FACETIME AUGUST 2013
Welcome back to NAU Alumni Facetime,
published by the NAU Office of Alumni Relations. Here you'll find news
on your friends and classmates organized by decade, with links to more
in-depth explorations of their lives and work.
Share your life updates and photos in a future issue of Facetime, by emailing us. Be sure to follow us on Twitter, Facebook, Linkedin, Flickr, Pinterest and YouTube for info and conversation on all things NAU.
Alumni Class Notes
Funding Student Opportunity
Recognized for academic excellence and leadership in higher
education, NAU has been the recipient of multiple grants. The National Science Foundation awarded
$600,000 to benefit student scholarships in the area of engineering, science
and math. Distributed over four years,
the grant will provide funds for undergraduate transfer students from community
colleges working toward degrees in the College of Engineering, Forestry and
Natural Sciences. 42 qualifying students will receive an average scholarship of
$6,000 for each of two years.
The Environmental Protection Agency bestowed a $200,000 grant
which will help to clean up abandoned uranium mines in Arizona. NAU’s Institute
for Tribal Environmental Professionals will train 36 students living in
communities affected by uranium mining in techniques to mitigate the
environmental impact of hazardous materials. NAU received the award as one of sixteen
grantees through the EPA’s Environmental Workforce Development and Job Training
program. “This grant offers a great
opportunity for our ITEP program, in partnership with the Navajo Nation, to
play a critical role in addressing the challenges of sustainability and career
preparation,” said NAU President John Haeger.
Honoring Local Heroes
Northern
Arizona recently lost 19 heroic firefighters, and though their
sacrifice will not soon be forgotten, we can remember the Granite
Mountain Hotshots with the creation of the Yarnell Memorial Scholarship
Endowment. The endowment will provide tuition scholarships and will help
with education-related expenses for the children of the Hotshots and
other fallen firefighters. You can make a contribution here.
Photo Share
We often receive requests for larger versions of photos that we've shared via
Facebook
and our other social media channels. If you'd like to receive a copy the photo above or any of our other photo content, please send an email to
alumni@nau.edu with
"Photos" in the subject line and include your name and graduation year
and we'll be happy to send you a printable, high-resolution copy for
all original content.
Alumni-Employee Spotlight
Retired Lt. Col. C. Andrew Griffin, '07 EDD, Director of Military and Veteran Affairs
How long have you worked at NAU?
I
have worked on the NAU mountain campus since 2000 when I retired after 22 years
of military service with the US Army. From 2000-2010 I served as a
leadership instructor and recruiting operations officer for the Army ROTC
program. During that time the ROTC program climbed from the bottom ten to
top ten out of 270 programs nation-wide. It was a great honor to train
and mentor such outstanding young men and women who went on to serve their
country in time of war in Iraq and Afghanistan. While working in
Army ROTC I pursued a doctoral degree in education from the NAU College of
Education where I graduated in 2007. As part of the doctoral studies I worked
for the W.A. Franke College of Business, developing a new online leadership
course and also teaching management-related courses as an adjunct.
In March 2010 I began my current duties as the director of the office of
military and veteran affairs.
What is your favorite memory of NAU?
I
have many wonderful memories of NAU over the years working with the outstanding
young men and women cadets in the Army ROTC program to now serving our
veterans, military and their families through my current duties. Also, I
truly enjoyed my doctoral studies. I made many life-long friends through
the six year program of study. It was a wonderful journey.
However, the two memories I am most fond of are the graduations of
my two children, Carl, ’09 BS, and Marian, ’11 BA, who are also NAU alumni.
What is your favorite part of working at your alma mater?
My
current duties allow me to serve our veterans, military, and their families who
wish to seek a degree in higher education from NAU. Through the Military
and Veteran Student Center on the mountain campus our office serves as their
advocate on our many campuses. It is truly an honor to continue to serve
my extended military family on a university that sets the standard for
outstanding service to our military and veterans.
Who was your favorite professor as a student?
There
have been many professors who have offered coaching and mentorship over the
years. However, I must give credit to two very outstanding men who
coached and mentored me through the doctoral program and will have a very
positive and lasting impact on my future. Dr. Michael Blocker from
the College of Education was my doctoral committee chair. He always had
the right amount and ‘type’ of encouragement that kept me on track. And
Dr. Chris Lockwood from the W.A. Franke College of Business who also served on my
doctoral committee and opened doors and mentored me through my internship and
later my adjunct duties. Both professors were demanding, inspirational and caring. They believed in me and I will forever be humbly grateful.
Freebies/Discounts
In Case You Missed It...
Spring Pine Headlines:
In Good Company: Student veterans find a warm welcome at NAU, Q & A
with gem hunter Matt Foutz, Robin Rosenberg's Mine-Detecting Company
Red Lotus, and more
NAU Alumni Facetime Archive