2008 Distinguished Alumni Award

Suzanne Schoedinger Ellis, '59, M.S.Ed. '87. 

As a lifelong educator, Sue Ellis has touched the lives of countless numbers of students of all ages.  Sue was instrumental in the formation of Phillips-Osborne School and served for many years on its faculty, was coordinator of gifted programs for the Lake County Educational Service Center, directed Christian education in Painesville's First Church Congregational, and organized and directed local programs for preschoolers.  Sue has also been an adjunct education faculty member at Lake Erie College, has hosted a variety of workshops on current topics in education, has served on the College's education advisory council, and was a valuable member of the Morley Music Preservation Committee.  She is active in a number of civic and professional organizations (including the boards of Andrews Osborne Academy and United Church Homes) and has always been a strong advocate for the College through her generous gifts and volunteer activities.  She was presented a Sesquicentennial Award during Alumni Weekend 2004. 
Born in Columbus, Ohio, Sue graduated from Upper Arlington High School, received an Associate Degree from Bradford Junior College and two degrees from Lake Erie College - a bachelor of arts degree (magna cum laude) in 1959 and a master’s of science in education  M.S.Ed. in 1987. Sue also studied at Capital University and University of Dijon, France.

Sue is married to Thomas Y. Ellis, has three sons, and three grandsons.

2006 Distinguished Alumni Award Recipients

Two Lake Erie College graduates were recipients of the Distringuished Alumni Award during Alumni Weekend festivities. This award is annually given to an alumni who exhibits the strong ideals of learning and success throughout adulthood.

Dana Dennis, ’76

Dana Dennis has served Lake Erie College in countless ways since he graduated magna cum laude in 1976 with a bachelor of science degree in accounting. A member of the College’s board of directors since 1998, he is vice chair of the board, chair of the fund development committee and a member of the executive, enrollment management and board development committees. He has been a generous donor to many College programs, including the annual fund, Athletic & Wellness Center, scholarships, golf outings and more. In addition to his own gifts, he has been instrumental in bringing other donors and volunteers to the College in a variety of leadership capacities. 

Professionally, Dennis is vice president and corporate controller of Parker Hannifin Corporation, where he has worldwide responsibility for all accounting functions within the company, including planning, analysis and budgeting, internal and external reporting and financial systems development.  He is also responsible for proper internal financial and operational controls and capital investment justifications and has been involved in numerous international acquisitions and divestitures.

Dennis has served as vice president of the Northeast Ohio Chapter of the Financial Executives Institute and chairman of the board of Junior Achievement of Greater Cleveland and holds membership in other professional and nonprofit organizations. 

Dennis, his wife Sharon (also a Lake Erie College alumna from the class of 2003) and their two daughters live in Kirtland.

Migdalia Cruz

 Migdalia Cruz has made a strong impact on the theatrical world since she graduated from Lake Erie College magna cum laude with a bachelor of fine arts degree in playwriting in 1980. She went on to earn her master of fine arts degree in playwriting from Columbia University, School of the Arts, in 1984 and has been active as a playwright and lecturer ever since.

Throughout the past 20 years she has written more than 40 plays and co-authored two screenplays.  Some of her plays include Another Part of the House, Featherless Angels, Cigarettes and Moby-Dick, Latins in La-La Land and Dreams of Home.  Her screenplays are Blank Verse (co-written with Juan A. Ramirez) and Carmen’s Mountain (co-written with Mike Angel Cuesta). Her works have been performed in venues throughout the United States as well as in Athens, London, Mexico City, Vancouver and Montreal and have been published in a number of anthologies.     

Cruz has been honored with numerous awards, grants, residencies and fellowships for her works, including more than 20 commissions from distinguished theater companies throughout the U.S. for her plays. She has been writer-in-residence for the Latino Chicago Theater and playwright-in-residence for the Steppenwolf Theater Company in Illinois and the INTAR Theatre in New York.  She was a member playwright of New Dramatists, N.Y., and the New York Playwrights’ Lab, and has been a playwriting instructor and lecturer for a number of colleges and universities. 

Cruz resides in North Falmouth, Mass., with her husband, James Kent.