Ohio Today Fall/Winter 2009

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Athens Rocks! p. 21

Calling Southeast Ohio home • Through a local lens • Way outside the Beltway

the

PR

MISE

of hope

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OHIOTODAY

Rick Fatica

Volume 11, Number 1, FALL/WINTER 2009

N O

P L A C E

L I K E

H O M E

10 Way Outside the Beltway For David Wilhelm, BA ’77, politics — and business — is local. The ultimate Washington insider, he keeps finding reasons to come home to Ohio and to develop opportunities for the region’s economic growth.

12 Through a Local Lens From Strouds Run to the Athens County Courthouse, regional landmarks make an appearance in photographs by Ohio University students.

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D E P A R T M E N T S

3 Letters 5 Across The College Green 28 Through The Gate 30 Bobcat Tracks 42 In Memoriam 44 Last Word

We (Still) Love Athens!

For five alumni, home is where the degree is. Their reasons for settling in Athens are varied, but all agree, there’s something lovable (and livable) about this quirky college town.

Find us on the Web COVER: Tony Xenos, BSED ’96, still calls Athens home. A math teacher, he plays in the kid-friendly band Flyaway Saturn. Story, p. 22. Photo by: Kevin Riddell

Ohio University: ohio.edu Ohio Today Online: ohiotodayonline.com

T he

P resident ’ s

P erspecti v e

OHIOTODAY

Coming home to Ohio

E ditor

Mariel Jungkunz, MS ’07

By Roderick J. McDavis

D esi g ner

Sarah McDowell, BFA ’02

A

s alumni, we know Ohio University is a unique community defined by its setting and culture. In fact, when I returned to the university to interview for the position of president, I instantly noticed and appreciated the sameness of the campus and the region. It was like coming home after a long absence.

Time doesn’t alter the charm and beauty that strikes us so vividly when we take the Richland Avenue exit and see the panoramic view of campus or cross Court Street to walk through College Gate and onto the Green. The brick pathways, the beautiful buildings, and the activity of students interacting with friends, mentors and faculty are a constant reminder that Ohio University is a community, and one that is rich in history and place.

Only by looking closely do you notice the technological sophistication of the campus as evidenced by students, faculty and staff carrying iPods, cell phones and laptops. That is definitely a change from when I was a student, but still I see more similarities than differences in today’s students.

From Ohio University’s very beginnings, students, faculty and staff who possess a certain energy, passion and intellectual curiosity have been a part of our institutional character and defined our community. While technology has evolved and impacted how we work and study, it has not changed who we are.

Today’s students possess that same enthusiasm, spirit of inquiry and friendliness that define Ohio University graduates. And much of that is possible not only because of the university’s academic excellence but also the community that melds our campus and our city.

Reading the pages of this issue, you too will find that our students, alumni, faculty and staff continue to make a difference in our city, our region and our world. Consider education major Chris Ebert, who grew up in Circleville, Ohio, and hopes to remain in this region to teach after graduation; or our Alumnus of the Year David Wilhelm, whose love of Southeast Ohio has inspired efforts to nurture local entrepreneurship.

The examples of how our university connects with the region are numerous.

As alumni, this place, our home, is a part of our essence. It helped shape who we became in ways unimaginable to many of us when we were 18, 19 and 20 years old.

And it continues to do the same for new generations of students who proudly carry on the legacy of the Bobcat spirit!

PH O TO GR APH E R

Kevin Riddell, MA ’09 C ontributors

Joshua M. Bernstein, BSJ ’00 Lindsay Ferguson, BSJ ’10 Andrea Gibson, BSJ ’94 Emily Hubbell, BSJ ’10 Beth Lipton, BSJ ’11 Samantha Pirc, BSJ ’10 Mary Reed, BSJ ’90, MA ’93 Julie Tatge Printer

The Watkins Printing Co.

Ohio University President

Roderick J. McDavis, BSED ’70 v ice president of uni v ersit y Advancement ceo of the ohio uni v ersit y foundation

Howard Lipman executiv e director O F C O M M U N I C ATI O N S and marketin g

Renea Morris Assistant v ice president for alumni relations executiv e director of the Alumni association

Graham Stewart director of marketing and communication for the ohio uni v ersit y alumni association

Jan Miller-Fox, BFA ’77 director, advancement S PE C I AL PR OJECTS

Tracy R. Galway, BSC ’93, MPA ’03 B oard of Trustees

C. Robert Kidder, chair M. Marnette Perry, vice chair Sandra J. Anderson, BS ’73 David Brightbill, BSED ’70 Yvette McGee Brown, BSJ ’82 Norman E. Dewire, BSED ’58 Gene T. Harris, PHD ’99 Larry L. Schey David Wolfort, AB ’74 Chauncey Jackson, student trustee Kyle Triplett, student trustee Frank P. Krasovec, BBA ’65, MBA ’66, national trustee Charles R. Stuckey Jr., BSME ’66, national trustee Dennis Minichello, AB ’74, MA ’74, alumni chair Thomas E. Davis, BGS ’73, secretary William R. Decatur, treasurer Ohio Today will publish two times this year, in December and May. Ohio Today Online is published four times a year at www. ohiotodayonline.com. The magazine is produced by University Advancement with funding provided by The Ohio University Foundation. Views expressed in the magazine do not necessarily reflect the opinions of the editors or university policies.

Copyright 2009 by Ohio University Ohio University is an affirmative action institution.

John

sattler

To contact us

Ohio University has an immediate impact on Southeast Ohio residents served by the free or lowcost Community Health Programs provided by the College of Osteopathic Medicine.

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Editorial offices are located at Scott Quad 173, Ohio University, Athens, OH 45701-2979. Send story ideas, items for Bobcat Tracks or comments about the magazine to that address, e-mail them to ohiotoday@ohio.edu or call the editor, Mariel Jungkunz, 740-593-1891.

Address changes may be made by visiting www.ohioalumni.org.

Address changes and information for In Memoriam also may be sent to Advancement Services, HDL Center 168, Athens, Ohio 45701-0869 or e-mailed to ohiotoday@ohio.edu.

To reach the Ohio University switchboard, call 740-593-1000.

F ROM T HE I N B OX Looking East or West?

Courtesy Of Karen Nulf

I see that the current president’s perspective is not very long, historically speaking. He says in the summer issue (“President’s Perspective”) that OU was the “Berkeley of the Backwoods.” The first part of my family to arrive in Athens, two years after the founding, reported that there were 12 log cabins and one brick building (known today as Cutler Hall). Because these were educated, literate people from the East, it was always known as “Harvard on the Hocking,” until the hippie period! I still find that appellation more appealing.

Jerry Grim, BFA ’64 Berwyn, Ill.

Honest advice, lifelong inspiration I read the article about Karen Nulf in Ohio Today (Summer 2009), and it inspired me to send this message of thanks. Karen Nulf (professor emerita of art) made a difference in my life, and I appreciate her direction and support during my time at OU. I graduated in 1978 with a bachelor of fine arts in graphic design. In my junior year, she and I had a discussion that encouraged me to expand my horizons in design. Here’s what I remember about the conversation: She said that I was going to be accepted in the design group (barely), but she wanted me to concentrate on the business of art and design — to learn about all art forms and how art is used in the business world. Over the next two years, I took a variety of classes in almost all of the colleges, from engineering to fashion design, to advertising and journalism.

As it has turned out, her words set the stage for me to enter the working world with the encouragement that I could be a designer and find a path in the corporate world. I have spent the past 30 years producing corporate events all over the world, from high-end incentive programs in exotic locations to one of the largest hot-air balloon festivals in the country. Today I am the senior vice president of brand marketing with RE/MAX. Karen’s direction convinced me that art didn’t just happen on a canvas or illustrations board. As I moved through my career, I always felt as though I was creating art, just using a wide variety of mediums and tools.

In the article, she was quoted as saying she pushed the students as far as they could be pushed, and that people respect you when you make it hard. She was right: She was very straight and honest with me about my artistic talents, and yet she found a way to push me toward something that changed my life.

Here’s another snapshot of how her inspiration pushed me: She was the first person who talked to me about multi-image slide shows. On the first opportunity in my first job at a software company, I produced a 12-projector slide show for a sales meeting (they were blown away), which led to my being asked to produce annual company meetings and to make them “creative,” like the slide show. I spent 12 years in Cincinnati with Cincom and eventually became responsible for all design in the company.

I was in Athens in April and really enjoyed seeing the beauty of the town once again. My roommate from freshman year is still my best friend, and his son attends OU in the graphic design program. On behalf of the thousands of students that you have inspired, Karen, thank you.

Both sides of the story

Mike Reagan, BFA ’78 Denver, Colo.

I always enjoy reading my copy of Ohio Today. I would especially like to thank you for the article in the Summer 2009 edition on Roger Ailes (“In His Own Words”). I did not know, but was pleasantly surprised to learn, that he is an OU alum. As a conservative, I am a strong supporter of Fox News and appreciate his philosophies on journalism. I know there are many who say that Fox News only shows the conservative side, but my viewing experiences say that opposing views are nearly always presented.

As a 1951 alum, I might be described as “old school.” I did not take any journalism courses during my studies at OU, but many of my classmates, who were World War II vets, talked a lot about (School of Journalism founder) George Starr Lasher and his philosophy of always presenting both sides. It is heartwarming to know that some of that thinking is still being absorbed by people such as Mr. Ailes. Apparently, the School of Journalism has not lost its way, as so many others have.

I agree with Mr. Ailes’ last comment of the interview, in which he says, “There are times when I think OU is a little too liberal for me, but that’s OK as long as there’s an additional point of view from time to time so people don’t get brainwashed. I love OU.” Keep up the good work.

ABOVE: Professor Emerita of Art Karen Nulf (photographed at Seigfred Hall in the 1970s) joined the faculty in 1967. Now retired from teaching, she continues to work as an artist.

Bob Baker, BSAG ’51 Kerrville, Texas

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F ROM T HE I N B OX Which came first?

Fellow alumnus Mr. Ailes states Ted Turner created the 24-hour news. I believe Jack Thayer did it first in his conversion of radio news on the radio network level. I worked for Mr. Thayer in the ’70s at WNCI in Columbus, and I believe he blazed the trail for TV to follow later.

Additionally, Ailes did not change 24-hour news to something watchable, but to something sensationalized and distor ted. Ailes does use TV as a canvas and does regularly paint an impressionistic representation that he envisions, motivated by strictly numbers — rating-driven dollars!

Charles Keen, BSC ’76 Fort Myers, Fla.

Promising futures I always enjoy reading about the bright, young people at OU. Thank you. As a retired speech/language pathologist in the inner city, I am especially interested in reading about the Urban Scholars (“Most Likely to Succeed,” Summer 2009) and oppor tunities given to financially challenged minorities.

I am excited that they want to go back to their cities and inspire the next generation.

Florence Entzi Yuhas, BFA ’61 Youngstown, Ohio

Write to us Ohio Today welcomes letters from readers. We reserve the right to edit for grammar, space, clarity, style and civility. Please include your Ohio University affiliation, address and a daytime telephone number where we can reach you if we have questions.

There are several ways you can share your letters with us: •Send an e-mail to ohiotoday@ohio.edu •Address mail to: Ohio Today, Scott Quad 173, Ohio University Athens, Ohio 45701-2979 •Fax letters to 740-593-0662

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CONTRIBU TORS Kevin Riddell (photographer) always wanted to be a photographer but couldn’t afford his first camera until he was 19.

“Photography gives me opportunities to meet so many interesting people from all walks of life,” he says. He earned a bachelor’s degree in visual communication at Cincinnati’s Union Institute and a master of arts at Ohio University’s School of Visual Communication. As the first George V. Voinovich School Photojournalism Fellow, he produced multimedia stories that showcased the impact the school is having in Appalachian Ohio communities. He freelances for Ohio University and The New York Times.

Julie Tatge (“Way Outside the Beltway”) is a journalist and communications consultant who recently relocated to Athens.

She has more than 20 years of experience in top media markets, including serving as business editor of the Chicago Tribune. She earned both a bachelor’s and master’s degree in journalism from The Ohio State University, where she was a Kiplinger Fellow in Public Affairs Journalism. She has taught writing, reporting and editing at OSU, Northwestern University and Ohio University’s E.W. Scripps School of Journalism.

Senior Samantha Pirc (editorial assistant) is a magazine journalism major also earning a certificate in women’s and gender studies.

On campus, she is president of Women Acting for Change and co-edits the WGS department quarterly journal, The Awakening. In her free time, she loves to play intramural broomball, go camping or watch Cleveland sports. After graduation she hopes to work for a feminist-oriented publication or organization.

Senior Allison McAdams (photographer, “Through a Local Lens”) won first prize in the Ohio Today student photo contest held this fall. A commercial photography major, she has interned with River Imaging in Cincinnati, which handles imagery for companies such as Bob Evans and Del Monte.

She enjoys running and participated in the Cincinnati Thanksgiving Day Race this year.

Junior Dan Krauss (photographer, “Through a Local Lens”) won second prize in the Ohio Today student photo contest held this fall. A photojournalism major, he interned with the Evansville (Ind.) Courier and Press and is a staff photographer for the student-produced Southeast Ohio magazine. He is a twotime winner in the College Photographer of the Year contest, winning the Award of Excellence in Domestic Picture Story in 2008 and a gold in the category of Domestic Picture Story in 2009.

Senior Alex Snyder (photographer, “Through a Local Lens”) won third prize in the Ohio Today student photo contest held this fall. A photojournalism major, he is an internationally published nature photographer whose work has appeared in Nature’s Best Photography magazine. A native of Nelsonville, Ohio, he has been taking pictures since he was 12.

A CROSS T HE C OLLEGE G REEN a

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A Nobel honor: Work in ribosomes earns top prize

T

he Ohio University community — and alumni around the globe — celebrated the October announcement that alumnus Venkatraman “Venki” Ramakrishnan, PHD ’76, had received a 2009 Nobel Prize in Chemistry for his work on the function of ribosomes.

Ramakrishnan earned his doctorate degree from Ohio University’s graduate physics program with a dissertation on theoretical solid-state physics supervised by Professor Emeritus of Physics and Astronomy Tomoyasu Tanaka.

After completing his doctorate, Ramakrishnan shifted his research to emphasize biochemistry and molecular biology. He studies the function of ribosomes at the atomic level, including their relation to DNA and how they bind with antibiotics.

Ribosomes are found in all living cells and control the chemistry in living organisms.

“We’re very proud to have an alumnus receive a Nobel Prize,” says Joseph Shields, chair and professor of Ohio University’s Department of Physics and Astronomy. “It’s a great honor.”

Ramakrishnan shares the prize with Thomas A. Steitz of Yale University and Ada E. Yonath of the Weizmann Institute of Science in Israel.

Studying the differences between human and bacterium ribosomes, the scientists found that ribosomes work well with antibiotics by blocking bacteria’s ability to produce the proteins it needs to function. They generated 3D models showing how antibiotics bind to the ribosomes, which now are used to develop new antibiotics.

Through their work, Ramakrishnan, Steitz and Yonath are “directly assisting the saving of lives and decreasing humanity’s suffering,” a release from the Nobel Foundation states.

Currently, Ramakrishnan leads a research group at the Medical Research Council Laboratory of Molecular Biology in Cambridge, England, and is a Fellow at Trinity College at the University of Cambridge. In 2006, he was awarded Ohio University’s Outstanding Alumni Award by the College of Arts and Sciences. He last returned to campus in 2008 to present a special colloquium about his work.

— Jennifer Krisch and Andrea Gibson

Ohio University responds ...

“I’m absolutely delighted that he won the Nobel Prize. As a scholar, it was obvious from the beginning that he was brilliant.”

Ron Cappelletti, professor emeritus of physics

“I heard about it from a teacher in class, and we talked about it for a while. It was exciting. ...

(Ramakrishnan) seems to be a pretty down-to-earth guy. He loves working with ribosomes. So I think you have to find something that you love to do and really have to be dedicated to it.”

Steven Rogers, Honors Tutorial College undergraduate active in biophysics research

“He made a switch from physics to biology. ... I don’t think it would have happened if he didn’t take a few risks along the way. My guess is this (OU) is the place that solidified in his mind that he could go out and do whatever he wanted.”

COURTESY OF THE MEDICAL RESEARCH COUNCIL LABORATORY OF MOLECULAR BIOLOGY

Swati Ramanathan, advanced graduate student from India working in condensed matter physics

“Dr. Ramakrishnan’s work is built on the foundation of all those who supported, encouraged and believed in him at Ohio University. He is now paying that investment forward in ways that are saving lives around the world.”

Roderick J. McDavis, BSED ’70, Ohio University president

“Through talent, hard work and an education provided by OU, you can accomplish a lasting result for humankind.”

Venkatraman Ramakrishnan, PHD ’76, won the 2009 Nobel Prize in Chemistry. He attended Ohio University’s graduate program in physics from 1971 to 1976.

Daniel Sayre, graduate student from Racine, Ohio, working in nuclear physics

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Happy 40th birthday, Alden Library!

All the right notes: A cappella album features Ohio

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he Leading Tones weren’t expecting much more than a couple of hits from an anonymous audience when they put their cover of singer-songwriter Ben Folds’ “Brick” on YouTube.

Instead of a few hits, however, the Ohio University men’s a cappella group ended up recording the song for a surprising and well-known audience — Folds himself.

After discovering the cover of “Brick” on YouTube, Folds came to Athens last December to record The Leading Tones live, without the use of any sound editing programs, at the recital auditorium in Robert Glidden Hall. The song — arranged

by Brian Powers, BMUS ’08, a founding member of The Leading Tones — appears on Folds’ “Ben Folds Presents: University a Cappella!” Released in April, the album showcases a cappella groups from around the country.

At first, Powers says he didn’t believe it when someone claiming to be Folds sent him a message about a possible collaboration. “I thought, ‘I’ll play with it,’” Powers says. “Eventually I realized … that this was real and was going to happen.”

The album, which was widely reviewed (the Wall Street Journal described the rendition of “Brick” as “plucky”), put The Leading Tones on the spot.

The group was formed in 2005 by nonvocalist majors, who continue to make up the majority of its members. “Recording with Ben was an awesome learning experience,” says junior bass singer Benjamin Prater. “He had some great input on the sound but really took in the different aspects of the song that the group and soloist had interpreted.”

Since the album’s release, the group has been asked to perform at a number of Folds concerts, including an October performance in Columbus. “Leading Tones has really blossomed this whole year, due partly to the Ben Folds CD,” says Prater.

— Samantha Pirc

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TOP: (from left) Brian Powers, BMUS ’08, and current students Pat Uihlein, Kyle Barstow, C.J. Huffman and Nick Thompson ABOVE: (right) Senior Michael Ward was the featured soloist on The Leading Tones’ cover of “Brick.” Songwriter Ben Folds (center) recorded the group live at Ohio University.

Five facts about your favorite study spot

1.

Alden Library, named after President Emeritus Vernon R. Alden, celebrated 40 years of service with a rededication ceremony May 15.

2.

On its inauguration day, the library held 550,000 volumes, which had been moved by staff, students and community members from Chubb Hall across College Green.

Today, the library has collected more than 3 million volumes, 46,000 maps and more than 36,000 films, videos and DVDs.

The facility ranks among the top 100 research libraries in North America and has reported approximately 6,400 entrances in a day when classes are in session.

LEFT: Thomas Schiff, BBA ’70, photographed this panoramic image of Alden Library. The print, which he donated to mark the library’s rededication, became the 3 millionth item in its collection.

Football to field hockey: Bobcat athletes shine Junior Marc Krauss was selected in the second round, 64th overall, by the Arizona Diamondbacks in the 2009 Major League Baseball FirstYear Player Draft in June. Krauss was the first Ohio University player to be named MAC Player of the Year. …

The Ohio volleyball team won its sixth conference title in seven years. The team clinched its eighth straight 20-win season, earning this year’s MAC regular season crown. … Senior safety Michael Mitchell was selected in the second round, 47th overall, by the Oakland Raiders in the 2009 National Football League Draft in April. Mitchell was the highest-drafted Bobcat since 1948, when Gene Ruskowski was drafted 44th overall. … Freshman Cathryn Rogers played in the Caribbean Football Union Women’s Under 20 Tournament with the Jamaican U20 National Team. … The Ohio field hockey team clinched its third conference title in four years. The team was also ranked 20th in the nation by Womensfieldhockey.com.

of

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5.

Thomas Schiff, Courtesy

On Aug. 26, 1971, the library became the first in the world to catalog a book online through the Ohio College Library Center database. ALICE was adopted as an online catalog system in 1983.

Mahn Center Archives

3.

That spam?

It’s from a Martian

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ith Ohio University’s help, someday E.T. may be able to e-mail home.

Shawn Ostermann, chair and associate professor of electrical engineering and computer science, and Hans Kruse, professor of information and telecommunication systems, have been working with the NASA Jet Propulsion Lab in Pasadena, Calif., and the Glenn Research Center in Cleveland the past three years to improve communications in space.

Though the Internet pervades life on Earth, the astronauts and satellites patrolling space can’t simply point, click and communicate data via the terrestrial “information superhighway.” A planet, the moon or sunspots frequently interfere with Internet protocols. Service is spotty.

“It’s a very different environment,” Ostermann says. “In space you might need to talk to Mars, but it’s on the other side of the sun. You may not be able to send a message there for another day, week or month.”

Ostermann, Kruse and a team of graduate students from the Scripps College of Communication and Russ College of Engineering and Technology are developing standards and protocols for new software called Delay Tolerant Networking, which some have called the “interplanetary Internet.”

Under a grant with NASA, Ohio University is working on creating the tools and procedures needed to find problems that are holding up DTN messages when they do not make it to their destination, according to Kruse.

Both faculty and students are excited to watch NASA deploy the software, Ostermann says. The project should be complete by the end of 2010.

— Andrea Gibson

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Philanthropic giving transforms lives in difficult times Alumni support enhances Ohio University’s academic mission

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Scholarships 29% Academics 67% Unrestricted 1%

Capital Athletics 1% 2%

Academics $ 16.2 M Scholarships $ 7.1 M

Athletics $ 409 K Capital $ 267 K Unrestricted $ 229 K

Fundraising Results $107 M** $30 M $25 M

(*to date as of 11/20/09) (** Russ Estate Gift)

Matt Schario

FY10*

Fundraising totals $27 M $24.1 (+ $83**) = $107.1 M $ 16.4 M*

by:

Fundraising goal FY08: $18 M FY09: $20 M FY10: $22 M

FY10 Goal

$5 M

FY09 results

$10 M

FY09 goal

$15 M

FY08 results

$20 M

Graphs

For more information on making a difference at Ohio University and to make a gift to the area that means the most to you, call 800-592-FUND (3863) or e-mail giving@ohio.edu. Secure online giving is available at www.ohio.edu/give.

Private Support FY09

FY08 goal

hen our nation faces challenges, when economies lag, when giving back becomes difficult, Ohio University alumni continue to make their alma mater a priority.

Private support provides the margin of excellence at Ohio University, making possible the scholarships, research and innovative programs that set the university apart from its peers. It is vital to success.

In fiscal year 2009, more than 27,000 alumni and friends made gifts through The Ohio University Foundation totaling $24.2 million and surpassing a $20 million goal. More than 96 percent of this support was directed toward academic programs and scholarships.

“This broad base of support for our academic mission demonstrates the deep commitment and loyalty of our supporters to Ohio University,” says Howard R. Lipman, vice president of University Advancement and president and CEO of The Ohio University Foundation.

An $83 million estate gift from Fritz J. (BSEE ’42), and Dolores H. Russ — which will support academic excellence in the Russ College of Engineering and Technology — brought overall fundraising in fiscal year 2009 to $107 million.

Equally important are benefactors such as Mimi Bogard, AB ’71, who has made 37 gifts through the Annual Fund in 30 different fiscal years in the 38 years since her graduation. Although each gift is less than $100, as a whole, they represent an extraordinary commitment to alma mater.

In fiscal year 2009, annual gifts of $1 to $10,000 added up to more than $4.75 million. When combined, these gifts transform lives. For example, Ohio University ranks sixth in the nation for graduation rate performance among national universities and liberal arts colleges — coming in 16 percent higher than predicted.

There’s more evidence of excellence: The College of Osteopathic Medicine’s classes of 2007 and 2008 scored No. 1 among the 22 osteopathic medical schools in the nation on the most recent Comprehensive Osteopathic Medical Licensing Examination. And the College of Business is recognized as one of the nation’s top 50 undergraduate business programs.

“Private gifts — particularly in difficult times — support this level of academic achievement,” says President Roderick J. McDavis. “They represent the difference between a good university and a great one!”

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n July 1, the university welcomed its new executive vice president and provost, Pam Benoit. The former vice provost and dean of the Graduate School at the University of Missouri, Benoit spent her first day touring the campus and learning about its history. Now that she’s settled into her work, Ohio Today asked her to share a newcomer’s viewpoint on what makes Ohio University unique.

What were some of your first impressions of Ohio University?

One of the first things that I did was to participate in Bobcat Student Orientation.

So my first impressions were of how passionate our faculty and staff were in helping students get off to a good start and how excited incoming students were about being here.

What are your favorite places on campus and in Athens?

With six campuses there’s a lot to choose from in the way of special places

and vistas. I enjoy the College Green, the covered bridges at Lancaster, Alden Library, the view across the valley at Eastern and the Wolfe Garden behind Cutler Hall — my office overlooks it. In Athens, my favorite place is the Saturday Farmers Market. Starting the weekend with a bag of local apples and an armful of beautiful flowers ... does it get much better than that?

What activities on campus have you attended and enjoyed?

I’ve been at Ohio University 123 days, and I’d estimate that I’ve attended about 370 different events and activities in Athens, on the regional campuses and around the state. I’ve enjoyed the variety and how each has taught me something new about the university.

What was your reaction to the recent Homecoming festivities?

I loved the “hominess.” At some universities, the homecoming part gets lost in the hoopla and hustle. Not here.

KENNEDY MUSEUM OF ART: COLLECTIONS COLLECTED

Kevin Riddell

A Bobcat welcome: Introducing Provost Pam Benoit

Provost Pam Benoit joined the Ohio University community in July.

What makes a university great?

The degree of dedication to students.

If student success is your core, there are no limits to what you can accomplish as a university.

What sets Ohio University apart from other universities you know well?

How tightly it is tied to the concept of community. The belief in community is very deep at Ohio University, and it seems to be the lifeblood of our success.

University strengths recognized by rankings

Kevin Riddell

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A collaborative project between the Ohio University School of Art and the Kennedy Museum of Art, this fall exhibition displayed a wide variety of objects selected from Ohio University departmental collections and the Athens community. From antique radios to skeleton models, the items were displayed in unusual ways to inspire new views of familiar, and not so familiar, objects.

hio University continues to be one of Ohio’s top public universities, placing 57th among ranked public national universities, according to the most recent Best College rankings for U.S. News and World Repor t.

U.S. News reported that Ohio University’s graduation rate (70 percent) is 16 percent higher than predicted, placing it sixth for graduation rate per formance among national universities and liberal arts colleges.

In Washington Monthly’s recent rankings, which are based on an institution’s “contribution to the public good,” Ohio University ranks 24th in social mobility (recruiting and graduating low-income students).

“We remain a ver y competitive institution that ser ves promising students from all over Ohio and beyond,” says President Roderick J. McDavis. “That is important to us and to our state.”

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Way outside the beltway: From the business of politics to the politics of business, David Wilhelm stays committed.

By Julie Tatge Alumnus of the Year David Wilhelm is the ultimate Washington insider, a former chair of the Democratic National Committee who remains closely connected to the White House. But there’s one circle of influence he returns to time and again: his hometown of Athens, Ohio, where his commitment to its residents and economic development is making a difference.

D

avid Wilhelm is strolling the floors of Ed Map, one of the business success stories funded by a venture capital firm he launched in 2002 to bring jobs and opportunities to central Appalachia.

Thanks to the backing of Adena Ventures, Ed Map is thriving. On a recent weekday morning, workers at the company’s Nelsonville, Ohio, warehouse are sorting and packing chunky textbooks and paperbacks into boxes, capitalizing on the growth of distance-learning programs.

Not that long ago, Ed Map fulfilled 5,200 orders in a single day, shattering an earlier company record. Employment stands at 100, up from a handful in 2002.

“Got the economy turned around yet?’’ an employee teases Wilhelm as he stops to say hello. “We’re working on it,’’ Wilhelm banters back. In the shipping area, he pauses to take in the view. “It feels good,’’ he says of Ed Map’s growth. “This is what it’s all about.’’

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Recently honored as Ohio University’s Alumnus of the Year, Wilhelm (BA ’77) never set out to be a moneyman.

Raised in Athens, Ohio, he gravitated early to the world of campaign politics, managing everything from his high school teacher’s run for Athens City Council to Bill Clinton’s bid for the White House. In 1993, he became the youngest-ever chair of the Democratic National Committee.

Lately, however, Wilhelm has been focused on economic development. How to create jobs. How to promote sustainable growth. How to help an impoverished region that has been exploited for its rich natural resources build a better future. Big questions, to be sure. But to Appalachia’s and Ohio University’s good fortune, some of the most consistent words that friends and colleagues use to describe Wilhelm are: smart, optimistic, idealistic and, most importantly, loyal.

“David has an incredible sense of home,’’ says Evan

Blumer, executive director of the The Wilds, a nonprofit conservation center located on nearly 10,000 acres of reclaimed mine land in Southeast Ohio. “He wants to bring all of the social and political currency he owns and put that to use for the good.’’

“His fingerprints are on a lot of really good things,’’ says Cara Dingus Brook, AB ’02 and MPA ’06, chief executive of the Foundation for Appalachian Ohio. “He’s used Adena Ventures and other opportunities he’s had in life to create opportunities for others.’’

Photo

by:

Kevin Riddell

An exceptional venture

After his high-profile political work, Wilhelm could easily have landed a lucrative job with a D.C. lobbying firm eager to make use of his extensive network, notes Tom Vilsack, U.S. secretary of agriculture and a longtime friend. But Wilhelm elected to come back to his home state, helping those “who don’t have a voice, who might otherwise be ignored.’’

For struggling regions such as Appalachia, venture capital funds like Adena can play an important role in economic development by helping small businesses get started and expand, he adds. “Small business is often at the center of a community’s renaissance and rebirth,’’ Vilsack says.

Wilhelm’s first steps into venture capital started with a telephone call in 1998 from the Rev. Jesse Jackson, who told him that he had been invited to speak at Wilhelm’s alma mater. Wilhelm urged Jackson to spend some time in the

area, and the civil rights leader ended up hosting an economic roundtable in Nelsonville.

The roundtable, Wilhelm recalls, drew a crowd of respectful folks who shared their aspirations as well as their frustration at how difficult it was to find money for emerging businesses.

Their stories hit home with Wilhelm.

“That’s the day I became a venture capitalist,’’ Wilhelm recalls. “I didn’t want to lose the energy in that room. Knowing virtually nothing about venture capital, I announced that we were going to create a $15 million venture capital fund.’’

For some perspective on Wilhelm’s vow, consider this: In the U.S., venture capital hotspots traditionally have been located on the coasts, places like Silicon Valley, San Francisco and Boston, spots where investors hope to get in early on the next Google or Apple Computer. Startups in the nation’s heartland, by comparison, often are ignored. Betting that high-growth businesses that deliver solid returns could be developed in the country’s flyover zones, Wilhelm founded Woodland Venture Management, a fund-development firm.

He also recruited Lynn Gellermann as a partner and president of Adena, Woodland’s first fund.

Early Adena investors included Ohio University. By the time Adena opened in 2002, the partners had raised $34 million from other big-name investors and expanded the Near the George V. Voinovich School of Leadership and Public Affairs where he teaches, Visiting Professor and Alumnus of the Year David Wilhelm, BA ’77, has a bird’s eye view of Athens.

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fund’s target area beyond Ohio to West Virginia, Maryland and Kentucky. A former Banc One executive, Gellermann estimates that Adena has helped create or maintain about 750 jobs in the region.

Woodland later launched a second fund, Hopewell Ventures, which is based in Chicago and focuses on the Midwest.

“We are taking advantage of a market inefficiency and playing a leadership role,’’ Wilhelm says. “I definitely started out wanting to do good things for the part of the country I grew up in, but it has turned out to be a pretty good business proposition, too.’’

He predicts that his investors will earn returns that will be competitive with, or better than, those produced by other early stage venture funds started around the same time as Adena and Hopewell.

In addition to providing equity capital, Adena offers operational assistance to developing companies, teaching managers, for example, how to find executive talent or devise a marketing plan. To do so, Adena partners with private sector firms as well as universities, including Ohio University’s George V. Voinovich School of Leadership and Public Affairs.

It’s a winning formula for the university’s MBA students, who get the chance to do hands-on consulting work on real business problems, says school Director Mark Weinberg. This year, Wilhelm is serving as a visiting professor of leadership and public affairs at the school, leading seminars and lectures as well as mentoring students.

Wilhelm’s work on behalf of his alma mater expresses itself in other ways. He is a former chair of the Ohio University Alumni Board. And during presidential election seasons, he regularly appears before packed alumni events to debate politics and ideas with Ohio University Professor Richard Vedder, a nationally known economist.

“He’s a good guy,’’ says Vedder, who knew Wilhelm when he was a boy and both of his parents. “I don’t agree with David on much of anything to do with politics. … But there’s a high level of civility, even comradeship and friendship, in our interactions with each other.”

Love for the land

The son of a refugee from postwar Germany, Wilhelm was born in 1956 in Champaign, Ill. When he was 7, his family moved to Athens, joining the Ohio University community.

His father, a geography professor, focused on the settlement of Appalachian Ohio. Wilhelm often accompanied his father on research trips, learning about the area from customs and simple icons such as a wood barn.

“I think from him I got a love for the land as well as a recognition that — with his immigrant’s sensibility — life wasn’t easy for everyone,’’ Wilhelm says. “Not everyone had the same chances.”

The tenor of the times, too, shaped Wilhelm’s youth, with the Vietnam War, the presence of the National Guard on campus and civil rights driving debate around Ohio University and Athens.

His interest in public affairs started early. He remembers that when he was 8, he watched President Lyndon Johnson drive down Richland Avenue on his way to Memorial Auditorium, where the president would promote the Great Society. “I had the sense he was coming here for a reason, that he was here to do something to help lift people in poverty.’’ He also remembers standing outside a downtown bookstore to poll students about Robert F. Kennedy and Eugene McCarthy.

It was a no-brainer to attend Ohio University, where he majored in government. “My father asked me, ‘What does a faculty tuition discount mean to you?’’’ Wilhelm says with a laugh. “I said, ‘It means I’m going to OU.’’’ As a sophomore, he devoted a quarter to recruiting delegates for Jimmy Carter, earning class credit. He then enrolled at Harvard University’s Kennedy School of Government, earning a master’s degree in public policy.

His high school teacher, Pete Lalich, former chair of the Athens County Democratic Party, says Carter’s team couldn’t help but be impressed by Wilhelm’s energy and attitude. “He has a knack for including others,’’ Lalich says. “He’s very organized, and he’s usually a step ahead on how the other side (Continued on page 14) is going to respond.’’

By the Numbers: Appalachia

• In 2006, 27.6 percent of Athens County residents and 25 percent of children lived in poverty.

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• Ohio University is one of the county’s largest employers. Ed Map also makes the list of top 10 employers.

Sources: The Appalachian Regional Commission, U.S. Census Bureau and the Ohio Department of Development

Appalachian Regional Commission

• Only 2 percent of the land in Athens County is classified as urban. Some 77 percent of the county is forestland.

of the

• Athens County was classified as a “distressed county” for fiscal year 2010 by the Appalachian Regional Commission.

• An estimated 42 percent of the Appalachian population is rural, compared with 20 percent of the national population.

Courtesy

• Appalachia is a 205,000-square-mile region that follows the spine of the Appalachian Mountains from southern New York to northern Mississippi. There are 420 Appalachian counties, located in 13 different states.

Kevin Riddell

TECHGROWTH OHIO: A Little Help Goes a Long Way

S

outheast Ohio may not be the first place that comes to the minds of adventurous entrepreneurs with a business plan, but one program is working to change that.

TechGROWTH Ohio connects early-stage, technologically innovative companies with the tools for growth and sources of capital needed to get up and running. Located at the Ohio University Voinovich School, TGO helps companies by offering everything from expert human resources to business consulting advice, and procuring investors or capital required to get a product to market.

It is one of six programs receiving funding from the Ohio Third Frontier Entrepreneurial Signature Program Initiative working to create a culture of support for entrepreneurs and an infrastructure for business investments in different regions of Ohio.

“We are always looking for entrepreneurs,” says TGO Director John Glazer. “If there are Ohio grads out there developing new technology, this is a call to action for them to come home.”

TGO has invested nearly $1 million in

three companies, and has assisted more than 30 clients with $2.3 million in grants and services. These investments have helped area companies generate nearly $20 million in additional economic activity, including co-investments, loans, grants and sales.

TGO targets seed-stage technology companies in sectors including, but not limited to, interactive digital technologies, alternative energy, bioscience and bioagriculture.

The diversity of the companies receiving assistance shows the range of ingenuity and innovation embodied by local entrepreneurs. With TGO’s backing, Third Sun (see page 14) has become the area’s leading provider of clean energy systems for homes and businesses, and Toobla founders Bob Falcone and Jake Saxbe are developing a Web site for saving and sharing Internet content through visual bookmarks.

By partnering with different organizations, agencies, economic development professionals and regional leaders such as David Wilhelm, TGO has created a network of support for

entrepreneurial activity. Wilhelm worked closely with Lynn Gellermann (also of Adena Ventures), Mark Weinberg of the Voinovich School and David Wight at the university’s Edison Biotechnology Institute to bring together the initial concept of a partnership for the application and secure the grant.

TGO partners also include Ohio State University South Centers, East Central Ohio Tech Angel Fund, WesBanco, the Muskingum County Business Incubator and the university’s Innovation Center.

The impact that TGO has on the area is two-fold: It transforms it into a region that is conducive to entrepreneurial enterprises while simultaneously creating jobs, says Gellermann, TGO’s new executive director. “Our goal is to create new companies around new technologies and to help build the next generation of employers,” he says.

— Samantha Pirc

ABOVE: TechGROWTH serves 19 counties, including Athens, where the program is based.

An area near Raccoon Creek in southern Athens County is pictured.

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A few years after Harvard, Wilhelm was tapped to manage Paul Simon’s campaign for a Senate seat from Illinois in 1984 and Richard M. Daley’s run for Chicago mayor in 1989. Along the way, he experienced setbacks. In 1988, he himself ran for Congress but lost in the Democratic primary.

But when he met with Eli Segal, who was leading the search to find a campaign manager for then-Arkansas Gov. Bill Clinton’s bid for the White House, Segal had other questions on his mind besides politics. He looked at Wilhelm’s resume and asked him if he knew the Dairy Barn, the cultural arts center in Athens where Segal had sponsored a national jigsaw puzzle competition.

“I went home and told my wife, ‘I think I’m going to get the job,’’’ Wilhelm recalls, referring to his spouse, Degee. The couple now have two sons, Luke, 14, and Logan, 13.

When the campaign was over, Wilhelm was elected chair of the DNC. It wasn’t an easy time, with clashes over healthcare reform, the Whitewater controversy and the budget.

Wilhelm left the DNC in 1994, joining Kemper/Everen Securities as a senior managing director in Chicago and then co-founding a public affairs firm.

A local perspective

Of course, Wilhelm remains active in politics and served as an adviser to Ted Strickland when Strickland successfully ran for Ohio governor in 2006. Nationally, Wilhelm made news early last year by supporting Barack Obama’s push for the Democratic nomination, and he became one of his leading surrogates.

But for now, Wilhelm is focused on the business at hand.

Adena is eight years into a projected 10-year investment cycle.

A second iteration is expected to follow, most likely expanding into western Pennsylvania and upstate New York. Wilhelm’s also spending time helping entities such as the Foundation for Appalachian Ohio, CeaseFire in Chicago, dedicated to curbing street violence, and the National Park Foundation.

He gets a charge, he says, from hearing about local work to promote sustainable farming, renewable energy, and new efforts by Ohio University’s Voinovich School and the College of Business to train students in entrepreneurship and support emerging businesses. Such projects, he says, represent a big shift in how economic development is being pursued. Not all that long ago, communities focused primarily on landing a big employer from outside the region. But that strategy sometimes backfired. As Appalachia’s own history shows, the wealth created by those companies wasn’t always shared with the region’s people.

Building from the ground up, by comparison, can provide a model for how other nonurban communities can push the reset button and create stronger, more inclusive, futures, he says. It also reflects an internal belief in the area’s capabilities and talents.

“I get the sense that this area is primed to move out of the recession with more confidence than other areas. We’re used to hard times,’’ Wilhelm says. “Some of this good work that we’re doing, I think it’s going to pay off.’’

A local success story: Q&A with Michelle Greenfield of Third Sun With the help of Ohio University and TechGROWTH Ohio, alumni Michelle and Geoff Greenfield (both MAIA ’94) have transformed Third Sun from a mom-and-pop shop to the 32nd-fastest-growing energy company in the nation, according to an August ranking by Inc. 5000 magazine. With a three-year growth of 390 percent, Third Sun has become the Midwest’s leading provider of solar energy systems.

Christina Eiler

You’re originally from larger cities.

(Michelle is from Cincinnati, and Geoff is from Syracuse, N.Y.) Why did you stay in Southeast Ohio?

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We graduated (from Ohio University) in 1994, and a lot of our peers were moving to Washington, D.C., but we liked it here. We both ended up finding work here in Athens doing economic development. After a year or so, we decided to purchase some land in the country, build a house and stay. Up to that point, we had been traveling a lot, and we were sort of settling in and making friends. We didn’t want to pick up and go away.

How did the two of you meet?

At Miami University … but I don’t know if you are allowed to print that!

We both came to Ohio University for grad school.

What has it been like to watch your business grow from a mom-and-pop shop to a midsize business?

It is sometimes unbelievable. When we first moved into the Innovation Center (Ohio University’s business incubator), we rented the smallest possible office.

We now occupy the warehouse here and eight additional offices. It’s been really exciting.

John Fanselow

What are the business advantages of living in this region?

A low cost of living. That has enabled us to take the risk of starting a business on a bootstrap budget. We also have a great work force here. (Third Sun has 21 employees.) They are motivated by more than just the job; they are motivated by the mission. There is a lot of help here with the university, too. We have a lot of great connections.

You are one of the clients working with TechGROWTH Ohio (see page 13).

How has that partnership helped?

The biggest help has come from an adviser working with us one-on-one. He knows our business really well. Getting that expert business perspective has been really valuable.

Do you see solar power becoming more popular in the next few years?

It is definitely becoming more mainstream. When we started, we were sort of the oddballs. You see solar power a lot more in the news. We built our (own) house off the grid. We

are all solar power; we don’t use coal power at all. We built our house out of local materials, and it’s very efficient.

The financial payback is very good.

Solar panel prices are going down, and regular traditional energy prices are going up.

Now that Third Sun has expanded, do you have more free time or less?

Less. We’ve gotten more business, and the industry as a whole is growing. Plus, we have two kids.

Is the company your “third son”?

We picked the name because we knew the business would need lots of nurturing and care to raise it up. We have gotten it to the point — this is an actual business term — where we are in the adolescent stage. We aren’t full grown, we aren’t big, but we aren’t kids anymore. It needs different attention than it did when we were first starting.

As the company grows, have you considered moving to a larger city?

We already have sales people in

Cincinnati and Columbus. We are just solidifying our presence there.

I don’t know if we will have a brickand-mortar presence. ... Sometimes it’s tempting. I go to Cincinnati to visit my family, and I drive through industrial parks, and they would be perfect (for us). But we don’t want to move there ourselves.

So is it really sunny enough here for solar power?

We have more solar charging hours in Ohio than in Germany, and Germany is the leader in using solar power.

Solar power works no matter where you are. It is a matter of economics and number of panels. You need fewer panels in California and more in Ohio. … People get a sense that it’s cloudy here, but when you look at the whole year, we have enough sun! Our house is living proof of that.

— Samantha Pirc

ABOVE: Since 1997, Third Sun has installed solar cells for homes and businesses, such as Doran Manufacturing in Cincinnati.

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Through a local lens

What is it about Ohio University that makes us feel so at home?

We asked students to define the area through the lenses of their cameras and submit their favorite pictures of the region for an Ohio Today-sponsored contest. Here are the three prize-winning entries and other favorites.

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FIRST PRIZE: ALLISON McADAMS “It looked so pretty,” says senior Allison McAdams of the sunset at state park Strouds Run. “I knew I had to capture it.”

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SECOND PRIZE: DAN KRAUSS (above) Junior Dan Krauss focuses his work at the School of Visual Communication on photo documentaries. In this image, flowers rest on the truck of Bernard Allen, 78, a local dairy farmer in Athens.

In January, Dan will begin an internship with the Jasper (Ind.) Herald.

EVAN GRAVES (p. 19, top left) A freshman from Cleveland, Evan plans to apply to the School of Visual Communication to study photojournalism or multimedia design. He enjoys photographing sports and captured this image at the Ohio University football game versus California Polytechnic State University this fall.

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BRITTNEY CARROLL (p. 19, lower left) A senior studying early childhood education at Ohio University–Lancaster, Brittney photographed a 2008 softball game between the Lancaster and Chillicothe Ohio University campus teams at Paints Field in Chillicothe. She is a former member of the Lancaster campus softball team.

ALLISON McADAMS (p. 19, bottom) Allison (who won first prize in this contest) also photographed this sunset sky near Radar Hill. A commercial photography major, she has interned with River Imaging in Cincinnati.

RYAN MURPHY (p. 19, far right) A freshman at Ohio University–Lancaster, Ryan photographed this seal near Jefferson Hall on the Athens campus.

He has not yet declared a major, but he plans to study commercial photography.

Ryan is from Pickerington, Ohio.

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THIRD PRIZE: ALEX SNYDER (below) This photo of a lightning storm near the Athens County Courthouse on Court Street captured our third prize.

A professional nature photographer, Alex submitted more than 40 images

to the contest. The images on page 20 show a hosta leaf (top left) and his little brother, Cooper (bottom).

At the Ohio Pawpaw Festival, Alex photographed a troupe of performers who practice circus skills (p. 20, top

right). The festival is held annually at Lake Snowden in Albany, Ohio, and celebrates the pawpaw fruit, which grows in southern Ohio.

Below are his photos of cordgrass and a cobweb on his front porch.

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We

Athens!

Ohio alumni make Athens a vibrant place to live

Story by Joshua M. Bernstein and portraits by Kevin Riddell

Before seniors sharpen No. 2s for final exams, before they convene at the Convo to grab their degrees, preparations for the great Athens exodus have commenced. Apartments are reduced to boxes, moving trucks are reserved; it’s time to leave college, to fan out across America and the globe in search of greener pastures — though it’s tough to out-green Athens.

But for a handful of liberated students, there’s no need to pack pots and pans, order another O’Betty’s hot dog or sip a penultimate Pub aquarium. For these graduates, Athens is much more than a way station between childhood and adulthood. It’s the next stop and, and in some cases, a lifelong destination — and for good reason. Athens may not be America’s only college town, but we’d like to think it is Ohio’s best. The leafy city’s livability, strong social fabric and support of small businesses recently attracted the attention of Ohio Magazine: In 2008, it named Athens one of the state’s five best hometowns, touting its environmentalism, progressiveness and forward-thinking citizens. So it’s understandable why some graduates have proudly planted their townie flags and made their mark on Athens. From managing the nationally recognized Athens Farmers Market to fronting a kiddie-friendly rock band to opening a family-run Middle-Eastern restaurant, alumni’s local careers are as multifaceted as the people themselves. For them, this southeastern Ohio city is not just the stage for the best four (or five or six) years of your life. Athens is, now and forever, home.

T

ony Xenos knows better than to relive the past. Back in the mid-’90s, few Athens bands were bigger than Xenos’ Cactus Pears, a quirky pop outfit that played everywhere from Casa Nueva to the Union.

The band broke up, then re-formed, then broke up and re-formed again. But after fronting the band for more than a decade, Xenos wanted to steer the Pears in a new direction. “I wanted more interactive music, but nobody wanted to make the transition from bar band to fun band,” says Xenos, 35, a 1996 grad who teaches math at Vinton County High School and plays music with fellow teachers in the Mind Benders. “I wanted to give back to the community and get kids involved with music.”

Good-bye, Cactus Pears. Hello, Flyaway Saturns. “We’re playing adult music for kids,” Xenos says, adding in jest, “it’s not difficult to hold back the F-bomb.” The act focuses on singing songs for kids and making music fun for them — via interactive dances, blowing bubbles or even helping write lyrics.

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“Kids are uninhibited, and it doesn’t take much to get them excited. Plus,” he adds, laughing, “our old fan base had grown up and had kids.”

As a child, Xenos spent time in Chicago, Ann Arbor, Mich., and Dayton before his parents moved the family to Athens.

Now, married to wife Courtney for three years and living on Athens’ west side, he describes the city as an incredibly supportive musical incubator. “Athens is a great place to say, ‘We can try this out here and see what happens.’ It’s an open community in that it’s willing to try new things.”

After nearly two decades as a “townie,” Xenos still enjoys living in scenic, welcoming southeastern Ohio. He likes biking the rail-to-trail Hockhocking Adena path to Nelsonville, where he favors the last-Friday-of-the-month gallery hop and seeing bands such as Yo La Tengo at Stuart’s Opera House.

“I feel like I put down roots here. I have everything I need.

It’s all down to a science,” Xenos says. “Nothing is pulling me elsewhere to start all over again.”

‘I feel like

I put down roots here.

I have everything I need.

It’s all down to a science.’

— Tony Xenos, BSED ’96

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‘We consciously made the decision to stay in Athens and raise a family here. We knew this was the best place for us, because it’s very family friendly.’

— Sarah Conley-Ballew, BSS ’04

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B

y 1983, Hilarie Lee Burhans had long ago bid Athens adieu. After arriving in town from Ethiopia in 10th grade (her dad was a professor) and graduating with an education degree in 1977, she and husband Mark left the state.

But with baby Emily in the mix, they received an offer they couldn’t refuse: two years, rent free, at her parents’ Athens home, where Mark could base his woodworking firm.

“We’d gotten married and wanted to start a family, and we knew that Athens was a really good place to do this,” says Burhans, 54, an award-winning banjo player, whose husband and son Ryland run eclectic Middle-Eastern/Indian restaurant Salaam. But that’s getting ahead of the story.

For years, Burhans provided home daycare before renewing her teaching certificate. While working at Athens Middle School one day, she started chatting with a mother. “She said, ‘I’m teaching culinary arts for prisoners. You’d be perfect (for this job).’” Though uncertain, Burhans applied for a similar position at Hocking College. “I guess I answered the right questions, because I taught at seven different prisons. Teaching middle school was actually good preparation for teaching in prison,” she says, laughing.

Fast-forward a few years: Son Ryland (he’s now the baker) wanted to open a hookah café. “We wanted to make it a total experience with cool décor and Middle-Eastern food,” Burhans says. So Salaam was born. It was an instant hit. “If Salaam were in a large city, it wouldn’t necessarily fly. It’s a little of this, it’s a little of that,” Burhans says. “But in Athens, we don’t have the choices we have in a big city, so the community supports restaurants like ours.”

Soon, the Burhans outgrew the space. They ditched the hookahs, moved to a larger venue off Court Street and the customers followed. Despite the busy restaurant, Burhans finds time to travel and seek out culinary inspiration for Salaam.

On her journeys, Athens is never far from her thoughts: “When I’m out west, I miss all the green. When I’m east, I miss the relaxed feel of Athens,” she says. “It’s full of really nice, good people.”

A

t the end of her sophomore year at Ohio University, Sarah Conley-Ballew was a student in crisis. She’d arrived in Athens from Pittsburgh, her sights set on a photojournalism degree. But after two years in the program, she realized her big picture didn’t include taking pictures.

“I knew I needed to change my focus,” says Conley-Ballew, who took a year off to enroll in AmeriCorps. She was placed with Rural Action, where she helped coordinate Appalachian ginseng growers. Working within the agricultural community, she found her direction — and a newfound appreciation for Athens. “I got to know our local community, which is a side that most students don’t get to see,” says Conley-Ballew, 28. “It’s a strong community devoted to activism and change.”

Upon returning to school, she created her own course of studies, focusing on social and environmental ecology. “It was a roundabout education in the local environment and how people interact with it,” Conley-Ballew says. Post-graduation in 2004, she began working at Village Bakery, before an assistant manager position opened at the Athens Farmers Market. She applied. She got the job. Three years later, in fall 2007, she became manager.

‘When I’m out west, I miss all the green. When I’m east, I miss the relaxed feel of Athens. It’s full of really nice, good people.’

— Hilarie Lee Burhans, BSED ’77

“I throw the best party in Athens every Saturday and Wednesday morning. It’s the best job in the world. I get to see all my friends, and everyone is always in a good mood,” ConleyBallew says. The market has a reputation that extends beyond Athens: Audubon Magazine dubbed it one of the nation’s best three years ago.

That goodwill extends to Conley-Ballew’s circle of friends. By 2007, her husband, Zach, had received his graduate degree from Ohio University. He accepted a teaching job at Belpre High School, and they purchased a nine-acre spread near Strouds Run. They garden with their neighbors, share dinners and serve as a support group.

“We consciously made the decision to stay in Athens and raise a family here. We knew this was the best place for us, because it’s very family friendly,” says Conley-Ballew, who has two daughters, Magnolia and Juniper.

“I love that I was a student first, then I became a community member at large, then I became a mother and a whole new community opened up,” she adds. “It’s hard to imagine living anywhere else.”

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‘We gave the community half a chance, and they gave us half a chance. We never regretted the decision to stay.’

— Joanne Dove Prisley, AB ’53, MA ’54

F

or Youngstown native Joanne Dove Prisley, Athens might as well have been the moon. “I had to look at a map to see where Athens was,” she says of the fateful day in 1949 when her high school biology teacher drove her to Ohio University and helped her get a scholarship.

She enrolled and majored in government. In class one day, she met her husband, the late Alexander Prisley (Ohio University associate professor of political science for 37 years), and thus began her lifelong love affair with Athens and politics.

She finished a master’s degree in economics and left Athens for several years, working for Procter & Gamble and BF Goodrich. But when Alexander completed his doctorate at Brown University in 1963, the couple returned to Athens so he could teach American government. They never left.

“Our son was born here. My husband is buried here.

We put our roots here,” says Prisley, 77. “A lot of people who don’t like it here have never given it a chance. I have friends who are on the faculty who say, ‘We don’t live here.

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community half a chance, and they gave us half a chance. We never regretted the decision to stay.”

After son Michael was born in 1965, Prisley became a stay-at-home mom. Still, she remained active, serving as an adviser to her sorority, Alpha Gamma; joining the Democratic Women’s Club; and starting a luncheon group, which still meets at restaurants such as Stephen’s and Salaam.

Eventually, Prisley began working for the Athens County Historical Society, rising to curator (she retired last year). She also chaired the Athens Planning Commission for 16 years and has served on the Metropolitan Housing Authority since 1977. “This is a small town, but there’s a lot to do — and lots of opinionated people to talk to,” laughs Prisley, who still lives on Grosvenor Street.

“What makes Athens great is that you can go from wildly liberal to so conservative, but we can be friends no matter what,” Prisley says. “When my husband died, everybody said, ‘You’re going to go back home.’ I said, ‘Why would I go back to Youngstown?’ This is where my friends are. This is home.”

‘I have friends who have done similar things in Seattle or Boston or New York, but it’s much tougher.’

— Ben Lachman, BS ’05

L

ike many newlyweds navigating their first year of marriage, Ben Lachman and his wife, Catherine, spent countless evenings cooking dinner together. Unlike most newlyweds, however, Lachman turned his culinary passion into a career.

“It was frustrating to use the online cooking sites, because you search for chicken and you get 85,000 results,” says Lachman, 26. “We wanted something that was quick and easy that helps you cook.” So in 2006, Lachman launched Macintoshdevelopment firm Acacia Tree Software, whose flagship product is the digital cooking assistant SousChef. “It’s now one of the top two cooking-software programs on the Mac,” says Lachman, a lifelong Athens resident reared on Mill Street.

For Lachman, following his dream is a direct result of dwelling in low-cost Athens. “I have friends who have done similar things in Seattle or Boston or New York, but it’s much tougher,” says Lachman, who also consults. “They can’t just say, ‘I’m going to do this,’ and leave their job.’ They have to do the research and development while working.”

Originally, Athens was not in Lachman’s long-term plan. He planned to punch the clock for Apple in California. However, “I didn’t have a reason to move besides a job. I don’t want to make choices based on a single facet of my life,” says Lachman. After graduating in 2005 with a bachelor’s degree in computer science, he and Catherine traveled to Southeast Asia to volunteer.

The decision to return to his hometown was a no-brainer.

“My wife absolutely loves Athens,” says Lachman, who favors O’Betty’s hot dogs, Donkey’s coffee and biking. “We like the pace of life here.” The couple bought a fixer-upper on South May Street, where they are raising their daughters Anna Belle, 2, and Elinor, nine months.

“I’ve spent time out in the Bay Area, where the pace of life is so fast,” he says. “We wanted something that was a little simpler. Athens is fairly liberal, and there’s lots of interest in things like alternative agriculture. You often don’t get those things unless you live on the West Coast or some cities on the East Coast.”

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T HROUGH T HE G ATE P R O F I L E S

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Campus as a canvas If you’ve wandered the university grounds (or reminisce about their beauty), chances are you’re familiar with the work of alumnus Chuck Culp, BSED ’62 and MED ’64. For 20 years, he cared for the campus — parks, flowerbeds and all ­— and helped transform it into the unforgettable place it is.

by Mary Reed

I

f the Ohio University campus had you at hello, you’re not the only one. “That view along the highway coming in to town with the river going through (campus) and open spaces and the brick buildings — it’s hard to beat that,” says Charles Culp, BSED ’62 and MED ’64, one person you can thank for that view.

When he was director of the physical plant, Culp was responsible for the maintenance of all buildings and grounds on the Athens campus. And when he retired in 1995, after serving 20 years, his radio number — unit 9 — was retired.

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While on the job, Culp drove around campus recording needed maintenance projects. If something needed attention, he’d get on that radio so all his staff knew it. “One thing that everybody who worked for me knew (was) if Culp’s on campus, he’s going to find something wrong,” says Culp, his close-cropped hair and neat appearance indicating the former military man’s attention to detail.

But in fact, his employees widely admired his high standards, direct communication and dedication to the campus and his staff.

“Chuck Culp has done more for

campus beautification than anyone before or since,” says Mark Whitney, who served as director of grounds during Culp’s tenure. “He understood that the first impression that people see of the university is extraordinarily important and that one of the best ways to secure a great first impression was to have greatlooking grounds.”

Indeed, the university’s institutional research has shown that nearly 20 percent of incoming students surveyed chose “location and setting” as the most important factor in their decision to enroll.

Culp oversaw a number of high-

ABOVE: As director of the physical plant for 20 years, Chuck Culp oversaw the care of the university grounds. LEFT: Wolfe Garden, named after 1919 graduate Thomas Wolfe, serves as a testament to the beauty of the campus and the physical plant staff’s commitment to its care. BELOW: Culp’s favorite spot on campus is Emeriti Park, which he and his wife, Mary, helped establish. It was dedicated in 2000.

Kevin Riddell

managed day-to-day building maintenance and oversaw less glamorous but important tasks for boosting efficiency, such as numbering all of the light posts for quick repair. Culp hired hundreds of students over the years who spent their summers working on maintenance crews.

Since retiring, Culp — now director emeritus of the physical plant — chaired the committee, along with his wife, Mary, to establish Emeriti Park in the old Hocking River bed.

Culp says it’s his favorite spot on campus. In the park stands a swamp white oak with a small plaque that reads, “In recognition of physical plant employees — Mary and Charles Culp.”

“That’s a pretty cool thought that he would invest his money to make that a tribute to the employees of the physical plant,” says Susan Calhoun, BS ’85, landscape coordinator for the Ohio University Grounds Department. “That just says a lot about the guy. I hold him in high esteem. He was our advocate.”

Rick Fatica

Rick Fatica

profile campus improvements during his tenure. Some you will easily recognize: flower beds like those on the College Green and along Park Place near the president’s house; mini parks like the one between Lindley and Bentley halls and the one near Kantner Hall.

Other improvements did double duty for aesthetics and practicality, including the green signage system around campus. “Prior to that, our maintenance staff actually spent a lot of time being tour guides,” Culp recalls.

He also oversaw the university’s acquisition of The Ridges, established new recreation fields and courts, improved handicap accessibility,

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B OBCAT T RACKS A N D

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A D V A N C E M E N T

Rick Fatica

N E W S

Black Alumni Reunion set for May 21–23, 2010 Although it occurs only once every three years, the Black Alumni Reunion rouses plenty of Bobcat pride, and this year, expectations for attendance are exceptionally high. As part of the Ohio University Alumni Association’s 150th anniversary, the event is anticipated to be one of the most successful reunions to date. With more than 500 guests expected to register — and the prospect for many more to show — the weekend-long affair is an opportunity for both alumni and students to celebrate black student life on campus.

FROM LEFT: Gloria Pinckney-Hill, BSED ’69; Cynthia Thomas, AB ’68; Gilbert W. Morris; Kathy Dockery, BBA ’75; and Billie Jean Crockett, at the Black Alumni Reunion in 1991.

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INSIDE The Alumni Association’s 150th celebration continues! page 32 Legacy scholarships will honor Bobcat generations. page 34 Learning communities pave a path to academic success. page 34 Find an alumni gathering near you. page 35

Please join us in congratulating the latest alumni award recipients.

Awards were presented at the Alumni Awards Gala, Homecoming weekend, on Friday, Oct. 16.

David C. Wilhelm, AB ’77 Founder and president, Woodland Venture Management; Alumnus of the Year McClellan “Guy” A. DuBois, MA ’71 Vice president of operational technologies and solutions, Raytheon; Medal of Merit Matthew E. Rubel, BSJ ’79 CEO and president, Collective Brands Inc.; Medal of Merit Paula M. Shugart, BSC ’81 President, Miss Universe Organization; Medal of Merit Marilyn R. Allen, BSED ’58 Teacher, Columbus City Schools (retired); Distinguished Service William J. Burke, DO ’88 Program director of family practice residency, Doctors Hospital in Columbus; associate professor of family medicine, Ohio University; Distinguished Service James E. Daley, BBA ’63 Chief operating officer, Electronic Data Systems (retired); Distinguished Service James M. McVicker, BBA ’68 Board member, Ohio University SAF Army ROTC; Distinguished Service

Photos: Octavio Jones

Christopher C. Hayward, BSED ’94 Principal, Fernway Elementary School; Charles J. and Claire O. Ping Recent Graduate Howard P. Stevens Chairman and CEO, The HR Chally Group; Chairman, Ohio University Sales Advisory Board; Honorary Alumnus of the Year

Homecoming 2009: Social media plays a role

S

ocial media allowed us to bring you Homecoming action throughout the weekend.

You can still view photos and videos of Octubafest, Yell Like Hell pep rally, Hardwood Hysteria, the Alumni Band, the Marching 110, the parade and the Alumni Awards Gala. It’s all online at www.ohioalumni.org.

We keep you informed with Facebook, LinkedIn and Twitter as well. More than 6,000 alumni are fans of the Ohio University Alumni Association on Facebook. The alumni group on LinkedIn also boasts more than 6,000 members.

Get tweets from the Alumni Association. Watch great Ohio videos on YouTube. See photos posted at the Ohio alumni group on Flickr. Check us out at www.ohioalumni.org!

We’d also like to congratulate the most recent inductees of The Kermit Blosser Ohio Athletics Hall of Fame: Ronald J. Fenik football, BSED ’59 Gwynn G. Rodemsky swimming, BSED ’90 Catherine A. Silvia Cash swimming, BEE ’91 James “Bill” W. Toadvine (posthumous) baseball, BSED ’71

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Black Alumni Reunion: Time to reunite, give back

Photo

courtesy of

Mahn Center Archives

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n just a matter of months, Ohio University’s campus will be flooded with African-American alumni, all of whom are eager to connect with both new and familiar faces.

Though these former students have established careers and families across the country, the one thing that repeatedly draws them back to Athens is their love for Ohio’s largest alumni gathering: the Black Alumni Reunion.

Former Alumni Association board member Byron Ward, BBA ’89, has attended every reunion since he graduated and has participated on the BAR planning committees for the past three events. “The Black Alumni Reunion is so great because it allows OU to showcase its brightest alumni,” says Ward, a Cleveland native and vice president at the New Jersey-based company Houghton Mifflin.

Although he has seen the list of guests and events change each year, the sense of unity that alumni feel in the presence of undergraduates remains the same, Ward says.

“There is always a high energy level and a very ‘soulful’ spirit at the event,” he says. “You can feel the love that African-American graduates have for one another and the love that they have for Ohio University.”

The valued relationship that black alumni share with students is likely the driving force behind the strength of the reunion. Although the weekend allows her to catch up with old friends, what Angela Covington, BSS ’00, looks forward to most are the interactions with students. Originally from Cincinnati, Covington works in artist management for 9196 Management in Atlanta.

“If you’re not able to give back monetarily, then you can always give advice,” says Covington. “Just by being able to speak with the students and lending any advice and support,

ABOVE: The Black Alumni Reunion dates back to the 1970s. In 1991, “Soulful Reunion” attendees posed by Konneker Alumni Center.

we can show them that even with a small (black) population, we do care about the school, and we do come back.”

A networking reception for black student organizations is planned for the reunion this year. Ward, who formed the Black Student Business Caucus, remembers participating in a similar event at the first BAR he attended and being inspired by the many successful graduates he met. Now he intends to reach out to a new generation.

“We have so much experience and guidance that we can share with students,” Ward says. “I hope the reunion provides additional encouragement to them so that they can achieve the goals they set for themselves.”

— Lindsay Ferguson

Celebrations continue for the Ohio University Alumni Association

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ommemorating the Alumni Association’s 150th is important for a number of reasons, says Ohio University Alumni Association Executive Director Graham Stewart.

“We are one of the oldest and most established alumni associations in the country and are proud of our history,” Stewart says. “We represent an incredibly talented, successful and diverse alumni base.”

Nearly 250,000 alumni have graduated from Ohio, and nearly 200,000 are still living in every state and more than 50 countries around the world. “This year-long celebration gives us a timely forum to tell alumni and friends about the programs and services the association offers,” he says.

The celebratory agenda was set in motion this past spring with commencement and continued in June with Alumni

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College, then was officially launched with the October Homecoming “Traveling Through Time” weekend.

The Alumni Association has more 150th anniversary events planned throughout the year, including the Alumni Leaders Conference, April 29–May 2; Black Alumni Reunion, May 21–23; and finally, the culmination of activities in June with Senior Sendoff and Commencement 2010. Commencement ceremonies will honor the Class of 1970, whose commencement was cancelled in the aftermath of the Kent State shootings.

In addition to hosting events, the association is working to build a $150,000 endowment from alumni contributions to support the Alumni Association Legacy Scholarship. (See full details about the legacy program on page 34.)

— Lauren Borys

Alumni College brings grads back to Ohio, where it all began

2010 ALUMNI TOURS

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his summer, Ohio University alumni were given the opportunity they’ve dreamed about since graduation: They were invited back to the bricks of Athens to live like undergrads again.

First established in 1978, Ohio University’s Alumni College was re-launched as part of the Alumni Association’s 150th anniversary, a year-long celebration featuring 10 key events throughout the summer and the 2009–10 academic year.

From July 31 to Aug. 2, alumni called Athens home again, with some even willingly residing in the dorms and indulging at the dining hall. Bobcats attended “class,” listening to Ohio University’s talented faculty and attending academic sessions, then watched a lively debate between Distinguished Professor of Economics Richard Vedder and political strategist David Wilhelm, BA ’77, who discussed the merits and flaws of President Obama’s economic plan.

Among other events, the visiting “students” were treated to behind-the-scenes campus tours, a wine tasting and dancing. The weekend ended with a graduation ceremony for all participants hosted by Alumni Association Executive Director Graham Stewart.

Reviews were resoundingly positive. Though some realize that the way they lived at age 18 — sharing bathrooms and small living spaces — is no longer an ideal situation, the Athens atmosphere still inspires fond memories and a youngat-heart feeling.

— Lauren Borys

Scotland-Oban and Stirling, July 4–12 Join Graham Stewart, executive director of your Ohio University Alumni Association, on this exclusive educational tour to Scotland.

Explore deep, misty glacial lakes, including Loch Ness, and visit three fabled castles.

This trip will allow you to explore the heathercovered Highland hills while you enjoy the blending of Celtic, Norse and Norman cultures through folklore performances.

Accommodations are set in beautiful medieval cities. Reserve your spot now to experience Scotland’s cobblestone villages and fairy-tale castles!

Jan. 22–30 Galapagos Islands and Quito Jan. 31–Feb. 10 Tanzania Safari March 4–15 Belize May 13–24 Oceania Cruise of Greece and Italy (Alternate dates available) June 13–21 Germany, Austria and the Oberammergau (Passion Play) July 4–12 Scotland Aug. 4–15 Oceania Cruise Aug. 21–Sept. 1 Burgundy and Provence Sept. 6–19 China and the Yangtze River Sept. 23–Oct. 10 Austria and New Zealand Oct. 12–20 Elbe River

Why travel on an educational tour?

Photos: Kevin Riddell

• Learn about culture, art, history and more from top experts on our educational tours • Travel with fellow Bobcats • Visit exotic destinations • Experience unique itineraries • Support your alma mater ABOVE TOP: Alumni College participants found themselves swirling around the room in Autumn Hutton’s hands-on workshop, “Rumba and Swing Dance Lessons.” ABOVE: Associate Professor of Counseling and Education Peter Mather enlightens a class with the lecture “From Service to Happiness: The Connection Between Doing Good Work and Having the Good Life.”

Visit the Web at www.bobcattravel.org for more information on our tours.

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hio University’s history extends 205 years, and throughout the centuries, the pride of having green-and-white roots has become a tradition for many families. When the honor of being a Bobcat is passed from one generation to the next, it is so much more than a connection. It is a legacy.

To honor the founders whose ideas gave birth to our institution in February of 1804, as well as each class of Ohio graduates, the Alumni Association has established the Legacy Program.

The Legacy Program consists of special events, scholarships, access and discounts for legacy families, alumni and students. The program was created to recognize our alumni who keep the tradition of legacies alive.

This year, to celebrate 150 years of alumni involvement, alumni like you are helping us build a $150,000 endowment to support the Alumni Association Legacy Scholarship. These resources will be available in perpetuity, creating a lasting legacy of alumni supporting students for generations to come and helping our children, and their children, discover their promise at Ohio University.

Alumni are encouraged to visit our Web site at www.ohioalumni.org/ legacy-program and fill out a form to benefit from the program. To contribute to the Legacy Scholarship, visit www. ohioalumni.org/legacy-scholarship.

ABOVE: Fourth-generation Bobcat Ashlee Dolan, BFA ’09, is the great-granddaughter of Clarence Dow, an Ohio University professor for whom Dow Lake in Strouds Run was named.

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Promise of Ohio University: The Learning Community Program

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ince 2006, the number of students participating in Ohio University learning communities has more than doubled, and the program’s success has had a direct effect on student achievement.

For students such as sophomore Abby Newton, the communities provide a way to engage outside the classroom and make friends through academic-centered activities. Participating first-year students take a common set of courses together and share in experiences that introduce them to the university’s academic and co-curricular resources.

This involvement directly correlates to participants’ higher GPAs, enhanced engagement and increased retention.

“It helped me adjust to college,” says Newton, a journalism major.

“I was with a group that was all going through the same classes and experiences as I was. Although there are 20,000 people at OU, my (learning community) made it feel smaller, because I knew my classmates.”

Communities focus around colleges Retention rates and GPAs of learning and majors; by themes such as foreign community participants as compared languages, sports or global sustainability; to nonparticipants (participants/ by residence; or another classification, nonparticipants): such as commuter students.

Year Retention Rate % GPA** “As a part of my learning community, Fall ’03 91/82 3.07/2.96 I have built strong relationships with Fall ’04 87/81 3.01/2.84 my academic peers and made a smooth Fall ’05 82/79 2.93/2.84 and easy transition into the college Fall ’06 81/78 2.88/2.82 lifestyle,” says Ryan Pfefferle, a Fall ’07 81/80 3.00/2.81 sophomore biological sciences major.

Learning communities for first-year **GPA data is adjusted using ACT scores as students began as a pilot program in covariate for aptitude/ability.

1999 with an 1804 Fund grant from The Ohio University Foundation.

In 2003, a proposal was approved for University College to fund the program, including a full-time administrator.

In fall 2007, University College required all undecided students to enroll in a learning community, which resulted in significantly positive assessment results. This fall, there were 148 communities with approximately 2,400 participants.

“Learning communities are a collaborative effort of the university that have allowed thousands of students to successfully navigate their first term at Ohio University over the past 10 years,” says Wendy Merb-Brown, director of the Learning Community Program.

Learning communities receive generous support from alumni, says Howard R. Lipman, vice president for University Advancement and president and CEO of The Ohio University Foundation. For fiscal year 2009, 939 donors have made pledges and gifts totaling $48,364, and total giving since fiscal year 2007 is $242,930.

“The learning communities would not be possible without the support and gifts of alumni, parents and friends of Ohio University,” says Lipman. “Ohio University is extremely grateful for the support from so many.”

To learn more about supporting the learning communities, visit www.ohio.edu/ learningcommunities.

Rick Fatica

Honoring tradition: Introducing the Legacy Program

Ohio University Alumni Association Chapter Network Events 4NORTHEAST OHIO Dec. 28 • Akron Association of Women Knitting for Warm Up America Join fellow alumni to knit or crochet blocks for Warm Up America. Needles and yarn can be provided for learners. Beginners welcome; help is available. The group has provided more than 100 squares for assembly since last October.

For more information, contact Maureen Siegler at 330-6661387 or reenie52@hotmail.com.

Feb. 25 • Akron Association of Women Knitting for Warm Up America Join fellow alumni to knit or crochet blocks for Warm Up America. Needles and yarn can be provided for learners. Beginners welcome; help is available. The group has provided more than 100 squares for assembly since last October.

For more information, contact Maureen Siegler at 330-6661387 or reenie52@hotmail.com.

March 6 • Akron Association of Women March Meeting Mustard Seed, Akron, 1 p.m.

Order lunch, if desired. For more information, contact Maureen Siegler at 330-666-1387 or reenie52@hotmail.com.

April 10 • Akron Association of Women April Meeting Stow Courthouse Gathering Room, Akron, 1 p.m. Speaker from the Honors Tutorial College. For more information, contact Maureen Siegler at 330-666-1387 or reenie52@hotmail.com.

May 1 • Akron Association of Women May Meeting Taylor Library, Cuyahoga Falls, 1 p.m.

All attendees should wear a hat.

For more information, contact

Maureen Siegler at 330-666-1387 or reenie52@hotmail.com.

4SOUTHEAST OHIO Feb. 26 • Ohio University School of Music Winter Jazz Concert Templeton–Blackburn Alumni Memorial Auditorium, Athens, 7:30 p.m. Enjoy an evening of music provided by members of the School of Music and directed

by Matt James, Michael Parkinson and Roger Braun.

April 23-24 • Ohio University School of Music “Voyage to the Moon” Opera Templeton– Blackburn Alumni Memorial Auditorium, Athens, 7:30 p.m.

Richard Crist, director, and Steven Huang, conductor.

April 24 • Army ROTC 72nd Annual Army ROTC Military Ball Baker University Center Ballroom, Athens, 6-10 p.m. $30 per person. For more information and to RSVP, contact Major Jim Ninnis at 740-593-1360 or ninnis@ohio.edu.

April 30 • Ohio University School of Music AZA! African Music & Dance Templeton– Blackburn Alumni Memorial Auditorium, Athens, 7:30 p.m.

Paschal Younge, director.

May 7 • Ohio University School of Music OU Choirs & Ohio Valley Symphony Templeton– Blackburn Alumni Memorial Auditorium, Athens, 7:30 p.m.

4NORTHEAST US Dec. 12 • Massachusetts Serving New England Holiday Pops Concert with the Boston Pops Symphony Hall, 307 Massachusetts Ave., Boston, 3-5 p.m. $46 or $73. For more

4REUNIONS April 29–May 2 • Alumni Leaders Conference Athens. For more information, contact Cristie Gryszka at 740-597-1280 or gryszka@ohio.edu.

May 21–23 • Black Alumni Reunion Athens. For more information, contact Cristie Gryszka at 740-597-1280 or gryszka@ohio.edu.

July 15–18 • Alumni College Athens. Want to graduate from college in just three days? Relive your student experience and attend enriching workshops presented by OHIO’s talented faculty. For more information, contact Cristie Gryszka at 740-597-1280 or gryszka@ohio.edu.

July 16–18 • Class of 1960 Golden Reunion Athens. For more information, contact Cristie Gryszka at 740-597-1280 or gryszka@ohio.edu.

information, contact Dave Abram at 617-913-5329 or dabram@ parksite.com

4NORTHWEST U.S. Dec. 17 • Denver December Happy Hour Uptown Tavern, 538 E. 17th Ave., Denver, 5:30 p.m. Join fellow Denver alumni for socializing and drink specials. Pay as you go. For more information, contact Nicole Richards at 720-984-8766 or nrichards@clayton.com.

Jan. 21 • Denver January Happy Hour Uptown Tavern, 538 E. 17th Ave., Denver 5:30 p.m. Join fellow Denver alumni for socializing and drink specials. Pay as you go. For more information, contact Nicole Richards at 720-984-8766 or nrichards@clayton.com.

Feb. 18 • Denver February Happy Hour Uptown Tavern, 538 E. 17th Ave., Denver 5:30 p.m. Join fellow Denver alumni for socializing and drink specials. Pay as you go. For more information, contact Nicole Richards at 720-984-8766 or nrichards@clayton.com.

4SOUTHEAST U.S. Dec. 12 • South Carolina Alumni Holiday Party Home of Holly and Clint Fisher, Mt. Pleasant, 6 p.m. RSVP to Holly Fisher at holly@fishers2000.com.

Feb. 18 • Charlotte Networking Week Annual Alumni Banquet Charlotte Convention Center, 501 S. College St., Charlotte, 5:308:30 p.m. $40 per person.

All proceeds benefit the Ohio University Carolina scholarship fund. Graham Stewart, executive director of the Ohio University Alumni Association, will offer a university and association update. RSVP by Feb. 5, to Eileen Buescher at 513-460-2029 or at oucharlotte@yahoo.com.

Feb. 19 • Charlotte Networking Week Alumni Happy Hour Dixie’s Tavern, 301 E. 7th St., Charlotte, 5-9 p.m. Pay as you go. Appetizer buffet and drink specials available. RSVP by Feb. 12 to Amanda at 864-3136149 or oucharlotte@yahoo.com.

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L ast W ord You grew up in Circleville and chose to attend a regional campus. Why?

Homegrown talent

It’s close to home and more of a community-based center. I had family in the area and wanted to stay close to them.

Junior Chris Ebert, of Circleville, Ohio

Can you describe your experience at Ohio University–Chillicothe?

I liked the student-to-teacher ratio; our largest class was around 50 students. I also liked the professors. They were really understanding and accommodated our schedules because we were commuters.

I planned on finishing my degree at Chillicothe, but I changed my major to special education, and I needed to go to the main campus to finish my degree.

How was the transition to the campus in Athens?

At first, it was a shock because it was a new atmosphere, but I was able to get a job as the equipment manager for the football team and that really helped me.

You’re preparing to be a teacher.

How did you choose this career?

I realized I wanted to be a teacher after coaching junior high football at my alma mater. I was inspired by my seventh-grade science teacher, who was also my coaching colleague. He got me interested in education and wanting to maximize the potential in the youth of our community.

Kevin Riddell

Are there any specific subjects that you’d like to teach?

You’re planning to stay in the area after graduation. Why?

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f you’re one of the more than 8,000 students enrolled at Ohio University’s regional campuses, you are likely to find yourself among a variety of classmates you may not have expected. A woman 10 years your senior who has an established career could be your next lab partner. You might be sharing notes with a man who has traveled the world far and back, finally returning to complete his formal education. No matter the life story, students at Ohio’s five regional campuses — Chillicothe, Eastern, Lancaster, Southern and Zanesville — have chosen to pursue an Ohio University education without leaving their homes. The close-to-home location combined with an intimate campus allow both traditional and nontraditional students to pursue higher education, with a focus on meeting their personal and academic needs. Here, junior Chris Ebert, a special education major who attended Ohio University–Chillicothe before transferring to the Athens campus this fall, talks about the beauty of the area he calls home and his decision to start his career here.

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I am seeking a degree in special education, which covers a little bit of all subjects. I would like to work with children who have emotional and behavioral disorders.

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The Appalachian region has natural beauty as well as a great heritage.

Appalachia is rich in tradition built by generations of families. It is a place where families continue to stay and grow.

What should people who aren’t familiar with the region know about it?

The area is full of adventures. There are state parks, national forests, historic towns and great people. There is something for just about everyone, and it is important to step back and enjoy the natural wonders.

— Interview by Beth Lipton

Now is the time . . .

To honor your ties to Ohio University To identify those you know as legacy To support future generations

Howard Hall students, 1948 (courtesy Ohio University Archives and The Athena)

Time Remembered, a CD of selections from the School of Music ensembles produced for the Alumni Association’s 150th Anniversary – our gift to you for a contribution of $150 to the Legacy Scholarship.

The Legacy Scholarship Your support will help build a $150,000 endowment that will fund future legacy scholarships.

To learn more, visit ohioalumni.org/legacy.

Your Ohio University Alumni Association is proudly celebrating its 150th anniversary.

Learn more about this special year and show your OHIO pride!

For more details, visit us online at: www.ohioalumni.org.

n o np r o fit o r g u . s . p o stag e

paid Advancement Services HDL Center 168 Athens, Ohio 45701-0869

c o l u m b u s , o hi o p e r m it n o . 4 4 1 6

Baker University Center has always rocked the Athens music scene. Located in the Baker University Center that opened in the fall of 1953, The Frontier Room was a place to sip coffee and play the jukebox between classes. Beer was served, and at night, musical acts (such as the West Coast Ramblers and Hotcakes, both popular in the 1970s) took over the stage. The weekly Open Stage at the Bunch of Grapes room was once the longest-running open mic night in Athens. Today, the new Baker University Center (on Park Place) is still a great place to hear live music. Know the story behind this picture? Write to us: ohiotoday@ohio.edu or Ohio Today, Scott Quad 102, Athens, Ohio, 45701.