Butler University’s MJ Student-Run Insurance Company, which will insure items such as the University’s live mascot bulldog Trip, rare books, fine art, and observatory telescope, has received licensing approval from the Bermuda Monetary Authority, moving it one step closer to opening.

The student-run operation—known in industry terms as a “captive insurance company”—is scheduled to officially begin work on August 1.

“This allows us to take the premiums, that in the past were going to an insurance company, and have them stay in the captive, to be reinvested in loss control,” said Zach Finn, Clinical Professor & Director of Butler’s Davey Risk Management and Insurance Program, who will supervise the students. “Butler will save and potentially make money” by someday going beyond Butler’s boundaries to insure others.

Butler’s Lacy School of Business created the insurance company as a way to give students hands-on experience that will prepare them for an industry that anticipates needing 400,000 new employees by 2020. Finn said approximately 1,900 American universities have accounting programs, and 900 have finance programs, but only 82 offer insurance and risk programs. Risk Management and Insurance majors at the Lacy School of Business will not only graduate having had two internships, but they will have run an insurance company and participated in all aspects of it.

The money to start Butler’s captive insurance company came from a gift from MJ Insurance and Michael M. Bill.

“We’re thrilled to not only be involved from a financial perspective, but also as part of the education process,” said Colin MacNab, Executive Vice President of Property & Casualty at MJ Insurance. “I served as a mentor in the first Captive Insurance class at Butler, and can attest that the experience these students gain in creating the captive is unparalleled, and are coming out of school prepared to make an immediate impact. One of the students who served a key role in preparing and delivering the application to the Bermuda Authority is joining MJ as a full-time employee after she graduates in May, and will fast track due to the knowledge and experience she brings with her Butler degree.”

Finn said that in addition to teaching the business students about insurance and risk management, business students also will learn about things like the planets through their work at the planetarium and rare books and how to preserve them, thanks to their time spent at the library.

“I wanted to pick coverages where not only would the students learn about insurance and risk management, but they would learn about other things,” Finn said. “So we’ve learned about poets, paintings, planets and more. I am going to leverage the great liberal arts education they receive at Butler.”

Under the terms of its license from the Bermuda Monetary Authority, the captive insurance company will be able to pay out losses of up to $250,000 a year.

Finn said the company chose to be licensed in Bermuda based on the student’s objective and subjective analysis of the regulatory and tax environment in multiple domestic and international domiciles. He said the students who have been working to start the captive company saw the result of their efforts in early April when they appeared before the Bermuda Monetary Authority to get the company licensed.

“They have Fortune 500 companies that have to go through five and six rounds of question-and-answer sessions to get approved by the Bermuda Monetary Authority,” he said. “We were approved right out of the gate.”

Students and faculty also had the opportunity to meet with the Bermuda Business Development Agency and “we could not have felt more welcome on the island,” Finn said.  “Bermuda is a key pillar of the Global insurance market and we are excited that the captive gives us a seat at the table.”

The new company has the backing of Aon, the world’s largest insurance broker.

“Aon fully embraced the opportunity to do more than just manage the student-run captive with Butler University,” said Don Ortegel, Resident Managing Director at Aon Risk Solutions Chicago and Butler’s strategic account manager. “We view this as a great opportunity to demonstrate our commitment to support and educate the Butler students. The Butler University captive partnership fits nicely with our existing Launch and Business Internship Programs and Aon’s recently announced Chicago apprenticeship program to train and attract talent to the Industry.”

KPMG will be auditors of the captive.

“When I first learned of the Butler University student-run captive, I found their story very interesting and compelling,” said Eric Heinrichs, Managing Director at KPMG in Bermuda and Lead Engagement Partner. “I very much look forward to working with the Butler students on this endeavor and exploring the different ways that we can work together to further help students taking part in this program to have a rewarding and fulfilling experience.”

Media contact:
Marc Allan
mallan@butler.edu
317-940-9822

(698)

Tomorrow Butler University will confer degrees upon approximately 1,000 students, who will experience a range of emotions as they reflect upon their college years and their futures. I normally also find myself in a reflective mood this time of year, thinking about how well Butler University has educated and served these graduates, and how much we will miss their presence on campus.

As Butler has found itself in the media the past couple days, I must admit that my self-reflection is more intense than usual as I consider the range of opinions, emotions, and comments coming our way about the role of our University in the education and development of students. While I am always cautious about overreacting when in the eye of the storm—especially when all the facts of a situation are not public—it does seem an appropriate time for me to share some thoughts with the community.

As has been the case when I have previously commented on Butler matters, I have had the advantage of grounding myself on Butler’s history, values, and traditions. A consistent thread going back to the founding of the University by Ovid Butler is a commitment to all people and ideas. Thus my job as Ovid’s successor is to ensure that our community is a just, fair, and safe place in which all people may thrive equally.

The last couple days I have heard from many who have questioned whether or not we have upheld the value of being a fair and safe place for all political ideas. This viewpoint is based upon the Trumpism and U.S. Democracy course being offered at Butler next fall. Information on the course can be found online.

Many people believe Butler should not offer this course, indicating it presents a one-sided political position or that it called into question the President. I disagree with that view. The more complete description of the course makes it clear that the educational objectives are quite consistent with our role as educators, namely, to promote critical inquiry and to engage our students on topics, even if controversial. Secondly, I defend the long-standing principle of academic freedom and the right of our faculty to teach courses that they believe advance knowledge, and to do so without fear of censorship.

I find myself particularly sensitive to a prevalent theme of criticism that Butler may be failing when it comes to presenting a balanced political perspective. Many who have made that point also connect it with a commonly held perception that universities, as a whole, are liberal-minded. While I’ll set aside comments on the latter, I do agree that Butler needs to ensure that we present a more balanced political perspective, thereby adhering to our University’s foundational values.

Butler does not do a regular inventory of all courses to ensure that there is perfect balance of various viewpoints at all times. There is no university I know of that would take on that task. I might also add that the job of a president, provost, or dean is not like that of a movie theatre manager who may decide not to show a movie because it may be controversial. Some have suggested we cancel the course, however, that is not a path a university would pursue unless there is truly a legitimate and compelling reason to do so, one akin to yelling fire in a movie theatre, if I am to stick with that metaphor.

What we can do as leaders of Butler University is to work diligently to incent and support a broader representation of viewpoints in and out of the classroom. My self-reflection on the eve of Commencement is that we must do better on this very important point. If an educational opportunity does indeed focus on only one side of the political spectrum, then we must find ways to offer opportunities on the other side, and we cannot be swayed by the current political or social environment at the time.

More specifically, I have decided that the explicit focus of the upcoming academic year’s Celebration of Diversity Distinguished Lecture Series will engage our community in the topic of civil discourse across political lines around contentious political issues and will ensure speakers who represent a wide range of opposing political ideologies. I’m charging Academic Affairs and Student Affairs leadership to build programs and activities around this theme.

As I consider my own graduation, as a Religious Studies major at John Carroll University, I remember a Philosophy of Religion course taught by a professor who consistently presented a point of view that would have students question religion and the ability to prove the existence of God. I truly thought the teacher was an atheist. Many years later when reading his obituary, I was stunned to read that he was a devout Catholic, attended Church faithfully, and taught religion classes to the parish youth. There is great value when a faculty member sets aside personal opinion and beliefs, and I am quite confident Butler faculty strive to do the same.

As we dedicate ourselves to our founding values and ensure all viewpoints are presented and supported at Butler University, I do hope we can encourage our students to understand the value of engaging in dialogue and courses that take them out of their comfort zone. If so, Butler students who receive their diplomas will be much better prepared for the complex world in which we now live.

My congratulations to our graduating students and my sincere thanks to our outstanding faculty and staff for their dedication to challenging and educating our students.

(310)

Set your sights high and strive for excellence, treat others the way you would like to be treated, and think and act independently, retired Eli Lilly & Co. CEO John Lechleiter told the Butler University Class of 2017 at Hinkle Fieldhouse on Saturday, May 6.

Lechleiter, who received an honorary doctorate, as did his wife, Sarah, told the 955 graduates, their families, and friends, that as an undergraduate, he had an Adjunct Professor of Chemistry recommend that he go to Harvard for graduate school.

Lechleiter’s reaction: “Are you kidding me?”

But a few weeks into classes in 1975, he said, “I found myself saying, ‘I can do this.’”

“Avoid selling yourself short,” Lechleiter advised, quoting President John F. Kennedy as saying that if you’re willing to settle for second place, that’s where you’ll finish.

He also recommended giving others the benefit of the doubt, avoiding gossip, and reveling in the success of others. And, he said, the graduates should muster the courage to think for themselves.

Lechleiter recalled a time at Lilly when the company was about to lose 40 percent of its revenues from four drugs with expiring patents. He said he received a lot of advice—none of which he took. Instead, despite skepticism, Lilly increased spending on research and development, which “was the right thing to do, and it has since be vindicated.”

“You spent years here at this great university, learning how to think,” Lechleiter said. “Take advantage of that.”

The Class of 2017 included 811 undergraduates and 144 graduate students. Of those, 267 studied abroad at some point in their Butler career.

Theatre Department Chair Diane Timmerman gave the faculty address, in which she advised students to trust their own voice. She told the graduates that:

-Nothing is ever convenient, so don’t sit and wait for perfect circumstances before trying things.

-Say yes to as many things as you can.

-Everyone is scared. Timmerman said she’s been scared at every major moment of her life, but those have often turned out to be the greatest moments of her life.

“Accept fear,” she said. “It will be there. But don’t let it stop you.”

To illustrate her point, she reminded the graduates about the scene in the movie “Hoosiers” in which Gene Hackman walked his awestruck team into Hinkle Fieldhouse for the state championship basketball game and used a tape measure to show the players that the basket and foul line are the same height and length as they are on their home court.

“My wish for you, beautiful Class of 2017,” she said, “is that you find a helpful tape measure whenever you need it.”

Media contact:
Marc Allan
mallan@butler.edu
317-940-9822

(173)

The 2016–2017 academic year began with the largest class ever—1,272 students—coming to Butler. It concluded with 955 newly minted graduates, two large gifts to the University, and the groundbreaking for a new housing facility to replace Schwitzer Hall.

In between, the University was again named Most Innovative School in the Midwest as well as one of the healthiest in the country. Butler opened the new Fairview House housing facility, earned LEED Gold certification for the Hinkle Fieldhouse renovations, added a new fraternity, and much more.

We also lost several cherished members of the Butler community, including basketball star Joel Cornette ‘04, longtime Professor of Voice André Aerne, and Patricia Cochran, the great-great-granddaughter of Butler University founder Ovid Butler.

Here’s a look back:

AUGUST

-The University welcomed a record first-year class of 1,272 students on move-in day. The class included 46 Valedictorians and 11 Salutatorians, 2 National Merit Finalists, 21 Lilly Scholars, and 45 21st Century Scholars.

-A Gallup-Purdue Index study found that Butler alumni are thriving personally and professionally. Butler outperformed its peers across most items in graduates’ assessment of their student experience including faculty support and experiential learning, affinity for their alma mater, and overall well-being.

-Investigating the Rubik’s cube, comparing contracts for restricted free agents in the NBA, and constructing Cantor polynomials were just some of the research projects Butler students undertook at Mathematics Research Camp, an eight-day intensive experience designed to introduce students to mathematical research.

Joel Cornette

-Joel Cornette, a key member of Butler’s first Sweet 16 team, died. He was 35. A celebration of his life was held at Hinkle Fieldhouse on August 22. The University established the Joel Cornette Scholarship Fund, which will provide scholarship support for future Butler Bulldogs. Contributions in honor may be made online.

-Butler was awarded a $600,000 Indiana State Department of Health grant for a two-year project to determine whether dementia patients’ lives can be improved through the use of personal musical playlists. In the project, called Music First, faculty and students from across Butler—in Psychology, Music, Pharmacy, Communication Disorders, and other areas—studied 100 residents in the American Village retirement home throughout the 2016–2017 academic year.

-Professor Emeritus of Music James Briscoe, Professor of Education Suneeta Kercood, and Professor of Communication Ann Savage were honored with Butler University’s 2016 Distinguished Faculty Awards.

-President James Danko was reappointed as the BIG EAST conference’s representative on the NCAA Division I Presidential Forum.

-Speaking as part of Academic Day, author Kelsey Timmerman told first-year students that they should do volunteer work, study abroad, and incorporate one thing a day into their lives that provides someone else with genuine opportunity.

-Bekah Pollard ’16, an Art + Design major, was awarded a 2016 Arts Council of Indianapolis Arts Journalism Fellowship to produce stories for The Indianapolis Star.

-Over 1,200 volunteers participated in Bulldogs Into the Streets, Butler’s annual service program.

-The old pool section of Hinkle Fieldhouse, which has been converted into a weight room, training center, and administration offices, received LEED Gold certification from the U.S. Green Building Council. The removal of the pool was part of the $34 million renovation of Hinkle Fieldhouse, which took place in 2013–2014.

Rob Koharchik

-Associate Professor of Theatre Rob Koharchik and Butler Theatre alumnus Jeffery Martin ’93 each received one of the “surprise” $10,000 awards given by The Indianapolis Foundation to Indianapolis-based organizations and individuals. Koharchik and Martin were recognized under the category “Indy Professional Theatre MVPs,” creative professionals whose work in theater contributes to the vibrancy of the cultural community and the strength of our city.

-Fairview House, the new $43 million, 633-bed residence hall located along Sunset Avenue, officially opened. The residence hall features three- and four-bedroom pods with two students to a room. Each pair of students shares a bathroom, and each has his or her own sink and large closet.

SEPTEMBER

-Butler participated in a weeklong celebration of Indianapolis native Kurt Vonnegut with Butler Theatre’s staged reading of Vonnegut’s play Happy Birthday, Wanda June and Indy Opera’s world premiere of the opera version of that play, with music written by Butler Music Professor Richard Auldon Clark.

-The Center for Urban Ecology (CUE) was awarded a three-year, nearly $300,000 grant from the National Science Foundation to establish the CUE Farm on campus as a hub for undergraduate education and research. The money supports Butler faculty in the development and implementation of four urban agriculture research modules in biology, chemistry, ecology, and environmental science courses and to study the impact of those modules on student learning.

Lindsay Lewellen

-Assistant Professor of Biology Lindsay Lewellyn was awarded a $410,656 National Institutes of Health grant to study egg development in fruit flies, which ultimately could lead to breakthroughs in the area of human infertility. The money is being used to pay for students to work in the lab over the summer, presenting findings at research conferences, hiring a full-time research technician during the academic year, and supplies.

-Kaveh Akbar MFA ’15 was one of five recipients of the 2016 Ruth Lilly and Dorothy Sargent Rosenberg Poetry Fellowships, a $25,800 prize intended to encourage the further study and writing of poetry. The fellowships are available to all U.S. poets 21 to 31 years old.

Kaveh Akbar

-Delorean J. Menifee was named Director of Admission.

-Butler University and the Center for Urban Ecology were inducted into the Green Lights Hall of Fame. The Green Light Awards—a series of climate solutions compiled by Sustainable Indiana 2016 as part of the Bicentennial—are distributed to organizations and individuals who are at the forefront of promoting sustainability across the state of Indiana.

-For the second consecutive year, Butler University was ranked as the Most Innovative School among Midwestern Regional Universities, according to the 2017 edition of U.S. News and World Report Best Colleges. Butler was also recognized in the categories of Best Undergraduate Teaching and the Best Colleges for Veterans, and appeared on the national shortlist of excellence for First-Year Experience, Internships, Undergraduate Research, and Study Abroad.

-Butler was named one of the 26 healthiest colleges in the country by Greatist.com, a website devoted to healthy living.

-CommonLit Inc., a company run by Michelle (Skinner) Brown ’09, received a federal Department of Education grant to help fund and expand the organization. CommonLit Inc., a completely free, online compilation of literary and teaching resources that was created to try to close the “secondary literacy gap,” will receive $3.9 million over two years.

OCTOBER

-At the annual Alumni Awards Recognition Program for extraordinary professional achievement and service, Butler honored nine alumni: Butler Medal, John Hargrove ’69; Butler Service Medal, George Geib; Robert Todd Duncan Alumni Achievement Award, Jen Christensen ’94; Katherine Merrill Graydon Alumni Service Award, Maribeth Zay Fischer ’74; Hilton Ultimus Brown Alumni Achievement Award, Shawn M. Gage ’04, PA-C; Joseph Irwin Sweeny Alumni Service Award, Amy N. Lenell ’07, PharmD, CLC; Ovid Butler Society Mortar Award, Chris ’79 and Sally (McFarland) ’81 Wirthwein; and Ovid Butler Society Foundation Award, Jennifer L. White ’00 and David White.

Katie Brooks

-Associate Professor of Education Katie Brooks was awarded a $2 million U.S. Department of Education grant to train 80 current or potential teachers to become licensed to teach English Language Learning students. The five-year grant is intended to help alleviate the chronic shortage of English as a New Language (ENL) teachers. The grant will pay for 20 college graduates who have a bachelor’s degree in a licensable area such as biology, math, social studies, world languages, or English to get both a teaching license and an ENL license.

-The Board of Trustees elected Attorney Robert T. Wildman and Life Sciences executive Lynne Zydowsky ’81 to special one-year terms on the Board. Both will be eligible for full three-year terms in June 2017. Wildman is a member of the Business Services Group, the Venture Capital and Private Equity Group, and the Real Estate Group of Bose McKinney & Evans LLP. Zydowsky, President of Zydowsky Consultants, is an experienced executive in the Life Sciences industry who has been involved in the launching and building of many successful companies.

-Longtime Professor of Voice André Aerne died on Sunday, October 16, in Petoskey, Michigan. He was 84. Aerne taught at Butler from 1966–1998 and also was often featured as a soloist in the Romantic Festival programs.

-Butler’s first Mock Mediation team did well at the Brenau Invitational Mediation Tournament in Gainesville, Georgia. Russ Hunter ’17 and Anthony Murdock ’17 both took home “Top Mediator.” Hunter also was awarded “Top Advocate/Client,” as was his teammate Nick Fox ’18.

-Forty-nine members of FFA (Future Farmers of America), who came from as far away as Massachusetts, Connecticut, Arizona, and Washington state to attend the annual FFA convention in Indianapolis, took a tour of the CUE Farm at Butler to see how the University is approaching sustainable, environmentally responsible urban farming.

-The Center for Urban Ecology Farm became the new home of the first fully automated mobile greenhouse, an 8-foot-wide by 32-foot-long structure designed and built by Ball State University architecture students to enable the CUE Farm to start plants earlier in the season. The $50,000 project was built with a grant from the Butler Innovation Fund.

-Erin Vincent was hired as Director of Academic Program Development and Innovation, a new position designed to help faculty, staff, and administrators move new academic programs from an idea to program launch.

NOVEMBER

-Brandie Oliver, Assistant Professor of School Counseling in the College of Education, was named Indiana School Counselor Association Counselor Educator of the Year.

-The Center for Citizenship and Community celebrated its 20th anniversary of connecting Butler students and the University with the community.

-A team of five Butler University students won the Purdue University Parrish Library Case Competition, an annual contest that challenges students to use their business research skills to solve a problem for a company. Sammie Chalmers, Taylor Gillenwater, Nicole Henrich, Karly Krebs, and Allison Wolff beat more than 20 teams from Indiana University and Purdue University.

-Eight Lacy School of Business students took the annual Wall Street Trek trip to get a good look at Wall Street—JPMorgan Chase, the Stock Exchange, Blue Mountain Capital—and Johnson & Johnson headquarters in New Brunswick, New Jersey.

-Junior Jacob Reeves won the 2016–2017 Hendricks Fellowship for his project studying how wildlife use Butler University’s campus as their home. The Center for High Achievement and Scholarly Engagement (CHASE) awards the scholarship to a student who completes a scientific research project in the area of conservation or Indiana ecosystems.

Jacklyn Gries and Carl Voegel

-Jacklyn Gries, a second-year Pharmacy major from Evansville, Indiana, was selected as Butler’s 2016 winner of the Independent Colleges of Indiana’s Realizing the Dream scholarship. This scholarship goes to students who are first in their families to go to college, have been selected by their colleges for outstanding achievement in their first year, and are successfully advancing towards completing their bachelor’s degrees.

-Butler became the first Indiana school to be invited to present at a Teach to Lead Preparation Summit held in Washington, DC, by the federal Department of Education.

DECEMBER

-Patricia Cochran, the great-great-granddaughter of Butler University founder Ovid Butler and great-niece of two-time Pulitzer Prize-winning author Booth Tarkington, died on December 5. She was 97.

-Sigma Gamma Rho, the sorority founded at Butler University on November 12, 1922, gave Butler a gift to establish the Sigma Gamma Rho Sorority Inc. 7 Founders Endowed Scholarship to honor the seven education majors and public school teachers who started the organization. The scholarship will be awarded annually beginning in the fall to a student enrolled in the College of Education.

-The curtain rose on the new Theatre Department Scene Shop, which moved from cramped quarters in the basement of the Holcomb Building to much larger, well-ventilated space in the west side of the Sunset Avenue Parking Garage. Half the space will be used to build scenery for Theatre productions; the other half will be used for costume storage for the Theatre and Dance departments.

-Victoria Kreyden ’17, a Biology/Spanish double-major from Carmel, Indiana, won first place in the undergraduate poster session at the 2016 American Society for Cell Biology (ASCB) meeting in San Francisco, California, for her poster presentation Investigation of the neuronal functions of the SUMO conjugating enzyme UBC-9 at the C. elegans neuromuscular junction. Kreyden’s presentation was judged best of more than 100 by undergraduates from around the country and abroad.

Randall Shepard

-Retired Indiana Supreme Court Justice Randall Shepard spoke at 2016 Winter Commencement, telling the 138 graduates that they should clutch their diploma with a sense of optimism because they are in America and they are educated. “The value of an education earned in 2016 at universities like Butler is more tangible than ever,” he said. “Your decision and your family’s decision to persevere in education is the best possible launching pad for a successful career and a successful life.”

-Veteran police officer John Conley succeeded Ben Hunter as Butler University’s Chief of Public Safety. Conley joined the Butler University Police Department in 2014, after working with the Indianapolis Metropolitan Police Department (IMPD) for 40 years.

-Associate Professor Kelli Esteves, who has taught in the College of Education since 2010, was named the Richard W. Guyer Chair in Education.

JANUARY

Kidney donor Tracy Pabst got a visit from Trip.

-Responding to a note on Facebook, Tracy Tyndall Pabst ’98 donated a kidney to Laura Coker Blandford ’97. The two were Delta Gamma sorority sisters but not close friends.

-A three-judge panel from the Indiana Court of Appeals heard a case on the Butler campus as part of its Appeals on Wheels program that brings the court to different locations to show the public what it does.

-Thirteen Indiana public school superintendents from all over the state began to participate in the first EPIC (Educators Preparing Inspired Change), a joint venture of Butler University and the Indiana Association of Public School Superintendents to help great educators transform the business and constituent-services aspects of their work.

-Singer Ben Davis, who spent a couple of years as a Butler student, returned to the Clowes Memorial Hall stage for the first time in 20 years, this time as Captain Georg von Trapp in the national touring company of The Sound of Music.

-Jason Davidson ’01, an instructor in the Lacy School of Business, wrote a book on Visual Basic for Applications, the popular programming language that is used to create and customize Microsoft Office programs. VBA for Microsoft Office 2016, published by Pearson, is a 216-page, step-by-step guide that’s geared toward students.

-Professor of Music David Murray was awarded the International Society of Bassists’s 2017 Special Recognition Award for Solo Performance, which goes to a person “who has contributed special skills, knowledge, projects, and other such positive works in the furthering of ISB ideals.” The award is given every two years by the organization, which represents nearly 3,000 members in more than 40 countries.

David Murray

-Butler students to make the trip to New York to be part of National Retail Federation’s Big Show, the annual showcase for retail merchants that also lets students see the enormous variety of career options available to them in retail.

-Butler University placed 808 students on the Dean’s List for the fall 2016 semester.

-A NASA representative brought moon rocks to College of Education Professor Catherine Pangan’s Science and Social Studies Methods class.

FEBRUARY

-The Butler Muslim Student Association hosted a Unity Walk around campus to protest the federal government’s attempted ban on Muslim refugees and immigrants from seven Muslim countries.

-Students and supporters participated in the Polar Plunge, raising over $53,000 for Special Olympics Indiana.

-The second annual Day of Giving shattered expectations, with faculty, staff, students, alumni, parents, and friends making 887 gifts totaling more than $137,000. In addition, the University was able to “unlock” more than $103,000 in challenge funding.

Isaac Warshawsky

-Isaac Warshawsky ’20 was selected as the second recipient of the Bruce and Lucy Gerstein Holocaust Education Travel Fund, which enabled him to visit Poland over spring break.

MARCH

-Beta Theta Pi was selected as the University’s new fraternity, with colonization of the Butler chapter to begin in fall 2017. A location for a future chapter house will be determined, and the University will assist in selecting the site.

-Butler’s men’s basketball team advanced to its first Sweet 16 since 2011 with a 74-65 win over Middle Tennessee State.

-Juniors Alex Tison, Claire Cox, and Kaylynn Cline were flown to Chicago to appear on an ESPN quiz show called Bracket Genius.

-Associate Professor of Music Education Daniel Bolin was selected as the 2017 inductee to the Gamma Chapter, Phi Beta Mu Hall of Fame. Phi Beta Mu is the highest honorary fraternity for international band directors.

-Twelve 5-foot-by-5-foot brain sculptures, each linked to a different theme in neuroscience, went on display on campus for six weeks as part of One Butler: The Brain Project. The sculptures, commissioned by neuroanatomist Jill Bolte Taylor, were displayed throughout campus.

Butler University Brain Project celebration March 29, 2017.

-The Center for Urban Ecology Farm began to pursue mushroom cultivation, thanks to an Indy Urban Mushrooms grant from the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s North Central Sustainable Agriculture Research and Education program.

-Butler University sophomore Lauren Ciulla struck gold, earning the Congressional Award Gold Medal, the U.S. Congress’s award for young Americans who set and achieve goals in four program areas: voluntary public service, personal development, physical fitness, and expedition/exploration.

APRIL

-The estate of Winstan R. “Bud” Sellick ’47 and his wife, Jacqueline (Blomberg) ’44, has given $9.4 million to the University. The gift will be shared among Butler Athletics, the Lacy School of Business, and general University support.

-Twenty-six Butler University students were elected to Phi Beta Kappa, the honor society that recognizes the best and brightest liberal arts and sciences undergraduates from 286 top schools across the nation.

-Education professors Susan Adams and Brooke Kandel-Cisco were part of a team recognized with a B.E.S.T. Award from WFYI (Channel 20) for its “exemplary work ethic and performance” and its efforts to develop a curriculum guide for the station’s documentary Attucks: The School That Opened A City.

-Four Butler students were named Top Four Paper Winners at the University’s 2017 Undergraduate Research Conference. Kelsey McDougall, John Anderton, Taylor Pearson, and Viki Tomanov’s projects were judged to be the best among the 21 students from five different universities who submitted their completed papers for competitive review.

Owen Schaub

-Theatre Professor Owen Schaub announced his retirement after 37 years at the University. “Having been at Butler has been a very warm, rewarding, and humane experience,” he said. Other professors who retired this year after long tenures at Butler include Katarina Dulckeit, Richard McGowan, Jeanne Van Tyle, Laurie Pylitt, and Stanley DeRusha.

-Frank E. Ross III, a national leader in student affairs with 22 years of experience and degrees from both Ball State and Indiana universities, was named Vice President for Student Affairs. He will take over the position in June.

-Madison Sauerteig, a junior from Arcadia, Indiana, who has done extensive volunteer work with Riley Hospital for Children, received the 2017 John Weidner Endowed Scholarship for Altruism.

-Junior Caitlyn Foye, a Biology major from Newburgh, Indiana, was named a 2017–2018 Goldwater Scholar, the most prestigious undergraduate award given in the sciences.

MAY

-A $5 million financial contribution from Old National Bank will be used to create the Old National Bank Center for Closely Held Business, which will provide privately owned businesses throughout Indiana with training, education, mentoring, and networking opportunities to help them succeed.

-The Lacy School of Business’ student-run insurance company began operations after the Bermuda Monetary Authority granted licensing approval for the business. The company was created to give students hands-on experience and prepare them for an industry that is anticipated to need tens of thousands of new employees over the next seven years.

-Students, faculty, staff, and alumni signed a steel beam that will be part of the construction of the new 647-bed housing unit that will replace Schwitzer Hall. The first occupants of the new housing will move in in August 2018.

John Lechleiter addresses Commencement.

-John Lechleiter, retired CEO of Eli Lilly and Co., told the spring 2017 graduates that they should set their sights high and strive for excellence, treat others the way they would like to be treated, and think and act independently. Butler graduates 955 students on May 6, 2017.

Media contact:
Marc Allan
mallan@butler.edu
317-940-9822

(1136)

Honorees will be recognized at April 13 banquet.

The Alumni Association has announced Butler University’s Top 100 students, honoring the top juniors and seniors for the 2017–2018 academic year.

The list is below, and Butler Collegian coverage is here.

The Top 100 students are determined by the Top 100 Selection Committee composed of representatives of each of the six colleges, student affairs, academic affairs, and alumni. Each candidate is judged against the core values of the program on a numeric scale. At the end of the judging period, all scores are tabulated, and the Top 100 students are selected.

Visit the Top 100 website to view guidelines for the program.

The Alumni Association in conjunction with the Office of Student Affairs conducts the Outstanding Student Recognition program. The program is in its 57th year.

Due to a tie in scoring, more than 100 students are being honored for the 2017–2018 academic year. All honorees will be recognized at the Outstanding Student Banquet on April 13, when the Top 15 Most Outstanding Students will be announced.

Full Listing of Honorees (in alphabetical order)

Katie Allee, senior, Communication Science and Disorders, College of Communication (CCOM)

Lynn Alsatie, junior, International Studies, College of Liberal Arts and Sciences (LAS)

Siena Amodeo, junior, International Management, Lacy School of Business (LSB)

Deborah Arehart, senior, Middle-Secondary Education, College of Education (COE)

Thomas Baldwin, senior, Biochemistry, LAS

Adam Bantz, senior, Strategic Communication, CCOM

Alex Bartlow, senior, Accounting, LSB

Leah Basford, senior, International Management, LSB

Zach Bellavia, senior, Economics, LSB

Bri Borri, junior, Psychology, LAS

Lauren Briskey, junior, Actuarial Sciences, LAS

Amy Brown, senior, Accounting, LSB

Rachel Burke, junior, Mathematics, LAS

Jeremy Caylor, junior, Biology, LAS

Parker Chalmers, junior, Risk Management, LSB

Lauren Ciulla, junior, Biology, LAS

Brooklyn Cohen, junior, ELED.BS, COE

Hannah Coleman, senior, Pharmacy, College of Pharmacy and Health Sciences (COPHS)

Dana Connor, senior, Communication Science & Disorders, CCOM

Vickie Cook, junior, Biochemistry, LAS

Meredith Coughlin, senior, Human Communication & Organizational Leadership, CCOM

Ryan Cultice, junior, Accounting, LSB

Ashley Dale, senior, Physics, LAS

Erin Dark, junior, Pharmacy, COPHS

Darby DeFord, junior, Biology, LAS

Matthew Del Busto, junior, English Literature, LAS

David Dunham, senior, Middle-Secondary Education, COE

Suzanne Dwyer, junior, Pharmacy, COPHS

Shelby Eaton, junior, Sociology and Psychology, LAS

Katie Edwards, senior, Marketing, LSB

Ashlyn Edwards, junior, Philosophy, LAS

Sarah Elam, junior, International Studies, LAS

John Evans, junior, Finance, LSB

Chiara Evelti, senior, International Studies, LAS

Hannah Faccio, senior, Psychology, LAS

Megan Farny, junior, Health Sciences, COPHS

Elizabeth Fecht, senior, Middle-Secondary Education, COE

Megan Fitzgerald, junior, Elementary Education, COE

Annie Foster, junior, Spanish, LAS

Caitlyn Foye, senior, Biology, LAS

Travis Freytag, junior, Actuarial Sciences, LAS

Jackie Gries, junior, Pharmacy, COPHS

Nathan Hall, junior, History and Political Science, LAS

Hannah Hartzell, senior, Strategic Communication, CCOM

Patrick Holden, senior, Pharmacy, COPHS

Jonny Hollar, junior, Marketing, LSB

Kate Holtz, junior, Risk Management, LSB

Nicholas Huang, senior, Finance, LSB

Karla Jeggle, senior, Actuarial Science, LAS

Nathan Jent, junior, Health Sciences, COPHS

Drew Johnson, senior, Pharmacy, COPHS

Jakob Jozwiakowski, senior, Chemistry, LAS

Colton Junod, senior, Biology, LAS

Libby Kaufman, senior, Elementary Education, COE

Nida Khan, junior, Pharmacy, COPHS

Rachel Koehler, junior, International Studies, LAS

Caroline Kuremsky, senior, Elementary Education, COE

Carly Large, senior, Accounting, LSB

Emily Lawson, junior, Chemistry, LAS

Rachael Lewis, senior, Marketing, LSB

Becca Lewis, junior, Biology, LAS

Kayla Long, junior, Critical Communication & Media Studies, CCOM

Nicholas Maicke, senior, International Studies, LAS

Kelsey McDougall, senior, Biology, LAS

Kirsten McGrew, senior, Pharmacy, COPHS

Kasey Meeks, junior, Health Sciences, COPHS

Rachel Metz, senior, Health Sciences, COPHS

Joshua Murdock, senior, Pharmacy, COPHS

Kelly Murphy, senior, Organizational Communications, CCOM

Garrick Nate, junior, International Studies, LAS

Emily Nettesheim, junior, Health Sciences, COPHS

Alexis Neyman, junior, Biology, LAS

Olivia Nilsen, junior, Communication Science & Disorders, CCOM

Gehrig Parker, senior, Sports Media, CCOM

Justin Poythress, junior, Accounting, LSB

Tori Puhl, junior, Actuarial Science, LAS

Salman Qureshi, senior, Biology, LAS

Courtney Raab, senior, Health Sciences, COPHS

Jordan Rauh, senior, Pharmacy, COPHS

Allison Reitz, senior, Communication Science & Disorders, CCOM

Kate Richards, senior, Communication Science & Disorders, CCOM

Sophie Robertson, junior, Dance, Jordan College of the Arts (JCA)

Abdul Saltagi, junior, Biology, LAS

Kaitlyn Sawin, senior, Marketing, LSB

Olivia Schwan, junior, Marketing, LSB

Abby Sikorcin, junior, Health Sciences, COPHS

Sundeep Singh, senior, Biology, LAS

Molly Smith, senior, International Studies, LAS

Maree Smith, senior, Marketing, LSB

Lilli Southern, junior, Communication Science & Disorders, CCOM

Madison Stefanski, junior, Elementary Education, COE

Isaiah Strong, junior, Recording Industry Studies, CCOM

Jennifer Sutor, junior, Marketing, LSB

Natalie Van Ochten, senior, Biology, LAS

Alexander Waddell, junior, Accounting, LSB

Skyler Walker, senior, Pharmacy, COPHS

Kate Warma, junior, Science, Technology and Society, LAS

Riley Wildemann, senior, Pharmacy, COPHS

Alexander Wright, senior, Chemistry, LAS

Heather Wright, senior, Music, JCA

Jill Yager, senior, Biology, LAS

Media contact:
Marc Allan
mallan@butler.edu
317-940-9822

(21)

Butler Ballet will warm up the cold winter nights with the sizzling modern dance tango Piazzolla Caldera and three world premiere pieces as part of Midwinter Dance Festival, Feb. 14-18 at the Schrott Center for the Arts.

Audiences have the opportunity to see two separate shows, each featuring Piazzolla Caldera, choreographed by the legendary American choreographer Paul Taylor, and three other pieces.

Program A will be presented:

Wednesday, February 14, at 7:00 PM

Friday, February 16, at 7:30 PM

Saturday, February 17, at 2:00 PM

Program B will be presented:

Thursday, February 15, at 7:00 PM

Saturday, February 17, at 7:30 PM

Sunday, February 18, 2:00 PM

Tickets are $15 for adults, $10 for seniors 62 and older, and $7 for students and children under 18. They are available at Clowes Memorial Hall during regular box office hours and at the Schrott Center for the Arts beginning two hours before each performance.

Piazzolla Caldera, created in 1997, has been described as “a sensual exposé of tango as reinterpreted and reimagined with modern dance.” The piece will be set by Butler Dance Professor Susan McGuire, who was a principal dancer with the Paul Taylor Dance Company from 1977 to 1988 and served as rehearsal director in 1989.

On February 9, the week before the Midwinter performances, the Paul Taylor Dance Company will perform at Clowes Memorial Hall. The company will present a masterclass for Butler Ballet dancers, and two members of the Paul Taylor company—including Heather McGinley ’05—will coach the student-dancers.

“The circle has completed itself,” Attaway said. “We’re all excited about that.”

Program A also will feature:

Farewell to the Singing Earth, choreographed by Professor Stefan Laurent and set to the music of Gustav Mahler. “This is a bittersweet moment for us because Stefan is retiring at the end of this year and this will be his last Midwinter with us,” Attaway said. “He thought it would be fitting for him to revive a piece he did in 2003 that is a farewell.”

Like Water for Dancers, choreographed by Assistant Professor of Dance Ramon Flowers. The piece represents the elements of water, fire, air, and earth. Initially developed for three dancers, it will feature 16 dancers in this new incarnation.

Dawn, choreographed by Professor Marek Cholewa. This world premiere also will feature an original score by percussionist Jordy Long ’16.

Program B also will feature:

The grand pas de deux from La Bayadère, set by Assistant Professor of Dance Rosanna Ruffo. “This is a technical tour de force for our dancers,” Attaway said. “It’s more traditional than other pieces in Midwinter. It’s certainly been reworked by Rosanna, but it will be familiar to people.”

Stardust, a world premiere by Professor Cynthia Pratt, featuring music by David Bowie. “It’s a technical challenge – very aerobic,” Attaway said. “It doesn’t stop moving.”

Flying Wings, by Associate Professor of Dance Derek Reid. “We carry thoughts/burdens that weigh us down and search for opportunities and moments to feel free, to feel happy,” Reid said, explaining the dance. “A friend passed a scripture reading on to me one day which sparked my inspiration. Roman 5: 3-4: “We rejoice in our sufferings, knowing that suffering produces endurance and endurance produces character, and character produces hope.”

Media contact:
Marc Allan
mallan@butler.edu
317-940-9822

(7)

Butler University Dance Marathon Takes Place February 3.

By Peyton Thompson ’20

The 16^th annual Butler University Dance Marathon takes place on Saturday, February 3, from noon to midnight in the Health and Recreation Center. For 12 hours, participants will dance, play basketball and other games, and eat, eat, and eat some more—all for a good cause.

Ally Beyers and Jillian Harrod paint a banner for BUDM.

The student-run fundraiser supports Riley Hospital for Children, in honor of Sarah Michelle Cohen, an honorary Dawg who died August 13, 2009, before she could attend Butler.

At the end of the evening, the organizers reveal the amount raised. Last year, BUDM raised $402,440.01 for Riley Hospital for Children.

“The Butler University Dance Marathon organization has not set a goal for the end of the night reveal,” Apparel Chair Bailee Dodson says, “because no matter what the number is, at the end of the day it is giving hope to all the Riley kids of the past, present, and future.”

We asked some of the organizers: What does BUDM mean to you?

Apparel Chair Bailee Dodson: “BUDM has been a huge impact in my life because it truly shows me what giving your whole heart look like. I have seen my committee members go above and beyond for a great cause and that truly keeps me going during the most stressful times. On 75k Day”—the day they try to raise $75,000—”I truly saw the magic of the Butler community, my family, and friends and I think that has been a huge impact on my life to see people I love go the extra mile FTK!”

Bailee Dodson is the Apparel Chair for BUDM.

Director of Dancer Relations Elaine Holmes: “BUDM is has helped me find a way to use my talents to further a cause about which I am passionate. Because of BUDM, I have found inspiration for my future in the healthcare field through our efforts for a world where all kids can join in the dancing.”

Co-director of Entertainment Sarah Thuet: “BUDM has made such a difference in not only my time at Butler but also my life as a whole. This organization transcends any limitation I’ve ever seen stop other fundraising organization. It’s such an inspiring, selfless and humble group of people who are just giving their all to help others. I truly am inspired and motivated by the BUDM committee every single day.”

All students, faculty, and staff at Butler University are welcome to participate. There is a $50 dancer minimum to join in.

This year’s Dance marathon will include a plethora of fun activities and food for all the participants to enjoy. Dodson says there will be an electronic bull, a bounce house obstacle course, a three-on-three basketball tournament, a face painter, and a rave to the end the night before the final reveal.

“There is something new every hour,” she says.

1. How to Get Involved
2. Register at donate.rileykids.org/BUDM_2018
3. Start fundraising
4. Head to the HRC from noon to midnight, this Saturday, February 3.

(67)

Eight hundred fifteen students have been placed on Butler University’s Dean’s List for the fall 2017 semester.

Any degree-seeking undergraduate student earning at least 12 academic hours of grade credit in a given semester may be placed on the Dean’s List of the college of enrollment if the semester grade point average is in the top 20 percent of all eligible students in that college. Courses taken under the pass/fail option do not count toward 12 academic hours of grade credit.

In the College of Pharmacy and Health Sciences, it is the top 20 percent of COPHS students in each curricular year who are named to the Dean’s List.

Here is the fall 2017 Dean’s List:

Katie Aaberg, Dance-Performance, Ada, Michigan

Jenna Aasen, Exploratory, Vernon Hills, Illinois

Karl Agger, English, Glen Ellyn, Illinois

Seth Ahlden, Professional Pharmacy, Bourbonnais, Illinois

McKenna Albers, Biochemistry, Mason, Ohio

Lydia Alberts, Science, Technology, & Society, Indianapolis

Laura Allaben, History and Political Science, Noblesville, Indiana

Lucy Allan, Peace and Conflict Studies, Carmel, Indiana

Jack Allbritton, Health Sciences, San Diego, California

Michaela Althoff, Pre-Pharmacy, Pittsboro, Indiana

Siena Amodeo, International Business, Powell, Ohio

Gabrielle Amstutz, Marketing, Berne, Indiana

Grant Anschuetz, Sports Media, Tecumseh, Michigan

Mary Beth Apker, Marketing, Omaha, Nebraska

Rachael Apter, Exploratory, Orland Park, Illinois

Kate Armstrong, Political Science, Grand Haven, Michigan

Camille Arnett, French, Granger, Indiana

Sarah Ault, Theatre, Overland Park, Kansas

Angela Avgerinos, Critical Communication & Media, Oak Brook, Illinois

Ben Babione, Exploratory, Diosd, Hungary

Katharine Baird, Marketing, Novi, Michigan

Grant Baker, Pre-Pharmacy, Brownsburg, Indiana

Ally Balan, Exploratory (Business), Flat Rock, Michigan

Heather Baldacci, Actuarial Science, Algonquin, Illinois

Aislinn Baltas, Science, Technology, & Society, Manhattan, Illinois

Adam Bantz, Strategic Communication, Albany, Indiana

Nick Bantz, Chemistry, Albany, Indiana

Bronwyn Bartley, English, Indianapolis

Alex Bartlow, Accounting, Bloomfield, Indiana

Jen Barton, Health Sciences, Brownsburg, Indiana

Julia Bartusek, Peace and Conflict Studies, New Prague, Minnesota

Grace Bassler, Pre-Pharmacy, Washington, Indiana

Addison Baumle, Health Sciences, Payne, Ohio

Sydney Bebar, Psychology, Joliet, Illinois

Abby Beckman, Actuarial Science, Lexington, Kentucky

Livia Bedwell, Dance-Performance, Memphis, Tennessee

Michael Behna, Health Sciences, Naperville, Illinois

Zach Bellavia, Economics, Woodstock, Illinois

Adam Bender, Digital Media Production, Boulder, Colorado

Thomas Bennett, Economics, Grosse Ile, Michigan

Bailey Berish, Health Sciences, Greencastle, Indiana

Nina Bertino, Strategic Communication, Lockport, Illinois

Erica Biagini, Marketing, Skokie, Illinois

Holloway Bird, Dance/Arts Administration, Aledo, Texas

Carter Bisel, Exploratory, Crown Point, Indiana

Elizabeth Bishop, Strategic Communication, Jeffersonville, Indiana

Madi Blair, English, Johns Creek, Georgia

Elizabeth Blevins, Arts Administration, Glen Ellyn, Illinois

Natalie  Bloom, Middle/Secondary Education, Naperville, Illinois

Maddie Blum, Risk Management and Insurance, Wolcottville, Indiana

Brittany Bluthardt, Journalism, Antioch, Illinois

Lauren Bogart, Exploratory (Business), North Webster, Indiana

Tyler Bolger, Middle/Secondary Education, Chicago

Courtney Boos, Accounting, Winamac, Indiana

Bri Borri, Psychology, Ada, Michigan

Sydney Borror, Finance, Fort Wayne, Indiana

Lauren Boswell, Elementary Education, Fishers, Indiana

Zach Boudler, Finance, Fort Wayne, Indiana

Amy Boyd, Digital Media Production, Fishers, Indiana

Jaclyn Boyer, Criminology and Psychology, Indianapolis

Ashley Boylan, Sociology, Peoria, Arizona

Anna Claire Bradbury, Middle/Secondary Education, Lindenhurst, Illinois

Anna Bradley, English, Brownsburg, Indiana

Micah Brame, Mathematics, Libertyville, Illinois

Lauren Briskey, Actuarial Science, Avon, Indiana

Anna Broadhurst, Communication Science & Disorders, Oak Forest, Illinois

Katherine Bromley, Elementary Education, Oak Park, Illinois

Amy Brown, Accounting, Saint Charles, Missouri

Chloe Brown, Digital Media Production, Parker, Colorado

Chris Brown, Sports Media, Brentwood, Missouri

Courtney Brown, Chemistry, Londonderry, New Hampshire

Darby Brown, English, Franklin, Tennessee

Julia Brown, Elementary Education, Shelbyville, Indiana

Katie Brown, Elementary Education, Fort Wayne, Indiana

Kyla Brown, Communication Science & Disorders, Hanover, Indiana

Ryan Brown, Finance, Crete, Illinois

Shelby Brown, Pre-Pharmacy, Connersville, Indiana

Katie Brownlee, Elementary Education, Northbrook, Illinois

Brad Broyles, Pharmacy, New Castle, Indiana

Joey Brunk, Elementary Education, Indianapolis

Ethan Buchman, Entrepreneurship & Innovation, Warsaw, Indiana

Sydney Buck, Finance, Fort Wayne, Indiana

Macy Burkhart, Exploratory, Greensburg, Indiana

Shelby Burmeister, Actuarial Science, Normal, Illinois

Patrick Burns, Software Engineering, Deerfield, Illinois

Laura Burr, Exploratory (Business), Cincinnati, Ohio

Kenny Burton, Exploratory (Liberal Arts and Sciences), Kokomo, Indiana

Marissa Byers, Environmental Studies, Indianapolis

Katherine Cackovic, Dance-Performance, Wheaton, Illinois

Rachel Cairns, Pre-Pharmacy, Amherst, Ohio

Sean Callahan, Biology, Batavia, Illinois

Ally Carlson, Health Sciences, Glen Ellyn, Illinois

Kelli Carney, Elementary Education, Terre Haute, Indiana

Faith Carroll, Elementary Education, Whitehouse, Ohio

Mallory Carter, Pre-Pharmacy, Brownsburg, Indiana

Caden Castellon, Entrepreneurship & Innovation, Canal Winchester, Ohio

Bridget Cato, Marketing, Chicago

Jeremy Caylor, Biology, Tipton, Indiana

Victoria Cervoni, Strategic Communication, Fort Wayne, Indiana

Parker Chalmers, Risk Management and Insurance, Cincinnati, Ohio

Alena Chilian, Environmental Studies, Roanoke, Indiana

Gabby Chinski, Strategic Communication, Bourbonnais, Illinois

Noah Chopp, Actuarial Science, Grafton, Wisconsin

Holly Christensen, Web Design and Development, Shoreline, Washington

Nicolet Christensen, Elementary Education, Oak Brook, Illinois

Madi Christiansen, Entrepreneurship & Innovation, Etters, Pennsylvania

Elizabeth Clark, Pharmacy, Salem, Indiana

Ryan Clark, Finance, Carmel, Indiana

Caitlin Clement, Accounting, McCordsville, Indiana

Salena Clevenger, Pharmacy, Fortville, Indiana

Evan Cobb, Accounting, Avon, Indiana

Caroline Cohen, Entrepreneurship & Innovation, Carmel, Indiana

Liza Cohen, Criminology and Psychology, Indianapolis

Claire Colburn, English, Indianapolis

Hannah Coleman, Pharmacy, Danville, Indiana

Julissa Collazo, Middle/Secondary Education, Chicago

Claire Collett, Entrepreneurship & Innovation, Seymour, Indiana

Jaclyn Collier, Pre-Pharmacy, Indianapolis

Victoria Combs, Psychology and Political Science, Kokomo, Indiana

Grant Comella, International Business, Lafayette, Indiana

Kitty Compton, Theatre, Evansville, Indiana

Katey Conley, Elementary Education, Indianapolis

Catie Conlon, International Business, Brookfield, Wisconsin

Dana Connor, Communication Science & Disorders, Tallahassee, Florida

Mark Connors, Accounting, Carmel, Indiana

Maggie Considine, Psychology, Woodridge, Illinois

Allison Cook, Health Sciences, Evansville, Indiana

Vickie Cook, Biochemistry, Woodburn, Indiana

Delaney Cordell, Biology, Fishers, Indiana

Meredith Coughlin, Human Communications and Organizational Leadership, Tipp City, Ohio

Abigail Counts, Music, Powell, Ohio

Paige Cowden, Pre-Pharmacy, Ellettsville, Indiana

Britney Cowling, Health Sciences, Mount Carmel, Illinois

Carter Cox, Exploratory (Business), Louisville, Kentucky

Claire Cox, Marketing, Indianapolis

Abby Craig, Mathematics, Hudson, Illinois

Trent Craig, Marketing, Huntley, Illinois

Matthew Croaning, Finance, Carmel, Indiana

Katie Crouse, Music, Annapolis, Maryland

Olivia Crowder, Pre-Pharmacy, Cayuga, Indiana

Shelby Crum, Science, Technology, & Society, Rockville, Indiana

Ryan Cultice, Accounting, Warsaw, Indiana

Mary Curley, Pre-Pharmacy, West Terre Haute, Indiana

Adrian Daeger, Music Performance, Indianapolis

Maggie Danicek, Health Sciences, Grand Haven, Michigan

Erin Dark, Pharmacy, West Lafayette, Indiana

Tate Datweiler, Finance, Herscher, Illinois

Audrey Davenport, Pre-Pharmacy, Zionsville, Indiana

Eric Davidson, Actuarial Science, Newburgh, Indiana

Melody Davidson, Finance, Anderson, Indiana

Ali Davignon, Chemistry, Terre Haute, Indiana

Evan Davis, Theatre, Brentwood, Tennessee

Elena DeCook, English Writing, Holland, Michigan

Brett DeWitt, Psychology, Anderson, Indiana

Jarod Deckard, Pre-Pharmacy, Springville, Indiana

Matthew Del Busto, English, Carmel, Indiana

Alyssa Del Priore, Health Sciences, Fort Wayne, Indiana

Walker Demel, Music, Elgin, Illinois

Paige Dempsey, English, Harlan, Indiana

John Denger, Arts Administration, Carmel, Indiana

Michael Denner, Accounting, Ottawa Hills, Ohio

Kaitlin Detmar, Psychology, Schererville, Indiana

Sarah Dixon, Communication Science & Disorders, Pendleton, Indiana

Joshua Doering, Sports Media, Canton, Michigan

Maggie Dolph, Elementary Education, Western Springs, Illinois

Anna Doran, Accounting, Brentwood, Tennessee

Mattie Doran, Marketing, Winona Lake, Indiana

Sarah Doran, Music Education, Granville, Ohio

Gabby Douglas, Exploratory, South Bend, Indiana

Blake Dreihaus, Health Sciences, Dillsboro, Indiana

Marissa Duco, Pharmacy, Indianapolis

Ally Dudman, Pre-Pharmacy, Geneva, Illinois

Danielle Duff, Biology, Fort Wayne, Indiana

Elizabeth Duis, Arts Administration, Sheldon, Illinois

Kelliann Duncan, Journalism, Bartlett, Illinois

David Dunham, Middle/Secondary Education, Zionsville, Indiana

Jessica Dupree, Psychology, Arcadia, Indiana

Michelle Duritsch, Health Sciences, Troy, Ohio

Serenity Dzubay, English, Indianapolis

Dakota Eash, Pre-Pharmacy, Elkhart, Indiana

Mikayla Eaton, Marketing, Union Mills, Indiana

Grant Eberle, Exploratory, Naperville, Illinois

Nick Ebl, Finance, Glen Ellyn, Illinois

Ashlyn Edwards, Philosophy, Floyds Knobs, Indiana

Katie Edwards, Marketing, Libertyville, Illinois

Luke Edwards, Exploratory (Business), Libertyville, Illinois

Rachel Efroymson, Communication Science & Disorders, Indianapolis

Max Egenolf, Accounting, Avon, Indiana

Monika Eisenhut, Finance, Indianapolis

Beth Ann Ellingson, Pre-Pharmacy, Elgin, Illinois

William Emerson, Recording Industry Studies, Indianapolis

Grant Emrick, Marketing, Forsyth, Illinois

Kaitlyn Enderle, Chemistry, Carmel, Indiana

Erich Endres, Sports Media, Louisville, Kentucky

Claire Epley, Marketing, Edwards, Illinois

Emily Erickson, Accounting, Marion, Indiana

Ale Escobedo, Psychology, South Bend, Indiana

Ben Evans, Chemistry, Indianapolis

Erin Evans, Professional Pharmacy, O’Fallon, Illinois

Melissa Evans, Psychology, Lexington, Kentucky

Natalie Evans, Music Performance, Goshen, Indiana

Chiara Evelti, International Studies, Decatur, Illinois

James Ewing, Biology, Milwaukee, Wisconsin

Niki Ezeh, Strategic Communication, Grand Rapids, Michigan

Hannah Faccio, Psychology, Belmont, Michigan

Branson Facemire, Pharmacy, Madison, Indiana

Tatum Farlow, Dance-Performance, Germantown, Tennessee

Molly Farmer, Exploratory, Terre Haute, Indiana

Megan Farny, Health Sciences, Evansville, Indiana

Natalie Farrell, Music, Carol Stream, Illinois

Alec Fenne, Music Education, Geneva, Illinois

Grace Finley, Accounting, Indianapolis

Laura Fischer, Pre-Pharmacy, La Porte, Indiana

Lisa Fischer, Professional Pharmacy, La Porte, Indiana

Brea Fisher, Criminology and Psychology, Columbia City, Indiana

Taylor Fisher, Finance, Solon, Iowa

Megan Fitzgerald, Elementary Education, Dublin, Ohio

Emily Flandermeyer, Psychology, Indianapolis

Rachel Fleming, Marketing, Chicago Heights, Illinois

Kati Forbes, Pre-Pharmacy, Carmel, Indiana

Gabbi Forsythe, Software Engineering, Brownsburg, Indiana

Matt Fox, Finance, Appleton, Wisconsin

Nicholas Fox, Risk Management and Insurance, Country Club Hills, Illinois

Hannah Frank, Pre-Pharmacy, Homer Glen, Illinois

Emma Frasier, Communication Science & Disorders, Bloomington, Indiana

Travis Freytag, Actuarial Science, Cincinnati, Ohio

Ryan Friedrich, Pre-Pharmacy, Terre Haute, Indiana

Hope Frieling, Marketing, Holland, Michigan

James Frieling, Exploratory (Business), Holland, Michigan

Margaret Fries, Communication Science & Disorders, St. Louis, Missouri

Erica Frisby, Communication Science & Disorders, Lindenhurst, Illinois

Maggie Fuhrman, Health Sciences, Wauwatosa, Wisconsin

Connor Fuller, Accounting, Lancaster, New York

Ivan Fuller, Physics, Yardley, Pennsylvania

Sarah Galbreath, Elementary Education, Bloomington, Indiana

Caleb Gall, Economics, Valparaiso, Indiana

Nick Ganly, Chemistry, Brazil, Indiana

Brandon Gansell, Risk Management and Insurance, Plano, Texas

Eric Garcia, Music Performance, Fishers, Indiana

Alyssa Garelli, Pre-Pharmacy, Elmhurst, Illinois

Rachel Gathof, Accounting, Louisville, Kentucky

Kelsey Gausman, Marketing, Batesville, Indiana

Anna Geist, Risk Management and Insurance, Arvada, Colorado

Lydia Gentry, English, Troutville, Virginia

Ari Gerstein, Finance, Carmel, Indiana

Mario Giannini, Entrepreneurship & Innovation, Grayslake, Illinois

Kyle Giebel, Entrepreneurship & Innovation, Frankfort, Indiana

Jenna Gilberg, Journalism, Middleburg, Virginia

Chedae Gillam, Professional Pharmacy, Indianapolis, Indiana

Mary Bridget Ginn, Finance, Columbus, Ohio

Tyler Girton, Pharmacy, Greenfield, Indiana

Jimmy Gleichmann, Accounting, Whippany, New Jersey

Alex Glickfield, Physics, Greentown, Indiana

Robin Glicksberg, Middle/Secondary Education, Lincolnshire, Illinois

Madeleine Glogas, Pre-Pharmacy, Fort Wayne, Indiana

Isaac Gluesenkamp, Biology, Nashville, Indiana

Brian Goldner, Finance, Indianapolis

Jack Goldstein, Computer Science, Omaha, Nebraska

Tyler Goodrick, Finance, Osceola,  Indiana

Katelyn Gordon, Pharmacy, Indianapolis

Lauren Goslee, Exploratory, Maineville, Ohio

Zachary Gossett , Political Science, Terre Haute, Indiana

Alyssa Grabinski, Journalism, Naperville, Illinois

Becca Graham, Professional Pharmacy, Lawrenceburg, Indiana

Kerry Gray, Biology, Avon Lake, Ohio

Maddie Greer, Strategic Communication, Russiaville, Indiana

Jacklyn Gries, Pharmacy, Evansville, Indiana

Ally Griffin, Exploratory (Communication), Barrington, Illinois

Meredith Grossi, Marketing, Hinsdale, Illinois

Anthony Gurovski, Computer Science, Libertyville, Illinois

Allison Haan, Dance-Pedagogy, Holland, Michigan

Corey Hagerty, Finance, Louisville, Kentucky

Landen Haney, Healthcare and Business, Rockford, Michigan

Alaina Hanke, Criminology and Psychology, Bloomingdale, Illinois

Lauren Hannemann, Computer Science, Chicago

Zach Hanquier, Music, Greenwood, Indiana

Ali Hanson, English, Rosiclare, Illinois

Alex Hardiek, Actuarial Science, Dieterich, Illinois

Makiah Harper, Human Communication and Organizational Leadership, West Chester, Ohio

Logan Harris, Economics, O’Fallon, Illinois

Morgan Harrison, Pharmacy, Hillsboro, Indiana

Jillian Harrod, Exploratory (Business), South Elgin, Illinois

Auboni Hart, Accounting, Indianapolis

DeLaney Hartman, Health Sciences, Lebanon, Ohio

Kelli Hartman, Healthcare and Business, Batesville, Indiana

Elizabeth Hauk, Professional Pharmacy, Fairview, Pennsylvania

Blakely Heaton, Biology, Bloomfield, Indiana

Ryan Hecker, Strategic Communication, Chicago

Jordan Hennings, International Studies, Wheaton, Illinois

Nicole Henrich, International Business, West Bend, Wisconsin

Harry Hensel, Elementary Education, Indianapolis

Miranda Herman, Gender, Women & Sexuality Studies, Indianapolis

Mary Hermann, Software Engineering, Chelsea, Michigan

Thomas Hermsen, Psychology, Kaukauna, Wisconsin

Ryan Heumann, Mathematics, Indianapolis

Carly Hewitt, Actuarial Science, Mound, Minnesota

Molly Hicks, Anthropology, Fishers, Indiana

Allie Highsmith, English, Indianapolis

Charlotte Hilker, Psychology, Des Moines, Iowa

Lilly Hinckley, Exploratory, Cincinnati, Ohio

Hannah Hinkle, Communication Science & Disorders, Warsaw, Indiana

Maddi Hinton, Biology, Pendleton, Indiana

Jessica Hock, Elementary Education, Bryn Mawr, Pennsylvania

Allison Hoffert, Health Sciences, Leesburg, Indiana

Sam Hoffman, Elementary Education, Noblesville, Indiana

Bailey Hogan, Elementary Education, Indianapolis

Jonny Hollar, Marketing, Warsaw, Indiana

Noah Holloway, English, Zionsville, Indiana

Ryan Holmes, Exploratory (Business), Carmel, Indiana

Kate Holtz, Risk Management and Insurance, Godfrey, Illinois

Alexandra Hopkins, Human Communication and Organizational Leadership, Sheridan, Indiana

Tori Horton, Finance, Verona, Wisconsin

Brooks Hosfeld, Gender, Women & Sexuality Studies, Carmel, Indiana

Asif Hossain, Chemistry, Carmel, Indiana

Samantha Howald, Health Sciences, Toledo, Ohio

William Howard, Biology, Carmel, Indiana

Zach Howe, Professional Pharmacy, O’Fallon, Missouri

Chandler Howell, Professional Pharmacy, Centerville, Indiana

Nicholas Huang, Finance, Geneva, Illinois

Fiona Huber, Dance/Arts Administration, Atlanta, Georgia

Maggie Hunt, Elementary Education, Indianapolis

Kate Hussey, Psychology, Cincinnati, Ohio

Peter Hutson, International Studies, Columbus, Ohio

Katie Hybarger, Middle/Secondary Education, Sheridan, Indiana

Lyla Iannaccone, Arts Administration, Glendale, California

Courtney Irwin, Human Communication and Organizational Leadership, Burr Ridge, Illinois

Kayla Irwin, Health Sciences, Lemont, Illinois

Michaela Ivory, Anthropology, Indianapolis

Claire Jaffee, Marketing, Michiana Shores, Indiana

Shea Jamieson, Biology, South Bend, Indiana

Ben Janson, Accounting, Saint Joseph, Michigan

Karla Jeggle, Actuarial Science, Upper Arlington, Ohio

Rachel Jennings, Actuarial Science, Goshen, Kentucky

Logan Jester, Health Sciences, Fort Wayne, Indiana

Bobby Johnson, History, McDonald, Ohio

Drew Johnson, Pharmacy, Noblesville, Indiana

Gordon Johnson, Art + Design, Elmhurst, Illinois

Luke Johnson, Biology, Indianapolis

Marissa Johnson, Performance & Music Education, Avon, Indiana

Jennifer Johnston, Health Sciences, Greenfield, Indiana

David Jones, Marketing, Westfield, Indiana

Sarah Jordan, Dance-Performance, Oak Park, Illinois

Daria Jouzdani, Economics, Boulder, Colorado

Emily Joyce, Political Science, Bloomingdale, Illinois

Jakob Jozwiakowski, Chemistry, Sudbury, Massachusetts

Michelle Jugovich, Music, Western Springs, Illinois

Colton Junod, Biology, Vincennes, Indiana

Rachel Kappeler, Pharmacy, Hartland, Wisconsin

Kelsie Kasper, Sports Media, Munster, Indiana

Kaitlyn Kastberg, Pre-Pharmacy, Chesterfield, Missouri

Nicole Katzin, Exploratory, Chicago

Hannah Kaufmann, Psychology, Pendleton, Indiana

David Kaylor, Pharmacy, Westfield, Indiana

Mahmood Kedo, Biology, McCordsville, Indiana

Annie Keirn, Communication Science & Disorders, Collinsville, Illinois

Jenna Kendrick, Professional Pharmacy, Rising Sun, Indiana

Morgan Kenny, International Business, Lafayette, Indiana

Jenny Kern, Communication Science & Disorders, Bartlett, Illinois

Maggie Kieffer, Exploratory, Morton, Illinois

Joe Killion, International Studies, USAF Academy, Colorado

Allison Kinsinger, Health Sciences, Washington, Illinois

Jessie Kirchoff, Professional Pharmacy, Terre Haute, Indiana

Klaudia Kirk, Marketing, Noblesville, Indiana

Joe Kirkpatrick, Pre-Pharmacy, Anderson, Indiana

Noa Klausner, Biology, Las Vegas, Nevada

Dillen Klemchuk               , Sociology, Fairfax, Vermont

Abby Klupchak, Marketing, Homewood, Illinois

Emily Knaub, Middle/Secondary Education, Channahon, Illinois

Danny Knauff, Music Education, Carmel, Indiana

Hunter Koch, Finance, Bedford, Indiana

Natalie Koch, Exploratory, Mililani, Hawaii

Kristen Koehl, Professional Pharmacy, Indianapolis

Hannah Koehler, Elementary Education, Mundelein, Illinois

Jarrod Koester, History and Political Science, Wadesville, Indiana

Jess Kolanowski, Entrepreneurship & Innovation, Saint John, Indiana

Brandi Kordes, Communication Science & Disorders, Saint Anthony, Indiana

Charles Kovarik, Economics, Downers Grove, Illinois

Andrea Krebs, Pharmacy, Indianapolis

Ray Kreloff, Economics, Valparaiso, Indiana

Anne Krietenstein, Biology, Plainfield, Indiana

Joey Krisko, International Business, Manteno, Illinois

Hannah Kroehler, Marketing, Fishers, Indiana

Nicole Krueger, Communication Science & Disorders, Willow Springs, Illinois

Allison Kubacki, Health Sciences, Rochester Hills, Michigan

Hannah Kurath, Elementary Education, Golden, Colorado

Lucas LaRosa, Actuarial Science, Indianapolis

Mariesa LaRosa, Communication Science & Disorders, Indianapolis

Emma LaVelle, Accounting, Columbus, Indiana

Alyssa Lach, Computer Science, Algonquin, Illinois

John Lacheta, Management Information Systems, Warsaw, Indiana

Caitlin Ladd, Individualized Major, Floyds Knobs, Indiana

Tori Lampert, Anthropology, La Grange Park, Illinois

Spencer Lang, Biology, Longmont, Colorado

Grace Langford, Actuarial Science, Avon, Indiana

Maddie Larsen, Health Sciences, Chicago

Annie Larson, Marketing, Victoria, Minnesota

Kyra Laubacher, Dance-Performance, Wexford, Pennsylvania

Zoe Law, Anthropology, Zionsville, Indiana

Emily Lawson, Chemistry, Fort Wayne, Indiana

Lance Lawyer, Health Sciences, Mooresville, Indiana

Jenna-Laine LeBleu, Strategic Communication, Aurora, Illinois

Allison Ledder, Exploratory (Business) Crystal Lake, Illinois

Adam Lee, Finance, Kirkwood, Missouri

Dana Lee, Journalism, Northbrook, Illinois

Jessica Lee, Biology, Chesterton, Indiana

Stephanie Lee, Pharmacy, Carmel, Indiana

Meghan Leete, Economics, Spring Lake, Michigan

Sara Lefere, Elementary Education, Jackson, Michigan

Emily Leiderman, Psychology, Geneva, Illinois

Cade Leinbach, Music Composition, Goshen, Indiana

Blake Leonard, International Business, Dexter, Michigan

Rachael Lewis, Marketing, Danville, Illinois

Samantha Lilly, Marketing, Indianapolis

Morgan Linzmeier, History and Anthropology, Pulaski, Wisconsin

Monica Livorsi, Arts Administration, Minnetonka, Minnesota

Julia Lohan, Middle/Secondary Education, Lincolnwood, Illinois

Nick Lombardo, Finance, Glen Ellyn, Illinois

Austin Long, Professional Pharmacy, Mooresville, Indiana

Elizabeth Longthorne, Strategic Communication, Indianapolis

Jesse Longtin, Accounting, Kankakee, Illinois

Haley Loquercio, Theatre, Chicago

Melissa Louis, Health Sciences, Loveland, Ohio

Madeline Lowry, Risk Management and Insurance, Springfield, Virginia

Nick Lucas, Accounting, Johnston, Iowa

Hannah Luedtke, Accounting, North Barrington, Illinois

Abbie Lueken, Professional Pharmacy, Bloomington, Indiana

Cole Luty, Professional Pharmacy, Indianapolis

Meghan Lynch, Communication Science & Disorders, Indianapolis

Maggie MacBeth, Biology, Indianapolis

Missy MacCarthy, Health Sciences, Saint Charles , Illinois

Cole Mackey, Pre-Pharmacy, Shelbyville, Indiana

Dustin Mailloux, Accounting, Bloomington, Illinois

Colleen Major, Elementary Education, Willowbrook, Illinois

Grace Malone, Digital Media Production, West Lafayette, Indiana

Brittney Man, Actuarial Science, Indianapolis

Izzi Mandli, Exploratory (Business), Whitefish Bay, Wisconsin

Addie Mann, Health Sciences, Bluffton, Indiana

Theo Maris, Pre-Pharmacy, Villa Hills, Kentucky

Allyson Marks, Marketing, Germantown Hills, Illinois

Justin Markus, Marketing, New Lenox, Illinois

Lindsay Marohn , Exploratory (Natural Sciences), Saint Joseph, Michigan

Kylie Mason, Elementary Education, Bourbon, Indiana

Elly Mawi, Biology, Indianapolis

Hillary May, Psychology, Mount Vernon, Indiana

Grace Maynard, Mathematics, Normal, Illinois

Eleanor McCandless, Marketing, Fort Wayne, Indiana

Lauren McCartt, Exploratory, Indianapolis

Eryn McCloy, Exploratory, Hortonville, Wisconsin

Katie McConnell, Elementary Education, Mesa, Arizona

Maeve McCormack, Accounting, Oak Park, Illinois

Bryce McDonald, Exploratory (Business), Canton, Michigan

Johnny McDonald, Accounting, Vernon Hills, Illinois

Kelsey McDougall, Biology, Canton, Michigan

Kirsten McGrew               , Pharmacy, Prospect, Kentucky

Morgan McInturff, Finance, Indianapolis

Addy McKown, Strategic Communication, New Castle, Indiana

Lauren McQuarters, Psychology, La Porte, Indiana

Carli Medina, Health Sciences, Crown Point, Indiana

Kasey Meeks, Health Sciences, Robinson, Illinois

Michael Melbardis, Music, Fishers, Indiana

Alex Mendelson, Finance, Evanston, Illinois

Abby Meredith, Elementary Education, Indianapolis

Nicole Miceli, Digital Media Production, Des Plaines, Illinois

Eric Michel, English Writing, Tipton, Indiana

Madison Millard, Psychology, Indianapolis

Alyssa Millen, Biochemistry, Valparaiso, Indiana

Allison Miller, Health Sciences, Warsaw, Indiana

Connor Miller, Pre-Pharmacy, Elkhart, Indiana

Katherine Miller, International Studies, Columbus, Indiana

Kiley Miller, Accounting, Carmel, Indiana

Shelby Miller, Communication Science & Disorders, McCordsville, Indiana

Travis Miller, Actuarial Science, Middlebury, Indiana

Karina Milvain, Theatre, Colorado Springs, Colorado

Jordan Minnick, Science, Technology, & Society, Las Vegas, Nevada

Bryce Minor, Accounting, Brazil, Indiana

Ntinyari Miriti, Music Education, Lexington, Kentucky

Madeline Mitchell, Pharmacy, Effingham, Illinois

Madeline Mleziva, Digital Media Production, Appleton, Wisconsin

Nyree Modisette, Political Science, Indianapolis

Kaeli Moffett, Professional Pharmacy, Indianapolis

Gabby Moline, Journalism, Schererville, Indiana

Matthew Monge, Human Communication and Organizational Leadership, Edwards, Illinois

Eliana Montalvo, Dance-Performance, Modesto, California

Lauren Monteith, Communication Science & Disorders, Indianapolis

Cecilia Moore, Communication Science & Disorders, Nashville, Tennessee

Matthew Moore, Chemistry, Cincinnati, Ohio

Rachel Moran, Science, Technology, & Society, Glen Ellyn, Illinois

Ashley Morgan, Health Sciences, Avon, Indiana

Erin Morrisey, Middle/Secondary Education, Glen Carbon, Illinois

Arianna Morrison, Dance-Performance, Seffner, Florida

Julia Mucci, Exploratory (Business), Canton, Michigan

Sam Mueller, Marketing, Westfield, Indiana

Daniel Mulawa, Health Sciences, Saint Charles, Missouri

Jacob Mummert, Sports Media, Amboy, Indiana

Gracie Munroe, Political Science, Crawfordsville, Indiana

Amanda Murphy, Exploratory, Arlington Heights, Illinois

Kelly Murphy, Human Communication and Organizational Leadership, Dublin, Ohio

Maeve Murphy, Elementary Education, Champaign, Illinois

Con Murray, English, Cincinnati, Ohio

Lindsey Myers, Elementary Education, Nashville, Tennessee

Kristen Mylcraine, Biology, Plainfield, Indiana

Maham Nadeem, Biology, Carmel, Indiana

Jack Napoleon, Finance, Arlington Heights, Illinois

Garrick Nate, International Studies, Plymouth, Indiana

Carl Nelson, Digital Media Production, Wheaton, Illinois

Emily Nettesheim, Health Sciences, Lafayette, Indiana

Jordyn Newett, Music Education, Greenwood, Indiana

Kendra Newman, Biology, Danville, Indiana

Josey Noel, Biology, Jeffersonville, Indiana

Ariel Norris, Marketing, Noblesville, Indiana

Carolan Norris, Dance/Arts Administration, Cumming, Georgia

Sean O’Brien, Psychology, Munster, Indiana

Sheila O’Keeffe, Exploratory, Orland Park, Illinois

Megan O’Neill, Marketing, Lemont, Illinois

Macey OBrien, Marketing, Northbrook, Illinois

Elise Offutt, Elementary Education, Arlington, Virginia

Sarah Opperman, Pre-Pharmacy, Valparaiso, Indiana

MacKenzie Orbaugh, Elementary Education, Zionsville, Indiana

Bailey Osler, Elementary Education, McCordsville, Indiana

Claire Ottmar, Middle/Secondary Education, Saint Joseph, Michigan

Andrew Ozga, Physics, Wauconda, Illinois

Claire Paciga, Pre-Pharmacy, Orland Park, Illinois

Lauryn Padgett, Biochemistry, Carmel, Indiana

Kenia Padron, Communication Science & Disorders, Panama

Corbin Panturad, International Studies, Aledo, Texas

Nicolia Papadeas, Health Sciences, Greenwood Village, Colorado

Maddie Paraskos, Elementary Education, Mason, Ohio

Allie Parker, Anthropology, West Lafayette, Indiana

Kyleigh Parks, Finance, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania

Sara Patel, Accounting, Cleveland, Ohio

Amber Patrick, English, Hilliard, Ohio

Cassidy Patscot, Marketing, Wales, Wisconsin

Kinsey Paulson, Human Communication and Organizational Leadership, Bettendorf, Iowa

Natalie Pawlak, Communication Science & Disorders, Appleton, Wisconsin

Paige Pearson, Strategic Communication, Edina, Minnesota

Leah Peavler, Arts Administration, Brookfield, Wisconsin

Michael Peay, Finance, Phoenix, Arizona

Breann Pempek, Middle/Secondary Education, Indianapolis

Allie Pence, Arts Administration, Fishers, Indiana

Anne Perez, Pre-Pharmacy, Elmhurst, Illinois

Braden Pershing, Accounting, Greencastle, Indiana

Jack Peterson, Finance, Rockville, Maryland

Caitlin Pethick, Biology, South Bend, Indiana

Robert Petrakis, Accounting, Peoria, Illinois

Lauren Pfeil, International Studies, West Des Moines, Iowa

Allie Phillips, Pre-Pharmacy, Noblesville, Indiana

Mackenzie Phillips, Health Sciences, Humble, Texas

Jack Pilcher, Finance, Zionsville, Indiana

John Plate, Music Performance, Wheaton, Illinois

Tyler Pollard, Economics, Highland, Illinois

Julia Pomeroy, Chemistry, Akron, Indiana

Noemi Ponzoni, International Studies, Sulbiate

Sarah Poore, Marketing, Carmel, Indiana

Jessica Porter, Middle/Secondary Education, Elberfeld, Indiana

Malayna Pottschmidt, Accounting, Fishers, Indiana

Hannah Protich, Pharmacy, Plainfield, Illinois

Taylor Pugh, Digital Media Production, Los Alamitos, California

Tori Puhl, Actuarial Science, Mequon, Wisconsin

Krista Pulley, Chemistry, Noblesville, Indiana

Shannon Purcell, Professional Pharmacy, Geneva, Illinois

David Purdum, Mathematics, Noblesville, Indiana

Rehan Qureshi, Pre-Pharmacy, Carmel, Indiana

Courtney Raab, Health Sciences, Highland, Indiana

Gabrielle Raab, Communication Science & Disorders, Oldenburg, Indiana

Carter Raleigh, Finance, Cincinnati, Ohio

Isabelle Ramey, Dance-Performance, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania

Armando Ramirez, Pharmacy, Decatur, Indiana

Courtney Ramirez, Dance/Arts Administration, Littleton, Colorado

Libbie Rammage, Strategic Communication, Wataga, Illinois

Allison Ramsey, Actuarial Science, Fishers, Indiana

Alea Rashid, Exploratory (Natural Sciences), Streator, Illinois

Anna Rather, English, Bargersville, Indiana

Jordan Rauh, Pharmacy, Wabash, Indiana

Jacob Reeves, Biology, Odum, Georgia

Kayla Reeves, Exploratory (Business), Des Plaines, Illinois

Maggie Regan, Art + Design, Manteno, Illinois

Taylor Reid, Elementary Education, Zionsville, Indiana

Lauren Reineke, Health Sciences, Valparaiso, Indiana

Jenna Repkin, Middle/Secondary Education, Vernon Hills, Illinois

Maggie Reynolds, Communication Science & Disorders, Darien, Illinois

Emma Richards, Communication Science & Disorders, Effingham, Illinois

Kate Richards, Communication Science & Disorders, Effingham, Illinois

Chanel Richardson, Pharmacy, Greenwood, Indiana

Lindsey Ridlen, Professional Pharmacy, Seymour, Indiana

Jaret Rightley, Accounting, New Palestine, Indiana

Mason Rinks, Accounting, Swartz Creek, Michigan

Ellen Rispoli, Psychology, Savoy, Illinois

Paul Ritter, Actuarial Science, Batesville, Indiana

Kade Roach, Finance, Salem, Indiana

Sophie Robertson, Dance/Arts Administration, Gig Harbor, Washington

Jacob Robleski, Accounting, Wheaton, Illinois

Cole Rodgers, Dance/Arts Administration, Woodbury, Minnesota

Lauren Rodgers, Psychology, Perrysburg, Ohio

Joseph Rodriguez, Music Education, Lafayette, Indiana

Avery Roe, Peace and Conflict Studies, Columbus, Ohio

Kyle Roe, Finance, Indianapolis

Tommy Roers, Middle/Secondary Education, Kildeer, Illinois

Rachel Rogers, Finance, Tipp City, Ohio

Evan Rolston, Pharmacy, Anderson, Indiana

Raven Roth, Marketing, Orange Village, Ohio

Joe Rowan, Exploratory, Fort Wayne, Indiana

Kelsey Rowley, Elementary Education, Connersville, Indiana

Connor Ruffing, Actuarial Science, South Bend, Indiana

Molly Rumble, Dance-Pedagogy, Virginia Beach, Virginia

Bella Ruscheinski, Exploratory (Business), Peoria, Illinois

Megan Rush, Marketing, Salisbury, Maryland

David Ryskamp, Biology, Caledonia, Michigan

Cobi Sabo, Computer Science, Homewood, Illinois

Mariam Saeedi, Art + Design, Bloomington, Indiana

Abdul Saltagi, Biology, Fishers, Indiana

Briana Sanchez, Marketing, Grand Forks, North Dakota

Andrew Sandlin, Actuarial Science, Indianapolis

Meredith Sands, Elementary Education, Valparaiso, Indiana

Logan Sanford, Marketing, Liberty, Indiana

Karnjanakorn Sapianchai, Dance-Performance, Thailand

Payton Sassano, Communication Science & Disorders, Deerfield, Illinois

Madison Sauerteig, Sociology (Social Work) & Psychology, Arcadia, Indiana

Justin Savona, Exploratory (Business), Northville, Michigan

Kaitlyn Sawin, Marketing, Appleton, Wisconsin

Keegan Sawin, Psychology, Appleton, Wisconsin

Abby Schabel, Pre-Pharmacy, Westport, Indiana

Morgan Schaffer, Professional Pharmacy, Dayton, Ohio

Fiona Schicho, Anthropology, Blairstown, New Jersey

Jenny Schick, Communication Science & Disorders, Libertyville, Illinois

Leah Schissler, Elementary Education, Tinley Park, Illinois

Alexis Schmidt, English, Chillicothe, Illinois

Annika Schmidt, Sports Media, Zionsville, Indiana

Elizabeth Schmidt, Performance & Music Education, Crystal Lake, Illinois

Lauren Schmidt, Pre-Pharmacy, Columbia, Illinois

Rachel Schmidt, Marketing, Saline, Michigan

Riley Schmidt, Science, Technology, & Society, Mukwonago, Wisconsin

Becca Schmiegel, History, Valparaiso, Indiana

Emma Schneir, Marketing, Carlsbad, California

Kerianne Schoff, Communication Science & Disorders, Rockford, Michigan

Corey Scholl, Astronomy & Astrophysics, Indianapolis

Megan Schroeder, Biology, Richmond, Indiana

Lindsey Schuler, Health Sciences, Fishers, Indiana

Olivia Schwan, Marketing, Mattawan, Michigan

Kelly Schwantes, Theatre, Barrington, Illinois

Christa Schwinke, Management Information Systems, Teutopolis, Illinois

Daniel Scofield, Dance/Arts Administration, Fisherville, Kentucky

Blayre Scott, Health Sciences, Shelbyville, Indiana

Ana Segovia, Health Sciences, Nicholasville, Kentucky

Gwenyth Sell, Music Performance, Noblesville, Indiana

Brittan Semler, Strategic Communication, Spring Grove, Illinois

Sarah Semmen, Biology, Woodstock, Illinois

David Sexton, Political Science, Richmond, Indiana

Emilie Sgutt, Professional Pharmacy, Herrin, Illinois

Emma Shafer, Theatre, Quincy, Illinois

Khusbu Shah, Health Sciences, Schaumburg, Illinois

Umy Shaikh, Health Sciences, Carmel, Indiana

David Shammas, Healthcare and Business, Carmel, Indiana

Alex Shanafelt, Music Composition, Carmel, Indiana

Matt Shapiro, Exploratory, Wilmette, Illinois

Ben Sharp, Computer Science, Indianapolis

Sarah Sharpe, Health Sciences, Munster, Indiana

Katie Shelford, Biology, Fort Wayne, Indiana

Sydney Shelton, Middle/Secondary Education, Greenfield, Indiana

Jack Shirley, Critical Communication & Media, Brentwood, Tennessee

Kristen Shively, Actuarial Science, Columbia City, Indiana

Molly Shoffner, Biology, Russiaville, Indiana

Marley Shovlin, Health Sciences, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania

Abby Sikorcin, Health Sciences, Lisle, Illinois

Hanna Silverman, Sociology (Social Work) & Psychology, Deerfield, Illinois

Derek Sims, Biology, Elwood, Indiana

Meghan Singer, Exploratory, Vernon Hills, Illinois

LauraJane Skillern, Exploratory (Business), Mooresville, Indiana

Elizabeth Small, Elementary Education, Zionsville, Indiana

Abigail Smith, Accounting, Winona Lake, Indiana

Adilyn Smith, Elementary Education, Cincinnati, Ohio

Allison Smith, Communication Science & Disorders, Antioch, Illinois

Bre Smith, Accounting, Danville, Indiana

Bret Smith, Exploratory (Business), Brownsburg, Indiana

Emi Smith, Political Science, Des Moines , Iowa

Genavieve Smith, Political Science, Mount Juliet, Tennessee

Layne Smith, Professional Pharmacy, Winchester, Indiana

Jenny Snedeker, Music Performance, Indianapolis

Michael Snyder, Finance, Peoria, Illinois

Spencer Spaulding, Biology, Madison, Indiana

Gwen Spencer, Actuarial Science, Waxhaw, North Carolina

Joe Spenchian, Marketing, Des Plaines, Illinois

Emma Sporer, Elementary Education, Wheaton, Illinois

Delainey Spragg, Communication Science & Disorders, Attica, Indiana

Lilly Springer, Economics, Indianapolis

Tyler Springer, Journalism, Lakeville, Minnesota

Caroline Squatrito, Marketing, Bloomfield Hills, Michigan

Samantha Stanley, Biology, Greenfield, Indiana

Mary Stazinski, Sociology (Social Work) & Psychology, Valparaiso, Indiana

Graham Stecz, Finance, Dublin, Ohio

Halle Stelbasky, Communication Science & Disorders, Strongsville, Ohio

Kailey Steward, English Writing, Oak Forest, Illinois

Kylie Stine, Exploratory (Business), Frankfort, Indiana

Emma Stockrahm, Communication Science & Disorders, Terre Haute, Indiana

Shelby Stone, Health Sciences, Wabash, Indiana

Sarah Stopczynski, Pre-Pharmacy, South Bend, Indiana

Sophie Strasheim, Music Education, St. Louis, Missouri

Riley Strauss, Elementary Education, Deerfield, Illinois

Delaney Straw, Pre-Pharmacy, Speedway, Indiana

Charlee Striebinger, Health Sciences, Overland Park, Kansas

Hannah Stroup, Middle/Secondary Education, St. Louis, Missouri

CJ Stump, Accounting, Noblesville, Indiana

Keith Sustich, Computer Science, Lake Zurich, Illinois

Hayley Sutherland, Pre-Pharmacy, Wauconda, Illinois

Shelby Swihart, Biology, Goshen, Indiana

Andrew Sysak, Finance, Goodrich, Michigan

Maria Szeszol, Pharmacy, Lindenhurst, Illinois

Brad Sznajder, Finance, Aurora, Illinois

Sara Taft, Psychology, Goshen, Indiana

Anis Tai, Pre-Pharmacy, Indianapolis

Avery Tanenhaus, Entrepreneurship & Innovation, Roslyn Heights, New York

Nick Taylor, Pre-Pharmacy, Nashville, Tennessee

Reagan Taylor, Communication Science & Disorders, South Bend, Indiana

Tyler Taylor, Psychology, Crete, Illinois

Marissa Terando, Accounting, Westfield, Indiana

Garrett Terhune, Pre-Pharmacy, Greenwood, Indiana

Sydney Theerman, Exploratory, St. Louis, Missouri

Madison Theile, Exploratory (Business), Bloomington, Indiana

Mckenzie Theis, Exploratory (Business), Mundelein, Illinois

Anna Thomas, Psychology, Naperville, Illinois

Maddie Thomas, Exploratory, Hamilton, Ohio

Michael Thomas, Health Sciences, Springfield, Illinois

Sean Thomas, Accounting, Western Springs, Illinois

Mackenzie Thompson, English, Franklin, Indiana

Ashley Thopiah, Dance-Performance, Champaign, Illinois

Hanna Throgmorton, Psychology, Carmel, Indiana

Lilly Thuma, Exploratory (Business), Edina, Minnesota

Lauren Tibbets, Actuarial Science, Converse, Indiana

Cassidy Tiberi, Psychology, New Lenox, Illinois

Shelbi Tidd, Psychology, Fishers, Indiana

Yzabel Tio, Music Education, Terre Haute, Indiana

Maxwell Todd, Health Sciences, Sullivan, Illinois

Avery Tolliver, Pharmacy, Tolono, Illinois

Viki Tomanov, English, Lombard, Illinois

Cole Tonucci, Exploratory (Business), Dublin, Ohio

Hannah Tourville, Entrepreneurship & Innovation, Kaukauna, Wisconsin

Noah Troxell, Management Information Systems, Golden, Colorado

Megan True, Art + Design, New Palestine, Indiana

Ryan Tsai, Actuarial Science, Canton, Ohio

Ashley Twigg, Biology, Columbus, Ohio

Joe Ulrey, Healthcare and Business, Mooresville, Indiana

Erin Underwood, Elementary Education, House Springs, Missouri

Sydney Ungar, Health Sciences, Eden Prairie, Minnesota

Jasmeen Uppal, Exploratory (Business), Plainfield, Indiana

Gwen Valles, International Studies, Hammond, Indiana

Logan Van Ravenswaay, Pre-Pharmacy, Palmyra, Illinois

Morgan Vance, Professional Pharmacy, Indianapolis

Reagan Vance, Marketing, Fort Wayne, Indiana

Sam Varie, Marketing, Indianapolis

Meredith Varner, Middle/Secondary Education, Vernon Hills, Illinois

Ian Veen, Accounting, Speedway, Indiana

Elizabeth Verkamp, Accounting, Jasper, Indiana

Ashlyn Vitoux, Pharmacy, Winona Lake, Indiana

Alexander Waddell, Accounting, Martinsville, Indiana

Kate Wade, Philosophy & Psychology, Fishers, Indiana

Tyler Wagner, English Writing, Avon, Indiana

Caleb Wakefield, Middle/Secondary Education, Indianapolis

Michael Walker, Pre-Pharmacy, Sullivan, Indiana

Skyler Walker, Pharmacy, Racine, Wisconsin

Madison Walrod, Health Sciences, McCordsville, Indiana

Rachel Walters, Art + Design, Zionsville, Indiana

Joe Wandro, Music Performance, Des Moines, Iowa

Elizabeth Wang, Health Sciences, Madison, Wisconsin

Ellen Ward, Human Communication and Organization Leadership, Towson, Maryland

Kate Warma, Anthropology, Carlinville, Illinois

Kylene Warne, Theatre, Nineveh, Indiana

Elaine Warner, Elementary Education, North Manchester, Indiana

Katherine Waters, Biology, Brownsburg, Indiana

Lucas Wathen, Exploratory, Deerfield, Illinois

Megan Watson, Elementary Education, Urbandale, Iowa

Madeline Watterson, History and Political Science, La Porte, Indiana

Megan Waxman, Biology, Highland, Michigan

Sarah Wede, Pre-Pharmacy, Carmel, Indiana

Emily Weiler, Biology, Batesville, Indiana

Carol Weirich, Music Education, Elkhart, Indiana

Lauren Weirich, Music Education, Elkhart, Indiana

Noah Weiss, Marketing, Richland, Michigan

Nathan Weller, Pre-Pharmacy, Bloomington, Indiana

Kylie Wermund, Health Sciences, Stevensville, Michigan

Daniel Whalen, International Business, Indianapolis

Kiersten White, Middle/Secondary Education, Indianapolis

Megan Whitwam, Exploratory, Stevensville, Michigan

Jillian Wickham, Health Sciences, Clarendon Hills, Illinois

Lauren Wiggins, Exploratory (Business), New Palestine, Indiana

Kait Wilbur, Digital Media Production, Manito, Illinois

Rachel Wilburn, History, Valparaiso, Indiana

Riley Wildemann, Pharmacy, Plainfield, Indiana

Celina Wilk, Middle/Secondary Education, Mt Prospect, Illinois

Cameron Willett, Biology, Prospect, Kentucky

Rachel Williams, Chemistry, Dayton, Indiana

Tyler Williams, Marketing, Osceola, Indiana

blake Williams, Pre-Pharmacy, Fishers, Indiana

Hannah Willmore, Music, Edwardsville, Illinois

Emma Wilson, Human Communication and Organizational Leadership, Columbus, Indiana

Laura Wilson, Finance, Greenwood, Indiana

Ross Wilson, Recording Industry Studies, Chandler, Arizona

Tim Winter, Computer Science, Decorah, Iowa

Layla Wisser, Health Sciences, Elgin, Illinois

Reagan Wohlford, Biology, Huntington, Indiana

Samantha Worden, Health Sciences, Middleton, Wisconsin

Rachel Worley, Musical Arts, Lebanon, Indiana

Alexander Wright, Chemistry, Fishers, Indiana

Heather Wright, Music, Indianapolis

Maddie Wright, Health Sciences, Mooresville, Indiana

Abigale Wynn, Mathematics, Madison, Indiana

Zhenzhen Xiang, International Studies, Beijing

Jill Yager, Biology, Rushville, Indiana

Danny Yanosko, Finance, Cleveland, Ohio

Alyssa Yarosz,  Strategic Communication, Morristown, New Jersey

Sam Yeaton, Accounting, Akron, Ohio

Ryan Young, Marketing, Louisville, Kentucky

Xiaofu Yu, Exploratory (Business), Shanghai

Ash Zehr, Professional Pharmacy, Indianapolis

Kelsey Zetzl, Performance & Music Education, Hagerstown, Indiana

Lindsey Zimmerman, Marketing, Carmel, Indiana

Helen Zorn, Exploratory, Chicago, Illinois

Media contact:
Marc Allan
mallan@butler.edu
317-940-9822

(1175)

Indianapolis-based soprano Angela Brown, who had taken some time off due to vocal stress, returns to the stage for a free concert on Sunday, February 25, at 7:30 PM at Butler University’s Schrott Center for the Arts as part of the Celebration of African-American Music Concert.

The concert will feature Brown, Butler University choirs, and the Eastern Star Church Choir performing together and separately songs such as “This Little Light of Mine,” “Wade in the Water,” and “Lift Every Voice and Sing.”

The Celebration of African-American Music Concert, pioneered by Jeremiah Marcèle Sanders MM ’17 in collaboration with the Efroymson Diversity Center, Mu Phi Epsilon and the School of Music, celebrates the vast wealth of African-American culture through singing.

“Our singing is a tool for increasing the awareness of the oppression under which African slaves were brought to this land,” Sanders said. “We wish that all see a day in which we celebrate a reconciliation of racial injustice. Until that day arrives, we rejoice in hope, sing in unity of mind and spirit, and educate toward equality.”

Brown, a Butler University Visiting Guest Artist during the 2017–2018 academic year, sang on the Grammy-winning recording of “Ask Your Mama,” composer Laura Karpman’s setting of the poem by Langston Hughes of the same title. She also co-starred in the new American opera Charlie Parker’s Yardbird in the 2015 world-premiere performance with Opera Philadelphia.

She reprised the role of Addie Parker in historic performances at The Apollo in New York City in 2016, for Lyric Opera of Chicago and Madison Opera, and in London at The Hackney Empire in 2017.

This season includes solo appearances with the Indianapolis Chamber Orchestra, Venice Symphony Orchestra, Fayetteville Symphony Orchestra, and Duisberger Philharmonic (Germany) as well as performances of Opera…from a Sistah’s Point of View in the United States.

The Butler choirs will be conducted by John Perkins, Associate Director of Choral Activities, who joined the University in 2014. Perkins previously served at the American University of Sharjah (UAE) from 2008-2014. Perkins’ teaching and research centers around broadening reasons for choral musicking, including social justice education. In pursuit of these goals, in the spring of 2016 he created a transnational course entitled “Peacebuilding through Choral Singing.”

Sherri Garrison, who conducts the Eastern Star Church, Cooper Road campus, has been the Minister of Music there for the last 30 years. During her tenure at Eastern Star Church, she has overseen six choirs, of which she taught and directed five, two praise teams, two dance ministries, and a full music staff.

Media contact:
Marc Allan
mallan@butler.edu
317-940-9822

(10)

Butler’s curling team shows it has the stones to compete.

By Jackson Borman ’20

The history of curling can be traced back 500 years to the frozen lochs of Scotland.

The history of curling at Butler University is a bit more recent.

It all started with a group of Butler students who were inspired by the 2010 Vancouver Winter Olympics to try curling for the first time. At first, they were just joking around on the ice, but eventually they bought their own shoes and brooms and in 2012 started Butler’s very own club curling team.

Fast forward eight years. Jacqueline Murphy ’20, is the president of Butler’s club curling team. She was inspired to join during her freshman year because of her own background with the sport.

Murphy said that in her home town of South Bend, Indiana, curling is all the rage.

“Curling is the number one sport for student participation at Notre Dame right now,” Murphy said. “It takes places on a certain night of the week and they will have tons of students turn out just to go curling.”

Murphy and her father were always interested in joining in on the fun, but they never did.

Once she got to Butler and saw that there was a curling team, she felt she had to join. She and some friends decided to go to a meeting and try it out.

“When I told my family that I was the president of the curling club they were like, ‘Uhh what?’” Murphy said. “It’s a weird sport, you know? You never hear people say that they love to go curling.”

Last year there were only seven members of the team including Murphy, and they did not have enough members to compete. This year, the club more than quadrupled in size to an impressive 30 members. With this many people, the team now has enough members to participate in tournaments, which are known as bonspiels.

While this year’s team has enough people to compete, Murphy said that they are just working on the basics.

“No one that came out for the team this year had ever played before, except for one person, so everyone is a beginner,” Murphy said. “We really didn’t expect so many people, but it is so much fun.”

The team practices at the Circle City Curling Club, which is housed within the Indiana State Fairgrounds, a 10-minute drive from campus. They meet every Thursday night and practice by playing in tournaments against each other.

While the team practices, the executive team members are visiting and researching different bonspiels that the team could compete in next year. The club was invited to compete at University of Colorado and University of Oklahoma, but there are other tournaments in Chicago and Minnesota that the team is considering as well.

As far as the team roster goes, Murphy said she is just going with the flow. Anyone can invite a friend to join the team, and even staff and faculty are welcome to join in the fun. Joey Calvillo, Butler’s Residence Life Coordinator, is a member of the team.

Calvillo said that he is always glued to his TV during the Winter Olympics. When he saw a blurb in the Butler Connection about a meeting for the curling club, he reached out to the executive members of the team to see if he could tag along.

While Calvillo is still a novice, he said that the most exciting part of the club is seeing students leading the charge and getting out of their comfort zone.

“I got into student affairs so that I could work with students and be around students, and it has been really awesome to be there and see them in their element and also just to be an active participant,” he said. “That’s been the great part: seeing it from a staff member’s perspective of getting students connected to something that they wouldn’t have possibly done outside of here. I think that’s one great thing about Butler in general; they provide so many of those types of experiences that students would not have been able to access [otherwise].”

The next big event for the team (outside of weekly practices) is a viewing party to watch the 2018 PyeongChang, South Korea, Winter Olympics. Their emphasis is sure to be on one sport in particular.

(32)

Ten Butler students from the Class of 2018 have landed two-year jobs after graduation through the Orr Fellowship program, which recruits and evaluates candidates based on academic excellence, extracurricular involvement, and leadership qualities and matches them with local companies.

The students (and companies) are:

Claire Cox (Allegion)

Zach Bellavia (Ascend Indiana)

Cole Geitner (DemandJump)

Bailey Padgett (FirstPerson)

Benjamin Evans (hc1.com)

Eleanor McCandless (Innovatemap)

Sarah Thuet (OurHealth)

Hayley Brown (Probo Medical)

Mariam Saeedi (RocketBuild)

Kaitlyn Sawin (Vibenomics)

Some 1,100 students competed for 70 possible positions with 47 companies across central Indiana.

The Orr Fellowship facilitates in-depth interviews that connect local decision makers to top young professionals.

“What began as a simple idea – attract talented new graduates to central Indiana’s workforce and grow them into business leaders and entrepreneurs over the course of two years – has evolved into a program infusing the community with hundreds of entrepreneurial, high-achieving and civic-minded Orr Fellows and alumni,” said Karyn Smitson, Orr Fellowship Executive Director.

Named for the late Indiana Governor Robert D. Orr, the Orr Fellowship develops the next generation of business leaders and entrepreneurs in Indianapolis. The Fellowship is designed to create a foundation for career success and a talent pipeline for the Indy business community.

Since its inception in 2001, Orr Fellowship has placed nearly 400 Fellows with some of Indiana’s leading companies, and many Fellows have gone on to form their own companies.

Media contact:
Marc Allan
mallan@butler.edu
317-940-9822

Fall semester interviews, evaluations, networking.

Started with 1,100. Down to 70.

Two-year commitments to bring on students.

Hope you’re doing well. As a 2006 BU grad, I’m excited to pass along to you that 10 students from Butler earned full-time positions through the very competitive Orr Fellowship. That tied with Purdue for the most in the 2018 class, which had a 6% acceptance rate out of 1,110 applicants.

Here are the Bulldogs that have landed full-time, two-year positions with local companies through Orr Fellowship:

I just wanted to let you know what these students have accomplished. In addition to 10 Fellows from Butler and Purdue, DePauw and IU each had seven Fellows and Wabash placed four.

Below I’ve included a release that tells the story of the 2018 Orr Fellowship class. I’m happy to connect you to anybody with the Fellowship or local business partners if you find value in that.

Thank you, Marc, and take care –

Josh Rattray ’06

Indy-Based Orr Fellowship Connects Talent To Local Businesses

Competitive process places a record 70 college graduates into local business ecosystem

—

(18)

In a speech titled “Leadership in Turbulent Times”—but one that could have been called “The Nine Habits of Highly Effective Leaders”—historian Doris Kearns Goodwin told a packed Clowes Memorial Hall at Butler University that past presidents have much to teach our current president.

“What history reveals is that even though problems change over time, there are traits—behavioral patterns—held in common by our most successful leaders,” she said in a speech on Monday, February 12, which was part of the Celebration of Diversity Distinguished Lecture Series.

Doris Kearns Goodwin at Clowes Hall on February 12, 2018.

Goodwin, who worked for President Lyndon Johnson and has written extensively and to great acclaim about the Roosevelts, Abraham Lincoln, John F. Kennedy, Johnson, and other presidents, said the greatest leaders:

1. Are resilient. Lincoln dealt with death of family members and defeat, Theodore Roosevelt with death, Franklin Roosevelt with polio. “They first conquered themselves,” she said.
2. Have the confidence to surround themselves with people who challenged them and provided diverse perspectives. Lincoln put his opponents in the cabinet. FDR had his cabinet members compete. She said Donald Trump’s foreign-policy advisors have opposed his views on NATO, Russia, building a wall between the United States and Mexico, the Iran nuclear deal, and China. As a result, Trump “has seemed to moderate some of his foreign policy ideas, if not his rhetoric.”
3. Learn from their mistakes. She said Trump has already acknowledged that running the country and trying to fix healthcare are more difficult than he expected. “Humility develops over time,” she said.
4. Control impulses and emotions. Lincoln wrote long, often angry letters that he never sent. Goodwin suggested that Trump set up two Twitter accounts—a real one that he uses to be constructive and reach out, and a fake one to get his frustrations out without actually sending the tweets.
5. Tell stories and speak simply. People remember anecdotes better than facts and figures.
6. Develop productive relationships with the media. Both Franklin and Theodore Roosevelt were accessible to the press, and neither was afraid to be criticized—or to criticize. “Presidents have always had their fights with the press, but despite individual blowups, they’ve traditionally respected the indispensable role that a free press has to play in our system of government,” she said. “Of all the concerns with the leadership of President Trump, this is the one that worries me the most.”
7. Stay connected to the people they served. Lincoln walked the Civil War battlefields, Theodore Roosevelt traveled by train to listen to the people.
8. Relax and take time to think. Goodwin said if spending time at Mar-a-Lago offers Trump that opportunity for relaxation and renewal, “I think it’s just fine. There are more important aspects of his presidency to focus upon.”
9. Leave legacies “that revealed a moral aspect to their leadership, a sense of common mission binding the country together, leaving behind programs and legislation that advanced the cause of liberty, economic opportunity, and social justice. It is that sense of a common mission for our country that is most needed today.”

“And if it doesn’t come from the top,” she said, “it is up to all of us as citizens to provide it. In almost every instance where positive change has come to our country, where the country has moved closer to regaining its original ideals of equality and opportunity, it has come from social movements”—anti-slavery, progressive, civil rights, women’s gay right, environmental.

“We’ve done it before as citizens,” she said. “We can do it again.”

Media contact:
Marc Allan
mallan@butler.edu
317-940-9822

(41)

Four Butler students have been named Top Four Paper Winners at the University’s 2017 Undergraduate Research Conference.

Kelsey McDougall, John Anderton, Taylor Pearson, and Viki Tomanov’s projects were judged to be the best among the 21 students from five different universities who submitted their completed papers for competitive review.

McDougall, a junior Biology and Chemistry major from Canton, Michigan, wrote Recontextualizing Rhetorical Constructions of Hegemonic Masculinity in Jessica Jones.

Anderton, a junior Middle/Secondary Education major from Rocky River, Ohio, wrote Strength in Numbers: How the NBA Dunk Contest Reifies Hegemonic Masculinity for its Audience.

Pearson, a senior Criminology/Psychology/Spanish major from Indianapolis, wrote Selective Sexualization and Censorship: Freeing the Nipple and Challenging the Male Gaze.

Tomanov, a sophomore Middle/Secondary Education major from Lombard, Illinois, wrote Reifying Hegemonic Masculinity in Tau Kappa Epsilon Recruitment Videos.

The abstracts for the four papers are below.

To evaluate the papers, all identifying features of the authors were removed. The papers were then sent to faculty across the nation who volunteered to serve as reviewers and were selected because of their ability to conduct interdisciplinary research.

Of the 21 students who submitted, 11 were Butler students.

All 21 papers were reviewed by three faculty members. Twelve of the top-ranked papers were then sent to an additional two reviewers since three sets of four papers were very close. The top eight papers were then sent to another set of two reviewers.

The abstracts for the four papers:

Recontextualizing Rhetorical Constructions of Hegemonic Masculinity in Jessica Jones.

Television is a significant rhetorical indicator of the construction of hegemonic masculinity—the culturally idealized form of masculinity—in media. Netflix is changing the way television series are viewed and accessed. Netflix’s Jessica Jones is a highly-rated Netflix original series, making it a good candidate for analysis. The show features a villain, Kilgrave, who both embodies and challenges traditional characteristics of hegemonic masculinity. I apply Trujillo’s five core characteristics of hegemonic masculinity (physical force and control, occupational achievement, familial patriarchy, frontiersmanship, and heterosexuality) as well as a “gray area” of hegemonic masculinity. I contend that Kilgrave embodies the characteristics of familial patriarchy, heterosexuality, and the gray area of hegemonic masculinity that involves the failure to accept responsibility for his hegemonic actions; however, he challenges the hegemonic characteristics of physical force and control, occupational achievement, and frontiersmanship. Ultimately, Kilgrave achieves hegemonic masculinity by using his mental abilities, rather than physical strength, and achieves power in a way that challenges the traditional characteristics of hegemonic masculinity. Thus, Kilgrave’s challenges to traditional characteristics of hegemonic masculinity reaffirm the idea that the construction of hegemonic masculinity, and masculinity in general, is fluid and subject to changes in cultural values and beliefs.

Strength in Numbers: How the NBA Dunk Contest Reifies Hegemonic Masculinity for its Audience

Televised basketball is a worthy area of study that communicates specific values and messages to the audience watching both at home and at the events. The NBA dunk contests have been held for more than four decades and are worthy of analysis with relation to the field of gender studies. Each competition is based around the idea of performing different types of dunks, which are then judged officially by judges at the event and unofficially by the announcers on the television. Based on those scores, a champion is chosen from all the dunkers involved. I apply Trujillo’s five characteristics of hegemonic masculinity (physical force and control, occupational achievement, familial patriarchy, frontiersmanship, and heterosexuality), Fiske’s characteristics of the masculine hero narrative, and Messner, Dunbar, & Hunt’s Televised Sports Manhood Formula. I contend that the NBA dunk contests reify masculinity through the presenters’ comments as well as video images of both the players and the fans reacting to the event. Analysis of the events shows that features from each idea regarding masculinity are used extensively by the television crews to elevate players who uphold the ideals of masculinity so that viewers can observe and aspire to be like each champion. When the format of the event changes to feature a non-masculine characteristic, the announcers struggle to elevate a champion and inspire the viewers to see what each athlete can do. The results of the analysis show that the construction of the NBA dunk contests by the television corporations as a winner-take-all event lead to the reification of masculinity.

Selective Sexualization and Censorship: Freeing the Nipple and Challenging the Male Gaze.

I analyze the #FreeTheNipple movement, which gained popularity as a collective response to social media platform guidelines specifically banning photos of female nipples, but not male nipples. Using hegemonic masculinity, sociological structuralism, and communications and linguistic theories as analytical lenses, I determine that this trend is only a feminist movement in that it is intended to benefit women, but is ultimately too exclusionary and hegemonic to be considered liberating. Specific photos shared under #FreeTheNipple are discussed, implications are explained, and suggestions for improvement of the campaign are offered.

Reifying Hegemonic Masculinity in Tau Kappa Epsilon Recruitment Videos.

Fraternity members constitute a large percentage of leading working professionals in highly influential jobs. Fraternity men usually spend the majority of their undergraduate college experience in a single-gender community (i.e., their fraternity house), thus, it becomes essential that masculinity be at the forefront of examination when acknowledging the great societal impact of fraternities during and after college. Tau Kappa Epsilon (TKE), the fraternity with the largest amount of chapters nationwide as of 2016, is the focus of my analysis. Its popularity among college campuses signifies that its recruitment is successful and that, regardless of initiation into the fraternity, many men (and women) view TKE as an example of masculinity. In my analysis, I focus on TKE recruitment videos from various universities that span the Northeastern, Southern, Midwestern, and Western regions of the United States. My analysis is divided amongst five markers that indicate an abidance to hegemonic masculinity, or the varying construction of the “ideal” man that is impossible to fully achieve. These markers of hegemonic masculinity are: Dominance (ascendency), sexual objectification of women, heteronormativity, alcohol use, and recreational movement of the body. I use these markers to demonstrate how TKE’s sustainment of hegemonic masculine ideals is problematic to society as a whole given the influence of fraternities beyond campus borders.

Media contact:
Marc Allan
mallan@butler.edu
317-940-9822

(390)

Presidential historian shares her list of important traits.

In a speech titled “Leadership in Turbulent Times”—but one that could have been called “The Nine Habits of Highly Effective Leaders”—historian Doris Kearns Goodwin told a packed Clowes Memorial Hall at Butler University that past presidents have much to teach our current president.

“What history reveals is that even though problems change over time, there are traits—behavioral patterns—held in common by our most successful leaders,” she said in a speech on Monday, February 12, as part of the Celebration of Diversity Distinguished Lecture Series.

Doris Kearns Goodwin at Clowes Hall on February 12, 2018.

Goodwin, who worked for President Lyndon Johnson and has written extensively and to great acclaim about the Roosevelts, Abraham Lincoln, John F. Kennedy, Johnson, and other presidents, said the greatest leaders:

1. Are resilient. Lincoln dealt with death of family members and defeat, Theodore Roosevelt with death, Franklin Roosevelt with polio.
2. Have the confidence to surround themselves with people who challenge them and provide diverse perspectives. Lincoln put his opponents in the cabinet. FDR had his cabinet members compete. She said Donald Trump’s foreign-policy advisors have opposed his views on NATO, Russia, building a wall between the United States and Mexico, the Iran nuclear deal, and China. As a result, Trump “has seemed to moderate some of his foreign policy ideas, if not his rhetoric.”
3. Learn from their mistakes. She said Trump has already acknowledged that running the country and trying to fix healthcare are more difficult than he expected.
4. Control impulses and emotions. Lincoln wrote long, often angry letters that he never sent. Goodwin suggested that Trump set up two Twitter accounts—a real one that he uses to be constructive and reach out, and a fake one to get his frustrations out without actually sending the tweets.
5. Tell stories and speak simply. People remember anecdotes better than facts and figures.
6. Develop productive relationships with the media. Both Franklin and Theodore Roosevelt were accessible to the press, and neither was afraid to be criticized—or to criticize. “Presidents have always had their fights with the press, but despite individual blowups, they’ve traditionally respected the indispensable role that a free press has to play in our system of government,” she said. “Of all the concerns with the leadership of President Trump, this is the one that worries me the most.”
7. Stay connected to the people they served. Lincoln walked the Civil War battlefields, Theodore Roosevelt traveled by train to listen to the people.
8. Relax and take time to think. Goodwin said if spending time at Mar-a-Lago offers Trump that opportunity for relaxation and renewal, “I think it’s just fine. There are more important aspects of his presidency to focus upon.”
9. Leave legacies that revealed a moral aspect to their leadership, a sense of common mission binding the country together. She said presidents must leave behind programs and legislation that advanced the cause of liberty, economic opportunity, and social justice. And if the leadership doesn’t provide it, citizens must.

“In almost every instance where positive change has come to our country, where the country has moved closer to regaining its original ideals of equality and opportunity, it has come from social movements,” she said, citing the anti-slavery, progressive, civil rights, women’s rights, gay rights, and environmental movements as examples.

“We’ve done it before as citizens,” she said. “We can do it again.”

Media contact:
Marc Allan
mallan@butler.edu
317-940-9822

(53)

When most think about leadership, a CEO, or All-Star, or conductor might come to mind. Think Jeff Bezos, LeBron James, or Yo-Yo Ma. 

Turns out, we may have it all wrong.  

That’s according to new research from two Butler University Lacy School of Business professors. Instead of relying primarily on those at the top to lead—and only those at the top—the most successful organizations are full of individuals who lead from wherever they are, according to their research.  

“We have a top-centric idea of leadership in America and we tend to attribute far too much of the performance of an organization to the person at the top of it,” said Craig Caldwell, Associate Dean of Graduate and Professional Programs. “That doesn’t accurately describe reality of how work gets done and it often results in the rest of us feeling like we are powerless cogs. Many people think that because they are not in a formal management role in the company, or the superstar of the team, they cannot be a leader. Our research shows that you can have a significant impact no matter where you are in an organization.” 

Caldwell and Jerry Toomer, along with their co-authors, conducted more than 80 interviews across three sectors–business, the arts, and sports—to find out what traits define those individuals who make teams better. They call this The Catalyst Effect, which is also the title of their book that was published this week.  

Jerry Toomer

Craig Caldwell

The book highlights 12 key competencies, centered on four cornerstones, that are the foundation of catalytic behavior. These competencies were gleaned from interviews with a wide cross-section of people, including bass players and concert masters, amateur athletes and professional athletes, business leaders and technical professionals.  

“The magic of being a catalyst that sparks team performance is the ability to master most of the 12 competencies and use them in concert, at the right time,” said Toomer, an Executive Partner and Adjunct Professor. “The catalytic effect is maximized by using all of them to elevate the performance of the team.” 

The four cornerstones are:  

• Building credibility 
• Creating cohesion 
• Generating momentum 
• Amplifying impact  

“My hope is that with this research we invite team members to realize that they can lead without formal authority. That they can lead from wherever they are, in whatever setting they work or play,” Toomer said. “We almost always think about leadership from a position of authority in traditional organization structures. This suggests that the most successful teams and organizations value everyone leading in unique, value-adding ways.” 

Now, they say, the key is to train individuals in organizations to look for talent in a new way. If CEOs, for example, have a better understanding of the catalyst effect, they may change the metrics they use to identify talent. 

“Right now, we look for superstars—those who sold the most in dollar volume, who stuffed the stat sheet in the last game or played the most notable solo,” Caldwell said. “Our research team believes that we have a lot of people flying below the radar. We need to view our high performers in new ways.”

Media contact:
Rachel Stern
rstern@butler.edu
317-940-9257

(14)

Four Butler students have been named Top Four Paper Winners at the University’s 2017 Undergraduate Research Conference.

Kelsey McDougall, John Anderton, Taylor Pearson, and Viki Tomanov’s projects were judged to be the best among the 21 students from five different universities who submitted their completed papers for competitive review.

McDougall, a junior Biology and Chemistry major from Canton, Michigan, wrote Recontextualizing Rhetorical Constructions of Hegemonic Masculinity in Jessica Jones.

Anderton, a junior Middle/Secondary Education major from Rocky River, Ohio, wrote Strength in Numbers: How the NBA Dunk Contest Reifies Hegemonic Masculinity for its Audience.

Pearson, a senior Criminology/Psychology/Spanish major from Indianapolis, wrote Selective Sexualization and Censorship: Freeing the Nipple and Challenging the Male Gaze.

Tomanov, a sophomore Middle/Secondary Education major from Lombard, Illinois, wrote Reifying Hegemonic Masculinity in Tau Kappa Epsilon Recruitment Videos.

The abstracts for the four papers are below.

To evaluate the papers, all identifying features of the authors were removed. The papers were then sent to faculty across the nation who volunteered to serve as reviewers and were selected because of their ability to conduct interdisciplinary research.

Of the 21 students who submitted, 11 were Butler students.

All 21 papers were reviewed by three faculty members. Twelve of the top-ranked papers were then sent to an additional two reviewers since three sets of four papers were very close. The top eight papers were then sent to another set of two reviewers.

The abstracts for the four papers:

Recontextualizing Rhetorical Constructions of Hegemonic Masculinity in Jessica Jones.

Television is a significant rhetorical indicator of the construction of hegemonic masculinity—the culturally idealized form of masculinity—in media. Netflix is changing the way television series are viewed and accessed. Netflix’s Jessica Jones is a highly-rated Netflix original series, making it a good candidate for analysis. The show features a villain, Kilgrave, who both embodies and challenges traditional characteristics of hegemonic masculinity. I apply Trujillo’s five core characteristics of hegemonic masculinity (physical force and control, occupational achievement, familial patriarchy, frontiersmanship, and heterosexuality) as well as a “gray area” of hegemonic masculinity. I contend that Kilgrave embodies the characteristics of familial patriarchy, heterosexuality, and the gray area of hegemonic masculinity that involves the failure to accept responsibility for his hegemonic actions; however, he challenges the hegemonic characteristics of physical force and control, occupational achievement, and frontiersmanship. Ultimately, Kilgrave achieves hegemonic masculinity by using his mental abilities, rather than physical strength, and achieves power in a way that challenges the traditional characteristics of hegemonic masculinity. Thus, Kilgrave’s challenges to traditional characteristics of hegemonic masculinity reaffirm the idea that the construction of hegemonic masculinity, and masculinity in general, is fluid and subject to changes in cultural values and beliefs.

Strength in Numbers: How the NBA Dunk Contest Reifies Hegemonic Masculinity for its Audience

Televised basketball is a worthy area of study that communicates specific values and messages to the audience watching both at home and at the events. The NBA dunk contests have been held for more than four decades and are worthy of analysis with relation to the field of gender studies. Each competition is based around the idea of performing different types of dunks, which are then judged officially by judges at the event and unofficially by the announcers on the television. Based on those scores, a champion is chosen from all the dunkers involved. I apply Trujillo’s five characteristics of hegemonic masculinity (physical force and control, occupational achievement, familial patriarchy, frontiersmanship, and heterosexuality), Fiske’s characteristics of the masculine hero narrative, and Messner, Dunbar, & Hunt’s Televised Sports Manhood Formula. I contend that the NBA dunk contests reify masculinity through the presenters’ comments as well as video images of both the players and the fans reacting to the event. Analysis of the events shows that features from each idea regarding masculinity are used extensively by the television crews to elevate players who uphold the ideals of masculinity so that viewers can observe and aspire to be like each champion. When the format of the event changes to feature a non-masculine characteristic, the announcers struggle to elevate a champion and inspire the viewers to see what each athlete can do. The results of the analysis show that the construction of the NBA dunk contests by the television corporations as a winner-take-all event lead to the reification of masculinity.

Selective Sexualization and Censorship: Freeing the Nipple and Challenging the Male Gaze.

I analyze the #FreeTheNipple movement, which gained popularity as a collective response to social media platform guidelines specifically banning photos of female nipples, but not male nipples. Using hegemonic masculinity, sociological structuralism, and communications and linguistic theories as analytical lenses, I determine that this trend is only a feminist movement in that it is intended to benefit women, but is ultimately too exclusionary and hegemonic to be considered liberating. Specific photos shared under #FreeTheNipple are discussed, implications are explained, and suggestions for improvement of the campaign are offered.

Reifying Hegemonic Masculinity in Tau Kappa Epsilon Recruitment Videos.

Fraternity members constitute a large percentage of leading working professionals in highly influential jobs. Fraternity men usually spend the majority of their undergraduate college experience in a single-gender community (i.e., their fraternity house), thus, it becomes essential that masculinity be at the forefront of examination when acknowledging the great societal impact of fraternities during and after college. Tau Kappa Epsilon (TKE), the fraternity with the largest amount of chapters nationwide as of 2016, is the focus of my analysis. Its popularity among college campuses signifies that its recruitment is successful and that, regardless of initiation into the fraternity, many men (and women) view TKE as an example of masculinity. In my analysis, I focus on TKE recruitment videos from various universities that span the Northeastern, Southern, Midwestern, and Western regions of the United States. My analysis is divided amongst five markers that indicate an abidance to hegemonic masculinity, or the varying construction of the “ideal” man that is impossible to fully achieve. These markers of hegemonic masculinity are: Dominance (ascendency), sexual objectification of women, heteronormativity, alcohol use, and recreational movement of the body. I use these markers to demonstrate how TKE’s sustainment of hegemonic masculine ideals is problematic to society as a whole given the influence of fraternities beyond campus borders.

Media contact:
Marc Allan
mallan@butler.edu
317-940-9822

(392)

In the words of William Shakespeare, “We know what we are, but know not what we may be.” And with that in mind, the Butler Community Arts School will be offering Theatre Camp 2: Focus on Shakespeare for the first time this summer for students in grades 9-12.

The camp—one of 16 arts- and music-related camps being offered on the Butler University campus this summer—will meet July 9-14. For more information on this and all the summer camp offerings, visit https://www.butler.edu/bcas/summer-camps.

“The focus on Shakespeare is a niche we believe nobody else is serving in Indianapolis, and we have the expertise on our faculty to offer a high-quality experience in Shakespeare,” said Karen Thickstun, Director of the Butler Community Arts School, which provides high-quality, affordable instruction in music, theatre, and dance to Indianapolis and the surrounding area. “This is high school only, so it gives the more serious high school theatre campers a high-quality experience with their own age.”

Butler Community Arts School camps are taught by Butler faculty and Butler students. Camps for students ages 12 and up have both residential and commuter options, and need-based scholarships are available.

“We encourage anybody who’s worried about the finances to fill out the scholarship form,” Thickstun said. “We try to serve as many as we can with the grant funding we get for the summer. Especially for commuters, we’ve been able to reduce the costs as much as 60-70 percent.”

Deadlines to register for all camps except Ballet Summer Intensive is May 1. The deadline for Ballet Summer Intensive was March 15, but late applications will be accepted for as long as there is space.

The Shakespeare camp is the second theatre camp the Butler Community Arts School (BCAS) will offer this summer. Other camps are:

Percussion Camp, ages 12-18 (June 11-15)

Bass Camp, ages 12-21 (June 11-16)

Snare and Tenor Camp, ages 12-21 (June 16-18)

String Scholars Camp, ages 12-18 (June 18-22)

Piano Camp 1, ages 12-18 (June 18-23)

Theatre Camp 1, ages 12-18 (June 18-23)

Jazz Camp, ages 12-18 (July 9-14)

Voice Camp, ages 15-18 (July 16-21)

Ballet Summer Intensive, ages 13-18 (July 9-29)

Brass Camp, ages 12-18 (July 16-20)

Woodwind Camp, ages 12-18 (June 25-29)

Ages 7-11 only:

Piano Camp 2 (9:00 AM to 12:30 PM daily, June 26-30)

Strings Camp (9:00 AM to 12:30 PM daily, July 17-21)

Arts Camp 1 and 2 (1:30-to 5:00 PM daily, June 26-30 and July 17-21)

Adult:

Big Band Workshop (evenings, June 4-9)

Thickstun said the camps are an opportunity for students to get a campus experience, whether they live at Butler during the week or commute.

“They’re here on campus all day, and Butler students play a large part in the instruction of each camp,” she said. “Each has a faculty artist director, but many have Butler students running sectionals and small group instruction.”

Media contact:
Marc Allan
mallan@butler.edu
317-940-9822

(357)

It’s after lunch in 1990 Butler graduate Lisa Gundaker’s kindergarten/first-grade class at the IPS/Butler University Laboratory School, and that means it’s time for downward-facing dog, star pose, and tree position.

She turns off the lights and puts on a recording of forest sounds—crickets chirping, birds calling.

“Take a deep breath in,” she instructs. “Lower your arms and let your breath out.”

Most of her 20 or so students, who have scattered around the room, stretch and balance themselves silently as their teacher leads them through various yoga moves. Some curl up with little stuffed animals they call “breathing buddies” and rest quietly.

“Think about your day,” she says as she walks around the room spraying a lavender/peppermint mist. “Think about one positive thing that’s happened today.”

For these 10 minutes, a quiet calm takes over the room.

The yoga exercises Gundaker leads in her classroom are replicated daily throughout the Lab School—and have been since the elementary school reopened five years ago as a partnership between the Indianapolis Public Schools and Butler. The idea is to relieve stress, to give the students a chance to move purposefully, and teach them how to calm down and focus.

“It gives them a time to be by themselves,” Gundaker says later. “We’re together, we’re together, we’re together. We’d just come back from recess and lunch. My thinking about adding yoga to quiet times is that children learn to slow down and reflect. They get to know themselves better and they can take it home too.”

Yoga at the Lab School started when Heather Williams, then the administrative assistant, saw that some classrooms were struggling to stay focused. She started in one classroom and soon was in all of them. As the Lab School grew—it started with kindergarten and first grade and has added a grade every year—so did Williams’ responsibilities.

Today, her title is Yoga Instructor/Researcher, and she’s paid, in part, from a three-year, $150,000 grant from PNC Bank, a major supporter of the Lab School.

“PNC’s signature philanthropic cause is early childhood education, which is supported through its Grow Up Great program,” PNC Senior Vice President Jeff Kucer said. “The Lab School was a perfect fit for us.”

Williams said the yoga program’s positive effects can be seen in students across the school. For some, like Ella, a student in Gundaker’s class, yoga is fun.

“I like yoga,” she says, “because it kind of makes you relax sometimes and it makes you focus. And it feels good.”

For others, yoga is vital. Williams tells the story of a Lab School student who has lost both parents to murder. He’s a quiet, soft-spoken kid, but when he gets worked up, no one can seem to quite get him back down, she said. They’ve done yoga together, and the boy’s grandmother has told Williams that he will go home and do the exercises on his own.

“There is a ton of scientific research backing up yoga, breathing, and mindfulness—how it not only helps academically but also with life skills,” she said. “Now there are a lot more people taking it seriously and doing the research on it to back that up. If you’re going to teach someone academics but you don’t teach them how to deal with emotions or teach them life skills, then you’re not teaching the whole child. If they don’t know how to deal with their inner struggles, it’s going to affect them one way or another.”

Media contact:
Marc Allan
mallan@butler.edu
317-940-9822

(485)