Building Character Articles

88 - Jul / Aug 18

Director, Leadership Studies Program

Dr. Mark Maier At times when we’re young, we unknowingly get a glimpse into our futures. Such was the case for Mark Maier, who lived in Cocoa Beach, Florida in the early 1970s as a teen. “From our back doorstep, we’d watch the Apollo launches,... Read More →

Dr. Mark Maier At times when we’re young, we unknowingly get a glimpse into our futures. Such was the case for Mark Maier, who lived in Cocoa Beach, Florida in the early 1970s as a... Read More →

87 - May / Jun 18

Jeff Tollaksen, PhD

Director, Institute of Quantum Studies

Jeff Tollaksen, PhD At an age when many other kids were pondering questions such as whether they could talk their parents into ice cream for dessert, Jeff Tollaksen contemplated higher-level questions about the inner workings of the universe. As he walked through the forest and... Read More →

Jeff Tollaksen, PhD At an age when many other kids were pondering questions such as whether they could talk their parents into ice cream for dessert, Jeff Tollaksen contemplated higher-level questions about the inner workings... Read More →

86 - Mar / Apr 18

Dr. Margaret Grogan

Dean of Attallah College of Educational Studies

Dr. Margaret Grogan Margaret Grogan learned early on the synergistic, powerful effects of combining characteristics while working on life’s endeavors. “My father was a geneticist and researched hybrid maize in search of an improved corn for cattle feed,” says Grogan, who grew up in Australia.... Read More →

Dr. Margaret Grogan Margaret Grogan learned early on the synergistic, powerful effects of combining characteristics while working on life’s endeavors. “My father was a geneticist and researched hybrid maize in search of an improved corn... Read More →

85 - Jan / Feb 18

Dr. Patrick Fuery

Founding Director of the Center for Creative & Cultural Industries

Dr. Patrick Fuery If you have a keen ear for accents, you might be a bit baffled when you initially speak with Patrick Fuery. Chapman University’s Dean of Wilkinson College of Arts, Humanities and Social Sciences sounds British and Australian. There’s a good reason for... Read More →

Dr. Patrick Fuery If you have a keen ear for accents, you might be a bit baffled when you initially speak with Patrick Fuery. Chapman University’s Dean of Wilkinson College of Arts, Humanities and Social... Read More →

84 - Nov/Dec 17

Gregory A. Daddis, PhD

Gregory A. Daddis, PhD 1989, when Gregory Daddis joined the Army as a lieutenant after graduating from West Point and went through officer training, a centuries old book taught him the integral role history plays when it comes to war. “We were at Fort Knox... Read More →

Gregory A. Daddis, PhD 1989, when Gregory Daddis joined the Army as a lieutenant after graduating from West Point and went through officer training, a centuries old book taught him the integral role history plays... Read More →

83 - Sep/Oct 17

Lisa Sparks, PhD

Lisa Sparks, PhD Lisa Sparks, PhD Growing up in Woodward, Oklahoma—otherwise known as “Tornado Alley”—Lisa Sparks learned early on the value of effective communication. “With frequent tornadoes, we were always in crisis mode,” says Chapman’s Dean and Endowed Professor of the School of Communication. “We... Read More →

Lisa Sparks, PhD Lisa Sparks, PhD Growing up in Woodward, Oklahoma—otherwise known as “Tornado Alley”—Lisa Sparks learned early on the value of effective communication. “With frequent tornadoes, we were always in crisis mode,” says Chapman’s... Read More →

82 - Jul / Aug 17

Mary Platt

Director of the Hilbert Museum of California Art

Mary Platt The way Mary Platt sees it, the world is her toy box. Chapman University’s Director of the Hilbert Museum and former Director of Communications and Media Relations wakes up every morning to a new day buzzing with myriad possibilities. For Platt, there’s no such... Read More →

Mary Platt The way Mary Platt sees it, the world is her toy box. Chapman University’s Director of the Hilbert Museum and former Director of Communications and Media Relations wakes up every morning to a new... Read More →

81 - May / Jun 17

Ruebén Martinez

Presidential Fellow

Ruebén Martinez In 2012, as Katerina Sorrell waited at Chapman University to meet with a dean regarding possibly giving up on her dream to earn her graduate degree, Ruebén Martinez sensed her despair and encouraged her. “Dr. Martinez didn’t know me, but he saw I... Read More →

Ruebén Martinez In 2012, as Katerina Sorrell waited at Chapman University to meet with a dean regarding possibly giving up on her dream to earn her graduate degree, Ruebén Martinez sensed her despair and encouraged... Read More →

80 - Mar / Apr 17

Dr. L. Andrew Lyon

Dean of Fowler School of Engineering

Dr. L. Andrew Lyon Like many young boys, Andrew Lyon reveled in the wonders of science and the time-honored results of cause and effect. “I was a typical kid performing the makeshift science experiments out in the backyard,” says Chapman University’s Dean of the Schmid... Read More →

Dr. L. Andrew Lyon Like many young boys, Andrew Lyon reveled in the wonders of science and the time-honored results of cause and effect. “I was a typical kid performing the makeshift science experiments out... Read More →

79 - Jan / Feb 17

Jim Blaylock

Professor, Wilkinson College of Arts, Humanities & Social Sciences

Jim Blaylock When you have the good fortune to read a James P. Blaylock novel and find yourself traveling a serpentine path to meet offbeat, endearing characters and nefarious villains, you’re likely to reach a destination that feels foreign, yet familiar. Even though the award-winning... Read More →

Jim Blaylock When you have the good fortune to read a James P. Blaylock novel and find yourself traveling a serpentine path to meet offbeat, endearing characters and nefarious villains, you’re likely to reach a... Read More →