A three-time cancer survivor and genetic testing advocate who inspired the film, “Decoding Annie Parker,” will share her story at an event to provide information about cancer care in the community.

The University of Toledo College of Medicine and Life Sciences will host “An Evening With Annie Parker” Wednesday, Jan. 24, at the Maumee Indoor Theatre, 601 Conant St.

The free, public event will begin at 4 p.m. with the film screening, followed by a talk from Parker, and will conclude with a panel discussion with experts speaking about genomics, clinical trials, cancer biology and “living the new normal.”

“We are grateful to have Annie Parker join us for this important evening,” said Dr. Christopher Cooper, dean of the College of Medicine and Life Sciences. “Her story is not only compelling, it is inspiring to cancer survivors and their loved ones, and clinical care teams as well.”

After Parker lost her mother and sister to cancer, and she was diagnosed multiple times personally, she became determined to understand her family’s history with the disease. Parker has survived breast cancer, ovarian cancer and cancer in her liver.

In 1994, she became one of the first women in Canada to be tested for the BRCA1 gene mutation after Dr. Mary-Claire King, a geneticist at the University of California at Berkeley, had discovered the gene is responsible for many breast and ovarian cancers. Parker’s results were positive for the gene. The story was the inspiration for the 2013 film, “Decoding Annie Parker.” Parker also tells her story in her 2014 book, “Annie Parker Decoded.”

The American Cancer Society estimates more than 1.7 million new cancer cases will be diagnosed in the United States in 2018. The local event is an effort to highlight the different treatments, new research and care options in the area.

“We remain committed to training the next generation of physicians and believe that by continuing to evolve available treatment options and enhancing our education and research, we will be that much closer to finding a cure,” Cooper said.

The University of Toledo received today the decision from the Accreditation Review Commission on Education for Physician Assistants (ARC-PA) to reinstate accreditation for UT’s Physician Assistant Studies Program.

Statement
“We are pleased the Accreditation Review Commission on Education for Physician Assistants has decided to reinstate accreditation of our Physician Assistant Studies Program, effective immediately. During this probationary period, we will work with ARC-PA to demonstrate how our program, curriculum and processes meet or exceed current standards.

This is good news for our students, whose success remains our top priority. The University is committed to providing a high-quality physician assistant education and training program. We will continue our work to enhance the quality of our PA program.”

Letter from the President
UT President Sharon L. Gaber sent a letter to campus this afternoon. It is available online here.

The University of Toledo President Sharon L. Gaber has been recognized as one of the top higher education leaders for her focus on student success and a strong financial foundation for the institution.

Gaber leads the list of “5 Higher Ed Leaders to Watch in 2018 (and Beyond)” by Education Dive, an education industry publication that shares K-12 and higher education news and analysis.

The publication notes the University’s cost-saving measures, including consolidated purchasing and salary restructuring, and efforts to improve student retention under Gaber’s leadership.

“And Toledo’s first woman president, whose research interests include community needs assessment of marginalized populations, Gaber has honed in on student success in her first two years at the helm of the University,” the publication states.

Along with Dr. Gaber, the list includes Dr. Harold L. Martin Sr., chancellor of North Carolina A&T State University; Dr. Becky Takeda-Tinker, president of Colorado State University-Global Campus; Dr. Robert C. (Bob) Fisher, president of Belmont University; and Dr. Ruth Simmons, president of Prairie View A&M University.

Read the article at educationdive.com/news/5-higher-ed-leaders-to-watch-in-2018-and-beyond.

An educational psychologist with an interest in enhancing classroom assessment for more effective teaching and learning has been named dean of The University of Toledo Judith Herb College of Education.

Dr. Raymond H. Witte will join UT on July 1 from Miami University where he is professor and chair of the Department of Educational Psychology.

Witte

“Dr. Witte is an experienced administrator, having served as department chair and associate dean. He is not only an accomplished scholar as a university professor, he had many years of experience working for public schools before joining academia,” said Dr. Andrew Hsu, provost and executive vice president for academic affairs.

“He has a passion for student success, especially those of first-generation college students. I am glad to welcome him to The University of Toledo and look forward to working with him and the college to further improve our college and our student success.”

“I am honored to be the new dean of the Judith Herb College of Education. I’ve always thought highly of the institution and been impressed with the quality and professionalism of the faculty and the administrators,” Witte said. “I am looking forward to working and collaborating with the distinguished faculty and staff of the college, as well as all the members of the University and Toledo communities.”

Witte joined the faculty of Miami University in 1999 and held a variety of additional administrative roles at the Oxford, Ohio campus including associate dean, graduate program director, department chair and assistant chair. Prior to his career in higher education, Witte was a school psychologist for the Jessamine County School District, Nicholasville, Kentucky where he also directed the kindergarten and preschool programs.

Witte received his PhD and master’s degrees in educational psychology and bachelor’s degree in psychology from the University of Kentucky.

His academic interests include working with students with learning disabilities assisting individuals and their families through transitions. As his career evolved, he became increasingly interested in effective assessment and has written two books and numerous articles on the topic.

Accordingly, Witte said he is a data-driven leader and he looks forward to getting to know the college staff and collaborating with them to ensure strong student enrollment and community partnerships.

Provost Hsu thanked Dr. Virginia Keil for her leadership while serving as interim dean of the Judith Herb College of Education since July 2015.

The University of Toledo provides one of the best online bachelor’s programs, according to new rankings from U.S. News & World Report.

UT is ranked 125 out of 357 institutions in the 2018 Best Online Programs ranking, an increase from last year’s place of 142 out of 311 programs.

U.S. News assessed schools based on student engagement, student services and technology, faculty credentials and training, and peer reputation.

“This ranking is recognition of the high-quality distance learning curriculum and the strong support services we provide to our students,” UT Provost Andrew Hsu said. “Recognizing that many prospective students, particularly working professionals returning to the classroom, enjoy the flexibility and convenience of online classes, we will continue to enhance and improve UT’s programs offered online.”

“The Best Online Programs rankings offer adults the information needed to identify programs that best suit their life and career goals,” said Anita Narayan, managing editor of Education at U.S. News. “The top programs not only demonstrate strong academics but also create learning environments that are particularly well-suited to remote students.”

The UT Judith Herb College of Education also was ranked 107 out of 309 for its online graduate education program. UT’s ranking improved this year from last year’s rank of 109 out of 278 on that Best Online Education Programs list, which evaluates programs on student engagement, student services and technology, admissions selectivity, faculty credentials and training, and peer reputation.

UT’s College of Education launched this academic year the first online PhD program approved in Ohio. The Curriculum and Instruction: Special Education Doctoral Degree Program is designed for those who specialize in early childhood special education who are looking to take the next step in their careers.

For additional information about the U.S. News rankings, visit usnews.com/education/online-education.

Free public program Jan. 20 features events in Detroit and Toledo

A one-day public program that begins in Detroit and finishes in Toledo will explore the impact of the African-American Great Migration on literary and musical expression in northwest Ohio and southeast Michigan.

The program, “I Got a Lust for Life: The Unique Words and Sounds of Northwest Ohio and Southeast Michigan,” will include panel discussions, poetry readings and musical performances on Saturday, Jan. 20, in Detroit at Wayne State University and in Toledo at the Toledo Lucas County Public Library and the Toledo Museum of Art. Buses will shuttle audience members between the events in the two cities. For details on the travel options, view the event on Facebook.

The program begins in Detroit with a 10 a.m. panel discussion at Wayne State University’s Schaver Music Recital Hall. The panel will include Ben Blackwell, co-founder of Third Man Records and official archivist for the White Stripes; John Gibbs Rockwood, Toledo author of the 2014 book “Can I Get a Witness” that features his photographs of iconic rock, pop, blues and folk musicians performing in the region during the early 1970s through the 2000s; Ramona Collins, Toledo-based popular jazz singer; and Oliver Ragsdale Jr., president of the Carr Center, a community hub for African-American artistic expression in Detroit.

The discussion, which will be moderated by Dr. Kimberly Mack, assistant professor of African-American literature at The University of Toledo, and Dr. Joshua S. Duchan, associate professor of music at Wayne State University, will be followed by a musical performance and Q&A.

“I Got a Lust for Life” will then move to Toledo where Tyehimba Jess will perform a poetry reading and hold a book signing at 2:30 p.m. in the McMaster Center of the Toledo Lucas County Public Library. Jess is a 2017 Pulitzer Prize-winning poet from Detroit whose work has focused on music, biography and African-American history. He will read from “Olio,” his award-winning collection of poetry that weaves together sonnet, song and narrative to examine the lives of mostly unrecorded, African-American performers from the Civil War to World War I.

The program concludes with a 6 p.m. panel discussion in the GlasSalon at the Toledo Museum of Art with Jess; M.L. Liebler, a Detroit-based, award-winning poet and editor of the anthology “Heaven Was Detroit: From Jazz to Hip-Hop and Beyond”; Frances Brockington, classical vocalist and associate professor of voice at Wayne State University; and Dr. Lee Ellen Martin, jazz vocalist and Jon Hendricks scholar. Mack and Duchan will moderate the discussion, which also will be followed by a musical performance and Q&A session. Jess and Liebler also will sign copies of their books, which will be available for purchase.

“I Got a Lust for Life: The Unique Words and Sounds of Northwest Ohio and Southeast Michigan” is sponsored by the Roger Ray Institute for the Humanities at The University of Toledo, which advocates for and supports the study of human culture — from a great variety of fields — at all levels of learning and scholarship. Additional support for the program is provided by UT, WSU, the Toledo Lucas County Public Library, Toledo.com and the Toledo Museum of Art.

The events are free and open to the public. For more information, visit utoledo.edu/al/humanities_institute.

Detroit event:

Panel Discussion
10 a.m.
Schaver Music Recital Hall, Old Main
Wayne State University
480 W. Hancock St., Detroit

Parking is available on the street near the venue, in the WSU parking area at 4710 Second Ave. and in commercial surface lots on Cass Avenue between West Warren Avenue and West Forest Avenue.

Contact:
Joshua S. Duchan
313.577.9869
jduchan@wayne.edu

Toledo events:

Poetry Reading
2:30 p.m.
McMaster Center, Main Library
Toledo Lucas County Public Library
325 N. Michigan St., Toledo

Free parking is available in the Main Library’s underground parking structure.

Panel Discussion
6 p.m.
GlasSalon, Glass Pavilion
Toledo Museum of Art
2444 Monroe St., Toledo

Free parking is available across the street from the Glass Pavilion, in the Art Museum’s Lot #6 (enter on Parkwood Avenue).

Contact:
Kimberly Mack
323.839.2021
kimberly.mack@utoledo.edu

New students to The University of Toledo will be able to pay the same undergraduate tuition from their first day of college through graduation under the new Toledo Tuition Guarantee plan.

The Toledo Tuition Guarantee, approved Monday by the UT Board of Trustees, establishes a fixed tuition rate for four years to provide price transparency and consistency for families, while also encouraging students to complete their bachelor’s degree in four years.

“I’m glad to be able to offer this price certainty to our students and their families as we continue to strengthen our efforts that encourage students to succeed in their studies, graduate and go on to pursue successful careers,” UT President Sharon L. Gaber said.

“UT for many years has provided an exceptional value to our students with one of the lowest tuition rates among public universities in Ohio. This tuition guarantee plan aligns our commitment to providing a high-quality education at an affordable price with efforts to support student success and raise retention and graduation rates,” said Larry Kelley, UT executive vice president for finance and administration, and chief financial officer.

UT’s tuition guarantee plan begins fall semester 2018 for new degree-seeking undergraduate students who enroll at the University for the first time as first-year students or transfer students. It establishes a fixed rate for tuition, the general fee and select miscellaneous fees, such as for library information and career services. On-campus housing and meal plan rates also are guaranteed. The out-of-state surcharge is not included in the Toledo Tuition Guarantee. Graduate students also are not part of the guarantee program.

Undergraduate students are guaranteed the fixed rate for four academic years, which includes eight consecutive fall and spring semesters, four summer semesters and any intersessions within that period. Students who take classes beyond their four-year guarantee period will pay the tuition rate set for a subsequent cohort.

Students who complete their undergraduate degree within the guarantee period are eligible for a new $500 scholarship toward continuing their education in a UT graduate program if they enroll within three semesters of graduating with their bachelor’s degree.

The Toledo Tuition Guarantee does not impact students already enrolled at UT who will continue under the traditional tuition model.

A collaborative team of administrators, faculty and staff from across the University had worked since April to put together the Toledo Tuition Guarantee plan. The plan has been submitted to the Chancellor of the Ohio Department of Higher Education, who approves requests to adopt guarantee programs.

For additional information on the Toledo Tuition Guarantee, visit utoledo.edu/admission/freshman/tuition/guarantee.

Toledo native and Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist Michael D. Sallah will return to his alma mater Sunday, Dec. 17, to deliver the keynote address during The University of Toledo’s fall commencement ceremony.

The event will begin at 10 a.m. in Savage Arena.

Sallah will address 2,067 candidates for degrees, including 118 doctoral, 523 master’s, 1,370 and 56 associate’s.

The ceremony is open to the public and can be viewed live at video.utoledo.edu.

Sallah’s investigative work as a reporter and editor with award-winning newspapers across the country has revealed public corruption, police abuses and government blunders, resulting in grand jury investigations, legislative reform, and the recovery of millions of taxpayer dollars.

He is a reporter on the national investigations team at USA Today/Gannett Network in Washington, D.C.

Sallah

“This is where it all began for me,” Sallah said. “From the time I took my first journalism class in the fall of my freshman year, I fell in love with journalism, and UT is a big part of that. It’s part of my foundation — the professors, the values they conveyed to me about journalism, and why it’s so critical to our society, especially investigative work. I’m honored to be coming home to be the commencement speaker.”

“Journalists have an important role to inform the public about the issues that affect our lives, and Michael Sallah has embraced that responsibility uncovering many misdeeds through investigative reporting that resulted in positive change,” UT President Sharon L. Gaber said. “I look forward to him sharing with our graduates how he got his start here in Toledo and inspiring them to stay curious and serve their communities.”

Born in Toledo, Sallah is a 1977 alumnus of The University of Toledo, graduating cum laude with a bachelor of arts degree in journalism. He was named UT’s Outstanding Alumnus in the Social Sciences in 2004. Sallah also is a 1973 graduate of St. John’s Jesuit High School.

He was a reporter and national affairs writer at The Blade for more than a decade, and was the lead reporter on the 2003 project “Buried Secrets, Brutal Truths” that exposed the U.S. Army’s longest war crimes case of the Vietnam War. The series won numerous national awards, including the 2004 Pulitzer Prize for Investigative Reporting.

While investigations editor and reporter at the Miami Herald, Sallah led an inquiry into local corruption. His team’s 2006 “House of Lies” series exposed widespread fraud in Miami-Dade County public housing and earned the 2007 Pulitzer Prize for Local Reporting. He was named a 2012 Pulitzer Prize finalist for his series “Neglected to Death,” which uncovered deadly conditions in Florida assisted-living facilities, led to the closing of 13 facilities, and was the impetus for a gubernatorial task force to overhaul state law.

During his two years at The Washington Post, Sallah received a Robert F. Kennedy Award for Excellence in Journalism for an investigation that exposed a predatory system of tax collection in the District of Columbia.

He returned to the Miami Herald in 2014 and was named a Pulitzer Prize finalist in 2016 for uncovering one of the nation’s most corrupt sting operations in a police unit that laundered $71.5 million for drug cartels, kept millions for brokering the deals, and failed to make a single significant arrest.

Sallah is the author of the books “Tiger Force: A True Story of Men and War” and “Yankee Comandante: The Untold Story of Courage, Passion and One American’s Fight to Liberate Cuba.” He also was a consultant for the Public Broadcasting Service documentary “American Experience.”

UT’s fall commencement ceremony will recognize graduates from the colleges of Arts and Letters; Business and Innovation; Judith Herb College of Education; Engineering; Graduate Studies; Health and Human Services; Honors College; Natural Sciences and Mathematics; Nursing; and Pharmacy and Pharmaceutical Sciences; and University College.

For more information, visit utoledo.edu/commencement.

Join in some holiday cheer at the UT Ritter Planetarium this year and check out two educational and festive shows.

“The Alien Who Stole Christmas,” recommended for children 4 to 10, will run Fridays at 7:30 p.m. through Dec. 22.

Follow along as Santa meets Mr. Feep, an alien from another world, and watch as they go on an adventure to the farthest regions of the solar system.

“Santa’s Secret Star” will run Saturdays at 1 p.m. through Dec. 23.

The program is geared toward children ages 4 to 7 and tells the story of how Santa uses the constellations to find his way around the world on Christmas.

“Santa fans of all ages should attend,” said Alex Mak, associate planetarium director. “These shows are entertaining, educational and seasonal-appropriate.”

Both programs will take place in the full-dome studio and offer an immersive, 3D experience. UT’s full-dome projector, the Spitz SciDome XD, was installed in 2011.

Admission is $7 for adults; $5 for children, UT community members and seniors; children 3 and younger are free.

For more information, call Ritter Planetarium at 419.530.2650 or its 24-hour information hotline at 419.530.4037.

Any parent knows how toys seem to magically multiply and take over a house. Do children need so many toys?

A team of University of Toledo researchers studied whether the number of toys in a toddler’s environment influenced their quality of play. Their findings: less is definitely more when it comes to creative, healthy play.

Dr. Alexia Metz, the study’s lead investigator and a UT associate professor of occupational therapy (right), and Carly Dauch, who was involved in the study as a UT graduate student and received her doctorate in May.

The results of the study come just in time for family and friends who are picking up holiday gifts for the children in their lives. The research, which will appear in the February issue of Infant Behavior and Development, suggests that an abundance of toys may create a distraction. Fewer new toys might be a better route this holiday season.

When toddlers had exposure to fewer toys, they played twice as long with the toys they had and in more sophisticated ways, said Alexia Metz, the study’s lead investigator and a UT associate professor of occupational therapy.

As the mother of 12-year-old twins, Metz has personal experience with the proliferation of toys phenomenon.

“I was astonished by how much our home filled up with stuff,” she said. “I wondered whether there was any risk to having that much stuff.”

Metz said she also had observed people worrying whether their toddlers had attention deficit disorder. Toddlers, by nature, are distractible, but she wondered whether their environment might be a factor in how they played or how easily distracted they were.

Metz and her team of graduate students studied 36 toddlers from 18 to 30 months of age. The children visited the playroom lab twice. On one visit, the children played in a room with just four toys; on the other, they had access to 16 toys.

The team charted how many times the toddler picked up a toy; how long they played with it; and how many ways they played with it.

“When there were fewer toys, they played with them in more ways,” Metz said.

In the 16-toy environment, many of the children played with 10 or more toys in the 15 minutes soon after they entered the room. By flitting from toy to toy, they didn’t take the time to explore the ways they could use each toy, Metz said.

Fewer toys led to “higher quality play,” meaning the toddler stuck with the toy for longer and played with it in more creative ways. Instead of stacking or tipping a toy, they began to hammer with it or feed it or hide it. This increased exploration may support development of motor and cognitive skills.

“Today there is the demand to have the latest and greatest toy that encourages a more technological mind. In this study, we used older toys that encouraged more creative play and tested the theory of is less really more?” said Carly Dauch, who graduated from UT in May following the completion of the study and is now an occupational therapist at the Wood County Board of Developmental Disabilities. “How the children played supported our hypothesis and provides support for deeper and richer play with fewer toys.”

Michelle Imwalle and Brooke Ocasio, who also graduated in May, were the other graduate students involved in the project.

The bottom line for parents: “If your child receives an abundance of toys, you don’t need to introduce them all at once,” Metz said. “Save some for later and swap them out. If they have a chance to explore a few toys at a time, they might have a richer experience.”

This is also good news for families who may feel guilty for not being able to shower their children with dozens of toys.

“They’re not depriving their children of an opportunity for meaningful play,” Metz said. “This is a less is more story.”

To watch a video about the research, click https://youtu.be/E81tCkHP2Us.