The Toledo Women Lawyers History Project, a joint effort by the Toledo Women’s Bar Association (TWBA) and The University of Toledo College of Law, seeks to discover and preserve the stories of women lawyers in the Toledo area.

A dedication and ribbon cutting ceremony will be held Thursday, Oct. 2 at 5:30 p.m. in the LaValley Law Library. Daniel Steinbock, dean of the College of Law, and Lindsay Navarre, president of the TWBA, will be on hand to unveil and discuss the project.

“The biggest transformation in the legal profession in the past century is the entry of substantial numbers of women at all levels,” said Steinbock. “We are proud to be a part of this commemoration.”

Twelve portraits depicting courageous and strong-willed women attorneys, created by Paula Mowery, an artist and College of Law graduate, will be permanently displayed on the second floor of the UT College of Law LaValley Law Library. The featured attorneys paved the way for future generations since the Ohio General Assembly first admitted women to the practice of law in Ohio in 1878.

The display will honor attorneys including Clara Millard, the first woman in Ohio to earn a law degree and to pass the Ohio Bar examination; Florence Hartman Wells, the first woman to be elected to both branches of the Ohio legislature; Alice Robie Resnick, the second woman elected to the Ohio Supreme Court and the founder of the TWBA and the Ohio Women’s Bar Association; and College of Law alumna Julia Bates, the first woman elected Lucas County Prosecutor.

Plans for the second phase of the project include a speaker series and an interactive display.

For more information, contact Judge Arlene Singer at the Sixth District Court of Appeals.

Media Coverage
The Blade (Oct. 3, 2014)

The University of Toledo will celebrate LGBTQA History Month with several events this October.

The Office of Excellence and Multicultural Student Success, LGBTQA Initiatives and Spectrum UT are dedicated to serving the needs of lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer, questioning and allied students.

“I believe LGBTQA History Month is important to recognize because it signifies to the entire community that LGBTQA individuals are as valid and worthy of celebration as anyone else,” LaVelle Ridley, president of Spectrum UT, said. “The fact that we are able to put on events in celebration of our heritage demonstrates The University of Toledo’s commitment to fostering diversity, especially among students.”

Listed by date, events scheduled to increase awareness for LGBTQA History Month include:

Wednesday, Oct. 1

• “Taking Pride in Our History” by Tyler Quinn Parkins, UT student, 12:30 p.m., Student Union Room 2500.

• Marriage Equality Reception, 12:30 to 3:30 p.m., Student Union Room 2500.

Thursday, Oct. 2

• Spectrum Hate Crimes Candlelight Vigil, 8 to 10 p.m., Student Union Steps.

Wednesday, Oct. 8

• National Coming Out Day Celebration, noon to 2 p.m., Student Union Room 2500. Stop by and receive a “Gay? Fine by me” T-shirt and show your support.

Thursday, Oct. 9

• Spectrum Meeting on Transgender Community and Identity, 8 to 10 p.m., Student Union Room 2582.

Friday, Oct. 10

• Safe Place — LGBTQA Ally Training, 1 to 4:30 p.m., Rocket Hall Room 1530.

Tuesday, Oct. 14

• OUTLaw Film Screening, “Bridegroom,” 8 to 10 p.m., Law Center Room 1006.

Thursday, Oct. 16

• LGBTQA Short Stories with the Honors Book Club, 4 to 5 p.m., International House Multipurpose Room.

• Spectrum Drag/Talent Show, 8 to 10 p.m., Rocky’s Attic in the Student Union.

Monday, Oct. 20

• Honors Film Screening, “Beginners,” 8 to 10 p.m., MacKinnon Hall Room 1370.

Tuesday, Oct. 21

• All Love Photo Shoot, 4:30 to 5:30 p.m., Student Union Room 2500. Free professional shoot that will provide prints to all participants.

Thursday, Oct. 23

• Spectrum UT Film Screening, “Rocky Horror Picture Show,” 8 to 10 p.m., Student Recreation Center Oak Room.

Tuesday, Oct. 28

• “Queering Blackness: Representations of Black LGBTQ Figures” by LaVelle Ridley, student in the Jesup Scott Honors College and president of Spectrum UT, 5 to 6 p.m., Student Union Room 2591.

Thursday, Oct. 30

• Kenote address by writers Carl Phillips and Mark Doty, 7:30 to 9:30 p.m., Student Union Room 2592. Phillips is a professor of English and African and Afro-American studies at Washington University in St. Louis, and his books include The Art of Daring: Risk, Relentlessness, Imagination (2014), Silverchest (2013), and Quiver and Arrows: Selected Poems, 1986-2006 (2007). Doty won the 2008 National Book Award for Fire to Fire: New and Selected Poems, and his Dog Years was a New York Times bestseller in 2007.

Friday, Oct. 31

• Spectrum UT Halloween Ball, 8 to 10 p.m., Student Union Room 2582.

For more information on these events, call the UT Office of Excellence and Multicultural Student Success at 419.530.2261.

There are several parallels that can be found in Medieval Japanese art and contemporary American society; that concept will be explored in The University of Toledo Center for Religious Understanding’s annual lecture in Eastern thought this week.

University of Michigan Art History Professor and Associate Chair Kevin Carr will speak Wednesday, Oct. 1, from 7 to 8:30 p.m. in Center for Performing Arts Room 1039.

The free, public talk titled “The Limits of Compassion: Insights From Medieval Japanese Buddhism for Contemporary America” will be followed by a reception.

“One of the things I’ve been looking at in Medieval Japan are how people formed conceptual maps of the world and how they used art to shape what the world looks like,” Carr said.

He explained that the conceptual maps he is referring to are the images in our minds of the relationships and ideas on which we place high importance.

“Let’s say you’re new to The University of Toledo and you’re really into the sciences,” he explained. “To you, the science buildings will be larger than the art museum, for example.”

Carr said he will transition from the topic of Buddhist conceptual maps to a comparison of compassion in modern American society and what it means to us today.

“Ultimately, I want to connect something very esoteric, like 13th and 14th century Japanese ideas, with something much closer to home,” he said.

When asked what he’d like the audience to take away from his presentation, Carr said: “I’d like them to think about the shape of their world in their minds; to try and reflect on what their worlds look like, and how those images affect their actions, who matters and why, and how those maps in their head were created. I’m hoping they go away with a little more cognizance that they’ve created circles of compassion and those aren’t necessarily inevitable.”

Free visitor parking will be available in areas 12, 12S and 12W.

For more information, go to http://www.utoledo.edu/llss/philosophy/cfru/index.html.

Jed S. Rakoff, a senior United States District Judge for the Southern District of New York and author, will deliver a free, public lecture in the Cannon Lecture Series titled “Why Innocent People Plead Guilty” Monday, Oct. 6 at noon, in the McQuade Law Auditorium at The University of Toledo College of Law.

Rakoff

Recently described in the New York Times as “a maverick jurist who picked a three-year fight to make the Securities and Exchange Commission tougher on a Wall Street bank,” and deemed by Rolling Stone as “a sort of legal hero of our time,” Rakoff is certain to deliver a lecture that is both lively and thought-provoking. In his lecture, Rakoff will show that criminal justice in the U.S. bears no relationship to what the Founding Fathers contemplated, or what we see on television. It has become overwhelmingly a system of plea bargaining, largely controlled by prosecutors, who can make it inordinately risky for even an innocent defendant to go to trial. As a result, Rakoff contends, as many as 10,000 or more innocent people are now in prison because they plead guilty to “lesser” offenses in order to avoid the risk of being convicted of crimes carrying much longer terms. After describing the current state of affairs, Rakoff will suggest some possible solutions. “Judge Rakoff has been willing to question long-standing legal policies and practices in ways that have prompted change,” said Daniel J. Steinbock, dean of the UT College of Law. “His take on sentencing guidelines and the plea bargaining they encourage is sure to be both stimulating and influential.” Rakoff has been a Senior United States District Judge for the Southern District of New York since 1996. Before joining the federal bench, he served as law clerk to Judge Abraham L. Freedman of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Third Circuit and as an assistant U.S. attorney, where he was chief of the Business & Securities Fraud Prosecutions Unit in the Southern District of New York. He was also a litigation partner at the law firms Mudge, Rose and Fried, Frank. In addition, he is an adjunct professor at Columbia Law School where, since 1988, he has taught courses on white collar crime, class actions, the interplay of civil and criminal litigation and science and the courts. Rakoff received his bachelor’s degree from Swarthmore College, a master’s degree from the University of Oxford and his law degree from Harvard Law School. He was awarded honorary degrees from Swarthmore College and Saint Francis University. Click here to download a photo of Rakoff. The Cannon Lecture Series was established in 1980 in memory of 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 dimension as well as the limitations of our legal system.

Approximately 400 students in The University of Toledo College of Business and Innovation will participate in the annual autumn job fair Friday, Sept. 26, from 1 to 4 p.m. in the Student Union Auditorium.

A record 133 companies — including Coca-Cola, the Cleveland Indians, Quicken Loans, Owens Corning, Owens-Illinois and 3M — will participate.

“We are truly excited and pleased for our students by the fact that so many well-known companies are coming to the UT College of Business and Innovation to find the talent they need,” said Dr. Terribeth Gordon-Moore, senior associate dean of the college. “This reflects very positively on the quality of both our programs and our students. It also demonstrates the extremely dynamic and mutually beneficial relationship enjoyed by our college and recruiters for major national companies such as Marathon, Chrysler, Goodyear, Enterprise, and Ernst & Young.

“Employers are looking for undergraduate students to participate in business internships and their leadership development programs, as well as for seniors and graduates seeking full-time employment,” she said. “Furthermore, we strongly encourage our freshman students to attend the job fair, engage these company representatives, and begin a relationship with these employers now.

“This semiannual job fair is part of what we do to prepare our students for their futures,” Gordon-Moore said, adding that the college’s Business Career Programs office works year-round to assist students in acquiring internships and jobs upon graduation.

“We strive to provide the necessary resources so our students can conduct their own tailored job searches.”

More than 85 percent of UT business students participate in internships, and the job placement rate for College of Business and Innovation graduates is greater than 80 percent, even in recent economic times.

Media Coverage
The Blade (Sept. 27, 2014)

The University of Toledo Center for International Studies and Programs will present the inaugural Global Educator Award Friday, Sept. 26, at the Faculty Club in the Radisson Hotel on Health Science Campus.

The event will begin at 6:30 p.m. with a dinner, and the program will follow around 7:15 p.m.

The Global Educator Award is presented by the UT Center for International Studies and Programs to recognize individuals, institutions and organizations that promote intercultural understanding and a respect for cultural diversity through education and educational exchanges.

A committee of UT faculty and staff selected two recipients for the inaugural award:

• Gayle Morgan Schaber, a global educator who was nominated by the UT Confucius Institute for her work in bringing Chinese language and culture classes to Toledo Public Schools (TPS).

Through Schaber’s efforts, the Confucius Institute was able to expand Chinese language and cultural programming to 14 elementary schools. The agreement provides for Chinese language teachers to come from China to teach in TPS elementary schools. Through this program, Toledo elementary school students will be exposed to Chinese language and culture at the earliest stages of their formal education and will be inspired to explore the world as they mature.

She became acquainted with the UT Confucius Institute through her position with TPS and is eager to see the expansion of the Confucius Classroom Initiative from two to 14 elementary schools take effect this school year. Schaber traveled to Beijing and Hefei, People’s Republic of China, as a member of the Hanban 2012 Chinese Bridge Delegation. She retired this week after almost 20 years of service to TPS.

• Toledo Sister Cities International, which is being recognized for its International Youth Academy.

The nonprofit organization’s International Youth Academy brings students from around the world to Toledo, where they study English, experience the reality of U.S. culture, live with local families, and develop lifelong friendships. This program also enriches Toledo, as students serve as ambassadors for their countries.

Toledo Sister Cities International is a member of Sister Cities International and is dedicated to enriching the community through the spirit of international cooperation. Presidents Kennedy, Johnson, Nixon, Ford, Reagan, Bush, Clinton, Bush and Obama have served as honorary chair of Sister Cities International.

The Global Educator Award was initiated by Dr. Minhua Wu, interim director of the UT Office of Global Initiatives and interim director of the UT Confucius Institute as part of the Global Confucius Institute Day to honor the individuals who have assisted the institute to promote the study and appreciation of Chinese language and culture over the past five years.

The idea was adopted by Dr. Sammy Spann, UT assistant provost for student engagement, and expanded to an award to recognize all community stakeholders involved in global education. Although still sponsored by the Confucius Institute, the award is presented by the Center for International Studies and Programs to represent UT’s strong commitment to global education and its desire to honor and encourage global educators.

For more information, contact Llewellyn Gibbons, UT professor of law and chair of the UT Confucius Institute Board of Directors, at 419.530.4175 or llew.gibbons2@utoledo.edu.

The Confucius Institute invites the UT campus and greater Toledo community to learn about Chinese culture at Confucius Institute Day Saturday, Sept. 27, from noon to 5 p.m. in the Student Union Auditorium.

“The Confucius Institute at The University of Toledo is proud to join with more than 480 Confucius Institutes around the world to celebrate Confucius Institute Day on September 27. The day commemorates the 10th anniversary of the establishment of the Confucius Institute program through Hanban in China. It is also a very special anniversary for us; here at UT, we are celebrating the fifth anniversary of our local Confucius Institute with a day full of entertainment and activities for people of all ages,” said Llew Gibbons, UT professor of law and chair of the UT Confucius Institute Board of Directors.

“We will feature a variety of activities from language lessons to hands-on art-making activities. We encourage the Toledo community to come out for this free event; it’s a great opportunity to learn about Chinese culture and meet new people in your community.”

The highlights of Confucius Institute Day will include opportunities to:

• Take a 20-minute lesson on how to say and write simple Chinese expressions and characters;

• Write Chinese calligraphy;

• Draw a Beijing opera mask;

• Decorate Chinese lanterns;

• Make a Chinese bracelet;

• Design Chinese paper cutting;

• Sculpt dough figurines;

• Play Chinese games; and

• Watch performances of Chinese song and dance.

There also will be a photo booth, tea arts display and Tao Bao bazaar.

The Confucius Institute at The University of Toledo serves northwest Ohio by providing education in Chinese language and culture, and supports the development of China-related scholarly research and academic programs. It also offers opportunities for cultural exchanges between China and the United States.

Learn more about the Confucius Institute Day here or contact Dawei Han at 419.530.8580.

Independent thinkers across the country will celebrate freedom of expression during the 17th Annual University of Toledo Banned Books Week Vigil Thursday, Sept. 25.

Inspired by the American Library Association’s Banned Books Week, the event will start at 9 a.m. and run through 5 p.m. in the Carl Joseph Memorial Reading Commons on the fifth floor of Carlson Library.

In 20-minute presentations every half hour, speakers from the University and surrounding community will talk about censorship and the importance of personal reading.

“This event creates solidarity within the community while celebrating the right to read freely,” Dr. Paulette Kilmer, UT professor of communication, said.

Throughout the day, snacks and refreshments will be available, along with door prizes that include donated banned books and other goods.

Topics and speakers for the event will be:

• 9 a.m. — “Celebrating Reading” by Marcia King-Blandford, interim director of UT Libraries, and Dr. Jeffrey Wilkinson, UT professor and chair of communication;

• 9:30 a.m. — “The Dr. Linda Smith Lecture: ‘A Deck of Cards’” by Dr. David Tucker, UT professor of communication;

• 10:30 a.m. — “Censorship in Black: Hurston, Ellison and Baldwin” by LaVelle Ridley, UT Jesup Scott Honors College student;

• 11 a.m. — “The Dynamics of Expression in the Invisible Prison” by Dr. Renee Heberle, UT professor of political science;

• 11:30 a.m. — “A Ban Against Women’s Rights and Freedoms — A Historical Perspective” by Warren Woodberry, Toledo author;

• Noon — “Avoiding the Echo Chamber: The Benefit of Dissenting Opinion” by Sarah Ottney, managing editor of the Toledo Free Press;

• 12:30 p.m. — “President Obama’s Fave Novel: Censoring Toni Morrison’s Song of Solomon” by Dr. Glenn Sheldon, UT professor of humanities and faculty member of the Jesup Scott Honors College;

• 1 p.m. — “Pinball, Peep Shows and Pulp Fiction: A Brief History of Censorship in Northwest Ohio” by Dr. Michael Brooks, Bowling Green State University professor of history and graduate coordinator;

• 1:30 p.m. — Screening of “Video Moments With Stan Lee and Living Action Heroes Inspired by Comic Books”;

• 2 p.m. — “Graphic and Explicit Content: The Censorship of Horror Video Games” by Torrie Jadlocki, UT communication student;

• 2:30 p.m. — “Jeopardy!” led by Amanda Eggert, editor in chief of The Independent Collegian, and Samantha Rhodes, managing editor of The Independent Collegian;

• 3 p.m. — “Those @#%$#^ [Beep…..] Censors: What Are They Looking for?” by Arjun Sabharwal, UT assistant professor of library administration;

• 3:30 p.m. — “You Can’t Read That!!!” by Cindy Ramirez, English teacher at Bedford Senior High School;

• 4 p.m. — “Filthy Words or Uplifting Story? The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian” by Dr. Sharon Barnes, UT associate professor of women’s and gender studies; and

• 4:30 p.m. — “Moments From ‘Oh! Cabaret!’” by Irene Alby, UT associate lecture of theatre.

For more information, contact Kilmer at 419.530.4672.

Media Coverage
13 ABC and WTOL 11 (Sept. 25, 2014)

The University of Toledo Engineering Career Development Center will host its Fall 2014 Engineering Career Expo Wednesday, Sept. 24.

More than 140 companies — a record number — are registered to attend the fall expo.

“Many companies from across the United States participate in this event,” Dr. Vickie Kuntz, director of the Engineering Career Development Center, said. “A few of the nationally recognized companies scheduled to participate include Dana Holding, Cooper Tire, CSX, First Energy, General Electric, General Mills, Honda, Johnson & Johnson/Depuy, JP Morgan, Kiewit Corp., Marathon, Owens Corning, Owens-Illinois and Whirlpool.”

More than 600 engineering students have attended past career expos, according to Kuntz, and she expects between 600 and 700 students and alumni to participate in this event.

She added the expo will be a great opportunity for students to meet with employers for networking and future employment.

“The expo is open to University of Toledo students who are enrolled in the College of Engineering. In addition, UT engineering graduates, who have been in the work force for a few years and are interested in exploring other positions, also are welcome.”

The UT Engineering Fall 2014 Career Expo will be held in Nitschke Hall from 12:30 p.m. to 4:30 p.m.

Media Coverage
FOX Toledo (Sept. 24, 2014)

When The University of Toledo College of Business and Innovation dedicates the new Alan Barry Accounting Lab Tuesday, Sept. 23, it will recognize and honor the alumnus whose gift made it reality.

Alan H. Barry, a 1966 graduate of the college, made the generous leadership donation to establish a unique accounting lab to help students who love accounting as much as he did.

“As an accounting grad, it’s always nice to look for ways to help students who are like I was,” Barry, retired president and chief operating officer of Masco Corp., said. “This lab is something that will be used by many students, and because I was already involved with the College of Business, it just made sense to support it.”

“The University of Toledo is so fortunate to have generous alumni like Alan Barry who achieve great success and then give back to ensure our students today have access to the very best tools and help them succeed,” said UT Interim President Nagi Naganathan. “The Alan Barry Accounting Lab will be integral to students’ education and their success for years to come and help us showcase Alan’s contribution.”

The dedication will be held at 1 p.m. The Alan Barry Accounting Lab is located in Savage & Associates Business Complex Room 2130.

“The Alan Barry Accounting Lab is one of the things that we can do for business students that is not done elsewhere,” Dr. Gary Insch, dean of the UT College of Business and Innovation, said. “We are a business school, and we have business professionals who can help us. Furthermore, the establishment of the lab again demonstrates the college’s continuing vibrant relationship with the regional business community.”

This lab will be the first one nationwide to have a certified management accountant (CMA) lab license, where students can have free access to review material to prepare for the CMA exam, according to Dr. Hassan HassabElnaby, professor and chair of the UT Accounting Department.

“For the community, the lab will serve as the location of the free income tax preparation assistance the College of Business and Innovation provides each year to qualified low- to moderate-income individuals and families in the Toledo area during the spring income tax filing season,” HassabElnaby said.

Barry and his wife, Karen, also have made generous gifts in recent years to the Alan and Karen Barry Scholarship Fund, which provides support for full-time UT business accounting students based on both merit and needs. He also is active in the UT Alumni Association, was a Blue Key Member, and currently serves on the UT Foundation Board of Trustees.

Media Coverage
13 ABC (Sept. 23, 2014)
Accounting Tomorrow (Sept. 29, 2014)