Ini Augustine runs SocialWise Media out of her home and is a current UIU Online student.

When Ini Augustine started SocialWise Media Group out of her home, she found that she finally had time to realize one of her life goals – earn a college degree. But, she needed a university that would work for her. “I needed the freedom to schedule my school work around my work schedule, which varies from week to week,” she said.

Augustine learned about Upper Iowa University’s Online program from a mentor, Tom Smartwood of the Buchanan Center at Drake University in Des Moines, Iowa. “I investigated several schools, but Upper Iowa kept coming up very positively in reviews,” Augustine said. “Even if I am out of town on client business, I can still submit school work and participate.” She is majoring in management information systems and expects to graduate in 2015.

Augustine’s entrepreneurial spirit was ignited at a young age. She started her first business, Provision Staffing Group, in St. Paul, Minn., at the age of 23, but returned to her roots in the Des Moines area where she developed SocialWise Media Group. “I was writing and producing commercials for a local TV station at the time. When I sat down with business owners to discuss their commercials, I always asked for their social media pages and websites,” she said. “It was shocking how many business owners would say that they didn’t have one, or that their current one was so bad they didn’t want customers to go to it.

“It was like, (screech of tires) ‘Whoa! You cannot go on TV without your website and social media profile. People won’t think you are a serious business without one.’ Clients then asked me to help them set up and manage their social media accounts, and so SocialWise Media Group was born.”

Augustine has been recognized internationally for her efforts to educate business owners through the quagmire of social media. She was quoted in an article, ‘Mastering the Digital Marketing Basics,’ in The Guardian, England’s popular national newspaper in March. Closer to home, Augustine was just recently named the ‘Aspiring Woman Business Owner of the Year’ by the Central Iowa chapter of the National Association of Women Business Owners.

In addition to Augustine, SocialWise Media Group employs three others, all of whom are virtually located. “We are big technology users, so we have the freedom to work from home most of the time,” she said.

Together, the four help companies manage their online marketing and website development. Using platforms like Pinterest, Facebook, blogging and Twitter, etc., SocialWise helps businesses generate more sales and stronger customer relationships. It also specializes in social media management and training, as well as public relations and reputation management.

Augustine has set goals for SocialWise, which will ensure its future in the ‘Silicon Prairie’ of Iowa. “I want to focus on making social media accessible to everyone – old, young, urban or rural. Social media is the only tool I know of that can change a company’s fate literally overnight. Ninety-two of the Fortune 100 companies are using social media to hire, and so really everyone needs to have this skill. That is why I am offering anyone who wants one, a free online social media class, whether it’s for business or personal use. It is crucial that everyone know how to use social media as a professional.”

To schedule a class or find out more about Augustine and SocialWise Media Group, visit www.getsocialwise.com.

                          

Kate (Mortensen) Zimmerman ’07 (left) was recently awarded the Bohumil Shimek Environmental Educator Award for outstanding efforts by an environmental educator.

For nearly two years, Kate (Mortensen) Zimmerman ’07 held the title of Iowa’s youngest director when she was hired as executive director of the Ringgold County Conservation Board. She may have lost that crown two months ago when a younger conservation director was hired elsewhere in the state, but she is one of only six female directors in Iowa, and the recent recipient of the very prestigious Bohumil Shimek Environmental Educator Award for outstanding efforts by an environmental educator.

Zimmerman was raised on a small Hereford cattle farm south of Guthrie Center, Iowa, where she developed a strong work ethic thanks to her parents and grandparents. “I always loved working outdoors on the farm, and my grandparents, Fred and Neva Compton, took me for nature hikes all the time. They were always supportive of my dream to work in conservation and did everything they could to encourage me,” she said.

Her desire to work in conservation one day led to many exciting opportunities for Zimmerman. She participated in 4-H and FFA, and began her career at Springbrook State Park directly out of high school for two summers. The summer of 2006, Zimmerman acquired an internship with Carl Kurtz, a man renowned for his efforts in prairie restoration, something that she too now holds close to her heart. The following summer, Zimmerman interned at Seed Savers Exchange in Decorah, Iowa, and also worked with Fayette County Conservation at the Gilbertson Nature Center as a naturalist/zookeeper, and assisted at the UIU Maize Maze which is located across the road from the nature center.

Zimmerman graduated from Upper Iowa University’s residential campus in Fayette, Iowa, with degree in conservation management and minor in biology in just three years. “I accomplished that thanks to awesome science professors Dr. Scott Figdore, Dr. Kata McCarville, Dr. Rick Klann and math instructor Dr. Maureen Busta,” she said.

“When I graduated from Upper Iowa, everyone I talked to in this career field told me the most important thing you can do is ‘get your foot in the door,’” she continued. “That was the best advice I have ever received. After graduating, I went after the illusive fulltime job with hard determination.”

Zimmerman got her start as a naturalist with Bremer County Conservation located in Tripoli, Iowa. There she learned from another naturalist how to engage in environmental education. After a little over two years, Zimmerman wanted more of a leadership role in her career, but did not want to lose the field work aspect and environmental education that she had grown to love.

“I began applying for jobs, but knew it would be hard to find the right fit,” she said. “I received an interview for several positions and none of them were quite what I was looking for. Then came the Ringgold County Conservation Board Executive Director position. It was the best interview of my life, and two hours after the interview they called and offered the position to me before I was even halfway home! It has been a learning experience, but I always work best under pressure!”

As the executive director, Zimmerman is in charge of the clerical aspects of the position, as well as maintaining the parks, trails and wildlife areas, managing seasonal staff and environmental education programming.

“My favorite part of the job is that I get to do a little of everything. It is a lot of hard work and can get a little overwhelming at times, but we have a great community that supports us, and that makes it worthwhile. We also have a wonderful network of conservation employees across the state who are always more than willing to lend a hand,” she said.

When Zimmerman started in 2010, there wasn’t an environmental education program in Ringgold County. In her first year, she presented 71 programs with 852 participants. Since then, the program has increased. In fiscal year 2011-12, Zimmerman presented 114 programs with 2,543 participants.

Zimmerman is married UIU alumnus Mike Zimmerman ’05.

Her advice to prospective students interested in conservation: “Don’t limit yourself in high school and college. I worked in many different sectors of the field during this time and gained a well-rounded work experience background, which helped me land that first full-time job. Try fisheries, wildlife, habitat management, park enforcement and environmental education, along with so many more, to find out what it is that you like and don’t like. This will help you know what you really want when applying for jobs in the future.”

Kate (Mortensen) Zimmerman branding a kestrel during an environmental education presentation.

                          

Terry Hernandez was inducted into the Iowa Women’s Hall of Fame in 2012 and recently awarded the 2013 Connie Wimer Spirit award by the Central Iowa chapter of the National Association of Women Business Owners.

Terry Hernandez was recently awarded the 2013 Connie Wimer Spirit award presented by the Central Iowa chapter of the National Association of Women Business Owners for authoring the report, “SHE MATTERS: Status of Women and Girls in Iowa” on the disparities and challenges faced by women and girls.

As its executive director for the past 12 years, Terry (Henderson) Hernandez has led Chrysalis, the leading community foundation in central Iowa dedicated to building stronger futures for women and girls. Long a champion for women and girls’ issues, Hernandez was hired to expand the public foundation’s reach in the Greater Des Moines area. Her extraordinary efforts in impacting the lives of more than 5,000 girls through the Chrysalis After-School program and establishing the Women’s Alliance and Central Iowa Funders Forum, led to her 2012 induction into the Iowa Women’s Hall of Fame.

Hernandez attended classes at Upper Iowa University’s Des Moines Center, when they were held at Valley High School. She is a West Union native, but moved to Des Moines with her family as a young girl.

With a degree in marketing, Hernandez worked in youth development at YMCA of Greater Des Moines where she became acquainted with Senator Elaine Szymoniak, who along with Barbara Barrett and Chrysalis founder, Louise Rosenfield Noun, had started the Chrysalis Foundation in 1989. At the time, the foundation’s main goal was to fund projects that directly impacted the lives of girls and women. Chrysalis took applications and awarded money based on the scope of the projects.

While working at YMCA, Hernandez noticed the disparity in programs available to girls. “I saw adolescent girls just standing around watching the boys play basketball,” she said. “I thought, ‘You know, you need something for yourself.’” She wrote an application for funding to the Chrysalis Foundation, but it was denied. The YMCA’s history of working mainly with boys’ programs worked against Hernandez in the eyes of Chrysalis.

She remained persistent in her efforts to find out why the program went unfunded by contacting Szymoniak. A working relationship blossomed. Later, the pair worked together on youth issues and pregnancy prevention when Hernandez was employed at Iowa Lutheran Hospital Foundation. When Chrysalis decided to expand its impact on the lives of women and girls in the Des Moines area, it tapped Hernandez as the woman to lead the charge.

Prior to her being named the founding executive director, Chrysalis met once a quarter and gave money away. The foundation was funded by Noun, and is now an endowment from her estate. Noun took her life at age 94 in 2002.

When Hernandez was hired to direct the foundation, Noun told her to “Start something that will really make a difference.”

To get started, Hernandez conducted a conference with middle school teachers and counselors in the area. She outlined an idea for an after-school program for adolescent girls to engage them, empower them and provide them with a place to go after school with a safe and nurturing environment. When she concluded her presentation, she asked the crowd if this type of program was needed. Their response was a resounding, “Yes!”

Since starting in 1998, the program has expanded to 30 schools and now includes elementary schools in Warren, Polk and Dallas counties in Iowa. “We decided to take Chrysalis After-School into the elementaries, because sometimes, by sixth-grade there was a lot more going on than we expected. Girls are developing so much faster,” said Hernandez.

Now that Chrysalis After-School and the foundation as a whole are securely funded through Noun’s estate, Hernandez is no longer the only employee. This is a relief to Hernandez who has really seen the foundation grow from the ground up. “I used to be in charge of finding funding not only for Chrysalis, but for my job, too. I also spread the message of the foundation through various speaking engagements and emptied the wastebaskets,” she smiled.

Chrysalis employees hold training sessions for the after-school program to ensure that workshop leaders know how to interact with girls who have been traumatized, can assist girls in developing leadership skills and help girls develop civility.

The idea that a girl can become an aerospace engineer, carpenter, physician or corporate CEO was a notion that never existed a few years ago. Chrysalis After-School works hard to change this perspective. Annual evaluations have proven that participation in the program increases a girl’s intent to finish high school, ability to resist peer pressure, capacity to care for herself and others, willingness to take responsibility for her actions and understanding that working hard today will make her life successful in the future, according to the Chrysalis annual report.

Hernandez has had the opportunity to witness the success of Chrysalis and its direct impact on the lives of the girls in the After-School program. One young woman went from skipping school as a fifth-grader to being accepted at Harvard. Three young women were selected to attend the highly-competitive and internationally-known Eleanor Roosevelt Leadership Center program. Chrysalis keeps track of how the program impacts individual girls by monitoring attendance records, as well as collecting anecdotal evidence from the girls themselves.

In addition to overseeing Chrysalis After-School, Hernandez keeps various civic groups and constituents apprised of the status of women and girls in the state of Iowa. “Women more often live in poverty, and are homeless,” she said. “People don’t understand what the conditions are for women and girls in Iowa. They think that everything is just fine. They think that women’s lives are great.”

According to the 2012 SHE MATTERS: Status of Women and Girls in Iowa, over 80 percent of Iowa women ages 16 to 64 are in the labor force, yet they work for approximately 79 percent of men’s income for similar positions. Nearly 14 percent of Iowa’s women live in poverty, and the numbers increase with an aging population.

Hernandez hopes to instill in women and girls, that the media is not a true picture of how they are or should be. “We can’t change the world, but what we need to do is teach girls and women that (the media) is not the way,” she said. “You are smarter than that. (You need to) make better choices. We need to build their self-confidence and resilience, and build relationships with adults they can trust to give guidance.”

                          

Happy Birthday Pete!

Written by Ain Suraya Mior Azri, Intern
UIU Office of Communications & Marketing

March 26, 2013, marked a new tradition at Upper Iowa University as we celebrated the birthday of our beloved peacock mascot for the first time.

The “Peacock” became the official mascot of UIU athletics in September 1920. In his current recognizable form, the peacock arrived on campus in 2003 and “Pete” became the name of the mascot. Being one of the biggest and most prominent figures at UIU, Pete’s arrival on campus is one that should always be remembered and celebrated.

Pete the Peacock is well-known on campus, and has been the life of the party at all home games, student activities and events that are available on campus. Student members of Peacock Alumni for Students & Tradition (P.A.S.T) spearheaded the 10^th birthday celebration with the goal of building a strong tradition that will be carried out for future students. As an effort to infuse school spirit, P.A.S.T created this event during the week after spring break to welcome everyone back and start anew after the short break from classes.

A week before Pete’s birthday, P.A.S.T members and Pete himself went around during lunch hour to promote the event. Pete personally invited every person he saw to his birthday celebration, and was a fun addition to the event.

For the event, the Servery and Student Center were decorated with balloons while P.A.S.T members were busy handing out party hats for students to wear for the big celebration. As the guest of honor arrived at the dining hall, he was presented with a big birthday card that had been signed by the student body wishing him well on his big day.

Pete, who turned only 10 this year, surprised many students as most of them thought that Pete had been around for many years and was very aged.

Being his usual self, Pete went around thanking fellow students for being at his birthday party and took many pictures with celebrants in conjunction of this auspicious day. Not only was Pete having fun, but the entire student body was also enjoying the party.

No birthday party is complete without a cake and singing the birthday song, and thanks to the great work and cooperation of ARAMARK, students enjoyed delicious treats in honor of Pete’s birthday.

Alyssa Joseph, the advisor of P.A.S.T and director of annual giving, said, “It is our hope that these P.A.S.T. students are well on their way of becoming the next tradition-makers of UIU as they celebrate our Upper Iowa history, as well as add new elements that will build and infuse peacock spirit in each UIU student!”

Happy Birthday Pete!

Check out more photos of the birthday celebration at http://www.flickr.com/photos/upperiowauniversity/sets/72157633147826565/!

Go Peacocks!

                          

This is absolutely phenomenal as this fairly new UIU club was organized just 3 months ago and they have already taken on 3 big projects!

Watch their presentation!

                          

Said Hunter, “I am the 19^th of 21 natural-born children in my family and the first to go to college and to earn a degree. UIU helped me realize my dream “to be somebody.”  My mother and my brothers and sisters are not huge advocates of education, but I saw so many people that were homeless or in need because of bad decisions and I decided that I wasn’t going to make those choices.  UIU has been a great university for me because my classmates and teachers became my family support. Some of the males on campus became my role models, and they didn’t even know it. This is a great achievement in my life. I want to send a message to my children that education is important.

Watch it! 

Check out Paul’s website:

http://www.nolovenocharity.com/

                          

Fundraising is in full speed for Changing the World One Pedal at a Time, a 2,000-mile bike ride to raise awareness for the organizations of Partners In Development (PID) and Teach For America (TFA). Riding from Fayette, Iowa, to Bridgeport are Dr. Katrina Farren-Eller, UIU assistant professor of English, and Jessica Racine, a former student of Farren-Eller’s at Michigan Technological University.

Peacock Tales first reported on this initiative over a month ago. To find out more, click here.

Dr. Farren-Eller has also been updating her blog (here) on the progress of fundraising, and also has a very informative newsletter found here.

Changing the World One Pedal at a Time recently got a boost from local establishment, Shiners Bar & Grill in Fayette, Iowa. They have committed to supporting the ride by donating 5 cents for every drink purchased by UIU folks.  All that you need to do when you order your food and drinks is to let the waitress know that you are with UIU, and they will do the rest! Shiners has committed to helping us raise money until the end of the ride.

To kick off the fundraiser,  everyone is invited to join the UIU community at Shiners tonight,  Thursday, March 28, at 5 p.m.

The crew must raise $5000 in 30 days in order to receive any of the pledged money. Visit the campaign page and help make this happen!  http://tilt.tc/SDE2

And be sure to check out their web page: http://onepedalatatime.org/

                          

Ryan Barness ’02 analyzes a glomerulus in a kidney cell at Mayo Clinics, Rochester, Minn.

When Ryan Barness was hired to work in the electron microscopy laboratory at Mayo Clinic, Rochester, Minn., he found the work challenging, but knew he was well prepared. “Upper Iowa provided me with a good foundation,” he said. “Other lab technicians (who graduated from other institutions) struggled, while I just fell right into it.”

Barness said his professors in the UIU Division of Science and Mathematics went above and beyond to challenge him, and provide him with help if he needed it. Their obvious love of learning encouraged him to keep learning himself, he added. Continuing education was one of the deciding factors when he considered Mayo Clinic for a career.

During Barness’ senior year in molecular genetics class, he traveled with his classmates to the Mayo Clinic to tour the cytogenetics laboratory. He learned that if he got hired at the world-renowned clinic, he could also continue his education. He is currently working on his master’s degree in molecular neuroscience, all while conducting research that could potentially have a positive impact on the lives of millions of people world-wide.

Barness admits that he wasn’t the typical biology student on a trajectory to work in such a prestigious setting. In fact, Barness came to Upper Iowa as an undeclared student, and was on academic probation after his freshman year.

Then, he cracked open an advanced chemistry book. What he found inside interested him and he decided to test the waters with a botany class and biology.

He was soon hooked.

The more he learned, the more he wanted to learn, and his Upper Iowa professors were more than helpful when it came to providing Barness and his classmates with more information. As he progressed into upper level biology and chemistry classes, he did better in school, and it wasn’t long until he was on the dean’s list.

At Mayo Clinic, Barness is on the cutting-edge of research. He is involved in validation studies to develop a protocol to treat platelet disorders, such as Hermansky-Pudlak Syndrome, and is part of the renal team studying diseases associated with the kidney.

“There is a controversy over what a dense body and an alpha granule are in platelets,” he explained. “Our research team is trying to validate that by doing x-ray microanalysis.

“The secretions from a dense body are different from what is secreted from an alpha granule. When platelets aggregate, the dense bodies release certain chemicals that attract other platelets to come, and that’s what causes a wound to seal up. People with Hermansky-Pudlak Syndrome don’t have that.”

As a research technologist, Barness also looks at samples submitted by pathologists – sometimes it takes up to two hours to thoroughly examine a microscopic sample. He said he does not like to be distracted during this time. “I always try to do my best. I think of it as if it were my sample, or someone from my family.”

When he thinks he’s located an area of interest on the sample that could aid in a diagnosis, he sends an electronic image of the area to the pathologist.

His attention to detail and careful analysis pay off. Just recently, Barness analyzed five glomeruli in a kidney cell and on the very last glomerulus, in a very small section, he found tiny immune deposits. The pathologist called him personally and thanked him for his hard work. “You can miss it by just that much,” he said.

Dr. Jeffrey Salisbury, Mayo Clinic professor and director of the Electron Microscopy Laboratory, stated, “Over the past five years, Ryan has become a key player in electron microscopy at Mayo Clinic. He is skilled in processing tissues and cells; taking them form the living state to the point where they are embedded in plastic that can be cut with a diamond knife to a slice only a few molecules thick.

“Ryan is the’ go-to’ guy in the laboratory when someone has a question or a particularly difficult specimen for processing, he usually knows the answer and if not, he knows where to go to find the solution. What is more important though, is that he is becoming an expert at using the microscope to make images of human tissues and cells so that a pathologist can determine just what disease the patient may have. To top this, Ryan is a most amiable enjoyable human being, who always has a positive can-do attitude and who is simply a pleasure to have as a coworker.”

                          

John Maehl has received two degrees from UIU – a bachelor’s of science and master’s of business administration. Today, he is the Northeast Iowa District Supervisor of the Iowa Department of Natural Resources.

For the past four years, John Maehl has been the supervisor for the northeast district of the Iowa Department of Natural Resources (DNR). Having both a master’s of business administration and undergraduate degree from Upper Iowa University, Maehl feels confident that he has the tools he needs to be an effective manager and that he’s able to communicate better to the general public and to staff.

When Maehl was looking to transfer from Kirkwood Community College in Cedar Rapids to a university where he could obtain a bachelor’s degree in conservation management, he looked to Upper Iowa University. “Upper Iowa was an easy choice,” he said. “It had a very streamlined process for transferring my credits from Kirkwood to Upper Iowa. It was a very polished process. Also, a great majority of DNR employees in eastern Iowa have degrees from Upper Iowa. These are very successful people who are leaders in conservation management. It just made sense to go to Upper Iowa.”

After graduation in 1997, Maehl took a position at Wilson Island near Omaha, Nebraska, on the Missouri River. There he worked as a natural resources technician for the Iowa DNR for six months before he was promoted to natural resources technician II. He and his wife, Charity, moved so that he could take a position at Springbrook Conservation Education Center near Guthrie Center, Iowa. There he trained educators how to introduce natural resource curriculum into their classrooms. Six months later he was promoted to manager of the Wapsipinicon State Park near Anamosa, Iowa.

Maehl then pursued a master’s in business administration degree. He realized that in order to further his career, he would need to know how to better manage his own resources to get the most out of his chosen career path. “I knew that getting more science courses wasn’t holding me back,” he said. “The more you progress in your career, the less technical work you do. It becomes more important that you are able to foster an environment for the people who work for you and best use the resources available.”

Upper Iowa University’s online MBA program was an easy choice for Maehl. Once again, he knew immediately that he would be comfortable with the UIU program and it would fit his needs.

With his MBA, Maehl felt he could accomplish anything, and he decided to put his education to the ultimate test by taking a manager’s position at the biggest, most intense park in Iowa. “I just said, ‘Let’s go for it. We’re going to learn. We’re going to grow. Let’s just do it,’” he recalled. For three years Maehl managed the park, and did it so well that when he was promoted to district supervisor for the northwest Iowa district, nine DNR employees put in for their chance at stepping into his role at the now well-run park. Two years later, he transferred to the northeast Iowa district.

Maehl said that after obtaining his MBA degree through UIU, he really saw growth and positive change in himself, and feels that his conservation management degree has been greatly enhanced by the master’s program. In addition to managing the 10 parks in northeast Iowa, Maehl is also an adjunct instructor at Kirkwood Community College, conducts countless presentations to the general public and special groups, as well as effectively conducts the day-to-day administrative and budget planning needs of the northeast district of Iowa DNR. He says that with his master’s degree he has become a better planner and is more intuitive to the needs of his staff and the position as a whole. “The MBA degree allows you to think critically about everything,” he said. “You’re better able to think of ways to improve a situation, and it teaches you to think about every single detail to be more effective.”

Maehl said he feels very strongly that northeast Iowa has the best resources for state parks and the best DNR staff in Iowa. He and his family were able to settle in Monticello, Iowa, and be in the position that he worked hard for because of the education he earned at Upper Iowa University. “The most attractive part about Upper Iowa is that you’re not just a number,” he added. “The personal attention that instructors gave is phenomenal. They worked with me one-on-one, and they assisted me from my undergrad years all the way through the MBA program.”

                          

Kasey Uran and Nick Linde pose upon completing two marathons in one week to raise money for the Clark-Bowen Endowed Scholarship

The Clark-Bowen Endowed Scholarship Fund honors UIU pioneers Charley Clark and Roger Bowen through scholarships benefiting students at Upper Iowa University.

This year marks the 40th anniversary of UIU’s Correspondence Program, a program that was conceived by UIU President Aldrich Paul, Vice President Charles Clark, and Registrar Roger Bowen during a time that Upper Iowa University looked to diversify its educational model.

Since 1973, Upper Iowa University has seen remarkable growth in the correspondence program, which today includes online, distance learning, and independent study programs that have offered flexible learning to thousands of students worldwide.

To celebrate this historic anniversary, Upper Iowa University will begin an endowment fund to honor two of the creators, Dr. Charles B. Clark and Roger Bowen, with the Clark-Bowen Endowed Scholarship.

This scholarship will be awarded to an academically eligible recipient chosen by the Honors and Awards Committee. The recipient will be eligible to retain the scholarship while learning at Upper Iowa University.

Help us honor these two pioneers in Upper Iowa University’s illustrious history with the creation of a scholarship in their names.