WSU is making a difference...

"I came to the Dayton Branch Campus of Miami University and OSU in 1966. I came from a hard-working, blue collar family, and would go on to become a first generation college graduate. Going to OSU or another state school was out of the question. Like so many WSU graduates, I was place bound. There was no way my family could afford to send me to a university. Because WSU was in my community, I could live at home, work 35 hours a week, carry the minimum full-time load, manage to graduate within five years with no debt, and pay my own way without burdening my family.

In the 36 years since I graduated, I have enjoyed an incredible career as a teacher, a legislative staff person in another state's Senate, the director of the personnel board for over 18,000 state employees, and ultimately, a higher education administrator. I have been, and always will be, eternally grateful to the leadership of this region that fought so hard to build a university in my hometown 40 years ago."

Shari Lewis
Academic Affairs Development Director
Curriculum and Instruction

"Wright State University has made a difference in my life specifically because I received an MBA degree from the College of Business and Administration (now, of course, the Raj Soin College of Business) in 1989. I never really envisioned at that time that this degree would be my ticket to the position I now hold with the university. Suffice it to say that without that degree and the vast knowledge in my field that came with it, I would not be employed in the satisfying position with the university that I now am, that of lecturer in the ISOM department of the college."

Alan S. Chesen
Lecturer
Raj Soin College of Business

"WSU is like family to me. My first husband, Greg Gahris, brought me to WSU for a basketball game when we were dating in 1985. The gym was in the building that is now the Student Union. After the games we went into a conference room, drank beer and pop out of coolers with the coaching staff and the press corps, and for hours rehashed what the players should have done and how great the team was going to be for the rest of the season.

When my husband died unexpectedly in 1995, there were so many WSU friends at his funeral and offering support to me and my children that I could never begin to thank everyone for all the help they gave us. The biggest gift was right after Greg's death, President Flack and Joyce Carter helped me to get a job at WSU. I have been employed in the Office of Financial Aid for the past 12 years. My children have grown up at WSU and as my son told me during the Butler game last season, he loves WSU so much, "I bleed Green and Gold, Mom." My children are now 18 and 15 and both plan to attend WSU.

I am proud to work here and be a part of the WSU family. The people of WSU are always here to offer support and assistance. That is what makes WSU a wonderful family!"

Joanie Hendricks
Student Services Coordinator
Office of Financial Aid

"Not only is WSU my alma mater, but it is also the source of my career. I started studying at WSU for my bachelor's in 1998. In 1999 I went on a wonderful study abroad experience offered through USAC (Universities Study Abroad Consortium), of which WSU and the University Center for International Education (UCIE) are members. During my college career I was involved in many wonderful groups, including Student Alumni Association, Spanish Club, International Business Club, and Raj Soin College of Business Dean's Student Advisory Board. All of these experiences enriched my life significantly. I was hired in the Raj Soin College of Business as a student worker and then hired full time in 2000 as a secretary. The tuition remission paid for the remainder of my education, which is such a wonderful benefit of the university. I graduated in June 2002 with a Bachelor in Arts in international studies with a Spanish minor and a Bachelor of Science in Business in international business with an economics minor. Due to my education in the international arena and my association with the UCIE, I acquired a position in the UCIE for which I have now worked in for four years and plan to stay until retirement. I am also currently working on a master's degree at WSU.

I consider WSU my home in more ways than one and it has truly made a difference in my life. It has given me a top education, very dear friends and colleagues whom I treasure, and a career which I truly love."

Kimberly Brumbaugh
Director of Visa Information and Support/SEVIS Management
University Center for International Education

"In 1967 I was a young mom wanting to go to college. I enrolled at WSU. There were three buildings. I always found a friend to drive out there with for evening classes, and for a few semesters I got a ride with now-retired professor Allan Spetter.

I did not graduate from WSU due to other circumstances, but I went on for a master's, continued my chosen profession, and when I retired in 2001, I became an adjunct instructor thanks to Colleen Finegan in the education department. I supervise students in the field as well... I am always sure to tell the students where I got my academic start. Some of my professors are still teaching here.

My husband and I have been going to the WSU theatre for many years and enjoy the art shows when we are there. It gives me a good feeling to be a part of the beginnings of a wonderful university for this region."

Lynda A. Cohen
Adjunct Instructor
College of Education & Human Services

"As a young faculty member, I was attracted to WSU because it is a young, vibrant, growing institution. Through the years, these values have been carefully natured by many excellent leaders who have expanded our programs, majors, and centers of excellence. What I enjoy most about teaching is watching our students grow and develop. Our graduates are well prepared to enter professional careers or to continue into graduate studies. Today, Wright State enjoys a national reputation in numerous areas. For a young person searching for a university to attend, Wright State is a smart choice. Students will receive an excellent education from nationally known, dedicated faculty who are skilled in the art and science of teaching and who place students first."

Stephen Peterson, Ph.D.
Assistant Dean for Student Affairs and Admissions
Boonshoft School of Medicine

"WSU has made a huge difference in my life because it is where I met the love of my life, Henry."

Angela Griffith
Enrollment Advisor
College of Engineering & Computer Science

"WSU has made a difference in my life by employing three generations of my family. My mother retired from Research and Sponsored Programs 1995; my sister retired from the Purchasing Department in 2006; and my son is currently a police sergeant with the Wright State University Police Department. I currently work in the WSU Boonshoft School of Medicine as a LAN Analyst I. I have been employee at Wright State University since August 1981.

WSU has impacted my family in many ways. One significant way was when my sister was diagnosed with ovarian cancer in October 1992. She was single and self supporting. She had plenty of sick leave, we thought, but two operations wiped that out quickly. The WSU community came together and donated vacation leave to her and she was able to recover completely and come back to work.

So we are a Wright State University family."

Amy Hopkins
LAN Analyst
SOM Network Services

"WSU-Lake Campus has been my employer and alma mater since I first entered its doors in 1994. I had been laid off from Huffy Bicycles and got the opportunity to go to school under the Trade Relief Act for Displaced Workers. The day that I applied for admission was Christmas Eve. The advisor who helped me got me enrolled and hired me as a student worker for the next day.

I can remember the day that I told my husband that I really loved this school and never wanted to leave. He advised me that I had better get a job with them then or we would be in trouble financially. When I was six months shy of graduating with an associate's degree, I applied for and got a part-time job that has since developed into a full-time unclassified staff position. I also was able to get my bachelor's degree and the university paid my tuition.

I look at both degrees as wonderful 'gifts' that I could never have achieved without the financial support of both the state and the university. Thanks you, WSU!"

Sandy Gilbert
Student Services Coordinator
WSU Lake Campus

"WSU has been a major part of my life since September 1979, when I started my tenure here. There is the obvious difference that any career makes—it allows one to live, buy food, pay for housing, etc. But being at WSU has been more than just that. The connections of people and ideas that I have experienced have transformed me and influenced the life path I now walk. One of the first things that happened because of being at WSU was that it allowed Children's Services to locate me, and the result was we adopted our middle child. My first wife and I had two birth children, but wanted more. We had applied for adoption when our first child was an infant, but because of many moves over six or seven years, we had lost contact with the agency. I started working in September of 1979, and was contacted in October by Children's Services. By the next March, we were the parents of Samuel Allen, two and a half years old. He fit nicely in between out two other sons, Eli who was seven and Max who was two. Between the three of them, I now have five beautiful granddaughters.

Early on I met Reed Smith, who pulled me into his peace work. I had been a peace activist in college, and Reed was an inspiration. I try to continue to live up to his example. The director of the Writing Center in the early 1980s was Desiree Nickell, who left WSU to become the director of The Miami Valley Literacy Council. Since I was teaching developmental reading at the time, she invited me down to serve on the board of MVLC. That led me to become part of a new community literacy program, which now has become Project READ. Because of my connection as a board member of Project READ, I have been able to take leftover books from Planned Parenthood's books sale, and distribute between 10 and 15,000 books free around the community.

Some of the people I met at WSU have become among my closest friends whose lives have become a part of my own. Dale Goubeaux, who among many other things was instrumental in getting me started cross country skiing (and at whose wedding I had the honor of officiating); Steve Pharmer, who encouraged me to join the Dayton Canoe Club; Sau-chun Lam, my computer guru, neighbor, and nighttime wine-drinking buddy; and Jerry Hensley, who I met when he moved in across the street from my house. He continues to ride in with me most every morning and together we philosophize about all the world's problems. And there are many others, and sadly, too many already departed, like Ben Guild and Robert Sumser.

Recently I received one of those cute stories traveling around the Internet where a rich CEO is commenting about teachers and asks a teacher, "What do you make?" The response is "I make a difference!" My primary job at WSU has been to teach, and the main difference WSU has made in my life is that it has allowed me to make a difference in other people's lives. I would not have been able to do that without the support of the people I have worked for.Throughout my tenure I felt that I was appreciated for my expertise, and given the opportunity by my supervisors, Anne Shearer and Juanita Melton, to create the courses that I taught—Developmental Reading and Study Skills; Critical Reading; and College Survival Strategies. I appreciate that they gave me the freedom to sometimes walk to a different drummer. It always gives me great pleasure when I run into a past student who says, "Hey, I had you for study skills back when I first started college. What you told me really helped. Thanks." That's what it's really about. Thank you Wright State."

David Hurwitz
Director
Tutoring Center

"I became employed with Wright State in December of 2006. It has already impacted my life in that it has provided me the ability to care for my family on my own now. Being a single parent of two with one on the way, Wright State has opened new doors for me and my family. Not only am I going to transfer from Sinclair to Wright State, I also look forward to my children attending Wright State University when they graduate from high school. This is an incredible opportunity that is provided to my family through Wright State University. Without the valuable resource that Wright State University provides its employees, we may not have been able to further our education. I am grateful for the opportunity to work for such a terrific facility. The department that I work in has also had a huge impact on me, in that I've been given job training that will always be a resource I draw from. I feel blessed to work with an outstanding team of people who are supportive and helpful.

Thank you Wright State University and the entire staff of the Wright State University Police Department."

Melinda Rowland
Office Assistant
WSU Police Department

"I have always been passionate about international affairs, growing up in a bilingual family in Europe and spending quite a bit of time in my youth traveling and seeing the world. After moving to Dayton and studying as an undergraduate at Wright State, I was unsure how my international experience would serve me in an academic and professional career in Dayton.

I was quite pleased to find all the resources and opportunities here at Wright State: as an undergraduate student to be able to major in international studies and modern languages; participate on a study abroad program in Spain; and join many clubs and honor societies focusing on international topics and languages. I was quite impressed by the level of expertise and experience of my professors and find so much guidance in them as I prepared to study my graduate work in international relations in England and then work for a year in Argentina, teaching English to professionals and executives in Buenos Aires.

I always found the advice of my former professors at Wright State to be critical in the formation of my career, so after spending some time abroad, I decided to return to Dayton and talk in person with several faculty members about the next steps in my career. I was pleased not only to find great resources from them, but in the end I also had the wonderful opportunity to begin working in the Raj Soin College of Business's International Business Programs. Since beginning my career at Wright State, I have always been given opportunities to grow professionally and personally. I have worked for several years in the University Center for International Education, and most recently as interim director of the Center. I have met amazing partners overseas, regionally, and here on campus. I continue to be impressed by the faculty, staff, and students on our campus and enjoy our atmosphere of camaraderie and sincerity.

As a Wright State alumnus, I am proud to give back to the university which gave me so many international opportunities as a student. There is no other place in the world I would rather be!"

Michelle Streeter-Ferrari
Interim Director
University Center for International Education

"WSU made a difference in my life by allowing my husband to go to college at a discount. I was already working at WSU when I got married and I insisted that my huband go to college since it was discounted for us. He graduated with a mechanical engineering degree and has been gainfully employed ever since.

I'm not sure where we would be if that opportunity wasn't available to us. I am now planning on completing my B.S. degree. Thank you WSU for this opportunity!"

Tina Yost
Records Technician
Advancement Services

"My early work experience led me to doctors' offices and a local hospital for 20 years; and this experience grew my heart. During my almost eight years at WSU, I was able to learn a completely new culture, and this grew me as a person in ways I never imagined.

The proximity of the university enabled me to have lunch with my mother nearly every Monday for seven and a half years. This time was rich with history, laughter, and a profound mother/daughter understanding. I had the opportunity to know who my mother is, as an independent person. Sadly, she is now homebound and very ill.

In the 1980s, I married a wonderful man with children from his first marriage and a very sick mother. Because of these other needs, saving for college was not possible. From the time we decided to have children, our plan was for me to get my size seven foot in the WSU's door of opportunity, with the tuition waiver as the golden prize. Perseverance is a beautiful thing and our oldest daughter is a senior in the College of Education and Human Services! (One quarter she was on the Dean's List… WOW!)

The many physicians I had the privilege of working with were bright, skilled, and wonderful health care professionals. However, during my eight years at WSU, I have witnessed a different kind of wonderful and am honored to be a very modest part of amazing things. I learned that a bright, wise person with vision can and will absolutely change the world. That, my dear one, is an incredible thing to see firsthand.

I would say that my world has been profoundly affected by my time with WSU. I'm very glad to have had the opportunity to be here and look forward to the future with WSU. This has indeed been time well spent."

Paula Esken
Administrative Support Coordinator
College of Engineering & Computer Science