Alumni

In early May, our department hosted a small dinner meeting to begin a discussion of ways to foster a network among our alumni, faculty and current students. “We really are interested in how are graduates are doing and I always believed that they could be a wonderful resource for our department and for our new graduates as they begin their job search,” said Dr Bette Warren. The meeting began with a lot of catching up. “It was fun to hear what our alumni were doing and they wanted news on their favorite professors,” said Dr. Gisela Ahlbrandt. Participants included Drs. Bette Warren, Ken Shishkowski, Gisela Ahlbrandt, Chris Gardiner, Joan Jones, Barbara Leapard, and Carla Tayeh, in addition to the following alumni:

Thomas Harrilchak who graduated in 1995 and is currently a research analyst for Ford Credit.

Sandy Becker, a recent graduate, and research assistant at the University of Michigan in the Department of Psychology.

Lindsay Akers who recently completed her master’s degree in mathematics with a concentration in secondary teaching. She recently married and moved to Kalamazoo. She is teaching advanced math in a lab school and wants to start her Ph.D in mathematics education.

Joe Dylewski is General Manager for VIA Information Tools and he also managed IT Services. Joe was interested in exploring ways to help students to improve their problem solving abilities, so they are better prepared for their jobs.

“Everyone is always very busy and over extended, however, we hope to work harder to reach out to our alumni over the next few years,” said Dr. Warren.