By Dr. Raymond Hebert Thomas More University
Part 63 of our series, “Retrospect and Vista II”: Thomas More College/University, 1971-2021
In her Retrospect and Vista: The First Fifty Years of Thomas More College (formerly Villa Madonna College), Sr. Irmina Saelinger, O.S.B. devoted an entire chapter to the Chemistry department entitled: “Chemistry Department: New Undergraduate Approach.” Her theme was to praise the department for a new approach to the field that would allow the students to exercise “an unusual amount of choice and through this choice, explore a variety of interdisciplinary activities” (p. 76). She mentioned courses in such fields as chemistry, biology, physics, mathematics, economics and business, social sciences, and even education and languages—resulting eventually in combined programs such as: “Chemistry-Biology, Chemistry-Physics, Chemistry-Business, and Chemistry-Education.” The point made was an ultimate departmental goal beyond the understanding of the fundamentals of the field of Chemistry to the additional “establishment of an essential climate of creativity” (p. 76).
Sr. M. Julitta and chemistry students. (TMU Archives)
The balance of the chapter focused on the superior student achievements, inspired by the context of this highly flexible program:
1. An active Student Affiliate Section of the American Chemical Society, with three Outstanding Affiliate Chapter Awards in the early 1960s;
2. The graduation of 239 from the earliest days to 1971, and, of those, 64 majors between 1961 and 1971;
3. Graduate Fellowship Awards from the National Science Foundation, National Aeronautics and Space Administration and Atomic Energy Commission, and acceptances at some of the finest graduate schools in the country for Chemistry;
4. Between 1961 and 1971, graduates attended “41 graduate schools with 29% earning the PhD, one the MD, nine or 22% the masters degree, and 17 or 41% still enrolled in graduate school in 1971”;
5. A seven-year augmentation of laboratory equipment just prior to the move to the Crestview Hills campus—which “on a per student basis amounted to more than $3,600 in equipment for each chemistry major”;
Sr. Casimira (Rita Marie). (TMU Archives)
6. Library holdings in the field increased to “1800 bound volumes and subscriptions to 27 major chemical periodicals. This included a grant from the American Chemistry society in support of the subscription to Chemical Abstracts”;
7. The new computer center on campus partially funded by a major National Science Foundation grant as a boon to the department because of the requirement of “Computer Applications to Chemical Problems” courses that were so important to the new progressive Chemistry curriculum and focus (Retrospect and Vista, pp. 76-77). It is therefore not surprising, as will be discussed later, that it was the Chemistry department that would establish the college’s successful Cooperative Education (Co-op) Program, modeled after that of the University of Cincinnati, which was the original Co-op structure nationally.
With that background as context, who were the faculty that must be recognized for the roles they played in the early years?
A Chemistry Department profile from the 1970s spoke with pride of the first chemistry major being listed as early as 1938, adding that “since that time the chemistry curriculum, faculty, and facilities have been on a constant rise toward excellence as is demonstrated by the many improvements over the years” (Chemistry Department Profile, 1977, TMU Archives). That positive attitude, buoyed by an ongoing flow of talented faculty and motivated students, persisted even in difficult financial times. It became the trademark of a department destined to become one of the strongest at the institution, from the late years of Villa Madonna College, to the early years of Thomas More College, and now of Thomas More University.
Professor Ken Reed. (TMU Archives)
Of special note in the 1950s is correspondence from President John Murphy and Academic Dean Fr. Anthony Deye, regarding Chemistry becoming a separate department from the Natural Science Program. Sr. M. Julitta Bonkamp, SND, a Biologist by training but with a second PhD in Chemistry, had also been a supporter of that move. Archival files show a detailed study of other concentrations around the nation for ideas, including the Catholic University of America. Consistent with the resulting interest in “flexibility” noted above, it was in June 1952 that Villa Madonna College was represented at a seminar in Washinton D.C. directed by Dr. Francis O. Rice, the head of the Chemistry department at Catholic University. The workshop had been listed as one on “Theology, Philosophy and History” and yet one of the resulting documents reflected on the place of a Chemistry department at a liberal arts institution (“A Summary of Some of the Procedures of the Chemistry Seminar,” Workshop of Theology, Philosophy, History at the Catholic University of America, June 13-24, 1952, TMU Archives).
Soon afterward, Reverends Murphy and Deye mentioned that a talented VMU Chemistry graduate of the 1950s, Kenneth Reed, had obtained his M.S. from Xavier University in Cincinnati in the spring of 1958, and “was investigating the possibility of an opening in the Chemistry Department” (Memo from President John Murphy to Academic Dean Deye, September 9, 1958, TMU Archives). Dr. Reed later completed his PhD at Louisiana State University in 1968. Ken Reed would become a vital part of the department during the last years of the Villa Madonna College period, along with Sr. Mary Casimira Mueller, SND, who would complete her PhD at the University of Cincinnati in Theoretical Chemistry in 1962. Ken Reed would also serve the college later as Director of Freshman Studies and Director of Development at a crucial time in the transition years after 1968.
Professor Gerald Franzen. (TMU Archives)
It is interesting to note that, in the Villa Madonna College years, the chemistry labs had been built in the rear of the old firehouse near the Cathedral on the ground floor, with the Biology Department on the second floor. “The firehouse was prophetically known as St. Thomas More Hall and sat about where the new cathedral garages are now, not the old garage behind the Cathedral Rectory” (Reminiscence from Dr. Gerald Franzen, Sept. 6, 2022).
Sr. Casimira (later returning to her given name of Sr. Rita Marie Mueller) would become the linchpin of the department for decades, with multiple terms as chair. Over the years, she received “two Dupont research fellowships to St. Louis University, an Air Force Fellowship for her PhD work, some 10 or more National Science Foundation (NSF) grants; was the recipient of an Outstanding Educators of America Award for several consecutive years in the mid-1970s and was the founder of the Cooperative Education Program at Thomas More, first Chemistry and then institution-wide” (Sr. Casimira Mueller, CV, Department of Chemistry Profile in 1977, TMU Archives).
See also: https://www.nkytribune.com/2021/09/our-rich-history-cooperative-education-at-thomas-more-college-early-years-of-work-experience/
Other faculty mentioned in those earlier years were: Fr. Tom Fangman, Dr. Carl Bishop (a VMC alumnus), Dr. James Cantrell, Dr. Daniel Shine, Fr. Francis Kelly, Alice Schwab, Joseph Klingenberg, Thomas J. Ruth, Montserrat Ventura, Mary Leung, and Dr. Joyce Corey. Unobtrusively, the department had attracted a wide array of talented chemists who believed in the vision described earlier by Sr. Irmina Saelinger.
Into the 1970s and beyond, as the department’s reputation grew and the graduates moved on successfully to graduate schools or the business world, there were a number of highly-credentialed faculty who became the backbone of the department and the institution. In the 1970s, Sr. Mary Casimira served as the chair and faculty included:
Chemistry Instrumentation Laboratory, Maria Rice and Sarah Rice. (TMU Archives)
• Dr. Gerald Franzen (VMC ’64) and PhD from the University of Notre Dame. He became fulltime at TMC in 1973. Currently retired from TMU, he serves as a Permanent Deacon for the Diocese of Covington at the Cathedral Basilica of the Assumption.
• Dr. Robert Boggess, PhD, University of Alabama.
• Donald Luken as Laboratory Supervisor.
• Dr. Kenneth Reed (see above).
Talented adjuncts such as Tena Franzen, Bernard Moorman, Dr. Tony Zembrodt, and Dr. Ann Hicks, who would later be moved into a full-time position.
In the annual reports of the 1980s, submitted by Dr. Franzen as chair, other faculty were listed as: Dr. Ann Hicks and Dr. James Swartz as full-time, and part-time Sr. Rita Marie Mueller, who had assumed the newly-created position of Director of Institutional Effectiveness. In 1987, Carol Noffsinger was added as Laboratory Coordinator. With a Laboratory Coordinator, the department was able to institute a progressive “open lab” policy whereby the students who were registered for a particular laboratory section (mostly those at the freshman and sophomore level) would meet with the professor of the lab course for one hour each week for the laboratory lecture, and then they would be free to do their lab work whenever they had time in their schedule. The laboratories were generally available from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m., five days per week. Supervision of these laboratories was shared by the faculty and the laboratory coordinator.
This helped to alleviate any overcrowding, permitted students to fit lab time into their schedules, and made the sharing of limited equipment and instrumentation more feasible. This “open lab” policy also allowed the faculty to design experiments that used modern equipment that was typically available to only graduate students at larger institutions. With the loss of the Laboratory Coordinator position, the “open lab” policy could not be continued but the faculty continued to design experiments that required the use of modern chemical instrumentation. It was also at this time that the department required a faculty-sponsored research project during each chemistry major’s senior year (Information provided by Dr. Gerald Franzen, Sept. 1, 2022).
2017 Commencement, left to right: Dr. Meenakshi Bansal, Dr. Daniel Esterline, Dr. James Swartz, Dr. Tyler Green, Dr. William Wetzel. (TMU Archives)
In addition, as another example of the versatility of this team, Dr. Swartz, who was multi-talented technologically, agreed to pursue a master’s degree in Computer Information Systems so he could also help the institution with its accreditation requirements (faculty credentials area) by later dividing his teaching responsibilities between the two fields. Dr. Swartz had also served multiple terms as the chair of the Faculty General Assembly. With PhDs from the University of Notre Dame (Franzen), Vanderbilt University (Hicks), and the University of Pennsylvania (Swartz), each among the finest academic institutions in the nation, this core group would play a major role in helping the department move to another level, despite some financial setbacks.
By the 1990s, however, additional adjuncts were needed (four in 1991-1992, for example), and while praising the department’s strong curriculum, roster of support courses, increased enrollment, and strong community outreach, Dr. Franzen reminded the administration of “the shortage of a Physical Chemist, the need to replace the departed Lab Coordinator and the desperate need of funds to purchase new instrumentation” (Department of Chemistry Annual Report, May 1993, TMU Archives). Not surprisingly, the Visitation Report and Executive Summary from the later Program Evaluation Visit in 1995 reiterated those exact points, among others (Department of Chemistry Program Evaluation Report, Dr. Conrad Shiba-Centre College Visit on October 18-19, 1995, TMU Archives).
Prophetically, that report was followed shortly after by the hiring of Dr. Bradley Bielski as a Physical Chemist. Dr. Bielski had been an adjunct briefly prior to that and a Lecturer at Northern Kentucky University. Soon after, just as Dr. Swartz had played a leadership role as chair of the Faculty General Assembly for several years, so too did Dr. Bielski. After several terms as Faculty Representative on Thomas More’s board of trustees, Bielski was nominated for and selected to serve as Vice President for Academic Affairs and Dean of the College, a position he held for ten years (2005-2015). After leaving Thomas More, he became Dean and Chief Administrative Officer at Kent State University at Tuscarawas (Ohio), a position he still holds.
Moving into the 21st century, the department continued its outstanding work, particularly with its undergraduate research inspired by a new triumvirate of faculty who have been mainstays for about fifteen years each: Tyler Green, William Wetzel, and Daniel Esterline.
Not surprisingly, the flexibility of and opportunities afforded by a Chemistry major that were highlighted by Sr. Irmina Saelinger, O.S.B. at the start of this article are just as relevant today as they were fifty years ago. With the retirement of Drs. Franzen, Hicks, and Swartz, the Chemistry department hired Dr. Tyler Green (2004, University of Cincinnati), Dr. William Wetzel (2006, Indiana University), and Dr. Daniel Esterline (2008, Miami University) to continue the tradition of excellence and superior student achievements that were the defining characteristics of the department in its early years. More recently, the Chemistry faculty has grown to include Dr. Meenakshi Bansal (2016, University of Louisville) and Dr. Shiv Sharma (2021, University of Florida). With the hiring of a fifth chemist, all major areas of expertise in Chemistry (Analytical, Biochemistry, Inorganic, Organic, and Physical) are now represented by the faculty in the department. To complement the full-time faculty in the department, we are also fortunate to draw upon the experience of two former TMU Chemistry alumni, John Roetting II (2016, University of Cincinnati) and Corinne Weinel (2018, Indiana University), who serve as adjunct instructor and laboratory coordinator, respectively. Most notably, John Roetting II earned the Part-Time Teacher of the Year award in 2019, after only his third year of teaching as an adjunct in the department.
2022 Chemistry faculty and Laboratory Coordinator in the remodeled General Chemistry Laboratory, from left to right: Dr. Meenakshi Bansal, Dr. William Wetzel, Dr. Tyler Green, Dr. Shiv Sharma, Dr. Daniel Esterline, and Corinne Weinel. (TMU Archives)
During recent years, the Chemistry department introduced a BS in Forensic Chemistry degree in 2005 and a BS Biochemistry degree in 2015. Although the BS Forensic Chemistry degree was subsequently retired in 2018, it was replaced with a Forensic Science Concentration designed to pair with either a BS Chemistry or BS Biochemistry major. Along with the Biochemistry counterparts, Chemistry/Pre-Medical, Chemistry/Pre-Pharmacy, and Chemistry/Pre-Dental pathways were also created, and these courses of study have been very popular and attractive for students entering Medical, Pharmacy, or Dental School upon graduation. Recognizing the contribution of Chemistry to a variety of different fields of study, the Chemistry department now offers classes in medicinal chemistry and environmental chemistry, and provides undergraduate students at all levels, regardless of major, an opportunity to collaborate with Chemistry faculty by offering a chemical research course.
The Chemistry department continues to recognize that modern equipment, instrumentation, and laboratory space is essential for a quality undergraduate chemistry experience. In 2005, a $250,000 grant from the James Graham Brown Foundation allowed the department to transform the Chemistry Instrumentation Laboratory. Subsequent improvements to the General Chemistry Laboratory and upgrades to instrumentation by the department and university have ensured that future students will continue to benefit from a meaningful, hands-on laboratory experience with modern instrumentation. As of now, the department has a variety of equipment used frequently by undergraduate students at all levels of our chemistry courses. The array of equipment includes infrared, ultra-violet visible, and Raman spectrometers, liquid and gas chromatographs, a Fluorimeter, mass spectrometer, nuclear magnetic resonance spectrometer, and atomic emission spectrometer.
This equipment has been a vital aspect of the collaborative research between TMU faculty and undergraduate students. This collaborative work has resulted in nearly forty undergraduate presentations at a variety of local, regional, and national conferences. Thomas More Chemistry students have presented the results of their collaborative work at the Butler University Undergraduate Research Conference, Argonne National Laboratory Symposium for Undergraduate Students, National Council for Undergraduate Research Annual Meeting, Pittsburgh Conference in Analytical Chemistry, Federation of Analytical Chemistry and Spectroscopy Societies, and Meetings of the American Chemical Society. Additionally, TMU undergraduate students have been successful at earning positions in a variety of competitive National Science Foundation-Research Experience for Undergraduate (NSF-REU) summer research programs with NASA, the University of West Virginia, the University of Florida, and the University of Cincinnati. These research experiences, combined with a rigorous course of study, continue to prepare students for whatever path they choose after graduation. Over the past fifteen years, 54% of graduates from the Chemistry department have entered PhD or M.S. graduate programs in Chemistry or related areas, medical school, pharmacy school, or dental school, while the other half of graduates have gone to work in a variety of laboratory settings (e.g. chemical companies, hospitals, government or environmental laboratories).
Similar to past chemists at Thomas More, three current Chemistry faculty have served, or currently serve, as chair of the Faculty General Assembly and member of the TMU board of trustees: Dr. Tyler Green (2011-2013), Dr. Daniel Esterline (2019-2021), and Dr. Meenakshi Bansal (2022-present). Chemistry faculty are also actively involved with promoting chemistry and science in the community by performing chemistry demonstrations at schools or on campus, by serving as judges at local science fairs, by serving on the board of the regional science fair, or by participating in the Thomas More STEM Initiative (the information/text on the last fifteen years was provided by current department chair, Dr. William Wetzel).
As mentioned earlier, a Chemistry Department profile from the 1970s spoke with pride of the first chemistry major being listed as early as 1938, adding that “since that time the chemistry curriculum, faculty, and facilities have been on a constant rise toward excellence as is demonstrated by the many improvements over the years.” That trajectory, beginning nearly 100 years ago and focused on superior undergraduate experiences, achievements, and scholarship, has carried the Department of Chemistry to where we are today. This legacy will continue to guide, challenge, and inspire them in the future.
Dr. Raymond G. Hebert is a Professor of History and Executive Director of the William T. Robinson III Institute for Religious Liberty at Thomas More University. He has just completed his 46th year at Thomas More and, with that background, will now serve as the General Editor of the official history of Thomas More College/University from 1971-2021. With a projected title of RETROSPECT AND VISTA II, it will serve as the sequel to Sr. Irmina Saelinger’s RETROSPECT AND VISTA, the history of the first 50 years of Thomas More College (formerly Villa Madonna College). He can be contacted at hebertr@thomasmore.edu.
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