Building Character Articles

Chief Academic Officer

51 - May / Jun 12

Dr. Daniele Struppa At the age of 10, while other boys played at the park, Daniele Struppa had another destination in mind when he thundered down the five flights of stairs in the apartment where he lived in Milano, Italy, raced across the street and... Read More →

Dr. Daniele Struppa At the age of 10,...

Susan Jester, LMFT

50 - Mar / Apr 12

Susan Jester, LMFT When it comes to career choice, it’s not often that an unremarkable childhood can be considered a benefit, but for Susan Jester, it is. Chapman University’s Associate Director of the Frances L. Smith Community Clinic finds that her pleasant, yet uneventful early years... Read More →

Susan Jester, LMFT When it comes to...

Kris Eric Olsen

49 - Jan / Feb 12

Kris Eric Olsen When Kris Olsen traveled to Norway in 2006 to trace his roots, Chapman University’s Vice President of Campus Planning & Operations discovered a surprising parallel. As he walked the streets of Kristiansand with his Norwegian cousin, his relative pointed out prominent buildings and residences... Read More →

Kris Eric Olsen When Kris Olsen traveled to Norway...

Dr. Gail Stearns

48 - Nov / Dec 11

Dr. Gail Stearns When Gail Stearns recalls a visit her mother made to her kindergarten classroom, Chapman University’s Dean of the Wallace All Faiths Chapel and Associate Professor of Religious Studies can see a connection between the state of her desk as a 5–year–old and her resulting... Read More →

Dr. Gail Stearns When Gail Stearns recalls a visit...

David Currey

47 - Sep / Oct 11

David Currey When David Currey joined Chapman University as the school’s Director of Athletics in 1990, the former football coach had officially retired from coaching. After 20 satisfying years coaching the football teams at Stanford University, Long Beach State, the University of Cincinnati and UCLA, Currey decided... Read More →

David Currey When David Currey joined Chapman University as the...

Dr. Marilyn Harran

Director, Rodgers Center for Holocaust Education

46 - Jul / Aug 11

Dr. Marilyn Harran In 1976, during her first year teaching at Barnard College, Columbia University, Marilyn Harran spent many hours in her office writing her dissertation. As she worked late into the night, the school’s custodian, a quiet, Polish man with a heavy accent, checked... Read More →

Dr. Marilyn Harran In 1976, during her first...

Dr. Paul Apodaca

45 - May / Jun 11

Dr. Paul Apodaca In the mid–1950s, when Paul Apodaca opened up his history book at Tustin Elementary school and read that California Indians were extinct, the Native American Indian felt understandably puzzled. Thinking about the Indian reservations he regularly visited with his family throughout California and... Read More →

Dr. Paul Apodaca In the mid–1950s, when Paul...

Chef Jim Douglas

44 - Mar / Apr 11

Chef Jim Douglas In the mid–1960s when Jim Douglas stood on tiptoe at the kitchen counter and pinched perogies for his Grandma Helen, she thought she was simply keeping the five–year–old busy making the dumplings from her homeland in Poland. Little did she know that her... Read More →

Chef Jim Douglas In the mid–1960s when Jim...

Dr. William Hall

43 - Dec 10 / Jan 11

Dr. William Hall At the age of 3, Dr. William Hall, Dean of Chapman University's College of Performing Arts, decided that he wanted to be a concert pianist. With that goal in mind, he practiced for hours a day until he auditioned with the famed Fanchon... Read More →

Dr. William Hall At the age of...

Drs. Smith & Rassenti

42 - Sept / Oct 10

Dr. Vernon Smith & Dr. Stephen Rassenti One of Vernon Smith’s earliest memories involves fixing a broken clock. “I was under the age of six at the time, and I vividly remember the thrill of taking apart the clock, putting it back together and seeing it work... Read More →

Dr. Vernon Smith & Dr. Stephen Rassenti One of Vernon...