Toledo native Christine Brennan, an award-winning national columnist, commentator and best-selling author, agreed to join the UT Board of Trustees as its first national board member.

At the April board meeting, trustees approved UT’s ability to have national members serve for a two-year term as volunteers without voting privileges. National board members are eligible for an additional two-year term.

Christine Brennan

The role of national members is to advocate on behalf of higher education and UT, as well as provide counsel to the University and members of the board.

Brennan’s appointment is scheduled to be formally approved Monday, May 15 by the UT Board of Trustees.

“As one of the most respected sports journalists in the country, Christine Brennan is a trailblazer for women,” said Sharon Speyer, chair of the UT Board of Trustees. “Her breadth of experience, including her service as a trustee for Northwestern University, will provide great insight as the board deliberates on issues that impact our community at large. We are honored that she has accepted this invitation, and we look forward to working with her.”

Brennan is a national columnist at USA Today and a commentator at ABC News, CNN, PBS NewsHour and National Public Radio. She has authored seven books, including best-seller “Inside Edge,” which was named one of the top 100 sports books in history by Sports Illustrated.

“The University of Toledo has been a big part of my life for as long as I can remember,” Brennan said. “I grew up in the shadow of University Hall and spent countless hours in the Glass Bowl, cheering on the unbeatable Rockets. I still own a home in Toledo and care very much about the city and this wonderful University, so I’m happy to help any way that I can.”

Approximately 10 years ago, Brennan started an endowed scholarship at UT.

Brennan, a graduate of Ottawa Hills High School, earned bachelor’s and master’s degrees from Northwestern University’s Medill School of Journalism. She serves on Northwestern University’s Board of Trustees.

Brennan has twice been named one of the country’s top 10 sports columnists by the Associated Press Sports Editors. She was the first president of the Association for Women in Sports Media (AWSM), and created an AWSM program that provides internships and scholarships for women. To date, more than 140 students have benefited from that program.

A staunch advocate for female journalists in a male-oriented profession, she was the first female sports reporter for the Miami Herald. Later hired by The Washington Post, she was the first woman to cover the Washington Redskins as a staff writer for the newspaper.

She went on to cover some of the most controversial subjects in sports. Her USA Today column regarding the male-only member policy at Augusta National Golf Club in 2002 triggered a vigorous national debate. Ten years later, Brennan broke the news that Augusta had revised its policy to include women members.

Brennan also broke the story about a judging scandal in figure skating during the 2002 Winter Olympics in Salt Lake City, as well as a similar judging scandal during the 2014 winter games in Sochi, Russia.

Brennan, who will provide commentary during the Olympics this winter, will deliver the keynote address during UT’s spring commencement ceremony at 10 a.m. Sunday, May 7 in the Glass Bowl on Main Campus.

The University of Toledo’s impact to the region’s economy totals $3.3 billion, according to a comprehensive study by UT economists.

That is equivalent to 9.7 percent of the region’s gross metropolitan area product.

“As the second largest employer in northwest Ohio with an enrollment of more than 20,000 students, we are proud to be one of Toledo’s anchor institutions contributing as a major force to the region’s growth and development,” UT President Sharon L. Gaber said. “The University of Toledo continues to work hard to strengthen the community.”

Dr. Oleg Smirnov, associate professor of economics, and Dr. Olugbenga Ajilore, associate professor of economics, completed the analysis this academic year.

“We show the short-term and cumulative, lasting contributions the institution makes to the region,” Smirnov said. “If the University had not been opened in Toledo 145 years ago, these impacts would not exist.”

The UT economists not only charted University, student and employee spending over the 2015-16 academic year and its ripple effect, they also calculated the long-term value of the educated workforce of UT alumni and faculty living in the area.

Of the $3.3 billion, $1.98 billion in economic growth and competitiveness is contributed by UT faculty and alumni who live in the region. Thirty-three percent of UT alumni have remained in the Toledo area after graduating.

UT is the top-ranked institution in the region for social mobility and second in Ohio. UT also ranks among the highest compared to other Ohio public research universities for income mobility.

“UT provides a path to success and professional opportunity for underrepresented and economically disadvantaged students who wouldn’t otherwise be able to access higher education,” Ajilore said. “Because of this University, they are thriving. Plus, many of them stay in the region and impact the economy once they graduate.”

Of the $3.3 billion in total economic impact, $1.35 billion goes from UT to the Toledo area through payroll, local purchases for day-to-day operations, and expenditures by students and visitors at local businesses. That includes direct impacts of $769 million, which lead to an additional $582 million in indirect and induced effects.

The study finds that for every job at UT, the local economy gains 2.6 full-time equivalent jobs.

According to the study, UT directly generates more than 5,000 full-time jobs, and economic activity by the University leads to the creation of over 8,000 additional direct and indirect jobs. A total of 13,498 jobs were created directly or indirectly because of UT’s presence.

UT’s 20,381 students and visitors to the campus contributed an estimated $340 million to the Toledo area economy in fiscal year 2015-16, according to the report.

Plus, Smirnov and Ajilore looked at state impact. They found that for every $1 invested by the state into UT, $10 of economic impact is generated to the local economy. University operations and associated economic activity contributed $44.4 million in state and local taxes.

“When it comes to supporting higher education, every dollar counts, and any change is felt widespread,” Smirnov said.

Smirnov and Ajilore are available for media interviews between 10:30 a.m. and 12:30 p.m. Thursday, May 4 in the UT Driscoll Alumni Center Schmakel Room.

To read the full report, go to utoledo.edu/economic-impact.

About 100 students from public schools in Ohio and Michigan will present their science research projects at the SATELLITES Student Conference on Wednesday, May 3 at The University of Toledo Thompson Student Union Ingman Room and Room 2582.

The students, who represent grades kindergarten through college, will share their research related to the Earth’s environment through poster presentations that will be judged by local scientists and teachers.

The conference begins at 4:30 p.m. today (Wednesday, May 3) with students presenting their research to the judges from 5 to 6:45 p.m.

Dr. Michael Cushing, associate professor of astronomy and director of UT’s Ritter Planetarium, will give the keynote address at 7 p.m. about the upcoming solar eclipse in August. His address will be followed by the presentation of awards.

The students from districts such as Toledo, Akron and Detroit designed research projects around their own science questions first creating a hypotheses, then collecting data and analyzing their findings to draw conclusions that will be shared through poster displays at the conference.

Dr. Kevin Czajkowski, UT professor of geography and planning, created the SATELLITES program, which stands for Students And Teachers Exploring Local Landscapes to Interpret The Earth from Space.

Through the SATELLITES program, students have access to GLOBE resources to help answer their research questions. GLOBE is the acronym for Global Learning and Observations to Benefit the Environment, which is an international science and education program that connects students, teachers, scientists and citizens from different parts of the world to conduct real, hands-on science about their local environment and put it in a global perspective.

Judge Myron C. Duhart of the Lucas County Court of Common Pleas will deliver the keynote address at The University of Toledo College of Law’s commencement at 10 a.m. Saturday, May 6 in the Thompson Student Union Auditorium.

The ceremony will honor 79 juris doctor and three master of studies in law candidates.

Duhart plans to speak to the graduates about giving back and service to the community — two topics about which he is passionate.

“It is a privilege for the 2017 graduates to receive their law degree; with that privilege comes a duty to give back to the community,” Duhart said. “I hope to inspire these graduates to give back to the communities that produced them.”

Duhart serves on the bench of the Lucas County Court of Common Pleas, General Division, where he hears both criminal and civil cases.

Prior to taking his place on the bench in 2011, Duhart practiced both criminal defense and personal injury law. As a criminal defense attorney, he litigated several high-profile cases and was part of a select group of attorneys certified by the Ohio Supreme Court to take death penalty cases. He also served in the U.S. Army’s Judge Advocate General Corps, with duty assignment throughout the U.S. and in Panama.

In addition, Duhart shares his extensive litigation experience with UT law students, teaching a course in trial practice.

A lifelong learner, Duhart earned his bachelor’s degree from Wright State University, juris doctor from the UT College of Law in 1996, and is pursuing a master of laws degree in judicial studies from the Duke University School of Law. He also attended the Harvard Kennedy School of Government.

Duhart is noted for his service to the community and serves on the UT College of Law Board of Governors, the UT Paralegal Studies Advisory Board, and the board of Mercy Health System North. He also is past president of Toledo’s Thurgood Marshall Law Association.

“I am delighted that Judge Duhart will be giving our annual commencement address. He is an accomplished alumnus with a record of public service, both a judge and a U.S. Army Judge Advocate General,” said UT Law Dean D. Benjamin Barros. “I look forward to hearing the advice and encouragement he gives to our graduates as they embark on their legal careers.”

Have you ever wondered why the sky is blue, Mars is red, and plants are green?

The community is invited to The University of Toledo Ritter Planetarium to take an adventure along the electromagnetic spectrum and discover the world of color at 8:30 p.m. every Friday from May 5 through June 30.

“Cosmic Colors, an Adventure Along the Spectrum,” an original production of the Daniel M. Soref Planetarium in cooperation with the Great Lakes Planetarium Association, will be projected inside UT’s full dome.

The show takes viewers on a tour of a plant leaf and through a human eye. Plus, it explores the world of infrared in a roaring fire, and it investigates x-rays by taking on a monstrous black hole.

Admission to the program is $7 for adults and $5 for children, senior citizens and UT community members. All children younger than 4 are free.

Doors open 30 minutes before the show.

The University of Toledo College of Engineering will host a special event Thursday, May 4 to announce a new program in partnership with Dana Inc. and Toledo Excel.

At the event, Dana will present the College of Engineering with a check for $250,000 to create the Dana Excelling into Engineering Scholarship Program.

The check presentation will take place at 11 a.m. in Nitschke Hall Room 1027.

The initiative aims to increase the recruitment, enrollment, retention and success of underrepresented minority students in degree programs offered by the College of Engineering.

Dr. Lesley Berhan, director of engineering diversity initiatives and associate professor of mechanical, industrial and manufacturing engineering, will lead the new program.

“Through this partnership with Dana Inc. and Toledo Excel, we hope to develop a sustainable pipeline to the College of Engineering for underrepresented students in the Toledo area that will introduce them to the exciting world of engineering and enhance their academic and professional preparation,” Berhan said.

“Diversity is a priority both for the University and for the employers who hire our graduates,” said Dr. Steve LeBlanc, interim dean of the College of Engineering. “At the College of Engineering, we are thrilled to partner with Dana to provide more support for minority students in engineering programs. We hope to increase the success of students in this program by providing mentorship and professional development before the students even enroll at UT.”

The Dana Excelling into Engineering Scholarship Program is a four-stage program that will start after the completion of 11th grade with a summer institute, beginning in July. Mentorship and professional development opportunities will continue through the completion of a degree from the College of Engineering.

“Dana is proud to partner with The University of Toledo in this endeavor to better connect students from underrepresented communities to career paths in engineering,” George Constand, chief technology officer at Dana Inc., said. “We believe this will help to promote greater diversity and inclusion among the engineering workforce of the future.”

For 28 years Toledo Excel has provided college preparation and scholarships to underrepresented students, including African, Asian, Hispanic and Native Americans. 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 Excelling into Engineering Scholarship Program is a wonderful opportunity for us to expand what we do for some of our Excel students who are interested in careers in engineering,” David Young, director of the Toledo Excel Program, said. “It provides them with a great introduction to the field through amazing faculty in the University’s College of Engineering; mentorship and guidance from a fantastic company like Dana; and continued support from the Toledo Excel staff that has invested in them since the time they left middle school. I am thrilled that the idea Dr. Berhan discussed with me many months ago has now become reality.”

More information on the Dana Excelling into Engineering Scholarship Program can be found at utoledo.edu/engineering/about/diversity/dana_excelling_into_engineering_program.html.

A national study by University of Toledo researchers shows 75 percent of adults in the U.S. have not completed end-of-life planning.

Only 18 percent of Hispanic and 8 percent of African-American respondents had a living will, durable power of attorney or talked with family members and loved ones about their wishes, in contrast to 33 percent of whites.

The UT research study titled “Predicting Racial and Ethnic Disparities in Advance Care Planning Using the Integrated Behavioral Model,” which also investigates reasons behind the racial and ethnic gap, was recently published in OMEGA: The Journal of Death and Dying.

Dr. Timothy Jordan

“We don’t like to talk about our mortality,” Dr. Timothy Jordan, professor in UT’s School of Population Health in the College of Health and Human Services, said. “But the minute we’re born, we begin the dying process.”

Jordan cites the case of Terri Schiavo, a 26-year-old Florida woman whose death more than 12 years ago still resonates.

After suffering cardiac arrest in 1990, Schiavo was the focus of a contentious, seven-year fight that pitted her parents – and many “right-to-life” advocates – against her husband, Michael, who vowed to remove her from artificial life-support based on her previously spoken wishes.

Jordan said the lack of hard copy documentation of Terri Schiavo’s wishes propelled her case into a slew of legal machinations that twisted through the Florida governor’s office, to the U.S. Senate floor and, ultimately, to the U.S. Supreme Court.

Without clear documentation of one’s end-of-life wishes, Jordan said, the battle that fueled the “what would Terri want” argument could erupt any time, with anyone at its epicenter.

“We live in a society that’s death-denying,” Jordan said, noting that current funeral practices beautify corpses with makeup and hair-styling, and use carpets of artificial grass to hide the freshly dug gravesite holding the deceased’s casket. “We don’t like to talk about death because it reminds us that we’re mortal.”

Several studies, he said, have established that racial/ethnic minority adults are less likely than whites to complete advance care planning, also called end-of-life planning.

“The question is why,” Jordan said. “[Current research] has just reported that gap. No one has really explained why it occurs.”

Jordan and then-UT doctoral student Dr. Colette McAfee, now an assistant professor at Westminster College in Salt Lake City, Utah, designed a study to investigate why African-Americans and Hispanics were less likely to have three of the following advance care components completed:

• Living will
• Durable power of attorney for health-care decisions
• Verbal discussion with family members and loved ones

The three-component approach is significant. Most studies, Jordan said, consider advance care planning complete if one or two of the elements have been finalized.

The study sampled a random cross-section of 386 American adults between 40 and 80 years of age. Fifty-one percent was female, with 49 percent male. The racial/ethnic makeup and geographical locations of respondents, Jordan noted, were nearly identical to the U.S. population.

Three in four respondents had not completed advance care planning as defined by the study.

“Hispanics were two times more likely than blacks and eight times more likely than whites to say they’d never even heard of end-of-life planning,” Jordan said. “That really shocked us.”

Even more noteworthy was the finding that just 30 percent of respondents’ advance care planning intentions was explained by the Integrative Behavioral Model – a well-accepted standard that helps researchers explain and predict behaviors.

“One of the key take-home points is that 70 percent of the decision to do complete end-of-life planning in the future was outside of our behavior model,” Jordan said. “We could only explain 30 percent of respondents’ behavioral intention, so what other factors were at work?”

He cites several speculations, including lack of awareness, computer access, knowledge of end-of-life documentation and accessibility; as well as language barriers. He and McAfee may address these issues in future studies.

When McAfee presented the research at the American Public Health Association annual meeting last fall, many researchers from across the U.S. were interested in expanding it.

Dr. Colette McAfee

“Dr. Jordan and I are already working on a follow-up study with similar parameters, but in a younger population,” McAfee said, noting the target age range for respondents will be between 20 and 40. “We know that the younger the population, the less likely they are to give attention to advance care planning.”

Since Hispanics were the least likely to have a basic awareness of advance care planning, McAfee also intends to further explore cultural subsets, including Hispanics of Puerto Rican, Mexican and Cuban descent. Additional research may focus on Americans of Pacific-Islander and Asian origin.

McAfee taught courses on death and dying at UT and has initiated a similar class at Westminster College, where she works mostly with public health students. She and Jordan find it remarkable that a formal end-of-life curriculum is not required for all students in nursing, pre-medical and other clinical fields, considering most of these students will deal with life-threatening illnesses and death frequently during their careers.

“I think it’s extremely important,” McAfee said of exposing student populations, even those in high schools, to education regarding death and dying. “It’s a prime opportunity to bring up end-of-life issues. If you’re an oncologist or a health care practitioner who deals with critical illnesses, you need to be able to communicate these issues with your patients or they won’t get the appropriate care.”

She and Jordan believe the general population is open to end-of-life discussions, but reticent to initiate them.

“Once you bring it up, most people are willing to discuss it,” McAfee said. “Primary care and family physicians, in particular, would provide a perfect atmosphere to intervene because they have longstanding relationships with their patients.”

If those conversations don’t take place, Jordan said people become aware of end-of-life issues when a close friend or family member becomes progressively ill or has a catastrophic situation.

“The only time you really think about it is when we have a big, national case that goes to the Supreme Court, like the Terri Schiavo case,” Jordan added. “But it’s something we need to think about and bring into the classroom, because how much more relevant can a class be?”

The University of Toledo is ranked 66^th in the nation by the Milken Institute’s Center for Jobs and Human Capital in its list of Best Universities for Technology Transfer.

The 2017 report focuses on innovative discoveries at public and private research universities that lead to new products and a rise in entrepreneurial success and regional economic impact through job creation and growth.

The ranking measurements include a four-year average of research expenditures, patents, licenses executed, licensing income and start-up companies. The University Technology Transfer and Commercialization Index uses data from 2012-15.

In fiscal years 2012 through 2015, the University received 258 invention disclosures and entered into 59 option or license agreements. Eleven start-up companies were established to commercialize UT technology.

“I was pleased to see the University was ranked in the top 75 Best Universities for Technology Transfer by the Milken Institute,” Stephen Snider, UT associate vice president of technology transfer, said. “This wouldn’t be possible without the participation of faculty, staff and students throughout the institution who help our office to protect and transfer novel innovations to the commercial marketplace.”

According to the report, “More than 1,000 firms were launched in fiscal year 2015 through [Technology Transfer Offices] at research universities, with more than 70 percent of start-ups located in the same state as the affiliated university.”

“The University of Toledo’s Technology Transfer Office has been one of the top performers in the state for many years under the leadership of Stephen Snider,” Dr. Frank Calzonetti, UT vice president of research, said. “We are proud to support faculty and students who are coming up with creative ways to solve problems and helping generate high-tech jobs.”

Ohio State University is ranked No. 55 on the Milken Institute’s list. Ohio University is ranked No. 113 and University of Dayton No. 200. The University of Utah is No. 1.

For the entire report, go to milkeninstitute.org/publications/view/856.