The University of Toledo

Although the United States and China may seem distant in many ways, one very important thing both countries share is the value of higher education.

Last month, representatives from 15 institutions gathered at the Dana Conference Center on The University of Toledo Health Science Camps for the U.S.-China Symposium on Higher Education Research.

The purpose of the two-day conference was to enhance student learning through collaborative research between both countries. More than 20 researchers submitted proposals to be discussed during each of the nine symposium sessions.

Each presentation focused on areas of higher education in both countries, such as student development, comparative studies, assessment of student learning, faculty collaborations in a global environment, student exchanges, and institutional partnerships.

“The conference provided great opportunities for researchers from both countries to showcase their scholarly work and explore future opportunities of collaboration,” said Dr. Ron Opp, UT associate professor of higher education, who was symposium co-chair. “This is the first step to begin a broader exchange between the United States and China in higher education research.”

In addition to The University of Toledo, other U.S. institutions represented at the symposium included the Ohio Board of Regents, Bowling Green State University, Wright State University, Terra Community College, Owens Community College and Monroe County Community College.

Represented institutions from China included Xiamen University, Tongji University, Xiamen City University, Ningbo Polytechnic, and the Beijing Vocational College of Finance and Commerce.

This event was sponsored by UT and Xiamen University.

Unfortunately, many people give up on the dream of going to college at a young age because they don’t think their family would ever be able to afford it.

Lawrence J. Burns talked about the new Scholarly Savings Account Program during a press conference in Memorial Field House.

The University of Toledo has developed an innovative new program that reinforces the concept that college can be a reality for students willing to work for it.

UT’s new Scholarly Savings Account Program will make annual deposits of $2,000 into individual student scholarship accounts beginning with the successful completion of the eighth grade and for completion of each successful year of high school. The first deposits will be made in June 2010.

Upon graduation from high school, a student may have accumulated a maximum of $10,000 through the Scholarly Savings Program that can be used toward tuition at UT. The scholarship funds will then be disbursed in annual increments of $2,500 for each of four years of attendance at the University.

UT’s requirements for students are that they graduate high school with a minimum 3.0 grade-point average and meet core curriculum criteria for regular admission to the University.

“I believe this provides a road map for students and families beginning at a young age to make higher education a reality,” said Lawrence J. Burns, vice president for external affairs and interim vice president for equity and diversity. “It’s a powerful message to be able to say, ‘Here is money on the table; if you work hard in school, it’s yours.’”

For students to be eligible, their school districts must sign a participation agreement with UT, including the development of its own requirements and an annual tracking process. The program is open to all school districts, including parochial schools.

Besides providing scholarship dollars, the Scholarly Savings Account Program aims to give school districts leverage to require students to do things such as take the necessary college prep courses, participate in activities and meet attendance requirements.

UT officials believe that this will result in improved high school graduation rates and better prepare students for the rigor of a UT education.

Ohio Gov. Ted Strickland announced Wednesday that The University of Toledo has been named a Center of Excellence in Advanced Renewable Energy and the Environment.

The center will tap UT’s academic and research strengths to address the need for new clean-energy technologies and a better understanding of complex environmental systems necessary for solving global challenges.

UT’s Center of Excellence in Advanced Renewable Energy and the Environment’s core areas of research and technology development will be focused around solar, biomass energy, wind, energy storage, conversion and management, and environmental and ecosystems. These efforts will support local industrial growth in companies that are expanding their products to become competitive in the global markets.

Strickland will visit and tour UT’s Clean and Alternative Energy Incubator Thursday, Oct. 29. He is expected to talk about the future of alternative energy in Ohio.

During the last decade, UT has invested heavily in faculty and research infrastructure in the area of alternative energy and recently created a School of Solar and Advanced Renewable Energy and dedicated the Scott Park Campus of Energy and Innovation.

The Centers of Excellence, as outlined in the state’s 10-year Strategic Plan for Higher Education, will position the University System of Ohio to be a magnet for talent and a leader in innovation and entrepreneurial activity by developing distinct missions for each institution that are recognized by students, faculty and business leaders, while eliminating unnecessary competition for resources, students and faculty in the state.

In all, the state named nine Centers of Excellence focused in different areas of advanced energy at eight universities throughout Ohio. The centers are expected to help the state meet the requirements of Senate Bill 221, an energy reform bill signed by the governor last year. The bill mandates that 25 percent of all Ohio’s electricity production come from advanced energy sources by 2025. The bill also aims to ensure predictability of affordable energy prices and attract new jobs to the state.

Herman

Susan N. Herman, president of the American Civil Liberties Union and Brooklyn Law School professor, will speak at the UT College of Law Thursday, Oct. 29, at noon in the Law Center Auditorium

The title of her free, public talk is “Civil Liberties in the Age of Obama.”

Herman is the Centennial Professor of Law at Brooklyn Law School, where she teaches courses on Constitutional Law and Criminal Procedure, Law and Literature, and Terrorism and Civil Liberties.

Her recent publications include two books, Terrorism, Government and Law: National Authority and Local Autonomy in the War on Terror (editor and co-author with Paul Finkelman) and The Right to a Speedy and Public Trial.

Herman was elected president of the American Civil Liberties Union in 2008, after having served on the ACLU National Board of Directors for 20 years, as a member of the Executive Committee for 16 years, and as general counsel for 10 years.

“Professor Herman will address the measures taken thus far by the Obama administration in areas such as ending military commissions and extraordinary rendition, closing Guantanamo Bay, and restoring habeas corpus,” said Daniel J. Steinbock, associate dean for academic affairs in the College of Law. “We look forward to her take on what the Obama administration has changed — and not changed — from the prior administration.”

The Cannon Lectures were established in 1980 in memory of former Toledo attorney Joseph A. Cannon through a generous gift from his family and friends. The lecture series is intended to provide an opportunity for the College of Law, the University and the greater Toledo community to host individuals of national prominence who, in discussing questions of law and society, will emphasize the humanistic dimensions as well as limitations of our legal system.

When classes start, O.A.R. heads back to campus.

O.A.R.

“Usually every fall and spring, we go out and [play] colleges, and that’s something that we really enjoy doing because that’s where we cut our teeth and that’s where we got our start,” said saxophonist Jerry DePizzo.

It was in Columbus, Ohio, where O.A.R. (Of A Revolution) started building its fan base and its reputation as a live band. Singer-guitarist Marc Roberge, guitarist Richard On, drummer Chris Culos and bass player Benj Gershman graduated from high school in Rockville, Md., and decided to go to Ohio State University, where DePizzo was taking classes.

“There was always a special spark about O.A.R.,” DePizzo said during a phone interview from his Columbus home. “I was O.A.R.’s biggest fan, then I got to be in the band.”

The sax man joined in 2000. Since then, the group that mixes rock and reggae has recorded five studio releases and three live discs.

With 2008’s “All Sides,” the quintet achieved mainstream success, thanks to the hits “Shattered (Turn the Car Around)” and “This Town.”

DePizzo talked about recording the disc with producer Mat Wallace, known for his work with Maroon 5 and The Replacements.

“Mat Wallace did a great job. He was a great fit for us. He brought a blue-collar work ethic to the table,” DePizzo said. “We just threw material at him, and he sifted through it to pick out the things that worked. That made the record better.

“We knew we were going to have some radio-friendly stuff, that’s where you have your ‘Shattered’ and your ‘One Day’ and ‘This Town,’” DePizzo continued. “We wanted to make stuff where people would debate which is the best song. We wanted to make album tracks that had no shot of being on the radio like ‘War Song’ or ‘Whatever Happened.’”

The band just finished mixing a live, four-disc set recorded over two nights in Chicago.

“It’s a great representation of where the band is right now,” DePizzo said of the forthcoming release. “It’s almost like a greatest hits album because it spans so much material. We’re really proud of it and really excited for people to hear it.”

O.A.R. will play at The University of Toledo Savage Arena Tuesday, Nov. 3, at 7 p.m. Elmwood will open the show. Tickets are $27.50 for the public and $17.50 for UT students with ID. All tickets will be $32.50 day of the show.

For more information, contact the UT Savage Arena Ticket Office at 419.530.4653.

Once William Schmitt becomes Dr. William Schmitt in June, he will probably leave this area to fulfill his goals of practicing reconstructive and plastic surgery.

William Schmitt listened to the heart of a patient in Nicaragua as Dr. Anna Rohrbacher reviewed information.

Even after he’s gone, however, a spirit cultivated during four years of Schmitt’s training will remain in The University of Toledo Medical Center. It will spark every time a UT volunteer checks the heart rate of a child, prepares a patient for surgery, and dispenses medication for dengue fever in Leon, Nicaragua.

Schmitt, who earns his medical degree in June and has applied for residencies outside of northwest Ohio, has been honored as UT’s monthly Jefferson Awards “Champion” recipient for creating a medical mission program.

“Not only is Will committed to serving people, but his passion to serve is inspirational,” said Denise Oancea, faculty member in the College of Nursing. “He’ll be leaving us this year, but the tradition he’s started with the mission program will carry on.”

Schmitt’s dedication to service began with a somber realization.

“I had been asked for three examples of altruism on my medical school applications and was completely stumped,” he recalled. “I hadn’t done anything altruistic.”

Shortly after, he was accepted into medical school. The same week, he bought a one-way plane ticket to Nicaragua. The five months he spent there would set the tone for a program that, today, assists thousands of Nicaraguan patients.

“Being in Nicaragua was the most incredible experience,” Schmitt said. “When I came back, I knew I wanted to go on more of these trips and get other medical students involved. It would be a great chance to help people and promote a learning experience for the clinical participants.”

During Schmitt’s first year of medical school, he hosted fundraisers, recruited volunteers, and secured donations of supplies and equipment. With $8,000, he and a team of about 20 volunteers treated more than 1,000 patients during eight days in Leon.

As he continued the demanding curriculum of a medical student, the mission expanded. With $13,000 annually secured through numerous fundraisers, Schmitt and his team have returned to Nicaragua for three years to treat more than 3,000 indigent natives — some of whom haven’t seen physicians in months or even years. Their maladies include tropical illnesses, parasite infections, nutritional deficiencies and other, more common conditions, including surgical procedures performed in Nicaraguan facilities far different from the state-of-the-art technologies at UTMC.

“We practice in a hospital that has no air conditioning or sophisticated imaging equipment, such as CT scans or MRIs,” Schmitt said. “IV tubing is hung on sticks, and sometimes the electricity just goes off and you don’t know when it’s coming back on.”

Despite the rustic conditions, membership on Schmitt’s teams has increased.

“We’ve all grown very attached to the Nicaraguan people, and we can see how much of a need they have for medical care,” he said. “They’re very gracious, welcoming and so grateful for any help we can give.”

Oancea marvels at Schmitt’s dedication to the cause. “He’s done whatever he has to for the mission to continue,” she said, “even being the DJ at one of our fundraisers. I can’t wait to see what he’s going to do as a physician. I have a feeling he’s one of those people we’re going to read about someday with all of the great things he’s going to do.”

UT Matters is a partnership with The Blade and Buckeye CableSystem to bring the community health science education and the latest news about how University of Toledo faculty, staff and students are changing Toledo and how the community can be a part of it.

Esther Fabian, director of health-care marketing at UT Medical Center, fought breast cancer and won.

This month’s UT Matters topic is increasing awareness about breast cancer and women’s health.

“In June, I found a lump. I do not have a family history of breast cancer, but I still got it,” said Esther Fabian, cancer survivor and director of health-care marketing at The University of Toledo Medical Center.

The American Cancer Society recommends women between the ages of 20 and 30 have a clinical breast exam at least every three years. When they reach age 40, women should have a clinical breast exam and mammogram every year.

“Every woman should seek a physician who listens to her concerns and is an advocate for her well-being,” said Dr. Donna Woodson, director of women’s health at UT Medical Center. “Her physician should be up-to-date in evidence-based medicine and testing interventions and should provide comprehensive care, not only for disease prevention, but for wellness promotion.”

There are many reasons patients get a higher degree of healing at UT Medical Center. “The availability of multiple specialists in one location offers a complete package for excellent, coordinated and gender-specific care for women of all ages,” Woodson said.

To learn more about comprehensive women’s health services at UT Medical Center, call 877.451.2299 or visit UTMatters.com.

In order to fill the Islamic obligation known as hajj, each year more than two million Muslim men and women from all over the world travel to the city of Mecca, the holiest meeting site of the Islamic religion, to demonstrate religious harmony and their submission to Allah.

Faced with a new life as a single mother, Asra Nomani, author and then Wall Street Journal correspondent, made the dangerous journey from America to the Middle East in efforts to investigate and rediscover her religion.

Inspired by her personal pilgrimage, Nomani returned to America to confront religious sexism and intolerance and to fight for the rights of modern Muslim women.

Nomani will discuss and sign her book, Standing Alone in Mecca: An American Woman’s Struggle for the Soul of Islam, Thursday, Oct. 29, from 7 to 9 p.m. in The University of Toledo Law Center Auditorium on Main Campus.

In her book, Nomani explains that many religious freedoms enjoyed centuries ago have been replaced today by the conservative brand of Islam, which labels Muslim women as veiled and isolated from the world. Through personal narrative, Nomani compares the modern-day lives of Muslim women to the lives of those living centuries ago to show the changing face of women in Islam.

A graduate of West Virginia University and American University, Nomani serves as
a visiting journalism scholar at Georgetown University, where she leads the Pearl Project, a faculty-student investigation into the 2002 murder of her close friend and journalist, Daniel Pearl.

“As a child of West Virginia, I have looked to Toledo as a shining beacon in the American-Muslim community,” Nomani said. “For years, I have heard the stories of the courageous citizens of Toledo, who have been leaders and pioneers for an expression of Islam that is tolerant and just.”

A reception, including refreshments, will be held in the Law Center Auditorium from 5:30 to 6:30 p.m. preceding the lecture.

This free, public event is sponsored by the Catharine S. Eberly Center for Women, the UT Program in Religious Studies, and the departments of Philosophy and Women’s and Gender Studies, and is part of the President’s Lecture Series on Diversity.

“The Eberly Center is extremely pleased to be a part of the effort to bring Asra Nomani to UT,” said Charlene Gilbert, director of the Eberly Center for Women. “She is a strong voice encouraging an important dialogue about the role of women in the Islamic faith. History has shown that one of the first steps on the road to change in any community is dialogue.”

For more information, contact the Catharine S. Eberly Center for Women at 419.530.8570.

Tune in “Environmentally Sound” Tuesday, Oct. 27, at 7 p.m. on WJR AM 760.

Environmentally Sound – October Web Promo

On the October edition, host Lawrence J. Burns, UT vice president for external affairs and interim vice president for equity and diversity, talks with leaders from various segments of the business and scientific community about the ever-changing face of the sustainability movement.

In this episode:

• Rich Housh, chairman of Plug-Smart, discusses how intelligent energy solutions make for intelligent business models.

• Dr. Connie Schall, UT associate professor of chemical and environmental engineering, describes the latest in research that aims to convert unused parts of plants into the fuel for vehicles.

• Tony Damon, chief executive officer for SSOE Group, describes how sustainable measures are being taken to heart by a major engineering and architecture firm.

• Carrie Majeske, manager of sustainable business strategies at Ford Motor Co., shares ways that one of the big three automakers is looking to increase fuel efficiency and shrink carbon footprints.

The University and Detroit’s WJR Radio have teamed up to produce the monthly, hour-long program that focuses on sustainability, the environment and alternative energy.

Listen on the Web at www.utoledo.edu/environmentallysound.

Have you ever noticed how words seem to divorce their original intended meanings?

The “R-word,” or “retard,” is one of many words that has undergone this change, a change that raises questions of ignorance in society today.

The University of Toledo Disability Studies Program will show the film “Tropic Thunder,” along with a follow-up documentary response about the issues of the “R-word.” The screening will take place in Memorial Field House Room 1910 Tuesday, Oct. 27, from 12:45 to 4 p.m.

“Not everyone is aware of this problem,” said Dr. Jim Ferris, Ability Center of Greater Toledo Endowed Chair in Disability Studies, director of the UT Disability Studies Program and associate professor of communication. “As a university, we can’t make people stop its negative usage, but we can try to make people think more carefully. If we can lift a veil and shine some light on this issue, then maybe people will think twice before they speak.”

“Tropic Thunder” is a 2008 comedy directed and produced by Ben Stiller. Containing large amounts of cruel and sexual humor, the movie itself has since sparked national controversy, especially when it comes to the use of the “R-word.”

Upon watching the film, viewers will decide if they think the use of the “R-word” is intended as hate speech, which is defined as speech that attacks or disparages a person or group of people based on their social or ethnic group, or if it is intended to be humorous.

For more information about this free, public event, contact Ferris at 419.530.7245 or e-mail Jim.Ferris@utoledo.edu.