Union Alumni in the News

Congratulations to Union Institute & University’s alumni in the news. Do you have a story to share? Tell us about your recent accomplishments here.

Prime Minister of Jamaica, Portia Simpson Miller (B.A. 1997) was recently inducted into the prestigious International Women’s Forum Hall of Fame, joining the ranks of hall-of-famers including Rosa Parks, Nancy Pelosi, and Margaret Thatcher. This coveted award pays tribute to women of courage, creativity, and passion who improve society and inspire others. Read more about her induction into the Hall of Fame here.

Business man, education consultant, author, film maker, and lecturer Jawanza Kunjufu (Ph.D. 1976) has spent his career improving the education and socialization of black youths. He has been a guest speaker at many universities and consultant to many urban school districts. In April 2013, Dr. Kunjufu was the guest speaker at the Indivizible meeting at the Guild Theater in Sacramento, California, where he discussed economic opportunities for the black community. He is the prolific author of 33 books including Black Students: Middle Class Teachers; Keeping Black Boys out of Special Education; An African Centered Response to Ruby Payne’s Poverty Theory; Raising Black Boys; 200 Plus Educational Strategies to Teach Children of Color; and his latest title, Understanding Black Male Learning Styles. His work has been featured in Ebony and Essence magazines, and he has been a guest on BET, Oprah and The Michael Baisden Show.

M. Charlotte Wolf (Ph.D. 2004) recently published Great German Short Stories of the Twentieth Century: A Dual Language Book. Her professional experience includes public school administration, teaching, and coaching. In addition, she has worked as a freelance translator and editor for twenty-five years. Currently, Dr. Wolf is researching a number of future translation and writing projects, including a collection of early German sci-fi narratives and a biography about the life of her father, an architect and designer who came of age during the turbulent 1930s and 40s in Germany. In her free time she likes writing poetry, cooking, practicing yoga and meditation, philosophy, and reading sci-fi and mysteries in English and German.

Sheryl L.W. Barnes (Ph.D. 2003) recently published the book Discipleship in the Age of Distraction. Her book identifies three major types of distractions that consume attention and devotion, explains their destructive effects, and gives Bible-based solutions that are practical and renewing. Dr. Barnes is the founder and president of Sterling-Xavier Consulting Group, Inc., a training and development firm. She has served as an adjunct professor at Eastern Michigan University, adjunct professor of philosophy at Washtenaw Community College, dean of faculty at Berean Bible Center, and instructor of ethics and bioethics at Kaplan University. She was also a teacher, administrator, exhorter, and preacher in the CLFMI Discipleship Ministry. Her experience includes serving on the board of the Berean Bible Center, as president of Genesis Christian Academy Board of Education, and as a faculty member for Ministers-in-Training. Dr. Barnes was also a staff minister and youth minister at Christian Tabernacle Baptist Church in Hamden, Connecticut.

The prestigious Paul P. Haas Lifetime Achievement Award was presented to Patricia Savage (Ph.D. 2005) at the Leading Age conference held in June 2013 in Hershey, Pennsylvania. This award is presented to a distinguished individual who has demonstrated exemplary leadership, services and commitment to positively influence and advance the aging services field. Dr. Savage is the president and CEO of Allegheny Lutheran Social Ministries. She previously worked as a social worker, director of senior companion programs for Telespond Senior Services in Scranton, and many other roles before becoming the vice president of program operations at Lutheran Welfare Service of Northeastern Pennsylvania, Inc. in Hazleton. Read more about Dr. Savage’s work and the Paul P. Haas award here.

Louis R.Torres (Ph.D. 1985) and Carol Torres (Ph.D. 1985) are teaching and serving throughout the islands of the Northern Marinas and Micronesia: Yap, Palau, Chuuk, Kosrae, Pohnpei, and the Marshall Islands. Dr. Louis Torres is president of the Guam-Micronesia Mission of Seventh-day Adventist, where he oversees 17 K-12 schools throughout the islands. He is the author of eight books including Bothersome and Disturbing Bible Passages, Left Behind or Sincerely Taken, and Great Stories for Gaining Decisions. He is also a regular on the global 3ABN network, as well as a frequent speaker on the Hope Channel. Dr. Carol Torres serves as president of Mission College of Evangelism in Guam-Micronesia. She authored the book Notes on Music and recently released a variety of violin and guitar duets entitled Still Praising.

Mark Rosenman (Ph.D. 1977) has spent his career working for social change. He recently wrote “Progressive Foundations Need to Unite to Build a Better Government," in The Chronicle of Philanthropy, “Wall Street Pennies Can Yield Nonprofit Billions” and "No Truth or Consequences" in the Huffington Post and “How Charities Can Get $35-Billion a Year for Social Needs” in The Chronicle of Philanthropy. Dr. Rosenman also wrote the articles “Philanthropy Not Talking Power” and “SIBs: Private Gain or Public Good?” for PhilanTopic. He recently made a case for taxing  financial transactions in “A New Tax to Raise Money for the US and Slow High-Frequency Trading” on PBS Newshour.

Dr. Rosenman directs Caring to Change, an effort to promote charitable activity for the common good. He views his 25-year career of voluminous applied research as an extension of his earlier professional efforts in the civil rights movement, urban anti-poverty work, international and domestic program development, and in higher education. He is a frequent contributor to The Chronicle of Philanthropy, The Huffington Post, and PhilanTopic and has been quoted in the New York Times, Washington Post, Times (London), BusinessWeek, Christian Science Monitor, Advertising Age, and Daily Mail. Dr. Rosenman was Vice President for Social Responsibility at Union Institute & University and now serves as a professor emeritus.

Nicholas Young (Ph.D. 2004) is the new superintendent of the South Hadley Public Schools in South Hadley, Massachusetts. He previously served as a teacher, counselor/psychologist, principal, and district level special education director. Formerly president of the Massachusetts Association of School Superintendents, Dr. Young is a leader among superintendents. He coauthored the book Collapsing Educational Boundaries from Preschool to Ph.D.: Building Bridges across the Educational Spectrum.

Jacqueline McMillan (Ph.D. 2012) is retiring after a distinguished 30-year career at Wright State University. During her tenure she held various leadership positions including vice president for enrollment management, director of financial aid, minority affairs and recruitment director in the Boonshoft School of Medicine, executive assistant to the president, secretary to the board of trustees, and associate provost.

Anthony Simms Howell (B.A. 1990) and his wife Julieta Simms-Howell were awarded the Bridges for a Just Community Award for their lifetime of volunteerism to improve the quality of life for individuals, families and communities. Anthony has been the recipient of many prestigious awards including: Ohio Civil Rights Hall of Fame 2011; YMCA Achievers Awards of Excellence 2012; 2011 African American Chamber Greater Cincinnati/Northern Kentucky Recognition Award; 2010 Su Casa Lifetime Service Award; 2010 Cincinnati USA Hispanic Chamber Community Award: Ohio Chapter of the National Association of Social Workers Public Citizen of the Year Award 2009; and the National Association of Social Workers Ohio Chapter-Region VI Public Citizen Award 2009.

Robert “Bob” Wright, Jr., Ph.D., COFT (M.A. 2007) recently released the ebook Orgasmic Relaxation: Unleash The Power Of Your Mind To Relax Using The Tension Relieving Technique (TRT). He broke new ground with his study The Role of Endogenous Cyclic Nitric Oxide Spiking in Mother Loss and Existential Grief Recovery: A Modified Neuropsychological and Psychophysiological Heuristic Self Search Inquiry Approach to Stress Reduction, Homeostasis, and Healing demonstrating that the same physiological mechanisms needed to induce relaxation also help us dissolve pain and grief. The study bolsters the link between the physiological mechanisms underlying the relaxation response and any method which causes a relaxation response to occur. This was the first published study to show a correlation among grief, stress, and nitric oxide flatlining, and among grief recovery, stress reduction, and nitric oxide spiking.

The new Vice President for Academic Affairs and Dean of Faculty at Wilmington College is Erika Smith Goodwin (Ph.D. 2006). Dr. Goodwin’s distinguished 18-year career at Wilmington spans teaching in the equine science program, the athletic training program, serving as head athletic trainer before holding the academic leadership roles of area coordinator and coordinator of athletic training clinical education, associate dean for academic affairs, and associate vice president.

Union alum and founding president and CEO of Age Wave, Ken Dychtwald (Ph.D. 1976) earned the prestigious Leadership Award at the 2013 Annual American Society on Aging Conference for his expertise in aging-related issues including lifestyle, marketing, healthcare and workforce. Click here to watch his compelling keynote presentation “Transforming Retirement,” and stay tuned—he will also be giving a special presentation as part of Union’s 50th anniversary in 2014!

The Tobias Center for Leadership Excellence conference at Indiana University invited
Suzanne Epstein (Ed.D. 2012) to present her research to peers at a conference last year. The center focuses on multiple sectors and on both the practice and theory of leadership, distinguishing its agenda among leadership programs nationwide. Dr. Epstein also taught a graduate class in qualitative research for the Tobias Center over the summer.

Jessica D. Dixon (M.A. 2012) has recently been promoted within the Louisiana Office of State Parks and began her new job as a Parks Program Consultant in August 2013.

Poet, critic, journalist, and teacher Nancy Shiffrin (Ph.D. 1994) published The Vast Unknowing in February 2013. In addition to writing books, she has written for the Los Angeles Times, The Advocate, Canadian Jewish Outlook, Women and Judaism and poetix.net. Dr. Shiffrin’s work has earned recognition from The Academy of American Poets, The Alice Jackson Foundation, The Poetry Society of America, The Pushcart Prizes, and The Dora Teitelbaum Foundation. Through her literary arts consultancy Creative Writing Services, she helps aspiring writers. Dr. Shiffrin chose to study Jewish American authors as part of her Ph.D. program at Union.

Kathleen Whitbread (Ph.D. 1999) associate professor at the University of Saint Joseph in West Hartford, Connecticut has been granted tenure in the School of Education. Dr. Whitbread holds a Ph.D. from Union Institute and University and M.S. and B.S. from Southern Connecticut State University.

Deputy for Leadership Development and Transitions at the Episcopal Diocese of Lexington, Kentucky Kay Collier McLaughlin (Ph.D. 1991), released Becoming the Transformative Church: Beyond Sacred Cows, Fantasies and Fears in August 2013. The book examines ongoing challenges of the church, including attracting young people, financial survival, corporate structure, and how traditional thinking may hinder progress.

Walk into Your Season: The Art of Cultural Work is the latest work by author, speaker, workshop facilitator, and consultant Peyton McCoy (Ph.D. 2012). Dr. McCoy’s book, published in 2013, focuses on implementing empowering practices through cultural work and workers. Dr. McCoy specializes in issues surrounding diversity, empowerment, and post-secondary education and training.

Nelson A L Weller (Ph.D. 1975) recently served as the genealogist team member of the Wake Forest University School of Medicine clinical paper researching genetic kidney disease. Dr. Weller played a key role in the study by tracing to the early 1700’s the family lineage of two patients with no known relatives. The exploration led to the discovery of living relatives that are assisting the medical team in treating the patients. Dr. Weller is one of only two Union Institute & University graduates with a focus in Family History/Genealogy.

Jeffrey Scott Dennis (B.S. 2013) was sworn in as North Miami Beach Chief of Police in December 2013, only two months after graduating from Union’s criminal justice management program.

The new Provost of Ashford University is Union alumna Lori Williams (Ph.D. 2009). Dr. Williams has 25 years of experience in education including work for Kaplan University, Walden University, and Laureate Online Education. In addition to being an alumna, she also once served as the director of instructional technology at Union. Learn more about Dr. Williams’ new position here.

Lt. Frederick Bobbitt Jr. (B.S. 2013) and Tony Silva (B.S. 2013), new graduates of Union's Sacramento Criminal Justice Management program, have each earned the Mark Dunakin Award. They were recognized for their extraordinary achievements during California commencement on July 14, 2013. Read more about their achievements and the Mark Dunakin Award here.

Mary Lee Esty (Ph.D. 1995) had peer-reviewed research published in the Spring 2012 Journal of Neuropsychiatry and Clinical Neurosciences. The research was done with veterans who fought in Iraq and Afghanistan and suffer from traumatic brain injury (TBI) and PTSD. This work is based on a National Institute of Health-funded study for TBI published in the Journal of Head Trauma Rehabilitation in 2001. Due to the success of the 2012 study, Dr. Esty is now collaborating with the Uniformed Services University of the Health Sciences (USUHS), a military medical school, on a new study for Iraq/Afghanistan veterans with TBI and PTSD. Dr. Esty holds a Ph.D. with a specialization in health psychology.

Bruce E. Bechtol Jr. (Ph.D. 2000) is Associate Professor of Political Science at Angelo State University in the department of Security Studies. He is an expert on North Korea and is often called upon by the media for his opinion. Dr. Bechtol was recently interviewed on the EFM radio show "Primetime" in Seoul, where he discussed Korea wartime OPCON and CFC.

Union Alumni in the News

Congratulations to Union Institute & University’s alumni in the news. Do you have a story to share? Tell us about your recent accomplishments here:

Kathy M. B. Muhammad (Ph.D. 2009) repatriated to Ghana, West Africa in 2011. She is the coordinator and lead instructor of the Pan African History program at Ayensudo Akoma International Academy of Arts & Sciences (AAIAAS) in Ghana, West Africa. It is the only academy in the Ayensudo area that offers lessons spanning the vast history of Black/African people throughout the diaspora. Dr. Muhammad earned her Ph.D. in Arts and Sciences with a specialty in Africana Women’s Studies/Black Studies.

Jimmie R. McClellan (Ph.D. 1984) was featured in Virginia Connections Newspapers. Click here to read the full article. Dr. McClellan, from Alexandria, VA, is a seven-term member of Alexandria’s Human Rights Commission. He is also an author, an educator, and a recipient of the Distinguished Alumni Award from the University of Texas, the highest honor given by the university to any graduate. Dr. McClellan earned a B.S. in Political Science from University of Texas, a Master of Philosophy from George Washington University and a Ph.D. in American Policy and History from Union Institute and University.

Jack S. Russell (Ph.D. 1976) presented “The Civilian Conservation Corps in Arcadia: One Way to View Judy Taylor’s Trail Crew” at the Southwest Harbor Public Library in Maine. Dr. Russell has had a successful career in economic development and as a consultant. In 2006, he returned to Mount Desert Island, Maine. He is a Friends of Acadia board member and chairman of its advocacy committee and writes about the history, culture, and politics of MDI and Acadia National Park.

David R. Leffler (Ph.D. 1997) has been publishing articles in International News Magazine, including “Latin American Leaders Will Soon Command Invincible Militaries,"
“How Israel Can Have an 'Invincible' Military” and “Reducing Tension in the Middle East.” Dr. David R. Leffler, a United States Air Force veteran, received his Ph.D. in Consciousness-Based Military Defense from Union Institute & University. He served as an associate of the Proteus Management Group at the Center for Strategic Leadership, US Army War College. He now serves as the Executive Director at the Center for Advanced Military Science (CAMS). Dr. Leffler has published articles in over 400 locations worldwide about the strategic military advantages of applying the TM technique and its advanced practices.

Anthony J. Clarke (Ph.D. 2006) was recently named Vice President of Instruction and Chief Academic Officer at Richmond Community College in Hamlet, NC. After serving as an officer in the army, Dr. Clarke worked with General Mills, Arthur Andersen LLP, and GE Aviation. He taught as an adjunct at Xavier University in Cincinnati before accepting a position as a project director at Gateway Community and Technical College in Kentucky. He later served as dean of workforce solutions at Gateway. Dr. Clarke holds a Ph.D. in Organizational Behavior and Development with a specialization in Management.

The new online scholarly journal WritingUnderOath.com was created and launched by Kathryn Kurtz (Ph.D. 2006). Dr. Kurtz has taught as an adjunct professor at Fordham University, Ramapo College of New Jersey, and SUNY/Oneonta and SUNY/Albany Rockland Community College. She has served as an editor, reporter, and guest commentator on NPR Marketplace and has published many essays and articles. Ms. Kurtz has a Ph.D. in Arts and Sciences with a specialization in Creative Writing/Literary Nonfiction.

John Imhof (Ph.D. 1989) was recently appointed as adjunct professor of social work at Long Island University-Post in Greenvale, New York. Dr. Imhof is the founder and editor-in-chief emeritus of the Journal of Substance Abuse Treatment. He has also served as vice president of behavioral health services at North Shore-Long Island Jewish Health System. In 2003, he was appointed as the commissioner of the department of social services in Nassau County, New York. Mr. Imhof received a Ph.D. with a concentration in Psychology.

Rabbi Miriam S. Jerris (Ph.D. 2001) was interviewed by The Jewish Chronicle, for the article “Judaism without God?” Rabbi Jerris, from Huntington Woods, Michigan, was ordained through the International Institute for Secular Humanistic Judaism, and holds a doctorate in Jewish studies with a specialization in pastoral counseling.


Union alumna and International Alumni Association board member, Joyce A. Hayden-Seman (Ph.D. 1993) was named an Outstanding Professional Woman for 2012-2013 by the National Association of Professional Women. The award is in recognition of her leadership and academic and professional achievements. For the last 25 years, she has been focused on the development of the Ridgewood Institute for Integral Psychotherapy, a group clinical practice in New Jersey.

Dr. Linda Ostrander (Ph.D. 1994) recently published Between Mothers and Daughters: A Collection of Poems and Lyrics across Generations, which includes her commentary and poetry and work by her mother, daughter and granddaughter. Click here to learn more about Dr. Ostrander's book.

Lois Roma-Deeley (Ph.D. 2000) was named the 2012 U.S. Professor of the Year, Community College, by the Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of Teaching and the Council for Advancement and Support of Education (CASE). Dr. Roma-Deeley is currently poet-in-residence and head of Creative Writing and Women's Studies at Paradise Valley Community College in Phoenix, Arizona.

Joyce Kinley (B.A. 2009) was named chair of the Cincinnati Board of Health. Improving the health and wellness of Cincinnati citizens has been part of Joyce’s career. She previously served as director of Community Relations & External Affairs at UC Health, University Hospital and was a 2010 Hero of Health recipient from the Commission on Minority Health.

Marine-mammal biologist and Union alumna, Denise Herzing (Ph.D. 1993), was featured in the September 2012 issue of Outside magazine. As the leading authority on Atlantic spotted dolphin, she is trying to achieve something that has never been done before: two-way communication with a wild species. In the interview, Dr. Herzing shares insights from observing the dolphin’s complex culture for 28 years.

Union alum, and founding president and CEO of Age Wave, Ken Dychtwald (Ph.D. 1976) was featured in Aging Today. Ken is an expert on aging-related issues including lifestyle, marketing, healthcare and workforce. His compelling article outlines the five core ingredients for becoming and remaining a leader in this field. He also recently earned the prestigious Leadership Award at the Annual American Society on Aging Conference.

Taupouri Tangaro (Ph.D. 2004) was named a 2013 Educator of the Year by the Native Hawaiian Education Association—one of the most prestigious awards in Hawaiian education. Dr. Tangaro is an associate professor and chairman of the humanities department at Hawaii Community College.

Alice Skirtz (Ph.D. 2006) published Econocide: Elimination of the Urban Poor. Dr. Skirtz was director of social services for the Salvation Army from 1969 through 1999 and was one of the founding organizers of the Greater Cincinnati Coalition for the Homeless, now know as the Greater Cincinnati Homeless Coalition. Learn more about Dr. Skirtz and her book in her interview with Cincinnati.com.

Connie Silver (Ph.D. 1983) was featured in Women’s Wear Daily. Her painting exhibition “People Treed” was displayed at Art Basel in Miami Beach. She generously donated all of the proceeds from her Art Basel sales to New York University’s Silver School of Social Work, where she taught for more than 20 years.

Annemarie Colbin (Ph.D. 2002) presented an informative TEDx 2013 talk "How to Think About Food" in Manhattan. She is the founder and CEO of the Natural Gourmet Institute for Health and Culinary Arts in New York City, the oldest natural foods cooking school in the US. Dr. Colbin’s Ph.D. studies explored how systems theory, complexity theory, and quantum physics could be applied to nutrition.


Author, Brown University professor, and the director of the Center for the Study of Slavery and Justice, Dr. Anthony Bogues (B.A. 1989), presented two special lectures in Cincinnati as part of Union Institute & University’s July 2013 Ph.D. residency. Dr. Bogues' major research and writing interests are intellectual and cultural history, radical political thought, critical theory, Caribbean and African politics and literature. He has authored numerous works including Caliban's Freedom: The Early Political Thought of C.L.R. James (1997); Black Heretics and Black Prophets: Radical Political Intellectuals (2003); and Empire of Liberty: Power, Freedom, and Desire (2010). Dr. Bogues earned his Ph.D. in Political Theory from the University of the West Indies, Mona in 1994.

Jim Stapleton (Ph.D. 1986) created Henry & Emily: The Muses in Massachusetts, a play about an imagined encounter between Henry David Thoreau and Emily Dickinson. Stapleton and his wife Diana Bigelow perform the lead roles in the production. After 15 years of touring the Pacific Northwest and Vermont, Henry & Emily opened at Stage Left Studio in New York City in April.

As part of the 2013 National Cherry Blossom Festival, Union alumna Sirkku M. Sky Hiltunen (Ph.D. 1998) presented a lecture and demonstration about Japanese Noh Theater in Washington D.C. Noh Theater retains its plays, choreography, costuming, music and chanting as they were originally created 600 years ago. The presentation was followed by a special demonstration featuring masks, fans, chanting and dance kata. In addition, two performances of Mask Vignettes 2013, directed by Dr. Sky, were hosted at the Art and Drama Therapy Institute in Washington D.C. In 1991, Dr. Sky founded the Art and Drama Therapy Institute, Inc. (ADTI) with fellow Union alumna Dr. Margaret “Muggy Do” Dickinson, (Ph.D. 1987). ADTI is a medically supervised, therapeutic day treatment center for adults with intellectual and developmental disabilities located in an economically-depressed area of Washington, D.C., less than three miles from the White House. Dr. Do serves as the company's CEO, president, and program director, while Dr. Sky serves as executive vice president and executive arts director. ADTI has earned local, national, and international acclaim, especially for the institute’s music and theater programs.

Steven Paul Lansky, who earned his B.A. with a focus in creative writing in 1988, continues to use his talents to develop poetry, fiction, and drama. The Miami University creative writing instructor recently released a new audio book Jack Acid. The story, about psychedelic culture and mental illness, is available on cdbaby.com.

Whitney Harris (Ph.D. 1987) was recently named executive director for diversity at Minneapolis Community and Technical College. His responsibilities at MCTC include managing the Educational Equity Task Force, developing diversity training and guiding changes in college policies, practices and culture that support the College’s goal of achieving educational equity.

Union board member and alumnus, Richard N. Aft (Ph.D. 2000) recently earned the first Rob Portman Leadership Award presented by the Coalition for a Drug-Free Greater Cincinnati. Dr. Aft was recognized for his 17 years with the CDFGC, his service as the longest-running board member, and his outstanding fundraising, participation and leadership in promoting a drug-free Cincinnati.

Scott D. Miller (Ph.D. 1991) is a Union alumnus and the president of Bethany College in West Virginia. His recent article “Finding the Value in College Affordability” investigates what a college education is worth in a time of rising tuition and a recovering economy. Click here to read Dr. Miller’s findings.

Janet Sims-Wood (Ph.D. 1994) was featured on NPR in February as part of the series “Working Late: Older Americans on the Job.” Dr. Sims-Wood is a 67-year-old librarian at Prince George's Community College in Maryland. Click here to read or listen to the full story.

UI&U Alumnus Dr. Sidney Harman Dies

Union Institute & University mourns the loss of alumnus Dr. Sidney Harman, who died Tuesday, April 12, at the age of 92 after a brief illness.


Dr. Sidney Harman

Dr. Harman was a pioneer in high-fidelity sound equipment who dedicated his life to furthering education, the arts, and later, journalism. Dr. Roger H. Sublett, President of UI&U shared these reflections on Dr. Harman:

"I first met Sidney Harman when I became president of Union Institute & University in 2003. I met Sidney at his office during a trip to Washington to visit with graduates of Union. I found him to be one of the most remarkable people I have ever met in my life. He was not only knowledgeable about leadership—a field that we both shared a passion for—but we had both had written on the topic of “Leading from the Heart” which we found almost ironic. Subsequent meetings led to Union inviting Sidney to serve as our National Commencement speaker in 2004.

Sidney’s obvious commitment to education and Interdisciplinarity, his caring concern for others, and his generous philanthropy enriched his life as much as his professional commitment to business. He had a brilliant, innovative mind and an uncommon interest in people. I found all of my meetings with Dr. Harman to be inspirational, fulfilling my strong belief that only people make a difference in our lives. Through a life well lived, Dr. Harman touched all with whom he came in contact through his positive vision and belief that anything was possible.
We have lost a dear colleague and friend."

Read more about Sidney Harman's lifelong impact...

“The maverick's way of conducting business forswears the leader as commanding general; it rejects the practice of top-down, authoritative command. Rather, it proposes the leader as catalyst, conscience, and inspirer… what I call a ‘prismatic’ leader. He or she must be the prism through which is refracted the other rays of light into one coherent fashion.” - Dr. Sidney Harman


Sidney Harman, Ph.D. 1973 and University Trustee, 1981 to 1994
Recipient, of the 2004 President’s Medal and 2004 National Commencement Speaker
Founder and Executive Chairman, Harman International Industries
U.S. Deputy Secretary of Commerce, 1977 to 1978
Chairman of Newsweek magazine

For more than 50 years, the name Harman has symbolized high-fidelity sound. For Union Institute & University alumnus and Newsweek chairman, Dr. Sidney Harman, the concept of “fidelity” — faithful adherence to what is true or real — is synonymous with his approach to living and leading in business, education, and government. For decades, Dr. Harman served as the executive chairman of Harman International Industries, which he founded as Harman/Kardon, Inc. with engineer Bernard Kardon in 1952. Together they launched a revolution in the audio industry by creating the first integrated, high-fidelity audio receiver and the very first series of stereo amplifiers.

Dr. Harman became sole owner in 1956 and headed this Fortune 500 company with 10,000 employees worldwide, nearly $2 billion in annual revenue, and products for concert halls, home living rooms, and workplace computer stations everywhere. The company’s repertoire includes high-end digital sound and navigational systems, voice-activated telephony, and climate controls for luxury automobiles.

A pioneer of progressive management theory, Dr. Harman initiated "Quality of Working Life" programs at his plants around the world, beginning with the 1969 Bolivar (Tennessee) Project, which became a model for American industry and a case study at business schools worldwide, because of remarkable improvement in worker commitment, compensation, and productivity. The success at Bolivar led to Dr. Harman's appointment as deputy secretary of the U.S. Department of Commerce from 1977 to 1978 during the Carter administration. After selling his business to avoid conflict of interest, Dr. Harman organized and administered the government's program to revitalize the ailing U.S. shoe industry.

After retiring from government service, Dr. Harman reacquired his company and resumed his role of successful but “maverick” CEO. He promoted long-term, emotional bonds between company and employees, established in-house classrooms, and built his newest plant in the United States, bucking the trend of outsourcing jobs overseas. During a visit to the Harman plant in Northridge, CA in 1996, President Clinton commended Dr. Harman’s commitment to innovative ideas and products as well as to the success of Harman employees, their families, and the community. “Harman International shows how a cutting-edge company can do well while doing right by its people,” President Clinton said.

An accomplished educator, Dr. Harman was inspired by the Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. to teach disenfranchised African-American students when Prince Edward County, Virginia schools defied desegregation orders in the 1960s. He also served from 1970-1973 as president of Friends World College, an experimental Quaker college. An early Union alumnus in 1973, Dr. Harman’s Project Demonstrating Excellence doctoral dissertation, “Business and Education – New Experiments, New Hope,” reflected his desire to be “an active agent for constructive social change” and his pledge to “reject dogma and rhetoric, and embrace invention, daring, and human development.”

Frequently the subject of profiles and interviews by the media, Dr. Harman has written extensively for publications including Newsweek, The Washington Post, and the Christian Science Monitor, and coauthored Starting with the People (Houghton Mifflin, 1988) with public opinion pollster Daniel Yankelovich. In 2003, he published Mind Your Own Business: A Maverick's Guide to Business, Leadership and Life (Currency Books/Doubleday), acclaimed as required reading in this era of corporate misdeeds and bad behavior.

He tells how he created a culture of personal responsibility throughout his company, and compares his top management team to a jazz quartet that listens to and improvises with one another to create harmony. He also emphasizes his belief that employees at every level are a company’s most valuable asset. “What is essential is an ingrained, developed, and practical system of ethical conduct. We cannot legislate conscience. It must be the raw material of every transaction, every judgment, every decision.” And, he adds, it must begin with the CEO’s consistent exercise of “simple, straightforward decency and respect for others.”

Known to recite Shakespeare on a moment’s notice, his generous support of Washington D.C.’s Shakespeare Theatre Company enabled it to expand in a new home, the Harman Center for the Arts, in 2007. “Sidney’s contributions to both the Shakespeare Theatre Company and the entire arts community are tremendously commendable and invaluable,” Shakespeare Theatre Company director Michael Kahn told The Washington Post. His commitment to the arts, said Kahn, has inspired many in Washington and beyond. Dr. Harman was also passionate about classical music and served as a trustee emeritus for the Los Angeles Philharmonic and the National Symphony Orchestra.

In 2010, Dr. Harman purchased the iconic Newsweek magazine from the Washington Post Company and hired editor Tina Brown, who merged it with her Web site, the Daily Beast, creating a new source for daily and weekly news. He added the column “Connecting the Dots” to reflect his view of the role of a weekly news publication. Although actively involved in the development of Newsweek, Dr. Harman found time to establish the Academy of Polymathic Study at USC, a program designed to offer a series of conversational encounters intended to intensify integrated interdisciplinary awareness.

A fellow of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences, he served on the advisory board of the Center for Public Leadership at the John F. Kennedy School of Government at Harvard University, and sat on the Advisory Committee of the university’s Science, Technology, and Public Policy Program. He served as a trustee of The Aspen Institute and the Carter Center at Emory University, and served on the boards of Business Executives for National Security, the Public Agenda Foundation, and the National Alliance of Business.

His wife, Jane Harman, recently stepped down from her role as a U.S. Representative (D-California), to lead the Woodrow Wilson International Center for Scholars, an organization aimed at uniting the world of ideas to the world of policy by supporting pre-eminent scholarship and linking that scholarship to issues of concern to officials in Washington.

Union Institute & University Alumna Lucille Griswold In the News!

In the 1950s, Lucille Griswold had just completed her freshmen year at Alfred University in New York State. Unable to return the following year, she took a job working for the government. Also that year, “I fell in love,” said Lucille, of her husband, William. The two were married, and they knew they had to make a tough decision.

“This was back before student loans,” said Lucille. “We knew only one of us could go to college.”So Lucille put her education on hold to raise her family and support her young husband as he studied to become a prosthodontist.

Now, at the age of 73, Lucille has finally earned her bachelor’s degree in business and women’s studies from Union Institute & University’s Virtual Vermont program.

“It is never too late to get an education,” said Lucille, who doesn’t put an age requirement on higher education goals. “I don’t think I could ever get enough education. For me, it is a lifelong pursuit.” Read the article published in The Gazette about Lucille at:
http://www.gazette.net/stories/013008/olnenew61638_32363.shtml