The University of Toledo

PeopleAdmin, the online system for managing the hiring process of staff employees, will go live today in the following areas: Athletics, College of Arts and Sciences, College of Business Administration, Judith Herb College of Education, College of Engineering, College of Law, Facilities, Finance, Government Relations, Graduate Studies, Human Resources, Information Technology, Institutional Advancement, Legal, Student Affairs, Innovation Enterprises and the Learning Collaborative.

The activation process will not immediately be campus-wide. According to Bill Logie, vice president for human resources and campus safety, the system will be active in certain departments on Main Campus, where personnel have been trained to use it.

According to Meghan Rayfield, HR employment adviser, “A test group of about 25 employees has been using PeopleAdmin since early May. We’re expanding this group to departments that have been trained on the software as part of a controlled rollout to the entire campus by mid-August.”

Hiring procedures will remain the same on Health Science Campus as users receive training.

PeopleAdmin enables users to perform the following functions:

• Create job requisitions;

• Collect employment applications and materials;

• Update screen applications;

• Automatically update statuses; and

• Increase compliance with federal and state employment laws.

Joely Giammarco, business manager in the UT Learning Collaborative, was in the test group.

“It’s a more efficient tool than what we were using before,” she said. “One of the big advantages is that you can look up a job at any time and see where it is in the approval process. In the old system, you entered it and then lost track of it.”

She said she looks forward to PeopleAdmin’s future inclusion of faculty and, optimally, student positions.

“Having the student component will be a huge help,” she said. “That process is much more active; we sometimes hire every semester.”

Logie asks users to share their experiences so the system can be fine-tuned as necessary.

“We encourage users to send us feedback as they start using the software. One of the advantages of this system is that it can be modified to meet our specific needs.”

Ongoing training courses will continue throughout the summer for system users. Training sessions open to all University employees who want to learn how to find current job postings and how to apply/bid online with the new system will be scheduled during the next few weeks.

A two-season-old partnership between The University of Toledo and WGTE Public Media is earning accolades for television excellence.

The monthly student-hosted and reported science-and-technology-focused, magazine-style program, “Plugged-In,” earned an Emmy Award in the informational/instructional program series or special category June 19 from the Lower Great Lakes Chapter of the organization.

“Plugged-In” explores the latest innovations in technology and research in northwest Ohio and airs the third Wednesday of each month on WGTE. Each episode presents four stories, with UT students presenting all aspects of the program.

Darren LaShelle, executive producer, and Darin Hohman, segment producer, received the award.

“This program is a great vehicle to not only show off the talent of our UT students, but also share the expertise and innovation of our UT faculty with the region,” said Lawrence J. Burns, vice president for external affairs and interim vice president for equity and diversity. “This award is proof positive that we are on the right path in terms of how we demonstrate the relevance of The University of Toledo to the outside world.”

“This program is a perfect example of the great things that can happen through partnership and collaboration,” said Tobin J. Klinger, associate vice president for university communications and marketing operations, and UT lead on the project. “And that collaboration extends beyond University Communications and WGTE. It includes the faculty who take the time to participate in the segments, the colleges and departments that support it financially, and the students who bring it all together each month.”

Support for the program also comes from UT’s College of Engineering, Office of Research and Development, College of Business Administration, College of Health and Human Service, and the College of Nursing. LAUNCH, a technology-based business incubation program of the Regional Growth Partnership, also provided support for “Plugged-In.”

To view previous segments from the show, visit youtube.com/utoledo and click on the “Plugged-In” channel along the right side of the page.

Road repavement of sections of East and West Rocket Drive on Main Campus off Dorr Street will slow traffic to one lane beginning Thursday, July 1.

According to Doug Collins, director in facilities and construction, crews will grind out the asphalt Thursday and Friday, July 1 and 2, and repave the roadways Tuesday and Wednesday, July 6 and 7, weather permitting.

Construction will extend from just south of the railroad tracks near Carter Hall to the tracks by Rocket Hall.

While flaggers will maintain the single-lane of traffic during the construction, Collins asked that motorists drive with caution and avoid that section of campus if possible.

Employees from The University of Toledo Department of Pediatrics are teaming up with the Buckeye Community Health Plan and the YMCA to stem the growing epidemic of childhood and adult obesity.

Together, the three groups will offer Hustle for Health exercise and educational clinics the last Wednesday of each month during the summer to help youth along with adults burn some calories through dancing as well as learn how to live healthier.

Upcoming Hustle for Health events will take place from 5 to 6 p.m. June 30, July 28 and Aug. 25 in the Morse Center on the third floor of Dowling Hall on UT’s Health Science Campus.

According to Jodi Hojnacki, manager of utilization management at Buckeye, dance was chosen as a form of exercise because it is “adaptable to any age group and promotes a fun atmosphere that is upbeat — not the typical exercise that people tend to frown upon.”

The educational content will be distinct for the two different age groups, giving the clinics a comprehensive family focus. University officials will provide education about how to balance a nutritious diet with exercise. They are Dr. Joan Griffith, associate professor and interim chair of the Department of Pediatrics; Dr. Eliza McCartney, assistant professor of nursing and pediatric nurse practitioner; and Cheryl Weeks, pediatric clinic nurse manager.

“Partnering with Buckeye to advance their Hustle for Health initiative represents a ‘win-win’ for the community,” Griffith said. “Reducing the costs of obesity will require a joint, community-wide approach. What better team to do this than health-care providers, a nutritionist, a physical activity specialist and a community health plan leader?”

The Hustle for Health initiative is an extension of another program that focuses on fighting childhood obesity called the Lifestyle, Eating, Activities and Attitudes Program, or LEAP.

LEAP, a partnership between the UT Pediatrics Department and the YMCA, provides clinics designed for adolescents 21 and younger in need of behavioral change to achieve a healthy lifestyle. Participants receive physical screenings, nutrition counseling, individualized exercise routines and psychological evaluations to identify emotional influences eating habits.

The Hustle for Health events are scheduled the fourth Wednesday of each month in place of a weekly LEAP clinic. Once the summer ends, the children permanently can enroll in LEAP clinics.

To register for the LEAP clinics, children must either be enrolled in the UT Pediatric Practice or referred by their primary care providers. For more information, call 419.383.3771.

The University of Toledo is looking for a diverse group of contractors to participate in a more than $7 million renovation project to a campus building.

The University’s renovation of a wing of Bowman-Oddy Laboratories to create a Center for Biosphere Restoration Research is one of three projects approved by the state to test a new construction method aimed to be more flexible and efficient and increase minority participation in public construction.

UT is inviting contractors and minority-owned businesses to attend the Center for Biosphere Restoration Research Outreach Event from 5 to 7 p.m. Wednesday, June 30, in the Memorial Field House Auditorium to learn the project parameters and bid schedule.

UT President Lloyd Jacobs and Toledo Mayor Mike Bell will welcome participants and provide remarks about economic development in the region. And representatives from the Ohio Department of Administrative Services will provide information about the needed certifications and answer questions.

“This brings an important economic development opportunity to our community, especially to business owners from underrepresented backgrounds,” said Dr. Shanda Gore, UT assistant vice president for equity and diversity. “Our participation in this construction reform project will strengthen public construction in Ohio in a way that will increase the number of local and minority-owned firms that participate in shaping our university campuses and all other public facilities.”

What makes the Bowman-Oddy renovation project unique is it will use a construction delivery method of construction manager at risk, rather than the traditional “multi-prime” approach that awards numerous different contracts for the work. In this new approach, the construction manager would work with the individual trade contractors in way that is more flexible and saves time.

The rules regarding public construction contracts have essentially remained unchanged for the last 133 years, but Ohio Gov. Ted Strickland and Ohio Chancellor Eric Fingerhut have undertaken a reform project to see if there is a more efficient way. Public construction accounts for nearly $3 billion in state spending, with about $1 billion of that at Ohio’s institutions of higher education.

“Managing public construction projects more efficiently is an opportunity for Ohio to save taxpayers millions of dollars,” Strickland said. “These projects will help us find the best methods that can accelerate construction projects while spending less money.”

In addition to increasing efficiency and lowering costs, the reform is looking for ways to increase minority participation in state projects. The University has set a goal of 15 percent participation from minority-owned businesses for the Bowman-Oddy renovation project.

The construction project will include the renovation of a 21,291-square-foot space on three floors of Bowman-Oddy to create the Center for Biosphere Restoration Research that will house 13 faculty members from the UT Department of Environmental Sciences.

The center will be located in the south wing of Bowman-Oddy, which was constructed in 1966. Wolfe Hall, built in 1997, will house the required “domino moves” involving the relocation of four undergraduate science instruction labs and other support from Bowman-Oddy. Those labs will be located in areas of Wolfe Hall vacated by the College of Pharmacy, which is moving to new and renovated facilities on the UT Health Science Campus.

The project, which is to be complete by April 2012, will include new mechanical, plumbing and electrical systems, and, architecturally, it will involve wholesale reconfiguration of non-load-bearing partitions, new finishes, and new laboratory casework and office furniture.

Renovations at Ohio State University and Central State University also were selected as Construction Reform Demonstration Projects.

“These three pilot construction projects will utilize new methods of construction while we measure cost and time efficiencies, minority business participation, and project quality,” Fingerhut said. “Higher education is dedicated to finding new efficiencies, and we hope to find opportunities that allow us to save money while increasing our capacity to educate Ohio’s future work force and drive economic growth.”

Communication is central to several goals set by Dr. John Kane as he begins his term as the University’s 23rd chief of staff.

Kane, associate professor and service chief of physical medicine and rehabilitation in the Department of Orthopedic Surgery, assumes the position July 1 as the University braces for significant changes due to federal legislation, community partnerships and technological advances.

“My goals include five key components: facilitating effective communication, increasing knowledge of what we do as a health-care team, creating an atmosphere of mutual respect, striving for the highest quality of care for our patients, and making sure the medical staff is well-represented as medicine continues to evolve,” Kane said.

The first priority, he added, is to enhance teamwork for optimum patient care.

“We all need to work together to be the best team,” Kane said, noting that in his specialty, he has practiced team management since his residency days. “I’ve learned some principles I’d like to facilitate in the name of more collegial, positive communication.”

He references strategies of best-selling author John Nance, whose book, Why Hospitals Should Fly: The Ultimate Flight Plan to Patient Safety and Quality Care, outlines barriers to better practices.

Nance returns to UT this week for several follow-up programs with UT physicians, faculty, staff and students. Kathleen Bartholomew, registered nurse, noted author and Nance’s spouse, joins him. (Click here to read more.)

Kane believes feedback from the medical staff will be crucial as the hospital transitions into the era of health-care reform.

“We’re being told we’ll have to do more with less,” Kane said. “We have to cut expenses, but the patients’ needs still must come first.”

The medical staff leadership will be Vice Chief of Staff Dr. Kristopher Brickman, associate professor, chair and clinical service chief, Department of Emergency Medicine; Secretary/Treasurer Dr. Alan P. Marco, professor, chair and clinical service chief, Department of Anesthesiology; and Member-at-Large Dr. Munier M. Nazzal, professor and director of the Vascular Lab, Department of Surgery.

Leadership terms are two years in length.

A research and development facility for algae biofuels soon will be built on The University of Toledo Scott Park Campus of Energy and Innovation.

The pilot-scale facility is part of a research project recently awarded a nearly $3 million grant through the Ohio Third Frontier Wright Projects Program that links research capabilities of Ohio colleges, universities and nonprofit research institutions with the needs of industry in the state.

Ohio University and UT are leading the three-year Center for Algal Engineering Research and Commercialization project that has a dozen collaborators, including many Ohio businesses involved in the energy industry.

For UT’s part, the half-acre facility at Scott Park will be constructed to include open ponds, ponds in a greenhouse and enclosed photobioreactors to test efficiency of a variety of growth systems. The facility also will have pilot-scale “downstream processing” capabilities where the algae materials could be converted to fuel — a complete system, said Dr. Sridhar Viamajala, UT assistant professor of chemical and environmental engineering and a principal investigator of the project.

“What we would like is not only for University researchers to use the facility, but also to invite our business partners to come here and test their ideas,” Viamajala said. “We will look at what types of strains produce the best types of fuel, optimal ways to grow them, and the most economical approaches for conversion of feedstock into fuel.”

The oil from algae can be used to make fuel, just as soybean and vegetable oil can, but the difference is that algae are not a food source. Algae don’t need clean water or high-quality land to grow, and because they are simple, single-celled organisms, they grow much faster than more complicated plants, Viamajala said.

But creating fuel from algae is not yet done commercially. This research project will help advance the best practices of doing so and put Ohio on the map in this field.

Dr. David Bayless, Ohio University’s Loehr Professor of Mechanical Engineering, said UT’s role is instrumental in the research project because it will create a place for researchers and industry to test different aspects of algae. OU already has such a facility and will increase its analysis through this project, Bayless said.

“Ohio is in a race with the southwestern states when it comes to algae,” he said. “But Ohio has something they don’t — fresh water. You need a lot of water to grow algae, and at The University of Toledo the plan is to focus on Lake Erie algae that are adapted to local environmental conditions.”

UT College of Engineering Dean Dr. Nagi Naganathan said the ability to facilitate vibrant university-industry partnerships will accelerate the development and growth in the field of algal biofuels.

“Rather than having our University researchers do their own testing in the lab and the businesses doing their own development, we will combine our resources for the greater benefit,” Naganathan said. “This will allow real-world testing that isn’t being done now, and we can only imagine the quality and quantity of products that will materialize from this partnership. This is especially pleasing to see one of our young faculty members, Dr. Viamajala, actively engage and lead such an important technology transfer and economic development initiative.”

Naganathan also recognized the support from several individuals that made this possible: Chuck Lehnert, vice president for facilities and construction; Dr. Frank Calzonetti, vice president for research and development; and Tony Damon, CEO of SSOE Inc., and his staff.

“This has been truly a team effort,” Naganathan said.

The additional partners on the state algal biofuels project are: Algae Producers of America, Center for Innovative Food Technologies, Recombinant Innovation, Harrison County Engineer, Red Lion Bio-Energy, Midwest Biorenewables, Lubrizol, Independence Bio-Products, Tri-County Career Center, Parker Hannifin and Univenture.

The Ohio Third Frontier Wright Projects Program awarded a total of more than $20 million in funding to advance the state’s key technology sectors by supporting improvements to colleges, universities and research institutions, which in turn support the commercialization objectives of Ohio companies.

“Our colleges, universities and research institutions are developing Ohio’s next entrepreneurs, and the Ohio Third Frontier is connecting our students with the technologies of the future,” Ohio Gov. Ted Strickland said. “The Wright Projects Program is helping prepare Ohioans for the new kinds of jobs our economy is creating.”

Search committee memberships for three leadership positions at The University of Toledo have been announced.

In the coming year, searches will be conducted for provost, dean of the College of Law, and dean of the School of Solar and Advanced Renewable Energy. Bill Logie, interim chief transition officer and vice president for human resources and campus safety, will serve as an ex officio member on all three searches.

Provost search committee members are:

• Dr. Nagi Naganathan (chair), dean of the College of Engineering;

• Dr. Lawrence Fink, associate professor of management;

• Dr. Jeffrey P. Gold, chancellor and executive vice president for biosciences and health affairs and dean of the College of Medicine;

• Dr. Richard Komuniecki, Distinguished University Professor of Biological Sciences;

• Dr. Chris Lynn, associate professor and co-director of the General Internal Medicine Division;

• Dr. Susan Pocotte, associate professor of nursing;

• Dr. Mary Powers, associate professor of pharmacy practice and Faculty Senate president;

• Matt Rubin, Student Government president;

• Dr. Alice Skeens, associate professor of psychology and associate dean of the College of Arts and Sciences; and

• Kevin West, interim vice provost for faculty affairs, senior director for faculty labor relations and interim director of the Office of Institutional Diversity.

College of Law dean search committee members are:

• Dr. Thomas Gutteridge (chair), dean of the College of Business Administration;

• Pete Casey, attorney with Eastman & Smith, Toledo;

• Claudia Dansby, head of acquisitions in the UT LaValley Law Library;

• Breanne Democko, law student and student assistant in the UT Office of General Counsel;

• Susan Martyn, professor of law;

• Kelly Moore, assistant professor of law;

• Katherine O’Connell, legal writing professor;

• Dr. Kaye Patten Wallace, vice president for student affairs;

• Nicole Porter, professor of law;

• Vern Snyder, vice president for institutional advancement;

• Mike Todak, attorney with LaValley, LaValley, Todak & Schaefer, Sylvania; and

• Judge Norman Zemmelman of the Lucas County Domestic Relations.

School of Solar and Advanced Renewable Energy dean search committee members are:

• John Barrett (chair), associate professor of law;

• Aaron Baker, government relations specialist;

• Dr. Frank Calzonetti, vice president for research and economic development;

• Dr. Robert Collins, Nippon Electric Glass Endowed Chair and professor of physics;

• Dr. Al Compaan, professor of physics;

• Lila Dahal, graduate student in photovoltaics;

• Dr. Isabel Escobar, associate professor of chemical and environmental engineering;

• Dr. Nina McClelland, dean of the College of Arts and Sciences and interim dean of the School of Solar and Advanced Renewable Energy;

• Dr. Alan Pinkerton, professor and chair of chemistry; and

• Richard Stansley, board chair of UT Innovation Enterprises.

UT Basketball Coaches Tricia Cullop and Tod Kowalczyk will take part in pro-ams this week at the 2010 LPGA Jamie Farr Owens Corning Classic. The tournament will take place Thursday through Sunday, July 1-4, at Highland Meadows Golf Club in Sylvania.

Kowalczyk will participate in the Mercy/Lucas County Healthy Communities Foundation Pro-Am Monday, June 28, while Cullop and Kowalczyk will play in the Image Group Celebrity/Pro Challenge Tuesday, June 29.

Cullop has registered a 43-22 win-loss mark in her two seasons on the Lady Rocket sidelines. She guided UT to a 25-9 record and an outright MAC West Division title last year for the first time since 2000-01. Toledo advanced to the league-tourney finals and earned a berth in the WNIT. In her rookie campaign, Cullop led the Rockets, picked to finish last in the West Division, to an 18-13 ledger (11-5 MAC) and an appearance in the semifinals of the postseason tourney. For her efforts, Cullop was selected as the MAC co-Coach of the Year, sharing the top honor with Bowling Green’s Curt Miller.

Kowalczyk took over the reins of the men’s program March 30, bringing with him a proven record of success. Prior to taking over as the Rocket bench boss, Kowalczyk posted a 136-112 (.548) win-loss mark in eight years (2002-10) at the helm of UW-Green Bay’s program and tallied a pair of 22-win campaigns in his final two seasons. He also produced a run of success that saw the Phoenix become one of just 18 teams in the nation to place among the top four in its conference each of the past seven seasons.

More information on the tournament can be found here.

The partnership between The University of Toledo and ProMedica Health System continues to evolve.

The UT Board of Trustees last week approved the University appointments to the Academic Health Center Corp. that will help oversee and guide the relationship.

Representing UT on the board will be Olivia K. Summons, chair of the UT Board of Trustees; Trustees John S. Szuch and Susan Farrell Palmer; Dr. Joseph Shapiro, professor, chair and associate dean of business development in the Department of Medicine; and Dr. Jeffrey P. Gold.

To reflect Gold’s leadership responsibilities for the UT-ProMedica partnership, the trustees approved his new title of chancellor and executive vice president for biosciences and health affairs and dean of the College of Medicine.

The trustees also approved a new college that will address the specific needs of adult students. The College of Adult and Lifelong Learning will have adult-friendly processes and services such as prior learning assessment for credit, life coaches and financial planning.

The meeting was the last for Summons, whose eight-year term as a trustee is complete. She began the meeting by reiterating the board’s support of President Lloyd Jacobs.

She discussed the recent presidential assessment, crediting Jacobs for blending the cultures of UT and the former Medical University of Ohio in a sustainable way. She acknowledged that change is never easy, and the board remains open to constructive criticism and debate.

Additional trustees expressed their support for Jacobs during the meeting. Incoming Board Chair C. William Fall thanked Jacobs for taking the approach that an institutional focus is more important than a personal one.

Trustee Dr. Amjad Hussain echoed the comments of Summons and Fall and said it is easier when working to achieve goals to get distracted by noise here or there, but it is important to stay on course. And Trustee William C. Koester added the president has been specifically successful in the area of external affairs.

Monday also was the last board meeting for Cynthia B. Thompson, who was appointed to the MUO Board of Trustees in 2005, and student trustee Krystalyn Weaver, who was appointed to the board in January 2009.

Summons wished the board success as the University continues on its journey.