The University of Toledo will join colleges across the country for Rape, Abuse and Incest National Network (RAINN) Day, Thursday, Sept. 25.

RAINN Day is held annually to raise awareness and educate students about sexual violence on college campuses.

From 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. on Centennial Mall, UT students will display umbrellas that carry messages against violence.

“Events such as RAINN Day are a great opportunity for students to become actively engaged in educating their peers about this important issue that impacts women and men on every college campus,” said Angela Daigneault, sexual assault education prevention coordinator in the UT Counseling Center, said. “Students want to make a difference; they want to create an environment safe for everyone. This is just one of many ways that they are able to get involved and do that.”

During the event, campus and community members also can view the Clothesline Project, an initiative in which women affected by violence create T-shirts as part of their healing process.

T-shirt colors show the form of abuse: white for those who died because of violence; yellow and beige for battered and assaulted women; red, pink and orange for survivors of rape and sexual assault; blue and green for survivors of incest and sexual abuse; purple for those who were attacked because of their sexual orientation; and black for women attacked for political reasons.

“The visual expression from women who are affected by violence can be very eye-opening for students,” Daigneault said. “Every year I have students tell me how impactful seeing all of the shirts was for them. And for a survivor, creating a shirt to express their feelings and share with others; it can be a powerful part of their healing process.”

The event also will include a chance to talk with professionals from the University Counseling Center.

“Students can always visit the Sexual Assault Education and Prevention Program in Rocket Hall Room 1810 or call 419.530.3431 for assistance any time day or night,” Daigneault said. “Our goal is to create a campus community free of abuse, harassment and other forms of sexual violence.”

For more information on the free, public event or the UT Sexual Assault Education and Prevention Program, contact Daigneault at 419.530.3431 or angela.daigneault@utoledo.edu.

Thanks to your votes, The University of Toledo has once again hit a home run and earned the honor of having its bow tie featured during the World Series.

Ken Rosenthal, Fox Sports baseball reporter, will wear the UT bow tie during game four of the World Series between the Kansas City Royals and the San Francisco Giants.

Be sure to tune in to Fox Saturday, Oct. 25, at 8 p.m. to catch a glimpse of the midnight blue and gold on national television.

“For the third year, UT and its commitment to fighting prostate cancer will be featured on a national stage to be seen by millions,” said Larry Burns, UT vice president for external affairs.

UT faculty, staff, students and community members voted for the University’s bow tie during Bow Tie Cause’s annual Facebook contest.

Leaders of The University of Toledo and the American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees (AFSCME) Ohio Council 8 and AFSCME Local 2415 will celebrate a new collective bargaining agreement at a luncheon tomorrow.

The event to celebrate the signing of a new three-year agreement will begin at noon Thursday, Dec. 18 in the Mahogany Room of the Radisson Hotel at The University of Toledo with a ceremonial signing of the contract at 1 p.m.

Members of AFSCME, which represents about 1,900 employees on the UT Health Science Campus, and the UT Board of Trustees both approved earlier this fall the agreement that runs from July 1, 2014 through June 30, 2017.

The contract calls for wage increases of 2.5 percent in year one and 1 percent in both years two and three and changes monthly health-care premiums to 20 percent as UT works to make premiums uniform across all collective bargaining units and employee groups.

The agreement provides employees and their dependents expedited primary care appointments at UTMC health-care facilities. It also establishes labor-management committees that will work to drive improvements in patient care and satisfaction.

The creative work of Peter Hoffman, a nationally syndicated cartoonist who created the “Jeff Cobb” comic strip, has been donated by his family to the Ward M. Canaday Center for Special Collections at The University of Toledo.

Pete Hoffman drew this self-portrait for the cover of a 1994 issue of the UT Alumni Magazine.

The collection consists of nearly 5,000 drawings by Hoffman and documents more than 20 years of his work. Hoffman, a UT alumnus, died in 2013 at age 94.

The collection includes Hoffman’s original drawings for the Cobb strip from 1954 to 1978, as well as illustrations he did for another syndicated strip he produced from 1950 to 1978 titled “Why We Say.” Both strips were syndicated by General Features Corp. and ran in more than 100 newspapers in the United States, Europe, South America and Canada.

The Canaday Center had acquired a small collection of Hoffman’s drawings in 1985.

“This addition expands greatly the center’s holdings on one of the University’s most creative graduates,” said Barbara Floyd, director of the center. “Hoffman’s drawings are incredibly detailed. They show such precision and carefulness in execution. They are examples of the high style of graphic illustration when comic strips looked almost like photographs, as compared to today’s looser style.”

Hoffman began drawing as a child while enrolled in Warren School in Toledo. His first published work was a drawing of cowboys and Indians he submitted to the Toledo Times newspaper when he was 4 years old. He continued to take art classes at Scott High School when he was a student there.

At UT, he received a bachelor’s degree in advertising and marketing in 1941, and served as art editor for the University’s yearbook and staff cartoonist for The Campus Collegian newspaper from 1937 to 1941.

After college, Hoffman worked briefly in the advertising department for Tiedtke’s, the popular downtown Toledo department store, and served in the Army Air Corps, where he also illustrated several wartime publications.

When Hoffman returned home from England where he served during World War II, he became a ghost illustrator of “Steve Roper,” the nationally distributed comic strip created by Toledo cartoonists Allen Saunders and Elmer Woggon. He held that job from 1945 to 1954.

The cartoonist was known for his comic strip, “Jeff Cobb,” about an investigative newspaper reporter.

It was during the time that he was illustrating “Steve Roper” that he started the “Why We Say” strip, which he wrote as well as illustrated, that explained the meaning of common words and phrases.

He also became interested in developing his own narrative strip, which led to “Jeff Cobb.” Cobb was a handsome investigative reporter for the fictional Daily Guardian newspaper. Hoffman not only illustrated the strip, but he researched and wrote each one, which were based loosely on real crimes. In the later years of the strip’s publication, Cobb became known for the patch he wore over one eye, the result of an arson investigation that played itself out in the pages of the strip.

The collection donated to the Canaday Center is being organized and will be open to researchers after it is processed and a guide is prepared.

The center also plans an exhibit of examples of Hoffman’s work for later in 2015.

A national leader in health-care education is returning to The University of Toledo to head the College of Health Sciences beginning Tuesday, Jan. 6.

Dr. Christopher Ingersoll has accepted the position of dean of the College of Health Sciences. Ingersoll received his PhD in biomechanics with a minor in research and statistics from UT.

Ingersoll

“We are excited to welcome Dr. Ingersoll to UT. His experience will prove a valuable asset for the College of Health Sciences, and the University as a whole,” said John Barrett, interim provost and executive vice president for academic affairs. “Health-care professionals are integral to the growth and success of our nation and our world. Dr. Ingersoll’s leadership will greatly benefit our students now and in the future.”

“I am deeply honored to return to my alma mater and for the opportunity to work with the talented and motivated faculty, staff and students in the college,” Ingersoll said. “Together, we will be able to continue to build the already popular and highly regarded programs in the college, and raise the national and international profiles of those programs.”

Ingersoll most recently served as the dean of the Herbert H. and Grace A. Dow College of Health Professions at Central Michigan University. He previously spent a number of years at the University of Virginia, Indiana State University and the University of Nevada, Las Vegas, and held many leadership positions.

“I also look forward to the opportunity to work with the faculty to increase research contributions and community outreach activities that improve the quality of life for people in northwest Ohio and beyond,” Ingersoll said.

He holds a bachelor of science in sports medicine and athletic training from Marietta College, and a master of arts in athletic training from Indiana State University.

Ingersoll was chosen to fill the vacancy left by the retirement of Dr. Beverly Schmoll, who served as a dean at UT for six years.

“Dr. Schmoll masterfully guided the health professions for the University. She elevated the College of Health Sciences and provided a strong foundation for Dr. Ingersoll to cultivate and develop,” Barrett said. “We are grateful for her dedication and commitment to UT.”

A nationally renowned leader will address The University of Toledo graduates at the fall commencement ceremony Saturday, Dec. 20 in Savage Arena at 10 a.m.

Mike Thaman, chairman of the board and chief executive officer of Owens Corning, will address the graduates from the colleges of Health Sciences, Adult and Lifelong Learning, Social Justice and Human Services, Natural Sciences and Mathematics, Business and Innovation, Communication and the Arts, Languages, Literature and Social Sciences and the Judith Herb College of Education.

“Mike Thaman’s vision and leadership are truly aligned with the University’s commitment to best equip our students with the knowledge and guidance that will help them succeed,” said Dr. Nagi Naganathan, interim president.

There are 2,252 candidates for degrees including 113 doctoral candidates, 594 master’s candidates and 1,461 bachelor’s candidates. The remaining 84 candidates are for education specialist, graduate certificates or associate’s degrees. The ceremony will be broadcast live on video.utoledo.edu.

In the event of inclement weather, the ceremony will be rescheduled for Sunday, Dec. 21 at 10 a.m. in Savage Arena.

Thaman has held positions in manufacturing, corporate development and international business since joining Owens Corning, a world leader in building materials and composite systems, in 1992.

He has held numerous positions including vice president and president of the Engineered Pipe Systems business, headquartered in Brussels, Belgium; vice president and president of Owen’s Corning’s Exterior Systems Business; and senior vice president and chief financial officer.

A longtime corporate strategist and leader, Thaman emphasizes a human-emphasized approach in helping American businesses thrive.

When he accepted a company leadership award from the National Safety Council earlier this year, he focused on the human-rights aspect of company safety. “For more than 75 years, Owens Corning has understood the importance of having engaged, productive employees who arrive home to their families and friends, without incident, the same way they left.”

Prior to joining Owens Corning, Thaman spent six years as a strategy consultant at Mercer Management Consulting, where he was a vice president in the New York office. He serves as director of Florida Power & Light Co., Owens Corning Fabricating Solutions and Advanced Glassfiber Yarns LLC. For NextEra Energy Inc., Thaman served as an independent director for more than 10 years and as its lead director until this year. He served as a director of AGY Holding Corp., and as director of Florida Power & Light Group, Inc.

Thaman earned a bachelor of science degree in electrical engineering and computer science from Princeton University.

Other commencement ceremonies taking place include:

• College of Engineering: graduate commencement 5 p.m. Thursday, Dec. 18; undergraduate commencement 3 p.m. Saturday, Dec. 20. Both ceremonies held in Nitschke Auditorium.
• College of Nursing: 1 p.m. Friday, Dec. 19 in Nitschke Auditorium.

For more information, visit utoledo.edu/commencement.

Media Coverage
The Blade (Dec. 13, 2014)
The Blade (Dec. 21, 2014)

Due to a water main break near UT’s Main Campus, the location of the Dec. 12 Presidential Search Committee Meeting has moved to the Faculty Club in the Radisson Hotel. The meeting will begin at 8 a.m.

Upon convening the meeting, the Committee will enter Executive Session to discuss the employment of a public employee with Executive Search Firm Witt/Kiefer.

In a final celebration of the 50th anniversary of the former Medical College of Ohio, The University of Toledo will open a time capsule that was sealed at MCO Dec. 14, 1989.

The ceremony will be held Monday, Dec. 15, at 9 a.m. in UT Medical Center Four Seasons Bistro.

The Medical College of Ohio was created Dec. 18, 1964, with the signing of legislation by Ohio Gov. James A. Rhodes. Paul Block Jr., co-publisher of The Blade, was an ardent advocate for the college and later became the first chairman of the school’s board of trustees. After a name change, the Medical University of Ohio merged with The University of Toledo in 2006.

Memorabilia dating from 1965 to 1989 is expected to be in the time capsule.

“This is the final event of the celebration of the 50th anniversary of the Medical College of Ohio,” Vern Snyder, UT vice president for institutional advancement, said. “It celebrates the growth of what it was 50 years ago to what it is now as the UT medical campus, all the changes it has made, the advances of technology, and the amount of research that’s done on the campus.”

Dr. Nagi Naganathan, UT interim president, and Dr. Chris Cooper, dean of the College of Medicine and Life Sciences, will speak at the brief ceremony hosted by Dr. William Davis, director of the UT General Practice Residency Program and associate dean of continuing medical education.

“At the event, we plan to display the memorabilia that’s in the time capsule for everyone to see,” Snyder said. “We are also planning to bring some other artifacts from the MCO archives that we used in the anniversary dinner in June.”

Cupcakes will be available for University students, faculty, staff and physicians throughout the day in celebration of the college’s milestone.

Media Coverage
The Blade (Dec. 16, 2014)
13 ABC and FOX Toledo (June 1, 2015)

The University of Toledo is changing the way international students study in the United States, with the help of a few community colleges.

A new program called the UT-Community College Internationalization Consortium will kick off in fall semester 2015. It brings together four community colleges in Ohio and Michigan — Henry Ford College, Jackson College, Schoolcraft College and Columbus State Community — with eight higher vocational colleges in Shanghai, Jiangsu, Zhejiang, Hebei, and Hunan provinces in China.

The Chinese students who participate in the program will spend their first two years of college in their home country and their last year at one of the community colleges, receiving both a Chinese diploma and associate’s degree upon completion. They will then spend their next two years earning a bachelor’s degree at UT.

** MEDIA OPPORTUNITY **
A delegation from Shanghai Dianji University will visit UT as part of the new program on Friday, Dec. 12 meeting with UT leaders at 10:30 a.m. in Room 1300 of the Health and Human Services Building on Main Campus.

“I think if you really want to be educated for the work force of the future, you’re going to have develop your global competence,” said Dr. Ron Opp, UT associate professor of higher education and a member of the consortium’s UT Oversight Board. “You’re going to have to have the ability to communicate interculturally; that’s going to be the nature of work in a global economy.”

In China, higher vocational colleges are postsecondary schools similar to community colleges in the U.S. Each college tends to have a niche — whether it’s environmental sciences, engineering, business or another subject. Each community college in the consortium will be matched with two vocational colleges based on their niche.

Many community colleges want to have more international students, but often don’t have the resources four-year schools have, Opp said. That’s where UT comes in with its Center for International Studies and Programs that helps students with their visas, setting up bank accounts, housing, improving their English speaking skills, and more.

The consortium will begin by accepting five students from each Chinese college in the fall of 2015, 10 students the following fall, 15 the following year, and so on. By 2018, the first 40 students will be enrolling at UT for their bachelor’s degree programs.

The consortium also will include leadership programming with faculty and administrators from all of the colleges involved to learn more about the partner institutions, with individuals here traveling to China and vice versa.

Another aspect of the consortium is that some faculty from the community colleges involved will teach at the vocational schools in China. Those who do will get assistance with their flight, housing, and living expenses.

“It may be more helpful in the long run that we get our faculty over there to see how China is developing,” Opp said. “Because once you get over there and you see what’s going on, you realize how important developing global perspectives is.”

Opp said the goal of bringing faculty members to China is that they will bring their experience back to UT and the community colleges.

For more information visit utoledo.edu/csjhs/higher_education/consortium.

Media Coverage
WTOL 11 and 13 ABC (Jan. 12, 2014)

More than 50 unique projects will be on display Friday during The University of Toledo’s Senior Design Engineering Project Exposition.

The event, which is free and open to the public, will be noon to 3 p.m. Friday, Dec. 12 on the first floor of Nitschke Hall on Main Campus.

The exposition showcases projects created by more than 220 graduating seniors from the bioengineering, civil engineering, mechanical engineering, engineering technology, computer science and electrical engineering programs. Projects are part of the required senior design/capstone project where students form business-consulting units to develop a solution for a client’s technical/business challenge.