This was especially true in Burkina Faso and Malawi where I served as the U.S. Ambassador. Upon retirement, I joined the Board of Advancing Girls Education in Africa (AGE Africa). My journey with AGE Africa deepened in April of this year when I visited our programs in Malawi.

I met extraordinary young women whose determination and resilience embody the mission of AGE Africa. Through scholarships and CHATS — our peer-led life skills program — these girls are breaking barriers, building confidence and carving out futures that once seemed unimaginable. Sitting with them, hearing their stories, I realized that AGE Africa is not simply providing education. We are nurturing agency, courage and leadership in a new generation of Malawian women.

What struck me most was the multiplier effect of our work. CHATS does not end when the session closes; it spills over into families, schools and communities. Younger children watch and learn. Parents take notice of their daughters’ newfound confidence. Villages begin to shift their expectations.

AGE Africa is not just educating individuals — it is reshaping cultural landscapes and creating generational change.

Serving on the AGE Africa Board is more than governance or oversight. It is a commitment to walk alongside these girls as they pursue dreams once denied to so many before them. It is an opportunity to amplify their voices and to invest in their potential.

My visit to Malawi reaffirmed what I already believed: that empowering girls through education is the best way to build a more equitable, prosperous world. AGE Africa is doing exactly that—and I am honored to be part of it.

A sign in my office says: “May many futures flourish because of you.”

Thanks to �㽶��Ƶ for the education that allowed me to flourish and in turn, help others flourish.

By Jeanine Jackson ‘71

This article originally appeared in the fall 2026 edition of HC Today.

Jim Boeve jokes that he’s better at the things he volunteers for than what he’s been paid to do for nearly four decades.

And the irony is, Boeve can’t stay away from any of it. Even though he announced his retirement from �㽶��Ƶ after more than three decades, and retired — sort of — over the summer.

It took all of a few months for Boeve to be lured back into teaching at HC, where he spent 35 years as some combination of head baseball coach, registrar and mathematics professor.

He taught statistics in the fall, as well as continued working part-time in the Registrar’s Office, mostly with athletic eligibility, to ease the transition to new leadership.

On top of that, he continues serving a fifth-term on the Hastings Public Schools Board of Education, and as chair of the NAIA baseball selection committee.

“I love doing both,” Boeve said.

Truthfully, Boeve loves it all. He just wanted to take a step back from full-time work.

Understandable, as his two children, Jennifer and Mike, adapt to their adult lives and Boeve, 65, continues to battle a cancer diagnosis. His wife, Traci (Rosberg) Boeve ‘93, moved into a new role over the summer as the College’s Dean of Enrollment and Financial Aid.

“I was just ready for a slowdown,” Boeve said. “I didn’t want to go cold turkey.”

It has been a gradual scale-back for Boeve, who retired as head baseball coach in May 2013 after 24 seasons, which included nine conference titles (seven regular season and two tournament) and a career 572-635 record.

But he has always epitomized dedication, particularly to the sport, and was rewarded for it.

In 2010, Boeve was inducted into the NAIA Hall of Fame for meritorious service, and two years later received the Robert E. “Ish” Smith Award, which honors unselfish promotion of baseball.

“I guess I just always felt like if you’re going to be involved, be involved at all levels of it,” Boeve said.

He was instrumental in the NAIA’s creation of Champions of Character, which aims to keep five core values — integrity, respect, responsibility, sportsmanship, and servant leadership — centric in sports, and also introduced the governing body’s current postseason format.

In 2023, Boeve was inducted into the Nebraska Baseball Hall of Fame, a feat he says he now has more perspective on, as well as the �㽶��Ƶ Athletic Hall of Fame.

“You don’t think about all that goes into it when you’re the one being named,” said Boeve . “As you start nominating and recognizing people on these committees, you realize it’s more special than what you appreciated when you went in.”

While Boeve’s name is most synonymous with baseball, his impact as the College’s registrar and member of various committees and groups, both local and national, can be measured by similar metrics.

Perhaps the most influential was his time as chair of the “Implementation Group,” or IG, a committee that brings together representatives from every administrative office and faculty, and plays a key role in campus-wide planning and initiatives while serving as a feedback resource for College leadership.

“What gave us some satisfaction,” Boeve said, “is the accreditation team that came through last spring commended us on having this group to look at all the details of initiatives and things like that, and the workings of the College.”

The Higher Learning Commission team described IG as “a laudable component of Hastings’ governance system and valued across campus,” and that it could serve as a model for other institutions to borrow from because it ensures consistent collaborative planning and conveys deep agency to all constituencies.

Those on the committee for any length of time remember its early days, with Boeve at his best, chalk in hand in a nondescript classroom in the lower level of Hurley-McDonald Hall.

All of that extra effort has helped set the College up for years of success.

Just how many of those will Boeve still be involved? Even with more than three and a half decades behind him, he isn’t sure.

“I could see myself doing it for a while,” Boeve said.

By Will Reynolds ’18

Rev. Greg Allen-Pickett is senior pastor at First Presbyterian Church of Hastings and a member of �㽶��Ƶ’s Board of Trustees and ASPIRE Faith Advisory Council. In addition to pastoral leadership experience, he has leadership and management experience in for-profit and nonprofit contexts, as well as executive leadership experience at the Presbyterian Church (USA) denominational offices.

Allen-Pickett graduated cum laude with a bachelor’s degree in political science from Pacific Lutheran University in Tacoma, Washington, and was a Rotary Scholar in Ecuador for a year. He earned a master of arts degree from the Korbel School of International Studies at the University of Denver and a master of divinity degree from Austin Presbyterian Theological Seminary.

He writes for Presbyterian Outlook magazine and recently signed a contract with Wipf and Stock Publishers for a book titled, “Purple Church, Red State: Finding Common Ground in an Age of Polarization.”

Allen-Pickett is married to Dr. Jessica Allen-Pickett, assistant professor of teacher education at �㽶��Ƶ. He writes, “We have a brilliant teenage daughter, Esther, and two ridiculous Lab mix dogs that we walk around the �㽶��Ƶ campus almost every day.”

This story originally appeared in the 2025 HC Today.

Question: You’re writing a book exploring how faith communities can find common ground in an age of polarization. What have you learned in your work for the church that might help those facing tough conversations in other venues, such as in the workplace or with friends and family?

Pastoring First Presbyterian of Hastings has taught me that polarization is less a problem to be solved than a relationship to be tended. In the book, I tell the story of our Sunday Night Supper Series, where Democrats, Republicans and independents passed chili and Jell-O salads around the same table. The secret was not a clever debate format; it was three spiritual practices we borrowed from the communion liturgy:

• Confession—we began by naming our own limits (“Here’s where I may be wrong…”).
• Thanksgiving—we looked for something we genuinely admired in the other’s story.
• Commitment—we asked, “What can we do together for the common good this week?”

That rhythm lowers defenses, shifts the focus from winning to belonging and produces concrete, shared action (assembling sack lunches, collecting supplies for immigrants, building Habitat houses). The same pattern: humble self-awareness, grateful listening and shared action to benefit the community translates surprisingly well to staff meetings, family dinners or city council hearings.

Question: Karen Doerr, a donor to the new Doerr Center for Civic Engagement, said the Center will help students “develop skills to learn, listen and speak with a critical mind and open heart.” What techniques or practices can help us remain both analytical and empathetic as we engage with people who hold differing opinions?

Karen is a beloved and wise member of my church, and she serves on our leadership council. Her phrase, “critical mind and open heart,” names a tension we can train for. Three practices from our congregation help:

• Curiosity before critique: We encourage people to share a personal story that shaped their view. Neuroscience shows us that narratives engage the empathic right brain first; analysis can follow without contempt.
• Assume the best of intentions: Even if we fundamentally disagree with someone, start with the belief that you have similar goals or desired outcomes, just different ways of achieving those goals. This helps us find common ground in the face of differing opinions.
• The “plumb line” question – borrowed from the Old Testament prophets: How will this idea affect the most vulnerable? That keeps our analysis tethered to empathy and focused on others instead of ourselves.

These practices can let our minds stay analytically sharp while also engaging with an open and empathetic heart.

Question: What gives you hope that our society can move toward greater trust, understanding and constructive dialogue?

I’m hopeful because I’ve watched a shared mission override suspicion. Time and time again, people unite around serving others. Serving together rewires our perceptions and polarization in real time.

I’m hopeful because young adults are allergic to hypocrisy; they demand authenticity and are quick to collaborate on tangible goals. I’ve watched this in partnerships between �㽶��Ƶ students and our church, whether it was a mission trip to the US-Mexico border or a food and hygiene supplies drive.

I’m hopeful because �㽶��Ƶ and our faith communities have traditions and resources that help us transcend polarization: shared meals around tables that welcome everyone, the liturgy that teaches confession and forgiveness, the biblical vision that every person bears the image of God. When communities put these ideas into practice publicly and regularly, then understanding and dialogue find fertile ground.

Finally, I’m hopeful because I’ve seen our purple church in a deep red state become a laboratory of compassion rather than combat. If it can happen on the corner of 7th and Lincoln, and it can happen on the �㽶��Ƶ campus, then it can happen in our community and across our nation.

Interview by Judee Konen ’85

The gift is part of a broader pattern for the couple, who in recent years have stepped up their philanthropy across Hastings, from investments in the Hastings Community Foundation’s new workspace, to support for the Hastings Symphony Orchestra and other civic initiatives. But for both Karen and Roger, �㽶��Ƶ remains a touchstone.

Karen’s interest in civic engagement started as a student. She served as a page in the Nebraska Unicameral, later worked in government and even ran for Adams County Commissioner.

“Those experiences taught me that democracy only works if people step up,” she said. “Students need to learn, listen and speak with a critical mind and an open heart. That’s what I hope this Center will encourage.”

The Doerrs were inspired by conversations with �㽶��Ƶ leaders about the role civic engagement plays in the College’s mission. For Karen, the idea resonated immediately.

“Roger and I have always believed that giving back isn’t optional; it’s a responsibility. We wanted to create something that would help students connect their education with their communities for the rest of their lives,” she said.

For Dr. Wayne Riggs, Vice President for Academic Affairs and Academic Dean, the Doerr Center is a natural extension of �㽶��Ƶ’s identity.

This story originally appeared in the 2025 HC Today.

“Our mission is to send forth creative, curious, caring students who thrive as citizens and leaders of their local and global communities,” he said. “The Center for Civic Engagement makes that mission tangible.”

Riggs said he envisions a dual focus. Internally, the Center will support students’ growth as leaders through service learning, academic connections and community problem-solving. Externally, it will position �㽶��Ƶ as a regional hub for civic dialogue, hosting speakers and public programs that draw people from across central Nebraska.

“In five to 10 years, success will mean civic engagement is ingrained in who we are,” Riggs said. “That �㽶��Ƶ is the place where business, political and community leaders gather to wrestle with big issues, and where our students learn by engaging alongside them.”

For student Carrie Brosman, a history and political science double major from Aurora, Nebraska, the Doerr Center represents opportunity. A fourth-year student active in Model United Nations and a recent study-abroad participant in Argentina, Brosman is already immersed in civic and global conversations.

“It’s exciting because so many high schools don’t emphasize civic education. The Center gives us a way to change that,” she said.

Brosman hopes the Center will help students across all majors connect their passions with community life.

“If you’re in business, science or the arts, there are countless ways to engage civically, through nonprofits, local government and religious organizations,” she said. “You don’t have to change the world. You just need to put yourself out there. Small changes all add up.”

Her experience working with a local poverty reduction program illustrates the point.

“My job was to sit with kids, color, sing, eat graham crackers, so their parents could attend meetings they otherwise couldn’t,” she said. “It was simple, but it made a real difference. That’s what civic engagement looks like.”

Roger Doerr’s dedication to �㽶��Ƶ has spanned more than four decades, including serving as professor, head coach of the men’s golf team and seven years as president of the �㽶��Ƶ Foundation.

In reflecting on the Center, he emphasizes that while the couple provided the initial funding, the future direction belongs to the College.

“Karen and I are giving the money. We have the vision. That’s where it stops,” he said. “We don’t want to interfere in what the College does with our funding. This is the College’s opportunity to move it ahead as they see best.”

Karen adds that the Center is not just about �㽶��Ƶ students, but about building a culture of responsibility.

“Civic engagement isn’t about politics alone, it’s about caring for your neighbors, contributing to your community and realizing that your time and talents matter,” she said.

The Doerrs’ hope is that the Center will be lasting, with an endowment ensuring permanence and with civic engagement integrated into the academic and co-curricular life of every student.

For Karen and Roger, the Center is both a capstone to their decades of civic involvement and a gift to future generations of students. For �㽶��Ƶ, it is a way to live more fully into its mission at a time when higher education faces profound challenges. And for students like Brosman, it is an invitation to step into leadership with confidence.

“I want students to leave Hastings believing they can make a difference, whether in a small town, a large city or anywhere in the world. That’s the heart of this Center,” Karen said.

By Lottie (Fryer) Nilsen ‘95

It’s a tough world for higher education in America. But even with the cards stacked against small colleges, �㽶��Ƶ is showing that through planning and partnerships, the numbers don’t have to be in the negatives.

If you’ve been reading recent headlines, it looks like a bleak time for American colleges and universities. “Can Small, Struggling Colleges Survive?” asked a June 2024 article in The Chronicle of Higher Education. Dozens of colleges around the United States have announced closures or mergers, citing limited finances, low enrollment, the pandemic or student commitments delayed by the simplified Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) form.

There are concerns for students’ mental health. There are fewer college-age students overall.

It’s a time of change in higher education. But at the same time — isn’t that the way it has always been?

“Every year I’ve been in higher education, it’s not as if it’s always the same playing field and you can predict what’s going to happen,” said Dr. Rich Lloyd ’85, �㽶��Ƶ president. “You have to have enough confidence in your own plan of what you’re doing and what you’re delivering that it is not dependent on an external environment that is completely calm.”

Midway through the fall 2024 semester, that’s exactly how Lloyd feels. Confident. Where other institutions are facing external changes on top of existing internal challenges, �㽶��Ƶ has been steadily building key relationships, making updates that align with enrollment goals and student priorities, and looking not just for short-term wins but planning for future success.

This story originally appeared in the 2024 HC Today.

When Stars Strategically Align

Lloyd isn’t the only person to feel like there are good things both on the way for �㽶��Ƶ and already here. For example, the partnership with the Suzanne and Walter Scott Foundation, which is majorly investing in the College by investing in scholarships, upgrades to campus housing and dining, and building a new residence hall.

“We just have so many stars aligning in position,” said Ann Martin ’77, chair of the �㽶��Ƶ Board of Trustees. “It’s so exciting to be on the board at this time.”

In the past four years with Lloyd at the helm, she’s felt a stronger sense of unity across the institution. There’s trust in the administrative team, enthusiasm among the trustees, and team spirit in the students, staff and faculty.

“Just all over the college, everyone is pulling together, everyone is excited about what’s happening and what the future holds,” Martin said.

Recent metrics help, too—a record-tying enrollment of 347 first-year students in fall 2023, which helped boost Hastings to complete its 2023-24 fiscal year with a small surplus for “the first time in about a decade that I’m aware of,” Lloyd said. “It’s very much a win for the work put in by employees to reduce costs and allocate resources that align with our mission to offer an exceptional together-learning experience for our students.”

First-year enrollment didn’t reach Hastings’ goal of 318 students at the start of fall 2024, but the college beat its goals for transfers by 20 students. First-year enrollment was likely impacted to some degree by the delayed simplified FAFSA and the shift in some offerings, Lloyd said.

Student Insights Shape Discussions

In the past several years, significant resources were given to programs and initiatives that, although valuable to students, weren’t among their priorities for improvements to the campus or student experiences.

A panel of students who regularly meet with Lloyd told him what they and their peers really want to see first are improvements to housing and dining services. These insights have already led to changes: touch-ups made this summer to each residence hall with plans for future refurbishing, the planned remodeling of Hazelrigg Student Union in the next two years and the construction of the brand new residence hall starting this year with a scheduled opening in fall 2026.

“We think these projects will be more meaningful down the road,” Lloyd said. “And we want students to know that we’re investing in the things that matter most to them.”

These investments are also necessary to continue meeting enrollment goals and to attract prospective students. Last year, the campus was at around 95% occupancy and quarters remain near 90% this year, with two Bronco Village Apartment buildings housing six students per suite instead of four.

An Educated Bet

Even at close to full residential capacity, �㽶��Ƶ remains a small community—an advantage often cited by alumni and a benefit seen quickly by prospective students.

That’s why when Lloyd talks about growth, he talks about scaling small and capitalizing on Hastings’ existing strengths — and asking “What are we already doing well, and how can we collaborate with those around us to offer even more?”

“It starts with the assumption that there are roughly 300 first-year students each year who value our kind of education, a vibrant learning and living community,” Lloyd said. “That’s the bet we’re making. It’s historically been what the college has been great at.”

It’s also a commitment to the continuing value of a liberal arts education. Students graduate with know-how for their careers along with skills like critical thinking, communication, ethics and civic engagement that set alumni apart both in and outside of their workplace.

Dr. Stephanie Furrer, professor of psychology who was Faculty Senate president last year, said academics have always been strong at Hastings, as well. Students leave well-rounded, she said, not just because they’ve received a liberal arts education but because the college has developed partnerships throughout the wider community.

“The internships, volunteer opportunities and service learning all go to our students because the college has good relationships with the Hastings and surrounding communities,” she said.

These relationships are deliberate and have developed over time, with the college recognizing the role that education plays in workforce development. Partnerships with Central Community College and Bryan College of Health Sciences also support access to education for central Nebraska. Students at all three institutions can receive the benefits of liberal arts, technical and health education. Which in itself is a draw to Hastings—where else can you find a community of 25,000 people with three distinct higher education institutions, Lloyd said.

“We’re really trying to articulate clearly that the liberal arts and our educational approach of breadth and depth is preparing students meaningfully for what’s next and what’s next after that,” Lloyd said. “It’s preparation for a life well-lived over the arc of their personal and professional lives.”

Building Momentum

Senior Alyssa Baker saw the value of �㽶��Ƶ’s close-knit community immediately when she toured campus. Her high school in Arkansas had more than three times the population of the college and it was easy to feel lost in the crowd.

“Right from the get-go I was like, ‘I know I’m going to be successful,’” she said, after visiting as a high school sophomore and seeing how, even during a visit, staff and faculty were ready to help her build connections.

She decided her first year to become the Student Association president, and achieved her goal. Now, she’s working with younger students to keep momentum building for campus events and student organizations.

That momentum has been important in rebuilding the campus experience after Covid, although it doesn’t look quite like the experience that Dr. Sophia McDermott ’12, dean of student engagement, had in the decade prior. School dances aren’t as big, and low-key activities like crafts are popular for stress reduction. But students are still students, still trying to figure themselves out, she said.

“Their energy is exciting. They want to try new things, do new things,” McDermott said. “It’s shifting what a residential campus should look like and be more vibrant.”

And that’s something that makes McDermott excited to be at �㽶��Ƶ again, at this point in time. She returned to Hastings after Presentation College closed in 2023, where she was dean of student life, and was frank with Lloyd when she applied about wanting to know where Hastings was as another small, private institution.

We’ll be okay, Lloyd told her then, and that statement has shown in the actions and decisions the college has taken in the time since. Like the partnership with the Suzanne and Walter Scott Foundation. That didn’t just come about from one conversation, but decades of networking, McDermott said.

“I think that shows that we’ve been doing something right for a long time,” she said.

By Liz McCue ’13

In what could be described as an athletic trainer’s dream job, exercise science graduate Julyah Wilson ’22 interned this past summer with the New England Patriots, the NFL team that dazzled fans during the Brady-Belichick era, won a record six Super Bowl titles and continues to sell out every home game.

Wilson, a former Bronco track athlete, earned her master’s degree in May 2024 from the University of Nebraska Omaha, which holds two places each year in the graduate athletic training program for �㽶��Ƶ students who meet admissions criteria.

The two-year program focuses on training techniques, orthopedic assessment and therapeutic interventions.

For one of her required clinical rotations, Wilson interned with the University of Alabama football team, an experience that planted the seeds for the Patriots’ offer.

“I did well at Alabama and built a great connection,” Wilson said. “One of the athletic trainers I worked with is now with the Patriots. He reached out to me and asked if I was interested in a paid summer internship. Of course, I said yes.”

Before heading east, Wilson passed her board of certification exam to become a certified athletic trainer.

This story originally appeared in the 2024 HC Today.

A summer at Gillette Stadium

The Patriots put Wilson up in an extended-stay hotel in Wrentham, about 10 minutes from Gillette Stadium in Foxborough. Arriving at the stadium’s athletic training room at 6 a.m. each day, she treated rookie and veteran players for ankle injuries, quad strains, sore backs and other ailments and helped with stretching and hip mobility exercises.

After treatments, the players practiced on two different fields in the hot summer sun. Wilson and her colleagues swarmed like bees during breaks in the play to hand out water and Gatorade. After team meetings, she headed back to the athletic training room to treat more players.

The NFL experience didn’t intimidate Wilson, who also completed practicums with Bellevue West and Papillion LaVista High Schools in Nebraska, Iowa Western Community College and Creighton University’s women’s basketball team in Omaha. Working for the pros did require greater awareness and focus.

“NFL teams are way more fast paced. You have to keep your head more on a swivel than you would for a college or high school team. And there’s definitely more hands on deck, people on the staff. Earlier days, longer hours and different kinds of treatment strategies,” she said.

While interacting with players in the athletic training room, Wilson found them cordial and friendly. Her contacts included veteran players like safety Jabrill Peppers and defensive end Deatrich Wise and rookies like Marcellas Dial, a recruit from the University of South Carolina.

Wilson remained with the team until the “cut down date” in late August when NFL teams trim their preseason teams from 90 to 53.

Learning the fundamentals at HC

A number of factors contributed to Wilson’s decisions to major in exercise science and become an athletic trainer. As a high school athlete in Aurora, Colorado, she was injured and had shoulder surgery, an experience that piqued her interest in therapy and recovery. She was intrigued by an anatomy class her senior year.

“Those things just played together to make me want to be an athletic trainer,” she said.

Recruited as a sprinter on �㽶��Ƶ’s track team, she qualified for nationals four consecutive years, was named All Conference and All American, and was GPAC champion in the 200m, 100m and 60m dashes. A dean’s list student, she was named to Who’s Who in 2022 in recognition of her contributions to the campus community.

Wilson counts among her inspirations �㽶��Ƶ faculty Casey Molifua and Dr. Matthew Beeler from the Department of Physical Education and Human Performance, which offers the popular exercise science major. This academic year, exercise science is one of the largest majors on campus among returning, full-time undergraduates, second only to business administration.

“Beeler introduced me to the UNO Athletic Training Program. Casey was aware of what I wanted to do and helped me find the path to take. They both guided me on what to do next and were very helpful,” she said.

Wilson recently landed a job as assistant athletic trainer for women’s soccer and softball and men’s wrestling at Nebraska Wesleyan University in Lincoln.

“I can relate to athletes since I also competed in sports and had injuries,” she said. “Athletic trainers are people athletes can talk to outside of their coaches and parents. We’re people they can trust. I find that very fulfilling. The athletic training room is a healing place, mentally and physically.”

By Judee Konen ‘85

Harriott lives in Brooklyn with his wife, Marisa Mendez, a postpartum doula and chef, and their seven year old son, Alton.

This story originally appeared in the 2024 HC Today.

1. When a client reaches out to Gray V for music curation, what are they seeking? What issues are they solving for that online platforms like Spotify, Pandora, or YouTube cannot provide?

A client who reaches out to Gray V is looking for curation with a personal touch. If you run a restaurant, you can call someone specifically about your silverware issues, but you can’t call Spotify or YouTube and ask them to take the explicit version of “Still D.R.E.” out of its ‘90s Hip Hop playlist because it’s playing during Sunday brunch. The music and the atmosphere of the space has become just as important to the branding of these spaces as the food, architecture and staff these days.

2. How does a typical week at work play out for you?

I’m in charge of making sure that we have enough interesting music for clients who have very unique and specific genre requests, so I spend most of the day pouring through music catalogs—”looking for the perfect beat,” so to speak.

For example, one of our favorite clients is the world famous sushi restaurant Makoto. The location in Miami plays nothing but reggae music made between the years of 1965 and 1980. In the evening, the music switches, and they want it to sound like “a club scene in an episode of ‘Miami VIce.’” I’m the guy who hunts for that music.

I have hundreds of clients like that around the world, so on any given week, I’ll get an update from work that will say something to the effect of “Makoto needs more rock steady 70s reggae and 80s synth pop music that isn’t Madonna. Can you find 6 hours worth of music?”

Yes I can. 🙂

3. Describe your music selection process.

For brand new clients that are onboarding with us, I put together sample lists for them to make sure that we’re on the same page. From there, I expand the lists and build them out.

We’re typically shooting for 3 or 4 days of music without repeats. It’s a lot of hours, especially if it’s a hotel or a retail store. We do that so employees don’t go crazy.

Because of people having more access to music thanks to the streaming services, people’s tastes have expanded. When we get unique musical direction, it’s really cool to be able to execute it and then see the client and the customers react to it in a positive way.

4. How do you keep your music selections fresh? What keeps you inspired?

I’ve been obsessed with music since I was eight years old, and that’s carried on into my adult life. That cliche about finding a job you’d do for free and then get paid for it? That’s basically me. I’m a living testimony of that old chestnut.

5. What experiences at �㽶��Ƶ and elsewhere prepared you for this career?

My experiences at �㽶��Ƶ were the reason I was able to go to NYC mere WEEKS after my graduation to start work in the music industry. I was the music director of KFKX (RIP), did a ton of theatre, was a member of the prestigious forensics team, wrote record reviews for the Collegian and booked some punk rock shows on campus in the ‘90s. (We were THIIIIS close to getting Weezer to play HC for $8,000 in 1996.)

When I wanted to intern in NYC the summer of ’95, my resume stood out from the pack, and I wasn’t intimidated by the workload once I got to New York. By the time I came back to finish my senior year in the fall of ’95, CMJ offered me a job as a writer and booker of talent for their prestigious four-day music festival in 1996. This offer came to me before I even got my fall class schedule! Luckily, It was waiting for me six months later when I graduated.

There aren’t a lot of colleges that are dedicated to pushing hands-on experience to you like �㽶��Ƶ, and it paid off when it came time to shift to a professional career.

6. How does your lucrative side hustle — DJing — feed into your work? How does your work feed into your side hustle?

My side hustle was actually my full-time hustle for a long time. I started DJing in New York around 1997 as a fun hobby, and it just so happened that Lenny Kravitz was at the second gig ever did in New York. He approached me, said he loved my music and asked if I wanted to play the album release party for his breakout album “5.”

Someone at that party asked me to DJ his club the next week. I accepted, and so went the next 20 years of my life!

Once I got married and had a child, I didn’t really want to be on the road as much. This opportunity to work for Gray V full time came up, and I jumped at the chance.

DJing is basically curating a night for a bunch of crazed dancers night after night, so the transition from DJing to music curation wasn’t a large stretch. It helps to be curious, respectful, a scholar and, most importantly, completely in love with ALL types of music from every genre and era.

7. If you were curating a playlist of your life, what 5-10 songs would it include?

This changes daily, but as of this moment, I’d say:

• Digable Planets – ”Jettin’”
• Stevie Wonder – ”Jesus Children of America”
• Crazy P – “One True Light”
• Jems! – ”Flights”
• John Coltrane – ”Giant Steps”
• Sault – ”WIldfires”
• Eurythmics – ”Beethoven (I love to Listen to)”
• Brenda Russell – ”Lucky”
• Yaya Bey – ”Chasing the Bus”
• AC/DC – ”A Shot in the Dark”

By Alicia O’Donnell ‘96

Landing one research experience for undergraduates (REU) is an accomplishment for a student in the sciences. Milly McClure, a senior from Liberal, Kansas, landed four.

The physics and mathematics major spent summer 2024 in Texas A&M’s Cyclotron Institute. She helped faculty learn to use a new thermal evaporator—a machine integral to the institute’s research into using the radioactive element astatine to fight cancer.

But that’s not all.

The university sent her to a five day, expense paid workshop at Argonne National Laboratory in Lemont, Illinois.

“I was the youngest person there and the only undergraduate student,” Milly said. She took advantage of exposure to graduate students, postdoc fellows and professors from other institutions to get advice on selecting a graduate program.

A year earlier, she had no idea these opportunities existed, let alone would be open to her.

This story originally appeared in the 2024 HC Today.

An Unclear Path

By the end of McClure’s sophomore year, she hit a crossroads. She had quit playing softball and picked up a second major in mathematics.

“I didn’t know what I wanted to do or what I could do with my degrees,” she said. “I knew I wanted to go grad school. I just didn’t know what for.”

Seeking insights from others who had graduated from the College’s physics department, she signed up for the �㽶��Ƶ Alumni Mentoring Program and participated during the first block of her junior year.

Her mentor: Dr. Jordan Borrell ‘13, assistant professor of occupational therapy education at the University of Kansas Medical Center.

As an undergraduate at HC completing his senior capstone project in physics, Borrell constructed a robotic hand in the same labs where McClure was working and learning. His next stops included the University of Kansas for a master’s and doctorate and the University of Nebraska Omaha for postdoctoral work in clinical applications of assistive and prosthetic devices.

Along the way, he benefited from mentors’ guidance. When Kim Graviette ‘83, director of Career Services, asked him to serve as McClure’s mentor he said “yes.” It was also a wakeup call.

“Now I can actively say I have about 10 years of experience under my belt for research,” Borrell said. “I can provide that knowledge I wish I had.”

Getting Answers…and More

McClure entered the alumni mentoring program seeking answers.

What graduate programs are available? How can one pay for grad school? What does it take to get into grad school?

What she did not know to ask: how do I land a REU?

For college students from smaller colleges and universities like �㽶��Ƶ, REUs provide summer opportunities to work in large research laboratories, network in their career fields of interest and explore graduate programs.

Once Borrell explained how crucial REUs can be for clarifying career goals and securing graduate school slots, he and McClure began focusing their weekly meetings on completing REU applications.

The goal: to land one REU

McClure landed REUs from the University of Arkansas, University of Kansas, University of Colorado and Texas A&M.

“The REU programs were emailing me all at the same time so I had to make pros and cons lists for which ones I really wanted to go to, what would help me in my career and what would help me get the best experience for grad school,” McClure said.

Many of those lists she compiled at 2:00 a.m. while traveling in France because the programs required responses within a week.

Borrell said he was extremely proud of McClure’s success. His advice?

“‘You’re in a lucky position where you get to choose that opportunity because you got multiple offers. So now look at the potential projects, we have the opportunity to leverage which project you get into.’ Not all students have that,” he said.

Ultimately, McClure selected the REU at Texas A&M based on the research she could do there and its location.

“I had already lived in Kansas and Colorado. I’ve never lived in a town as big as College Station,” she said.

When not in the lab, McClure enjoyed the camaraderie with undergraduates from across the country who share her interests as well as trips to see NASA’s facilities in Houston.

‘A clear path of what I want to do.’

McClure and Borrell continue to meet. As she applies to graduate programs in medical engineering or bioengineering, Borrell is reviewing her papers and applications.

“I can’t thank [Dr. Borrell] enough because he has really helped me,” she said. “And I really appreciate the mentoring program because the REU wouldn’t have happened if I hadn’t met him. The REU helped me get out of my comfort zone. Now I have a clear path of what I want to do.”

Borrell credits McClure’s strong work ethic, intelligence and willingness to listen with her success thus far.

“She has a bright future ahead of her. I’m really excited to see what she accomplishes and where she goes,” said Borrell.

About the Alumni Mentoring Program

The program connects current students with alumni in their career field of interest to get career advice and insights. The pairs meet for about an hour a week for a minimum of five weeks during an eight week block. If you have questions about the program and may be interested in participating as a mentor, contact Carissa Uhrmacher ‘96 in Career Services at carissa.uhrmacher@hastings.edu or Alicia O’Donnell ‘96 in the Alumni and Foundation Office at aodonnell@hastings.edu.

By Alicia O’Donnell ‘96

“The composition of this particular painting is almost perfect. It draws your eyes from the corner across the entire painting, and the dome echoes the minty color of the light above. Even though he painted the people below with just a single dab of a brush, your brain fills in the gaps. I think it’s stunning,” said Goad, a sophomore from Gothenburg, Nebraska.

With her lifelong love of painting, academic studies in studio art and art history, and skills honed as a speech competitor, Goad was a natural fit as a summer intern at the award-winning museum and gallery in Cozad, Nebraska.

“About three years ago, I started thinking about working in the museum business, creating and curating galleries. Then, two days before I was about to leave college for the summer, an email about this internship popped up in my inbox. I thought it was the perfect opportunity,” Goad said.

Initially, Museum Executive Director Peter Osborne thought the 19-year-old might be too young for the program (previous interns were more experienced, including one from Trinity College in Dublin, Ireland). Still, Osborne was impressed by Goad’s “fantastic” application essay and selected her for the position.

“After she had been here for about 10 days, we threw her to the lions and had her give tours. I can’t tell you how many visitors over the summer have told us what a great tour guide she is. She’s very poised and knowledgeable,” Osborne said. “Ally also brought her skills as an artist and a student of art history to the position.”

This story originally appeared in the 2024 HC Today.

Sharing a colorful life

Goad guided hundreds of visitors through the Robert Henri Museum, a two-story, gray building that was a hotel for travelers and Henri’s childhood home from 1879 to 1883. Henri’s father, John Cozad, a well-to-do gambler who founded the prairie town on the 100th meridian, fled Cozad after fatally shooting a local rancher during a land dispute. His family left soon after, all assuming new identities.

“Robert Henry Cozad became Robert Earl Henri. He kept that name for the rest of his life, even though his father was eventually exonerated,” Goad said.

Henri attended art school in Philadelphia and became a distinguished painter and art instructor in New York City, teaching students like Edward Hopper and George Bellows, who went on to illustrious careers.

A realist and leader of the Ashcan School of Art, Henri completed more than four thousand oil paintings. He is best known for portraits of ordinary people from different social classes and ethnicities, like the paintings “Dancing Gypsy Girl” and “Dutch Girl with Sailor Hat” that hang in the Cozad gallery.

“In my own art, I enjoy painting and drawing people. That’s probably why Robert Henri quickly became one of my favorite artists; he worked primarily in portraiture,” Goad said.

In addition to museum and gallery tours, Goad worked in the archives and wrote descriptions for an exhibit focused on the geography of where Henri painted, including places like France, Holland and New York. The exhibit will be housed in a new $3.5 million gallery scheduled to open in December.

“I trust her knowledge and her ability to do research,” Osborne said. “These descriptions need to be right because this will become the national center for Robert Henri’s legacy. We have more of his paintings on display than anywhere in the world. We’ll add another 10 or 15 in the new gallery.”

Learning to lead a nonprofit museum

When she wasn’t busy greeting visitors attracted by the Robert Henri Museum signs on Interstate 80, Goad participated in sessions with Osborne designed to immerse her in the world of museum management. Topics included nonprofit legal structure, exhibit creation, strategic planning, budgeting and bookkeeping, fundraising and collection management. She also attended a board meeting and met with nonprofit directors in the community.

Given Goad’s aptitude and passion for the profession, Osborne has invited her back as an intern next summer. Through her eyes as an artist, he wants her to analyze and create descriptions of all the paintings in the gallery. Goad is eager to start that process and explore other ideas she’s generated.

“I’d like to create a timeline of Robert Henri’s life and career,” she said.

“Next summer. You’re on it,” Osborne said.

By Judee Konen ‘85

Recently, though, his degree brought him back to Nebraska for something a little more domestic: veterinary medicine.

This fall, Manglitz started his second year of the Professional Program of Veterinary Medicine, a partnership between Iowa State University and the University of Nebraska–Lincoln. The “2+2 program” sends students to study two years at UNL, then two years at ISU. They graduate with a Doctorate of Veterinary Medicine. Manglitz’s ultimate goal is to open his own veterinary practice—one that ties in some of his more adventurous animal experiences.

“I really enjoy dogs and cats, and I love working with them, but it can get a little boring if that’s all you see,” he said. “I’m focused on mixed practice, so I could also help exotic pets. And I’d really like to get to the point where I’d feel comfortable looking at any animal someone wants me to look at.”

This story originally appeared in the 2024 HC Today.

Cultivating interest in medicine

Manglitz said he never envisioned himself entering the medical field, be it animal or human. He studied wildlife biology as an undergrad because he liked ecology and biology, and wildlife biology combined those two topics well.

“The medical field was not on my radar. I don’t fully know what, but I just never thought it would be that interesting to me,” he said. “It wasn’t until I got more real-life experience working in Florida that I realized I might actually enjoy it.”

Manglitz moved to the Sunshine State in 2018 for a one-year internship with the Florida Keys Wild Bird Rehabilitation Center. He cared for the center’s “resident birds,” or those that were unable to be released back into the wild. Later, he was hired full-time as a hospital technician who helped care for sick or injured birds.

“I got to experience doing wing wraps for broken wings, and there was a lot of feeding baby birds that had been abandoned,” Manglitz said. “It’s really satisfying to see an injured bird that can’t walk slowly improve based on what you’re doing to it. It’s also rewarding to get to see it fly away once it’s fully recovered.”

Pelicans were some of the hospital’s most common patients. Oftentimes, the birds will get fish hooks caught in their throats. The hospital tech’s job involved finding injured pelicans and bringing them into the hospital, so the vets could remove the hooks. In one rare case, Manglitz helped capture a pelican that had swallowed a cellphone.

“I actually really miss catching pelicans,” Manglitz said. “I failed a lot of times to start, but eventually I got really good at it.”

The trick is to use fish to draw the bird toward the boardwalk, then quickly scoop it up with a net before it realizes what’s happening. Then, you secure it by holding both wings in one hand, and the mouth in the other.

“Certain species have the ability to hurt you, so you want to be careful,” Manglitz said. “For example, when working with raptors, the first thing you want to grab and get secured is their talons. A pelican’s beak can be dangerous, so that’s why you want to make sure it’s secure.”

The more birds he helped, the more his interest in animal medicine grew. He said it was gratifying to diagnose a sick bird, then nurse it back to health.

“I also found it really interesting to watch the veterinarian perform surgeries. It made me want to pursue more veterinary medicine,” Manglitz said. “I decided to apply for jobs at vet clinics to see if I liked working with domestic animals, as well.”

Developing more skills

In 2021, he returned to Nebraska and started working for  the Veterinary Eye Specialists of Nebraska in Omaha, a specialty clinic that focuses on pet eye issues. His job as a vet assistant included monitoring pets under anesthesia, assisting with surgery, drawing blood and putting in catheters.

“A lot of people consider their pets as family members, so it can be scary and stressful when their animal needs to go to the vet,” Manglitz said. “It can be very gratifying to see an owner’s reaction to how you treat and help their pets.”

After building up some experience at the clinic, Manglitz decided to apply for vet school. The Professional Program of Veterinary Medicine is a highly competitive program open to Nebraska residents only, with spots for 25-30 students each year. It’s not uncommon for a student to apply two or three times before getting accepted, Manglitz said.

His first application earned him a spot as a “first alternate,” but no students dropped from the cohort to open a spot for him. His second application got him accepted in full.

“I tell the undergrads I’m working with not to get discouraged for not getting in. A lot of my classmates didn’t get in on their first try either,” Manglitz said. “Some people say getting accepted is actually harder than school itself.”

When he received his acceptance letter for vet school, the doctor at the eye clinic let him take on more skilled tasks, like intubating pets who were about to undergo surgery.

“I really enjoyed being able to do all that, and I am excited to continue to develop more skills at school,” Manglitz said.

His first year of classes concluded with a multi-day field trip to the Great Plains Veterinary Education Center in Clay Center, Nebraska. The trip, fondly known as “Cow Camp,” teaches the students about examining and treating large animals, like cattle or swine. It also showed Manglitz that even domestic veterinary medicine can involve exotic experiences.

“At the end, we did a full exam on a heifer that required a rectal palpation, meaning you stick your hand in to feel for its uterus and ovaries as a pregnancy test,” he said. “It was kind of weird to be elbow deep in a cow, but a really unique experience.”

By Mallory Gruben ’18