Giving
Tribute S p e c i a l E n d O f C a m p a i g n R e p or t
Issue 20 // Spring 2014
The Miami University Campaign For Love and Honor
Stories Woven
{ T h e I m pac t o f Lov e a n d H o n o r }
The Miami University Campaign For Love and Honor
David C. Hodge
David Shade ’66 F r o m O u r C a m pa i g n C h a i r
From Our President
On behalf of all the students, faculty, programs and research that have been and will be impacted by your generosity, I extend a most heartfelt and profound thank you. While the numbers are impressive, the true value of The Campaign For Love and Honor is what we have done and will do with those numbers. Student scholarships are making it possible for qualified students to come to Miami. Professorships and chairs are attracting the very best and most committed faculty. Creative programs are carrying our students to the edge of innovation and encouraging them to step beyond the boundaries of our knowledge, armed with the ability to think critically and write effectively. Leading-edge research is redefining what we know and what we can imagine. And new facilities are providing the spaces and places where all this occurs. The impact of The Miami University Campaign For Love and Honor is really quite simple and yet quite profound—there is not a part of the Miami Experience that has not been touched by your support. What we have achieved is now woven into the fabric of Miami. The next time you reflect on the words of Miami’s alma mater, I hope you find a deeper meaning when you come to the phrase “weave the story of thy glory.” Your contributions to the success of this Campaign are now a strand woven into the trajectory of Miami. Throughout the following pages are the inspiring stories of students, young alumni, faculty and staff who have been impacted through your support. They are only the beginning. Love and Honor, David C. Hodge
The Campaign For Love & Honor
BY THE
numbers
As I reflect on the final numbers from the Miami University Campaign For Love and Honor—$535,610,796 given by more than 105,000 alumni, parents, friends, corporations and foundations—I am not sure which number impresses me more. This Campaign was the most ambitious fundraising effort in Miami’s history. We raised our original objective from $350 million to $500 million, and, in the end, we surpassed even that. Equally impressive are the passion the Campaign inspired and the number of volunteers and donors it brought together.
We didn’t get this far without a lot of help and hard work along the way—every dollar given and every hour volunteered truly made a difference. Please accept my thanks and the gratitude of the entire Miami community for the integral role you played in the Campaign’s success. We have indeed built a stronger Miami. Our greatest achievement, though, is not what we have accomplished here but, rather, what we have started. Sincerely, David M. Shade ’66 David M. Shade ’66 is founder, president and CEO of Prism Healthcare Partners. In addition to his service as chair of the Campaign For Love and Honor steering committee, he is a former Miami Trustee and a former chair of Miami’s Foundation Board. David’s wife, Charlotte, is an honorary Miami alumna, and all three of their children and two daughters-in-law hold Miami degrees. The Shade Family made a $1.5 million gift to Miami in 2010 to name the Shade Family Room within the Armstrong Student Center.
$ 535,610,796 Dollars raised in the most successful fundraising initiative in Miami’s history.
142% Percentage increase in Miami’s endowment from the time the Campaign began ($182.8 million) to its completion ($442.8 million). 2
ForLoveandHonor.org
105,000 Number of alumni, parents, friends, corporations and foundations who contributed to the Campaign For Love and Honor.
100% Current and future students impacted by The Campaign For Love and Honor.
A Stronger Miami The Evidence of Our Success While it is impossible to measure the profound and ongoing impact of the Miami University Campaign For Love and Honor, evidence of that impact on Miami’s ability to be a leader in higher education is
No. 1
For the past four years, U.S. News & World Report has ranked Miami the No. 1 public university nationally for exceptionally strong commitment to undergraduate teaching.
already apparent in the latest headlines and rankings.
The 2013-2014 first-year class is the brightest and most diverse in Miami’s history, with an average ACT score that ranks among the top public universities nationally.
Miami’s four- and six-year graduation rates rank among the highest public universities nationally, and Miami’s median time to a degree is just 3.7 years.
40% According to the latest International Education report, Miami ranks No. 3 among public doctoral institutions nationwide for the number of students studying abroad, with more than 40 percent of students studying abroad before graduation.
Among Miami seniors, acceptance into law school exceeds the national average by
{ 11 percent }
Miami graduates are landing where they planned, with 91 percent of August 2012May 2013 graduates employed or in graduate school by fall 2013.
and medical school acceptance exceeds the national average by
{ 17 percent }
ForLoveandHonor.org
3
The Miami University Campaign For Love and Honor
Student Financial Assistance The Promise of a Miami University Education Scholarships are crucial not only for attracting bright, talented and motivated students but also for supporting them all the way to graduation day. Miami dramatically increased the size and number of scholarship endowments throughout The Campaign For Love and Honor, and, with 72 percent of Miami students receiving some form of financial assistance, this remains the University’s leading priority moving forward.
The red bricks of McGuffey Hall cannot contain Sarah Duncan’s Miami Experience. “It means a lot to me that where I live, I give back,” Duncan said. “There are so many service opportunities around Oxford, and it’s so rewarding to spend time serving others and interacting with youth in the community.”
“Learning through service is so much better than sitting in the classroom,” Duncan said. “You’re out in the community, not just reading a textbook.” According to Duncan, her Flodin scholarship enables her to pursue her passions outside the classroom.
“I’ve been given the
freedom to focus on my education and volunteer
A secondary English education major, Duncan is following in the footsteps of influential educators who shaped her own high school experience. She is one of seven Miami honors students awarded a Raymond W. Flodin Scholarship. In addition to her coursework, she is active with Big Brothers Big Sisters and Miami’s Urban Teaching Cohort, which supports urban teacher-education experiences in Cincinnati’s Over-the-Rhine.
in the community without having to worry about
Sarah Duncan ’15 Raymond W. Flodin Scholar
Financial Aid
punching the clock.”
$131.8 million Dollars raised in support of student scholarships during the Campaign.
4
ForLoveandHonor.org
“I don’t get paid for volunteering in the community, but I still need money for college,” Duncan said. “It means everything to me to have some of that burden alleviated.”
The scholarship fund supporting the Flodin Scholars within Miami’s Honors program was made possible through a $1.6 million bequest from Raymond W. Flodin, M.Ed. ’63—a longtime elementary school principal— who designated that the scholarships be awarded based on academic merit and service to the community.
608 New endowed scholarships created during the Campaign.
Of all that Miami University taught Angela Bainter, the most liberating was two simple words: I can. “You spend your life saying ‘I can’t do this because I don’t have the money,’” Bainter said. “Even when those restrictions are removed, you find yourself making other excuses. ‘I can’ is just something you never learned.”
Angela Bainter ’12 Miami University Access Initiative
“The moment I received my remember seeing a brighter future for myself.”
Bainter is one of more than 1,400 students drawn to Miami since the launch of the Miami Access Initiative, which provides free tuition to Ohio students whose annual household incomes are less than $35,000.
“At Miami, I was surrounded by supportive people who wholeheartedly believed in me when I didn’t believe in myself,” Bainter said. “My scholarship empowered me, and I am where I am today because of my Miami Experience.”
Now a market research and business analyst at Millward Brown, Bainter reflects on a number of experiences that defined her time at Miami—
The Miami Access Initiative was made possible through a $15 million bequest from Lois Klawon ’39, whose only charge was to help students in need.
“Everything that’s on the table for me today—the degree, the life lessons, the friendships—was made possible because I was a scholarship student-athlete.”
“Each season was like a metaphor for life,” Brown reflected. “When you’re up, you’re up. When you’re down, you’re down. Either way, you go out there and keep fighting. It’s great life preparation.”
According to Brown, that honor is not something he and his fellow student-athletes take lightly.
“My degree. The ring. The memories. Those don’t happen without the scholarship.”
“Every student-athlete at Miami loves that feeling of stepping out into the arena of play. You’re representing yourself, you’re representing your school, you’re representing your family. It’s an honor and a challenge we’re taught to accept from our first day at Miami.”
In 2013-2014, 100 percent of Miami’s more than 500 student-athletes donated to the University’s Red & White Club to create book scholarships for their fellow student-athletes.
Austin Brown ’13
There were a number of reasons for choosing Miami University, but for Claudia Tommasi, few were more powerful than knowing she was valued.
“The education I’m getting here is unlike any other art education I’ve received,” Tommasi said. “The faculty is great, and I’m learning and growing in all my classes—even those outside of art.”
“I felt that all the work I put into perfecting my portfolio and keeping my grades up had paid off,” Tommasi said. “Every deserving student should be able to have that feeling.”
Bill Mallory Football Scholarship
“Miami is giving me this great scholarship and opportunity. They must
Tommasi became familiar with Miami when she attended an art portfolio camp during high school. While she considered going to an art academy, she wanted to get more from her education and preferred Miami’s well-rounded liberal arts approach.
really want me here.”
Claudia Tommasi ’17 Art Faculty Studio Scholarship
Of all that Miami gave her, the most important element was the support and occasional tough love of those who challenged her to take charge of her life.
financial aid package, I
As Austin Brown was walking off the football field for the last time in his Miami Red and White, he could not help but feel a little philosophical.
For Brown, who earned a bachelor’s in kinesiology and health and started work toward a master’s degree, ups and downs were certainly part of his career. Through the wins, losses, injuries and long hours, Brown says he would not trade the experience for anything.
backpacking through Indonesia with the AIESEC organization, working with Procter & Gamble through Highwire Brand Studio and serving on the committee that hosted the Dalai Lama in 2010.
According to Tommasi, her scholarship also has made it possible to thrive outside the classroom, including involvement in student organizations and an art department trip to New York City last fall.
“There are so many opportunities available to me at Miami,” Tommasi said. “My scholarship ensures I am able to stay focused on my studies and get the most out of college.”
Current and retired Miami art faculty funded the Art Faculty Studio Scholarship through the sale of a limitededition print portfolio that raised more than $60,000.
ForLoveandHonor.org
5
The Miami University Campaign For Love and Honor
Faculty Support Empowering Great Teacher-Mentors and Discoverers Today’s Miami faculty must not only discover and impart knowledge, it also must create and support the opportunities that bring that knowledge to life. Faculty support is enabling Miami to attract and retain great teachers while also advancing the reputation of its faculty as world-class scholars and discoverers. That support is a two-way street, with many current and past faculty and staff directing their own financial support back into the programs and scholarships that are meaningful to them.
Today’s entrepreneurial mindset is taking the world by storm, but you cannot learn it from a lecture or textbook. As Brett Smith, director of Miami’s Institute for Entrepreneurship says, you have to “live it.”
identify opportunities and build relationships that become class projects, internships or immersion experiences.”
“Mark brings the experience of a skilled practitioner, the
Of course, it helps to have an experienced guide along the way, and Miami entrepreneurship students are fortunate to learn from Mark Lacker ’79, a clinical professor with a laundry list of Miami teaching honors who is also founder of three companies.
dedication to life-long learning,
Lacker is responsible for startup courses and co-curricular activities within the program. He also directs the Altman Internship Program.
the willingness to take risks with
“Mark is with students at all hours of the day and night, and he stays connected with them after they graduate,” Smith said. “He’s deeply engaged, and he’s able to do that because the Altman Clinical Professorship allowed us to make him full time.”
pedagogy and the dedication to his students’ success.”
Mark Lacker ’79 John W. Altman Clinica l Professor in Entrepreneurship
Faculty Support
–John Altman ’60
“We would not have a top-20 program without a practitioner like Mark,” Smith said. “He brings that real-world experience that students respect, and he uses those same entrepreneurial skills to
33 Number of new professorships and chairs endowed throughout the Campaign.
6
ForLoveandHonor.org
John Altman ’60, a successful entrepreneur and former faculty member who helped lay the groundwork for Miami’s entrepreneurship program, endowed the John W. Altman Clinical Professorship in Entrepreneurship with a gift of $1.4 million.
$17.2 million Dollars contributed by current and former faculty and staff toward the success of the Campaign.
Terri Messman-Moore believes a faculty member really can have it all at Miami University.
allow her to apply her passion for research and discovery in new directions.
“I can’t imagine being a teacher without being a researcher,” MessmanMoore, a professor and director of clinical training in the Department of Psychology, said. “Miami gives us that ability to do a lot of different things. We’re valued for being good teachers, but we also get to do high-quality research.”
That ability to not only conduct research but also actively involve Miami students in that research is invaluable to student preparation.
“It feels good to know
“In clinical psychology and social work, you can’t see patients until you are in the field,” she said. “As a scholar and clinical psychologist, I’m able to teach and involve undergraduates in what I know most about. I can help them understand what we know about interpersonal violence and abuse, how it might impact people down the line and what our role is in helping people cope. I’m able to provide a glimpse of what it means to enter this profession.”
that I’m sparking not only a curiosity but,
for a fair number of
students, a passion.”
Terri Messman-Moore O’Toole Family Professor
For junior Taylor Wicks, the college journey is not as much about where you start or finish, but rather what you pick up along the way. “The real question is ‘how much do you grow from your freshman to senior year?’” Wicks said.
In addition to working with the department’s Ph.D. students and teaching a senior capstone course, Messman-Moore is in the fourth year of a five-year study on revictimization that is funded by a National Institutes of Health grant. She was recently honored with the O’Toole Family Professorship, which will
national conference last year. According to Wicks, the experience both enhanced his classroom learning and gave him the confidence to effectively represent himself when meeting employers.
“These conferences are
For Wicks, that path has been given direction through the guidance of Brian Kirkmeyer, KBW Assistant Dean for Student Success within the College of Engineering and Computing. Kirkmeyer’s endowed position allows him to provide financial support that assists students with academic needs and enables experiential learning outside of class.
not free, but they are so valuable to us.”
That funding allowed Miami’s chapter of the National Society of Black Engineers (NSBE)—of which Wicks is president—to attend the NSBE
Wicks believes that everything he does today will position him for the dream job he wants tomorrow, and he is appreciative of both the direction and support Kirkmeyer provides.
“Dr. Kirkmeyer is great at helping us reflect on our experiences and giving us goals that will help us succeed,” Wicks said. “The fact that he is also able to support those experiences is so beneficial.”
Stephen Snyder Inside Washington Program
Wicks (left) shown with Brian Kirkmeyer.
Karen Buchwald Wright, president and CEO of Ariel Corporation and a Miami parent, endowed the KBW Assistant Dean for Student Success to enhance student personal success and professional development.
Taylor Wicks ’15
Stephen Snyder committed more than 40 years to Miami University, rising from student dishwasher to executive assistant in the president’s office, but the most rewarding of those years were the eight years he spent as a Miami parent.
“After two weeks in Washington, Lora called us and said, ‘This is where I need to be.’” Snyder recalled. “She went out there not sure what she wanted to do, and it opened a new world to her.”
“We are a Miami family—six degrees among myself, my wife, Deborah ’73, M.S. ’83, and our daughters, Erica ’98 and Lora ’06—and we owe everything in our life to Miami,” Snyder said.
Stephen Snyder ’73, M.B.A. ’75
Miami parents Terry and Kathy O’Toole created the O’Toole Family Faculty Scholar professorship to support a distinguished scholar’s research and teaching.
Karen Buchwald Wright Assistant Dean for Student Success
“It was life changing for Lora, and I want to see other students have that type of experience.”
Snyder enjoyed witnessing Miami’s impact on both his daughters’ undergraduate careers, but seeing the passion one experience stirred in Lora, today a registered lobbyist with the Downey-McGrath Group, inspired him to create a scholarship for Miami’s Inside Washington program.
According to Snyder, who saw a need to make the program more accessible by offsetting Washington, D.C.’s cost of living, the desire to give back comes naturally for current and past faculty and staff.
“The people set Miami apart,” Snyder said. “Miamians are loyal. We believe in Miami, and we want all our students to thrive.”
The Stephen Snyder Inside Washington Program Scholarship was one of 112 funds created through the Miami Faculty/Staff/Retiree endowment program, which offered a match to current and former Miami faculty and staff who created endowed funds.
S cholarship
ForLoveandHonor.org
7
The Miami University Campaign For Love and Honor
Student Opportunities Setting Our Graduates Apart The traits many employers value most in Miami students are groomed not in the classroom but in the co-curricular and real-world opportunities Miami supports outside of class. From study away and abroad opportunities to client-based projects and professional development resources, these above-and-beyond opportunities are setting Miami graduates apart.
If you have a picture of the traditional engineer in mind, it probably does not mesh with the vibrant and outgoing persona of senior chemical engineering major Jessica Schmidt.
Jessica Schmidt ’14 Lockheed Martin Leadership Institute
Student Opportunities
But Schmidt and her classmates in Miami’s Lockheed Martin Leadership Institute are precisely the types of well-rounded individuals—not only technically skilled but also versed in leadership, collaboration, communication and big-picture thinking— needed in today’s and tomorrow’s technology workforce.
ForLoveandHonor.org
Through the Lockheed Martin Leadership Institute, select student cohorts work together with leaders from business and government in a leadership program that emphasizes personal understanding, effective collaboration and strategic thinking.
“Classroom learning is great preparation, but most real-world
“It’s amazing to think of the things I’ve been able to do and the CEOs, vice presidents and entrepreneurs I’ve met at 21 years old,” Schmidt said. “All these opportunities to grow have had a huge impact on who I am.”
problems are not as straight forward.”
“My experience in the leadership institute was probably the biggest factor in setting myself apart in my job hunt,” said Schmidt, who has accepted a position with Procter & Gamble. “I could talk about
$135 million Dollars raised during the Campaign to support existing and new student opportunities.
8
all of these real-world-oriented projects where the answers could not be found in a textbook.”
The Lockheed Martin Leadership Institute is a visionary partnership between Miami University’s College of Engineering and Computing and Lockheed Martin. Miami received more than $107 million in corporate and foundation support throughout The Campaign.
40% Percentage of Miami seniors who report they have worked with Miami faculty on research during their collegiate careers.
As a student-consultant and manager at Miami’s Howe Writing Center, senior Sam Papa has lent guidance and a patient ear to more than 200 fellow students as they have tackled an array of writing projects. While he takes satisfaction in sharing his passion for writing, he often wonders who is learning more.
students while also empowering faculty to better teach and incorporate writing in the classroom. It meets writers where they are, providing a safe, constructive environment, and it is advancing Miami’s reputation as a university that graduates strong writers.
“The Howes have created
According to Papa, its impact goes well beyond English papers, too.
the best platform on campus for assisting students in
“I love the dynamics of the Howe Writing Center,” Papa said. “I’ve been able to be part of 200 different lives, see all these different writers and writing styles, and sample the full breadth of what is going on in classrooms across campus.”
“Writing is everywhere,” Papa said. “It’s in emails, memorandums, résumés, medical school applications and even social media. No matter what you are doing, you have to be able to communicate effectively to pursue your goals.”
developing professionally.”
Sam Papa ’14 The Howe Writing Center
Created under the philosophy that good writers are also effective and persuasive thinkers, the Howe Writing Center provides individualized support to
A couple of great teachers made all the difference in Tammy Schwartz’ life, and, as the director of Miami's Urban Teaching Cohort (UTC), she is on a mission to prepare a new generation of great teachers for the students who need them most.
That impact is on display in five women who student taught in fall 2013. In addition to educating their families and fellow students against urban community stereotypes, they also are reaching students through meaningful curriculum. One such example was teaching a lesson on scale of ratio in which elementary students partnered with Miami architecture students to build ginger bread replicas of Overthe-Rhine buildings.
Through the UTC, Schwartz is immersing Miami students into Cincinnati’s Over-theRhine community, where they are learning firsthand the challenges and opportunities of teaching in an urban environment.
Endowed through a $10.5 million gift from Roger ’57 and Joyce Lutz Howe ’57 in 2007, the Howe Writing Center has conducted nearly 25,000 consultations since opening.
“It is about education,
but it’s bigger than that. It’s changing how our
“Because they know the community, our students didn’t hand out a worksheet,” Schwartz said. “They engaged kids in things that related to their lives, and the kids really grasped the concept. That’s what great teachers do.”
students see the world.”
“As they work in communitybased agencies, build relationships within the community, student-teach in the schools and see those children outside of school, our students begin to understand the richness of the community,” Schwartz said.
Tammy Schwartz Urban Teaching Cohort
Through the support of the Cleveland Community Foundation and Tom ’59 and Sandy Sullivan, Miami University is now piloting the Cleveland Urban Cohort program in Cleveland’s Near West Side.
Over the course of a semester, the Armstrong Interactive Media Studies program changed the course of Marshall Osborne’s life. “AIMS is on the forefront,” Osborne explained. “It’s a smorgasbord of interdisciplinary classes, mixing coding, design, marketing and digital design that helps students translate their traditional majors to today’s digital world.”
Once he arrived in San Francisco, he never left. Uber asked Osborne to stay on and later hired him full-time. Osborne, meanwhile, worked with AIMS Director Glenn Platt and other faculty and staff to obtain needed scholarship support and graduate a semester early by taking online courses.
“When I talk about Miami, I
tell people I did something every
“It was hard, but my goal was to finish my degree and not stop working,” Osborne said. “It’s changed my life and set me up for success. I’m getting to learn from some of the best minds in the Silicon Valley because Miami gave me this great opportunity.”
week that I probably couldn’t have done anywhere else.”
A student in Miami’s AIMS program works with virtual reality technology.
Marshall Osborne ’13 A rmstrong Interactive Media Studies (AIMS)
Through his experience with AIMS, Osborne participated in the San Francisco-based Digital Innovation Center, which connects Miami students with experiences and internships in the Silicon Valley. Osborne found his perfect internship with Uber—a rising global company using an app to connect customers with professional, licensed drivers.
The Armstrong Interactive Media Studies program was launched through the support of the late John Smale ’49 and Procter & Gamble. A $14.7 million leadership gift from Mike ’61 and Anne Armstrong ’61 in 2008 has allowed AIMS to grow to more than 35 courses and its own major.
ForLoveandHonor.org
9
The Miami University Campaign For Love and Honor
armstr ong student center
Facilities and Grounds Spaces and Places for Growth Some of The Campaign For Love and Honor’s most tangible achievements include the state-of-the-art facilities and leading-edge technologies that are enhancing the academic and co-curricular experiences of Miami students and making a statement to prospective students.
farmer school of business
Goggin ice center
mu-hamilton conservatory
Hayden Park
MU–middletown Campus Center
Yager stadium—M c Vicker Complex
Facilities and Grounds
$107.7 million Dollars raised during the Campaign to support capital projects on Miami’s Oxford, Hamilton and Middletown campuses.
10
ForLoveandHonor.org
537,849 Facility square-footage added to Miami’s Oxford campus through the construction of the Farmer School of Business building, Goggin Ice Center and the first phase of the Armstrong Student Center.
Ray Gorman, interim dean of the Farmer School of Business, has seen a lot in his nearly 30 years at Miami University, but he still cannot help but feel inspired by what he sees each time he walks the halls of the Farmer School of Business building. “The energy is amazing,” Gorman said. “Throughout the day, our students are not just in the classrooms— they’re studying, socializing, grabbing lunch, working on group projects. It is hard to find a table, break-out room or bench anywhere in the building that is not being put to good use. Even after hours, the building is alive with students collaborating on projects and presentations.”
state-of-the-art facility. Its spaces have allowed for the expansion of student services and cocurricular activities, and its technologies and flexible classrooms are supporting leading-edge learning. According to Gorman, the impact on external perception is also important.
“The building has
“It is making it easier for us to recruit both students and faculty,” Gorman said. “When you take this modern building—with all its great facilities and resources—and combine that with Miami’s academic reputation and the quality of our faculty, it makes the Farmer School very attractive.”
made us more
competitive nationally.”
Ray Gorman Farmer School of Business building
As much as Courtney Bernard marvels at her own time at Miami, she is even more excited by what the new Armstrong Student Center will mean to future Miamians. A member of the inaugural Armstrong Student Center Board, which is setting the tone for the studentrun facility, Bernard sees tremendous potential for student synergy.
That ability to simulate all-day corporate culture is only one of the many benefits created by the
Designed with extensive student input, the Armstrong Student Center meets a variety of needs. Its spaces include places to study and meet; a two-story Center for Student Engagement and Leadership (SEAL); a variety of in-demand dining concepts; versatile event venues for student programming; and ample informal gathering spaces.
“It’s the heart of the
Miami Experience,
blending all of Miami’s co-curricular aspects into one location.”
“I’ve grown so much as a person at Miami,” Bernard said. “The one thing missing was that space where students can be comfortable and just relax. The Armstrong Student Center is that central place where you can get involved, go see a lecture or performance, or just grab a cup of coffee with your friends. It is bringing students together in ways not previously possible.”
“I think those who supported the Armstrong Student Center envisioned their own time at Miami and have expressed their love for that time by helping us have even better experiences,” Bernard said. “It’s really instilled in current students that you are always a Miamian.”
Dick Munson & Dan Gladish The Conservatory at Miami
Courtney Bernard ’14 Armstrong Student Center
More than 11,000—led by the naming gift of Mike ’61 and Anne Armstrong ’61—contributed more than $34 million to complete the Armstrong Student Center’s first phase.
Standing in front of a class of third-grade students in The Conservatory at Miami University Hamilton, Dan Gladish asks the question: “Plants are the most important part of the earth, true or false?”
University Hamilton
Alumni, friends, parents and others contributed more than $43.6 million toward the construction of the Farmer School of Business building.
Just as was envisioned when the facility was proposed, Professor and Conservatory Director Gladish—along with Conservatory Manager Dick Munson— is reaching about 850 children per year and getting them excited about plant science.
This 7,000 square-foot multi-use facility houses the most diverse collection of plants in the municipal area, and it is supporting opportunities for both Miami students and community groups of all ages.
“The Conservatory allows us to not only work with young
people to discuss the importance of plants—it also supports our efforts for continued outreach in the community.” —Dan Gladish
“We wanted to inspire the area’s youngsters to learn about science— particularly plant science—and also to realize that the college experience is available to them,” Gladish said. “Richard Fitton wanted The Conservatory to be a jewel of Miami and the city of Hamilton.”
“The Conservatory enhances classes for faculty, and it gives students the space and resources they need for experiments and research,” Gladish said. “Most of all, The Conservatory allows us to promote conservation by reaching out to and interacting with our community.”
The Conservatory at Miami Hamilton was made possible through a gift from the Richard J. Fitton family of Hamilton, Ohio.
ForLoveandHonor.org
11
John H. Skillings ’71 Campus campaign chair, former interim Provost and Vice President for Academic Affairs at Miami University
Sue Morten Rogers ’57 Regional gifts chair, former president of Miami University Alumni Association Board of Directors
Wayne Embry ’58 Alumni national chair, senior basketball advisor of the Toronto Raptors
C. Michael Armstrong ’61 Corporate gifts chair, former chairman of Comcast Corporation
Panuska Development Center 725 East Chestnut Street Oxford, Ohio 45056
Campaign Steering Committee STEERING COMMITTEE CHAIRS David Shade ’66 Executive steering committee chair, Leadership gifts chair, founder, president and CEO of Prism Healthcare Partners. Charles Mechem, Jr. ’52 Honorary co-chair, former chairman of the board and director of the Convergys Corporation John Altman ’60 Major gifts chair and stewardship chair, co-founder and executive vice-president of Continental Polymers, and retired professor in Miami’s Farmer School of Business
STEERING COMMITTEE MEMBERS George Bayly ’65 Former chairman, president and CEO of Ivex Packaging Corporation Richard T. Farmer ’56 Chairman of the board and former CEO of Cintas Corporation Robert Griffin ’69 Former managing director and head of investment banking for the Americas at Barclays Capital Joseph P. Hayden, III ’74 Chairman of the Board, the Midland Company Thomas Hayden ’82 Cornerstone Brokers Insurance Services Agency
Roger Howe ’57 Former chairman and CEO of U.S. Precision Lens Lawrence McVicker ’64 CEO of MVOC, LLC Diane F. Perlmutter ’67 Retired CEO and vice-chair of Cohn & Wolfe/New York Thomas W. Smith ’50 Founding partner and president of Prescott Investors, Inc. Tom Stallkamp ’68 MBA ’72 Industrial partner for Ripplewood Holdings LLC, founder/principal of Collaboration Management John Walter ’69 Former president and chairman of AT&T David Hodge President, Miami University
Panuska Development Center | 725 East Chestnut Street | Oxford, OH 45056 | (513) 529-1230 | MUDevelopment@MiamiOH.edu | www.ForLoveandHonor.org Miami University: Equal opportunity in education and employment / Produced by University Advancement 4/14 POST 6K
Giving
The Miami University Campaign For Love and Honor
S p e c i a l E n d O f C a m p a i g n R e p or t
Tribute Issue 20 // Spring 2014