CMU honors notable alumni

Central Michigan University faculty and staff gathered to honor alumni award recipients on Friday, Oct. 1, at the Bovee University Center.
Andrew G. Arena and Dick Enberg both received the Distinguished Alumni Award.    Arena graduated from Central in 1985 and has worked for the FBI for 22 years. He has worked on many high profile cases, including Martha Stewart’s insider trading case.
“People always ask me, ‘What’s so special about CMU?’ It’s the faculty and staff,” Arena said.
To illustrate this point, Arena shared a story of a political science professor at Central who gave him back an assignment with two grades, a D and an A. The professor said to make some simple changes and the paper would be an A, otherwise, it would be a D.
“But why?” Arena had asked him. “It’s a B+ paper.”
“I know,” the professor said. “But if you plan on going to law school you need to learn how to work harder, and frankly, you’re lazy.”
Enberg, the other recipient of the Distinguished Alumni Award, has been working in sports broadcasting for 50 years, 20 of those for NBC sports and 16 for CBS. He has broadcasted for Wimbledon, the Rose Bowl and the Olympic games and received 13 Emmy awards.
Other award recipients were Kim Summers who received the Alumni Commitment Award, Ryan Walsh, who received the Outstanding Young Alumni Award, Alan C. Campbell, who received the Honorary Alumni Award and Stephanie Oczepek, who received the Alumni Chapter Service Award.
Walsh, who graduated in 2008 and now works as a cameraman for the show Dirty Jobs with Mike Rowe, shared how more than anything, it was hard work that got him where is he today.
“If you would have asked me three or four years ago what my dream job was, I would have told you ‘Dirty Jobs’,” Walsh said. “Central helped prepare me to land that job.”
Two companies, Aramark Corporation and Dow Corning Corporation both won the Corporate Partner Award. Aramark has been Central’s provider for food services and dining facilities management for the past 15 years. Dow Corning works with silicones and silicon-based technology and has made many financial contributions to Central. There are more than 300 Central alumni working for Dow Corning.
George Ross, the president of Central, congratulated the recipients, commenting on how important it was for today’s students to see individuals of different backgrounds take their Central education out into the world and be successful.
“We have a great history,” he said. “And an even greater future.”