on the same rough-and-tumble streets of Cicero, Illinois, that were once gangster Al Capone’s home turf, may have given Ross Schifo ’07 an early appreciation of peaceful conflict resolution. When he and his family relocated to Vermont in 2004, he had already been applying skills acquired through his master’s degree in management and organizational behavior from Benedictine University in Lisle, Illinois. In his role as director of organizational development at Central Vermont Public Service (CVPS), he was acutely aware of the need to foster accord among individuals with different organizational roles and interests. Such was the case at the end of 2008, when he mediated an agreement between CVPS management and the International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers Local 300 union. Using what he calls an “omnipartial” approach, he helped the parties to the negotiation craft the longest contract in CVPS history. One secret to his success: the training he received from the Woodbury Institute—a facet of Champlain College since fall 2008. Completing the first third of Woodbury’s Mediation & Applied Conflict masters program, Schifo received a graduate certificate in Conflict Skills in 2007, just in time to apply his craft to the CVPS negotiations. Schifo had the advantage of being able to view the issues from both sides. He began his career in management after earning an undergraduate degree in electrical engineering. But, he grew up with a father who was a union man. Interpersonal connections intrigued him most, however. “I came to realize that organizations’ technical challenges are relatively easy to fix,” he says. “The toughest, most persistent problems are the ones involving human relationships, conflict, and culture.” He credits the Woodbury program with helping him “get in touch in an even deeper way” with his understanding of conflict. First, he came to better appreciate the value of actually provoking conflict at certain times. More important, he learned ways to do this in helpful ways. Finally, the program inspired him to “think about things from different perspectives.” Studying within a cohort of adult learners was key to that experience. He adds: “You learn so much just from your fellow students. As adult learners, we bring our life experiences and views to the table. I also became better at coaching other coaches and people who are already proficient. Woodbury’s instructors were sensational at tapping into the power of the cohort.” Schifo was also impressed by the depth of instructional quality—from the selection of books to his professors’ confidence and expertise. Resolving conflict is more than Schifo’s job description at CVPS. It’s an ability that he brings to his community in and around Pittsford, Vermont. He’s active in mentoring at-risk kids through Mentor Connector; serves on the steering committee of Dismas House, a transitional home for former prison inmates; and volunteers at the Marble Valley Regional Correctional Facility in Rutland. “I don’t think of myself as a conflict resolver, but rather as a conflict coach,” he says. “I help parties in conflict first envision success in ways they might not have previously considered, and then to achieve it.” —EE

alum

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vesDear Alums,

When I last wrote to you in these pages, Woodbury Institute had only recently become part of Champlain College. Today I am pleased to note, with even greater confidence, that bringing Woodbury and Champlain—two career-focused colleges—together was a wise decision, particularly in these challenging financial times. This past July saw the last stand-alone graduation for Woodbury students, with both President Finney and I jointly

celebrating the success of the graduates. Our student speakers talked passionately about the importance of their Woodbury educations and were welcomed into the Champlain family. Woodbury’s graduate programs are thriving at Champlain. The master’s degree programs in Law and Mediation, in particular, have become especially valuable components of the Champlain community, blending well with the College’s established programs geared toward adult learners. In addition, the director of the Mediation master’s degree program, Julian Portilla, has been helping individuals across all campus use conflict resolution skills to explore difficult issues through constructive dialogue. At the same time, Mediation master’s students have trained resident assistants in conflict resolution. Mediation students and faculty also created a training for 30 foreign students attending Vermont high schools and brought them to campus for a daylong workshop on exploring conflict resolution processes in different cultures. The Woodbury Institute further enriched the campus culture by hosting Chinese law professor Wang Canfa for a public lecture and forum on how mediation and dialogue techniques are used to address conflicts in both the U.S. and in countries around the world (see article on this page). Wang’s visit to North America was made possible through a collaboration between the Woodbury Institute of Champlain College and Montreal’s McGill University. Several changes in the Woodbury programs have been reviewed and approved by the Champlain faculty senate. The Master’s of Science in Law program has grown from 30 to 42 credits and now includes a short residency on the Burlington campus. The Master’s of Mediation & Applied Conflict Studies has reduced the number of times students must visit Burlington and has created a part-time degree option. The program continues to include a graduate certificate; as you can see in an article on the facing page, one certificate grad, Ross Schifo, is using his skills to help his company build strong relationships. The undergraduate program will end this academic year. Finally, Woodbury College grads and friends, if you have not seen the beautiful Champlain College campus, please consider coming up “the Hill” for a visit. Contact me or Dannah Beauregard from the Development office to make arrangements.

Larry Mandell Executive Vice President

Chinese Environmentalist Presents on Campus

Wang Canfa, one of China’s leading environmentalists, delivered a public lecture at Champlain College on June 4. The talk, titled “Environmental Realities Facing China,” was part of a two-stop tour that also included McGill University of Montreal. Wang’s Champlain appearance was hosted by the Woodbury Institute of Champlain College. Wang, a law professor at the China University of Political Science and Law in Beijing and the founding director of the Center of Legal Assistance for Pollution Victims (CLAPV), one of China’s most influential environmental groups, shared insights on his country’s challenges and achievements with an audience of regional business, community, and environmental leaders. In 2007, Wang was named one of Time magazine’s top 50 global “Heroes of the Environment” for his efforts in protecting China’s citizens from the harmful effects of the nation’s rapid industrialization. —SM

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(from left) Hong Yue Guo, consultant to Champlain College and McGill University, Champlain College Woodbury Institute Executive Vice President Larry Mandell, Professor Wang Canfa of China and Wang’s wife, Professor Zhang.



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Lisa A. Haggett Northfield, VT, February 25, 2009

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Thelma S. Loop North Haverhill, NH, May 24, 2009

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Amy Woodbury Patterson Burlington, VT, April 26, 2009 (see profile below)

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Don Towers Burlington, VT, December 24, 2008

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beatrice (Adams) Walker Morrisville, VT, May 7, 2009

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Francis Joseph Mullins Moretown, VT, August 11, 2009

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Edward boyajian Williston, VT, February 18, 2009

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Paul PlanteBurlington, VT, February 25, 2009

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Wayne De Forge Iverness, FL, March 7, 2009

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Joseph A. Cioffi Hinesburg, VT, April 7, 2009

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Theresa (Paquette) Fude Lansing, MI, June 20, 2009

John Kendrick Williston, VT, March 30, 2009

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David Stecklare May 13, 1996

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Robert Jolley Burlington, VT, February 28, 2009

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Thomas McAndrew Barre, VT, July 11, 2009

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Ricarda (Wilkins) Siska Franklin Lakes, NJ, February 27, 2009

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Suzanne (Dugdale) bashaw West Windsor, VT, May 1, 2009

Faculty

David Griffiths Adjunct instructor in the Arts & Sciences division for 10 years, July 20, 2009

In Memory of Our Fellow AlumniThe following members of our alumni family have passed on and will be remembered warmly by their friends, family, and alma mater.

Amy W. Patterson, Class of ’34—A pioneering Vermont businesswoman and longtime friend of Champlain College, Amy W. Patterson, 94, passed away in Burlington, Vermont, on Sunday, April 26, 2009. A trustee on Champlain’s board from 1970 to 1984, she was born in Shrewsbury, Vermont, on November 19, 1914, and attended Middlebury High School, graduating with the class of 1932. She then attended Burlington Business College—the name of what is today Champlain College—graduating in the class of 1934. Her career milestones included becoming the first female bank officer in the state of Vermont in January 1949 as an employee of the

Chittenden Bank. She advanced to the position of senior vice president and corporate secretary before retiring on December 14, 1984—after 41 years with the bank.

An avid gardener and collector of fine china, Patterson also held varied interests in her community. Her kind, generous, and altruistic manner made her a valued member of the Bridport Historical Society, the Order of the Eastern Star Temple Chapter 75, the Burlington Business and Professional Women’s Club, and the Congregational Church of Bridport—of which she was the oldest living member.

’69

NEWSJohn Crinka retired from Northwest Airlines after 31 years of flying. He estimates that he flew approximately 600,000 to 650,000 miles per year. He is enjoying his retirement, playing tennis and golf several times a week and also piloting small airplanes. Angelo W. Finelli, CPCu, CIC, was elected president of the Vermont Insurance Agents Association (VIAA) at the 103rd convention on June 15 at the Basin Harbor Club in Vergennes. Finelli is currently a co-owner of the Allen Agency, Inc.

’70

NEWSClaire L. LaForce has been hired as a medical librarian at Rutland Regional Medical Center.

’71

NEWSWendell b. Farrell has turned his furniture store, Wendell’s Furniture, over to his two children, Tara and Ryan, in order to retire. He plans to spend his golden years riding his Harley or cruising in his 32-foot Winnebago.

July 26, 2009. In addition to host “Bramo,” those in attendance from North House included Don and Robin Poirot; Kevin “Jake” Jean, and Austin burrell; Jim, barbara, Matthew, and Rachel braun; brian Hazen and Gina Gresham; Jeff “Jabba” Jalowiecki; Dick Wobby; and North House frequent guests brad and Kim Arel. Ward Hall was represented by hostess Val Abramo; Ann (Gorman) and Steve burke; and Laurie (Mercure) and bill Keating. The sole representatives from Hill Hall were Marianne (Graham) “Coilz” and Rob Green. While disappointed that some friends couldn’t make it and the group couldn’t last through an all-nighter like the old days, attendees determined that 30 years was simply too long to wait to get together! Everyone enjoyed recalling memories while looking at old pictures and the 1978 yearbook. On Sunday, Jake, Ann, and Marianne were lucky enough to have tickets for Vermont Day at Fenway! Future reunions will be planned. Look for members and information on Facebook!

Gerald LaFoy has been appointed as President of L-3 Avionics Systems, which is part of L-3 Communication’s Aviation Products business area. In this role, LaFoy will oversee all aspects of the L-3 Avionics Systems business, which is a leading supplier of avionics products for the general aviation, business jet, military, and commercial air transport markets. LaFoy has over 25 years of aviation industry experience in the areas of operations, manufacturing, and MRO.

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NEWSAnita Lotto is a member of the Cambridge Area Rotary and is working as a senior loan officer at Mortgage Financial in Colchester, VT.

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NEWSDiane (Dutil) Kerbaugh recently sold her business, Vermont Panurgy. The business provided comprehensive business-focused IT solutions such as training; network design, integration, and support; hardware and software sales; and Web site and database development.

’82

NEWSDeborah Robinson graduated from Florida Atlantic university in December 2008 with a master’s degree in Educational Leadership. She was admitted into the Ph.D. program in Educational Leadership–Higher Education in January 2009.

Sarah Soule is enjoying her job as Director of Admissions and College Counseling at the Vermont Commons School in South Burlington, VT. Vermont Commons was founded by Champlain’s former president Robert Skiff. She formerly worked for 20 years in Champlain’s Admissions office recruiting students and is now enjoying being on “the other side of the desk” and sending students to Champlain!

’83

NEWSGene D. Cloutier is a financial specialist at Fletcher Allen Health Care, responsible for peri-op OR and supply chain areas of the hospital.

’84

NEWSShelli Guay joined the board of directors for the March of Dimes Vermont Chapter on June 2. Guay became involved as a volunteer with the March of Dimes in 2004 and is currently the media director and finance manager at PostScript, Inc., in Burlington, VT.Lorena Patria is still employed by the State of New Hampshire Judicial Branch—23 years as an official court reporter at Superior Court and deputy clerk at Keene District Court for the last year. She says there is never a dull moment! Her two sons, Tyler and Griffin, attend Keene State and Wheaton College, respectively. She is reliving her Champlain years vicariously through them! She is ready for another round of college tours this summer with her daughter, Olivia.

’85

ENGAGEMENTWayne A. bronson and Melissa R. Richardson, September 6, 2009. NEWSDonald Flood worked for the Orleans County Sheriff’s Department as a patrol officer for seven years. He then left and returned to school and completed his B.A. in Human Services Counseling from Lyndon State College in 1995. Now he is married to a wonderful lady, Jennifer, with three boys of his own (ages 17, 12, and 6) and three stepchildren (two girls and a boy, 14, 8, 17). They also have a dog and two cats. They live in Southern

’72

NEWSMichele (Cross) Stradley retired May 31, 2007, after 33 years’ work as an accounting supervisor and director of administrative services for the Department of Social Services for Essex County in New York.

’79

bIRTHbradley Ferland and Maura Crandall, a daughter, Chelsea Jeanne Crandall Ferland, July 29, 2009.

NEWSA few close friends and members of the Class of 1979 had a 30th reunion get-together at the home of Mark and Valerie (Degan) Abramo in Medway, MA, on

New Hampshire in the town of Hooksett. He works for the Job Corps Program as an admissions counselor and has been doing so for 10 years. He is on Facebook if anyone would like to catch up. He would love to hear from old friends.

’86

MARRIAGEStacey (TanCreti) Greene and Theodore J. Kegelman III, Feb. 14, 2009.

’88

NEWSMike and Jill Diemer announced the completion of their latest project, Clock Tower Square. Located on the Burlington/South Burlington line, the 14-unit building consists of two- and three-bedroom suites available for rent. The building is dedicated to Mike’s brother, Jeff Rodliff ’05, who tragically died in 2005.

’89

NEWSKaty blue is riding across the country from her home in Starksboro, VT, to Seattle, WA, in June 2010 to raise $50,000 for the MS Society. She is doing this in honor of her dad, Bob Blue, who had MS and passed away in 2006. Check out the Vermont Chapter of the National MS Society online to read more about it.Niki Curry, an independent Tupperware consultant and owner of “TupperDiva” in Bedford, MA, celebrated two milestones recently—the first anniversary of her part-time business and her 40th birthday!

’90

NEWSRobert M. DiNapoli opened Feathering the Nest, a home furnishing store, in Bristol, VT. The store offers furniture, home goods, and decorative items. Before that, DiNapoli worked as a bread baker and barista at the Bristol Bakery and Almost Home Market. DiNapoli has experience in retail management and owned and operated Dreamscapes, a landscaping business, for 13 years.

’91

NEWSKatherine W. Campbell and her husband, Chad, have lived in Wrentham, MA, for the past two years with their three small children and golden retriever. They just celebrated their fifth wedding anniversary.

Tarina A. Cozza is a registered nurse at Brattleboro Memorial Hospital. Her son, Sean Jr., celebrated his first birthday on June 20, 2009. His big brother Dakota is graduating from sixth grade this year.

Sarah L. Howrigan has joined the team at the Sheraton Burlington Hotel and Conference Center, working with local travel buyers on business travel to Burlington.

Jennifer McGrath has reopened the family restaurant, the Rotisserie, after an electrical fire destroyed it last May. She and Sean McGrath also own a neighborhood food service business, Marco’s Pizza. Among other holdings, the couple extended their food businesses to Shelburne in 1996, where

bradley Ferland ’79 and Maura Crandall’s daughter, Chelsea Jeanne

Marianne Graham Green class of ’79 mini-reunion

A reunion of a group of Champlain alums who lived in private housing at 155 Loomis Street with Helen “Ma” Simino in the mid 1980s. She passed away last September at the age of 92, but her memory lives in on in the stories! In this picture from left to right are some of “Ma’s boys”: Dana Geno ’85, White River Junction, VT; Rich Long ’85, Colchester, VT; Lee Whipple, Largo, FL (Lee is Helen’s nephew who was a frequent visitor to Simino House back in the day. He has been a lifelong friend to this group); Wayne bronson ’85, Essex Junction, VT; Jim Garner ‘84, Richmond, VT; and bill bennion ’85, Jonesborough, TN.


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they provided deli and takeout services for a time and opened a second Marco’s Pizza when an appropriate space opened up in 2004.John Raphael recently began cooking for the famous country inn Edson Hill Manor in Stowe, Vermont.

’92

bIRTHWilliam Reng and Nancy Reng, a daughter, Emily Saralynn Reng, February 1, 2009.

NEWSNancy I. Detwiler-Kenney made a career change in 2008 and started an online business directory for the furniture industry. Futures Furniture Business Directory has a mission to raise awareness about the furniture industry on a “green scale” and connect the consumer with the designers, artisans, and manufacturers that incorporate environmentally sound methods and craftsmanship into their work. The directory focuses on furniture and furnishings for the residential, commercial, or industrial space. In addition, her company was invited to represent Green Interiors at the 2009 Yampa Valley Sustainability Summit in September, where it showcased eco-friendly furniture. Lastly, she was recently awarded her substitute-teaching license for the State of Colorado. William P. Reng is working for the Asbury Park Police Department and is in charge of all fatal-accident investigations. He is also a traffic safety officer for the city of Asbury Park, a member of the Monmouth County Traffic Association, and a member of the New Jersey Fatal Investigators Association. In addition to all this, he is lieutenant of the Allenhurst Fire Department (AFD), a member of the underwater Search Rescue and Recovery unit, a training officer at AFD, and an assistant instructor for the New Jersey Emergency Medical Technician unit.

’93

ENGAGEMENTRichard T. Pollard and Stephanie M. Rouillard.

MARRIAGEErin Quinn and Francois Lefebvre, August 30, 2009.

’94

NEWSKathleen Sullivan-bailey, after earning an A.S. from Champlain College, achieved a successful career in marketing and media communications. In 2001, she went back to school, earning a B.A. in American Studies and Women’s Studies at Smith College in 2005. She then went on to earn her graduate degree from Dartmouth College in 2007. She will begin a teaching career in the fall semester with the university of Northern Colorado as a professor of Women’s Studies.

’95

bIRTHNicole (botelho) Kittell and Kregg Kittell a son, Elliot Dale Kittell, July 1, 2009.ENGAGEMENTMarie A. bergeron is engaged to Steve Gonneville of Dayton, ME. They will be married at St Joseph’s Church in Biddeford, ME, in September 2009.NEWSAlissa T. Rollins was named 2008 Employee of the Year at the Doubletree Hotel Burlington.

’96

bIRTHChad R. Eaton and Sheila Eaton, a son, Connor Reeves Eaton, July 9, 2009. MARRIAGEMichelle F. Whitten and Michael Munjone, February 21, 2009.

’97

bIRTHKathryn (King) Cyr and Clinton Cyr, a daughter, Julia Grace Cyr, July 17, 2009.Joanne (Hanley) Dixon and Allen Dixon, a son, Walker Scott Dixon, March 18, 2009.

NEWSTerrell baker will be inducted into the New England Basketball Hall of Fame October 9, 2009, in the Junior College Men’s Player category.

’98

bIRTHHeidi (Perrotte) Dinco and Steven Dinco, a daughter, Sarah Marie Dinco, Winooski, VT, June 22, 2009.

’99

bIRTHAngela (Frizzell) LaPlante and Dana LaPlante, a daughter, Kaelin, February 8, 2009. ENGAGEMENTNathan D. Grant and Heather Marie Drown, September 2009. NEWSAngela (Frizzell) LaPlante is currently working as a service coordinator at Northeast Kingdom Human Services in Newport, VT. Matthew E. Mullen owns and operates the Cotton Candy Connection, in business for two years. He now supplies about a dozen retail spaces and ski resorts with fresh bags or tubs of the sweet stuff. He also sells the treat to groups who mark it up for fundraisers.Debra A. Sioufi is a doctor of chiropractic at Sioufi Chiropractic & Shiatsu Clinic, LLC, in Berlin, VT.

’00

bIRTHSJami (Morgan) Daigle and Michael Daigle, a son, Charlie Austin Daigle, June 26, 2009.

Lauren (Judge) McIntosh and Kevin McIntosh, a daughter, Savannah Rose McIntosh, January 20, 2009.

ENGAGEMENTStephen Stewart and Kayla Thibodeau, April 2011.MARRIAGESRyan Driscoll and Kimberly Small, June 2008, at the Port of Miami, aboard the Royal Caribbean Liberty of the Seas cruise ship.Edward Sanders and Jill Perrotte, February 20, 2009.NEWSRheal J. Gagnon of Colchester has been promoted to director of FBO Services at Heritage Aviation at Burlington International Airport. Gagnon first started at Heritage Aviation Flight in 2000 as a commercial fueler and de-icer and has most recently held the position of line services manager for Heritage Flight.Lauren (Judge) McIntosh and husband Kevin McIntosh are currently residing in Falmouth, MA, with their new baby, Savannah Rose, and their husky, Azula.Thomas E. Peterson of Peterson Consulting has been certified as a Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) Accredited Professional (AP) by the u.S. Green Building Council. A LEED AP has demonstrated the knowledge of skills necessary to participate in the design process, support and encourage integrated design, and streamline the LEED application and certification process.

’01

bIRTHSSeth Harlow and Andrea (Lemon) Harlow, a son, Alexander William Harlow, June 19, 2009.Candace (Wells) Lafreniere and Gerald Lafreniere, a daughter, Reagan Maire, Starksboro, VT, May 29, 2009.

MARRIAGEMonique A. Dufresne and Timothy Elonis, May 29, 2009.NEWSSusan bradish is the secretarial coordinator/LNA at Rutland Regional Medical Center.

’02

bIRTHSbreana buttrick and A.J. Fucile, a daughter, Lily Clara, Essex Junction, VT, May 10, 2009.Eve (Marshall) Shepard and Matthew Shepard, a daughter, Sadie Rosamond Shepard, July 12, 2009.ENGAGEMENTbenjamin J. Howard and Melissa N. Branco, fall 2010.MARRIAGESDaniel J. Crossman and Tammy Lockwood ’05, May 30, 2009.

Walker Dixon

Lauren (Judge) McIntosh ’00 and husband Kevin, with daughter Savannah

Ryan Driscoll ’00 and Kimberly Small at their June 2008 wedding aboard the Royal Caribbean Liberty of the Seas cruise ship

Alumni Enjoy a Variety of Events Put on by Champlain College

The class of 2009 enjoys graduation and events during

Senior Week 2009!

Alumni enjoy a variety of events—a Lake Monsters game and bbQ; a night at the Lyric Theatre; a Habitat for Humanity workday in Milton, VT; the South End Art Hop; an evening at the Mozart Festival; a trip to NYC to see Wicked on broadway; and two nights at Fenway Park cheering on the boston Red Sox! Watch the alumni Web site, www.alumni.champlain.edu, for information on upcoming events including Alumni Weekend (October 23–25), Lyric Theatre’s fall production of The Full Monty (November 13), and other great activities!

Emily Saralynn Reng



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Beth Fitzgerald ’78 knows how profoundly students can mature from the day they first step into a classroom to the day they step up to receive their diploma. In fact, Fitzgerald, a senior activities planner in Champlain’s Student Activities department, remembers when some Champlain students were just babies—literally—her own children among them. At the 2009 commencement ceremony, she congratulated son Colin on receiving his B.S. degree in Broadcasting and daughter Emily on earning her MBA. Fitzgerald’s involvement with the College has been a family affair from Day One. After receiving her associate’s degree in Early Childhood Education from Champlain, she opened a daycare facility in Burlington and later worked as a kindergarten teacher. Soon, however, she returned to Champlain to supervise Early Childhood Education students in preschool field placements. In 1991, she began working in the College’s campus-based child development center (a “lab school,” by Fitzgerald’s description), a center where Champlain students could gain valuable experience working with children. “I have friends to this day that I had as students in the daycare, doing their student teaching there,” she says, adding that she also remembers colleagues’ children who were receiving care there—and who now walk the campus as students. Fitzgerald co-ran the center, which became a kindergarten, with Caroline Chaput into the ’90s before the College dissolved it in concord with shifts in the curriculum. In 1998, Fitzgerald was hired for a new part-time position as student

activities coordinator. At that time, she recalls, student activities amounted to roughly two annual events, the Snow Ball and the Spring Meltdown. “It was kind of a wide-open opportunity for me to do whatever I wanted to do,” she says. “It was kind of scary at first, but then it became second nature to me.” Operating out of a partition-style office space in the center of the student lounge, she grew the Student Activities program into dozens of clubs and yearly activities. The Student Activities staff has grown from one to five members. Satisfied with her success—and, yes, ready for a break from the long hours involved in growing Student Activities—Fitzgerald is rededicating her energies to providing education and opportunities for children and young adults. While chaperoning a Champlain College service-learning trip to an orphanage in Tanzania in May 2009, she was inspired to develop a nonprofit organization to cultivate sustainable livelihoods in the developing world (see “Class Act,” page 3). She will leave Champlain in December of this year to pursue this goal. The adventure on Fitzgerald’s horizon promises to be rewarding, but she knows that looking back on her Champlain years will remind her of what makes life and work meaningful: “The highlight of being at Champlain has been, hands-down, the relationships I’ve built with students who will be my lifelong friends,” she says, “and the satisfaction of having been a part of their growth as individuals—socially, academically, in leadership development, whatever it was. That’s the part I’m going to miss.” —EE

Forever Young

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MARRIAGESDaniel J. Crossman and Tammy Lockwood ’05, May 30, 2009.Alexa Nash and James Smrdel, July 12, 2008.Michael J. Savioli and Ann Marcy ’06, August 15, 2009.NEWSEric O’Connell, after earning his associate’s degree from Champlain, transferred to Springfield College in Springfield, MA, and earned a bachelor’s degree in Applied Exercise Science in May of 2006. He is currently living in Daytona Beach, FL, where he is attending Palmer College of Chiropractic, with plans to graduate in March of 2011 as a doctor of chiropractic. He lives with Sarah, his girlfriend of 3 ½ years, and their two cats. When he graduates he plans to move back to the Northeast and start his own practice.

’03

bIRTHSJerimy W. Hosack and Sarah (Fisher) Hosack, a daughter, Ella Grace Hosack, June 12, 2009.Heather (Ogilvie) Sprigg and Aaron Sprigg, a son, Aaron Travis Sprigg Jr., July 29, 2009.

Eric O’Connell ’02 with his girlfriend, Sarah, in Florida

Melanie Ingalls and her fiancé Joseph Smith

ENGAGEMENTSDiane M. Hall and Adam Acquilla.Scott Hendela and Jessica Fulton ’07, Fall 2010.Melanie Ingalls and Joseph Smith.

NEWSTricia Gustafson enjoys spending time with her daughter, Hanna, and is looking forward to getting back into communications coaching and mediation work.Scott Hendela is currently living in Hawaii and working as a respiratory therapist at Queens Medical Center.Scott Ragone has been hired by Guilderland Printing as the sales and marketing manager.

’04

bIRTHAshley (Leblanc) Wright and Jared Wright, a daughter, McKenna Wright, March 31, 2009.NEWSKaren Lemire, financial operations specialist of the university of Vermont Physical Plant in Burlington, VT,

Tricia Gustafson, Woodbury ’03 grad, and her daughter Hanna

McKenna Wright

successfully completed the Professional Certificate in Leadership and Management through the Vermont Business Center. The program, run by the university of

Vermont, is unique in that it focuses on key concepts, vocabulary, and analytical tools essential for effective management and strategic decision making. Gail J. Mitchell went on a trip to Holland for two weeks in March—visiting a friend she met during the study abroad program she did in 2002–2003 in Southampton, England. Gail has also been recently promoted to digital sales manager at News Channel 5/WPTZ and News Channel 31/WNNE after having worked there as a digital sales specialist for more than two years.Emily P. Roleau announces the launch of Peak Creative LLC, a graphic design/wedding invitation studio. The company provides innovative graphic design and marketing solutions in the form of logo design, identity packages, print advertisements, Web site designs, brochures, and direct mail pieces. Her specialty is affordable wedding stationary, customized to fit a bride’s budget and personal style.Ashley (Leblanc) Wright is teaching first grade in Roanoke, VA.

’05

ENGAGEMENTSMegan M. Pooler and Lukas Johnson, June 20, 2009.

Matthew P. Wheatley and Tiffany Howard.Tyler J. Yandow and Erin Layman, June 2009. MARRIAGESAdam C. berberich and Jenny Williams, August 14, 2009.Robert b. Demaine and Richalie Ann Griffith, April 11, 2009.Tammy Lockwood and Daniel Crossman ’02, May 30, 2009.NEWSJohn J. Ciempa has returned to Champlain College to pursue a master of science degree in Managing Innovation & Information Technology. Ciempa was also nominated to vice-chair of the Burlington Area Community Gardens advisory board. This board works with the Burlington Department of Parks and Recreation to oversee the operation and success of the city’s community gardening program. For more info, visit www.enjoyburlington.com/Programs/CommunityGardens.cfm.Sherra D. bourget joined Vermont Business Roundtable as an office manager. Bourget brings a background in administration and graphic design to the Roundtable.Thanh “Tom” Nguyen, co-owner of T&T Salon and Spa in Colchester and owner of M-Saigon Restaurant in Burlington, has opened Cafe Window at 97 Blakely Road at the junction of Lakeshore Drive on Malletts Bay in Colchester. Nguyen said he was eager to offer Colchester a year-round restaurant featuring Vietnamese cuisine as well as American fare.

’06

ENGAGEMENTSRebecca J. Danaher and Ben Colley, planning a fall 2010 wedding.

Ann Marcy ’06 and Mike Savioli ’02, with their wedding party, made up mostly of Champlain alumni— Jillian bradley ’06, Mark Hebert ’03, Jennifer Moskowitz ’03, Kevin Hackett ’02, Ron Ryan ’03, and Chris Girard ’03. beth Fitzgerald ’78 also did a reading during the ceremony.

Meredith Walker ’05 and Josh McCullough ’04

Adam C. berberich and his wife, Jenny Williams, on their August 2009 wedding day

Gail Mitchell ’04 and her friend Katie in Zaanseschans, Holland

Rebecca J. Danaher and her fiancé ben Colley, on a visit to Santa Fe, NM


| CL ASS NOTES |

“I have something amazing to share with you,” hollered Professor Tim Brookes in one of my Advanced Journalism classes, a grin creeping toward his earlobes, his hands in front of him as if holding a beach ball—a gesture his students see only when his blood is really pumping. “It’s extraordinary. It’s called … print-on-demand publishing.” Print-on-demand, or POD, publishing is a service in which a printing company prints and ships a certain number of books per request from either the author or a customer. The publisher is the author—me, in this instance. I own the content. I set the price. I make money. I am a real author. And it was easy. Here’s the trick: Write. Just write. Which is what I did as a Professional Writing student throughout my years at Champlain. Which is what I thought about as I sat in Brookes’s class: the thousands upon thousands of words, the dozens of promising pieces, that I had punched into my keyboard. Writings that I was proud of. That I wanted to share in an easily accessible, professional-looking medium. Pieces already written, many of them appearing in the Champlain Current newspaper, and others that I wanted to write before graduation. A short, brutally honest poem about my friend Ashley. An extensive feature about my mother, an amateur poker player. An investigative news article about the complexities and fallacies of the Burlington housing market. A book. Here was my chance. In the spring, I printed out 30-odd of my best pieces, spent a week putting final edits on them, imported the pieces into a program called BookSmart, and created the layout. The worst part was yet to come, however. Waiting. Waiting for that first printed copy to arrive at my apartment. For a while I thought the mailman was holding it from me. But it finally came. The cover was thick with a sturdy spine, and the image-wrap tucked neatly underneath with a crisp crease. My author picture and biography accented the rear flap, and all 166 pages were there. The title screamed off the cover, white in color, bold in presentation, with an image that all college students can relate to—that would forever remind me of this part of my life, that would always represent my years as a writer in college: Cold Pizza for Breakfast. For information on the book, visit www.blurb.com/bookstore/detail/680373.

Along with publishing his first book, Ian Frisch landed a great internship with Rolling Stone magazine. To read more about his writing and his leap into the publishing world, visit www.alumni.champlain.edu/champlain_view.

Cold Pizza for Breakfast Launching a Publishing Career My Way

| ALUMNI VOICES |

Daniel S. Famiglietti and Jillian Murphy, September 2009.Aleisa M. Nutbrown and Phillip M. breese, October 2010.MARRIAGESMelissa baker and William Kaniecki, January 31, 2009.Ann E. Marcy and Michael Savioli ’02, August 15, 2009.NEWSbryan D’Souza enrolled in Thunderbird School of Global Management for the MBA program, fall 2009. Thunderbird’s MBA Program in International Business is ranked #1 in the world.Christopher S. Ellingwood was promoted to a senior consultant at Berry, Dunn, McNeil and Parker in Portland, ME. BDMP is the region’s largest CPA firm with offices in Manchester, NH, and Bangor, ME. He works in the firm’s management and information technology Group, focusing on information technology audits and internal control audits, specializing in lottery and para-mutuel gambling clients.Nikki M. Jillson joined Davis & Hodgdon Associates CPAs in Williston as an associate accountant II. She has her MBA from Southern New Hampshire university with a graduate certificate in Finance.Danielle P. Laberge bought her first horse in July 2007, a registered quarter horse named Investment MaeKing. Mae’s coloring is unique. She is classified as a red dunn. LaBerge will show her this year. Mae will be two in May. Patience is a virtue, and Danielle is so happy she waited to buy a horse. She rides Mae’s mom, so she has known Mae since she was two days old. LaBerge raised her and will continue to raise her!Travis M. Mears was hired as the resident director at the university of Puget Sound in Tacoma, WA.

’07

bIRTHHeather Switser, a son, Korbin Switser, February 13, 2009.ENGAGEMENTSAudrey G. barker and David G. Deuel III ’07.Jessica Fulton and Scott Hendela ’03, fall 2010.Michelle Girard and Tyler Williams ’07, July 23, 2011.MARRIAGESJoshua R. Cozzens and Molly Michel, May 30, 2009.Ashley Elizabeth Donnellan and Lee Brian Chaffee, July 11, 2009.NEWSThomas A. Anacone is working as restaurant manager at the Hyatt Harborside Hotel in Boston, MA.Matthew C. brinkerhoff recently joined the Stowe Area Association as a member of their marketing team.Daniel S. Dionne is in the midst of attaining a degree in both mechanical and aeronautical engineering from Daniel Webster College in Nashua, NH. He is currently on an internship with the Department of Energy (DOE) in Cincinnati, OH, using the business skills that he learned at Champlain College, doing cost estimation and analysis for the DOE Environmental Management Consolidated Business Center. When he

goes back to school in the fall, he’ll be the vice president of the DWC chapter of the American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics (AIAA), the public affairs officer for the DWC chapter of Silverwings, and a DOE Student Ambassador.Sara Driscoll was awarded the Early Childhood Professional of the Year Award from Vermont’s Building Bright Futures Council in June 2009. Driscoll, owner of Giggles Family Child Care and Preschool in South Burlington, VT, was recently awarded a national accreditation from the National Association of Family Child Care. The organization offers accreditation to providers across the country, aiding them in raising their standards of quality care. The accreditation will earn her three stars in the quality rating system.Jessica K. Fulton is currently living in Hawaii. She is attending Hawaii Pacific university in Honolulu and working toward her MBA in Finance.Kristen Klein has been working toward her master’s degree in Special Education and will be working as a pecial educator at Saint Albans City School this upcoming school year. She is now living in the town of Saint Albans, VT.Col. Thomas L’Esperance is now commander of the Vermont State Police. L’Esperance began his state police career in 1987 in Brattleboro, VT. He spent many years involved with the drug task force and, most recently, headed the Bureau of Criminal Investigation.Jonathan S. Schmidt is currently a Peace Corps volunteer serving in a remote mountain town of Bulgaria. His primary assignment is tourism development, with an emphasis on sustainable development, primarily ecotourism. His secondary assignment is teaching the kids and adults English. He moved to Bulgaria for training in May, was sworn in as a volunteer July 24, 2009, and will be serving until August 2011. You can follow his assignment at www.jontravelsforpeace.blogspot.com.

’08

ENGAGEMENTSTimothy J. Drummond and Sarina Obschonka, July 2009. Ashley Morey and Tony Choiniere.Zuzana Pajerova and Gregory Zornow, September 2009.MARRIAGEHeather Wells and Steven Trombley, June 20, 2009.NEWSKristina N. baker is working for the Weekly Standard magazine in Washington, DC, as an assistant to the design director. She designs publications and has had artwork appear on several of the magazine’s covers within the past year. It is a weekly political magazine, and she has been working there since June 2008. Kristina lives right outside of DC in northern Virginia and is also starting her own freelance company, Kristina Baker Designs (www.kristinabakerdesigns.com).Elizabeth “betsy” McHugh is the operations manager at Dominion Tech Computer Services in Colchester, VT.Jeremy G. Shortsleeve made record-breaking time at the Vermont City Marathon in the hand-cycle race, beating last year’s champion record-holder by nearly four minutes with a completion time of 1 hour, 48 minutes, and 13 seconds. Shortsleeve is also a programmer for General Dynamics.

’09

bIRTHChristelle bakala and Neil Moukoueke, a son, Jesse, Winooski, VT, May 2, 2009. ENGAGEMENTSSarah L. Huppe and Steven Behun.NEWSDaniel G. bergeron was recently hired as a Sales Associate for Filtrbox in Boulder, CO.Stacey M. Dutil has accepted a position as an addiction treatment counselor at Maple Leaf Farm.Kellie N. Lamaster was recently hired as a sales representative at 800response in Burlington, VT.Alison M. Quigley joined the Stowe Area Association marketing team.Nicholas L. Whitbeck was hired as a sales representative for 800response.

Jessica Fulton ’07 and Scott Hendela ’03, recently engaged

Aleisa Nutbrown ’06 and Philip breese ’06

David G. Deuel III ’07 and Audrey G. barker ’07, recently engaged

Michelle Girard ’07 and fiancé Tyler Williams ’07, planning a July 2011 wedding

Ian Frisch ’09

Champlain View | Fall 09

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“Brevetti” by Toni-Lee Sangastiano, associate professor at Champlain College

A MAGAZINE FOR ALUMNI & FRIENDS OF CHAMPLAIN...

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