2005 Award Winners

Dennis D. Berkey, PhD, Mathematics, '74

Dennis Berkey graduated from McMicken College with a PhD in mathematics in 1974 after receiving a BA from Muskingum College and an MA from Miami University. He has had an outstanding academic career that has included more than 30 years of diverse service as professor, department chairperson, dean, and provost of Boston University. During his career there, he won the Metcalf Cup and Prize for Excellence in Teaching and, as provost, was responsible for 14 schools and colleges on the university's Charles River Campus. In addition, he oversaw several research centers, institutes, administrative offices, and educational and social programs. Berkey is the author of two calculus textbooks and numerous academic papers. He left Boston University in 2004 to become the 15th president of Worcester Polytechnic Institute. He is committed to the belief that "academic leadership requires both a sense of potential and a way to go about realizing it—as well as a willingness to encourage dialogue and debate, to listen, and to build on the ideas, passions, and abilities that reveal themselves in these interactions." Tim Hodges, head of the mathematical sciences department, observed, "Dennis Berkey's appointment as Worcester Polytechnic Institute's president reflects his reputation as one of the nation's top academic leaders.

Daniel F. Danzl, BS, Biology, '72

Daniel F. Danzl MD is professor and chair of the department of emergency medicine at the University of Louisville School of Medicine. His BS in biology from McMicken College was awarded in 1972 and his medical degree from Ohio State University in 1976. He joined the faculty of the University of Louisville in 1979 and assumed the chairmanship of his department in 1991. A founding member of the Association of Academic Chairs of Emergency Medicine and the American Academy of Emergency Medicine, he is also a past president of the American Board of Emergency Medicine and chair of its residency review committee. He is an internationally recognized expert in accidental hypothermia and has edited ten texts, served on five editorial boards, acted as a reviewer for seven professional journals, authored over 140 publications, and received numerous awards and fellowships. An exceptional alumnus, he is listed in both Who's Who in America and Who's Who in the World. Dr. Bob Swartzel. director of the electromyography laboratory at St. Elizabeth Hospital, noted of his friend, "He is an outstanding practitioner. His research, practice, and leadership have had and continue to have an enormous influence on the delivery of emergency medicine. It was clear to all of us as fellow students that Dan would make a great difference in the world."

Fred L. Fricke, BS, Chemistry, '62, MS, Chemistry, '69

Fred Fricke's dream of becoming a professional baseball player was shattered when he was injured during a game with UC's Bearcats. Turning his energy to chemistry, he earned a BS in 1962 and an MS in1969. Fricke directs the FDA's National Chemistry Forensic Center, which researches and deals with a spectrum of contemporary problems, including food and drug tampering, counterfeit drugs, and biological and chemical terrorism. He served as leader of an FDA/US AID team to support the Egyptian government on food safety and as part of an investigatory group that evaluated a terrorist incident in Chile involving cyanide contamination of fruit the United States imported. Fricke has led a long collaboration with the chemistry department, and under his direction, the center hires many McMicken graduates. He is the author of 72 publications, the recipient of 19 awards, and has lectured extensively throughout the world. Joseph Caruso, interim head of the chemistry department, said of this exceptional alumnus, "We are proud of his achievements. Our relationship has been the most positive and cost effective university/government collaboration in our history. We are grateful for the help we were able to give to a dedicated graduate who would ultimately benefit his alma mater and this nation in ways we could never have been able to predict."

Margaret J. "Peg" Valentine, BA, Spanish, '71

Margaret Valentine is one of McMicken College's most involved and generous graduates. She earned degrees from UC in both Spanish and secondary education and a master's from Miami University. She taught in the Princeton School District from1972-82 and left to found Valentine Research with her husband. She currently serves as church school superintendent and an elder at Seventh Presbyterian Church, mentor and tutor at Parham School, and Spanish teacher for home-schooled children. She is president of the Upper School Parent Association and member of the Seven Hills Parent Council at the Seven Hills School Board and a board member of the Ohio Valley Scottish Society. She is a trustee for the Economics Center for Education and Research, serving on the Professional Development Committee, and is a member of the Foreign Language Immersion House Committee at UC. She has maintained a long association with the romance languages department. Her leadership and generosity led to the naming of the Stratford Heights language immersion house in her honor. Lowanne Jones, head of the department, described her as "one of those rare individuals who is able to see what needs to be done and to do it. Where she sees an opportunity, she moves into action. Her quiet energy, intellectual commitment, and vision combine to create change."

Margaret M. Zeigler, MA, Geography, '92, PhD, Geography, '95

Margaret Valentine is one of McMicken College's most involved and generous graduates. She earned degrees from UC in both Spanish and secondary education and a master's from Miami University. She taught in the Princeton School District from1972-82 and left to found Valentine Research with her husband. She currently serves as church school superintendent and an elder at Seventh Presbyterian Church, mentor and tutor at Parham School, and Spanish teacher for home-schooled children. She is president of the Upper School Parent Association and member of the Seven Hills Parent Council at the Seven Hills School Board and a board member of the Ohio Valley Scottish Society. She is a trustee for the Economics Center for Education and Research, serving on the Professional Development Committee, and is a member of the Foreign Language Immersion House Committee at UC. She has maintained a long association with the romance languages department. Her leadership and generosity led to the naming of the Stratford Heights language immersion house in her honor. Lowanne Jones, head of the department, described her as "one of those rare individuals who is able to see what needs to be done and to do it. Where she sees an opportunity, she moves into action. Her quiet energy, intellectual commitment, and vision combine to create change."

McMicken Excellence Award

Richard Pestinger, A&S Information Systems

The McMicken Excellence Award honors Richard Pestinger, director of McMicken College Information Systems. In 1986, he joined the physics department as a research associate to write software and design hardware interfaces for applications and experiments. The emergence of the local area network eventually led to his migrating to administration, where he currently oversees a staff and graduate students who manage 1700 computers, nine computer labs, and approximately 680 faculty and staff in nine buildings. Pat Woods, assistant dean, said of him, "Dick is a talented, dependable, and conscientious technology savior with uncanny abilities to make hardware and software do what they're supposed to do. As a friend and co-worker for ten years, I have come to know him as a sincere and warm hearted individual who is most deserving of the McMicken Excellence Award."

McMICKEN DEAN'S AWARD for Distinguished Adjunct Performance

Lisa Beckelhimer, English and Comparative Literatures

High standards and advocacy for students are qualities that characterize Lisa Beckelhimer, field service assistant professor and adjunct instructor of composition. The 2005 McMicken Dean's Award for Distinguished Adjunct Performance recognizes both her outstanding teaching and her service to students and the college. These same characteristics were cited in 2004 when she received the Boyce Award for Outstanding Teaching from her department. In addition, she has served on numerous committees and spent long hours working with faculty from both McMicken College and the Center for Access and Transition to design a composition curriculum that challenges and serves the needs of under prepared students entering UC. Jonathan Alexander, director of the English composition program, described Beckelhimer as "a committed, enthusiastic, and excellent teacher who deserves highest praise."

EDITH C. ALEXANDER Award for Distinguished Teaching

Elka Klein, Judaic Studies

The Edith C. Alexander Award for Distinguished Teaching honors the work and memory of Elka Klein, exceptional teacher and scholar, who died in April at age 39. She joined the Judaic studies department in 2001 after receiving her BA at Yale and MA and PhD at Harvard. The author of two books and numerous other publications, she served as an undergraduate advisor in her department and a member of several committees. Richard Karp, acting head of Judaic studies, observed, "Elka was a special faculty member who possessed the rare talents of being both an outstanding scholar and an outstanding teacher." Dean Gould echoed his sentiments: "Elka's dedication to her students, to scholarship, and to teaching excellence throughout her time with us, and even during her most difficult moments, will remain an inspiration to all those who knew her."

McMicken Dean's Award for Distinguished Scholarship

Jintai Ding, Mathematical Sciences

Assistant professor of mathematics Jintai Ding is the recipient of the McMicken Dean's Award for Distinguished Scholarship. His department head, Tim Hodges, observed that he is "a brilliant and extremely talented mathematician who has become one of the world's most inventive and original experts in cryptology and information security." Using very subtle mathematical techniques, Ding has taken only a few years to become an internationally acknowledged expert invited to the world's leading cryptographic research institutions. His papers have been accepted for presentation at the world's most important international congresses and conferences. He is, as Yale mathematics professor Igor Frenkel observed, "a very powerful, original, and creative mathematician with great potential for the future. He is also a very pleasant, helpful, and energetic person and enthusiastic teacher."

McMicken Dean's Award for Distinguished Service

Elizabeth Schofield, Classics

The recipient of the McMicken Dean's Award for Distinguished Service is Liz Schofield, an outstanding alumna and exemplary scholar who has had a long association with the classics department. She assumed directorship of the department's Kea Excavations in 1981 and has overseen production of eight volumes in its series of final reports, including two which she authored. She has taught at several U.S. institutions and most recently served on the classics faculty at Cambridge University in England, where her husband also teaches. Acting head of the classics department, William Johnson, noted, "Liz's continuing contributions to our department over the past twenty years have been offered without remuneration and reflect a deep sense of devotion to her alma mater and to the Kea Excavations. She is a brilliant and very obviously deserving scholar."

Derek E. Dunn Memorial Alumni Scholarship

Kimberly Burgas, Sociology

Kimberley Burgas, recipient of the Derek E. Dunn Memorial Alumni Scholarship, is a transfer student from Pennsylvania State University. A sociology and Asian studies major, she is co-founder and co-president of the campus Green Party, a head delegate in the Model Arab League, historian of Mortar Board, and a member of Omicron Delta Kappa Honor Society. Kimberley works in the Langsam library with disabled patients and spent last fall studying in Japan. After graduation she plans to join the Peace Corps or work for an NGO and eventually attend graduate school so she can teach at the college level. Sociology department head Rhys Williams described her as "by far the brightest, most motivated, and most intellectually mature undergraduate (he has) worked with at UC."

McMicken College Faculty and Staff Scholarship

Jerry Tsai, Political Science

The McMicken College Faculty and Staff Scholarship is presented to Jerry Tsai, a political science major and Cincinnatus Scholar, who has earned a 3.949 GPA. Michele Griegal-McCord, field service assistant professor, described him as "the embodiment of the modern student/scholar and an exceptional student." In addition to earning the Distinguished Honors Scholar award and the Summa Cum Laude Latin Honor, Jerry participates in Student Senate, Rally Cats, Student Alumni Council, Programs and Activities Council, and Intramural Sports. He believes that "learning means understanding, and understanding means being able to change oneself and the external world for the better." After graduation he hopes to work in government at the federal level and ultimately to run for elective office.

McMicken College of Arts & Sciences Dean's Scholarship

Christa Siebenburgen, Biochemistry

Christa Siebenburgen, recipient of the McMicken College Dean's Scholarship, began her college career at the University of South Carolina, where she had a 4.0 GPA and worked as a computer lab assistant. She has a 3.924 GPA at UC and is employed through the College of Medicine in the department of obstetrics and gynecology at University Hospital. Christa also worked as a volunteer in the emergency department at Mercy Franciscan Mt. Airy Hospital. Professor Apryll Stalcup observed that she is a person with "maturity not typically seen in students, one who did not let the move from USC to UC slow her down." "A focused and determined person with discipline to conquer all obstacles," Christa is interested in genetic research and plans to attend medical school to become a surgeon.

Joyce E. Yeager Scholarship

Anna Fiskin, Biology

A native of Belarus, Anna Fiskin "grew up in a family of doctors" and planned a similar career until she determined medicine had "lost the human touch." Her doubts about what she might accomplish as a physician disappeared when she volunteered at a geriatrics unit and witnessed an insensitive nurse's treatment of a patient. "I sat next to him and held his hand because all he needed was some compassion and respect," she recalls. The Cincinnatus Scholar with a 3.890 GPA will travel to Belarus this summer to increase her knowledge of medicinal plants. Assistant professor Theresa Culley wrote of Anna, "She is one of the most mature, intelligent, and hardworking undergraduates I have ever known." Anna hopes to attend medical school, open a family practice, and pursue her interest in medical biology.

Richard E. Greenholz Scholarship

Laura Sayer, English

The winner of the Richard E. Greenholz Scholarship is Laura Sayer, a Cincinnatus Scholar and member of the Honors program. Originally a dance major, she soon realized she "needed a more diverse and challenging academic curriculum." She decided to change her major when a professor told her, "If you ever decide to stop dancing, I think English would be a great fit for you." The "fit" worked. Laura has a 3.845 GPA and received the English department's Ricking Scholarship. Jon Kamholtz, associate professor, views her as "a remarkable student, a wonderful and graceful reader and writer." Laura will apply to the MA in arts journalism program at the University of Syracuse and hopes to combine her interest in literature and the performing arts by becoming an art critic.

Isabel & Mary Neff Scholarship

Kate Bulinski, Geology

Katherine Bulinski, a PhD candidate in geology, will receive the 2005-6 Isabel and Mary Neff Scholarship. She earned her undergraduate degree with honors from Pennsylvania State University. Her many activities include serving as a teaching assistant, receiving three externally funded grants, delivering a presentation at a Geological Society of America meeting, participating in a field course in the Bahamas, and being selected to conduct independent research at San Juan Island, Washington. David Nash, director of graduate studies summarized the department's support for her nomination: "Kate is an outstanding scholar and a good 'departmental citizen.' She is an intense, highly motivated, mature, and pleasant young woman with a good sense of humor. I can always rely on her to do more than her share of duties."