E-News - February 2, 2022

Pulitzer Prize-winning author Viet Thanh Nguyen to speak at Contemporary Issues Forum

Acclaimed author Viet Thanh Nguyen will be the featured guest of the 2022 K. Raymond Clark Contemporary Issues Forum on Wednesday, February 16, at 7:30 PM in Sinclair Auditorium.

Vietnamese-American author Viet Thanh Nguyen has written numerous books including “Race and Resistance: Literature and Politics in Asian America,” “Nothing Ever Dies: Vietnam and the Memory of War,” “The Sympathizer” and “The Committed.” “The Sympathizer” won the 2016 Pulitzer Prize for Fiction and the Dayton Literary Peace Prize, among many other awards. Viet has written for such publications as The New York Times, Time, The Guardian and The Atlantic. He also is a university professor, the Aerol Arnold Chair of English and professor of English, American studies and ethnicity and comparative literature at the University of Southern California.

We look forward to welcoming the Coe community to campus for this event. Tickets are available for purchase through the Coe College Box Office. To expand access for those who are unable to attend in person, we are pleased to offer a virtual ticket option for purchase as well. If you have any questions, contact Kris Hale at khale@coe.edu or 319.399.8555.

Established by the late K. Raymond Clark ’30, the Contemporary Issues Forum presents the views of distinguished leaders whose work has shaped and altered the course of world events. The forum has featured former U.S. President George H.W. Bush, former Poland President Lech Walesa, deep-sea oceanographer Robert Ballard, civil rights activist Myrlie Evers-Williams, former Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Barak, “Doonesbury” cartoonist Garry Trudeau, ecology expert Jared Diamond, documentary filmmaker Ken Burns, Pulitzer Prize-winning columnist Leonard Pitts, celebrated author Sir Salman Rushdie, former Senate Majority Leader and Special Envoy George Mitchell, Pulitzer Prize-winning global health expert Laurie Garrett, legendary soccer player Abby Wambach, leading commentator on race Jelani Cobb, environmentalists and social entrepreneurs Yvon Chouinard and Craig Mathews, pioneering astrophysicist Jocelyn Bell Burnell and MIT AgeLab Director Dr. Joseph F. Coughlin.

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George Henry celebrates 99th birthday

Legendary Coe photographer George Henry ’49 turned 99 on January 14! Send him a belated birthday wish and watch this video about his incredible Coe career and legacy.

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Kohawks create mural for Reintegration Initiative for Safety and Empowerment program in Cedar Rapids

We rise together.

These words live in the hearts of Mimi Daoud ’23 and Rebecca Pacetti ’23. As fervent believers in the power of unity for the good of humankind, these juniors are inspiring the community with every brush stroke carrying this message on their new mural for the Reintegration Initiative for Safety and Empowerment (RISE) program in Cedar Rapids.

After touring the new office just three days before it opened to the public, Daoud and Pacetti dedicated themselves to creating a welcoming and uplifting space for RISE, a program guiding individuals recently released from incarceration toward resources and services such as housing, transportation, food and jobs.

“The office itself was pretty bare. The primary focus was on getting resources set up for participants and not so much decorating the place, which I think is a very important factor for RISE participants,” Daoud said.

RISE is a program with the nonprofit Fresh Start Ministries, serving people during and after incarceration.

“They might not have anywhere to go. They have no resources, not even a toothbrush. They might not know where they’re spending their next night,” Pacetti said.

The mural design was heavily focused on RISE values to celebrate diversity and treat people without judgment. These values stood out to Daoud and Pacetti when Assistant Professor of Social and Criminal Justice Neal McNabb first introduced them to RISE.

As both Daoud and Pacetti learned more, they wanted to increase their involvement with RISE. With resume and interview support from C3: Creativity, Careers, Community Director of Community & Civic Engagement Joe Demarest, they both secured opportunities to take what they learn in the classroom and apply it to a professional environment with RISE.

Pacetti works at RISE managing the budget and helping expand services to include financial literacy classes and a new game night. At Coe, Pacetti is double majoring in social and criminal justice and sociology.

Meanwhile, Daoud is pursuing a double major in psychology and social and criminal justice with a minor in communication studies while interning with RISE this fall. She is leading RISE’s new arts program and is responsible for securing a partnership with Eastern Iowa Academy of Arts to supply materials for the art classes.

“We’re all human. We’re all a mesh of different types of features, traits, backgrounds and experiences. Once we stop looking at those characteristics and start looking at the experiences that people have been through and judging them by those, we can then actually unify and become a beneficial and positive society for everyone involved, which is what RISE is trying to do,” Daoud said.

The initiative to step into these roles as leaders extends beyond the determination to gain hands-on experience. For these Kohawks, empowering people is their life’s purpose. After Coe, Pacetti aspires to work in social services with kids or teens, and Daoud plans to pursue a career in counseling or therapy.

In a city that offers hundreds of real-world experiences for Kohawks, Coe’s tight-knit relationships in the community make it possible for students to find the perfect fit for hands-on experience.

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We love to see our Kohawks making headlines for their accomplishments and contributions to their communities. Check out these alumni who recently made the news.

• Grant Eckenrod ’88, head wrestling coach at Williamsburg High School, became the third Iowa high school wrestling coach in state history to achieve 600 dual wins.
• Coe Costume Designer and Adjunct Instructor in Theatre Arts Emily Ganfield ’06 created the costumes for Iowa Stage Theatre Company’s production of “It’s a Wonderful Life: A Live Radio Play.”
• Steve Golas ’98 was named an assistant coach of the University of Kentucky women’s soccer program.
• Curt Menefee ’87 was the subject of a Yahoo! Sports article about his role as the host of “FOX NFL Sunday.”
• Hitendra Patel ’86 was featured in a video from Dubai Excellence for his role as executive director of the Global Innovation Management Institute, which is part of the Global Council for Innovation Organizations.
• Sean Raisch ’13, an attorney with Dentons Davis Brown PC, became one of the firm’s newest elected shareholders on January 1.
• Emergency Department Nurse and Coe College Assistant Wrestling Coach Jan Rosenberg ’17 received the DAISY Award for his work in the emergency department at the University of Iowa Hospitals & Clinics.
• John Raley ’81 announced his candidacy for the Iowa Senate District 45 seat in the 2022 election.
• Ben Stevens ’04 was selected as the new CFO of Winneshiek Medical Center in Decorah, Iowa.

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Coe College and the University of Iowa form partnership to fast-track Coe students to study finance at UI’s Tippie College of Business

Coe College and the University of Iowa have formed a new partnership that will streamline the process for Coe students to be admitted to the Master of Science in Finance program in the university’s Tippie College of Business.
 
As part of the agreement, Coe seniors can apply for conditional admission to the Tippie graduate program provided they meet certain requirements for GPA and course completion. Qualified students will receive conditional admission to the master’s program pending their graduation from Coe. As a testament to the level of preparedness Coe graduates demonstrate, up to five admission spots will be reserved each year for Kohawks.
 
The partnership is another benefit Coe business students can use to enhance their education. Coe’s Stead Department of Business Administration & Economics integrates exceptional interactive experiences in real business settings as preparation for a variety of careers:

• The Spellman Summer Research Program creates an opportunity for students to conduct faculty-supervised independent business research.
• The Birkey Investment Fund allows students to assist with the management of a live investment portfolio.
• Every student is guaranteed an internship, study away or research opportunity. Coe is ranked No. 10 in the nation for internships among private colleges by The Princeton Review.

“We have outstanding students at Coe, and this is an excellent opportunity for those interested in finance to get ahead with a world-class graduate program,” said Dr. Pam Carstens, the Roger and Mary Baxter Professor of Business Administration and World Affairs. “I’m excited to see how these graduates maintain their momentum from Coe and continue their graduate studies while launching impactful careers.”
 
The partnership takes effect with students in Coe’s graduating Class of 2022.
 
In addition to the finance specialization within Coe’s business administration program, students also can specialize in human resources, management, marketing and sports management. Other majors within the Stead Department of Business Administration and Economics include accounting (public and managerial), economics, international business and international economics.

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Join Doc in Aspen!

Kent Herron can’t wait to reunite and ski with alumni in Aspen March 13-17, 2022. Doc has been skiing with his students in Aspen since 1972, and he is excited to see all of them once more. Come reminisce with Doc and celebrate a half century of Coe College skiing in Aspen!

Details and registration are available at www.alumni.coe.edu/kentherronaspen. Rooms at the Wildwood Hotel must be booked by February 11, and ski lift tickets must be purchased by February 25. Be sure to include the names of everyone in your party for each event when registering.

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Kohawks band together to make textbooks available for check out from Stewart Memorial Library

Whether Kohawks are in need of tutoring, research assistance, writing guidance, peer-to-peer support or even a pick-me-up from the coffee shop, Stewart Memorial Library is truly a vibrant hub for academic success. And now, it’s also a place for generosity as a student-led philanthropic project is in full swing.

After months of research and planning, over 200 textbooks required for the Fall Term are available to be checked out of the library on a two-hour loan period.

“I’m officially naming it the Blanchard Pettibone Textbook Project in honor of Sandy [Blanchard] and Cheri’s [Pettibone] determination to help launch the initiative,” said Student Body President Jack Rey ’22.

In addition to his role in Student Senate, Rey works the circulation desk in the library where he saw the need for student access to textbooks. The idea to request funds from the Student Senate to purchase textbooks for students to check out had been in Rey’s mind for quite some time. As the head of the circulation department, Blanchard was the first person Rey confided his idea to last spring.

“She was very open-minded and ran with it. She thought it was very cool and mentioned it was an amazing project that she would do everything possible to make happen,” Rey said.

Pettibone quickly jumped on board as well to help as the library acquisitions assistant. This encouraged Rey to share his concerns with Student Body Vice President Parker Laney ’22. Together, they thoroughly researched campuswide textbook requirements for the fall and wrote a proposal to allocate $23,000 of the Student Senate budget toward purchasing textbooks for the 2021-2022 academic year. The proposal was approved by the Student Senate, while Blanchard and Pettibone hurried to purchase and add the textbooks to the library system over the summer.

The Blanchard Pettibone Textbook Project was a collaboration that included the generosity of alumni and faculty members. Rey and Laney reached out to recent graduates and received a donation of 70 textbooks. Meanwhile, an email to Coe faculty asking for donations of spare required textbooks received an overwhelming, positive response.

“I think it's amazing. This is something Coe needed. It helps students and professors, and although there were logistical challenges, it was nice to do something that Coe ran with and have staff members be willing to do something for the betterment of the college and students. It’s great to be here,” he said. “Parker and I have a slogan about paying it forward. This is an exceptional example of what working together and putting in the hours can do for others.”

This isn’t a one-time project, either. The Blanchard Pettibone Textbook Project received so much positive feedback, Rey is certain future Kohawks will lead the initiative for years to come. In the meantime, Blanchard and Pettibone are adding the Spring Term textbooks to the library collection.

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The Coe College Esports program was crowned the champion of Esports Gear's Collegiate Jersey Competition that took place across social media platforms in mid-December. The Kohawks, who were one of 134 collegiate teams involved in the competition, earned over 4,000 votes during the seven rounds of head-to-head matchups.
 
Over the course of the week, Coe faced off against Florida Gateway College, SEMO Esports, New Haven University, Buena Vista University, North Carolina Charlotte, Florida Gulf Coast and Mount Vernon Nazarene. Thanks to the win, the Coe Esports program earned six free jerseys and $500 for the program, which will be used to help upgrade desks and monitor stands in the team room.
 
"I am very grateful to our current students, staff, faculty and alumni that got behind us," said head coach Curt Kimm. "We went up against two Division I schools, but thanks to the support from our entire institution, we were able to come out on top."

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Spring 2022 Phonathon is just around the corner! Charlie and his team of student callers will be reaching out to talk about all things Coe, so watch for a call from 319.399.8507 to chat with them and learn how you can support the college.

Don’t have time for a phone call? Feel free to make your Phonathon gift online.

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Former Kohawk athletes return to Coe for friendly competition

Coe’s track and cross country teams held their first annual alumni track and field meet on January 15 at the indoor track in Clark Racquet Center. More than 30 alumni came out to compete and cheer on their friends, with current student-athletes participating as well. Dave Lusson ’87 and Amber Mason Lusson ’03 were recognized for their generous gift to resurface the indoor track.

On January 29, Coe basketball alumni played their annual men’s and women’s games. After their matchups, they cheered on the Kohawk basketball teams as they faced off against Central, then headed to North Point Bar and Grill for a post-game social.

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Important Dates and Upcoming Events

February 9 and 10 — New Beginnings…Familiar Faces: Phoenix and Tucson — Arizona Kohawks are invited to gatherings with President David Hayes ’93 and other Coe staff. Join fellow alumni at Seasons 52 in Phoenix on February 9 from 4:00-6:00 PM or at Brother John’s in Tucson on February 10 from 5:00-7:00 PM. Heavy hors d’oeuvres and complimentary drinks will be provided.

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