Trine honors 5 alumni at Touchstone

Trine University honored five distinguished graduates with alumni awards during its annual Touchstone and Homecoming Celebration Dinner on Friday, Oct. 3.

The event was held in the Keith E. Busse/Steel Dynamics Inc. Athletic and Recreation Center.

Distinguished Service Alumni Award

Tomy Cochran, a 1969 business administration graduate, received the Distinguished Service Alumni Award.  

Cochran has served in many capacities across northeast Indiana. After graduating from Tri-State, he went on to work for 32 years at Magnavox and Raytheon in Fort Wayne. He earned membership in the Magnavox Quarter Century Club and served on the club’s board of directors.

Cochran served for 24 years in the US Army Reserve as part of the Military Police and the Finance Corps.

He is a member of the Board of Directors for the Pleasant Lake Historical Society, which operates the Pleasant Lake History Museum.

He has been involved with the Boy Scouts of America, now Scouts of America, for 54 years. He was a 10-year board member for the Fort Wayne United Methodist Softball League. He also served as a Little League coach and an active member of his local church.

Outstanding Achievement Alumni Award

Joe Schroeder, the first athlete in the 141-year history of Tri-State and Trine University to compete in the Olympics, was honored with the Outstanding Achievement Alumni Award.

A 2016 bachelor of arts in civil engineering graduate, Schroeder was named a member of the USA Men’s Rugby Sevens team in 2018 and was selected as one of 12 starters for the US Olympic team for the summer games held in Tokyo in 2021.

He scored during the team’s match against South Africa. The US team eventually finished sixth at the games.

He continued with USA Rugby with hopes of competing in the 2024 Paris Olympics until he was unfortunately sidelined by a knee injury.

Schroeder has worked since graduation as a project and design engineer at Black and Veatch in Columbus, Ohio, the engineering company where he interned while a Trine student.

Though Trine University did not have a rugby team when he was a student, Schroeder has supported the launch and growth of the sport at Trine, recording a video to announce the new program and later returning to campus to host summer rugby camps.

Outstanding Young Alumna Award

The university honored Nicholle Probst as its Outstanding Young Alumna Award.

Graduating in 2013 with a degree in psychology and criminal justice, Probst is dedicated to advocating for children who are involved with or at risk of entering the child welfare system.

With more than a decade of leadership experience in child welfare, Probst specializes in developing community-centered programs that improve outcomes for vulnerable populations. She has served as a member of Elkhart County’s Child Protection Team, working to review child protection statistics and policy changes, and conduct independent hearings. She was a member of the county’s Child Fatality Review Team for five years.

As a member of Elkhart County’s Multidisciplinary Team for a decade, she helped Implement an evidence-based child safety curriculum across seven public schools.

She has served as executive director for Family First Center and is currently senior director for The Villages of Indiana, the state’s largest not-for-profit child and family services agency.

She remains connected with Trine University, serving as member development advisor for the Alpha Sigma Tau sorority.

She holds a Master of Social Work with an emphasis in Organizational and Community Leadership from Indiana University South Bend and an MBA from the University of the Cumberlands, and will complete her Ph.D. from the University of the Cumberlands in December.

Outstanding Young Alumnus Award

Tyler Benner, a 2008 sports management graduate, received the Outstanding Young Alumnus Award.

A 2008 sports management graduate, Benner has been an insurance agent for Indiana Farm Bureau since 2016. He was the agency’s top producer in 2019 and was named a governor and premier agent in 2020. He serves on Indiana Farm Bureau’s Agent Advisory Committee as a voice for fellow agents.

Benner has served in the community on the boards of Junior Achievement, the Vine Early Learning Center and Angola Kids League. He continues to serve Junior Achievement as a trainer for the Titan program, a simulation-based program in which high school students compete as business CEOs.

Benner worked in Trine’s Admission Office after graduation and continues to remain engaged with his alma mater.

He serves as an adjunct faculty member in the Ketner School of Business and as a public address announcer for men’s and women’s basketball and football.

He is a member of the Alumni Association Board of Directors and volunteers at various career events on campus.

Spirit of Trine Alumni Award

The university presented Rick Hoover with the Spirit of Trine Alumni Award.

Hoover earned his aerospace engineering degree from Tri-State College in 1971. A member of the Alumni Association Board of Directors for 25 years and former president of the Hoover, Rick has spearheaded efforts to engage alumni and support current Trine students through scholarships.

Hoover also serves on the alumni board for the Sigma Phi Epsilon fraternity.

Hoover established the University Cup Golf Outing, held during Homecoming weekend. This event includes and involves all campus organizations and alumni, and has raised more than $102,000 for student scholarships over its history.