A&S
Getty College of
Arts & Sciences
n ewsl etter
ART AND DESIGN BIOLOGICAL AND ALLIED HEALTH SCIENCES CHEMISTRY AND BIOCHEMISTRY COMMUNICATION AND MEDIA STUDIES THEATRE ARTS EDUCATION ENGLISH HISTORY, POLITICS AND JUSTICE HUMAN PERFORMANCE AND SPORT SCIENCES MATHEMATICS AND STATISTICS MODERN LANGUAGES MUSIC NURSING PHILOSOPHY AND RELIGION PHYSICS AND ASTRONOMY PSYCHOLOGY AND SOCIOLOGY TECHNOLOGICAL STUDIES
ROAD WARRIORS
PROFESSIONAL WISDOM
ONU National Choir Tour
Visiting writer series
LIFEWORKS
THE HEART OF A TEACHER
A holistic treatment to help heal troubled teens.
Good teachers save lives
EXTRA ORDINARY Extra-disciplinary seminar focuses on globalization
A teacher’s heart overcomes obstacles and finds ways to touch the hearts and minds of each and every student.
Reading Series brings working writers to campus IT’S A FACT: You can learn a lot from a professional. And, as part of the Ohio Northern University experience, not enough can be said about the influence these professionals can have on the development of young minds.
The ONU Department of Education and Center for Teacher Education hosted “The Heart of a Teacher” speaker event on Aug. 27, 2013.
Creative writing is no exception.
Two ONU alumni and outstanding teachers shared their incredible journeys toward teaching excellence and offered strategies for creating safe and nurturing classrooms where each student can succeed.
“Creative writing is an art, and contact with professional artists is an important part of student learning in this field, so the department knew we had to bring writers in,” says Lisa Robeson, professor and chair of ONU’s Department of English.
However, as the needs of students changed, the department recognized the need to expand the scope of these writer visits. So, last year, the department invited to campus five writers from various disciplines as part of college’s first “official” Reading Series. Tadd Adcox (fiction), Simone Muench (poetry), Tobias Buckell (science fiction author), Carol Drinkwater (an internationally known actress, novelist and memoir writer Continued pg. 2
ROAD WARRIORS What did you do over summer vacation?
But rarely do students have an experience like the members of the University Singers had this summer on the ONU National Choir Tour.
Stephanie Carr, BA ’05, teaches middle school students in an urban school in Nashville, Tenn., where 70 percent of her students don’t speak English at home and 93 percent live in poverty. She was named Teacher of the Year in 2013 at her school.
IN GOOD HANDS
Carr became inspired to teach at an urban school after hearing Erin Continued pg. 3 Bryan Homyak, BSN ’10, holds the most fragile of human life in his hands. A neonatal nurse at Kaiser Permanente Los Angeles Medical Center, he cares for the “smallest, sickest and newest lives in the hospital.” Homyak’s patients range from preemies weighing less than a pound to infants recovering from major heart surgery. He feels invigorated, yet humbled, by the profound responsibility he’s been given to help these babies survive. “You have to be vigilant and you have to be right 100 percent of the time,” he says. “It’s a challenging but fantastic career, and I feel lucky to be doing it.” Growing up, Homyak never pictured himself as a nurse. He admired his mom and grandmother, both nurses in the Cleveland area, but felt he was
For many Ohio Northern University students, summer is a time of rest and relaxation. For others, it’s time to gain real-world experience through an internship or summer job. Some even choose to forego any notion of downtime by enrolling in summer classes or studying abroad.
EXTRA ORDINARY
better suited for a career in public relations or show business. At ONU, Homyak majored in public relations until he experienced an enlightening moment while caring for his grandfather, who was dying from Alzheimer’s. One Saturday evening, after tucking his grandfather into bed, Homyak was struck by the thought that many elderly people didn’t have a grandson to care for them. He realized what a privilege it was to be able to serve others. He transferred into ONU’s nursing program a few weeks later. Homyak joined the second class to graduate from ONU’s nursing program. His fellow nursing students and professors formed a close-knit family,
New extra-disciplinary seminars add a global perspective to a Northern education.
he says. With a minor in dance, he found another supportive family at ONU in the performing arts. “I really have two passions – nursing and dancing,” he says. “And I sincerely believe I wouldn’t have been able to pursue both of them at any other institution but ONU.” After graduating, Homyak worked for a short while in a geriatric unit before landing his dream job in the Level III NICU at Hillcrest Hospital, a division of Cleveland Clinic. After a few years, he became a traveling neonatal nurse, a unique option that allows him to live in the city of his choice (currently Los Angeles) and make a high salary. Continued pg. 2
Of all the words to enter into our lexicon over the past decade, none is more macro than globalization. The word is used in virtually every sphere of our society — economics, politics, consumption, human rights, the environment, war and peace, the arts, and, most certainly, education.
The numbers alone are staggering: Almost 8,000 miles. 38 students. 38 days. 31 performances. 26 states. For five weeks, a collection of ONU’s most talented students traveled the highways and byways of America, performing choral concerts at churches and schools and introducing people along the way to Ohio Northern University. They also made the kinds of memories that last a lifetime.
Last year, Ohio Northern University introduced a new general education requirement to provide students with an educational experience outside their majors. The program, called the extradisciplinary seminar, is designed so that all the courses focus on a common theme. The theme was globalization, the process by which everyday life is influenced by conditions, events and ideas around the world as a result of increased interconnectivity.
“We met so many amazing people, saw so many really incredible sights, and
An extra-disciplinary seminar offered through the Department of Communication
Continued pg. 3
Pg. 3
THE HEART OF A TEACHER
PROFESSIONAL WISDOM
In the past, the department typically would bring in one established writer (including some very famous writers, such as Edward Albee and Joyce Carol Oates) in the fall as a campus-wide event. In addition, the English department would host a smaller event featuring a poet in the spring.
Class 1 Notes
Continued pg. 2
LIFEWORKS Most small communities don’t extend much help – or hope – for teens in trouble with the law. In Kenton, Ohio, however, juvenile delinquents receive a chance to grab a brighter future. Kenton is one of only 37 communities across the country to implement a positive model of support called “Reclaiming Futures.” Ohio Northern University, through the Getty College of Arts & Sciences, is assisting Hardin County officials with this grant-funded program that brings together educators, law officers, court officials, health care providers and the clergy to improve juvenile justice. The Hardin County Juvenile Court secured funding for the model program through a $1.2 million grant from the Center for Substance Abuse Treatment, the U.S. Department of Justice’s Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency, and The Robert Wood Johnson Foundation. Grant funding began in 2010 and will continue through 2015. Teens who end up in front of a judge typically struggle with the interrelated problems of substance abuse, mental illness, behavior issues and family discord, says Dr. Keith Durkin, ONU professor of sociology. “Reclaiming Futures focuses on treatment, not on retribution,” he explains. “Instead of punishing kids and putting a bad label on them and their families, it takes a holistic approach to changing their lives.” Continued pg. 3
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2 IN GOOD HANDS Continued from pg. 1...
Homyak moved to L.A. to pursue his zeal for dance while he’s still young. His hospital schedule gives him the flexibility to go on auditions, take dance classes and perform in productions. “Out here, everyone is doing something (like acting or dancing) on the side, trying to make it big. It’s an exciting place to be,” he says. When he’s at work, however, Homyak puts his dancing shoes aside and focuses intently on the one or two critical patients under his care. Since the babies can’t voice their needs, Homyak needs to be attuned to any change, however slight, in their appearance or behavior that could signal a problem. “Their condition is very unstable at all times,” he says. “If they start to crash, you have to intervene immediately.” Homyak tends not only to the health needs of his patients, but also to the emotional needs of his patients’
EXTRA ORDINARY Continued from pg. 1...
families. The parents of premature and sick babies experience a high level of anxiety and uncertainty. “All they wanted was a healthy baby to take home, and instead they find themselves in this scary environment where they have no control,” explains Homyak. He helps them through the nightmare with constant updates and education and a steady supply of kindness and compassion. Homyak forms a close relationship with many of his patients’ parents. He loves it when they keep in touch after their baby is discharged, sending photos and notes about the milestones their babies have reached. “I’ll see a picture of a happy child playing in the park, and I’ll remember the nights I stayed up with them when it was uncertain whether or not they would make it,” he says. “There are sad stories in this job, but there are way more happy stories.”
PROFESSIONAL WISDOM Continued from pg. 1...
whose Olive Farm books have been made into films), and Shelly Pearsall (a children’s author) all came to campus to read their work. These visits also included a separate workshop with a class or group of students and private sessions in which students met one-on-one with the writer (who had been given a copy of the student’s work in advance), so the student could get individual feedback from a professional. “It was a terrific opportunity for students to ‘publish’ their work by giving a reading and a great experience to do so with an established author,” says Robeson. “Students were pretty excited about the experience.” The Reading Series was coordinated by Dr. Jennifer Moore, assistant professor of creative writing, who evaluated candidates for campus visits in terms of their recent work as well as their engagement with and interest in undergraduates and undergraduate writing. “Since one of the motivations behind the series is to create opportunities for students to interact with active writers, we try to have our readers engage with them in a variety of settings and situations,” says Moore. “I plan the visit in such a way so as to involve as many students as possible.” One such student was Alexandria Hartsel, a senior creative writing major from Crystal Lake, Ill., who appreciated the fact that Moore was able to bring in a writer representing each genre taught in the college’s creative writing program. Still, Hartsel most looked forward to the visit from the fiction writer, her preferred genre to read and write. “I interacted with Tadd Adcox, a fiction writer from Chicago,” says Hartsel. “I briefly met him before his reading event, where I also read some of my own work. He also came into my Advanced Fiction Writing class the next day to speak with us.” “Tadd’s visit helped me realize that I must continue writing in order to maintain my
skills and to improve them as well,” Hartsel continues. “Tadd’s visit also opened my eyes to the possibility of working as an editor with a small, nonprofit or for-profit literary magazine. I never before considered working for such groups, as I had always focused on large publishing companies. I now have a more realistic view of editing possibilities; I realize that the publishing field is much larger than I previously thought.” “We had some fabulous events last year, and I hope for more of the same this year,” Moore says. The department considered the 2012-13 series to be a trial run of sorts, one that set the stage for the current school year. The department has since established an Events Committee, which includes a student member, to help coordinate the Reading Series. During the 2013-14 school year, the Reading Series will feature creative writing faculty members as well as established writers from other institutions, among other big plans. “As our series grows, I hope to be able to bring in more writers of various backgrounds and genres,” Moore says. “I also hope to expand our footprint a bit. For example, I’d like to continue to establish a dialogue with fellow colleges and universities in the area, increase our visibility, and really amp up the presence and vitality of the creative arts in northwest Ohio. I definitely look forward to growing this series into a dynamic and vital part of the Ohio Northern experience.” The benefits of such as experience are enormous. “I think the students benefit the most from being able to do two things: hear a writer read their own creative work and talk about it critically, and hear a writer’s feedback on their own – the students’ – writing,” says Moore. “The one-on-one workshops are quite special, and receiving individual commentary from a visiting writer is a unique opportunity for ONU students.” Clearly, bringing active professional writers to campus has an enormous potential for shaping, supporting and engaging student writers at Ohio Northern. And that’s not fiction.
and Theatre Arts last fall presented students with a first-hand view of globalization through an investigation of international aid projects with a special focus on the Dominican Republic. International Projects: A Dominican Perspective introduced students to international aid and examined the basic practices and principles used by aid organizations. It invited critical thinking into the motivations behind aid projects as well as long-term outcomes of these efforts, and asked students to consider whether “doing good” can be bad. “Aid projects can actually teach the very people they are trying to help to become dependent on aid,” says Christine North, associate professor of communication arts. “You end up teaching them to expect the next free handout as opposed to empowering them to become more self-sufficient by providing the education and materials necessary to do other work.” The idea that helping others can actually do harm is at the core of North’s course. It is the springboard from which students learn about the factors that cause poverty. This knowledge allows them to understand the circumstances of those in need of aid and helps students appreciate what constitutes effective aid. “In this class, we learned about different views on aid. Government organizations tend to do aid from the top down. They decide what they think would be best for the country and their problems. They don’t really go in and ask the people what they are actually struggling with, what they actually want help with,” says Elizabeth Rogers, a third-year pharmacy major from Genoa, Ohio. “So they just put in place these programs, or do these development projects, and the people either don’t want them or are never taught how to use them and they just go to waste.” In comparison, the class learned about bottom-up approaches like microlending popularized by the Grameen Bank in Bangladesh. Bottom-up approaches deliver aid as directly as possible to the people in need, and gain from the direct contact between the aid givers and receivers. However, if the aid organization fails to develop a relationship with the people it is trying to help, then even a bottom-up approach can fail. “One of the things that I teach in this class is that aid without a relationship is wasted,” says North. “You have to build relationships. We cannot go somewhere and march in as experts. We have got to go in and learn from them and learn what they want, and not what we think they need.” If North sounds like she’s speaking from experience, it’s because she is. For the past four years, she has organized aid trips to the Dominican Republic for various groups on campus. Last fall, she made one such trip a part of her extra-disciplinary seminar course for students who wished to participate. “One of the things that I’m really passionate about in my work in the Dominican Republic is that we don’t do what I call ‘drop-and-run’ missions where you show up, ‘do good’ for a week, and then disappear and it’s all over. That doesn’t make for good, sustainable, lasting change within any community,” she says. The trip was optional for students, and, of the 14 enrolled in the course, four traveled to San Juan de la Maguana over Thanksgiving break to participate in active aid projects such as the construction of a new school, assisting at a remote health clinic and providing nutrition education. In addition, they learned about microbanking from a Peace Corps volunteer who is helping a women’s cooperative develop a business making a high-calorie peanut butter nutritional supplement. As meaningful as their exposure to
multiple aid projects was, witnessing the context in which programs were being administered was equally important. When they returned, students were able to process what they saw with the rest of the class and lead discussions on what worked, what didn’t work, and what would have to happen before the aid groups could pull out and have people remain selfsufficient. For the students who traveled, the trip made a lasting impression and helped reinforce what they had learned in class. For one student, Onoriode Ominiabohs, a junior accounting major from Olanrewaju Yaba, Nigeria, the trip also solidified her personal feelings on international aid. “More than $1 trillion has been given to Africa, and there is literally nothing to show for it,” she says. “I feel that it makes more sense to go into the villages and actually give to tiny groups of people. In the Dominican, we actually saw what we were doing. Even if it was a little group of people we helped, we saw a difference where we went.” The lasting lessons of the class were not dependent on visiting the Dominican Republic. To help all of her students relate to people who are often on the receiving end of international aid, North developed a class project to show how a simple task like fetching water can change behaviors and perceptions. The project was a role-play that began at the Freed Center for the Performing Arts. There, the stairwell landings became a metaphorical “mountainside” community of people living without running water. According to the narrative developed by North, every day the people collect water for their daily needs from a river on the other side of the mountain, which, in this case, was a chemistry laboratory in the Mathile Center. To really force the students into the spirit of the role-playing, North assigned each student a character from the mountainside community. One student might be a 76-year-old grandmother, another an 18-year-old woman with a newborn child. These roles put into context the nature of the task and added a layer of contemplation to its execution. For example, the grandmother cannot walk, let alone collect water, but she also requires that someone stay with her, thereby increasing the burden on that family’s water carriers or limiting the family’s available water for that day. As the able-bodied family members carried water across campus, they experienced how difficult it could actually be. “Dr. North told us what we were going to do, but she didn’t tell us there would be constraints. So I initially thought, ‘Okay, I can carry a bunch of water back for everybody,’” says 6-foot-5-inch, 275-pound George Hess, a junior construction management major from Newbury, Ohio. “But then she told me I was a 6-year-old, so I couldn’t do much. It forced me to realize what a struggle it would be for someone to have to carry water every single day.” When they returned to their landing in the stairwell, North continued the role-playing scenario by explaining to her students why they needed the water. If there are six people in each family, that’s six people who need to
bathe, she explained. That’s a gallon of water to cook enough beans and a gallon of water to cook enough rice. She reminds them that they are poor so they can’t afford to buy vegetables, but they do have a garden, which they’ll need to water because it hasn’t rained in a few days. At the end, she asks her class a question: Now, a couple of weeks ago, we had this aid organization come through, and they were telling us about how important it is that we practice proper hygiene and how we need to wash our hands with soap and water every time we use the restroom, and every time before we prepare food. So how many of you are going to wash your hands five or six times a day? No hands raised. Well, why not? Silence. Finally, a student answers. Because the water is heavy, and I don’t want to haul it. North smiles. Oh, so you mean these people just aren’t stupid because they don’t want to do what we tell them to do? “It was an a-ha moment,” says North. “It is easy to assume that people in these impoverished countries are just dumb or lazy because they don’t do what we know is best. I think that exercise taught my students that, maybe, people’s life circumstances don’t allow them to do what they know they should do.” True to its name, North’s extradisciplinary course was full of engineering, business, pharmacy, nursing and exercise physiology majors. A majority admitted to not knowing or even caring what the class was about. It was required, and it fit their schedules. At the beginning of the semester, that was enough. Having finished it, students like Matt Flynn, a junior civil engineering major from Lake Mary, Fla., are glad they took the course and see it benefitting them in their careers. “For engineers, it’s easy to design something that you think will benefit others if you don’t have to take into account their perspective,” he says. “This class will help me think about how something needs to be designed to truly help others. That is going to help me be a better engineer.” North saw attitudes change throughout her course. She had her students keep journals, and, for their last journal entry, she asked them to answer the questions: What impacted you most about this course? How has your view of poverty changed? How has your view of aid changed? Will it shape what you do in the future? “It was interesting. Very interesting. They made comments that demonstrated an awareness they simply didn’t have before,” she says. As college courses go, International Projects: A Dominican Perspective was rather unorthodox in its approach. Apart from its international field trip and temporary colonization of a performing arts center, there were no exams given. There were no exams, says North, because when it comes to eliminating poverty, there are no right answers to learn and write down on a test. If there were, there’d be no class to take.
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LIFEWORKS Continued from pg. 1...
made such wonderful relationships and connections. I can say without a single doubt that all the late nights and early mornings were definitely worth it,” says Alexa Lammers, a sophomore public relations and musical theatre major from Tipp City, Ohio. The tour itinerary looked more like a AAA TripTik than a concert schedule, with stops at Mammoth Cave National Park; Nashville, Tenn.; New Orleans, La.; Roswell, N.M.; Carlsbad Cavern; The Grand Canyon, Henry Cowell Redwoods State Park; Puget Sound; Yellowstone National Park; Mt. Rushmore; to name but a few. The tour also had free days in Los Angeles and Las Vegas for students to take in the sights. Apart from the incredible experience of seeing so much of the United States, the tour had a practical benefit as well, as the choir gained strength and refinement with each performance. “We started out as a disparate group of individuals and came home a finely honed singing ensemble,” says Dr. Ben Ayling, choral director and visiting assistant professor of music. “We juried for a performance spot at the Ohio Choral Directors Association summer conference and were accepted. This concert came on day 37, just before our home concert at the tour’s end. All 180 choral directors in attendance leapt to their feet at the end of our performance and simply would not stop clapping. I’ve never been more proud of our ONU students.” Ohio Northern University prides itself on many things, but two of the most important are its passion for providing students with opportunities for experiential learning and its reputation for producing well-rounded students. This summer’s choir tour was a good example of those two pieces in perfect harmony.
THE HEART OF A TEACHER Continued from pg. 1...
Gruwell, the educator behind the popular Freedom Writers film, speak at ONU in fall 2001. “It was hard. It’s still hard, but I love every minute,” said Carr, reflecting on her teaching path. She shared with the audience 11 core beliefs that guide her daily work in the classroom. They include the belief that “all students can behave appropriately and learn at high levels” and that “our most needy students need the best teachers.” Carr peppered her address with inspiring, and sometimes humorous, stories about individual students and her teaching experiences. She left the audience with this thought: “A good teacher can change a life.” Joe Virant, BA ’03, is a former teacher and technology administrator who has successfully utilized technology to transform the way students learn. He currently designs technical training courses for adult learners for Baker Hughes Inc. He was named Teacher of the Year in 2006 at an elementary school in Houston, Texas. Teachers should never start a sentence with the words “these kids,” because it implies there’s no solution to a problem, said Virant. “If you catch yourself using these words, it’s time to stop, rewind and think more about what else can be done.” Virant also encouraged teachers to voice their ideas, no matter how unconventional, and to not be afraid to try something different. “Someone has to be the crazy one,” he said. “And it’s OK if it’s you.” Current and former ONU students and teachers from local school districts in the surrounding area attended the event. The College of Arts & Sciences continues to be proud of its alumni and encourages them to share their experiences and network with other ONU graduates during their careers.
Class Notes
‘PEACE CORPS: WHAT IT MEANS TO SERVE’
When society fails to intervene, problems continue into adulthood and often become intergenerational, Durkin adds. Alternately, when society helps juvenile delinquents turn their lives around, everyone benefits. “The young people in the community are the future,” says Durkin. “They are tomorrow’s parents and workers.” For the past two years, ONU professors and students have shared their time and expertise to ensure the sustainability of Reclaiming Futures. Durkin serves as site fellow and federal site evaluator for the program. In this capacity, he provides expert counsel and analyzes and reports data to federal and grant authorities. ONU students work as interns at the Hardin County Juvenile Court and a community school for juveniles in need of recovery services called Lifeworks Center. The only school of its kind in Ohio, Lifeworks helps teens graduate from high school while rebuilding family relationships, conquering drug and alcohol addiction, and receiving mental health treatment. With Kenton located only a 15-minute drive from campus, ONU students majoring in criminal justice, education, psychology and other relevant fields have an incredible learning experience right in their backyard, says Durkin. “Our students have attended court hearings, sat in on case meetings, gone on home visits, administered evaluations and more. They’ve had a chance to work directly with judges, probation officers, teachers, psychologists and social workers. It’s an opportunity I wish I’d had as an undergraduate or even as a graduate student.” Marissa Sue Clark, BA ’13, spent the spring semester interning with Reclaiming Futures, which led to her becoming nationally certified in Global Assessment of Individual Needs (GAIN) evaluations. A psychology major, she says the internship reinforced her desire to become a social worker. “This program gives these kids a huge advantage in getting back on track,” she says. “The experience made me realize how passionate I feel about my future career.” Clark plans to attend Ohio State University to receive a master’s degree in social work. ONU’s support for the program has been invaluable, says Wade Melton, program director of the Hardin County Juvenile Court and Lifeworks Center. “They’ve increased our manpower in areas where we’ve needed it,” he says. “The students bring a lot of energy and willingness to help these kids.” According to Melton, Reclaiming Futures is making a difference in Hardin County. With an 89 percent graduation rate, most participants stay clean for an extended period of time and complete their high school diploma. He shared the stories of two program graduates: a young woman who became the first in her family to graduate from high school and a young man who hated school and was kicked out, but is now excited about attending college. “We’re developing these kids into productive citizens who can contribute back to the community,” he says.
PULITZER PRIZE-WINNING HISTORIAN GORDON S. WOOD RECEIVES HONORARY DOCTORATE Dr. Gordon S. Wood, the Alva O. Way University Professor Emeritus at Brown University, was on ONU’s campus to share his thoughts on “The Revolutionary Origins of the Civil War.”
PROFESSOR NAMED DISTINGUISHED TECHNOLOGY AND ENGINEERING PROFESSIONAL David Rouch, professor and chair of the Department of Technological Studies at Ohio Northern University, was honored with the Distinguished Technology and Engineering Professional award (DTE) at the International Technology and Engineering Educators Association (ITEEA) conference in Columbus, Ohio, on March 8, 2013.
Wood’s talk attempted to explain how the American Revolution set in motion the forces that led to the sectional split and the resultant Civil War. Following the lecture, ONU bestowed an honorary degree upon Wood.
Ohio Northern University was honored to have Amanda Horvath, BS ’06, back on campus to discuss “Peace Corps: What It Means to Serve.” Horvath joined the Peace Corps in 2007 and, as part of her Peace Corps duties, spent 30 months in Paraguay working with Paraguayan teachers and developing extracurricular programs for children. While in Paraguay, she formed a youth eco-club with a core group of about a 10 high school and college-aged students. Horvath is employed by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service in Denver as a fish and wildlife biologist, a position she’s held since returning from Paraguay in 2010. Since coming back, Horvath has been active with Returned Peace Corps Volunteers of Colorado, a group for which she serves on the board of directors and coordinates initiatives focusing on welcoming home the newest returned volunteers. Horvath continues to volunteer in the community by working in a community garden and helping restore hiking trails, among other things. She also volunteers with a local NGO called Groundwork Denver on community environmental initiatives in the Spanishspeaking communities around Denver.
ACCLAIMED AUTHOR AND ACTRESS CAROL DRINKWATER VISITS CAMPUS
Wood is the author of many works, including The Creation of the American Republic, 1776-1787 (1969), which won the Bancroft Prize and the John H. Dunning Prize in 1970, and The Radicalism of the American Revolution (1992), which won the Pulitzer Prize for History and the Ralph Waldo Emerson Prize in 1993. The Americanization of Benjamin Franklin (2004) was awarded the Julia Ward Howe Prize by the Boston Authors Club in 2005. In 2011, Wood was awarded a National Humanities Medal by President Barack Obama and the Churchill Bell by Colonial Williamsburg. In 2011, he also received the Arthur M. Schlesinger Jr. Award from the Society of American Historians. In 2012, he received an award from the John Carter Brown Library and the John F. Kennedy Medal from the Massachusetts Historical Society. Wood is a fellow of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences and the American Philosophical Society. Listen to the lecture at www.onu.edu/ node/47849
THE DEPARTMENT OF COMMUNICATION AND MEDIA STUDIES FORMED The Department of Communication and Media Studies offers degrees in communication studies, multimedia journalism and public relations, with minors available in communication studies, digital media production, multimedia journalism, public relations and social media. In addition to these academic programs, the department is home to Ohio Northern’s college radio station, WONB-FM, and ONU Cable.
MCCARTHY TO PARTICIPATE IN ACS NATIONAL MEETING International author and actress Carol Drinkwater presented a lecture on campus titled “The Olive Route.” Drinkwater is perhaps most familiar to audiences for her award-winning portrayal of Helen Herriot in the BBC series “All Creatures Great and Small.” A popular and acclaimed author and filmmaker, Drinkwater also has published 19 books. When Drinkwater and her husband, Michel, purchased a rundown property overlooking the Bay of Cannes, France, they discovered 68 400-year-old olive trees. Once the land was reclaimed and the olives gathered and pressed, the Drinkwaters became the producers of top-quality olive oil, and their farm has since gained an AOC (Appellation d’Origine Controllee). Her series of memoirs about her experiences (The Olive Farm, The Olive Season, The Olive Harvest, and Return to the Olive Farm) have become best sellers in the U.S. and abroad, selling more than 1 million copies worldwide. Drinkwater’s fascination with the olive tree extended to a solo 17-month Mediterranean journey in search of its mythical secrets. The resulting travel books, The Olive Route and The Olive Tree, have inspired a recently completed five-part documentary film series titled The Olive Route. Drinkwater also has been invited to work with UNESCO to help found an Olive Heritage Trail around the Mediterranean Basin, with the dual goals of creating peace in the region and honoring the ancient heritage of the olive tree.
Allison McCarthy, a senior chemistry major from New Washington, Ohio, will take part in the 245th ACS (American Chemical Society) National Meeting in New Orleans, La., April 7-11. Her poster presentation, “Hetero DielsAlder reactions of 3-formylchromones,” will be part of the Division of Organic Chemistry session “New Reactions and Methodology, Heterocycles and Aromatics,” held the evening of April 10.
The prestigious award is presented to technology educators who have demonstrated a high level of competence and conscientiousness in the field of technology and engineering education. ITEEA’s DTE designation is a coveted mark of distinction in technology and engineering education.
2013 KEISER DISTINGUISHED LECTURESHIP DR. SHARON A. NORTON, MATHILE INSTITUTE FOR ADVANCEMENT OF HUMAN NUTRITION “BATTLING HIDDEN HUNGER” Dr. Sharon A. Norton, M.S., Ph.D., joined the Mathile Institute for Advancement of Human Nutrition as director of development in 2007. For more than 23 years, Norton has focused on nutrition delivery science, including the creation of methodologies to define strategy, develop programming, and launch successful products and projects in the packaged goods, agricultural and nonprofit sectors. Her work has implemented a number of programs to combat global childhood hunger and undernutrition and to advance a great social awareness in these issues domestically and internationally. At the Mathile Institute, she oversees development of formative research programs to promote nutrition among infants, toddlers and preschool-age children in Guatemala and El Salvador, as well as educational support for their caregivers. Norton also was instrumental in creating the institute’s Revolution Hunger initiative in 2010, which builds awareness of global hunger issues among high school students.
TWO OHIO NORTHERN UNIVERSITY STUDENTS SELECTED AS GOLDWATER SCHOLARS Two Ohio Northern University students have been selected as Goldwater Scholars by the trustees of the Barry M. Goldwater Scholarship and Excellence in Education Foundation. This marks the ninth consecutive year that ONU students have been recognized by the trustees of the Barry M. Goldwater Scholarship and Excellence in Education Foundation. During this time, 10 ONU students have been selected as Goldwater scholars, and five have received honorable mention. Morgan Hammer, a senior chemistry and mathematics double major, and Courtney Olson, a junior ACS chemistry major, have been selected to receive Goldwater Scholarships, the premier undergraduate award in the fields of mathematics, the natural sciences and engineering. Both Hammer and Olson have physics minors and membership in ONU’s Honors Program.
Getty College of
Arts & Sciences
n ews le tte r DEAN’S COLUMN
This issue of the A&S Newsletter highlights the impressive contributions of the students, faculty and alumni of the Getty College of Arts & Sciences. Regardless of their fields of study, our students and alumni are engaged in inspiring leadership and thoughtful service.
& Sciences students have many opportunities to nurture relationships with members of the community and with each other. Through the University Singers’ ONU National Choir Tour during summer 2013, a very talented group of ONU students, under the direction of Dr. Ben Ayling, choral director and assistant professor of music, brought the joy of music to audiences throughout the United States, while also deepening friendships with each other. The English department’s Reading Series hosts talented authors who share their work, expertise and insights with students, deepening connections between the works students study in class and the writers who created those works.
Getty College of Arts & Sciences 525 S. Main St. Ada, OH 45810
A&S
October 2013
Making connections and learning to think critically are also key components of the new general education curriculum. In her extra-disciplinary seminar on International Projects: A Dominican Perspective, Dr. Christine North, associate professor Bryan Homyak, BSN ’10, Stephanie Carr, BA of communication arts, challenges students to go ’05, and Joe Virant, BA ’03, are inspirational beyond community service to question existing leaders in their fields. As a highly skilled neonatal policies and practices. She asks her students nurse, Bryan not only cares for infants but also whether “doing good” can have unintended extends comfort to parents and families of at-risk consequences and encourages them to consider babies. Stephanie teaches in an inner-city school, whether there are better ways to structure where her focus on the dignity of each individual international aid intended to alleviate poverty. Her student and her unshakeable belief in students’ seminar exemplifies high-impact practices that capacity to learn create the sort of classroom deepen student learning. Community service and environment that fosters learning. Joe has extended experiential learning are also central to Dr. Keith his outstanding teaching skills from the classroom Durkin, professor of sociology, and his engagement to the business world, reminding us that learning in the Reclaiming Futures project, which aims to is important in all settings and throughout one’s reduce teen drug abuse in Hardin County. Through life. Amanda Horvath, BS ’06, visited campus internships, tutoring and research, ONU students during the spring to talk with students about her and faculty are coming to a deeper understanding Peace Corps experience in Paraguay, where she of the root causes of teen drug abuse and helping served as an environmental education volunteer. to devise more effective strategies for addressing These inspirational alumni demonstrate that this issue, which has such a big impact nationally. an ONU education provides flexibility to extend one’s professional development in creative and Engaging complex issues, drawing connections, sometimes unexpected directions. building on relationships, and exercising creative Inspirational leadership and effective service and critical thinking – these are all characteristics depend on connections, both personal and of the high-impact learning provided by an ONU intellectual. Arts education!
Students participating in ACE Day, 2013
The A&S Newsletter is a publication of the Getty College of Arts & Sciences. Editors: Josh Alkire Amy (Rettig) Prigge, BSBA ’94 Design: Nancy Burnett
Getty College Council Members for 2013-14 Dr. Inara Brubaker, BS ’59, ACIT ’09 Senior Research Associate, Retired UOP LLC James E. Cates, BA ’67 Consultant, Author, Philanthropist and Retired Senior Executive IBM Corporation
Lynn Moomaw, BA ’82 Director of Operations and Adult Education Wayne County Career Center Dr. David Rakestraw, BS ’83 Program Manager in the Global Security Principal Directorate Lawrence Livermore Laboratory
Photography: Ken Colwell
Dr. Jennifer (Pavlock) Counts, BS ’91 Global Product Stewardship Procter & Gamble
Contributors: Cynthia Drake Brian Paris Laurie Wurth-Pressel
Dr. Stephanie (Spirer) Crandall, BA ‘03 Legislative and Business Liaison City of Fort Wayne
Michael Roediger, BA ’90 Executive Director Dayton Art Institute
The A&S Newsletter is published by Ohio Northern University, 525 S. Main St. Ada, OH 45810, 419-772-2000.
Dr. James F. Essinger, BA ’79 Research Fellow The Scotts Miracle-Gro Company
Michael B. Smith, BA ’68 President The Washington Center
Dr. Karen (Keyse) Fields, BA ’78 Medical Director, Strategic Alliances Moffitt Cancer Center
Rodney Thompson, BA ’69, ACIT ’07 Adjunct Professor, Astronomy The University of Akron Wayne College
The Getty College of Arts & Sciences provides a broad-based education that fosters innovative problem-solving skills and teaches students to become independent thinkers and life-long learners. Rigorous programs of study in the liberal and fine arts, sciences, and preprofessional programs provide strong theoretical foundations. Practical experiences in unique and state-of-the-art facilities ensure that students are competitive and well prepared for graduate programs, professional studies and employment.
www.onu.edu/as
Dr. Peter Haase, BS ’92 Veterinarian Care Animal Hospital H. Thomas Hallberg, BSEd ’68 Director of Certification and Student Teaching, Retired College of Charleston
Jane C. (Cooper) Reed, BA ’70 Teacher, Retired Indian Lake School District
Dr. Thomas Vukovich, BSEd ’65 Associate Provost, Retired University of Akron Dr. Ora “Bud” Winzenried, Hon. D. ’01 Owner, Retired Kenton Structural and Ornamental Steel
A Will to Help Others
How one alumna is impacting the lives of ONU students For many years, Ruth Elizabeth Weir, BA ’40, supported Ohio Northern University through her annual support of The Northern Fund. It wasn’t until after her death in 2011, however, that the full impact of her generosity to ONU was realized. As the result of a bequest, Weir established the Ruth E. Weir Scholarship Endowment. The fund provides scholarships to deserving students from Hardin and Hancock counties who are enrolled in the College of Arts & Sciences. Additional funds from the bequest also support summer research and internship opportunities for students. Growing up in Ada, Ohio, Weir graduated from Ada High School in 1936 before attending Ohio Northern University. While at ONU, she was a member of Phi Chi Sorority, which became Delta Zeta Sorority, Zeta Kappa Chapter. Weir also was a member of Beta Sigma Phi Sorority. In 2004, she was honored by Beta Sigma Phi for her 65 years of service to the sorority. Weir was a successful legal secretary employed by the Ohio Oil Company, now Marathon Oil Company, for 45 years.
Tonya J. Hunter, BS ’02, JD ’05 Attorney for Litigation Department Marathon Petroleum Co LP
Weir was a true philanthropist through and through. “We are so grateful to Ruth Weir for her generous contribution to support students in arts and sciences,” says Catherine Albrecht, dean of the College of Arts & Sciences. “I personally am thrilled to be able to award additional scholarship aid to students from Hardin and Hancock counties.”
Hon. Cheryl (McCain) Mason, BA ’86, ACIT ’10 Chief Veterans Law Judge Board of Veterans’ Appeals
Like Weir, you, too, can create an endowed scholarship to help students attend Ohio Northern University. More than 90 percent of ONU students receive some type of financial assistance, but many still graduate with debt.
R. Scott Miller, BA ’77 Senior Adviser and William M. Scholl Chair in International Business Center for Strategic and International Studies
For more information on how you can help ease the financial burden on students and create an endowed scholarship either with an immediate gift or by testamentary bequest, please contact Kelly M. Brant, director of development, at 419-772-3012 or k-brant@onu.edu