mopdf.com

Al u m n i S p o tl i g ht : J e a n i n e L a rse n, ’9 0Kinney had another word to describe his loyal employee. “One wordBuena Vista, Larsen welcomed thecomes to mind when thinking of Jeanine Larsen’s career at Iowa Western:challenge of several promotions,dedicated,” he said. “In every position she has held at the college, Jeanine has including the reorganization thatalways been dedicated to helping our students achieve the highest level ofbrought housing to the studentsuccess. She has truly been a valuable member of the Iowa Western team.”services side of the collegeUnfortunately, Iowa Western will need to replace a valuable team memberoperations. She also helped tothis summer. Larsen announced her retirement which takes effect June 30.modernize the registration process“There are other things that I want to do,” she said. “I have had to say no soat Iowa Western, getting rid ofmany times to people, and I don’t want to do that anymore. I want to make astacks of paper and converting todifference in the lives of other people now.”a computer-friendly process. “ILarsen began making atook peopledifference at Iowa Western in 1976,kicking andwhen a close friend told her aboutscreaminga job opportunity on the Councilthrough theOne word comes to mind whenBluffs campus. “I thought I wouldprocess oftake the job for a while to juststreamliningthinking of Jeanine Larsen’s careermake ends meet at home. That wasthe process,at Iowa Western: dedicated.36 years ago.”butLarsen, who achieved her formalultimatelyDr. Dan Kinney, Presidenteducation at the Omaha Schoolit becameof Business, started at IWCC inmuch morethe business office helping the lateefficient,”Lester Andrews with the housingshe said.books. She became closer to housing issues, which translated into strongerLarsen was thinking she wouldties to the students. The rest, she admitted, was history.“ride out as dean of enrollment“I really grew into the housing job as a student aid and counselor,” sheservices” when the promotionsaid. “Students back then were not unlike students today. There are alwaysto vice president came from Dr.issues, and I was someone to lean on. Housing really drained your energy.Kinney in 2007. Once again, sheBut looking back, that was when I meant the most to students because of the pulled her team together andone-on-one with them. I still hear from a lot of those kids, and that is a good developed processes that resulted infeeling.”quality experiences for all students.After receiving her associate’s degree at IWCC and her bachelor’s from“I have always had the attitude offinding better ways to do things,and that has put me in goodsituations at the college,” she said.“When there is a problem I ask mystaff how are we going to figurethis out so it doesn’t happen again,and how are we going to establish aprocess to fix it.”Larsen’s process- and resultsdriven staff have helped the collegereach new heights in enrollmentand contributed to the overallimage transformation of her almaCon nued On Page 8Jeanine and her husband, Sco , on one of theirmany winter vaca ons.Spring 2012 IWCC Alum Magazine.indd 772/16/12 8:26 AM

LarsenCon nued From Page 7Regents and other transfer ins tu ons usedto thumb their noses at us, and now they arebea ng down our doors to get our students.Iowa Western is truly a special place.mater. “I absolutely love this job,” shesaid. “I tell people all the time thatthere could not be a better time tobe at Iowa Western, and I mean thatfrom everybody to the staff and students. I rememberdays when we had buckets in the hallways catchingwater from leaks in the roof. Now look at thefacilities! Regents and other transfer institutions usedto thumb their noses at us, and now they are beatingdown our doors to get our students. Iowa Western istruly a special place.”Being an ambassador to Iowa Western will be No.1on Larsen’s retirement list, along with spending qualitytime with her sons and their spouses, all of whomare Reiver graduates. Travis, received an associate’s ofarts degree in 2010 and is pursuing a medical/nursingcareer. Nick graduated with an AAS Nursing degreein 2011 and works in the emergency room at AlegentCouncil Bluffs. His wife, Dawn, graduated fromIWCC and transferred to Grace University. They havetwo children, Kylie and Keegan.Ross, is a 2006 IWCC graduate and works atThermal Heating and Cooling in Omaha. His wife,Missy, earned her associate’s degree at IWCC and abachelor’s degree at Bellevue University and works forFrontier Bank in Omaha.Jeanine’s husband, Scott, a quiet, unassuming manwho runs the family farm in Harlan, is sure to findsome chores for his wife this summer. Or, they mightjust travel, too. “In many ways, he is the opposite ofme. He is very calm, which helps me. We complementeach other real well. Scott has been incrediblysupportive of me and my career aspirations, and Ilook forward to being there for him.”8Spring 2012 IWCC Alum Magazine.indd 82/16/12 8:26 AM

The New Enterprise CompuƟng CenterBy Don KohlerThe Computer Information Technology staff at Iowa Western Students will continue to develop the classroomfor virtual desktops and remote access to theirhad a plan to develop a state-of-the-art computer centerclassroom computers.in Ashley Hall on the campus in Council Bluffs. All theyGoogle added another generous donation inneeded was a little help from their friends at Google.fall2011, when the Iowa Western ComputerThanks to a generous donation and some keen advice from theInformation Technology Department received astaff at Google, Iowa Western cut the ribbon on its new Enterprisepallet loaded with 43 used Dell 1850 rack-mountComputing Center in 2011, a first-class learning environment forcomputer servers for use in the new center.students seeking careers in computer programming.The servers will be used by students for hands“Students with technology and engineering skills are critical toon projects, including installing VMware andour economy,” said Chris Russell, midwest operations managervirtualizing computer systems.for Google. “We’re happy we could partner with IWCC to build“I appreciate the working relationship wea lab that provides the opportunity to work with enterprise-gradehavewith Google and the donations that theytechnology while still at school. Hopefully this lab will not only givestudents valuable experience, but will alsohelp attract other students to the fieldwhere they can learn computer scienceis not just a career choice with greatprospects, it’s also rewarding and fun.“We believe in supporting ourcommunity of Council Bluffs andWestern Iowa. IWCC is an outstandingpartner to work with on our goal ofenhancing science, technology andengineering education for students in theregion.”The new Enterprise Computing CenterLe : Chris Russell, midwest opera ons manager for Google, visits with students. Right: John Magill,professor in Computer Informa on Technology, helps set-up the new center, which opened fall 2011.was developed thanks to a grant of 100,000 from Google Tides Foundation.The center features a student-runhave provided IWCC,” said IWCC Professornetwork similar to what they will encounter in the business world.John Magill. “These servers will provide handsStudents have their own Internet connection, servers and Fibreon experiences that the students may not haveChannel Storage Array Network. The students recently developedreceived until they were in a job.”a student-run Computer Help Desk for IWCC staff and students.Spring 2012 IWCC Alum Magazine.indd 992/16/12 8:26 AM

IMMORTALIZINGTHE WORLDthrough Life’s LensBy Mike WatkinsD10on Faust insists photography is just a hobby – something hedoes during his adventures with wife, Chris, who globetrotsto exotic locales throughout the world as a freelance writerand blogger.And while the 1982 Iowa Western graduate says he doesn’tget to travel with her as often as he’d like – his full-time gig as apharmaceutical business consultant keeps him busy and traveling onhis own quite a bit – the spots they’ve encountered together morethan make up for what he sometimes misses.“I can’t imagine a better way to use my vacation each year than tosee the world with her,” said Faust, who grew up in Atlantic, Iowa,but now calls Seattle home. “I really love taking photos, and I’ve takena variety of different photos all over the world. They are mostly forour own personal use, but I sometimes take photos for Chris’ website,www.chrisaroundtheworld.com, and freelance work.”Faust’s journey toward becoming an accomplished photographer(although he doesn’t consider himself a professional) began in 2007when he purchased his first digital SLRS camera kit, which broughtprofessional-level photos into range for enthusiasts like himself.“I decided to take on the hobby and try my hand at it,” he said.“Being able to take high-quality pictures definitely made subjectsmore interesting.”His travels with Chris have taken them to places Faust only dreamtof as a youngster living in rural Iowa. Through their many passages,he’s photographed the Pantheon and Coliseum in Rome, ancientruins in Pompeii and snow-peaked mountains of Alaska, as well aspeople, scenes, festivals, relics and architectural masterpieces in Spain,Germany, Southeast Asia and the Caribbean, among other locations.Faust said he particularly enjoys photographing natives of the cityor country they are visiting. He also likes researching the history ofSpring 2012 IWCC Alum Magazine.indd 10A variety of photos Faust has captured on hisworld-wide journeys.2/16/12 8:26 AM

Spring 2012 IWCC Alum Magazine.indd 11travels have taken them throughout theworld, but he says there are still somelocations in Europe, South America andthe European-centric countries in theMediterranean, especially Turkey, thatremain high on his travel wish list.“I’m not nearly as well-traveled as mywife, but growing up in Atlantic, I couldnever have imagined that I would see asmany places around the world as I have,”L i fe ’s L e n s: D on Fa u st , ’8 2the area prior to traveling so he can photograph both well-known andout-of-the-way landmarks and hot spots.“Those are the shots that really give you a sense of the place; otherwise,you don’t get to experience the city as it really is,” he said.As a student at Iowa Western in the early 1980s, photography wasnowhere on Faust’s radar. He was more interested in computers, andIWCC had a good record of placement for graduates compared to fouryear universities.After finishing his associate’s degree in computer studies at IWCC hecontinued onto Eastern College outside of Philadelphia, where he wentto school for a short time beforemoving to Louisiana to do someconsulting work. While there, hefinished his bachelor’s degree inorganizational management atthe University of New Orleans.Still, Faust admits it was hiseducational foundation from histwo years at Iowa Western thathelped lay the groundwork forhis future.“The program at IWCC wasa pretty fast track with a good workload,” said Faust, who met Chriswhile living in Philadelphia, where she worked as a travel writer for thePhiladelphia Inquirer. “I liked the hands-on classroom approach. Backthen, we were working primarily with punch cards and programmingusing a text editor. That was back in the age of MS-DOS – beforeMicrosoft products and word processing as we know it today.”With Chris traveling regularly for her travel blog and freelance work,Faust has settled into Seattle and works as a principal business consultantfor IMS Health, the leading provider of information services for thehealth care industry covering markets in 100-plus countries.He works with pharmaceutical clients addressing business questions,largely through collected data from market research and industry data.He also provides short- and long-range strategic planning for themanufacturing of pharmaceuticals as it pertains to the data.“I help them make data-based decisions,” Faust said. “I had gottenaway from computer programming and into sales in the mid-1990s, andone of my leased furniture sales was to the president of a major drugdistributor (McKesson).“We got to talking about my background and what programmers doand the move made sense. That was 14 years ago, and I’ve been in thesame seat ever since.”McKesson recently was acquired by IMS, and Faust said he’s stilllearning his way through the much larger company structure, although hisday-to-day responsibilities remain largely unchanged.He said he most enjoys interacting with clients, all of whom arelocated on the West Coast, as well as helping them problem-solve. Nowthat he’s with a larger company, he said he’s struggling a bit with givingup responsibilities of the many hats he wore as a member of a smallerorganization.Because his work schedule allows him some flexibility to travel withChris, he tries to make a minimum of four trips with her annually. TheirPhotographs courtesy of Faust.said Faust, who most recently accompaniedChris to New Zealand. “I’ve visited about15 countries so far, and now that Chris isa freelancer and is invited to go on trips allthe time, I know I’ll visit many more beforewe’re done.”And while he hasn’t visited the IowaWestern campus in nearly three decades,Faust said he remembers his time fondlyand vividly. The school consisted ofonly a few buildings back then and thestudent population and course/majorofferings were much smaller. But he alwaysgoes back to his Midwestern upbringingand education as the basis for whathe’s accomplished today and has yet toaccomplish.“It was almost exclusively a commuterschool when I was a student, although Ilived in the dorms and then the apartmentsbefore moving off campus,” Faust said. “Iunderstand the school and campus havegrown and changed a lot since those days.I don’t make it back to Atlantic to visitMom and Dad as often as I’d like, but oneof these times when I return, I hope tostop by the campus and see how much it’schanged. I might not recognize it.”112/16/12 8:26 AM

SPARKIN THE ENGINEBy Anthony FloD12Spring 2012 IWCC Alum Magazine.indd 12avid Petratis ticks off the date as if it werestaring at him from a desktop calendar:Jan. 6, 1964.The day his father died.John Carl Petratis - Jack - passed away right infront of his house, leaving behind a wife, Elizabeth,and six children under the age of 12. Within thenext 18 months, both of David Petratis’ grandfathers also would die.“You had to grow up fast,” said Petratis. “Itcertainly marks you.“We didn’t have a lot; probably didn’t need a lot.But it tends to put some spark in the engine because clearly you could look around and there werekids that had more.”Jack Petratis had been a warehouse manager forHinky Dinky; Elizabeth, now 85, went to work as aregistered nurse. Like them, David Petratis worked.And worked. And worked.He mowed grass in the summer, shoveled snowin the winter. Every day after school he deliveredpapers and every summer he worked on an uncle’sfarm. In high school, while at Iowa Western Community College and during breaks from the University of Northern Iowa he worked at InterstateElectric in Council Bluffs.So, when in 1986 the brass at Square D, a circuitbreaker manufacturing company, made Petratisthe youngest manager in the history of its Raleigh,N.C., plant, no one knew what to expect from the28-year-old not far removed from college.“They were clearly trying to chew me up and spitme out,” Petratis said. “Day 1 at Square D I had 72direct reports. There was a test going on. Headquarters wanted to develop college graduates at theentry management ranks. Those ranks historically. you came up from within. And they wanted divergent thinking, outside thinking. People higher upthe ladder wanted to see some young people comein and really learn it at a first-line level.“A lot of them didn’t make it.”Petratis did. He made it at Square D, and at ahandful of other corporate assignments, almost2/16/12 8:26 AM

PetraSpring 2012 IWCC Alum Magazine.indd 132 0 1 2 O u t sta n d i n g Al umalways as the man in charge. Today he’s chairAbraham Lincoln and was accepted to the University of Iowa. Hisman and CEO of Quanex Building Products,Mom had one question for him, though: “How are you going toa Houston-based manufacturer of engineeredpay for that?”materials and components for building prodHe couldn’t. Fortunately for him, IWCC Basketball Coach Roducts sold to original equipment manufacturers.Clarkson lived just up the street. Petratis remembers Clarkson pullIn 2011 it had revenues of 850 million.ing into the driveway one day in a ’67 Camaro and asking him toLooking back, Petratis said, growing uptryout for the Reivers. Petratis’ older brother, Stan was 6-foot-11without a father, learning coping skills in aand had played for the Hawkeyes. Another brother was 6-7.large family, working from a young age allDavid Petratis, 6-3, would play for the Reivers. A forward in highthat gave him a head start on peers. He wasschool, he switched to guard at Iowa Western. The squad went 19battle-tested, and didn’t blink when Square D34 in his two years there.put him on the front line.Lessons off the“I didn’t necessarily like it,” hecourt, though, maysaid, “but sometimes what scareshave been more valuthe hell out of you is good for you.”able. “I would say I slid.some mes what scares thethrough high school,”hell out of you is good for you.he said. “I proved IA Unique Opportunitycould learn at the colIowa Western was good for Petralege level. When youtis, and he sings its praises withcan play college basout prompting. He recalls how aketball, work and academically survive, it tests you for things you’llneighbor and sometime caretaker of his, MacylBoruff, began her IWCC studies at the samehave going forward.”time he did in 1976.“It was unique that that institution couldMoving Forwardlook at Macyl Boruff, a housewife probably inHe went forward rapidly. Petratis finished his IWCC studies inher mid-40s, and me, an 18-year-old, and prothe summer of 1978, then moved on to the University of Northernvide opportunities to advance,” he said. “ThatIowa, where he earned a BA in industrial management in 1981. Hewas unique in 1976, and it’s unique today.considered joining the military but by the February preceding his“I’m sure there are still Macyl Boruffs therecommencement he had an offer from Square D. The economy wastanking, but Petratis landed what he saidwas “one of the best jobs in my graduatingclass.”He managed the plant in North Carolina, then one in South Carolina until 1993.That year, two years after Square D hadmerged with Schneider Electric, Petratisserved as vice president of operations ofEPE Technologies, a Schneider subsidiaryand power supplier in Costa Mesa, Calif.Two years later he became its president.He went on to leadership posts withother Schneider subsidiaries until becoming COO for Schneider Electric NorthAmerica in 2003. One year later, he gotthe top spot as CEO. He was in charge of22,000 employees and 51 factories. He hada private jet.Four yearss on the job at his Edge Tech facility.later, heCon nued On Page 16walked away. The job, he said, was “eattoday along with young 18-year-olds trying tofigure it out.”ing me alive” from a time and healthperspective.Petratis had graduated from Council Bluffs132/1

Young Alumni: Union Pacifi c and Culinary Arts. Jeanine Larsen, ’90, re res a L er 36 years with Iowa Western. Iowa Western’s Enterprise Compu ng Center. Alumni Don Faust travels the world. Iowa Western’s 2012 Outstanding Alum, Dave Petra s. The Coff ee is always o