A new vice president for enrollment management will join The University of Toledo next month to advance efforts to increase student enrollment and retention.

Jim Anderson, associate vice president for enrollment services for Boise State University, will start Jan. 7.

Anderson

“The University of Toledo is a university on the move. Toledo is poised to continue to build on current successes, and I’m excited to share in President Gaber’s vision to improve student enrollment, retention and graduation rates,” Anderson said. “I look forward to joining the faculty, staff and administration in Toledo who clearly have a shared passion for education and supporting students.” Anderson

“Jim’s comprehensive approach to enrollment management and his commitment to collaborating with units across an institution to develop the type of partnerships you need for long-term successes will enhance our efforts to attract and retain more students at UT,” President Sharon L. Gaber said.

In his role leading enrollment management, Anderson will be responsible for providing direction for continuous, university-wide strategic enrollment planning that focuses on recruiting, enrolling, retaining and graduating a talented and diverse student body.

At Boise State, Anderson led three years of record enrollment across the entire institution, as well as in new freshman and transfer students. In addition, enrollment in the Honors College and the number of students living on campus also increased to capacity. He also created the first university-wide, long-term strategic enrollment plan and increased the use of analytical tools to drive data-informed decision making.

In addition to his experience at Boise State, where he had served since 2013, Anderson was director of enrollment planning at Texas Tech University, where he also served as associate director of financial aid and manager of its Teaching, Learning and Technology Center.

Prior to joining higher education, Anderson was a teacher and managed a team in the development of curriculum and student support for Lubbock Independent School District in Lubbock, Texas. Since 2011, he has been a strategic enrollment planning and recruitment consultant for Ruffalo Noel Levitz working with more than 10 different campuses across the United States and in Canada.

Anderson has a master’s degree in higher education administration and bachelor’s degree in psychology from Texas Tech University.

BOARD OF TRUSTEES MEETINGS
Wednesday, November 14, 2018
Driscoll Alumni Center Board Room
4:30 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.

Driscoll Alumni Center Schmakel Room
5:30 p.m. Board of Trustees Dinner

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

A marketing professional experienced in higher education branding and crisis communications will join The University of Toledo to lead the Office of University Marketing and Communications.

King

Dr. Adrienne King, vice president of university advancement for Murray State University in Murray, Ky., will join UT Jan. 7 as associate vice president of marketing and communications.

At Murray State, King has led the branding, marketing and communication, alumni relations and development teams, as well as the Town & Gown Partnership Program since 2015. Under her leadership, the university completed a comprehensive marketing plan to increase the academic perception of the institution and strategically changed the academic profile of incoming students, grew private support by an average of 47 percent, and tripled the size of the university’s alumni association.

Prior to Murray State, King held similar leadership positions for several higher education institutions as the director of marketing and communications for Idaho State University, director of relations and communications for West Virginia University Institute of Technology, and director of marketing for University of Charleston.

“The University’s marketing team has an important role to engage prospective students, our alumni, the campus community and all of our external stakeholders as we highlight the many successes of The University of Toledo,” UT President Sharon L. Gaber said. “Adrienne’s experience and passion for higher education will provide strong leadership to help advance our efforts to better tell the UT story and elevate the University’s reputation.”

“I am honored to have been selected by President Gaber to help The University of Toledo showcase the well-earned reputation for a world-class education and excellence in research, scholarship and clinical practice,” King said. “With the University’s 150th anniversary quickly approaching, it’s an exciting time to be a Rocket. I am so impressed with the passion and momentum shared by the entire UT community. It’s obvious that Toledo is a very special place.”

King’s previous marketing teams have won more than 20 regional and national awards from organizations such as the Public Relations Society of America and the Council for Advancement and Support of Education for their work on recruitment initiatives, crisis communications, social media campaigns and fundraising/crowdfunding projects.

King has a doctor of education degree in educational leadership in higher education administration and a master’s degree in integrated marketing communications from West Virginia University, and bachelor’s degrees in graphic design and advertising and public relations from Marietta College. She also is a graduate of the 2018 Leadership America program, a national executive leadership program designed for senior-level women who represent the broadest spectrum of professional, cultural, geographic and ethnic diversity.

The University of Toledo and Toledo Museum of Art announced today a strengthened partnership that will advance visual literacy education.

The new initiative will provide opportunities for UT students across all majors to master the ability to “speak visual” through targeted curriculum modules incorporated into their existing course offerings.

The Association of College & Research Libraries (ACRL) defines visual literacy as a set of abilities that enables an individual to effectively find, interpret, evaluate, use and create images and visual media. Visual literacy is a skill that is critical to effective communication, creativity and design thinking.

“This collaboration will provide our students engaging lessons within their disciplines that will give them a step up when it comes to better explaining their complex scientific data graphically or connecting in a new way with the community to solve important social issues,” UT President Sharon L. Gaber said. “Visual literacy is an important skill for our students who are the future leaders of our community and our world. We are excited to strengthen our partnership with the museum to advance this discipline.”

“Learning to read, understand and write visual language is an ability that helps all aspects of life,” TMA Director Brian Kennedy said. “The visually literate person uses sensory skills for critical thinking, by better interpreting the world around us, thereby advancing opportunity for a more productive and engaged life.”

This collaboration leverages the strengths of TMA’s Center of Visual Expertise (COVE) and the Museum’s experience teaching visual literacy to young K-12 students, as well as professionals in the industrial and manufacturing fields, in combination with the strengths of UT’s Center for the Visual Arts in art education, Jesup Scott Honors College in interdisciplinary learning and UT Libraries in supporting information literacy.

The initiative began with a pilot Honors seminar course co-taught by UT and museum educators and an elective for medical students called “Art and Medicine: Using Visual Literacy to Improve Diagnostic Skills.”

The curriculum module options will be expanded to be available to all courses on campus. The goal is to have the visual literacy modules adopted into at least 20 additional courses in the spring semester.

The effort is led by Dr. Heidi Appel, dean of the Jesup Scott Honors College at UT, and Mike Deetsch, Director of Education and Engagement at TMA, and involves a team of approximately 20 faculty and staff from both institutions who are contributing their time to this partnership.

The visual literacy initiative was made possible, in part, with financial support from Judith Herb, a generous longtime supporter of both institutions.

The University of Toledo and Toledo Museum of Art will celebrate a strengthened partnership at a signing ceremony Friday, Oct. 12 for a new initiative to advance visual literacy education.

UT President Sharon L. Gaber and TMA Director Brian Kennedy will lead the signing of a memorandum of understanding at 10 a.m. in the Museum’s Great Gallery.

The agreement formalizes an ongoing effort to expand the teaching of visual literacy to UT students across all disciplines so that they can learn the skills to read, comprehend and write visual language.

The University of Toledo President Sharon L. Gaber and Toledo Mayor Wade Kapszukiewicz will kick off the start of “Rocket Week” with an official proclamation from the mayor and ceremonial raising of the UT flag outside One Government Center on Friday, Aug. 24, at 10 a.m.

Rocket Week is a series of special events the first week of the 2018-19 academic year leading up to the home-opening football game of the defending Mid-American Conference Champion Toledo Rockets. The Rockets host VMI at the Glass Bowl on Saturday, Sept. 1, at 7 p.m.

In addition to the location at One Government Center, Rocket flags will be flown at other city buildings and parks. Toledo area businesses and fans are encouraged to fly their University or Rocket flags during the week leading up to the home opener and all season long.

As part of Rocket Week, UT and the city of Toledo also will recognize city employees during the game and pregame festivities.

“We’re ready for another exciting school year and Rocket football season,” Gaber said. “UT is proud to be this city’s university. We also are very proud of our MAC Champions. I want to highly encourage our community to join us in showing their Rocket pride. I look forward to celebrating with Rocket fans and recognizing the dedicated individuals who serve our city.”

“The city of Toledo has an amazing university with an incredible athletics program, and I invite all Toledoans to join me in showing their Rocket pride as we raise the UT flag at One Government Center, city parks and other sites across the city — including my own home,” Kapszukiewicz said. “I want to thank UT for recognizing the hard work city employees do for our community. We will see you at the game on Sept. 1 and throughout the season.”

Some of the events during Rocket Week include a pep rally on campus Wednesday, Aug. 29, as well as downtown pep rallies on Thursday, Aug. 30, at the food trucks at Levis Square and on Friday, Aug. 31 in the entertainment district. The Friday night rallies continue a tradition in which the Rocket Marching Band performs at various establishments, marching through the downtown streets between each performance.

Throughout the week, and especially on “Rocket Thursday,” fans are encouraged to wear their Rocket gear or school colors midnight blue and gold in support of UT. The University celebrates Rocket Thursday each week throughout the school year.

On game day, UT will debut Stadium Drive Live, a pregame tailgate event located adjacent to the Glass Bowl on Stadium Drive that will take place prior to the first five Rocket home games this season. Opening three hours prior to kickoff, Stadium Drive Live will give fans an opportunity to enjoy tailgate games and live music performances on the Battery Wholesale stage. Fans will be able to purchase food and beverages from Aramark’s Tailgate Gourmet II booth, which will offer grilled hamburgers and hot dogs and other items, in addition to food trucks and the Bud Light Beer Garden.

For more information about Rocket Week or to purchase football tickets, stop by the UT Athletic Ticket Office at Savage Arena, go online to UTRockets.com or call 419.530.GOLD (4653).

Rocky’s Locker will offer a Rocket Week promotion providing customers a 3×5 flag with the purchase of $50 in Rocket gear, while supplies last. Participate on social media using the hashtag #RocketWeek.

Rocket Week Events
Friday, Aug. 24
UT flag-raising ceremony, 10 a.m., One Government Center.

Wednesday, Aug. 29
Pep Rally at UT Campus, 12:30 p.m., Centennial Mall.

Thursday, Aug. 30
Pep Rally at Food Truck Thursday, 12:15 p.m., Levis Square, Downtown Toledo.

Friday, Aug. 31
Rocket Marching Band Pep Rally Parade, 9:30-10:30 p.m., downtown entertainment district.

Saturday, Sept. 1
Stadium Drive Live, 4-7 p.m., on Stadium Drive adjacent to the Glass Bowl.
Rocket Football vs. VMI, 7 p.m., Glass Bowl.

Sunday, Sept. 2
Rocket Women’s Soccer vs. IUPUI, 1 p.m, Scott Park.

Art on the Mall will take over UT’s Centennial Mall from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Sunday, July 29.

This summer marks the free, public event’s 26th year of showcasing a variety of art on Main Campus. Attendees will have the opportunity to view and purchase original art, including acrylic, glass, jewelry, mixed media, photography, pottery and more.

“We welcome and encourage everyone to attend one of northwest Ohio’s signature art shows,” said Ansley Abrams-Frederick, director of alumni programming in the UT Office of Alumni and Annual Engagement. “It’s a great way to spend a summer day — looking at amazing artwork on our beautiful campus.”

A total of 115 artists will have artwork for sale by cash, or guests can pay using a credit card at the artist’s booth or credit card station located in the Thompson Student Union.

Representatives from the Ft. Wayne Museum of Art will jury the works with prizes being awarded to the top artists. UT’s Best of Show award will be given to an artist with an affiliation to the University; students, faculty, staff, retirees, alumni and parents are eligible for this honor.

Throughout the event, guests can listen to live jazz with performances from UT student and alumni groups Minor Frett and the Twenty TwentyFour.

Food and beverages will be for sale throughout the day from vendors that will include Big C’s Smoked Barbeque, Karen Anne’s Kettle Corn, Opa! Gyros, Java Sensations/Let’s Go Nuts, Quinn’s Concessions, Jeanie’s Comfort Cuisine, Snowie Daze, the Petite Fleet, and K & K Concessions.

A beer and wine garden will offer a selection of adult beverages for guests 21 and older with a valid ID. This year the show will feature three flavors of craft beer from one of the area’s newest establishments, Patron Saints Brewery on Bancroft Street.

In addition, faculty and students from UT’s Ceramics Program in the Department of Art will demonstrate their skills in front of the Thompson Student Union and give guests the chance to “throw a pot.” The UT art students also will have a booth with their work available for sale.

An area for young artists will allow children to create their own masterpieces.

Free parking for the event will be available in lot 1 south, lot 1 north and lot 13 with a golf cart shuttle service available to transport guests and their purchases to and from Centennial Mall.

Art on the Mall is supported by community sponsors 13 ABC, The Andersons Inc., The Blade, the Toledo-Lucas County Port Authority, Mail It, The University of Toledo Federal Credit Union and 101.5 The River.

The University of Toledo has identified three areas of research excellence as it pursues its goal of achieving national recognition for contributions to advancing knowledge.

UT’s current areas of research excellence identified by the University Research Council and endorsed by external reviews are:

• Astronomy and Astrophysics;
• Solar Energy, Water Quality and Sustainable Technologies; and
• Cell Architecture and Dynamics.

“These areas emerged from a yearlong review process and were selected because of the highly accomplished faculty members UT has in these areas who are recognized nationally for contributions to their fields of study,” Vice President for Research Frank Calzonetti said. “Identifying these areas of excellence will help promote the University’s standing as a strong research university and create opportunities for collaboration.”

This will be a continual process with ongoing invitations to consider new areas and to update existing areas of excellence, Calzonetti said.

UT astronomers have produced groundbreaking discoveries in the origins of stars and star clusters. They have access to highly competitive time on the world’s best telescopes, including NASA’s Spitzer Space Telescope and the European Space Agency’s Herschel Space Observatory. UT also is a partner with Lowell Observatory, which provides guaranteed access to the Discovery Channel Telescope in Arizona. The University regularly engages undergraduate and graduate students in research projects with that telescope.

The strength of the University’s astronomy and astrophysics program was recognized nationally in 2016 when UT was selected to join the prestigious Association of Universities for Research in Astronomy (AURA), which includes many of the country’s top programs.

Solar energy, water quality, and sustainable technologies were identified in part due to the University’s strong reputation in research, development, and commercialization of thin-film photovoltaic technologies. For example, in solar energy Dr. Yanfa Yan, Ohio Research Scholar chair and UT professor of physics, has one of the strongest publication records among researchers in his field.

The UT Lake Erie Center receives attention for its work studying harmful algal blooms in Lake Erie and its efforts to protect the quality of the region’s drinking water. Additional faculty members are making important contributions to green chemistry and other sustainability studies.

The cell architecture and dynamics category recognizes the basic science researchers involved in the study of the cell and its structures to better understand cell movement and how that affects disease progression. For example, Dr. Rafael Garcia-Mata, associate professor of biological sciences, has three active National Institutes of Health grants to study the migration of cancer cells away from the primary tumor and their subsequent metastasis to distant organs.

The identification of these areas of research excellence and a plan to advance them is part of the University’s strategic plan. As part of the process to identify existing strong research programs, the Office of Research and Sponsored Programs also recognized spotlight areas of unique distinction, areas of emerging research excellence and areas of future opportunity.

The spotlight areas of unique distinction include programs that have received national recognition with strong faculty leadership, but with few faculty experts on campus currently advancing that field of study. Those spotlight areas identified are:

• Human Trafficking, led by social work professor Dr. Celia Williamson and supported by the UT Human Trafficking and Social Justice Institute;
• Disability and Society, which includes professor Kim E. Nielson, who is the author of the only book to cover the entirety of American disability history titled, “A Disability History of the United States.” UT also offers the only humanities-based undergraduate degree in disabilities studies; and
• Hypertension and Precision Medicine, led by Distinguished University Professor Dr. Bina Joe, a recognized leader in the field of genetic determinants of high blood pressure.

Identified areas of emerging research excellence are those with growth opportunities based upon the significance of their work to science and society. The areas that could benefit from further development are:

• Legacy Cities, which includes a collaborative group of faculty members across the social sciences who study how former industrial cities that experienced massive decline are being reinvented, and
• Cancer, Immune Therapy and Precision Molecular Therapy, which features advances in targeting specific genes or proteins for more effective and less invasive treatment options.

Lastly, areas of future opportunity were identified where a group of faculty members are working in an area of emerging importance in science, technology and society. The areas that could gain recognition through focused investment are:

• Vector Biology, which studies mosquitos and other insects that transmit diseases and affect public health;
• Smart Transportation, which includes advances in autonomous vehicles;
• Data 2 Decision, which is the study of big data and how it is used, analyzed and protected;
• BioPsychoSocial Determinants of Chronic Disease, which studies the economic and social conditions that impact health factors, such as the work underway by UT’s opioid task force; and
• Community-Based STEAM, which features community partnerships, such as with the Toledo Museum of Art, that advance the arts and promote continued education. STEAM is an acronym for science, technology, engineering, art and math.

“The University of Toledo has strong research programs across the institution,” said Jack Schultz, senior executive director for research development. “Our goal with this process was to identify those areas with a high level of recognition at the national level. We look forward to exploring opportunities to elevate their standing and bring more attention to these areas of research excellence.”

The identification of the University’s focus areas does not imply that research without these designations will be unsupported. The University values all faculty research and the contributions each faculty member makes in their fields.

In a strong show of support for The University of Toledo President Sharon L. Gaber’s leadership, the UT Board of Trustees approved Monday an amended contract to continue her presidency for the next five years.

The term of the amended contract is from July 1, 2018 through June 30, 2023. Her original contract was set to expire in June 2020.

“Dr. Gaber’s leadership has put UT on a positive trajectory toward the ambitious goal of being a top public research university, and the campus is energized because of the great work underway to support our students and the Toledo community,” Board Chair Steven Cavanaugh said.

The amended and restated employment agreement updates the president’s base salary and includes specific performance metrics aligned with the University’s strategic plan. The president’s overall compensation is directly tied to achievement of the metrics.

The contract extension for Gaber was approved as part of the Board of Trustees’ annual review of the University’s leader in which they praised the positive momentum of the institution.

“I am thankful to have the support of the Board of Trustees to continue to lead this fantastic university,” Gaber said. “It truly is a team effort to work together collaboratively to make progress on achieving our strategic priorities. I am proud of what we’ve been able to accomplish these past three years, and I’m excited about what we can achieve in the years ahead.”

The Board commended Gaber’s commitment to student success, noting that student retention rates at UT are the highest in at least 18 years, and the largest number of candidates for degrees in at least 20 years participated in spring commencement.

The new Toledo Tuition Guarantee was recognized as a positive initiative to provide more transparency to students and their families. In addition, UT was recognized this year for its value by several external sources. Schools.com ranked UT Ohio’s best four-year college when analyzing criteria such as affordability, flexibility and student services. The website LendEDU also ranked UT the top Ohio public college for the lowest student debt.

The trustees specifically noted the improved research portfolio of the institution. The total number of research award dollars is at a five-year high. The board noted that three researchers were named Fellows of the prestigious American Association for the Advancement of Sciences, and several UT students were awarded highly competitive scholarships, including the Goldwater Scholarship and a Sarnoff Fellowship.

Also enhancing UT’s reputation is the strong athletics program with two new Mid-American Conference championships by the football and women’s soccer teams. UT was awarded the Jacoby Trophy as the top women’s athletic program in the MAC and in the fall, all student-athletes achieved a record high combined GPA of 3.29.

Individually, Gaber was named one of the top five higher education leaders to watch. She was appointed to the NCAA Strategic Planning Committee, Inter-University Council Executive Committee and serves on the MAC Finance Committee, of which she will be the chair next year.

This year the University also received the largest gift in UT’s history from Welltower, which gave UT real estate and a headquarter building valued at $30 million. It will serve as an additional campus where the Division of Advancement will continue to build relationships with our alumni and donors. The number of donors to the institution grew by more than 10 percent this year.

The increase in philanthropic support and additional initiatives have put UT in a strong financial position, confirmed by the University’s bond rating being reaffirmed by Standard & Poor’s and Moody’s. UT approved this year a new contract with the American Association of University Professors, one of five bargaining agreements approved in the last two years. A new transportation partnership with TARTA will save the University approximately $2 million by not replacing the aging bus fleet while extending free bus rides to students, faculty and staff throughout the community.

As part of the performance review, the board voted to give the president a performance incentive per her hiring contract. The funding comes from unrestricted funds that were generated from investment earnings and allocated to a Board of Trustees account with the UT Foundation.

In order to meet the demand for more nurses in the region and across the country, The University of Toledo and Bowling Green State University will pursue independent nursing programs to educate additional health care providers.

UT and BGSU currently partner in a joint nursing consortium. Moving forward with independent programs will provide opportunities for both universities to focus on separate strategies to educate and grow the supply of nurses, which is critical to meeting the future healthcare needs of the region.

All current BGSU nursing students and new students beginning their studies in Fall 2018 will continue with the consortium program through graduation and will not be impacted by the change.

Under the existing agreement, about 50 BGSU pre-nursing students annually go on to complete their required nursing coursework and clinicals through the UT College of Nursing after two years of pre-nursing studies at BGSU. While the students take their classes at UT during their junior and senior years, they remain BGSU students and are awarded their bachelor’s degree by BGSU.

“Health care is a rapidly changing industry and universities need to continue to adapt to the changing environment in order to provide the best education for future health care providers,” UT President Sharon L. Gaber said. “The nursing profession is more critical than ever and this new organizational structure will allow both UT and BGSU to grow our programs to better meet the need for more high-quality nurses in Ohio and beyond.”

The demand for nurses in Ohio and across the nation far exceeds the current supply. According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, registered nursing is among the top occupations in terms of job growth through 2024. The nursing workforce is expected to grow by 16 percent to 3.2 million by 2024 with more than one million job openings for nurses due to growth and replacements.

“We agree that the time is right to pursue new partnerships,” BGSU President Rodney Rogers said. “We recognize that there is growing demand for nurses throughout northwest Ohio. This provides both universities the opportunity to grow their respective programs.”

UT and BGSU continue to be strong partners. Last year the universities announced a foreign language course exchange program. The universities also are partners in the Building Ohio’s Sustainable Energy Future (BOSEF) initiative, a joint program that encourages students to pursue research careers in renewable energy and sustainable environmental practices.

Additionally, UT and BGSU are collaborating on the Regionally Aligned Priorities in Delivering Skills (RAPIDS) program, which allows universities to purchase state-of-the-art equipment for use in learning laboratories specific to regional workforce needs and then share these resources with other colleges and universities to help more students get a quality education more affordably. The universities also are focusing efforts on addressing the opioid crisis and Lake Erie water quality concerns.