Shenandoah Firsts
While adults are routinely screened for risk factors that indicate the development of heart disease and diabetes, teens are screened for these risk factors only if they exhibit physical symptoms. However, when teens are screened for these conditions and educated about them using electronic messages, their risk factors are reduced, according to results from the Screening Teens Early With Identification and Intervention program (also known as the STEWii study), whose lead investigator was Shenandoah University Professor of Nursing Pamela Webber, Ph.D., APRN, BC, FNP.
The results were published in the November 2015 issue of the Journal of the American Association of Nurse Practitioners. The article, “Effectiveness of early identification and electronic interventions for teens with risk factors for the development of heart disease and diabetes,” highlighted a two-year study which evaluated teenagers for risk factors that lead to the development of heart disease and diabetes. The study also investigated the effectiveness of a two-part, recurring electronic lifestyle education program in reducing these risk factors.
In February 2014, 170 teens recruited from two Winchester, Virginia-area high schools were screened for physical risk factors such as elevated blood pressure and heart rate, elevated body mass index and gum inflammation. In concert with Sunrise Medical Laboratory, investigators also screened students for fasting blood glucose and hemoglobin A1C levels, blood lipids, thyroid-stimulating hormone, high sensitivity-C reactive proteins and vitamin D levels. Following this baseline data collection, students and their parents were given a detailed report of their results, which included recommendations based on the data collected and analyzed.
“Throughout the study, participants had access to an interactive STEWii website, which housed information about the risk factors and provided practical lifestyle recommendations designed to reduce risk,” Webber said. “In addition, students received similar information twice a week by simultaneous email, voicemail and electronic messaging.” Data collection was repeated after 12 weeks, and upon analysis, the study discovered one or more serum and/or physical risk factors in the majority of students, with low vitamin D and elevated body mass index (BMI) being the most common. Correlations existed between elevated BMI and elevated diastolic blood pressure, low vitamin D and low high-density lipoprotein. All but one risk factor (BMI) improved at 12 weeks. Read more.
Shenandoah’s Harambee Gospel Choir has been chosen to perform at two events during the United Methodist Church’s quadrennial legislative gathering, the General Conference, to occur in May 2016 in Portland, Oregon. On May 16, the group will perform during the General Board of Higher Education and Ministry’s Higher Education Night, attended by 800-plus global delegates, as well as conference leaders, agency staffers, bishops and other leaders representing the denomination. Harambee will perform a set of energetic hymns and spiritual songs during the two-hour event. The group was chosen because of its musicality, energy and uniqueness. The group has also been asked to take part in a celebration of the Love Your Neighbor Coalition (LYNC) on May 15. According to its mission statement, LYNC is a group dedicated to assuring “The United Methodist Church is fully open to the presence, love and grace of God offered to all people.”
Shenandoah News
For the fourth year, the First-Year Seminar (FYS) Awards were presented in late November to honor worthy individuals whose investment of time and effort embody the goals and mission of FYS. The Gabriella Miller First-Year Student Award is presented to a student who embodies a love of learning-for-learning’s-sake, brings infectious energy to the classroom and inspires those around him/her. Freshman Lora-Maria Koytcheva, (left) from the “Edible Gods: Food and Religion” class, received this award. Sophomore psychology major Katie Moss (right) was presented with the Timothy Doak Mentor Leadership Award, which is given to a student mentor who can be counted on consistently, in and out of the classroom, and who shows initiative and follows through on ideas that go beyond what is required. The award is named after Timothy Doak, a FYS head mentor in 2011 and 2012, who helped shape the mentor aspect of the FYS program and embodied all that mentors strive to be. The First-Year Seminar Teaching Excellence Award was presented to Assistant Professor of Outdoor Leadership T. Grant Lewis, Ph.D. (center). Dr. Lewis taught the FYS course “Into the Wilderness.” This award is given to a FYS professor who inspires students to achieve beyond what they believe they are capable, embodies a creative teaching style and builds a sense of community in the classroom.
Five students from Shenandoah University participated in The Virginia Foundation for Independent Colleges (VFIC) 17th annual statewide collegiate Wells Fargo Ethics Bowl on Jan.31 through Feb. 1, 2016, on the campus of Hollins University in Roanoke, Virginia. Shenandoah University’s team competed head-to-head against other highly qualified student teams from Virginia’s 15 leading independent colleges and universities, debating a variety of case studies highlighting ethical dilemmas. Shenandoah’s student team consists of Jo Ann Batteiger; junior Alex Carney; sophomore Aarun Thottakara; junior Kyle Savage and junior Alexandra Steege. Professor of Religion and Philosophy Barry Penn-Hollar, Ph.D., served as faculty coordinator for the team. For additional information on the VFIC, visit www.vfic.org.
The Shenandoah Valley Discovery Museum has expressed its thanks for the university’s ongoing volunteerism at the interactive children’s museum. A group of these volunteers assembled for a photo in December 2015, and Mary Braun, executive director of the museum, called the moment “a fine testament to the robust contributions from Shenandoah University students, professors and staff.”
University News
The “Pencil Drawings and Photography of Nature,” exhibit, presented by the fall 2015 Introduction to Drawing and Composition I class, taught by Professor of Art Geraldine Kiefer, Ph.D., was on display at the Old Town Winchester Welcome Center in December 2015. Working from natural elements at various outdoor sites, in still-life arrangements, in the gardens of the Museum of the Shenandoah Valley and the Shenandoah University Environmental Studies Lab, Dr. Kiefer’s drawing students engaged in a study of observation and handling of various drawing materials. Free-form drawings were essayed so as to inculcate principles of composition and expression. Multiclass units taught by botanical artist Ann Currie at the Museum of the Shenandoah Valley and by photographer George Hoffman on campus enriched students’ observational and materials-handling skills.
Shenandoah University’s Sport Business Club partnered with NW Works in fall 2015 to launch the Buzzy Buddies program, which helps university students volunteer with the organization while spending time with and getting to know the workers at NW Works. NW Works, a Winchester-based social services organization, provides training and employment to more than 145 individuals who typically would not have the opportunity to work. All workers are residents of the area, and have one or more long-term disabilities ranging from intellectual disabilities and developmental disabilities to physical and/or emotional challenges.
Buzzy Buddies grew out of the established, positive relationship between NW Works and Shenandoah. Kelsea Farinholt, NW Works day program supervisor, knew of similar buddy programs that existed at other colleges and universities. She met with Shenandoah University Assistant Professor of Sport Management Fritz Polite, Ph.D., who suggested she pitch the idea to the Sport Business Club.
Throughout the years, Shenandoah students from the nursing, psychology and occupational therapy programs have visited NW Works for their classes; workers partner with university students who come to socialize and spend some time with them each week.
NW Works staff members accompany the “buddies” as they eat lunch together, go shopping, see movies and otherwise hang out as any pair of friends would. The activities will look different based on each individual’s interests, and the goal is for the buddies to get together a few times each month. A few larger social events for all participants will also take place throughout each semester. “It will be a chance for one-on-one meaningful interactions and the opportunity for friendships to develop,” said Farinholt.
“I have an uncle who is severely mentally challenged and has lived in a group home for his entire life,” said freshman sport management major Laura Pearson ’19. “So knowing where he is and the things that he does on a daily basis made me want to impact someone else who is struggling with the same things that he is. I hope that the folks there will know that there are people out there who care about them, that they aren’t just another number in the world and that they matter.” Read more.
On Jan. 6, Shenandoah Conservatory students Sarah Wofford and Richard Jeric performed at a dinner honoring U.S. Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg. Wofford is studying for a Master of Music and Jeric is a Doctor of Musical Arts student.
An original song by senior music production and recording technology major Justin Hall was selected to be featured in the film, “The Secrets of Emily Blair,” which stars Ellen Hollman and Adrian Paul. His composition, “The Ballad of Emily Blair,” will be the film’s end title theme. The film, produced by Queen Latifah’s Flavor Unit Entertainment, is music supervised by Distinguished Adjunct Assistant Professor of Music Production & Recording Technology Paul DiFranco, who conducted an extensive search for a song appropriate for the end of the film. DiFranco reported that when the producers and director Joe Genier heard Justin’s song, all other submissions were summarily abandoned. Genier also produces the TV show, “Teen Wolf.” Hall licensed the song and his recording to the producers, thereby retaining all rights to the song and recording. He will receive a license fee and accrue all performance royalties throughout the entire distribution life of the film.
For the second year in a row, Shenandoah Conservatory was selected to host the U.S. Navy Band’s International Saxophone Symposium. The January 15-16 event held at Shenandoah is the largest saxophone-only event in the world with over 800 attendees coming from across the U.S. and Europe to teach, perform, listen, and demonstrate the latest in saxophone repertoire, pedagogy, and equipment.
Senior composition student Jeremy Parel was awarded the Third Annual William Averitt Prize for Excellence in Composition at the 2015 Pulitzer Prize Composer Festival featuring David Lang. The award was presented to Parel on Nov. 13, 2015 during the EDGE Ensemble performance at Bright Box Theater in Winchester, Virginia. The William Averitt Prize for Excellence in Composition is awarded each year to an outstanding undergraduate student in the composition program at Shenandoah Conservatory. Named in honor of Professor Emeritus William Averitt, one of the founders of the program in composition at Shenandoah, this award recognizes outstanding talent in composition at Shenandoah Conservatory. Parel’s winning composition, titled “Letter,” will be performed by EDGE Ensemble, March 23 at Bright Box Theater. Parel is currently pursuing a Bachelor of Music in Composition and studies with Director of Composition & Coordinator of New Music Jonathan Newman, M.M.
Associate Professor of Theatre, Kirsten Trump, M.F.A., traveled with senior acting majors from her voiceover class to Edge Studio in New York City for a workshop with Voiceover Director and Edge Executive Director, David Goldberg, as well as audiobook narrator, Carol Monda, who is a two-time Audie Award winner. Edge Studio is the largest voiceover company in the world with various office locations including New York, Atlanta and London. Students learned about the professional world of voiceover, experienced in-studio coaching and instruction from Goldberg, with playback commentary and coaching from Monda. They also toured the studio, observed sound being added to a documentary film by sound engineers and even met iconic news anchor and legendary voice, Tom Brokaw, as he was leaving the studio after adding his voice to a documentary.
Junior jazz studies majors Michael Christie, trumpet, and Nathan Davis, trombone, performed with the prestigious 2016 Mid-Atlantic Jazz Orchestra after being selected to participate in fall 2015. The Mid-Atlantic Jazz Orchestra presented the first set of concerts on Jan. 3 and 4 in New York City at the famed Dizzy’s Club at Lincoln Center. Ted Nash, a saxophonist in the Jazz at Lincoln Center Orchestra (Wynton Marsalis, leader), served as the guest conductor. The bass trombonist in the 2016 Mid-Atlantic Jazz Orchestra was Bryan Woodward ’14, a classical trombone performance graduate from Shenandoah Conservatory, who is now pursuing a graduate degree at the University of Maryland. The 2016 Mid-Atlantic Jazz Orchestra will present the second set of performances in Cumberland, Maryland, on April 8 and 9, 2016, in celebration of Jazz Appreciation Month. Christie is currently pursuing a Bachelor of Music in Jazz Studies, and he studies trumpet with Professor of Trumpet and Conducting Scott Nelson, D.M.A. Davis is currently pursuing a Bachelor of Music in Jazz Studies, and he studies trombone with Adjunct Associate Professor of Classical and Jazz Trombone Matthew Niess, D.M.A.
The Jazz Education Network (JEN) selected sophomore composition major Andrew Herring’s piece titled “27” for performance at the 2016 JEN Young Composer Showcase at the Seventh Annual JEN Conference in Louisville, Kentucky. Herring was one of four finalists, and his work was performed by the Socrates Garcia Latin Jazz Orchestra on Saturday, Jan 9. Eight members of Shenandoah Conservatory’s Jazz Education Network Student Chapter attended the JEN Conference. Along with Herring’s piece being performed, junior jazz studies majors Michael Christie, trumpet, and Nathan Davis, trombone, performed with the National Jazz Workshop All-Stars. The Jazz Education Network is a nonprofit organization dedicated to building the jazz arts community by advancing education, promoting performance and developing new audiences. Founded in 2008, JEN serves over 1,500 members in 23 countries, every state in the United States and seven Canadian provinces. Herring is currently pursuing a Bachelor of Music in Composition, and he studies composition with Director of Composition and Coordinator of New Music Jonathan Newman, M.M., and jazz arranging with Jazz Composer-in-Residence and Adjunct Assistant Professor of Jazz Studies Alan Baylock, M.M.
Betty Bley, a second-year doctor graduate student in clarinet performance, received a Clarinetissimo Talent 2015 Award on December 22, 2015, at the Bruges Conservatory in Belgium. This award was based on the “outstanding performances and high artistic level” demonstrated by Bley during a four-day intensive clarinet workshop that included 12 hours of private lessons from six of the top European clarinet professors and nightly solo performances for large and enthusiastic audiences. Bley was also selected to perform as concertmaster in the Clarinetissimo 2015 Clarinet Choir. Bley is currently pursuing a Master of Music in Music Performance with Anna Lee Van Buren Chair in Clarinet, Coordinator of Winds and Percussion and Associate Professor of Clarinet Garrick Zoeter, M.M.
Megan Raham (B.F.A. acting ’16, master’s in performing arts & leadership management ’17) has been accepted to The John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts internship program for spring of 2016, where she will be working in the special events department.
Over sixty dancers, ages 10 to 18, from the Shenandoah Conservatory Arts Academy (SCAA), performing with guests from Ashburn Academy of Dance, presented a Winter Dance Festival in Armstrong Hall on Jan. 17
The Inaugural Fall Research Summit, “Innovations in Research,” was presented by the Eleanor Wade Custer School of Nursing’s Research & Scholarship Committee in December. The summit featured an address by Charon Pierson, Ph.D., editor-in-chief of the Journal of the American Association of Nurse Practitioners and founding editor of the quarterly journal Nurse Practitioner Forum.
The Student Nurses’ Association (SNA) stayed busy in the fall 2015 semester, fundraising for the Winchester Medical Center (WMC) Foundation’s Cancer Care Center Campaign. The SNA sold ribbons in the month of October and raffle tickets for a “Think Pink” basket throughout the month of November. SNA officers Blake Parkes (left) ’16, Katelyn Gregory ’16 (second from left), Kelsey Wood ’16 (second from right) and Christina Copenhaver ’16 (right) are pictured above with WMC Foundation Executive Director Kevin Callanan (center) who received the donation on behalf of the foundation.
Pharmacy students Mahta Mahmoudieh ’16 and Andrea Manteuffel ’16 performed extraordinarily well while representing the Bernard J. Dunn School of Pharmacy in the American Society of Health‑System Pharmacists National Clinical Skills Competition in December 2015. The two placed in the competition and were recognized as one of the “Top 10” teams out of 129 teams.
Hornet Athletics News
Shenandoah University head coaches Marlena Kotynski and Lindsey Lutz each announced additions to their respective coaching staffs on Jan. 29. Kotynski, entering her 12th season as the Shenandoah softball coach, and Lutz, preparing for her eighth season as head of the women’s lacrosse program, both have added new assistant coaches. Jimmy Bowman joined Kotynski’s softball staff while Maddie Taghon came on board with Lutz and the women’s lacrosse program.
Taghon, a three-year player at Presbyterian (S.C.) College and team captain of the Blue Hose during her senior year, comes to Shenandoah after coaching lacrosse for one year at Ampleforth College in Ampleforth, England. Taghon will be involved in all aspects of the program including practice planning and management, recruiting and scheduling. She will also be the program’s point person for academic support.
Bowman, a Warrenton native, begins his Shenandoah career after graduating from Virginia Wesleyan in 2013. He was a member of the honors and scholars program at VWC and was the president of the Phi Alpha Theta national history honor society from May 2012 until his graduation in December 2013. From 2013-15, he served as assistant coach with the VWC softball team. The Marlins won three regular season and two ODAC Tournament titles during his tenure as an assistant coach. The women’s lacrosse team opens its season on Feb. 16 and the softball team on Feb. 20.
The Shenandoah University baseball team is the pre-season No. 16 team in the nation in pre-season poll results released by D3baseball.com on Jan. 20. Shenandoah, coming off of a 28-10-1 season that saw the Hornets capture their first-ever ODAC championship, has 216 points in the poll to come in just behind No. 15 Southern Maine. Defending national champion Cortland (N.Y.) State is the pre-season pick to win it all again in 2016 with 622 points and 23 of a possible 25 first-place votes. Coach Kevin Anderson‘s Hornets are the only ODAC team ranked in the poll with Randolph-Macon among a host of schools in the ‘others receiving votes’ category. The Hornets open up the season on Feb. 13 against fellow NCAA Mid-East Regional participant La Roche College. Read the complete poll.
Three Shenandoah University women’s soccer players earned All-State accolades in selections announced by the Virginia State Sports Information Directors Association (VaSID) in December 2015. Senior Danielle Burris was named first team All-State by VaSID with junior Erin Septer and sophomore Michelle Krause grabbing second team accolades. Burris was named at midfield, Septer at goalkeeper and Krause as a back. All three women were previously named first team All-ODAC. The trio helped Shenandoah to a 13-7-1 record that included a best-ever 9-1-1 ODAC mark. The Hornets were the No. 2 seed in the ODAC Tournament and advanced to the ODAC Tournament semi-finals for the fourth straight season. This is the second-ever VaSID honor for Burris and the first for both Septer and Krause. Read more here.
The Shenandoah University Department of Intercollegiate Athletics saw 299 student-athletes honored for their fall 2015 academic achievement in selections announced by the department in December 2015. The 299, with at least one representative from all 21 of the department’s intercollegiate athletic programs, were named to the Athletic Director’s List for earning at least a 3.0 GPA on a 4.0 scale. Within that group, 229 earned Dean’s List accolades for posting a 3.25 GPA or above. Finally, 31 of those honored had a perfect 4.0 GPA. All three of those marks represent a record high for the department. Eighteen of the department’s 21 teams had at least one student-athlete with a 4.0. Field hockey, with seven of its 23 players posting a perfect 4.0 GPA, led the department. Senior Danielle Burris, a doctor of physical therapy candidate, leads the group of Athletic Director’s List honorees by being named first team All-ODAC, ODAC Scholar-Athlete of the Year for women’s soccer and first team Academic All-America.
Three Shenandoah University field hockey players earned All-State honors in selections announced by the Virginia State Sports Information Directors (VaSID) in December 2015. Seniors Kelani Bailey and Presha Merritt, along with sophomore Elizabeth Pardo, were all named to the VaSID All-State second team. The honor caps a year in which Bailey and Merritt were named first team All-ODAC and Merritt second team All-Region in addition to playing in the NFHCA Senior All-Star game. Pardo was named ODAC All-Tournament and to the All-ODAC third team after leading the Hornets in scoring with 23 points on 11 goals and one assist. Bailey, a three-time All-ODAC honoree, had six goals and five assists for 17 points and was named ODAC Player of the Week on October 19 after tallying game-winning goals versus Frostburg State and Washington and Lee. Merritt, a three-time first team All-ODAC honoree, had a team-high nine assists this season. This is her third straight VaSID accolade. Bailey was named to the VaSID squad as a forward with Merritt and Pardo selected at midfield.
Shenandoah University stands third after the fall season in the 2015-16 ODAC Commissioner’s Cup women’s race. Aided by best-ever finishes from soccer (2nd) and volleyball (5th), Shenandoah stands third in the women’s standings with a .679 rating. The Hornets women’s teams: cross country, field hockey, soccer and volleyball, scored 28.5 of a possible 42.0 points to earn that .679 rating. Washington & Lee, with 37.5 of a possible 42.0 points, leads with an .893. The Generals won fall championships in cross country and field hockey and finished third in both soccer and volleyball. W&L also leads the men’s and overall races with 1.000 and .938 ratings, respectively. The Generals swept the fall men’s championships, winning cross country, football and soccer, to earn that perfect score. Shenandoah is seventh in the overall race with a .527 rating. The cup standings will be updated after the winter seasons and then finalized following the completion of spring sports action. Complete standings
The women’s soccer and field hockey teams earned the Shenandoah University athletic department’s highest team GPA in team grades announced Jan. 7. Women’s soccer, which finished second in the ODAC regular season standings with a 9-1-1 league mark, posted a 3.29 average GPA for the 31-member squad. Field Hockey also had a 3.29 for the 23-woman roster. Hockey and soccer are two of 13 teams at Shenandoah to have at least a 3.0 GPA. Eight of the nine other women’s teams: basketball, cross country, lacrosse, softball, tennis, indoor track & field, outdoor track & field and volleyball, joined soccer with at least a 3.0 GPA with baseball, lacrosse and tennis coming from the men’s side. The 13 of 21 teams achieving the benchmark is a new school record. The department’s overall term GPA, 3.03, is also a new record. This is the first time since the department began tracking student-athlete GPAs that the overall average GPA cracked the 3.0 barrier. The excellent semester also pushed the average career GPA of the department to 3.01. All 21 teams posted 2.6 or better average GPA, and three of the eight teams that missed the 3.0 mark were at least a 2.9. “Our student-athletes, with the support of our coaches and others across campus, have continued to work hard in the classroom to uphold the Division III ideal,” Athletics Director Doug Zipp said. “I am very proud of not only the work that was done this past semester, but the work that has been done since these student-athletes got to campus. It shows that our priorities are in the correct order and we are working toward our goal of graduating all of our student-athletes.”
Four Shenandoah University football players earned All-State honors in selections announced in December 2015 by the Roanoke Times. Senior Jake Payne was named to the first team defense with classmates Michael Messick and Dustin Edwards joining him on the second team defense and offense, respectively. Junior Cedrick Delaney rounds out the quartet with his second team selection on offense. Payne was selected as a defensive lineman, Messick at linebacker, Edwards as an offensive lineman and Delaney at running back. The selection is the second-ever for Payne and the first for Messick, Edwards and Delaney. Payne was a second team All-State pick by the Times in 2014. The Roanoke Times team is selected by the newspaper’s sports writers and encompasses NCAA Divisions II and III as well as the state’s NAIA and USCAA schools.
Three football players earned All-State honors in selections announced by the Virginia State Sports Information Directors Association (VaSID) in December 2015. Seniors Jake Payne and Michael Messick, along with junior Cedrick Delaney, were all named first team All-State by VaSID. Payne and Messick were named on the defensive side of the ball, at line and linebacker, respectively, with Delaney named as a running back. All three were previously named All-ODAC. Payne and Delaney were first team All-ODAC honorees and Messick to the second team. Payne was also named as the Lou Wacker Defensive Player of the Year in a vote of the ODAC coaches. This is the third straight year Payne has earned VaSID honors, the second for Delaney and the first for Messick.