Campus Journal News

Gavin Henning had just finished studying for a sociology exam and was planning to go to a sorority formal when his plans abruptly changed. Instead, the then Michigan State student was driven on Valentine's Day to Detroit in a snowstorm by his parents for a kidney transplant.

The transplant was the culmination of two years of waiting for the then 23-year-old, who now is a research associate in the UNH Student Affairs Research and Assessment Center. "In many ways I feel very lucky because there are people who are much worse off. It's not like I was waiting for a heart transplant," Henning said.

Since receiving his kidney transplant, Henning has become a supporter of organ donation and the National Kidney Foundation, which will hold its local Kidney Walk in New Castle Sunday, May 18.

More than 20 million Americans ‹ one in nine adults ‹ have chronic kidney disease. The number of kidney failure patients is expected to double to 650,000 by 2010, according to the National Kidney Foundation.

Nearly 80,000 U.S. patients are on the waiting list for organ donation, with 50,000 of these patients waiting for a kidney transplant. Every 14 minutes, another name is added to the national transplant waiting list, according to the National Kidney Foundation.

"Transplantation makes such a difference in someone's life. Up until I received my transplant, my life until then pretty much stunk," Henning said.

Henning has a heredity kidney disease known as Alport's Syndrome. His grandfather and great uncle both died of kidney failure caused by the disease. However, the family didn't know about the hereditary connection until 1979 when Henning's cousin broke his collar bone and tests indicated he had the syndrome. Doctors had all the men in the family tested -- since the disease is linked to male family members -- and Henning's tests showed he had the disease. "I had a kidney biopsy at 12. That's how I spent my birthday that year," he said.

Once diagnosed, Henning had to dramatically change his lifestyle, which included yearly tests to ensure the disease wasn't progressing. Then in his sophomore year in college, Henning's blood tests indicated that his kidneys were failing. "I had to go on a bizarre diet. Basically, I couldn't eat anything that was really good for the body, such as fruits and vegetables. I ate a lot of marshmallows. It was fun for about a day," he said.

In his junior year, his kidneys failed and he went on dialysis. Three or four times a day, Henning hooked an IV bag to a 18-inch tube that had been inserted into his abdomen and filtered his blood of toxins that had built up. The procedure, which he did in his residence hall room, took about half an hour.

That lasted for two years.

"The one good thing with a kidney transplant is there is always dialysis so I never had any fear that I would die. I didn't need a lung transplant or heart transplant," he said.

After going on dialysis, he was placed on the transplantation list. When Henning was within six months of being chosen for a kidney transplant, doctors gave him a pager.

At 2 a.m., Feb. 14, 1991, the pager went off.

That day, Henning received his kidney transplant and began a nine-day hospital recovery. His donated kidney could last him until the end of his life.

"My quality of life has increased 1,000 percent," said Henning, who is 35 and working on his Ph.D. in education policy and leadership at UNH.

Many people are not aware that even if they sign the back of their driver's license authorizing organ donation, family members ultimately decide if the organ donation proceeds, Henning said. It is critical that family members talk about whether they want to be an organ donor, and which organs they wish to donate.

A study between UNH and the Washington University School of Medicine has been awarded a more than $400,000 grant by the National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases (NIDDK) to examine factors that may affect long-term kidney transplantation graft survival.

According to Robert Woodward, Forrest D. McKerley Professor of Health Economics at UNH and the principal investigator, the study will expand upon his work previously published in the "American Journal of Transplantation" in 2001. The study demonstrated that low-income recipients had significantly greater graft loss after Medicare coverage of immunosuppressive medications ended. At that time, Woodward was a professor in Washington University's graduate health administration program.

This finding was important because 75 percent of the approximately 13,000 individuals who receive kidney transplants each year fall into the low-income category defined in the study as those making less than $36,000 annually.

"The long-term survival of a kidney transplant requires that the recipient take expensive immunosuppressive medications for the life of the transplant," Woodward says. "The cost of these medications averages $12,000 per year. Unfortunately, the inability to afford these medications and subsequent noncompliance is one of the most common causes of graft loss after Medicare's coverage expires."

In the new study the researchers will expand upon these findings, examining factors such as race, cost of medications, Medicaid regulations, and state specific programs.

"We know, for example, that graft failure rates for African-Americans are substantially higher than those for Caucasians," Woodward says. "We're interested, among other things, in the extent to which race affects the inter-relationship between income, Medicare insurance and immunosuppression prices."

Because individuals with end state renal disease qualify for Medicare insurance coverage regardless of age, Woodward explains, it is the primary payer for more than 70 percent of kidney transplants and the secondary payer for many others.

In 1986 Medicare provided coverage for 80 percent of the cost of outpatient immunosuppressive medications for one year following kidney transplants. Between July 1993 and July 1995, Medicare gradually extended this initial coverage to three years. After this period, disabled individuals may qualify for Medicaid, but eligibility requirements vary by state.

"Medicare's change from one to three years immunosuppression coverage provides a natural experiment," Woodward says. "We estimated impact of the extended coverage by comparing the periods when only one year of coverage was provided with three years of coverage. And the forthcoming release of another year's data from the United States Renal Data System will enable a third comparison: Did the loss of insurance after three years increase the graft loss more among low-income recipients in patients transplanted since July 1995?"

The results of this project will provide guidance to both Medicare and state policy-makers responsible for determining the length of immunosuppression coverage, Woodward says.

"Specifically, it will identify those patients for which insurance had the greatest impact," he says. The results will also guide physicians in selecting among immunosuppressive medications with widely variable prices by identifying those patient groups for whom out-of-pocket price is an important determinant of long-term graft survival."

Professor Jerry Marx's students are learning about entrepreneurship. But instead of seeking angel investors for start-up companies, they're pitching foundations and government agencies with hopes of securing funding for health and human services nonprofits.

The graduate level social work course, Program and Resource Development in Health and Human Services, draws students of many levels, from those completing degrees to others working in the field. What connects them is a desire to learn how to research and write grants to build programming.

"Grant writing is the life blood for nonprofit organizations," says Claudia Moore, who works with Child & Family Services (CFS) in Manchester. "In today's economic environment it is crucial for students entering the field to know how to raise money. As a community and administrative practice student in the UNH social work program, the course was as important to me as Biology 101 is for a pre-med student."

Moore is one of Marx's many success stories. The grant she wrote for the course was submitted to the New Hampshire Charitable Trust for the Invest in Kids project. It brought in $30,000 for the project, a grassroots advocacy initiative to raise public awareness about the state's childcare crisis and involve parents and members of the business community to find solutions to the problem. The program received a national award from the Child Welfare League of America.

Thomas O'Connor wrote a federal grant to fund the development of post-adoption services for families who adopt children out of the child welfare system. Leah Gordon wrote a grant for the Community Council of Senior Citizens in Portsmouth to start a new program for elder volunteer advocates.

It's a course requirement that students write a "real" grant application for an agency in the community, Marx says. "The course is unique in that it teaches students these important skills, and, as a result, positively impacts the community by raising money for program development."

Students learn to assess the organizational needs of their community and develop programs to meet the long-term objectives of the agency they have chosen to represent. They learn about a variety of donations -- individual, corporate and planned giving -- and research what organizations are available for funding opportunities.

"The class helped me take a concept for which funding was needed and give that concept 'hands and feet,'" Moore says. "It's one thing to need money for a project. It is quite another to write a request that invites support for the project."

Deciding what project is best funded by what organization is one of the most critical questions, Marx says. It's not enough to know how to write the grant. It's equally important to know where to look for money. "While some might be suited for large national organizations, others are better matched with local, state or federal funding sources."

The course was invaluable for Nicole LaPointe, a 2001 MSW graduate, who is now a community organizer for The Caring Community Network of the Twin Rivers. The network is a coalition of health and human service agencies, schools and groups that work to improve community and public health in 12 New Hampshire towns in northern Merrimack County, southern Grafton County and Belknap County. LaPointe has successfully secured two $600,000 federal grants for programming focused on substance abuse prevention and rural health.

"I could not have come into the workforce and done this so successfully without the foundation Jerry provided," LaPointe says. "In addition to being a great hands-on experience in grant writing, the curriculum included vital information about the private nonprofit environment. We learned about the changing funding landscape, where money comes from, and what funders are looking for. For example, I've learned that right now successful proposals require collaborations among agencies."

Marx is a recognized expert on philanthropy and has published several articles in national journals on American charitable giving and volunteerism. His expertise comes from first-hand experience. He was executive director of a Maine nonprofit organization that provided educational opportunities for children in state care and for those of young mothers trying to finish their education. He wrote more than 40 successful grants for the agency. "The excellence of his abilities as a professor are reflected in the successes his students are having in the field," Moore says. "Many of us are bringing in much needed dollars for our projects and agencies. Jerry's class helped us make a difference."

A coach shouldn't make you cry, but that's exactly what head football coach Sean McDonnell did last week -- and to of all people, his long-time administrative assistant Nancy Brown.

His voice cracked intermittently as he recounted all of the reasons why Brown, who was recognized at the OS Recognition Awards last week for 25 years of service to the university, is such an asset to athletics.

"When coach Bowes left, he told me, 'Don't mess with Nancy. She's been here a long time.' She is our den mother. The students come to her when they are homesick and have girlfriend problems. She keeps doing things for everybody and she never gets recognized."

And then, he said the clincher. "I feel like she is my sister."

With that, tears swelled in Brown's eyes.

McDonnell's comments are just one example of the admiration and appreciation expressed about members of the operating staff during the awards ceremony, at which nearly 1,200 years of service was recognized.

President Ann Weaver Hart thanked the operating staff for their dedication to the university. "We always have to remember to treasure one another. This community is the reason why we are here and the reason why we do our work," Hart said.

Three employees were recognized for 40 years of service: Robert Colby, heavy equipment operator in Grounds and Roads; Sylvia Dore, senior administrative assistant at the Thompson School; and Dorothy Horne, administrative assistant in the office of the Associate Vice President for Facilities.

"Forty years is a long time. Nobody on campus works harder than Bob does," Glenn Tuttle, assistant supervisor of Public Works, and Grounds and Roads, said about Colby.

Dore will "tell you how it is," according to Regina Attisanto, director of the Thompson School, who said her colleague is the keeper of Thompson School history."I'm not quite sure she knows the impact she has had in the last 40 years. She is 'mom' to the students, and we sincerely appreciate the service she has given to the university and specifically the Thompson School."

When it was time for Horne to be recognized, Allan Braun, assistant vice president of Facilities, and Don Sundberg, vice president for Research and Public Service, conspired to make it a family affair. Horne's daughter, Diana Couture, also was honored at the ceremony for her 30 years of service, and Braun and Sundberg made sure the mother and daughter were honored side by side. Calling the Horne family the first family of UNH, Sundberg explained that Horne and five of her children work at UNH, and her grandson is a student.

Horne has made such an impression on her colleagues that she had an unexpected guest at the ceremony who traveled down from Moosehead Lake in Maine. "This gal is my first and only secretary. The number one thing I miss about UNH is this gal right here," said John Sanders as he put his arm around Horne. The former executive director of Facilities Services retired last year.

In addition to the awards for longevity, two operating staff members received the Presidential Award of Excellence, which recognizes exceptional service to the university. The winners were Sinthy Kounlasa, administrative assistant at the Whittemore School of Business and Economics, and Don Sebourn, supervisor of Electrical and Mechanical Services.

Those honored for longevity were:

40 years: Robert Colby, Sylvia Dore and Dorothy Horne;

35 years: Cyrene Davis, Cheryl Estabrooke, Shirley Provost and Toni Searles; 30 years -- Diana Couture, Carole Harris, Ronald Kennard, Marlene Norton, Edward Ricker and Gabrielle Wells;

25 years: Robert Bennett, Walter Bennett, Nancy Brown, Paula Howard, Karen Leavitt, William Lindsey, William Littlefield, Constance Neal, Cathy Neri, Joyce Perkins, Darlene Russell, Maine Smirles and Mylinda Woodward;

20 years: Sharon Andrews, Nancy Blair, Scott Burklund, Priscilla Colby, Pearl Cossette, Martha Demers, Katherine Eaton, Jean Hills, Loretta Lavac, Marion Ransom, Ruth Rollins, Maria Russell, Lonn Sattler and Donald Smith;

15 years: Peter Akerman, Lindsey Belaidi, Leo Bush Jr., Joanne Bussiere, Lynda Caron, Kathrn Casler, Wayne Chadbourn, Patricia Charron, Lynne Chiarello, Carla Clarke, Robert Cleveland, Leon Dennett, Joyce Dicola, Claire Euloth, Rose Grenon, Patricia Hansen, Thomas Johnson, Nick Kargakos, Charles Lindsay, Mary Lussier, Carl Merk, Sem Moeng, Wendy Neal, Sylvia Noury, Nancy Oakley, Doris Pettis, Pamela Piller, Beverly Read, Sharon Ross, Linda Scogin, David St. Laurent, Heather Talbot, Timothy Taylor, Brian Urbanski, Nancy Wallingford, Laura Wood and Linda Wozniak;

10 years: Arthur Batchelder, John Bolton III, Gerard Chasse, Debra Clark, Rebecca Crawshaw, Celeste Dietterle, Janine Gilbert, Flora Joyal, Marion Kendall, Pamela Newland, Bruce Ogden, Cydney Peabody, Kathryn Reynolds, Faith Sheridan, Lauraine Stevens and Ramon Yuri.

UNH's Center for New England Culture will kick off its Heritage New Hampshire Lecture Series today, May 2, at 3 p.m. at the University of Southern Maine when prominent scholars of New England culture join two poets for a panel discussion on "Locating New England: The Mythology of Place."

A reception will follow the presentation. The event is free and open to the public. It will be held in the Moot Court Room on the first floor of the Law Building at the corner of Falmouth Street and Deering Avenue in Portland, Maine.

The panelists will discuss their essays appearing in the "Colby Quarterly," a journal of analysis of and commentary on subjects in the humanities. The essays consider the ways in which writers and artists, past and present, have created a mythology of place for New England. The special issue editor is poet Wesley McNair, whose recent book is "Mapping the Heart: Reflections on Poetry and Place." Poet Cynthia Huntington, director of the Creative Writing Program at Dartmouth College, is also a contributor. Her new collection of poems, "The Radiant," won the Levis Prize. The lecture series is funded by an endowment from Heritage New Hampshire, in Glen, N.H.

Martha Nussbaum, Ernst Freund Distinguished Service Professor of Law and Ethics at the University of Chicago Law School, will discuss "Women's Education: A Global Challenge" Thursday, May 8, as part of the Saul O Sidore Memorial Lecture Series.

The lecture will begin at 3 p.m. in the Memorial Union Building Theatre I. It is free and open to the public.

Nussbaum will talk about her on-going cross-cultural work with grass-roots women's organizations in India, a country to which she returns frequently in order to learn about the concerns and initiatives of women and community activists.

In particular, she will discuss why education should be considered key for women in making progress on many other problems in their lives.

Nussbaum has taught at Harvard, Brown, and Oxford universities. From 1986 to 1993 she served as a research advisor at the World Institute for Development Economics Research in Helsinki, Finland, which is part of the United Nations University.

In 2000 she was elected to the Academy of Finland. Her most recent book is Upheavals of Thought: The Intelligence of Emotions (2001), and she is currently at work on a manuscript entitled Hiding from Humanity: Disgust, Shame, and the Law.

At the Faculty Senate meeting April 7, 2003, President Ann Weaver Hart reported on the state of the budget in the legislature. She also gave updates on building construction: the new dining hall is expected to open by Aug. 15; the Murkland Hall renovation is ahead of schedule; and Congreve Hall is expected to be ready by fall.

The Central Budget Committee has established budget principles and plans and will submit final recommendations soon. These plans may be ready for communication to faculty during the summer. Student Affairs and the Academic Achievement and Support Services have formed a working group to review services to students available in their two offices. Recommendations will be prepared for the new provost's consideration.

Victoria Banyard said the Women's Commission has organized faculty to review family leave practices and hopes AAUP will negotiate the matter. The AAUP asked faculty to gather information about family leave practices at other institutions. The three main issues are: (1) extending the tenure clock by one year when a child is added to a family by birth or adoption; (2) a semester of paid leave for faculty who become biological or adoptive parents; and (3) pay equity study and adjustment. She asked faculty to review the draft of the proposal, talk to their colleagues and give input to Mary Taylor or Mary Banach.

Sally Ward, chair of the NEASC Subcommittee on the Undergraduate Experience, gave senators an executive summary of the draft report on the undergraduate experience. It includes recommendations on five focus areas: advising, undergraduate research, internships, international education and student life. Additional recommendations were made on general themes: enhancing communication across campus, enhancing collaboration across programs and between academic and student affairs, building more deliberately on previous work, increasing coordination between expectations for faculty and the reward system, and formalizing the work of the assessment fellows group.