The University of Toledo

Fans can see a great women’s basketball game and boost their health during tomorrow’s University of Toledo-Bowling Green State University showdown at Savage Arena.

UT will offer free seasonal influenza and H1N1 vaccinations to ticketholders. The clinic will open at 1 p.m., one hour before tip-off, and continue until all participants have been vaccinated or supplies run out.

The clinic will be located on the east side of Savage Arena near the Douglas Road entrance.

There are no restrictions on those receiving H1N1 vaccinations. Seasonal flu shots, however, will be administered only to ticketholders 18 years of age and older.

Weekly vaccination clinics for UT students, faculty and staff have been scheduled throughout the next few months at the Main Campus Medical Center. Each will take place from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. on:

• Monday, Feb. 1

• Tuesday, Feb. 9

• Wednesday, Feb. 17

• Thursday, Feb. 25

• Monday, March 1

• Tuesday, March 9

• Wednesday, March 17

• Thursday, March 25

• Monday, March 29

• Tuesday, April 6

• Wednesday, April 14

• Thursday, April 22

• Monday, April 26

Vaccinations are free of charge. The clinics are open to family members of UT students, faculty and staff who are 18 years of age and older.

Complete the registration forms located here and bring them to the clinic for H1N1 vaccination.

Representatives from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention have encouraged the public to get vaccinated to prevent influenza-related deaths, prevent severe illness and protect others from contracting the flu.

The University of Toledo will announce the winners of the 2010 Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Scholarship Award at a reception Friday, Feb. 19, from 6:30 to 8:30 p.m. in the Driscoll Alumni Center on Main Campus.

New Toledo Mayor Mike Bell will speak at the event.

Established in 1969, less than one year after King’s death, the scholarship has helped nearly 100 UT students pay for their education and, through their success, honor King’s legacy.

Greg Braylock, a 2006 MLK Scholarship recipient and current member of the event’s organizing committee, said the award provided him an opportunity to complete his degree when financial options were running out.

“I had a four-year scholarship, but after I changed majors, I needed to find a way to pay for the fifth,” Braylock said. With his federal loan eligibility tapped out and seeking to avoid a high-interest private loan, Braylock started applying for scholarships.

“I remember walking to UT in the snow the day of the deadline and working on the application in the Student Union. I finished it right before the deadline and said a prayer,” he said.

“I’m not sure how I would have financed my last year of college without it, and I’ve always been extremely thankful and grateful.”

This year, due to local economic challenges, the MLK Scholarship Committee has opted to host a reception and program instead of the traditional dinner it has held in past years in an effort to ensure a larger portion of the money raised goes toward increasing the scholarship endowment.

“We’ve reduced the price from $60 per person to $25 and scaled back some of the trappings of past years,” said Terrina White, assistant director of Rocket Solution Central and a member of the organizing committee. “As a result, we’re hoping to see more people attend from UT and the community, and be able to provide more scholarship dollars to future MLK winners.”

In addition to the funds raised by reception attendees, Paramount Advantage has contributed to the MLK Scholarship fund, according to Vern Snyder, vice president for institutional advancement.

“It’s a different time for this nation and this region,” Snyder said. “Organizations like Paramount see students trying to pay for college in tough times and they want to contribute to that. I’m excited by the positive response we’ve received with the format change, and I think Dr. King would very much approve as we work to increase opportunities for so many future leaders.”

In 1984, The University of Toledo College of Arts and Sciences initiated an exchange program with The University of Salford, England. Since then, more than 200 students from each institution have participated in the program, giving them a greater appreciation for the global community.

To celebrate the 25th anniversary of the UT-Salford Exchange Program, the College of Arts and Sciences and the Department of Biological Sciences will host an Alumni Symposium Saturday, Jan. 30, from 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. in Memorial Field House Room 2100 on Main Campus.

The symposium was created to welcome back program alumni, while giving them the opportunity to reflect on their time spent abroad with prospective exchange students.

The event will include eight UT-Salford Program alumni members who will talk about research in molecular immunology and genetics and molecular neuroscience.

Dr. Patricia Komuniecki, UT vice provost for graduate affairs, dean of the College of Graduate Studies, and director of the program for the past 20 years, will give opening remarks. The symposium also will include alumni reflections on the exchange experience and closing remarks by Dr. Brian Ashburner, UT associate professor of biology and current director of the program.

“I am delighted to be celebrating the 25th anniversary of the UT-Salford Exchange Program this Saturday,” Komuniecki said. “Since my first year on faculty, I have been involved with mentoring British students in the research lab and teaching them in the classroom; but it wasn’t until I had the chance to teach UT and Salford students in the marine biology field course in Wales for the first time 20 years ago that I truly appreciated what an amazing cultural immersion the UT students experience during their exchange year.

“This highly selective exchange program provides an unparalleled opportunity for UT students to live in another country and meet students from across the globe,” she explained. “The chance to spend a year focusing exclusively on science courses prepares our students well for their future goals of attending graduate and medical schools. In addition, the program has a 100 percent placement of the alums in professional schools.”

Breakfast and refreshments will be provided.

For more information on this free, public event, visit www.utoledo.edu/as/bio/salford/25th.html.

Activist and philanthropist Malaak Compton-Rock will be the keynote speaker at The University of Toledo Office of Excellence’s 26th annual Aspiring Minority Youth Conference Saturday, Jan. 30, from 8:30 a.m. to 1 p.m. in the Student Union Auditorium.

Malaak Compton-Rock and her husband, Chris Rock

This year’s conference theme is “Living a Life of Service: Giving Back to Your Community.”

Compton-Rock will speak about the importance of community service. After working as a fundraiser and events coordinator for UNICEF, she created her own nonprofit organization, StyleWORKS, which provides women with services designed to help them make the transition from welfare to the workplace.

That was just the start of her philanthropic work.

In 2008, Compton-Rock founded the Angelrock project, an online e-village (www.angelrockproject.com) that promotes volunteerism, social responsibility and sustainable change. In an effort to turn today’s children into tomorrow’s global leaders, she created Journey for Change, an initiative that has made CNN headlines, that takes at-risk youth from Brooklyn to South Africa and involves them in global service. She also created and manages the Champions for Children Committee, a group of well-known individuals committed to raising awareness about the signs and prevention of child abuse.

She lives in New Jersey with her husband, comedian Chris Rock, and two daughters. She holds a BFA in arts/production management from Howard University and sits on the board of directors of the Children’s Defense Fund and the Triple Negative Breast Cancer Foundation. Compton-Rock is a global ambassador for the Susan G. Komen for the Cure Global Promise Fund and a member of New York Women in Communications, the Cause Marketing Forum and the Association of Fundraising Professionals.

Compton-Rock lives by her favorite Marian Wright Edelman quote: “Service is the rent we pay for living.”

“The goal of the conference is to give students and parents a greater understanding of the critical and much needed role they can play in service to the community and encourage them to become engaged in that process,” said David Young, director of the Office of Excellence Programs. “We hope to encourage and inspire youth to volunteer their time, talent and treasure to social service organizations. We also want to create an awareness of social responsibility within our students, parents and our community.”

After the general session featuring Compton-Rock, there will be a breakout session for parents. The session will provide information to assist parents in helping students to avoid conflicts and dangerous situations at school and in the community How to interact with law enforcement officers appropriately and respectfully also will be covered.

Students will attend a concurrent session featuring area nonprofit leaders who will encourage and motivate the youths to value service and make giving back part of their day-to-day lives.

Toledo Excel was established in 1988 to help groups of students underrepresented in higher education, including African, Asian, Hispanic and Native Americans, for success in college. Through services such as summer institutes, academic retreat weekends, campus visits and guidance through the admission process, students increase their self-esteem, cultural awareness and civic involvement.

The Office of Excellence is a hub of academic programs, activities and services that reach students in the eighth grade through high school graduation and beyond. These programs include Toledo Excel, Upward Bound, Student Support Services and the annual conference for Aspiring Minority Youth.

The Office of Excellence is a division of the UT Learning Collaborative that works to support and enhance the academic journey.

Make a reservation for the free, public conference by calling 419.530.3820.

The UT Student-Athlete Advisory Council will collect donations for the victims of the Haiti earthquake at the women’s basketball game vs. Bowling Green Saturday, Jan. 30, in Savage Arena.

Game time is 2 p.m. Doors open at 12:30 p.m.

The donations of cash or checks will be distributed to the American Red Cross Haiti Relief Fund. Checks can be made out to the “American Red Cross.”

There will be two donation sites, one in the West Concourse and one by the Rocket Plaza entrance near the Grogan Room.

Donations will be taken from 12:30 p.m. through the end of the game.

The Asian Studies Institute is offering UT students the chance to study in China this summer and earn credits toward their degrees.

The language and culture program will take place at Yanshan University in Qinhuangdao, China, and run from July 12 through Aug. 6. The program, designed in cooperation with Yanshan, UT’s partner in China, will take students to places of importance in Chinese history and provide intensive Chinese language and culture instruction.

Students in the Asian Studies Program can earn six transferred credit hours for their UT major course requirements, while students in other majors can earn up to six transferred credit hours in Chinese language with prior approval from the chair of the Department of Foreign Languages.

The cost of the program is approximately $2,300 and includes round-trip airfare and travel to the Great Wall of China, the Palace Museum, the terracotta warriors, and the cities of Xi’an and Beijing.

To learn more about the program or to fill out an application, visit the Office of Study Abroad, located in Rocket Hall Room 1830 on Main Campus, call 419.530.8549, or go to www.utoledo.edu/utlc/studyabroad.

Enrollment at The University of Toledo increased for the eighth consecutive semester as 819 additional students enrolled for spring 2010 for a total of 21,594, a 3.9 percent jump from the official 15-day census report at this time last year, UT officials announced Tuesday.

UT’s full-time equivalency (FTE) — the figure used to determine state subsidy — also increased, reaching 18,583, up 5.7 percent from last spring. FTE is calculated by the total number of course credit hours taken by students divided by 15, and often conveys a more accurate representation of the way enrollment affects an institution’s finances.

“As more students look to The University of Toledo for their education, I think it shows our efforts to showcase UT and help make a college education affordable are working as planned,” said Lawrence J. Burns, vice president for external affairs and interim vice president for equity and diversity. “This is a strategic effort that is following closely UT’s strategic plan and its enrollment goals.”

Burns emphasized that UT’s financial aid packages are particularly important in a tough economy. That aid, plus the recruitment of strong students over the last few years, helped contribute to a 4.4 percent increase in continuing students. “It’s evidence that our retention efforts are also on the right track,” he said.

Kevin Kucera, associate vice president for enrollment services, said the enrollment growth UT experienced this semester and over the last four years is representative of an outstanding staff dedicated to students’ success.

“Not only continuing students, but the graduate school, new adult students and new transfer students all showed sizable increases,” Kucera said. “I’m just so proud of the Enrollment Services team for their hard work, and I want to thank everyone across the University for contributing to that success.”

President Lloyd Jacobs recognized the role that faculty, staff, alumni and other students play in that recruitment process and said the enrollment increase represented a win for the entire campus.

“Kevin, thank you to you and your team, but I also want to be sure that credit is shared with each and every person on this campus,” Jacobs said. “We all have the same goal, and I think our efforts are providing more students with more opportunities to change their lives through education. UT faculty’s commitment to their students and to excellent teaching is an essential part of this success.”

Burns also highlighted the University’s new “More” marketing campaign and continued efforts in Michigan, Cleveland and Columbus as helping contribute to the increase.

Due to expected heavy demand for the women’s basketball showdown vs. Bowling Green Saturday, Jan. 30, UT officials are suggesting fans either purchase tickets in advance or buy tickets at least one hour before game time.

The Rockets (15-4, 5-1 MAC) are in first place in the West Division of the Mid-American Conference, while the Falcons (16-4, 6-0) are in first place in the East Division.

Tip-off for Saturday’s game is set for 2 p.m. in Savage Arena.

The Athletic Ticket Office will open at noon Saturday, and the gates will open at 12:30 p.m. UT students with proper ID are admitted free.

Advance tickets can be purchased at the Athletic Ticket Office in the Sullivan Athletic Complex in Savage Arena. Ticket office hours are Monday through Friday from 8:30 a.m. to 5 p.m.

Advance tickets also may be purchased online at www.utrockets.com or by calling 419.530.GOLD (4653).

The University of Toledo’s Learning Enhancement Center is offering online tutoring in math and statistics beginning spring semester.

UT became a member of the eTutoring Ohio Consortium, sharing combined expertise and tutoring resources. eTutoring.org is an online tutoring platform that allows tutors to work with students synchronously and asynchronously, answering questions in real-time or replying to questions.

Students may request live tutoring where they can meet with tutors in one-on-one sessions via an interactive, virtual online environment. Students also may post offline questions where they can leave specific questions for an eTutor who will respond within 48 hours. eTutors and students share a live workspace in which they communicate through various tools, including chat, voice and video, whiteboard, file sharing and application sharing.

All the tutors are provided by the participating institutions. Tutors must meet rigid qualifications and are constantly evaluated to make sure they are providing the best possible assistance, according to Luanne Momenee, director of learning enhancement and testing services in UT’s Learning Enhancement Center.

Access to eTutoring.org is free for students whose institutions participate in the program.

Students can review an extensive resource library that is full of tips, techniques for improving skills, and links to information on many subject areas.

The Ohio Consortium plans to expand tutoring to additional subjects in fall semester.

UT students can access eTutors by logging on to the Ohio Consortium at eTutoring.org or by visiting www.utoledo.edu/utlc/lec.

The Learning Enhancement Center provides all UT students with accessible, professional academic support services that enhance success and retention, Momenee said. Services include drop-in tutoring, peer-led supplemental instruction and academic workshops.

The Learning Enhancement Center is a division of the UT Learning Collaborative that works to support and enhance the academic journey. The center is located in the Carlson Library Rathbun Cove Room 0200.

For more information, contact Momenee at 419.530.2203 or at luanne.momenee@utoledo.edu.

Teuber

Frances “Frankie” Teuber, a junior majoring in theatre, placed second in the Kennedy Center American College Theatre Festival Region II Set Design Competition.

The festival was held Jan. 12-16 in Indiana, Pa.

Teuber’s winning design was created for the November UT production of “Machinal.” Theatre Professor James Hill was her faculty adviser on the project.

While she did not win the Barbizon Award that would have allowed her entry to advance to the national competition, her work attracted a great deal of interest among judges and spectators alike.

Cornel Gabara, UT assistant professor of theatre, said that her entry received praise from important professionals at the event. “They were impressed. These are Broadway professionals and that is important.”

He said they commented on her creativity and gave Teuber suggestions for improving her model-building technique for competition. Gabara added, “No doubt the talent is there.”

Teuber, from Warren, Ohio, also designed the set for the UT production of “Coronado” for the 2008-09 season. Last summer, she was the set designer for two professional productions: “Junk Drawer” at the Boulder International Fringe Festival and “Ectospasms” at the New York Fringe Festival. After graduation, she plans to pursue a master’s degree in set design.

Several UT theatre students competed at the festival, including theatre student Katie Rediger and her partner, film student Pat Miller, who made the final round of the Irene Ryan Acting Competition. Out of 230 nominees and their respective partners, Rediger and Miller were among 14 that were chosen for the finals.

Glacity Theatre Collective member Dr. Ben Pryor, UT associate professor and chair of philosophy, said, “Having been to the Kennedy Center American College Theatre Festival, I well understand the intensity of this competition and the level of accomplishment it takes to succeed. Thus, it is truly remarkable — though not at all surprising — to hear that we’ve done so well. It’s a reflection of an unparalleled commitment to artistic excellence from all involved.”

The Kennedy Center American College Theatre Festival Region II comprises approximately 90 colleges from Ohio, southwest New York, Pennsylvania, New Jersey, Delaware, Maryland, northern Virginia, West Virginia and Washington, D.C.

Frankie Teuber created the design for the UT production of “Machinal,” which was presented in November.