March 2008
Welcome
Welcome to the March edition of the Northwood University alumni e-newsletter. Once again there are several things to share with you this month. First and foremost is the announcement that President Pretty made on March 14 regarding Northwood University’s change to semesters in 2010. A study conducted by the University determined a number of positive aspects in favor of this change. Opportunities for in-depth study, expanded extracurricular and internship opportunities, more time for student involvement, increased opportunities for study abroad, easier transitions for transfer and guest students, and reduced processing for registration and financial aid were key benefits cited. Please click HERE to view the announcement from President Pretty.
Northwood University Founders Day was celebrated on March 23, 2008. Celebrations took place on all three campuses to pay tribute and honor to Arthur and Johann Turner and Gary and Willa Stauffer for the pride and promise they created for the students of Northwood University. The highlight of the week was having Navy Admiral Patrick M. Walsh speak on campus.
Another major Northwood event is happening very soon; it’s the 30th annual Northwood University Freedom Seminar on April 17-20, 2008. Traditionally, the Freedom Seminar was hosted on the Michigan campus and was purely academic. In recent years, the seminar has been refreshed. The seminar is now hosted at a fabulous location in vibrant Greektown in Detroit, Michigan. We are excited to welcome great speakers and offer opportunities to engage alumni and friends in this event. Continue your lifelong learning journey by attending the Freedom Seminar.
We look forward to seeing you at the seminar and engaging you in our mission of developing the future leaders of a global, free-enterprise society. Please click HERE to learn more about the seminar and to register online.
Happy Spring!
Julie Felske
Class of 2001
Alumni Director
felske@northwood.edu
Upcoming Events
Click HERE for more information on all events.
| April 16 | NU Alumni Detroit Business After Hours, Southfield, Michigan |
| April 17-20 | Freedom Seminar in Detroit (make sure to check out the alumni events) |
| April 23 | Lunch with the President – Zehnders of Frankenmuth, Michigan |
| April 25 | 2008 Outstanding Alumni Achievement Awards, Midland, Michigan |
| May 9 | 40th Annual FAD Auction, Midland, Michigan |
| May 18 | Alumni & Friends Reception in Chicago during the National Restaurant Show at McCormick Place |
| June 2 | Tri-City Golf Outing – Saginaw Country Club, Saginaw, Michigan |
Click HERE for more information on all events.
News @ NU
The 50th Anniversary website www.northwood.edu/50 is now officially up and running!
Be sure to check it out and post a message and/or picture on the “share your memories” page.
Click on the news articles below to view the rest of the story.
- Northwood University Moves to Semester Calendar Fall 2010
- Northwood University Announces New Automotive Marketing Scholarship
- Northwood University Plans Annual Sibling's Weekend
- Northwood University Joins Michigan Transfer Network
- NU Students to Receive Michigan Campus Compact Award for Dedication to Community Service
Athletics
Click on the links below to read the most recent athletic news stories:
- Jeff Curtis Named GLIAC Coach of the Year and WBCA Region 4 Coach of the Year
- NU Softball Team News
- NU Baseball News
- NU Men's Tennis News
- Northwood Track News
- Megan Starnes Named Daktronics Second Team All-Region
Kavanagh’s Korner
ALUMNI REORGANIZED TO MAKE “ONE NORTHWOOD”
As your alma mater moves forward toward its 50th Anniversary, we are taking several steps to ensure that all of our alumni can maintain contact with Northwood. To facilitate a consistent effort to develop relationships with all Northwood alumni, we have divided the alumni organization into three North American regions. In the past, we have had alumni operations based on each of our three traditional campuses and each unit focused primarily on alumni that attended classes on their respective campuses. Given the mobility of our graduates in the business world, it has not been unusual to have, for example, a Michigan campus alum who is living in Georgia. Up until now, there was no comfortable connection with the closest campus in West Palm Beach, Florida.
In an effort to overcome these “disconnects”, we have broadened the roles of our alumni directors and asked our campus Alumni Boards and directors to also broaden their focus to several states in their respective regions.
Kelly Fason, now the Regional Alumni Director-Southeast region and the Florida Alumni Board, will now oversee the East/Southeast Region, comprised of the following states:
Florida, Alabama, Georgia, North Carolina, South Carolina, Washington D.C., Virginia, West Virginia, Delaware, New Jersey, New York, Maryland, Connecticut, Massachusetts, Vermont, New Hampshire, Maine, Rhode Island, Quebec & Eastern Canada.
Julie Felske, now the Regional Alumni Director-Midwest Region, and the Michigan Alumni Board will be responsible for the Midwest Region consisting of the following states:
Michigan, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Kentucky, Tennessee, Illinois, Indiana, Missouri, Iowa, Wisconsin, Minnesota, Kansas, Colorado, Nebraska, North Dakota, South Dakota, Ontario & Central Canada.
Denise Ward, now the Regional Alumni Director – Southwest Region, and the Texas Alumni Board will be responsible for the West/Southwest Region consisting of the following states:
Texas, Louisiana, Mississippi, Arkansas, Oklahoma, New Mexico, Arizona, Utah, Nevada, California, Oregon, Washington, Montana, Wyoming, Idaho, British Columbia & Western Canada.
We also ensure you that our alumni in Hawaii, Alaska and around the world will not be forgotten, they will be developed by the alumni staff in a collective effort. Since we have such a large concentration of alumni in southeast Michigan Nicole Gize will remain the Alumni Director in Southeast Michigan.
From this point forward, the respective Alumni Boards will be known as the Regional Alumni and Friends Leadership Council for each region. The addition of the Friends component is to encourage the inclusion of Friends of Northwood with Alumni Chapters when feasible.
Thomas G. Kavanagh, Jr. JD
Vice President of University Advancement
Northwood University
PHONE:(989) 837-4205
Curriculum News
Entertainment, Sport & Promotion Management Internship
by Senior Tim Pressler, Jr.
In March 2007, I was selected for the practicum of the SEC Men’s College Basketball Tournament in Atlanta. The practicum consisted of working for Contemporary Services Corporation (CSC) as a Security and Customer Service Representative. The duties included managing tunnel traffic, verifying credentials, securing VIP and Media sections in player areas, and maintaining a safe and constant flow for game day activities.
Although I was working, I was also there to network and learn as much as I could about people that worked in the sports industry. The opportunity paid off quite well considering I spoke with Mark Zimmerman, General Manager of the Georgia World Conference Center (GWCC), Dave Cohen, Vice President of Sales for the Atlanta Falcons, and many others that worked for the SEC and ESPN. I left Atlanta with several significant business cards and an invaluable education in the operations of a major sporting event.
As I was entering my senior year I knew I had to fulfill my second practicum in order to graduate in May. This is where my networking really paid off because I started emailing the contacts made in Atlanta asking if I could job shadow them. I put together an agenda of who I would like to speak with, as well as things I wanted to accomplish, and sent it to Dave Cohen of the Atlanta Falcons and Mark Zimmerman of the GWCC. After speaking with them I made the arrangements to fly down to Atlanta from October 28 until November 5. Monday and Tuesday were spent learning about season ticket sales, suite sales, and ticket operations while shadowing Vice President of Sales, Dave Cohen. Wednesday was spent with Mark Zimmerman, General Manager of the GWCC, touring the convention center and spending time with event coordinators, the sales and marketing departments, and the public relations staff. Thursday and Friday was spent conducting informative interviews with Dick Sullivan, Executive Vice President of Marketing, Jim Smith, Vice President of Marketing, Tim Zulawski, Director of Sponsorship Sales, Brian Xanders, Director of Football Administration/Player Personnel Analyst, and Tim Bolton, Director of Human Resources. The ultimate highlight of the practicum came at the end when I was given an all access credential that allowed me to go anywhere I wanted during the game.
Eye on Business
The purpose of the Eye on Business section is to provide you with interesting websites to add to your "favorites" on your computers, as well as to provide you with key economic data at a glance.
Present – March 28, 2008 |
Previous Year –March 28, 2007 |
|
| Dow Jones Industrial Average | 12,216.40 |
12,300.36 |
| NASDAQ | 2,261.18 |
2,417.10 |
| Price of Crude Oil ($ per barrel) | 105.63 |
65.88 |
| Price of Gold | 934.25 |
661.75 |
| Prime Interest Rate | 5.25 |
8.25 |
| Average Home Mortgage Rate | 5.52 |
5.86 |
| Value of U.S. $ relative to Euro | .6329 |
.7498 |
| Value of U.S. $ relative to Yen | 99.3396 |
118.1180 |
| U.S. Budget Deficit | 161 Billion |
248 Billion |
| Quarterly GDP | 13,967.3 Billion |
12,573.5 Billion |
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Northwood University
Alumni Office
4000 Whiting Drive
Midland, Michigan 48640
Toll free: 800.622.1007
alumni@northwood.edu