A small envelope tucked away in a safe in the attic of Toledo’s Safety Building downtown was labeled with a handwritten note reading, “Charter of the City of Toledo Year 1837.”

The fragile pieces of paper inside, which had been carefully folded and stored by city employees at some point in history, document the original charter and by-laws of the city of Toledo printed in 1837, the year the city was founded.

The “Charter of the City of Toledo Year 1837” is now preserved in the Canaday Center for Special Collections.

“It is unusual for such historically significant documents as the city’s first charter to be squirreled away like that in the attic of a city building,” said Barbara Floyd, director of Ward M. Canaday Center for Special Collections at The University of Toledo. “But the fact that they still exist 180 years later indicates that storing them in the attic ensured their survival.”

The charter document that includes numerous amendments — some written directly on the charter, another written out in longhand and attached to the back of the document — is now permanently preserved in the Canaday Center in UT’s Carlson Library, where it will be housed in a temperature and humidity controlled environment and available for public viewing.

UT will present these historic documents to the public at an event 10 a.m. Tuesday, Sept. 19 in the Canaday Center with UT President Sharon L. Gaber, Toledo Mayor Paula Hicks-Hudson and elected city officials.

In addition to the original charter that features the signature of Toledo’s first mayor John Berdan, the safe contained a poll book for the year 1836 with a handwritten list of the 226 individuals living in the township of Port Lawrence who were eligible to vote in the city’s first election. It was dated Oct. 11, 1836 and contains the names of many of the most important people in the history of the city, including Benjamin Stickney and Stickney’s son, Two Stickney.

“These would have been the individuals who voted in the election for Toledo’s first mayor,” Floyd said.

The collection of historic city records also includes several other iterations of the charter from the 19th century, including folders of handwritten amendments from 1845 and 1851, and a complete charter from 1846 that bears the certifying signature of Ohio Secretary of State Samuel Galloway from back when city charters had to be approved by the state legislature.

The city records also document some details of the history of The University of Toledo.  One handwritten piece dated 1874 concerns an effort by the trustees of the Toledo University of Arts and Trades, which had been founded by Jesup W. Scott two years before, to give the assets of the University to the city of Toledo after Scott’s death.  That did not happen, and the University closed four years later.  In 1884, what remained of the University’s assets was turned over to Toledo, and the school reopened as a municipal school that year, which it would remain until 1967.

The collection also contains a ballot and certified election results for the bond issue approved by voters in November 1928 that raised $2.8 million to build UT’s Bancroft Street campus.

The newest records found earlier this year in the Safety Building were added to existing local historical documents the Canaday Center acquired two years ago, including the first minute book of Toledo City Council from 1837, records of Toledo’s city manager dating from 1947, and a large collection of annual reports from city departments, dating from the 1890s.

“I have been an archivist for 35 years, and have helped to preserve some great collections,” said Floyd, who will retire from her position as director of the Canaday Center and university archivist at the end of September. “But these materials that document the city of Toledo are some of the most important materials I have ever come across.  Ensuring they are preserved and accessible to the public is a highlight of my career.”

Some of the city documents will be on public display in the Canaday Center’s next exhibit, “Preserving Yesterday for Tomorrow: The Best of the Ward M. Canaday Center,” that is slated to open in early November.

The University of Toledo continues to make strides in student success as it works to retain and graduate more students.

Total enrollment for fall semester 2017 is 20,579, according to official 15-day census numbers. UT had 20,648 students enrolled in fall semester 2016.

The academic preparedness of the incoming class improved with an average ACT score of 22.9, an increase from 22.7 in fall 2016, and an average GPA of 3.42, up from 3.36 the year before.

Included in the enrollment numbers is an increase in the first-year to second-year undergraduate retention rate, which is the fourth consecutive year the University has experienced an increase as it intensifies its focus on retaining and graduating more students. UT also saw an increase in the number of students continuing their education across all class levels.

“Today’s students have many options as they seek an engaging college experience, and we continue to work hard to share the wonderful opportunities available at The University of Toledo,” President Sharon L. Gaber said. “We don’t want students to simply enroll. We want them to succeed, graduate from UT and go on to pursue successful careers. We are committed to maintaining this positive momentum.”

The fall 2017 enrollment includes 16,194 undergraduate students and 4,385 graduate and professional students. The fall 2016 enrollment included 16,247 undergraduates and 4,401 graduate students.

Among the areas of notable growth for UT is the College of Law, which experienced a more than 10 percent increase in students this fall, and the Colleges of Business and Innovation, Engineering, Natural Sciences and Mathematics, and Nursing.

BOARD OF TRUSTEES MEETINGS
Revised Schedule

Wednesday, Sept. 13, 2017
Driscoll Alumni Center, Board Room
5:30 p.m. Board of Trustees Social Dinner

Monday, Sept. 18, 2017
Driscoll Alumni Center, Schmakel Room
12:30 p.m. Clinical Affairs Committee Meeting
1:45 p.m. Academic and Student Affairs Committee Meeting
2 p.m. Finance and Audit Committee Meeting
2:15 p.m. Trusteeship and Governance Committee Meeting
2:30 p.m. Board of Trustees Meeting
A luncheon for the trustees will be held at noon in the Driscoll Alumni Center Board Room.

Any questions may be directed to the Office of University Communications by calling 419.530.2410 or via email at meghan.cunningham@utoledo.edu.

BOARD OF TRUSTEES MEETINGS

Thursday, Sept. 7, 2017
Radisson Hotel, 3100 Restaurant
8 a.m. Board of Trustees Social Breakfast

Wednesday, Sept. 13, 2017
Driscoll Alumni Center, Board Room
5:30 p.m. Board of Trustees Social Dinner

Monday, Sept. 18, 2017
Driscoll Alumni Center, Schmakel Room
12:30 p.m. Clinical Affairs Committee Meeting
1 p.m. Academic and Student Affairs Committee Meeting
1:15 p.m. Finance and Audit Committee Meeting
1:30 p.m. Trusteeship and Governance Committee Meeting
1:45 Board of Trustees Meeting
A luncheon for the trustees will be held at noon in the Driscoll Alumni Center Board Room.

Any questions may be directed to the Office of University Communications by calling 419.530.2410 or via email at meghan.cunningham@utoledo.edu.

A new Drinking Water Research Laboratory at The University of Toledo will allow local municipalities to quickly and easily test the safety of the public water supply.

A $500,000 grant from the State of Ohio Community Capital Program provided the state-of-the-art technology and renovations for the laboratory in the UT College of Engineering.

A ribbon-cutting ceremony will be held at 10 a.m. Tuesday, Sept. 5 in North Engineering Room 1600 with UT researchers joined by elected officials and community partners.

The lab’s new liquid chromatography mass spectrometer system and new flow cytometer will be used to detect various cyanotoxins, such as microcystin from the toxic algal blooms in Lake Erie, and assimilable organic carbon, which is used by harmful microorganisms, to ensure the contaminants are not present in drinking water.

The dedicated lab focused exclusively on drinking water research eliminates concerns of cross contamination from other samples to allow very low detection limits for improved testing accuracy.

“Water treatment plants in Ohio face new challenges from a host of emerging algal toxins, as well as contaminants from other emerging micropollutants, such as pharmaceutical products or microplastics, in their source waters,” said Dr. Youngwoo Seo, associate professor in UT’s civil and environmental engineering and chemical engineering departments. “By engaging with the lab, the municipalities can get early warning signs of new and emerging algal toxins, as well as quantification of existing toxins during cases of concern.”

“Many water utilities have difficulties in continuously analyzing samples due to high costs and limited time. They will now have access to the lab on a regular basis for monitoring contaminants in treated water, as well as samples from different points in the treatment process,” said Dr. Joseph G. Lawrence, UT research professor and director of the Center for Materials and Sensor Characterization. “A water utility could, for example, send water samples every week during the algal bloom to track the concentration of toxins in source water and treated water so that they can make informed decisions on the type of treatment.”

Water quality is a major research focus at UT. With $12.5 million in active grants underway, UT experts are studying algal blooms, invasive species such as Asian carp, and pollutants. Researchers are looking for pathways to restore our greatest natural resource for future generations to ensure our communities continue to have access to safe drinking water.

The University of Toledo graduates have the lowest student loan debt among the state’s public colleges, according to a recent analysis of student debt by LendEDU.

The average student debt per borrower for UT’s class of 2016 was $24,437, which ranks the University the best among Ohio’s public colleges and universities. In the nation, UT was named 121 in the list of best public colleges for lowest student loan debt.

UT also has the lowest per credit hour undergraduate tuition and fees of any Ohio research university and the third lowest of any major public university in the state.

“Keeping a University of Toledo education affordable is a commitment we have made to our students and their families, and this study confirms we are keeping that promise,” UT President Sharon L. Gaber said. “When you consider the positive impact a UT degree has on a graduate’s social and income mobility, we are delivering an exceptional value to our students.”

LendEDU, which helps students with loans, loan refinancing and personal finance, used data collected from the annual Peterson’s financial aid survey in which there were responses from 1,161 institutions to evaluate student loan debt.

Ohio ranked 16th overall for its college students’ debt load, which averages $29,579.

Physicists at The University of Toledo plan to monitor the power output of its solar panels on Main Campus during the solar eclipse Monday, Aug. 21.

The team plans to display the data in real time during UT Ritter Planetarium’s free, public viewing event from 12:30 to 4 p.m. on the campus lawn between Ritter and McMaster Hall.

“It will be an unusual day for photovoltaic systems, and there is a lot of interest nationally in how the electrical grid responds to the change in solar electricity during the eclipse,” Dr. Randy Ellingson, UT professor of physics, said. “We are forecasting the solar electricity generated by UT’s solar array systems at the R-1 Building along Dorr Street, and also on the Scott Park Campus of Energy and Innovation. Accurately modeling and predicting solar electricity generation, which depends on weather conditions, will help power companies maintain grid reliability without major disturbance to electricity customers.”

Toledo is expecting a partial eclipse where the moon will block nearly the entire sun. According to Alex Mak, UT associate planetarium director, Toledoans should see an approximately 80 percent eclipse, weather permitting.

“As the moon moves into place, it will of course block sunlight that powers the solar panels,” Ellingson said. “In regions of the country with high penetration of solar photovoltaic arrays, grid operators will need to shift electricity locally and regionally to meet the temporary shortfall from solar arrays.”

According to the Energy Information Administration, no electricity reliability issues are expected in the United States.

During the eclipse viewing celebration, UT astronomers will have several safely filtered telescopes set up outside looking at the eclipse.

In the event of clouds, a web stream of the eclipse from other locations across the country will be playing in McMaster Hall Room 1005.

To preserve the beauty, health and safety of a northwest Ohio shoreline frequently visited by families, The University of Toledo Lake Erie Center is inviting the public to help pick up litter on Maumee Bay State Park’s public beach at 4 p.m. Friday, Aug. 18 in Oregon.

The Lake Erie beach cleanup is in partnership with the Alliance for the Great Lakes, which holds Adopt-a-Beach events throughout the region each year sponsored by Barefoot Wine and Bubbly.

Last year, 15,181 Adopt-a-Beach volunteers removed 40,211 pounds of trash as part of 1,388 cleanups throughout the Great Lakes region, including Illinois, Indiana, Michigan, New York, Ohio and Wisconsin.

In 2016, the majority of trash picked up by Adopt-a-Beach volunteers (87 percent) was plastic.

For additional information, contact the UT Lake Erie Center at 419.530.8360.

A task force created by President Sharon L. Gaber to review The University of Toledo’s practices and policies related to sexual assault awareness, prevention and adjudication and compare them to best practices at other universities has completed its assessment.

UT is among the safest campuses in Ohio with consistently low reports of sexual misconduct and has strong prevention programming and support services that meet or exceed those offered at peer institutions, according to the Sexual Assault Misconduct Assessment and Recommendations report produced by the task force.

The task force put together a list of 27 recommendations to enhance the programs and services available at the University to position the institution as a leader in the prevention and adjudication of sexual misconduct.

“The task force did a thorough review of the University’s practices and those of our peers to ensure we are providing the most effective prevention and support services for our students, faculty and staff when it comes to the issue of sexual misconduct, which unfortunately continues to be a concern on college campuses across the country,” Gaber said. “I look forward to working with the campus to implement the recommendations to ensure UT continues to be a safe and welcoming environment.”

UT’s resources in this area include a Sexual Assault Prevention and Education Program; a Alcohol, Tobacco and Other Drug Prevention Program; a University Counseling Center; a Center for Student Advocacy and Wellness; a partnership with YWCA H.O.P.E. Center; and a Director of Title IX and Compliance, who will now report to the Vice President for Student Affairs to facilitate better communication and collaboration.

The Sexual Assault Awareness, Prevention and Adjudication Task Force identified strengths, gaps in services and ways to improve the delivery of services. The recommendations are focused on four themes: comprehensive university-wide efforts, prevention and programming efforts, resource availability, and investigation and adjudication.

Among the recommendations are:

• Create a Title IX committee to coordinate comprehensive implementation of programs and services across campus. The committee should be chaired by the Director of Title IX and Compliance.
• Ensure full implementation of university procedures that require incoming students to disclose criminal or student conduct complaints filed against them.
• Enhance alcohol, tobacco and other drug prevention resources available to students, staff and faculty.
• Expand existing sexual misconduct prevention education required for first-year students to all students prior to the start of the academic year.
• Strengthen communication with targeted messaging that promotes a no tolerance climate for sexual misconduct and encourages students to report such acts.
• Diversify programs and resources and continuously evaluate them to ensure they are evidence-based and effectively reach all members of the campus community.

“The goal of our task force was to determine what we were doing well, what we can do better, and how to replicate evidence based-practices that other model programs have. We want to be a leader in the prevention of sexual misconduct,” said Dr. Amy Thompson, professor of public health and director of the UT Center for Health and Successful Living, who co-chaired the task force. “The recommendations put forth by the task force are a framework to plan future programs and services that help our campus continue to be a safe place for students, faculty and staff to attend classes and work.”

“Student safety is our top priority and UT takes the issue of sexual misconduct very seriously,” said Valerie Simmons Walston, associate vice president for student affairs and director of residence life, who co-chaired the task force. “It is imperative that we offer our University community the educational programming needed for prevention and the best support services and resources needed to respond to this issue to keep our students, faculty and staff safe.”

To review the Sexual Misconduct Assessment and Recommendations, click here.

BOARD OF TRUSTEES MEETINGS
Thursday, August 10, 2017
Radisson Hotel, 3100 Restaurant
8 a.m. Board of Trustees Social Breakfast

Wednesday, August 16, 2017
Driscoll Alumni Center, Schmakel Room
5:30 p.m. Board of Trustees Social Dinner

Monday, August 21, 2017
Mulford Library, Board Room
4 p.m. Privileging and Credentialing Subcommittee Meeting
This subcommittee will enter Executive Session immediately upon convening
the meeting to discuss privileged information related to the evaluation of
medical staff personnel appointments.

Thursday, August 24, 2017
Radisson Hotel, 3100 Restaurant
8 a.m. Board of Trustees Social Breakfast

Any questions may be directed to the Office of University Communications by calling 419.530.2410 or via email at meghan.cunningham@utoledo.edu.