Lakeland Magazine - Lakeland College

Lakeland Magazine Articles

Scene on Campus

Magazine - posted on 8/28/2011

Presidential search update
Lakeland College President Stephen Gould has postponed his retirement until May of 2012. Gould's decision allows the college more time to conduct a search for his successor.
Robert Melzer, chairperson of the Lakeland Board of Trustees, appointed Trustee Jeffrey Ottum, one of the board's vice chairs, to lead the search committee. The other three trustees are: Barbara Gannon, cochair of the board's marketing and development committee; David Michael '63, vice chair for the board; and Jeffrey Spence '83. In addition, two yet-to-be-named faculty members will be added to the committee.

VIPs gather to hear Steve Forbes deliver Kohler Lecture
Steve Forbes, president and CEO of Forbes Media and editor of Forbes magazine, delivered Lakeland College's 10th annual Charlotte and Walter Kohler Distinguished Business Lecture in April. The lecture annually brings a nationally-known business or economic figure to campus to speak with students and the region's top business and industry leaders.
Forbes' central message was that the United States can shrug off the effects of the current economic slowdown and return to a robust economy, provided it is willing to adopt changes in economic and tax policy.
Similar to the themes echoed in his 1996 and 2000 presidential campaigns, Forbes advocated for a flat tax, medical savings accounts, a new Social Security system and school choice.

Lakeland College's VITA program puts record total in local pockets
Lakeland student volunteers put more than $1.7 million in the pockets of local taxpayers as part of the college's Voluntary Income Tax Assistance (VITA) program. The VITA service is provided under special oversight of the IRS to encourage and enable low-income taxpayers free income tax return preparation and access to low income tax credits.
Total refunds this year were $1,721,967, an increase of $111,000 over the previous year. It pushes the total amount the program has returned to local taxpayers to more than $6.8 million over the past seven years.
The VITA site, located at the Sheboygan Salvation Army, is staffed by accounting students from Lakeland, Lakeshore Technical College and UW-Sheboygan and sponsored by Schenck Business Solutions. The average refund per family was $1,954.
From January 29 thru April 14, Lakeland's site filed 1,080 tax returns, making it the largest college/university site in the state. Students involved in the program logged more than 2,100 hours of community service.
The partnership between Lakeland and the Sheboygan Salvation Army was honored at the Sheboygan County Chamber of Commerce's "Chamber Champions" dinner in the spring.

Seven Lakeland science alumni headed to grad school
Lakeland College's Natural Science Division has announced that seven students who graduated from a program within the division have been accepted into graduate programs this fall. The class includes:
* Sarah Neuman of Campbellsport, Ph.D. program in cell and molecular biology, University of Wisconsin-Madison. She graduated in May with a bachelor's in biology and music-instrumental performance emphasis.
* Sean Johnson of Sheboygan, Ph.D. program in cell and molecular biology, Washington University (St. Louis). He graduated in May with a bachelor's in biology.
* Amber Koenig of Howards Grove, Ph.D. program in chemistry, University of North Carolina-Chapel Hill. She graduated in May with a bachelor's in chemistry and mathematics.
* Kellen Grott of New Holstein, doctor of chiropractic program, National University of Health Science (Chicago). He graduated in May with a bachelor's in fitness & sport studies-fitness studies emphasis.
* Grace Jairo of Rongo, Kenya, Ph.D. program in biomedical sciences, Tulane University. She graduated in May with a bachelor's in biochemistry.
* Dominique Olds of Mequon, Ph.D. program in microbiology, Ohio State University. He graduated in May of 2009 with a bachelor's in biology.
* Phil Sontag of Altoona, Ph.D. program in ecology, Rutgers University. He graduated in December of 2010 with a bachelor's in biology.
All of these students have participated in Lakeland's LURE (Lakeland Undergraduate Research Experiences) Program, where students, under faculty supervision, pose scientific questions, then perform experiments to address their questions.
In the last five years, 28 students have graduated after participating in the LURE program, and 15 of those students have gone on to graduate programs, including medical school, pharmacy school, genetic counseling, and 10 in research Ph.D. programs in biology, biochemistry and chemistry.

Lakeland senior presents research at national conference
Lakeland senior Andrea Weber of Sheboygan and Lakeland Assistant Professor of Exercise Science Kelly Quick presented research at the National Strength and Conditioning Association national conference in July in Las Vegas.
Weber and Quick investigated whether intentionally using the gluteus maximus during two different lower body exercises (step up and body weight squat) would make the quads work less, thus reducing the risk of non-contact anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) injuries. Weber is a double major in exercise science and biology. She hopes to be a physician's assistant or physical therapist.
The research was conducted through a Lakeland College Grant for Faculty-Student Collaboration in Research and/or Performance, a Lakeland program which provides funding for students and faculty to work on projects together.

Alumni spotlighted during business colloquium
Lakeland invited five successful alumni back to campus to share their stories, offer advice and provide the college's business majors with networking opportunities during the college's inaugural Business Colloquium in March.
The group included:
Kathie Powers '76, a CFO partner in the MidAtlantic practice of Tatum, an executive services firm that provides interim executive financial leadership, financial and technology consulting, executive search and office of the CFO optimization solutions.
Ron Prohl '70, owner and president of Gaudian Industrial Sales, Inc., M.G.E., Inc., and C.K. North America in Romeoville, Ill.
Gary Scheel '70, vice president of sales for OrthAlign, Inc., in Aliso Viejo, Cal., a start-up company pioneering surgical navigation technology for orthopedic surgeons.
Joan Scheel '69, director of imports and sourcing with Design Packaging, Inc., in Scottsdale, Ariz. Design Packaging offers high-end packaging solutions for companies such as Coach, Elizabeth Arden and Sephora.
Jason Seehafer '00, general manager of Riverbend, a private club within Destination Kohler.
Following a panel discussion on what it takes to succeed in business today, students participated in breakout sessions on sales, foreign markets, career navigation and the hospitality industry. The alumni offered practical advice and information, and helped students to understand the value of a Lakeland education.
Lakeland economics professor named to state panel Scott Niederjohn, Charlotte and Walter Kohler Associate Professor of Economics, chair of Lakeland's business division and director of the college's Center for Economic Education, was appointed by Wisconsin Governor Scott Walker to the Governor's Council on Financial Literacy.
The group, which will include no more than 25 members, has been charged to measurably improve the financial literacy of Wisconsin's citizens and guide and serve as a continuous sounding board for the state's Office of Financial Literacy. At their initial meeting in June, Niederjohn co-presented an overview of the state of financial literacy in Wisconsin.

Earthquake rocks Lakeland's Japan campus
The massive March 11 earthquake in Japan shook Lakeland College's two-year campus in central Tokyo. The earthquake hit while afternoon classes were in session.
There were no injuries, but the building was evacuated and students were taken to the nearest disaster center. Trains serving the area did not run for days, forcing the campus to close for the final two weeks of the semester.
"The important thing was that everyone was safe, kept relatively calm during the quake and supported each other afterwards," said Alan Brender, LCJ's interim associate dean.
Because we have a number of Japanese students, the home campus quickly provided space to gather, catch up on the latest news and talk with Lakeland faculty and staff, who offered support.
In addition, students got involved by sponsoring Barefoot Day, a fundraiser for victims of the earthquakes in Haiti and Japan, collecting donations at Lakeland's International Night and during an open mic night at the Pub and selling "We Support Japan" t-shirts for $9 each. The artwork on the shirt was co-designed by Kasumi Sagae, who graduated from LCJ.
Formed in 1990, LCJ offers students a two-year associate's degree. Current enrollment is approximately 240 students. Lakeland is one of only two U.S. college in Japan, and has been recognized by the Japanese government.

Lakeland announces personnel moves
Lakeland saw a number of personnel changes this spring: Rick Gaumer '74, associate professor of accounting, was named executive vice president of operations at Orion Energy Systems, Inc., in Manitowoc. Gaumer will oversee the day-to-day operations of Orion and serve as a member of the management team. Gaumer taught at Lakeland for 12 years and made the college's accounting program one of the largest and most successful in the Midwest.
He received the Underkofler Excellence in Undergraduate Teaching Award in 2007.
Martha Schott retired after 19 years as instructor of writing and director of student publications. She received the Underkofler Excellence in Undergraduate Teaching Award in 2001, and was instrumental in the development of the college's new communications major. She will continue to be involved at Lakeland through her leadership in the Sesquicentennial.
In May, Allan Mitchler was named vice president/owner of Performa Higher Education (PHE), a national consulting firm with offices in Green Bay and Burlington, N.C. PHE specializes in working with small, private colleges and universities. Mitchler served as the college's vice president for the Kellett School of Adult Education since 2002.
Erin Kohl was named interim vice president for the Kellett School. Kohl joined Lakeland in June of 2004 as director of the college's Green Bay Center. She was named associate dean of operations and advising for the Kellett School in September of 2009.
Lindsey Vande Hoef is Lakeland's new head women's basketball coach. The Horicon, Wis., native played at Carroll College, and has worked as an assistant in the junior college Division I and NAIA Division II levels. She comes to Lakeland after serving four years as an assistant at Iowa Western Community College. Vande Hoef replaced Teri Johnson '00 M.Ed. '04, who resigned in February after four seasons as head coach.
Michael Bachar '05 MAC '10 was promoted to head baseball coach in July after nine seasons as a player and assistant coach with the Muskies. Bachar played two seasons for Lakeland, helping the Muskies reach the NCAA tournament in 2003. Bachar replaced Chris Thousand '02 MAC '09, who resigned after serving as head baseball coach for five seasons.
Richard Haen was named the college's director of facilities management and planning in May. Haen has 10 years of experience as a buildings and grounds superintendent, including seven with the University of Wisconsin System and three with the Department of Corrections.