When Juniata began the Uncommon Outcomes Campaign in 1998 our trustees, staff and alumni were skeptical that we could reach such an impressive goal -- after all, it was twice what the previous campaign had raised. I personally never had a doubt that we could reach the $70 million goal and even exceed it, and so I took on the role of campaign chair with enthusiasm.

Now we are three-quarters of the way through the campaign and my faith was not misplaced. The Uncommon Outcomes Campaign has exceeded the goal that was set with eagerness and hope. The 2002-2003 year-end figures put the campaign total at more than $88 million! (this number will need to be updated with June 30 figures before the article goes to press)

Congratulations would seem to be in order as you look around campus and see the amazing things that have taken place since the start of the campaign. The William J. von Liebig Center for Science is truly the crown jewel of the campaign’s success so far. There is much to be proud of, but there is more to be done. Just because we have exceeded the overall campaign goal, it does not mean that all of the campaign priority goals and needs have been met. There are still exciting projects yet to be completed that offer you the opportunity to make a difference to the future of Juniata and I invite you to consider supporting Juniata with a gift to these campaign priorities.

• The Halbritter Performing Arts Center
• The Juniata College Center for Entrepreneurial Leadership
• Founders Hall
• Endowments for Football, Baseball, and Volleyball
• The Juniata Fund

Juniata will meet those goals with your help!



Telemarketing Herself: Juniata Phone-a-thoner Connects to a Career
Jill Bauerlein
For two years Jill Bauerlein '03 worked during phone-a-thons for The Juniata Fund and found that she enjoyed the easy camaraderie between the student callers and alumni.

So much so that she sort of telemarketed her way into a career as a fashion buyer for Women's Van Heusen, a division of Van Heusen Inc. in Bridgewater, N.J.

"Working the phone-a-thons is less of a job because as you relax and become better at connecting with alumni, you can talk about the College or the alumni's experiences," says the senior from Randolph, N.J. who started at the fashion firm in the summer.

Jill originally came to Juniata to become a veterinarian. She made the switch to business after a heart-to-heart talk with her dad, who had asked what she was really interested in. She began a turn toward fashion by working for Gucci in New York City as an intern the summer of her junior year. "I interned for the buyer for sunglasses, fragrances and watches," she says.

Armed with that experience, Jill was ready to make more job connections. After talking with Van Heusen representatives at a job fair at Rutgers University, she had been selected for an initial round of interviews at the clothing company and finished a telephone interview with the company's human resources department. Let's let her tell the rest:

"I was on my phone-a-thon shift after my interview and one of the students called over to me, 'I just finished talking to someone who is a buyer for Izod,'" Jill recalls. Izod, the company familiar to consumers as the brand that features a tiny alligator stitched on its polo shirts, is a division of Van Heusen.

It turned out that the alumna was Ann Cleary '89. Jill immediately put in a call. "I told Ann I was a Juniata College student who was coming to Van Heusen headquarters for an interview and I asked about the company and what to expect in the interview," Jill says. "She was so nice and very helpful. After the interviews, I called her and told her how it went. Being that much more prepared going into my job interview made me much more comfortable about the process."

Shortly after her second round of interviews, Jill was hired as an assistant buyer and will work at the firm's New Jersey headquarters. Jill credits her time as a phone-a-thon worker with helping her market her skills to employers. "One of things they tell us as phone-a-thon workers is to make alumni connections when you can," Jill says. "I can tell you that Ann went out of her way to make me feel as though I could ask her about the company and about what to do in a job interview."


Honoring a Lasting Legacy: To an Athlete Dying Young
Joe Kershishnik
Joe Kershishnik's legacy is an American success story straight out of a Horatio Alger tale, yet leavened by a tragic final chapter that cut a unique life short-leaving hundreds of Juniata alumni savoring memories of a young man who seemed to positively affect every person he met.

"Once you met him, Joe had a charisma that stayed with you," says Judy Swartley '75, a managing partner in M. Arthur Consulting Group, a management firm that also manufactures Intercept, an oral drug and alchohol testing product. "He was well known for his sincerity and genuine attitude."

Joe Kershishnik came to Juniata as a 1973 graduate of Penns Manor High School in Indiana County. A dominating athlete in high school, Joe played football at Juniata and also competed as a wrestler. A three-year letterman in football, Joe was a reserve on the 1973 team that played in the Stagg Bowl and started as a defensive tackle in his sophomore and junior years. In 1976, Joe took a leave of absence from Juniata because his family was experiencing financial difficulties. The eldest of seven children reared by a divorced mother, Joe memorably stated his reason for leaving Juniata in a Sept. 7, 1976 letter to the Indiana Evening Gazette: "I have decided to take a one-year leave of absence from Juniata College. Financial reasons were the basis for my decision and I am presently, slowly but surely, relieving the situation."

Relief came through a job that took Joe far underground into a mine in Indiana County. On Nov. 18 at 7:40 p.m., while working with a coal crew on an extracting machine, a portion of the mine roof collapsed and Joe Kershishnik was killed. He was 21 years old.

Joe's death deeply affected many if not all of the students who attended Juniata during his time at the College.

"I remember one of the last times I talked to him he said, 'It's an honor to help my mother' and those words just stayed with me," Swartley says.

Judy Swartley knew that Joe received scholarships and financial aid to attend college and since leaving Juniata she carried an idea in the back of her mind to honor her friend. "I always thought Juniata should have a scholarship to help other people like Joe."

In 2002, Judy broached her idea of a scholarship to Simon Corby, associate director of advancement. Corby suggested that she consider creating an endowed scholarship in Joe's name. "An endowed scholarship requires at least $25,000 in donations, which in turn provides a qualified student with a certain amout of financial aid every year," Corby explains. "She's probably one of the best volunteers Juniata has ever had-she makes phone calls, writes letters, sends e-mails."

So far, Judy has raised about $14,000 toward her $25,000 goal. She has recruited three other volunteers: Bill Drexler '77, Sean Ryan '75 and Robin Shean '76, all former Juniata football players. "I can see that Joe lived what Juniata was trying to teach-values," says Drexler, supply chain manager for USSC Group Inc. in King of Prussia, Pa. "He approached life with enthusiasm, heart, integrity and unbridled optimism."

"I couldn't help but think that Joe's life was a true American story, one that needs to remain alive as an inspiration to other students of humble backgrounds who are struggling to make their way through college," says Sean Ryan '75, now chief of adult probation for Bucks County, Pa.