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James Zull remembers when a single chain separated Western Reserve University and the Case Institute of Technology. The chain was a futile effort to create an illusion of separation. People often stepped right over it to visit someone at the other university, showing that, from the outset, the two…

Throughout all her years of education, research and teaching, Bonnie Richley has maintained the same goal: “I’ve always wanted to make a difference,” she said. Her new role will allow her to do just that—on a large scale. Richley is an assistant professor of organizational behavior at the…

Before she was born, Irena Kenneley’s family immigrated to the United States from Lithuania after years of persecution under Russian communist rule post-World War II. Growing up on Cleveland’s East Side, Kenneley initially struggled in school, where subjects were taught in English, not her family's…

Throughout his career at Case Western Reserve University, Derek Reinbold was the prototypical student-athlete. He successfully juggled study sessions, practice, tests and matches as a triple major (art history, international studies and political science) and tri-captain of the tennis team. His…

Last weekend marked the 38th annual Rite Aid Cleveland Marathon—a grueling 26.2-mile race throughout the city. The traditional marathon is a daunting task for most, but most are not like ultramarathon runner Jim Van Orman. A North Florida native, Van Orman was primarily a recreational cyclist…

This Sunday, senior Camille Dyquiangco and her fellow graduates will walk across the stage at Veale Convocation, Recreation and Athletic Center to receive their diplomas—marking a successful end to hundreds of undergraduate careers at Case Western Reserve University. For Dyquiangco, her walk also…

On March 24, 1989, the Exxon Valdez oil tanker slammed into Prince William Sound’s Bligh Reef, resulting in one of the most notorious environmental disasters in U.S. history. As an associate for major Los Angeles law firm O’Melveny & Myers, Sharona Hoffman was assigned to work the defense on…

Pandora Robertson is a database applications developer by day and theater director by night. The roles—seemingly in stark contrast to each other—are not as different as one might think. “Development and directing are similar in that you must create something out of nothing,” she said. “Both…

As an undergraduate at University of Maryland, College Park, Rhonda Y. Williams’ first black women’s history class was taught by prominent scholar Sharon Harley. A few years later, when applying for graduate history programs, Harley wrote her a recommendation letter. Then, in graduate school at…

One hundred years ago, Cleveland was the center of the start-up world, led in part by the presence of moguls such as John D. Rockefeller. By the early 2000s, the tables had turned—dramatically—as the area ranked dead last in Entrepreneur magazine’s list of 61 entrepreneurial regions. Fast-forward…