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March 2021- Women's History Month
Check out this month's Alumni Newsletter!
A note from Alumni Council member
Cindy Wiggins-Kardatzke BA '85
Upon reflection, it is quite fitting that I’m sharing in the March Alumni newsletter. The month of March represents especially fond memories from the years I attended AU from 1981-1985.

As a vocal music major, March represented the culmination of everything my beloved peers and I had been pouring ourselves into all year: spring choir tours, musicals (including being a part of the first musical in Reardon Auditorium), and preparation for the exhilarating and ever intimidating recitals and voice juries. I was drawn to AU for its impressive vocal music department and famous alumni. After all, it was the 80’s, and what young, female, Christian singer didn’t want to study with the gifted vocal Professor Greta Domenic and follow in the footsteps of Sandi Patty!

Through the years, I’ve realized that music just happened to be the particular vehicle that God used to entice me. God’s clever in that He will often lure us to a destination with one thing but He has a much broader purpose in mind than that one thing. God molded my life in those significant four years with a powerful faith journey, beautiful relationships, experiences, growing pains, training, and incredible opportunities. These tools have been invaluable to the life, ministry, and work He’s called me to. Among the most indelible imprints from my time at AU is the joy-filled atmosphere that seemed to permeate so many aspects of campus life.

Back to the month of March, the greatest dilemma and best decision I made during my time at AU happened to occur in March of 1985. Was I supposed to graduate from college, footloose and fancy-free, or do I instead pursue a relationship with my now-husband and AU alum, Scott Kardatzke? I suppose the answer is obvious and all the more reason that I love the month of March.
Thank you to current public relations students Aaron Diaz '22, Morgan Hale '21, and Kara Martin '21 who wrote articles for this issue of the Alumni Newsletter.
 
God Bless, Go Ravens (GBGR)
Called to Soar

If you haven't heard yet, exciting things are happening and planned for AU's Called to Soar focused fundraising initiative.
Check out our newest videos on three of the Called to Soar growth areas: nursing, engineering, and cybersecurity, and (more to come on other growth areas soon!).

LatinX Scholarship

Anderson University has partnered with the Indiana Latino Institute (ILI) to offer scholarship opportunities annually for Indiana Latino Institute Education Program participants.

Dr. Brian Dirck Traveling to Japan
By Kara Martin  ’21

Anderson University Professor of History Dr. Brian Dirck has plans to teach in Japan this academic year; originally, he was to travel from August 2020 to July 2021, but the COVID-19 pandemic had other plans. Dirck first visited Japan back in August of 2018 for two weeks, and knew he wanted to go back.

“After looking into their programs, I found that they had a teaching program for U.S. History, but I don’t speak a word of Japanese.” He hopes he can improve his Japanese language skills before he leaves.

Recently, Japan implemented a travel ban, so Dr. Dirck will be anxiously waiting to see what happens. “If it doesn’t happen now, then I may have to go later.” But he has everything planned and ready to go, when the time comes.  

Dr. Dirck will be teaching courses in U.S. History at the University of Tokyo and Kyoritsu Women’s University for students majoring in American Studies.

Dr. Dirck commented that his first time traveling to Japan was scary at first, due to some culture shock. Yet, he says that “You have to do something that scares you a little bit and step out of your comfort zone. Walking around in other people’s shoes is a good thing.”

Dr. Dirck is curious about what the country can teach him as an American and hopes he can build strong relationships and stay connected. He wants to be able to come back to AU and say, “Hey, this is what this country sees when they see you guys.” He feels he might also want to teach abroad again after his travels to Japan.

An Update on the Coronavirus
By Kara Martin ’21

Dr. Sarah Neal has been with Anderson University for 21 years. But serving as AU’s public health director during a pandemic has brought new challenges alongside her teaching and advising schedule. Although spring has brought lower cases, Dr. Neal shares, "We still have transmission, and we still have people in quarantine, and we do have people who are vigilant, so we must be careful."

Dr. Neal shares that students in Indiana should see vaccine openings in May or June, and has been doing her part to educate students about their options.

“When everyone can start seeing the vaccine's benefits, we can all do it together, but it will take intention,” added Dr. Neal. She hopes the fall will see a majority of campus vaccinated; however, she shares that “it will depend on how many are immune and how many issues we have with the variants."

Dr. Neal credits the Verifly app as helpful technology to keep numbers steady and low. Visitors have also benefited from the campus app. For the fall 2021 semester, Dr. Neal hopes the AU community will join together in getting vaccinated so that hopefully, the campus can continue opening up with more events and activities.

Athletics and the Pandemic
By Morgan Hale ’21

College sports have seen a different light this year due to the COVID-19 pandemic. With COVID-19 cases high in fall 2020, all 20 Anderson University athletic teams were shifted to compete during the spring semester. This has been difficult for AU’s coaches, student-athletes, and sports medicine staff; yet, they are taking it in stride. Director of Athletics Marcie Taylor and the Department of Athletics have been diligently working to follow NCAA requirements and CDC guidelines.

“The student-athletes and coaches want to compete, so they’ve been willing to do whatever has been necessary to do what they love: practice and compete,” said Taylor.

One of the biggest struggles in this season has been the lack of indoor and outdoor space for students. While advocating for their program, Taylor notes the head coaches have been great at showing a genuine concern for sharing limited space in a manner that makes sure everyone is prepared to compete. Enforcing equal opportunity for all athletic teams has been a considerable team effort, especially during colder months.

AU is excited to finally announce that fans will be allowed back into the stands with the weather warming up. Those in attendance include faculty, staff, current students, and primary family members. “The college years go by quickly and for families to not have the opportunity to watch their student-athletes compete — that’s been really hard on everyone,” said Taylor. Spectators who choose to attend sporting events this season must wear a mask and follow social distancing guidelines.

 
The Pride of Anderson: Called to Soar
Escape Room USA
By Morgan Hale ’21

Jennifer ’97 and Brendon Harbron '96 fell in love with the escape room industry back in 2015 when their game-loving family went on vacation and were enticed after seeing an ad for an escape room. After their trip, they jumped on the opportunity and opened the first escape room in Indiana shortly after.

Since opening their first location in Indianapolis, they've seen success and have opened two other locations in Fishers, Indiana, and Columbus, Ohio, with a fourth opening soon. Additionally, they are currently ranked #1 and #2 for best room escape games in the United States on Tripadvisor.

The Harbrons, while growing in size and success, still strive to show their love of God in the way they run their business.

"It's all about how we value people and care for people, whether it be a customer or employee who comes in the door. As business people, it's not all about the money. You do need to make money to grow, but it's also about the people you interact with each day, and what you can do for them.”

Visit escaperoomusa.com and use promo code AUALUM2021 on the room selection screen for $20 off a booking!

From AU to the Super Bowl
By Aaron Diaz ’22

Anderson University alumna Krista Baker ’18 found her job as a resource care specialist with BCforward working the Super Bowl Experience this past NFL season in Florida. Baker specializes in onboarding, support, recruiting, and administrative work but has never worked an event at this level.

Despite the global COVID-19 pandemic, Baker has still been able to do what she loves with the two-week venture in Florida — a top experience.

“It was the first event since COVID-19, and it was great to be back working events and being around people who shared the passion,” said Baker. “My agency recruited about 200 candidates to work for us, all in the Tampa area. My coworker and I were the on-site supervisors for the technology managers. Our workers were recognized by the mayor and members of the NFL for their outstanding work and customer service.”

As she was working the TikTok tailgate, leading up to Super Bowl Sunday, the NFL gave a surprise back to their staff at BCforward, along with 7,500 vaccinated healthcare workers.

“On Sunday, I had a group working the TikTok Tailgate for the health professionals [and we] were granted free tickets to the game and a free ticket to the tailgate where we got to watch Miley Cyrus perform live.”

Baker added, “I’m grateful to work for a company that allows experiences like this, frequently!”

Baker commented that Anderson University will always be home to her. “I learned a lot about myself at Anderson University. AU helped me form relationships and gave me the confidence I have today.”

Emily Wasonga awarded by Polk Street Review

This February, alumna Emily Wasonga was recognized by the Polk Street Review for her poem "She. Is. Salve." Her poem was printed in the Polk Street Review annual publication and read during the launch of the book. Listen in to Emily's reading of "She. Is. Salve." here.

Check out Emily’s website to see more works of art and how she is connecting and empowering people across cultural lines through various initiatives.

Alumna De-escalates Hostage Situation

Two hours into an intense five-hour hostage negotiation, social worker and AU graduate Jessica (Carter) Waters ’15 took over as main negotiator, communicating directly with the armed individual who was barricaded in his home with his small children. In a situation that could have ended much differently, Waters’ de-escalation skills allowed for a peaceful, nonviolent resolution with no injuries.

Learn more about this account and how AU prepared Jessica Waters for her career in social work here, story written by Jacey Crawford '21.

 
ECHOES
Check out our March ECHOES podcast episodes:
Simon Ho '86 came to Anderson College by way of Malaysia to study Computer Science. From there he's gone on to found 1Core Solution that has vastly enhanced and improved the childcare industry. He also has launched a non-profit to bring awareness to living organ transplants called My New Liver and you can hear how this passion project was born out of his own experience being a liver donor for his daughter.

Learn more about Simon here and listen in to his episode here.

Sarah Michaels '15 was recently nominated for Indy's Best and Brightest for her servant leadership in the local Health and Science sector. Michaels is all about community and does her part in a big way both in leading a staff of professionals at Apex Benefits and also in foster care. Sarah's passion for people is contagious.

Listen in
and be encouraged by an alumna who is truly making a difference in the church and society.

 
Upcoming Events
Encounter: 24 Hours of Prayer, March 26-27

We wanted to let you know that we, at AU, are planning an event called "Encounter: 24 Hours of Prayer" on March 26-27. We see the need for a focused, intentional time of prayer for our students, our community, and our city. On campus, our students have the opportunity to sign up for an hour time slot to pray, and we'll also be offering some worship outside at different times throughout the weekend.

Would you, as our alumni family, commit to praying alongside us this weekend, from your own houses and churches? Our theme for Encounter is "Restored". Our prayer focus will be on:
  • The mental health of our students and those in our community who have been isolated
  • The transformational work of Jesus in the lives of our students and community
  • A spirit of renewal and restoration among us

Or, if you would like to write a prayer on
this google form, we will read it during this dedicated time of prayer.


We believe in the power of prayer and that God is continuously moving among this next generation.

Grateful to partner in ministry with you all,

Becca Palmer & Mindy Grubbs
Spiritual Life staff

Day of Giving 2021
 
Stay Connected
Work at AU!

Anderson University has many full-time staff and faculty positions open including:
To learn more about any of these openings and to complete an application, please visit the AU website.
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Like us on Facebook, follow us on Twitter, and join our LinkedIn group! Get information about our fellow Ravens doing amazing things in their communities and happenings around AU, plus you'll get
to hear about the alumni events we host all over the country (or virtually when we're still socially distancing).
Contact Us
For questions, suggestions, and networking, contact the Alumni Office!

(765) 641-4100 OR alumni@anderson.edu

 
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Anderson University, 1100 E. Fifth St, Anderson, IN 46012, United States

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