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On Campus
- Stories
May 14, 2004 Vol. 56, No. 32
More than 1,150 students were graduated from Drake at commencement ceremonies last weekend.
At the Law School Commencement Ceremony, Dennis W. Archer, the first African American to be elected president of the American Bar Association, gave the commencement address, which was titled "The Power of the Lawyer."
The 123rd Undergraduate Commencement Ceremony featured speeches by President David Maxwell, Martha Chaput, the recipient of Drake's Oreon E. Scott Award, and Cushing Colbeare, an advocate of affordable housing who received an honorary Doctor of Public Service degree from Drake.
John McCaw, professor emeritus of religion and former dean of Drake's Divinity School, gave the commencement address at the Graduate Commencement Ceremony.
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| Dean Wright, left, and Ron Troyer present a hood and honorary degree to Cushing Dolbeare. | ABA President Dennis W. Archer addresses 132 Law School graduates and their families. | Senior Martha Chaput pauses for a photo with President David Maxwell. |
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| President David Maxwell, center, congratulates John Rozycki, left, and Fred Adams, right. |
Drake University recently presented its most prestigious awards for faculty and staff to John Rozycki, associate professor of finance, and Frederick Adams, the Ellis and Nelle Levitt professor of history. The awards were given at Drake's Undergraduate Commencement Ceremony on Sunday, May 9.
The Madelyn M. Levitt Outstanding Mentor of the Year Award and Madelyn M. Levitt Outstanding Teacher of the Year Award were established in 1994 by Madelyn M. Levitt, a member of the Drake University Board of Trustees and special assistant to President David Maxwell.
Rozycki was honored with the Madelyn M. Levitt Mentor of the Year Award, which recognizes the faculty or staff member who best demonstrates excellence in advising and offers outstanding commitment to student success and integrity in personal relationships. Adams received the Madelyn M. Levitt Teacher of the Year Award, which recognizes the faculty member who best demonstrates excellence in teaching, inspirational leadership and intellectual rigor.
Rozycki, who joined the Drake faculty 12 years ago, has become chairperson of a newly created department consisting of actuarial science, finance, economics, insurance and statistics. In spite of these additional duties, Rozycki continues to lead his equity valuations and analysis class in the Krause Gentle Challenge, a competition among students at Drake, Iowa State University, the University of Iowa and the University of Northern Iowa.
"After four years of investing, the class had grown the fund to $175,000 and Drake had a $50,000 lead over its closest competitor," wrote a student nominating Rozycki for the award. "In contrast, investing the same amount in the S&P 500 four years ago would have resulted in a loss. The fantastic results are a testament to professor Rozycki's steadfast commitment to hard work."
Rozycki carries his commitment to students beyond the classroom. "The professor takes an interest in his students' lives outside of the classroom," the student said. ". . . He desires success for his students and creates opportunities for them to pursue."
Adams joined Drake in 1969 as assistant professor of history. He became an associate professor in 1973, professor in 1976 and served as department chair from 1988-1998. He received the Honor Teaching Award in the Social Services Division in 1973-1974, the Outstanding Undergraduate Teaching Award in 1973-1974 and Teacher of the Year in the College of Arts and Sciences in 1992-1993.
In a nomination letter, a former student said Adams is "a teacher of unparalleled excellence, at once a brilliant, mesmerizing lecturer and an inspired seminar leader. He maintained the highest academic standards, yet his broad sympathies, commitment, and passion earned him the respect of a range of students . . . . Indeed, he was one of those exceptionally rare teachers who was consistently popular despite a reputation for being a tough grader.
"While I was at Drake he spent countless hours with me," the former student added. "Counseling, advising, listening to (and sometimes gently disabusing me of) my immature and half-baked pronouncements about history - and, in so doing, helped me to acquire the skill set and confidence necessary to create a life for myself in academe. Anything I have accomplished over the past 30-odd years is due to Fred Adams more than anyone else."
| Law students lobby legislators to advance children's rights
Drake University Law School's Middleton Children's Rights Center lobbying team of third-year students Angela Doss, Sam El-Ayazra, Marcy Lundberg, Jessica Miskimins and Steve White, and lobbyist Leann Brunnette, successfully lobbied for the passage of House File (HF) 2528 during Iowa's recent legislative session. The team was honored during a signing ceremony with Gov. Tom Vilsack on Tuesday, May 11, at the State Capitol. The bill affects the jurisdiction of the juvenile and district courts regarding child support payments by allowing district court to consider a juvenile court order that changes child custody placement when the district court determines whether to change child support orders. The ultimate goal is to eliminate an extra hearing that is part of the current process, saving the state money and helping children and families in Iowa streamline the expensive and time-consuming delays they face when parental rights are terminated by juvenile court judges who have no authority to consider changes in child support awards at the same time. |
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| Posing at the signing ceremony are(from left) lobbyist Leann Brunnett, Marcy Lundberg, Drake Law Dean David Walker, Angela Doss, Sam El-Ayazra, Gov. Tom Vilsack, Professor Suzanne Levitt, Lt. Gov. Sally Pederson, Jessica Miskimins and Steve White. |
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Marie Klugman |
Marie Klugman, an award-winning professor of statistics at Drake, died Sunday, May 9, at Taylor Hospice House, following a lengthy illness. She was 53. A memorial service was held Thursday at Zion Lutheran Church.
"Marie was a great teacher and she truly cared a lot about her students," said Rahul Parsa, professor of statistics. "She was very caring and conscientious; she epitomized the 'student-centered learning' environment of Drake. She insisted on grading students' homework herself (instead of using graders) irrespective of how many students she had. She deserved all the accolades and awards she received for teaching."
Professor Klugman was named the College of Business and Public Administration Undergraduate Teacher of the Year in 1990-1991 and again in 1999-2000. She also was selected as the College of Pharmacy and Health Sciences Non-Pharmacy Teacher of the Year in 2001-2002.
"Marie Klugman was greatly admired and respected by her students," said LouAnn Simpson, professor of business law. "She taught statistics in the College of Business and Public Administration and also in the College of Pharmacy and Health Sciences. Although the subject matter may have been daunting to some students, Marie worked hard to ensure that her students learned and they did so with her support and guidance. She served as a mentor and numerous advisees looked to her for more than just advice on course selection. It was not unusual to find students outside her office door, waiting patiently for their turn to spend some time with a professor who genuinely cared about them and their future."
Klugman also was noted for her concern for her colleagues. "She was a wonderful colleague, always willing to listen," said John Rozycki, professor of finance. "She was hardworking, patient, considerate and generous. She was also genuine and down-to-earth."
Klugman, who joined Drake in 1988, held bachelor's degrees in math and geography from Valparaiso University, where she served the local Guild chapter and on the National Alumni Board. She earned a master's degree in biostatistics from the University of Iowa and a master's degree in geography from the University of Minnesota. She received her Ph.D. in geography from the University of Iowa.
At Drake, she served as department chair and was a member of the Faculty Senate as well as numerous college and University committees. She was faculty adviser for Delta Sigma Pi, a business fraternity, and secretary/treasurer of Beta Gamma Sigma, a business scholastic honorary society. She served her community as a member of the Salvation Army Board of Directors and congregation president of Zion Lutheran Church.
Survivors include her husband, Stuart Klugman, professor of actuarial science, and sons, David and Philip of Des Moines; and her sister, Marge Popp of Phoenix, Ariz. Memorial contributions may be made to the Salvation Army.