Ohio Today spring 2023

ohiotoday

For ALUMNI and FRIENDS of OHIO UNIVERSITY

Looking back, looking forward PRESIDENT’S

Dear OHIO Alumni,

As another academic year comes to a close, we have much to reflect upon and much to be proud of. With every semester that comes and goes, the University welcomes new opportunities and student experiences to look forward to as we prepare to welcome a new class in the fall of 2023.

With the blooming of the spectacular cherry blossom trees on the Athens Campus comes a sense of hope and optimism for the future. Each year, as winter turns to spring, the once-barren trees seem to burst with color and energy. I love to walk down by the Hocking River and enjoy this sign of spring every year. Along with the trees, it’s always fulfilling to see so many other people also enjoying the vibrant scenery and our unique University community.

This year marks the 50th anniversary of our cherished partnership with Chubu University in Japan, which gifted these trees to OHIO. We are very proud of our historic partnership, and we are excited about future programs that will benefits our students, faculty,

MESSAGE

staff and alumni for years to come. I encourage you to read more about this partnership and our cherry blossom trees in this issue of Ohio Today

This year also marks 150 years since OHIO conferred a degree to our first female graduate, Margaret Boyd. A true trailblazer, Margaret brought important and lasting change to Ohio University, and you can read more about her and her legacy on page 42 of Ohio Today.

The look of our campuses has changed numerous times over the past 219 years, and we are once again in a new phase of change. For example, on our Athens Campus we are finalizing the new Russ Research Opportunity Center, and we recently opened Heritage Hall, the new Chemistry Building and the new Paw Print Park. Soon we will also be launching new facilities for research, teaching and housing. You can read more about these plans and see current campus photos throughout this issue of Ohio Today.

I have been at Ohio University since 1995, and I am immensely grateful that I found my way to this wonderful University and community. It has been a privilege to work with an incredible group of talented and dedicated faculty and staff who are committed to our students’ success.

I have seen Ohio University change the lives of countless students, and I have witnessed these same students becoming alumni and improving our world. We proudly provide a unique educational experience for our students, and much of that is due to the support of our alumni and friends of the University.

During my time at OHIO, I have seen the University evolve in many ways to meet the changing needs of our students and our community. And I am confident that, like the cherry blossoms, OHIO will continue to bloom and grow under the guidance and dedication of all of our faculty, staff and University leadership.

Proudly Forever OHIO,

BOBCAT BEACONS OF EXCELLENCE

FROM PRESIDENT HUGH SHERMAN

Ohio University has been awarded the Higher Education Excellence in Diversity Award for a fifth consecutive year. The HEED Award recognizes OHIO for its continued effort to refocus its core strategic priorities to ensure access, inclusion and success. Now in its eleventh year, the HEED Award is the only national award honoring U.S. colleges and universities that demonstrate an outstanding commitment to diversity and inclusion.

There’s a new way to experience campus. Bobcat Nation can now walk the bricks of OHIO through “The College Tour,” a television series highlighting colleges and universities around the world. Available at ohio.edu/college-tour or on Amazon Prime, the 30-minute episode showcases life at OHIO through the lens of 10 involved and successful Bobcats.

Students build their own stories through experiential learning At Ohio University, education reaches far beyond traditional classroom walls. From local waterways to the halls of Congress and international consulting trips, OHIO students are rolling up their sleeves to gain real-world skills and stand out as emerging professionals.

Last year, OHIO was among the first in the nation to be designated a Collegiate Purple Star campus because of its long-standing support of military personnel. Additionally, several of Ohio University’s online programs were ranked top in the state for veterans in the latest U.S. News & World Report list of “Best Online Programs.” For veterans, the online master’s in nursing, the online master’s in business programs (non-MBA) and the online master’s in education programs were ranked best in the state.

Dr. Hugh Sherman President @OHIO_President

For the third year in a row, Ohio University has been named the #1 Best Value among Ohio public universities by U.S. News and World Report. OHIO ranked 16th nationally among public universities and 92nd overall.

2022 Alumni Award winners. L-R front row: Hugh Sherman, Carol Pletcher, Jon Snyder, BSC ’87, Beverly Jones, BSJ ’69, MBA ’75. Middle row: Christopher Jones, BA ’65, Patricia Ackerman, BA ’66. Back row: Matt Barnes, BSJ ’08, Alex Garcia, BBA ’69, Marlon Primes, BSJ ’86, Byron Ward, BBA ’89, April Welshans, BSCE ’07.

Photo by Rich-Joseph Facun, BSVC ’01 [OPPOSITE PAGE] Locals and visitors enjoy OHIO’s cherry blossoms. Photo by Joel Prince, BS ’12, MA ’15, courtesy of Visit Athens County

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Mapping OHIO memories

Student portraits paired with drawn maps illustrate their OHIO experiences

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In full bloom

OHIO and Chubu University mark 50 years of exchange and enrichment

FEATURES

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Res halls reimagined

New Housing Master Plan creates a more connected community, in every way

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Paving the way

Alumnus Byron Ward pays it forward to a new generation of Black Bobcats

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What the PORTSfuture holds

A facility updates from Cold War past to hydrogen energy future

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The gift of forever

Alumni and Athens News founders support OHIO’s Urban Scholars Endowment

South Green will see major changes with implementation of the next Housing Master Plan (page 20).

Photo by Ben Wirtz Siegel, BSVC ’02

ON THE COVER

The iconic cherry (sakura) trees on the Athens Campus draw visitors every spring. OHIO’s Japanese Language and Culture Association hosts an annual Sakura Festival when the trees are blossoming. Photo by Joel Prince, BS ’12, MA ’15, courtesy of Visit Athens County.

Visit ohiotoday.org for multimedia stories that complement the stories inside this issue

Trails blazed, legacies paved I am proud of the achievements by both of our Trailblazer Award winners (fall 2022 issue). Coach Banton led the track teams for many years and was the first African American head athletic coach in OU’s history. His teams were consistently powerful and during his tenure frequently contended for MAC titles.

George Reid set several lofty levels of achievement both as an athlete while in school and as a college administrator both here at OHIO and elsewhere. He was the early advocate of the Black Alumni Reunion (BAR), which has grown to be the second-largest attended alumni activity behind Homecoming. That event, which is celebrated every three years in Athens, has allowed the University to expand its goal of being a more diverse community.

These two graduates of OU were honored during BAR 2022 for their years of success while representing our alma mater all over this nation. —Leslie Blakemore, AB ’70, via ohiotoday.org

Still the first and only I enjoyed reading the article about the Ohio University Honors Tutorial College (fall 2022 issue). It was well written and very informative. My only disappointment is that there is no mention of Dr. Joe Berman in the article. He is listed in the “In memoriam” section of that issue. It would have been appropriate to have mentioned him in this article as a “tie-in” to his passing on Dec. 12 of last year.

I noticed this because Dr. Joe was one of my teachers during my time at Ohio U. He also became

a mentor and life-long friend. Joe was amazing because he was a fantastic teacher, and he took the time to maintain life-long friendships with literally hundreds of his students. I would bet that I will not be the only one of Dr. Berman’s former students to offer similar comments regarding the well written article about the Honors Tutorial College. —Tim Werner, BSC ’79

Born of Bobcat spirit

I went to OU from 1968-1974. A major weekly event for us poor students was attending the 25cent movies in Mem Aud. The movies ranged from excellent to terrible, with the saving grace each and every time the many catcalls and loud comments from the thousand-strong young audience. No better way to watch a movie.

Never understood why they didn’t sell popcorn and candy there, and heaven forbid you were caught with such “contraband.” Great times! —R. Marc Kantrowitz, AB ’72, MA ’74, via ohiotoday.org

All aboard

“The B&O at OHIO” (fall 2022 issue) is a striking example of a university magazine that offers alumni and friends an impressive range of storytelling. Sadly, many other schools use their magazines primarily as donor tools. Ohio Today is in a small cadre of magazines that dig deep into our world. Thank you for your great impact! —Duncan McDonald, BSJ ’66

I remember taking the train home to Cincinnati at Thanksgiving and Christmas—once sitting on a

Former Ohio Honors Tutorial College dean, Margaret Cohn, helps Joe Berman get acquainted with his new role as the succeeding HTC dean, following her retirement in 1994. PHOTO COURTESY OF THE MAHN CENTER FOR ARCHIVES & SPECIAL COLLECTIONS

suitcase in the aisle when the train was too full. The carriages we rode in must have been left from the 1920s. They had crushed velvet seats and gold faded tassels. Must have been something else in their glory days. —Barbara Glenk Good, AB ’68, MS ’75, via ohiotoday.org

Off the beaten track

This was a great article about Gary Wolf (fall 2022 issue) and something we need to see more often. I happened to have been the assistant athletic trainer under Head Athletic Trainer Al Hart, 1967-1971, which allowed me some contact with Gary. Although I was assigned to the ice hockey team, I did treat basketball players and made a trip

to the Milwaukee Classic with them in 1968. Loved Coach Snyder, who always treated me with respect and passion. Congratulations to Gary on his great career and his ability to help many people and possibly save lives. Hope to run into him sometime when we are both on the beautiful Athens Campus. —Larry Starr, BSED ’68, MED ’71, via ohiotoday.org

Last Word: Dr. Jason Rawls

This article was an eye-catcher for me. As a retired educator, I remember always looking for a way to reach students and keep them interested in learning more and enjoying it along the way! Dr. Rawls has made that connection,

and I see it being a connector that will help many young people get involved with their own learning and finding what makes them grow, what makes them tick, what makes them reach for the stars. I’d like to connect with Dr. Rawls and help recruit students that might find this program to be a next step to their future. —Stella Antwine, BSED ’70, via ohiotoday.org

WRITE TO US. Ohio Today welcomes comments from readers. We reserve the right to edit for grammar, space, clarity and civility. Send letters by email to ohiotoday@ohio.edu or by mail to Ohio Today, Ohio University, P.O. Box 869, Athens, OH 45701-0869 or join the conversation at ohiotoday.org. We regret that we cannot publish all messages received in print or online.

What’s new at OHIO U.

NEW FACILITY TO BRING RESEARCH TO BEDSIDE

OHIO’s Heritage College of Osteopathic Medicine is moving forward with plans to construct a $66.9 million translational research facility in Athens. The building will feature modern, flexible space and maximize collaboration opportunities for research that improves health outcomes and patient care.

OHIO FACULTY EXPLORE CARBON MANAGEMENT

Ohio University researchers in the Institute for Sustainable Energy and the Environment were awarded a $2 million grant by the U.S. Department of Energy to address carbon management strategies to mark progress toward equitably achieving net-zero greenhouse gas emissions by 2050.

CHSP DEAN’S ROLE BECOMES PERMANENT

After serving as interim dean since December 2020, Dr. John McCarthy has been named the permanent dean of the College of Health Sciences and Professions. McCarthy is a professor of communication sciences and disorders and has held several roles at OHIO since joining the faculty in 2004.

What’s new

HEALTH IS BIG HERE.

Between having one of the largest nursing schools in the country and leading the state in training primary care physicians, Ohio University has become a national leader in preparing students for careers in health care.

The University launched a statewide branding campaign to raise awareness of its leadership in the field and to attract the best and brightest to a growing array of health care-related programs, from clinical programs to management, communications and more. OHIO is doing groundbreaking research on prevalent health problems; putting community

health workers in the field to work directly with people; educating nurses all across the country; and investing in improved facilities to ensure that a forward-thinking, high-quality education for all is in reach. The Heritage College of Osteopathic Medicine, College of Health Sciences and Professions and Voinovich School of Leadership and Public Service have joined forces to form the Ohio University Health Collaborative, which is working on issues such as opioids, rural health inequity, health insurance disruption and more. Learn more at ohio.edu/health. —Robin Oliver, vice president for Communications and Marketing at OHIO

Honors Tutorial College student and Goldwater Scholar Hailee Sorensen researches infectious bacteria. Photo by Ben Wirtz Siegel, BSVC ’02 [Opposite] OHIO’s Heritage College of Osteopathic Medicine at Dublin hosts an annual Medical Academy, a health careers discovery program for high school students in central Ohio. Photo by Rich-Joseph Facun, BSVC ’01

The newest members of the Bobcat family light up the Convocation Center during First-Year Student Convocation— and are lighting up the OHIO history books as well. Last fall, OHIO welcomed its largest first-year class in the University’s 219-year history, and the records don’t stop there.

Photo by RichJoseph Facun, BSVC ’01

ATHENS FIRST-YEARS: BY THE NUMBERS

The Athens Campus rolled out the green carpet for 4,441 incoming firstyear students in fall 2022, surpassing the record-breaking fall 2015 first-year enrollment (4,423). The class includes the highest number of Ohio residents (3,908) on record, more than 1,100 first-generation college students and 679 children of OHIO alumni—up 21% from 2021.

FIRST-YEAR CLASS IS FIRST IN ITS CLASS

OHIO’s Class of 2026 is one of the most accomplished, too, with the highest average GPA (3.64) on record and more students than ever enrolled in honors and scholars programs. The Athens Campus’ incoming class includes a record-breaking 198 Hispanic students, up 32% from 2021, and a 23% increase in students (764) from Appalachian counties.

OFF-THE-CHARTS COLLEGE ENROLLMENT

Several academic colleges also made enrollment history, with the College of Arts and Science (1,140), the College of Business (772), the College of Fine Arts (262) and the College of Health Sciences and Professions (639) all setting records for incoming class size. Ohio University’s total enrollment, as of September 2022, is 27,634.

Green scenes

Mapping OHIO memories

Photographer Leslie Ostronic, BSVC ’23, captures and explores fellow graduates’ recollections by pairing students’ portraits with maps illustrating their OHIO experiences

The practice of “memory maps” is utilized by Morinoka Gordon, Hunter Thiede and Safa al Salmi, as they show where they studied, ate and enjoyed their time during their years at OHIO. Though in different areas of study, their OHIO paths have covered North, East, South and West Greens, and many different local Athens businesses. In their own “memory maps,” students show OHIO’s landscape with a hammock in Emeriti Park, the Alumni Gateway, and the campus community of South Green, as well as representations of themselves and others climbing campus stairs, taking pictures of the famed deer and walking to class. Photos by Leslie Ostronic, BSVC ’23

Hunter Thiede is graduating with a visual communication degree in information graphics and interactive design. His friends call him “Mayor of Schoonover” because of how often he sits in a seat by the window (pictured). He is going to miss the people of Athens. “All the people in Athens are always nice to see,” Hunter says, “Whether it's strangers or good friends.”

Map by Hunter Thiede, BSVC ’23

Morinoka Gordon will be graduating with degrees in biology and psychology on a pre-med track. She plans to apply for masters programs and eventually work as a physician assistant. She helps run a research lab that focuses on the physiological response to social and relationship stresses. She is a member of the Minority Association of PreHealth Students and OHIO Women’s Rugby. Before college, she studied piano for 13 years. She goes to Glidden Hall often to play piano and relieve stress.

“The Glidden building is an extreme image of self-comfort,” Mori says.

Map by Morinoka Gordon, BS ’23

Map by Morinoka Gordon, BS ’23

Safa al Salmi has a bachelor’s in geological science and will be graduating with her master’s in geological science. Additionally, she participates in the Geology Club. She says she will miss the “lovely people and peaceful vibes” of Athens. After graduation, she hopes to land an interesting job.

Map by Safa al Salmi, BS ’21, MS ’22

Map by Safa al Salmi, BS ’21, MS ’22

OHIO’s 2022 Homecoming football game. The season started with a special dedication: the naming of the football field in Peden Stadium after former head coach Frank Solich. Coaching from 2005 to 2021, Solich is the winningest coach in Mid-American Conference history.

Photo by Ben Wirtz Siegel, BSVC ’02

Green scenes

Patty Mitchell in the 2022 Honey for the Heart Parade, which kicks off the annual Halloween celebration in Athens.

Photo by Joel Prince, BS ’12, MA ’15, courtesy of Visit Athens County [Opposite page] Make Respect Visible environmental graphics, designed in collaboration with Passion Works Studio. Photo by RICHJOSEPH FACUN , BSVC ’01

Passion Works turns 25

THE ART STUDIO ‘MAKES VISIBLE THE SPIRIT OF ATHENS’

Passion Works Studio turns 25 in 2023 and its signature event, the Honey for the Heart parade, is back after a pandemic hiatus. Now, the Athens-based art studio known for its vibrant displays and rainbowcolored palette is helping to expand Ohio University’s campaign to reduce bias through open and respectful dialogue that extends beyond culture and background.

The Make Respect Visible campaign is a collaborative initiative between the Division for Diversity and Inclusion, Division of Student Affairs and University Communications and Marketing to create a baseline culture

of respect for the OHIO community. Passion Works is an obvious bridge between the University and Athens community because of its ethos of treating all people with dignity and respect, particularly those with developmental differences.

“This is the continuation of building the community in which we want to live, and making visible the spirit of Athens,” said Patty Mitchell, executive director and founder of Passion Works. Mitchell is a two-time Ohio University graduate (BFA ’87, MFA ’91) who has elected to make Athens her home. She opened Passion Works 25 years ago,

not only to make art that reflects the Athens community, but also to provide a space for artists with and without developmental differences to create art together.

This is one of the reasons why Passion Works is a natural partner for the initiative—the values of Make Respect Visible directly overlap with those of the studio, Mitchell said. The Make Respect Visible artwork created by Passion Works and Ohio University will be featured on banners, yard signs and stickers that will be displayed across the University and on Court Street. —Macklin Caruso

Every three years, Bobcats from around the world gather on the Athens Campus to revel in their OHIO memories and make new ones. This year, they also made history while building on the rich legacy of Ohio University’s Black graduates and friends whose love for and commitment to their alma mater spans decades. A record-breaking 2,000-plus Bobcats—some from as far away as Denmark, South Africa and Botswana—attended September’s Black Alumni Reunion, four days of OHIO love and togetherness. Photos by Rich-Joseph Facun, BSVC ’01

REIMAGINING LIFE IN THE RES HALL

Ohio University dusts off its Housing Master Plan and dives into designing a more connected community

Last fall, OHIO welcomed its largest first-year class in the University’s 219-year history.

Dylan Benedict, BSVC ’22

Hip coffee shops with free Wi-Fi and organic juices. Lobbies with smartphone charging stations and cozy lounge furniture. Easily accessible private space for virtual meetings and collaborative study rooms with wireless conferencing for remote participants. Parks with water features or fire circles and solar-powered hammock stations.

These are no longer the amenities we expect only at Meta’s Bay Area headquarters or high-end suburban apartment complexes. Rather, we’ve made these once-coveted comforts the new status quo. We were halfway there before a pandemic pushed us into an even more connected world. Now, elementary school children across the country carry a computer in their backpack, and homes are set up with multiple offices for mom, dad and the kids to be able to take meetings online. We have Wi-Fi in our cars, order lunch via an app to avoid lines and expect to have access to an outlet—even while waiting in the lobby of our dentist’s office.

As today’s students and families consider their oncampus residence halls, their expectations match this new high-tech, high-amenity reality. Sure, there are a

few Gen-X parents who still romanticize those metal bunk beds in cinderblock dorm rooms and hallway bathrooms that demanded flip flops for shower time as a college-age right of passage. But, their Gen-Z children roll their eyes at dad, get out their phones and check the download speed in the building during the tour of the residence hall. Then, they scan the lobby in hopes of spotting a coffee bar.

If you’re an Ohio University alumnus and you’re thinking “But my dorm is still around, and it was much more like the former than the latter” then you understand why the University is embarking on the implementation of an aggressive Housing Master Plan to refresh or replace the majority of the portfolio of residence halls on OHIO’s Athens Campus over the next decade. First up is the design and construction of a new $95 million, 600-bed complex on South Green, approved by the Board of Trustees at its January 2023 meeting and now in the design phase.

BUILDING ON THE LAST DECADE OF PROGRESS

This plan picks up where the University left off from a 2011 Housing Master Plan that led to the construction of four new residence halls—Carr, Tanaka, Sowle and Luchs Halls—which opened in 2015. These new facilities set the tone for future construction and renovation. The buildings feature suite-style housing, with two rooms sharing one bathroom located in between. In the center of the four residence halls is a Living Learning Center hub where students can gather for social or study activities.

Additional investments from the 2011 plan were put on pause in 2018 as the University began to see declines in its incoming first-year class. Then the pandemic arrived, putting a stop to most major capital projects. But, fall semester 2022 brought the largest first-year class in Ohio University’s more than 200-year history, with so much demand for on-campus housing that OHIO contracted with a local apartment complex to add more rooms to its portfolio.

“Even before the arrival of the fall 2022 class, we began work to revive and refresh the master plan,” said Shawna Wolfe, associate vice president of University Planning. “We have always had a strong residential

Students enjoy yard games, treats and a movie on South Green as part of Homecoming festivities. Photo by Ben Wirtz Siegel, BSVC ’02

community at our Athens Campus that is a big part of our University identity. As we move forward, we want to make sure that we are continuing to drive that sense of community while also meeting the expectations of today’s students and ensuring all of our residence halls offer an equitable experience.”

The plan includes both new construction and major or minor renovations happening in parallel to expedite OHIO’s progress across the portfolio.

A CONNECTED COMMUNITY, IN EVERY WAY

One of the most important goals, Wolfe said, was to approach the residential portfolio as an extension of student learning space at the University. Designers envision a future in which there is more and more

blurring of the lines between the classroom and dorm room—similar to the blurring we see between home and office today. That doesn’t mean that students won’t find places to rest and recharge, but rather that their residence halls will serve multiple needs—a place to rest, space for social gatherings, private rooms to take a virtual meeting or online class, study rooms to gather with friends, green space for learning or playing outdoors and, of course, access to food and drink to recharge.

Importantly, the plan embraces the development of community by continuing to avoid high-rise complexes and instead build smaller halls in building groups where students can more easily get to know their neighbors. New construction will focus on spaces that are close to the heart of campus to ensure connectivity with the academic core and dining options.

WEST GREEN

EAST GREEN

SOUTH GREEN

NORTH GREEN

COLLEGE GREEN

And these will be connected developments. Designers will consider access to outlets everywhere and smart displays for study halls to allow participants to join remotely. Green space will build on ideas such as the recently completed Paw Print Park, which features a solar-powered hammock garden for students to lounge in hammocks with laptops in hand, powered by the sun.

BALANCING AMENITIES WITH AFFORDABILITY

Delivering on these student expectations for connectivity and amenities, of course, comes at a price. The total cost of major renovations and new construction between now and 2030 is estimated to come in at $192 million. However, OHIO’s conservative approach between 2018 and 2021 left the University in a good position to invest in

moving forward. The total cost of projects will be covered with residential housing reserves and an annual operating margin balanced by funds from Ohio University’s internal bank.

This plan doesn’t depend on unrealized student growth. Rather, it assumes a stable state of 4,000 first-year students annually, more than 400 fewer than the fall 2022 class. At the same time, by beginning with a 600-bed new construction project ahead of any significant demolition, the plan creates flexibility to reassess that steady state in 2026 when the new residence halls are anticipated to open before planned demolition in 2030.

The ultimate financial goal is to avoid passing the cost on to students, and the financial plan does not include any restructuring of student cost.

THE NEXT BIG BUILD

The first, and largest, new construction planned is a 600-bed structure on South Green that will extend the complex adjacent to Pickering, Brown and Mackinnon Halls to open in 2026. This new build will allow OHIO to move forward with the removal of the residence halls known as “back South” —Hoover, Ewing, Wray, Dougan and True Houses.

These buildings opened in the late 1960s, and the construction style is out of date and in need of significant renovation. In addition to the renovation needs, students regularly express concerns with the lack of adequate lighting in the areas of these halls as well as the lack of sidewalk connectivity to some of the newer parts of campus. The plan currently calls for the removal of these buildings in 2030.

In addition, Pickering, Brown and Mackinnon, as well as nearby Crawford Hall, will be prioritized for major renovation. Other halls identified for major renovation include Bryan, Perkins and Voigt Halls on East Green, and Treudley, Ryors and Wilson Halls on West Green. Several more will be addressed with minor renovations, including updates of study space and restrooms.

“It’s exciting to be at the point and moving forward with new construction that is going to be transformational for our campus,” Wolfe said. “But, at the same time, we know from the last several years that this plan has to remain flexible. We’ll be ready to adjust if we need to in order to respond to changes in enrollments or student expectations, always with the goal of delivering on that sense of community that we’re known for.” —Robin Oliver, vice president for Communications and Marketing at OHIO

Pictured: Paw Print Park on South Green. Photo by Ben Wirtz Siegel, BSVC ’02 [Inset] A 600-bed complex on South Green is slated to open in 2026. Image courtesy of Brailsford & Dunlavey/Ayers Saint Gross

OHIO MAKING HEADLINES

Bobcats make the news—and the OHIO community proud—every day. Read about a few of the Ohio University alumni, students, faculty and staff who have made headlines in recent months.

CHANGING THE GAME IN COLLEGIATE ATHLETICS

Ohio University Athletic Director Julie Cromer is transforming the NCAA and helping reshape the future of how the NCAA’s top division, Division I, looks and acts. Cromer was highlighted in Sports Business Journal for her role as co-chair of the Transformation Committee and for being at the center of important conversations in the NCAA that are changing the game for collegiate athletics. In addition to her role on the committee, Cromer was also named to Sports Business Journal ’s Game Changers Class of 2022 and was named by Sports Illustrated as one of college football’s most intriguing people due to her work on the NCAA Transformation Committee.

HOW

BREWERY WASTE CAN FIGHT CLIMATE CHANGE

Ohio University’s Voinovich School of Leadership and Public Service received a $195,736 grant from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency to help expand the use of anaerobic digesters to divert food waste from landfills and reduce methane emissions, The Hill reported. This grant will allow for researchers in the Voinovich School, like principal investigator Sarah Davis, to work with a local restaurant and microbrewery to quantify the potential for waste diversion. They will estimate the biogas and fertilizer yield from an anaerobic digestion system with the goal of applying this model to other microbreweries. Researchers, including Jesus Pagan in the Russ College of Engineering and Technology, are also collaborating on the project.

TURNING POLLUTION INTO PAINT

Russ College of Engineering and Technology Professor Dr. Guy Riefler and College of Fine Arts Professor John Sabraw (shown) have been working to clean up Ohio’s rust-colored rivers by turning the pollution in them, specifically acid mine drainage, into paint pigment. CNN featured the two professors’ work through multiple photos, highlighting their partnership with Rural Action to create artist-grade paints from the iron oxide extracted from the acid mine drainage.

SOCIAL MEDICINE HISTORIAN DISCUSSES HISTORY OF THE BREAST PUMP

The Heritage College of Osteopathic Medicine’s Dr. JacquelineWolf, who is a historian of medicine specializing in the history of birth and breastfeeding practices, was quoted in an article in Smithsonian Magazine that describes the history of the breast pump. In the article, Wolf explains that in its early stages in the 19 th century the breast pump was an impractical device. Wolf frequently shares her knowledge about the history of infant feeding with various media outlets and has also written a book, Don’t Kill Your Baby: Public Health and the Decline of Breastfeeding in the 19 th and 20 th Centuries

Photo by Ben Wirtz Siegel, BSVC ’02

What the PORTSfuture holds

OHIO’S EFFORTS LEADING TURNAROUND FOR PIKETON SITE

When the U.S. Department of Energy’s (DOE) former Portsmouth Gaseous Diffusion Plant in Pike County, Ohio, went into shutdown mode in the early 2000s, it had a marked impact on the economy of the surrounding region, as it had employed thousands of regional residents over many decades. The site, which was used to enrich uranium during the Cold War era, has been undergoing cleanup and decommissioning for the past 10 years. Now parcels of the site are becoming available for redevelopment.

“The U.S. DOE recognized when the Cold War was coming to an end that they wouldn’t be using these big facilities to enrich uranium,” says Kevin Shoemaker, referring to the former Portsmouth diffusion plant, known as PORTS. Shoemaker is program manager and

legal counsel for the Southern Ohio Diversification Initiative (SODI), the lead entity working with many community partners on the redevelopment.

By 2010, a coalition led by DOE, SODI and Ohio University joined the work in a big way, by conducting broad-based public engagement on the future of the site, a process known as PORTSfuture. Led by Stephanie Howe, BS ’87, MPA ’97, the University led a study to determine local residents’ future-use preferences for the site—and learned that reindustrialization was overwhelmingly the desired goal. That view helped coalesce the vision for the site to be transformed into an integrated clean energy production and sustainable manufacturing complex that has been dubbed the Ohio Valley Green Energy and Manufacturing Initiative, or GEM. Joining GEM as the inaugural venture is a $1.5 billion-plus private sector project by Newpoint Gas, LLC, which has been proposed to launch the redevelopment.

Stephanie Howe, BS ’87, MPA ’97, pictured at The Ridges on OHIO’s Athens Campus, was instrumental in the PORTSfuture public engagement process.

Photo by Ben Wirtz Siegel, BSVC ’01

DOE’s Joel Bradburne, who oversees the site, says Howe’s assistance in particular has been invaluable. The creation of the PORTSfuture program, led by Ohio University, “really charted our course for us,” he says. Over the ensuing years, he says every box has been checked to allow for redevelopment, a major feat.

“Without OU’s assistance, we’d have a difficult time with several of the projects that we’ve been engaged in over the years,” Shoemaker adds. “The PORTSfuture project has really helped us there because one of the things we’ve been able to do is show companies what the site is, what the assets are.”

PORTSfuture has focused on all areas of the redevelopment, in partnership with local, regional and federal organizations. Since 2010, OHIO has received $14 million in grants and engaged dozens of stakeholders externally and within the University to partner on the work, which includes creating public-private partnerships, public outreach and engagement, economic modeling and impact analysis, workforce analysis, K-12 STEM education, managing an independent off-site sampling study and applied environmental work, among other items.

“Ohio University is proud to be a leader in this transformational effort and to show what is possible when academia comes together with government, private industry, organized labor and public interests to improve the communities in our region,” says Howe, director of Energy Programs at Ohio University’s Voinovich School of Leadership and Public Service. “The resources provided by the DOE Office of Environmental Management and Ohio University have been vital to this effort for more than a decade. We work with SODI to collaborate with stakeholders and partners to engage in a data-driven process to form and launch the Ohio Valley Green Energy and Manufacturing project. GEM will create endurable jobs in the new energy and sustainable manufacturing economy for the region for decades to come.”

The efforts are paying off. Newpoint Gas, a company dedicated to using old sites for new processes, hopes to open a $1.58 billion complex by 2027, according to Newpoint CEO Wiley Rhodes. That is phase one and uses about 250 of the 1,200 acres being made available for reindustrialization.

As envisioned, the plant will generate 240MW of electricity 24 hours a day using decarbonized hydrogen, a much cleaner method than coal. In total, the Newpoint facility will produce 500 metric tons per day of clean hydrogen with carbon sequestration for use in power generation and ammonia feedstock; 240 megawatts of electricity per day of clean hydrogen-fueled power generation for use in silicon production plus selling power to the national grid; 350 MT/day of clean ammonia for supporting the production of sustainable fertilizer; and 200 MT/day of clean silicon for use as sustainable feedstock in the production of aluminum, steel and solar panels. Future expansion includes hydrogen storage, research and development of clean lowcarbon fuel production processes and low-grade, wasteheat recovery for large-scale organic produce production.

The Newpoint project will generate an estimated 1,900 construction jobs and nearly 300 permanent, well-paying jobs when the work is complete. None of it would be happening, Rhodes says, without Stephanie Howe’s efforts. “All the work they are doing with the DOE and SODI is vital in making the site ready for redevelopment,” he says. “There’s going to be a lot of big things happening at the Piketon site that will have positive impacts for the surrounding region.”

—Jim Sabin, BSJ ’95

Rob Wiley (left) and Gary Conley, formerly of OHIO’s Voinovich School, conduct a habitat resource inventory of the PORTS facility for a habitat suitability model to inform site redevelopment. Photo courtesy of Ohio University

In full bloom

OHIO & CHUBU CELEBRATE A 50-YEAR EXCHANGE

When National Geographic listed Ohio University as one of the best places to see cherry blossoms in the U.S., no one on the Athens Campus was surprised. After all, the annual April bloom makes an already-beautiful campus pop like no other time. The fleeting beauty of the cherry (sakura) trees—a gift from Chubu University in Japan— belies the lasting relationship between the two institutions, celebrating 50 years in 2023. And the relationship has recently survived perhaps its biggest challenge yet, a global pandemic that shut down in-person exchanges—the heart of the OHIO-Chubu partnership—for two full years.

Case in point: Dr. Yeong-Hyun Kim, associate professor of geography, was supposed to be OHIO’s Miura Visiting Professor at Chubu in 2020. The visiting professor program is what established the relationship between Athens and Kasugai, Japan, in 1973. Her plan was to research the 2020 Tokyo Olympics, which were themselves postponed due to COVID-19. Kim pivoted and went to Chubu in 2022 and instead studied the city of Sapporo, Japan’s bid to host the 2030 Winter Olympics and what that means financially and psychologically for the host country.

Photo by Rich-Joseph Facun, BSVC ’01

“It’s a good place to go for any Ohio University professor,” Kim recalled after returning to Athens. “There is plenty of similarity between Ohio and Aichi where Kasugai is located. Aichi is a prefecture with a strong manufacturing base, and Toyota is headquartered there. It is the Japanese equivalent of the U.S. Midwest.”

Kim’s host professor was the head of Chubu’s GIS Center (geographic information systems). Kim would now like to pursue GIS research collaboration between Chubu and OHIO’s Voinovich School of Leadership and Public Service. Last summer, two Chubu students audited one of Kim’s courses online. While there, Kim reconnected with a former OHIO student who now works at Chubu’s Center for International Affairs. In addition, under Kim’s supervision, Misa Mukaigawa, a former Chubu student and a Charles J. Ping Graduate Fellow in OHIO’s International Development Studies, successfully completed her master’s project this

OHIO-CHUBU PARTNERSHIP: A timeline

1973 Chubu Institute of Technology President Dr. Kohei Miura and OHIO President Dr. Claude Sowle sign a formal agreement instituting the Miura Visiting Professors program. Each year, an Ohio University professor is selected to visit Chubu University for an academic term to engage in research or other scholarship. The exchange is initiated by OHIO physics faculty Tomoyasu Tanaka and James Shipman along with Chubu’s Hiroshi Katsumori (1)

winter. This constant expansion of relationships between OHIO and Chubu is a common theme.

In a sense, the institutions’ shared vision of international understanding, friendship and scholarship was borne out of the horrors of war. The late Dr. Tomoyasu Tanaka is considered the father of the OHIO-Chubu partnership; he and his Chubu colleague Hiroshi Katsumori were the driving force behind the Miura Visiting Professors program. Tanaka’s daughter, Norico Tanaka-Wada, referred to her father’s memoirs in which he described witnessing the atomic bomb attack of Hiroshima in 1945. “I pray deeply that never again will such a tragedy happen again on this earth,” he wrote.

To that end, Tanaka was a stalwart supporter of the OHIO-Chubu partnership. Starting in 1984, he split his time between OHIO and Chubu, where he became the first director of Chubu’s Center for International Affairs. As remarkable as Tanaka’s commitment was, the

175 cherry trees (sakura trees) are gifted to Ohio University by the Chubu Institute of Technology in honor of OHIO’s 175th anniversary (3). In 2003, Chubu University gifts 103 more cherry trees to replace damaged trees and to bring the total up to 200 to mark OHIO’s bicentennial.

An honorary Ohio University degree is posthumously awarded to Kohei Miura (2). The Chubu University Commemorative Japanese Collection, established with the 1973 agreement, begins collecting materials. Today, the collection is held next to Alden Library’s Chubu Reading Room on the first floor. The collection supports Japanese language study and Japan-related topics. The reading room mimics the look of a Japanese tearoom, with translucent paper over a lattice frame. In Japan, the Ohio University Room in the Chubu library opened in 1994. OHIO begins sending English language instructors to Chubu.

Chubu students begin coming to OHIO for short-term English training, lasting about two weeks.

Chubu Institute of Technology becomes Chubu University.

OHIO-Chubu relationship continued to thrive after his retirement (he died in 2014).

“A lot of times you’ll have a relationship between two schools driven by one person … and when that person is not around anymore that really falls apart,” said Dr. Gerry Krzic, director of the Ohio Program of Intensive English (OPIE). “This one has endured.”

Not only has it endured, it has grown. In 1977, Chubu started sending students to Athens to study English. In 1994, Chubu students began studying for an entire term in the OPIE program. After a two-year pandemic hiatus, over 100 Chubu students studied at OHIO in 2022.

On a chilly night last fall, Chubu exchange student Hina Uchida sat at a table in Jefferson Hall for OPIE’s International Conversation hour. She was all smiles, in a good mood because her persuasive speech in her COMS class of both American and Japanese students

went well. (Her argument: Professors should assign homework that relates to students’ lives.)

“I was nervous, but I enjoyed my speech and I was comfortable more than before, (on) the first day. So I’m proud of my English,” she said.

Before conversation hour wrapped up, Krzic played emcee for trivia. After fielding some laughterinducing answers to American trivia questions, Krzic asked the American students in the crowd of about 100, “Are you happy that Chubu students are here?” The answer was a resounding yes. “Chubu students, are you glad you came?” Another resounding yes. Finally, “In person or Zoom?” The question, of course, was rhetorical. “In person!”

The personal touch begins in the classroom and then extends beyond, both in the U.S. and Japan. American students have been studying Japanese at Chubu since 1993. Dr. Chris Thompson, who teaches Japanese and

In commemoration of 20 th anniversary of the OHIO-Chubu partnership, OHIO gifts a Cutler Hall cupola replica to the Japanese campus. In this case, the cupola rests on the ground, making it more like a gazebo (5)

Tomoyasu Tanaka (4) becomes director of Chubu’s Center for International Affairs. He continues to teach part of the year at Ohio University. He will later be named professor emeritus at both institutions.

The Ohio Program for English Language Teaching (OPELT) begins at Chubu. The goal is to provide on-site, highquality English language instruction by native English speakers who are trained in teaching English as a second language. Through an institutional agreement, most instructors are OHIO graduates.

Ohio University students begin studying Japanese at Chubu. On average, eight OHIO students study at Chubu every year.

The quarter-long (now semesterlong) Choki Study Abroad Program brings Chubu students to OHIO to study English at OPIE. “Choki” means long-term in Japanese. Thirty Chubu students studied English at OHIO in the first class; 104 studied in Athens in 2022.

The Robert Glidden Visiting Professorship is inaugurated, and now each year a Chubu University professor visits Ohio University to engage in scholarship, creating a twoway visiting professor program.

During OHIO’s bicentennial, Burson House—home to the Center for International Studies—undergoes a renovation that doubles its square footage (6). The renovation is made possible by a 100 million yen (about $850,000) donation from Chubu University. It is renamed Yamada House after the late chancellor of Chubu University, Kazuo Yamada.

Photos 1-4 courtesy of the Mahn Center For Archives & Special Collections. Photo 5 by Ben Wirtz Siegel, BSVC ’02. Photo 6 by Rick Fatica, MFA ’08

is on the Chubu University Relations Committee, has served as OHIO’s Japan study abroad coordinator since 1998 and was a Miura visiting professor in 2019. Born and raised in Japan, Thompson has long studied Japan as an ethnographer.

While Chubu is located in central Japan (“chubu” means “central” in Japanese), Thompson’s area of expertise is northeast Japan, where Iwate Prefecture is located—the region that was devastated by a tsunami in 2011. So when the tsunami hit, Thompson was positioned to quickly rally both Japanese and American students to help with tsunami cleanup. OHIO alumni donated funds to pay transportation and lodging costs for students already in Japan to travel to Iwate.

The tsunami cleanup was classic service learning whereby OHIO students gained academic skills (Japanese language and culture) while helping meet a community need. It began with cleanup and by year two included “water volunteerism,” where volunteers took bottled water and green tea to people displaced from their homes, first to emergency

shelters and then to temporary housing. But once the residents returned to permanent housing, something interesting happened.

“Even when the water was hooked up, the families still asked to have water,” Thompson said. “The water delivery became a form of contact … They remembered us. And some of the Ohio University students were getting better and better at Japanese.”

Thompson has continued to lead a service-learning project in Iwate every September, excluding 2020 and 2021 during the pandemic. Now he is expanding service learning elsewhere, including near Chubu, under the U.S.-Japan Global Engagement Project.

In short, the OHIO-Chubu partnership has weathered a global pandemic and is emerging as strong as ever, ready for the next 50 years. “What I think we learned from COVID is that technology is fine,” said OPIE’s Krzic. “It’s enhanced some things, but we’ve really realized the value of this in-person connection. Nothing beats that for education.”—

Mary Reed, BSJ ’90, MA ’93

Chubu University President Osamu Ishihara attends the investiture of Ohio University President M. Duane Nellis (8). During the visit, a ceremony is held to renew the OHIO-Chubu partnership.

Chubu University celebrates its 50 th anniversary. OHIO President Roderick McDavis leads a delegation to Japan to participate in the celebration.

Tanaka Hall (7) opens on South Green, named after Tomoyasu and Sumiko Tanaka. Tomoyasu Tanaka is known as the father of the OHIO-Chubu partnership. He served on OHIO’s physics and astronomy faculty from 1971 to 1989.

OHIO and Chubu celebrate the 50 th anniversary of the partnership between the two institutions. Celebrations will occur at both institutions and friendship benches will be installed on both campuses; one in Athens will be placed among the cherry trees.

Faculty and students from Ohio, Chubu and Iwate Prefecture Universities plan to collaborate on sibling murals. One mural will be painted on a recently completed 48-foot-tall seawall in Taro, Iwate Prefecture, Japan. Taro was devastated by the tsunami that hit in 2011; its citizens will also be involved in the mural design. The theme will likely be a traditional fishing village hamamukae (welcome back to shore) scene. The other mural in Athens will likely be printed and displayed outside. Shown is a sketch of a concept for the Athens mural (9)

OHIO and Chubu will celebrate the 30 th anniversary of Chubu’s semester-length Choki Study Abroad Program to OHIO.

Photos 7-8 by Ben Wirtz Siegel, BSVC ’02. Image 9 courtesy of John Sawbraw.

SPRING 2023

Celebrating a century of journalism education

A new book marks the 100th anniversary of Ohio University’s renowned E. W. Scripps School of Journalism.

After its founding in 1924, what is now the E. W. Scripps School of Journalism at Ohio University quickly became one of the premier programs in the country. For decades, it has produced leaders who have reached the highest levels of journalism and communication in their careers, and their success is a direct product not only of the education they get in Athens but of the community the school fosters.

In this book, nearly 100 alumni, faculty, friends and students offer their stories of life at and after Scripps. The result is a multilayered, inspiring portrait of the school and how it shapes those who pass through its doors. At the same time, The Scripps School gives a nuanced history of journalism education at Ohio University. From covering assassinations and presidential elections to major moments in sports, alumni have documented the unprecedented and the historic, and here they show just how Scripps prepared them to be there.

The Scripps School, edited by former director Ralph Izard, is a love letter to the people and the institution. At a time when journalism is more important than ever, this book humanizes and contextualizes the profession in ways that will resonate in the Scripps community and beyond.

The Scripps School: Its Stories, People, and Legacy

Edited

by

Ralph Izard

456 pp. · 8½ × 8¾ in. · 144 color illustrations

Hardcover with dust jacket

ISBN 978-0-8214-2315-8

Available wherever books are sold

About the book’s cover: Students traditionally pay homage to the school’s namesake by rubbing the nose on the bronze bust of legendary newspaper publisher E. W. Scripps in Schoonover Hall.

—Laura M. André is the publicity coordinator at the Ohio University Press

“The Scripps School is about journalism education at Ohio University, but it’s also the story of how its graduates have gone on to shape American journalism over the past century. There are few schools that have prepared so many aspiring journalists. And there are even fewer that have done it so well.”

—Andrew Alexander, former Washington Post ombudsman and longtime Cox Newspapers Washington bureau chief

Image courtesy of the Ohio University Press

PAVING THE WAY FOR OTHER S

BYRON WARD, BBA ’89, IS PAVING A PATH TO A BRIGHTER FUTURE FOR STUDENTS FROM ALL BACKGROUNDS—BRICK BY

BRICK.

The year is 1984, and OHIO freshman Byron Ward needs one more class to fill out his full-time student schedule. He decides to approach renowned professor Dr. Francine Childs to see if he can take her African American Psychology course. Childs looks at him and says, “Son, this is a 300-level class. I don’t usually let freshmen take my course.”

Ward looks Childs in the eye and says, “Ma’am, I’m not your average freshman.”

Bold words, but Ward can certainly back them up—as this dedicated changemaker has always been anything but average. During his time on campus, Ward founded the Black Student Business Caucus (still thriving nearly 35 years later as the Multicultural Student Business Caucus); since graduating with honors in 1989, he has gone on to hold top leadership positions at AT&T, Houghton Mifflin Harcourt, Year Up and more. Ward has also kept one foot firmly on the bricks of Athens, serving in a wide capacity of roles from a seat on the Ohio University Foundation Board of Trustees to helping plan the wildly popular Black Alumni Reunion.

Photo by Karsten Moran

“OHIO is home—I’ve walked on these bricks, bled on these bricks, sweat on these bricks,” explains Ward, who won a Distinguished Service Award in 2022 for his vast alumni involvement. “I want to help the current Black students have a great experience and finish (their education).”

Ward is so invested in helping current students thrive largely because he knows precisely what it’s like to fight for one’s college education. A native Clevelander, Ward hailed from a single-parent household—with his family living in inner-city Cleveland through the sixth grade and then moving to Cleveland Heights. Initially, Ward wanted to attend an HBCU (historically black college and university) but decided to stay closer to home and choose an Ohio-based school.

“I remember looking at the brochure for OHIO, and thinking, ‘This is what college is supposed to look like,’” says Ward. Once at OHIO, Ward found his groove on campus academically and socially— getting involved with the Black Student Union and hosting popular variety shows—but struggled to stay afloat financially. With his enrollment hanging in the balance, Childs offered Ward the chance to live with her for one quarter during his sophomore year (having seen his drive and talent during his successful bid to study with her as a freshman).

“By sophomore year, Dr. Childs and I had a relationship, and she called my mom to say, ‘What can we do to help?” says Ward. “That was a huge moment in my shift.”

Yet junior year presented more challenges, with Ward taking a quarter off to assist his mother in caring for his ailing grandfather. Ward was determined to return though and came back strong—founding the Black Student Business Caucus and adding another major in African American Studies. Ward was eventually named “Outstanding Senior Leader,” a coveted award that he considered a “huge honor … since it was named for John Templeton, the first Black graduate of the University.”

Throughout his career, Ward has continued to make good on that early promise of leadership. He started as a rising star in the telecommunications space, taking management roles and helming employee resource groups for AT&T, Lucent Technologies, and Avaya. In 1995, Ward was named one of Ebony’s “50 Leaders of Tomorrow,” and in 1998, he relocated from Cleveland to Somerset, New Jersey, where he continued to climb the corporate ladder but eventually felt the call to do something more meaningful.

“I had always wanted to go into the nonprofit space,” says Ward. “I could smell the tea leaves shifting, and I knew it was time for me to make a move.”

In 2013, Ward landed at Year Up, a national nonprofit focusing on “closing the opportunity divide” in America through a unique model of tuition-free job training and sponsored internship opportunities. As regional director, Ward oversaw seven of the nonprofit’s 28 markets, relishing the opportunity to further the futures of marginalized people entering the workforce.

“Year Up’s goal is to galvanize and grab young adults who want it but don’t have the access,” explains Ward. “As we move toward a more skills-based economy,

we’re helping prepare people for roles that don’t require a degree.”

After nearly a decade at Year Up, Ward is now starting a new professional adventure at OneTen—a nonprofit with a similar mission of providing one million wellpaying jobs for Black Americans who don’t have a four-year degree. Ward’s goal is to spark dialogue and momen-tum toward equality, and that extends to the continued work he does with Ohio University students (both as an advisor for the Multicultural Student Business Caucus and host of student groups that visit New York).

“I want them to leave the University as wellrounded future leaders who recognize that there is a much bigger world outside Ohio,” shares Ward.

For her part, junior Katie Kirkendall says she was inspired by Ward’s “authentic leadership” style when she visited Year Up’s Manhattan offices with business fraternity Delta Sigma Pi last fall. “The best part of the visit was seeing the passion he has for his work,” says Kirkendall. “(Ward) is a selfless leader and drives an important mission daily, not only through his work but also through his advocacy.”

And Ward isn’t likely to stop anytime soon, with big plans for his work at OneTen and current seats on the Executive Advisory Board for the College of Business and the Presidential Advisory Council. “I see myself as part of the fabric of Ohio University,” says Ward, whose son is currently enrolled as a sophomore. “My spirit and my name will ride on with the John Templetons and everyone else (who made their mark).”

Interested

[PREVIOUS PAGES & RIGHT} OHIO Fellows connected with Ward at his office in New York City this past December.

Photos by Karsten Moran

THE GIFT OF FOREVER

The Ohio University experience is one that shapes and stays with you forever. For Bruce Mitchell, BGS ’75, and his wife Susan, BFA ’83, MPA ’92, their lives became indelibly intertwined with OHIO from the moment they first came to Athens.

“I made lifelong friends, and even though I graduated 40-something years ago, I still have friends I made in the dorm,” Mitchell says. “Looking back, my college years at OU were certainly some of the happiest years of my life.”

Mitchell would go on to found The Athens News in 1977, creating a free and independent source for local news, events and entertainment—and an artifact of Athens culture shared by countless Bobcats over nearly five decades.

Now in Key West, Florida, the Mitchells are leaving another lasting mark on their alma mater through a gift to the Urban Scholars General Scholarship Endowment, which provides scholarship support to high school graduates of urban school districts in Ohio with demonstrated financial need, desire and motivation to succeed and excellent academic achievement.

“We were very fortunate that our families were able to afford college, but there were many kids who couldn’t,” Mitchell explains. “There are still many kids today who can’t afford college but given the opportunity, can be very successful. I hope, and I’m confident, that this gift will help worthy students, forever.”

Mirage’A Lamb, a sophomore Urban Scholar, shares that the program’s support goes far beyond the scholarship itself, to include leadership training, funding for professional conferences and internships, and a community of fellow scholars.

“I love having guidance and other people who look like me to associate with,” says Lamb, who is studying information and telecommunication systems. “Without it, I truly believe that it would’ve been a lonelier experience and the connections I have now wouldn’t be here.”

The scholarship not only made college an option for Lamb, but she says the financial support has shaped her OHIO experience in ways not otherwise possible.

“Without the scholarship, I would not have known the happiness of attending college without being stressed about how I’ll pay my next loan, which then improves my performance in classes and enables me to volunteer and be an avid member in the community,” she says.

To inspire others to support the Urban Scholars, the Mitchells are also directing a portion of their gift to be used as matching funds for OHIO Giving Day 2023. Held April 18, Giving Day sees thousands of alumni giving amounts of any size to support student success at OHIO.

“Every dollar helps, and every dollar works forever. We’re challenging people to step up, make a donation, we’ll match it and we’ll help build this University,” Mitchell says. “We all create a legacy, and an endowment is an excellent way to add to legacy. I hope our gift will inspire other people to think about the opportunities that Ohio University gave them and that they can now provide that opportunity for other qualified students who can’t afford college.”

To learn more about The Urban Scholars General Endowment, or to make a gift, visit ohio.edu/ urban-scholars —Pete Shooner

Mirage’A Lamb, BS ’26 in one of her favorite spots on campus, the ITS lab at the Schoonover Center where she studies information and telecommunicaiton systems.

Photo by Joe Timmerman, BSVC ’23

150 years later, Boyd’s legacy persists

In the 150 years since Margaret Boyd broke barriers as Ohio University’s first female graduate, women in higher education have made great strides, conducted groundbreaking research and become an integral part of universities across the nation. Women of Ohio University have historically dominated enrollment figures and made significant contributions to OHIO’s culture and success.

Boyd, native to Athens County, was the first female to be admitted to OHIO. Following her graduation with a

B.A. in 1873, Boyd went on to earn an M.A. from OHIO in 1876. She taught high school in Ohio and Indiana and taught math at Wesleyan Female College in Cincinnati. In 1883, OHIO hired its own first female faculty member, Cynthia Weld, who taught English.

The pursuits of Bobcat women in the years to follow left a remarkable impact. In 1913, the University hired its first dean of women, Irma Voigt. Three years later, Martha Jane Hunley Blackburn became OHIO’s first Black female graduate.

Margaret Boyd, OHIO’s first female graduate, with her fellow Class of 1873 graduates. Image Courtesy of the Mahn Center for Archives & Special Collections

Women enrolled at OHIO have repeatedly stood up for their beliefs, directly shaping the University. In 1972, students spoke out against the discriminatory curfews designated for women on campus, causing the practice to end.

The 1972 “Report on the status of women at Ohio University,” conducted by Beverly Jones, BSJ ’69, MBA ’75, led to increased Title IX funding for women’s athletics and the re-admittance of women to the marching band.

Alongside their monumental contributions, Bobcat women have also consistently surpassed their male counterparts in terms of enrollment since 1988-89.

The Margaret Boyd Scholars Program is another testament to Boyd’s legacy. Scholars are provided with

opportunities for mentorship, academic advancement, community engagement and networking. Alumni can donate to give their support to the program.

Women are still shaping and changing the landscape of OHIO. In 2019, OHIO hired its first female athletic director, Julie Cromer. The student, faculty and administrative senates are currently led by women.

“Being the first does not come easy, but strength lies in our opportunity for positive exponential impact,” says Dayna Shoulders, BBA ’23, OHIO’s current student senate president. “The success of young OHIO women reminds our community to reflect on the historic importance of celebrating diversity in positions of power and the innovation it brings.”

—Jordan Schmitt, BSJ ’22

Margaret Boyd Scholars celebrate at the Teton Science Schools in spring 2019. Photo by Jennifer Shutt Bowie, BSJ ’94, MS ’99

Class notes

* denotes accolades featured at ohio.edu/news or in the media

1956

Dorothy “Dot” Burns Hornsby, BSED ’56, was featured in the cover story of the July 2022 issue of Neighbors of Larkin Township magazine. The article celebrated Hornsby’s nearly three decades as a pilot; her role in founding and supporting the Midland Aviation Camp, a five-day camp for students in ninth through 12th grade; and her service to the community. She resides in Midland, Michigan.

1961

Robert “Bob” Kraft, BSME ’61*, was inducted into the Fluid Power Hall of Fame, honoring his commitment to education in the fluid power industry through his work with Kraft Fluid Systems, the International Fluid Power Society and the Kraft Family Associate Professorship Awards. He founded Kraft Fluid Systems in 1972.

1965

The Arizona Veterans Hall of Fame inducted James Cullison, BSJ ’65, for his work assisting homeless veterans, deployed service members and inner-city families with the St. Vincent de Paul Society. With five years in active duty and 22

years in the Air National Guard, Cullison has since retired as a lieutenant colonel. He resides in Scottsdale, Arizona, with his wife, Beth.

1966

Frank Sargeant, AB ’66, MA ’68, won the 2022 Robert Traver Fly-Fishing Writing Award for the best fiction of 2022, presented by the American Museum of Fly Fishing (AMFF) and the John D. Voelker Foundation for his work entitled A Dog Called Fish. Beyond receiving a monetary prize, Sargeant’s work will be published in the winter or spring 2023 edition of the American Fly Fisher. Sargeant and his wife reside in Guntersville, Alabama.

1970

Dr. John Canine, BSED ’70, has authored several books over the past 40 years on the subjects of life, dying, death and grief. In 2019, he released the second edition of The Psychosocial Aspects of Death and Dying. He is the president of Clarkston, Michigan-based Maximum Living Consultants, Inc., providing counseling services, bereavement aftercare and employee assistance programs.

BOBCAT SPOTLIGHT

Photographer Adger

Cowans, BFA ’58, had a chance to return to his alma mater to talk about his book, Adger, at an Authors @ Alden event in September 2022. Cowans, who was the second Black student to graduate from OHIO with a degree in photography, went on to work as a still

Cowans shares life experiences, perspective photographer in the motion picture industry, working with famed directors like Francis Ford Coppola, Sidney Lumet and Spike Lee.

“I think my life has always been influenced by visual culture," Cowans said. "I think I had a visual memory, and I could remember details. That was really good for me in terms of photography because for me, life is in the details.”

Cowans shared his experiences of his time on campus and his passion for art and photography during the visit, and encouraged people to learn the history of underrepresented groups of people to create a more informed culture.

1971

Dan DeLawder, BSED ’71, was presented the Central Ohio Chapter of the Association of Fundraising Professionals’ 2022 Outstanding Volunteer Fundraiser Award for investing his time, talent and treasure in community projects and inspiring others to do the same. He retired from Park National Corporation’s executive leadership team but continues to serve on

Park’s board of directors and chairs the executive and trust committees. He resides in Newark, Ohio, with his wife, Diane.

1979

The National Association for Business Economics (NABE) honored Robert Fry Jr., AB ’79 (HTC), with its 2022 NABE Outlook Award, presented annually to the NABE Outlook Survey panelist with the most accurate

Photo by Charlie Nick

forecast for the previous four quarters. After retiring in 2015 as senior economist at DuPont, Fry founded economic consulting and forecasting firm Robert Fry Economics LLC, serving as chief economist, publishing a monthly newsletter on the global economy and speaking on the economic outlook. He resides in Wilmington, Delaware.

1980

One Heart with Courage: Essays and Stories, written by Teri Krimm Rizvi, BSJ ’80, placed third in the anthology category of the Catholic Media Association’s 2022 annual book awards competition, was a finalist in the nonfiction inspirational category of the 2022 In-

Alumni authors

ternational Book Awards and was released as an audiobook in July. She is the founder and director of the Erma Bombeck Writers’ Workshop at the University of Dayton, where she serves as executive director of strategic communications.

1982

Dr. Mike Kukral, BS ’82, MA ’86, MSES ’87*, retired in September 2022 from Rose-Hulman Institute of Technology in Terre Haute, Indiana. Kukral was a geography professor for 30 years, including a few years in the 1990s at Ohio Wesleyan. In 2022, he took his students to Kenya to work on building a footbridge for school children. Kukral has moved to

Rockaway Beach, Oregon, where he continues to teach at Neah-Kah-Nie High School with a view of the Pacific out of his classroom.

1984

Edwina Blackwell Clark, BSJ ’84*, was named executive editor of The Columbus Dispatch. She became the first woman and first African American executive editor in the newspaper’s history.

1985

Dale Gehman, BSJ ’85, MBA ’86, won the men’s 60-64 age division at Scottish Masters Athletics International’s 2022 Masters World Championship and set two world records in the light weight and light hammer throws.

He has been competing in Scottish Heavy Athletics, a forerunner to today’s modern fields events, since 1991 and has placed in the top three five times previously. He resides in Williamsburg, Michigan.

Family and local and longtime friends, including OHIO alumni Claire Fetters, BBA ’85, Lisa Tennenbaum, BSC ’86, Anthony Ditka, BBA ’92, and Sarah “Sam” Ditka, AB ’93, have established the nonprofit “Laura’s Light” in honor of Laura Ditka, BSC ’85. Ditka, a prosecutor in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, who passed away in 2018, advocated for women and children and went to trial on 160 child abuse cases during her 30-year legal career.

OHIO alumni publish books across subjects and genres. Here are releases within the last year.

Molli and Me and the Family Tree, children’s book (FriesenPress), by Margi Kohn Kramer, BSED ’74 • Addiction Love Mom, memoir (ButterCon Publishing LLC), by Kathleen McKamey, BSN ’18 • Beyond the Voting Rights Act: The Untold Story of the Struggle to Reform America’s Voter Registration Laws, memoir/ politics (De Gruyter), by Gregory Moore, BSC ’83, MPA ’21 • The Secret American Bomber Girls, history (Independent), by Bill Muntean, BBA ’80 • Clare Boothe Luce: American Renaissance Woman, political biography (Routledge), by Philip Nash, PHD ’94 •

Worlds Enough: Poems for and about Children (and a few for grown-ups), children’s poetry (Redhawk Publications), by Scott Owens, AB ’84 • The Flying Grunt: The Story of Lieutenant General Richard E. Carey, United States Marine Corps (Ret), biography/ memoir (Casemate), by Alan E. Mesches, MS ’72 • Major General James A. Ulio: How the Adjutant General of the U.S. Army Enabled Allied Victory, biography/memoir (Casemate), by Alan E. Mesches, MS ’72 • The Grit, the Grumble, and the Grandeur: A Guide to Travel, Food, and Culture, travel (Blurb), by Scott Pfeiffer, BSC ’93, and Karolyn Steele-Pfeiffer • The (Un)welcome Stranger, American literature (McFarland), by Jeff Morgan, AB ’82 Send

The organization, in her honor, will support victims of child abuse, sexual assault and domestic violence through grants, programs and scholarships.

1988

Bruce Skala, BGS ’88, was promoted to chief marketing officer of HOA Brands, the franchisor and operator of more than 400 Hooters restaurants. He was presented the 2021 VIBE Innovator Award, honored as the year’s adult beverage industry innovator and recognized for his creativity and organizational skills in developing programs to fill consumers’ needs during the COVID-19 pandemic. He has been with HOA Brands for nine years and resides in the Atlanta area.

1989

Heidi Barcus, MA ’89, joined the statewide Health Care Practice Group at Lewis Thomason’s Knoxville, Tennessee office. She is certified as a specialist in medical professional liability by the American Board of Professional Liability Attorneys and practices in federal, state and appellate courts in Kentucky and Tennessee. Queer Eye, created and executive produced by David Collins, BSC ’89* , made history at the 2022 Emmy Awards, setting a new record for the most consecutive wins in the Outstanding Structured Reality Program category. It has swept the category every year since it first aired on Netflix in 2018.

Collins is the co-founder and executive producer of Los Angeles-based Scout Productions, a film and television production company.

Maureen McKenna Herman, BSC ’89, was named youth services librarian at the Free Public Library of Hasbrouck Heights in New Jersey. She earned a master’s degree of library and information science from San José State University in December 2021.

1990

Ed Stoner, MSA ’90, was named executive senior associate athletics director for external operations at Temple University in Philadelphia. He oversees athletics development, strategic

communications, digital strategy and branding for Temple Athletics.

A trial attorney with more than 20 years of experience, Paul Zeineddin, BSEE ’90, MSEE ’93, joined Blank Rome LLP as a partner and co-chair of the intellectual property litigation practice group in the Washington, D.C. office.

1994

Anthony Petruzzi, AB ’94, was selected by his peers for inclusion in the 2023 edition of The Best Lawyers in America in the category of criminal defense/white collar. He is a partner at Tucker Ellis LLP, practicing out of the law firm’s Cleveland office.

“We created the Richard Couch Summer Internship in Chemistry, because it was important to be able to give undergraduate students the opportunity to do research outside the normal classroom environment. Our Charitable Remainder Trust will help fund it.”

– RICK COUCH, BS ’ 84 CHARITABLE REMAINDER TRUST DONOR

BOBCAT SIGHTINGS

OHIO alumni go on adventures hither and yon!

Tom Rickard, BSJ ’84, and Pam Virant Rickard, BSJ ’84, represent the Bobcats on the shores of Galway, Ireland, on October 27, 2022. They traveled to Ireland to compete in the Dublin Marathon. Pam holds the fall 2022 issue of Ohio Today magazine in her hand.

Eleven Class of 1963 graduates and Chi Omega members from nine states gathered in the Hocking Hills recently. Pictured are, from left, Nan Young Tussing, BFA, Phyllis McCoard Tyson, BA, Patty Huss Cordova, BS, Susan Davis Gooch, BA, Signe Stevenson Sheldon, BA, Bev Bidgood Zammataro, BSE, Ann Sweeney Kopelson, BSHEC, Jo Schillo Ungerleider, BSJ, Karen Jackson, BSE, Judi Niehaus Fenson, BA, and Jan Surbeck Slater, BSE They have stayed connected through letters and reunions.

From left, Johnny Webb, BSJ ’80, Marilyn TurnerEvans, BSED ’83, and Anthony Webb, BSC ’76, show off their Bobcat pride while celebrating with graduates from the 1970s in June in Cleveland. The next gathering is slated for June 2023.

Liz Conway, BFA ’14, and Tom Curran, BS ’14, got married at the Cliffs of Moher in Ireland. They met on campus 10 years ago and traveled Europe after graduation.

Three Bobcats visited St. Croix in the U.S. Virgin Islands in June 2022 and took time to show their Bobcat pride! From left, Kyra Young, BSJ ’22, Kevin Pinson, BSJ ’92, and his son, Alexander Pinson, BSME ’22, display the OHIO flag.

Friends and fraternity brothers Niles Gebele, BSFSM ’95, left, and Raj B. Shroff, BSS ’98, display the Bobcat flag at the pinnacle of Mount Kilimanjaro in Tanzania.

Karen Ulmer Kratzer, BS ’91, got a photo with Ohio University Men’s Basketball Coach Jeff Boals, himself a 1995 graduate.

FUTURE BOBCATS

A future bandmate, perhaps? Hudson Wollman was born in December 2021 to Marching 110 alumni Jayson Wollmann, BA ’17, and Natalie Pinkelman Wollmann, BAE ’17

Future Bobcat Cohen

Mehl is the son of Layne Mehl, BSME ’14, and Lauren Holler Mehl, BSE ’15, and grandson of John Holler, BAH ’69, and Linda Bronchik Mehl, BSN ’00

Piper Ballard is ready to cheer on the Bobcats! Ballard is the granddaughter of 1969 graduate Bob Kaithern, BBA ’69

Joshua Blanton, BS ’04, MSCS ’08, and Christine Metti Blanton, BA, BSED ’05, welcomed their third future Bobcat, Claire, in August 2022. She and brothers David and Adrian are ready to visit Athens!

JO I N T H E

C areer guidance and net working oppor tunities

Up -to- date event s in your area

Job listings by & for OH IO alumni

Access to professional development recordings and resources

bobcatnetwork.ohio.edu

1996

Dr. Roy Gifford, MSA ’96, was selected to be vice president and chief marketing and communications officer at Cleveland State University, serving as a member of the university’s senior leadership team, overseeing communications, branding and public relations functions. He was previously associate vice president and chief marketing officer at Northern Kentucky University. He and his wife, Rog, have two children.

2005

David Banas, BA ’05, joined Cleveland-based McCarthy Lebit Crystal Liffman Co., LPA in June. He serves as a principal of the law firm, head of its new Elder and Special Needs Law group and a member of its Trusts and Estates practice. Banas assists his clients with the Medicaid process, trusts and estates, and general estate planning.

2006

Matthew Danford, BSJ ’06*, was named managing editor of Big Picture magazine, and its sister publication, Screen Printing magazine, in January 2023. He has 16 years’ experience covering industrial technology for leading manufacturing trade publications.

Justin Fister, BBA ’06, has been named to the 2022 Forbes/SHOOK Top Next-Gen Wealth Advisors Best-In-State list. A certified financial planner, Fister is a private wealth advisor for Merrill Lynch and head of market strategy for the HLA Group. He resides in Western Springs, Illinois, with his wife and two sons.

Christopher Vickers, BS ’06, received a 2022 20 Under 40 Leadership Recognition Award for his work bringing the St. Jude Dream Home Giveaway to Toledo, which raised $2 million in 2022. His meteorology work has also produced many awards such as Best Weather Cast in 2019, presented by the Associated Press of Ohio, and he has served as the chief meteorologist at WTOL 11 since 2021. He resides in Perrysburg, Ohio.

2007

Jonathan Peters, BSJ ’07*, was appointed in December to the newly created Panel of Experts on Freedom of Assembly and Association. Under the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe’s Office for Democratic Institutions and Human Rights, this 16-member panel started its four-year term on Jan. 1. The panel members bring

BOBCAT SPOTLIGHT

Honored for dedication to public service a project that aims to create the first ever Air Forcesponsored, university-affiliated research center. The work includes identifying historically Black colleges and universities that have an R2 Carnegie research classification and supporting them in earning an R1 designation. In turn, the colleges will conduct research for the U.S. Air Force.

Seana McNeal, BSEE ’06, was awarded the Professional Achievement in Government Award at the Women of Color STEM conference in October 2022. A deputy program manager in the Air Force Research Laboratory in her hometown of Dayton, McNeal is overseeing

“Other people—especially people you might have something in common with—need to see what they can strive for,” McNeal says. She credits the Russ College of Engineering for giving her both the technical background and her willingness to gain new understanding, both keys to her success. Read more about McNeal at ohio. edu/mcneal-award.

a breadth of experience and knowledge on the fundamental rights to freedom of peaceful assembly. He serves as chair of the University of Georgia Department of Journalism and is a media law professor at the UGA Grady College of Journalism and Mass Communication and the UGA School of Law.

2010

Andrew Logan, BSC ’10, spoke at the 2022 DEF CON hacking and security conference about

the Twitter handle he launched in 2020, @HelicoptersofDC, that crowdsources helicopter identification over Washington, D.C., and has garnered more than 16,000 followers.

2012

Martin Maliwesky, PHD ’12, was named senior vice president of academic affairs and chief academic officer at Columbus State Community College. He has been with the college since 2003.

Courtesy of Seana McNeal

Mike Stethem, BBA ’12, married Cori Kaylor on Sept. 3 at Arlington Hall in Dallas, Texas.

Alex Stuckey, BSJ ’12*, won a Livingston Award for Young Journalists for her work on stories examining Texas’ mental health care system for the Houston Chronicle.

2014

The Private Academic Library Network of Indiana presented Arbin Thapaliya, MS ’14, PHD ’16, a 2021-22 PALSave Open Educator Award for innovation and support of higher education, textbook affordability and student success. He is an associate professor of physics at Franklin College and resides in Greenwood, Indiana.

2016

Power Play, the photographic work of Sean Yuan, BA ’16, MA ’20, was on display at the VisCom Gallery in Ohio University’s Schoonover Center for Communication last fall. A photographer whose practice ranges from still to motion, he operates a photo studio in Brooklyn, New York.

2019

Natalie Condrac, BFA ’19, was featured in a July article on Westmoreland County’s TribLive.com

for her recent contributions to the Pittsburgh art scene. Her miniature art was on display last summer in a terminal at the Pittsburgh International Airport. Her “Door on Demure Alley” piece, based on photos taken in Nelsonville, Ohio, was selected for juried exhibition at the 2022 Three Rivers Art Festival, and she created a piece for a Colorful Collision event at the Carnegie Science Center. She is the exhibition coordinator at You Are Here in Jeannette, Pennsylvania.

Lucas Stemen, AAS ’19, BCJ ’21, is the school attendance and engagement case manager at the Fairfield County (Ohio) Juvenile and Probate Court.

2021

Brian Wolfe, AAS ’21, accepted a position at the Fairfield County (Ohio) Hall of Justice as the coordinator to the magistrate/court administrator, helping with fiscal duties and serving as bailiff and a substitute probation officer while pursuing his bachelor’s degree in criminal justice at OHIO’s Lancaster Campus.

Sir’Quora Carroll, BBA ’21*, was crowned as the 2022 Miss Ohio USA and was the third runner-up at the national competition.

BOBCAT SPOTLIGHT

Supporting social justice internships created the CLJC Social Justice Internship Support Fund. Recht is currently a transactional partner for mergers, acquisitions and private equity at Orrick. She noted that the CLJC Social Justice Internship Support Fund underscores her passions for social justice and diversity, equity and inclusion while providing opportunities to students interested in social justice who are eager to intern with a local social justice organization with a legal focus.

Leah Recht 's, BAS ’06, law career took a turn toward corporate law, but she's furthering her passions for social justice, diversity, equity and inclusion through her involvement with the Center for Law, Justice and Culture (CLJC) at Ohio University, where she recently

The internship's first recipient, Jocelin Arbenz, recently completed the first CLJC Social Justice Internship with the Ohio Innocence Project.

"I’m so excited that the fund has been a great experience so far for both the interns and the organizations, and I can’t wait to watch the program expand," Recht said. Read more about Recht at ohio.edu/social-justice-internship

2022

Drake Purdum, BSEE ’22, took on a full-time position with NASA Space Communications and Navigation (SCaN) as an engineer at the Glenn Research Center in Cleveland. Continuing his work from when he was an intern for the organization, Purdum will test space communications for the surface of the moon.

Abby Jeffers, BSJ ’22*, earned the German Chancellor Fellowship for the Alexander von Humboldt Foundation in Berlin, Germany. The international scholarship allowed Jeffers to study the intersection of LGBTQ+ identity, science and activism at the Free University and the Gay Museum in Berlin.

Courtesy of Leah Recht

In memoriam

Remembering fellow alumni

1940s

Dorothy (Nething) Griffith, BSED ’43

Shirley M. (Kuhn) Stephan, BSED ’45

Jean (Runyan) McGregor, BS ’47

Winifred S. (Smith) Steele, BSED ’47

Effie (Condopoulos) Chapman, AB ’49

Michael G. Ferrato, BSED ’49

Robert C. Hartung, BSED ’49

Lillian (Simpson) Leggett, BSED ’49

Merritt L. Rapp, BSED ’49

Alvin D. Reece, BSCOM ’49

Alice (Romak) Stanton, BSED ’49

1950s

John N. Bode, BSED ’50

Paul W. DeVore, BSED ’50

Guy R. Francy, BS ’50

Janice A. (Barker) Gault, BS ’50, MS ’70, EMERT ’96

IN MEMORIAM

Eleanor J. (Hays) Georgen, BS ’50

Thomas H. Spencer, BSEE ’50

Edward M. Penson, MA ’51

Frank Sandelowsky, BSME ’51

Sally M. (Von Guten) Davies, BSS ’52

Lila (Stevens) Faulks, AB ’52

Dorothy J. Johnson, BS ’52

Marilyn (Glass) Lusa, BSED ’52

Ann M. (Smith) Sifers, BFA ’52

Julian F. Wagner, BSCOM ’52

Arthur R. Zeitelhack, BSIE ’52

Jaclin B. (Brackett) Farrell, BSHEC ’53

Germaine R. Hahnel, AB ’53

Frances C. (Faine) Newman, BFA ’53, MA ’68

Ralph Scarcelli, BFA ’53, MFA ’56 J. Douglas Veach, AB ’53

Mary L. (Junk) Webber, BSED ’53

Earl P. Dupre, BSCOM ’54

Janet C. (Corn) Gillilan, AB ’54

Helga M. (Rothschild) Gleisser, AB ’54

Ardent OHIO supporter Violet Lenore Patton passes

Dedicated Ohio University supporter Dr. Violet Lenore Patton, BSED ’38, passed away peacefully at her home in La Jolla, Calif., on Dec. 8, 2022. She was 106.

Patton was an artist, educator and philanthropist who dedicated her life to education.

Patton earned a bachelor’s of education from

Ohio University in 1938 and a master’s degree from Columbia University, and worked as a teacher. She also earned an honorary doctorate in education from Ohio University in 2011. Patton maintained a devotedness to education, the arts and to OHIO throughout her career.

Since 2010, Patton has announced gifts totaling $63.3 million to the University, including $28 million to the College of Education, the secondlargest gift to a college of education in U.S. history. Both the college and its home bear the name of Patton’s parents, Gladys W. and David H. Patton, and some of the funding is going toward the Violet L. Patton Center for the Arts. To read more about Violet Patton’s legacy, go to ohio.edu/violet-patton

Marilyn (Isch) Lindstaedt, BSHEC ’54

Alan R. McMullen, BS ’54

John J. Turk, BSED ’54

Roy E. Ervin, BSED ’55

Renee M. (Welsman) Kahn, BSED ’55

Mary L. (Evans) Lawrence, BSJ ’55

Margaret (McFarland) Preble, BA ’55

Sylvester C. Angel, BFA ’56

Charles Burley, BSCOM ’56, MBA ’57

Donna M. Daniel, BSED ’56

Dolores (Steinbrenner) Hawley, AB ’56

Lawrence R. Kozak, BSED ’56

Marilyn J. (Steck) McGee, BSHEC ’56

Thomas F. Neeson, BSCOM ’56

Barton R. Derby, BFA ’57

David M. Koethe, BSCOM ’57

John G. Lancione, BSCOM ’57

Ted R. Newsome, BSCE ’57

Robert E. Robinson, BSME ’57

Daniel J. Roth, BSCOM ’57

Harry Theohar, BFA ’57

Ronald J. Friday, BFA ’58

Paul D. Lehman, AB ’58

Arnold L. Remer, BFA ’58

Dale W. Walker, BS ’58

Carol M. (Cuthbert) Zedlitz, BSED ’58

J. William Click, MS ’59

Nancy L. (Walker) Hargraves, BFA ’59

Priscilla N. (Newton) Higgins, BS ’59

Jeanne C. (Wendt) Pease, AB ’59

Patricia F. (Cain) Pierce, BSED ’59

1960s

Jill (Gray) Dyer, BSED ’60

Wayne E. Hoffman, BSEE ’60

James C. Mitchell, BSAGR ’60

Virgil E. Grandy, BSED ’61

Betty C. (Graves) Mullenix, BFA ’61

Carl J. Opatrny, BSME ’61

Ladonna J. (Wolfe) Vaughn, BSED ’61

David C. Wickersham, BSED ’61

Willard K. Cale, BSED ’62

Bill Hendren, BSCOM ’62

Barbara A. (Myers) McMinds, BSED ’62

Thomas A. Norman, BSEE ’62, MBA ’81

Michael H. Schuler, BSED ’62

Lester F. Schultz, BFA ’62

James C. Shields, MS ’62

Jean C. (Newell) Snodgrass, BSHEC ’62

John R. Spofforth, BFA ’62, MFA ’68

Janice (Albright) Studly, BSED ’62

Thomas R. Swartz, MA ’62

Terry E. Barthelmas, BSED ’63, MED ’71

George A. Bauer, AA ’63

Robert C. Freeman, BBA ’63

Nancy L. (Stevenson) Johnston, MS ’63

Thomas A. Lynch, BSED ’63

Richard L. Martin, BSED ’63

Charles R. Miner, BSIT ’63

Robert H. Pry, BBA ’63

Jack L. Darrah, BBA ’64

Beryl W. Eylar, BSCE ’64,

Marc H. Glasgow, BSME ’64

Troy E. Hayward, BBA ’64

John F. Holden, BA ’64

Janet G. McCombs, BFA ’64

Carol H. (Heifner) Pfeifer, BSHEC ’64

Charleen (Minelli) Crane, BSED ’65

Pamela P. (Fischer) Johnson, BSHEC ’65

William J. Koch, BA ’65

Charles A. Lowman, BSED ’65

Barry L. Richardson, BA ’65

John S. Brinkerhoff, BSJ ’66

James D. Kupiecki, BBA ’66

Robert S. McClellan, BBA ’66

Robert D. Moffet, BBA ’66

Susan J. (Cindric) Palisin, BFA ’66

Daniel E. Conkel, BSME ’67

James V. Dawson, BSIT ’67

Kathleen A. (Penrod) Levison, AB ’67

Phyllis V. (Martin) Slee, BSHEC ’67

Susan J. (Dewey) Stearns, BSED ’67

Nancy L. (Starkey) Stinson, BSED ’67

William D. Wooddell, BSED ’67

Pamela (Miles) Woodruff, BFA ’67

Richard E. Cone, BFA ’68

E. William Fay, BFA ’68

Janet J. (Hutchison) Keenan, BSED ’68

Joyce (Webb) Kingery, BSED ’68

Christopher C. Newell, BFA ’68

Lester H. Schultz, BSED ’68

Ronald L. Stepanik, BSED ’68

Dora M. (Snyder) Sutton, MA ’68

John W. Zesiger, BSED ’68, MED ’72, CERT ’86

Gerald R. Burr, BS ’69

Donald R. Day, BS ’69

Mildred A. Disko, MS ’69, PHD ’73

Adrienne (Hogue) Jenkins, BSED ’69, MED ’76

Susan L. (Harlacher) Jeter, BSED ’69

Norman D. Owens, MS ’69

Walter J. Waligura, BSCHE ’69

Christine G. (Fuller) Weyer, AB ’69

1970s

Henry J. Collart, BFA ’70

James R. Gilmore, BSED ’70, MED ’71, EMERT ’08

Richard A. Hensley, BSJ ’70

Phillip A. Kenzora, BSISE ’70, MSISE ’72

John E. Koci, BSED ’70

Michael A. Ramey, BSED ’70

Ashok K. Tannan, MS ’70

Tracy (Hegamaster) Bieser, BSJ ’71

James W. Day, BSED ’71

Sharon (Waltz) Garvey, MS ’71

William G. Pendry, AA ’71, BSJ ’72

Anna M. Saunders, MED ’71

Gerald L. Sisser, BSJ ’71

Robert D. Stambaugh, BSC ’71

J.D. Amos, BGS ’72

Linda Dianne (Mullen) Brown, BSED ’72

Elizabeth L. (Doty) Ciolek, BS ’72

Alan S. Coleman, BFA ’72

Mary A. McHale, AB ’72

Patricia L. (Howard) Olbers, BSED ’72, MED ’82

Gayle K. Patrick, BSED ’72

Anthony C. Biggs, BS ’73

Kathryn L. Chirpas, BSED ’73, MED ’78

John R. Cooper, BSEE ’73

Molly A. Hyland, BSED ’73

Nelson E. Kohman, BSCE ’73

Sandra (Aiken) Loyer, AB ’73

Kevin G. Plagman, BSJ ’73

Shannon K. Kelley, MFA ’74

Michael P. Nowakowski, BSC ’74

Stephen J. Vekich, MBA ’74

Sonja L. Jasovsky, BSED ’75

Jeffrey M. Karla, BSJ ’75

Mark W. Muir, BGS ’75

William D. Sibert, BSC ’75

John W. Windhauser, PHD ’75

Victoria L. Ganger, BSJ ’76

John G. Pierce, MED ’76

James Richard Addington, BGS ’78, MED ’05, PHD ’11

Thomas F. Poe, BGS ’78, MLS ’87

1980s

Jeffrey R. Bierlein, AB ’80

David L. Hamill, BSED ’80

Ahmad S. Maarif, MA ’80

Carol J. Campbell, MA ’81

Kevin Ken Davis, BBA ’81

Patricia J. (Lander) Kronk, BFA ’81

Teresa A. (Doyle) Morilak, BSJ ’81

Beverly A. (Reed) Carroll, BSED ’82

Amy M. Fassberg-Kurz, BFA ’82

Taso William Konstantacos, AB ’82, MA ’83

Margaret (Norman) Tipple, BSN ’82

Craig S. Davis, BBA ’83

Lucille A. (Shalek) Kroutel, AB ’83

Stephen Kane, AAS ’84

Jane E. Maher, BSPE ’84

Steven B. Steward, BGS ’84

William Robert Thomas, BSJ ’84

Bruce E. Wilkinson, MBA ’84

Rodney D. Elliott, EMERT ’85

Jennifer G. (Long) Schiffgens, BS ’85

Ellen Kaye (Murphy) Fraley, BSED ’86

Richard E. Haskins, BSC ’86

Westmore C. Willcox, MSJ ’86

Nelrose L. Coffman, BSED ’87

Linda K. (Kershey) Freeman, AS ’87

Alice L. Gardner, BSN ’87

Jean (Brannon) Weisert, BBA ’87

Alan Wayne Adkins, BBA ’88

Brad D. Marquis, BSC ’88

Charles D’Augustine, EMERT ’89

Anne Elizabeth (Chila) Fornshell, BSC ’89, MA ’90

Michael J. Leymaster, PHD ’89

Mary Ann Montgomery, PHD ’89

Lynda Ann Vogt-Lorenzo, BSED ’89

1990s

Angela Ruth (Metz) Brooks, BSJ ’90

Joseph Robert Castelli, AB ’90

Cynthia Elise Evans, BSC ’90

Gerald S. Greenwood, MA ’90

Mark Francis Bradley, BBA ’91, MBA ’98

Marianne (Belch) Haffey, MAHSS ’91

Joann B. Fokes, EMERT ’93

Donald Lee Davidson, AS ’94, BA ’05

Claire O. (Oates) Ping, HON ’94

Regene Ann Radniecki, MS ’94

Richard H. Bald, EMERT ’95

Steven Thomas Koning, BSRS ’95

James F. Barnes, EMERT ’97

Andrea Lyn Bartlett, BS ’97

Elizabeth Tyre Dajnowicz, BSIH ’97

Frederick James Hummel, BBA ’97

2000s

Robert Astrom, BSS ’00, BSEE ’04

William Eric Roediger, BSC ’00

Marsha Marie Storts-Wike, BSED ’01

Eunice C. Adkins, BA ’04

Robert Andrew Cox, MED ’04

Adam Joseph Nagle, CERT ’04, MA ’07

Matthew Alan Lyons, BSC ’05

Joshua Adam Nesser, BBA ’06

2010s

Elijah Paul Williamson, BSVC ’12

James A. Turner, AAS ’13

Mark Anthony Spangler, BSS ’14

Grant Mason Rhue, BSA ’15

Merick Rain Madison Samblanet, MSRSS ’16

James Willie Stennies, BSS ’16 Christine Elizabeth Holmes, BSN ’19

2020s

Jaye Terrance Payne, BSN ’20 Andrew Kelly Rawls, MBA ’20

Faculty/staff

Max E. Ahle, Glouster, Ohio, former dining services equipment operator. Sept. 6.

Kate (Albe) Shaftel, Athens, Ohio, director of development, College of Fine Arts. June 13.

Thea R. Arocho, Albany, Ohio, associate director of research operations, Office of Research and Sponsored Programs. Aug. 15.

Dr. John W. Benson, Nashport, Ohio, associate professor emeritus of biology, Zanesville Campus. April 5.

Nancy J. Butcher, Pickerington, Ohio, Institute for Democracy in Education department secretary. June 12.

Anne Marie Chonko, Athens, Ohio, emerita office management assistant. July 14.

John W. Coen, Coolville, Ohio, CHIP assistant coordinator and mobile medical van driver. June 23.

Sharon (Hoppa) Killian, Dubuque, Iowa, secretarial associate, Department of Physical Therapy.

Aug. 25

Uva McHarg, Albany, Ohio, senior secretary in the Department of Mathematics. June 21.

Stanley D. McKinniss, Clayton, Ohio, bindery operator in the Ohio University Printing Services.

Oct. 22.

Rick Allen Riley, Glouster, Ohio, former electrician in Facilities Management. Sept. 14.

Boyd E. Sinclair, Athens, Ohio, former aircraft attendant in Ohio University Airport operations.

Aug. 25.

Jeanette A. Sullivan, Athens, Ohio, administrative assistant, School of Film. June 1.

Karen S. Thompson, Athens, Ohio, library associate, Alden Library.

June 26.

Janice Kay Walden, Coolville, Ohio, office management assistant, Office of the University Registrar. June 3.

Jeffrey M. Wooten, Albany, Ohio, boiler repair water treatment worker, Facilities Management & Safety. Sept. 28.

—Includes individuals who passed away between May 1, 2022, and Oct. 31, 2022. Information provided by the University’s Office of Advancement Services.

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Nico Karagosian

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Editor

Jim Sabin, BSJ ’95

The spring 2023 issue of Ohio Today is dedicated to Interim Publications Editor Jim Sabin, who passed away Friday, January 27, 2023, following a two-year battle with cancer. Thank you, Jim, both for your tireless work that helped make this edition a reality and for the spirit of collaboration and kindness that each of us will forever carry forward in your memory at OHIO.

Art Director

Sarah McDowell, BFA ’02

Contributors

Laura M. André

Advancement Services Operations Team

Donna Alberico

Dylan Benedict, BSVC ’22

Jennifer Shutt Bowie, BSJ ’94, MS ’99

Brailsford & Dunlavey/Ayers

Saint Gross

Eli Burris, BSJ ’16

Macklin Caruso

Jen Jones Donatelli, BSJ ’98

Rich-Joseph Facun, BSVC ’01

Rick Fatica, MFA ’08

Morinoka Gordon, BS ’23

Karsten Moran

Grace Miller, BSVC ’24, BA ’24

Chloe Musik, BA ’17, MPA ’19

Ohio University Mahn Center for Archives & Special Collections

Ohio University Press

Robin Oliver

Leslie Ostronic, BSVC ’23

Joel Prince, BS ’12, MA ’15

Mary Reed, BSJ ’90, MA ’93

Safa al Salmi, BS ’21, MS ’22

Jordan Schmitt, BSJ ’22

Pete Shooner

Ben Wirtz Siegel, BSCV ’02

Hunter Thiede, BSVC ’23

Joe Timmerman, BSVC ’23

Angela Woodward, BSJ ’98

LAST WORD? Go Bobcats!

When I got word from PRNews that I had been selected as one of their 2022 Top Women in the industry, my first call was to my friend and OHIO colleague, Carly Leatherwood, BSJ ’96, to invite her to the awards event in New York City. I told her they were giving each awardee 90 seconds at the podium for an acceptance speech, and that I planned to use that brief moment to congratulate a young alumna who I had heard also received an award.

In her brilliant Bobcat wisdom, Carly said I couldn’t do that without checking to see if any other recipients were OHIO graduates. As usual, Carly was right. Turns out, three Bobcat women would be receiving awards that night, each in different categories.

My speech went something like this: “None of us would be here tonight without some amazing people in our corner and plenty of inspiration in our work. My inspiration comes in the form of countless students who find their way to OHIO and who go on to become incredible leaders. In fact, tonight you will hand awards to three Ohio University alumnae. So, congratulations in advance to Suzanne, Jenelle and Morgan, and Go Bobcats!”

To my surprise, my OHIO rally cry was met with raucous applause. When I returned to my seat, a guest at the next table leaned my way and proudly declared— “I’m also a Bobcat!” I would say it’s a small world, but the truth is the Bobcat community has a seat at most tables around the globe.

A few awardees later, alumna Suzanne Rosnowski, BSJ ’01, was called to the stage. Rosnowski is the founder and CEO of Relevance International, a global PR and media agency with offices in New York, London and Los Angeles. She was overseas on the night of the award ceremony but had sent a colleague with her speech. She credited Ohio University for helping her get her career started and her stand-in finished the speech with a joyous “Go Bobcats!”

It had become the theme of the night. There, in an elaborate event venue near Times Square, Ohio University had taken over the room. The next awardee stepped to the stage with a smile and started her speech with: “I have nothing to do with Ohio University, but I just feel like I should start by saying, ‘Go Bobcats!’”

Later in the evening, awards went to Bobcat alumnae Jenelle Eli, BA ’05, MA ’06, who spearheads communications strategies related to international crises for the American Red Cross, and Morgan Borer, BSJ ’16, who was the first employee at start-up firm Bevel in New York and now mentors young women at the company. Borer talked about how her OHIO education helped her make early career connections. And of course, she finished on theme with a smile and a “Go Bobcats!”

It seems appropriate as we celebrate our accomplished alumni in Ohio Today to borrow our last word from this incredible evening in New York City. So … Go Bobcats! — Robin Oliver, vice president for Communications and Marketing at OHIO

Robin Oliver, OHIO vice president for University Communications and Marketing receives a 2022 PRNews award in New York City. Also honored that evening were several other OHIO alumnae.

Photo by Donna Alberico

After 60 years of stewardship, Ohio University reached an agreement to transfer the Dysart Woods property in Belmont County to Captina Conservancy, a nonprofit land trust based out of Belmont County, Ohio, that promotes, preserves and protects biodiversity, natural beauty and environmental health of regional land and watersheds. Dysart Woods is a 455-acre property known for being the largest known remnant of original forest vegetation in Southeastern Ohio, with 55 acres of old-growth forest and 400 acres of second-growth forest, old fields and pasture. It has been designated a U.S. Department of the Interior National Natural Landmark. Photo by Rich-Joseph Facun,

BSVC ’01

The only thing better than the Ohio University Bobcat football team winning the MAC East Championship? A proposal at midfield immediately after! Redshirt senior Bryce Ramer, BBA ’22, proposes to Alyssa Murawski,

the 50-yard

BSED ’20, on

line. Photo by Eli Burris, BSJ ’16