The presidents of the Federal Reserve Bank of Cleveland and Battelle Memorial Institute will speak at The University of Toledo’s commencement ceremonies Sunday, May 5.

Pianalto

In the morning ceremony Sandra Pianalto, who has been president and chief executive officer of the Federal Reserve Bank of Cleveland since 2003, will speak to graduates from the colleges of Business and Innovation, Natural Sciences and Mathematics, Visual and Performing Arts, and Languages, Literature and Social Sciences at 9:30 a.m. in Savage Arena on the University’s Main Campus.

At the afternoon ceremony Jeff Wadsworth, president and CEO of the Battelle Memorial Institute since 2009, will address graduates from the Judith Herb College of Education, Health Science and Human Service and the College of Adult and Lifelong Learning at 2 p.m.

There are 3,041 candidates for degrees, including 886 candidates for doctoral, education specialist and master’s degrees, and 2,155 for bachelor’s and associate’s degrees. Each ceremony will be webcast live on video.utoledo.edu.

“We are honored to have such accomplished professionals as Sandra Pianalto and Jeff Wadsworth at this celebration of academic achievement,” UT President Lloyd Jacobs said. “These individuals know well the value of higher education and have gone on to do incredible things within their professions and as productive members of their communities. They are both positive role models for our graduates as they move forward in the next chapter of their lives equipped with the necessary knowledge and skills taught by our wonderful faculty.”

Wadsworth

Pianalto will receive an Honorary Doctor of Business Administration and Wadsworth an Honorary Doctor of Engineering. Also receiving an Honorary Doctor of Commercial Science is Robert Savage, a distinguished UT alumnus and co-founder of the Savage & Associates insurance and financial management business in Toledo.

Pianalto began her career at the Federal Reserve Bank of Cleveland in 1983 as an economist in the research department. In 20 years, she ascended to assistant vice president of public affairs, vice president and secretary to the board of directors, first vice president and chief operating officer and finally president and CEO — a position she’s held for 10 years.

Her professional success comes directly from her understanding of the importance of education. The daughter of Italian immigrants who came to America more than 50 years ago, Pianalto had helped them study for their United States citizenship examinations as a third-grader.

Pianalto went on to receive bachelor’s and master’s degrees in economics from Akron University and The George Washington University.

Wadsworth is president and CEO of Battelle Memorial Institute, which is the world’s largest nonprofit research and development organization. Formed in 1925 in Columbus, Battelle has developed the Xerox machine and a number of innovations in medical technology, telecommunications, environmental waste treatment, homeland security and transportation.

Savage

Before his current position, Wadsworth led Battelle’s Global Laboratory Operations business where he oversaw the management of six national laboratories of the U.S. Department of Energy and the U.S. Department of Homeland Security’s National Biodefense Analysis and Countermeasures Center.

Wadsworth earned a bachelor’s degree and doctorate in metallurgy from Sheffield University in England. The University also awarded him a Doctor of Metallurgy degree in 1991 for his published work and received an honorary Doctor of Engineering degree in 2004.

Savage, who will receive a UT Honorary Doctor of Commercial Science, received his bachelor’s in business in 1959 from the University and was awarded in 2003 the Gold T Award, the highest honor for UT alumni.

A generous alumnus, he gave in 2006 a $1 million donation that was the catalyst for a new, state-of-the-art center for students in the College of Business and Innovation: The Savage & Associates Complex for Business and Learning Engagement, which opened in 2010.

Savage was a member of the UT Board of Trustees for nine years and trustee for The University of Toledo Foundation for nine years.

The UT colleges that will hold individual commencement ceremonies are:

• College of Nursing, 1 p.m. Friday, May 3 in Savage Arena.
• College of Engineering, graduate commencement ceremony 5 p.m. Friday, May 3 and undergraduate commencement 3 p.m. Saturday, May 4, both in Nitschke Auditorium.
• College of Law, 10 a.m. Saturday, May 4 in Student Union Auditorium.
• College of Pharmacy and Pharmaceutical Sciences, 2 p.m. Saturday, May 4 in Savage Arena.
• College of Medicine and Life Sciences, 2 p.m. Friday, June 7 in Stranahan Theater.

Media Coverage
The Blade (April 30, 2013)
The Blade (April 30, 2013)
The Blade (May 6, 2013)
The Blade (May 6, 2013)
The Blade (May 10, 2013)

Kirk Smalley’s story featured in Lee Hirsch’s documentary film Bully

Ty Field-Smalley was a happy and cheerful boy who always had a smile on his face. But Ty was small for his age, which made him an easy target for bullies.

On May 13, 2010, at the young age of 11, Ty took his life after being suspended from school for retaliating against a bully who had been picking on him for more than two years.

Smalley

Ty’s dad and mom, Kirk and Laura Smalley, have since made it their mission to bring awareness about bullying and the devastating harm it causes.

“Laura and I try to teach all these kids that they are somebody. That they can make a difference in our world. That everyone has a right to be who they are and be themselves,” Kirk Smalley said. “If we save one baby. If we stop this from happening to one other family, it’s worth everything that we can do everything we have to give to make that happen.”

Smalley will share his emotional story at 7:30 p.m. Monday, March 25 in Memorial Field House Room 2100 on The University of Toledo Main Campus. The event is free and open to the public.

As part of his mission to eradicate bullying, Smalley through his Stand for the Silent organization has given presentations to more than 620 schools touching more than 650,000 students and educators in the last year. There are now more than 370 Stand for the Silent chapters that work to spread the message that everyone deserves to feel loved, included and treated with respect.

The Smalleys’ story is featured in Director Lee Hirsch’s feature documentary film Bully that pushes us to look past the “kids will be kids” attitude and realize the serious issue impacting young people and their families.

CNN also included Smalley in its “The Bully Effect: An Anderson Cooper Special” that premiered Feb. 28 on Anderson Cooper 360.

“Kirk and Laura are so brave to share their heartbreaking story to The University of Toledo and schools everywhere in an effort to save other families from such a painful loss,” said Lisa Pescara-Kovach, PhD, UT associate professor of educational psychology and author of School Shootings and Suicides: Why We Must Stop the Bullies. “Bullying is a serious issue that impacts all of society. We need to get past this idea that bullying is a harmless rite of passage, and see it for what it is – a public health issue that leads victims to internalize or externalize, at times, to the point of suicides and targeted violence like school shootings.”

“Those who perpetrate bullying need assistance as well,” added Kovach, who co-chairs the UT Anti-Bullying Task Force with UT Police Chief Jeff Newton. “It’s a must to get to the root of the bullying in effort to eradicate the behavior and prevent the individual from using similar
tactics in adulthood.”

The Stand for the Silent event at UT is part of the larger Preventing Bullying = Creating Safety collaborative effort of WGTE Public Media and Fostering Health Communities, which is a joint effort among Mercy, ProMedica and the UT Medical Center. The year-long initiative, which launches this spring, focuses on increasing youth safety by decreasing the incidence of bullying.

Preventing Bullying = Creating Safety is a comprehensive public information campaign through TV, radio, print and the web: three live Town Hall television programs on WGTE TV; videos for classroom use; three workshops for educators; and a website with resources for parents, students and educators. Visit www.preventingbullying.org for more information.

For more information about Stand for the Silent visit www.standforthesilent.org.

Click here to download a photo of Kirk Smalley. Click here to download the Stand for the Silent logo.

Media Coverage
The Blade (March 23, 2013)
13 ABC (March 27, 2013)
WNWO (March 29, 2013)

Families in the greater Toledo area will enjoy a day at the Imagination Station having fun while learning through a University of Toledo program to encourage interest in discovery and science.

The Sci-FUN Community Event will take place 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. at Imagination Station, 1 Discovery Way, in downtown Toledo. The participants in Saturday’s event are the families of students currently in classrooms with NURTURES teachers. Future events will be open to the public.

Participants will have the opportunity to engage in a number of activities, including a “Water Works Erosion Challenge” to construct a river so that water flows in a specific direction and the “Engineer It! Windmill Blades” activity where families manipulate windmill blades to maximize the number of watts produced.

“Families are encouraged to explore, discuss and think together at our Sci-FUN events through a number of hands-on activities and challenges,” said Deanna Bobak, project director for the NURTURES program. “When children learn and play right alongside their parents and siblings, the entire family walks away with a greater interest and understanding of science.”

NURTURES, which stands for Networking Urban Resources with Teachers and University enRich Early Childhood Science, is a partnership led by the UT Judith Herb College of Education, in collaboration with Toledo Public Schools, area nursery schools and day cares, and science and community organizations.

The program, which is supported with a $10 million grant from the National Science Foundation, works to include discovery in early childhood science education by engaging students in preschool through third grade, as well as their parents and teachers.

The five-year project, which began in 2011, includes organizing a number of family learning opportunities such as the Sci-FUN community event with the goal to reach 10,000 families. A large component of the program also is professional development and training for science educators to develop challenging inquiry-based, age-appropriate science instruction to improve interest and achievement in science for students in the greater Toledo area.

For more information visit nurtures.utoledo.edu or contact Lacey Strickler, outreach manager for NURTURES, at 419.344.9568.

U.S. News & World Report recently recognized three colleges at The University of Toledo as top performers in the nation for students enrolled in online graduate education.

The College of Engineering was No. 18, while the College of Business and Innovation and College of Education ranked 48 and 95, respectively, for their master’s degree categories.

“UT has long been a leader in distance learning, and the recognition by U.S. News and World Report validates the efforts of our faculty and staff,” said Dr. Scott Scarborough, provost and executive vice president for academic affairs. “We are preparing to take the next steps in high-quality distance learning, and I am looking forward to what the future will bring.”

The ranked degree-granting programs offer classes that are 100 percent online — the federal government standard for qualifying as distance learning programs — not blended programs that combine classroom and online education.

“Programs such as these require that we pay attention to the special needs of each and every student so that the practicing professional derives the value she or he is seeking through this program,” said Dr. Nagi Naganathan, dean of the College of Engineering. “The continued ranking among the top programs in the nation is additional evidence that our College of Engineering is developing and sharing relevant online educational experiences consistent with the needs and aspirations of practicing professionals.

“While such online programs are getting increased attention today, we are proud of the fact that our college set this in motion more than a decade ago,” Naganathan said.

Online courses offer a slew of benefits, including the ability of working students to pursue their education without having to put their jobs on hold.

As the University administration continues to expand opportunities for current and potential students, Dr. Cam Cruickshank, interim vice provost for enrollment management, has been tapped to lead the UTXNet World Campus initiative.

“UTXnet World Campus is a temporary moniker we have assigned to online and blended learning at The University of Toledo,” Cruickshank said. “While some of the details are yet to be worked out, we know that we will be offering high-quality, media rich, interactive courses delivered online and facilitated by the best faculty The University of Toledo has to offer.”

The College of Business and Innovation, the only Ohio business program listed among the top 50 in the rankings, was recognized for the second year in a row.

“This recognition reflects the hard work of the College of Business and Innovation faculty and staff as well as our commitment to be at the forefront of using the latest technology and techniques to deliver high-quality programs,” said Dr. Thomas Sharkey, interim dean of the college.

While technological advances are having impacts on educational practices in a variety of mediums, online courses offered by the Judith Herb College of Education are providing students with experiences to better prepare them for future employment.

“With technology being used so extensively in K-12 education, it is really critical that our students come out understanding how online learning happens at all levels,” said Dr. Virginia Keil, executive associate dean of the Judith Herb College of Education. “Having experienced it firsthand makes our graduates more effective in their own classrooms because they themselves have been students — they see it through the eyes of the instructor and the student.”

For more information contact Haraz N. Ghanbari at 419.530.4137 or Haraz.Ghanbari@utoledo.edu.

Media Coverage
The Independent Collegian (Nov. 13, 2013)

Teachers across the country have less than two years to revamp their lessons to meet the new core curriculum standards that go into effect for the 2014-15 school year.

The Common Core State Standards, adopted by nearly all states including Ohio and Michigan, is an effort to set consistent and clear education standards that students are expected to learn across the United States.

To help teachers prepare, The University of Toledo Judith Herb College of Education, Health Science and Human Service is hosting a literacy consultant to discuss changes in the writing curriculum standards.

Tammy Rhomberg, a National Literacy Consultant for Zaner-Bloser, will give the free presentation “21st Century Writing to Meet the Common Core State Standards Across the Curriculum: The What, The How, and The Why” at 5:45 p.m. Tuesday, Dec. 4 in Nitschke Auditorium on the UT Main Campus.

“Strong K-12 education is important for every person in the community, not just the students and their parents, and The University of Toledo is eager to support efforts to provide students the best education possible,” said Leigh Chiarelott, professor and chair of the Department of Curriculum and Instruction. “There are a great number of changes to the core curriculum standards in order to get every state on the same page and UT is looking forward to helping local teachers update their curriculum accordingly.”

Rhomberg has more than 31 years of educational experience including teaching reading and serving as a reading specialist and reading intervention coordinator. As a national literacy consultant for educational publisher Zaner-Bloser, her focus is to provide professional development to educators across the Midwest.

The two-hour presentation will be followed by a question-and-answer session. The writing strategies Rhomberg will present include incorporating the six important traits of effective writing, using rubrics to guide student writing, modeling grade level appropriate anchors, guiding the writing process, embedding grammar and conventions into writing instruction, and engaging students in applying strategies to their own writing.

The presentation is geared toward teachers in grades kindergarten through eight, as well as interventionists and administrators. The event is free but seating is limited. Those interested in attending are asked to RSVP by Wednesday, Nov. 28 via email to APD@utoledo.edu.

The UT Judith Herb College of Education, Health Science and Human Service Academy of Professional Development is working with Zaner-Bloser to provide additional professional development opportunities for area teachers in the future.

Hundreds of thousands of women, boys and girls each year are forced to sell their bodies as victims of sex trafficking. It happens around the world and it certainly happens in the United States, in every community, in Toledo, Ohio.

President Barack Obama discussed the issue at the Clinton Global Initiative on Sept. 25, saying human trafficking “must be called by its true name – ‘modern slavery.'”

“Our fight against human trafficking is one of the great human rights causes of our time, and the United States will continue to lead it,” Obama said.

While reports show that of those cities with federal Innocence Lost Task Forces Toledo is the third largest city for human trafficking and sex slavery, it also is home to one of the largest international conferences to combat the issue.

The Ninth Annual International Human Trafficking, Prostitution and Sex Work Conference Sept. 27-28 at The University of Toledo will share the latest in research, advocacy and programs to effectively respond.

“Sex trafficking does not only happen in other countries or other communities. It permeates our society in a way that would shock most people,” said Celia Williamson, PhD, UT professor of social work and founder of Second Chance, a social service program located in Toledo that provides comprehensive services to victims of domestic sex trafficking and prostitution.

Williamson

“The victims of this heinous crime need our support and the perpetrators of underage prostitution need harsher penalties. It is imperative that researchers, social workers, health care professionals and criminal justiceprofessionals work together collaboratively to combat this problem.”

The oldest and largest of its kind in the U.S., the conference will feature more than 40 presentations from experts such as survivor and author Theresa Flores talking about survivors finding their voices and representatives from the Laboratory to Combat Human Trafficking in Denver presenting research on the influences of law enforcement attitudes on investigations.

State Rep. Teresa Fedor also will provide information about the new Safe Harbor human trafficking legislation signed by Gov. John Kasich this year that strengthens penalties for perpetrators of underage prostitution and protects juvenile victims of prostitution.

A number of trafficking survivors will share their stories and researchers from around the world will convene to share knowledge about the personalities of “Johns” and the damaging effects of sexualizing children. In total, seven countries and 12 U.S. states will be represented.

The conference will take place 8:30 a.m. to 5 p.m. Thursday and Friday (Sept. 27-28) in the Student Union on the UT Main Campus.

Click here for a full schedule of events.

Click here for biographies of the presenters and abstracts of their talks.

For more information visit www.prostitutionconference.com or contact Meghan Cunningham at 419.530.2410 or meghan.cunningham@utoledo.edu.

Williamson has been quoted as an expert researcher by media outlets such as ABC News Primetime, New York Times, USA Today, CNN, and in the Toledo Blade series about the FBI Innocence Lost investigations, among others.

Media Coverage
The Blade (Sept. 23, 2012)
13 ABC and WNWO (Sept. 28, 2012)
Conklin & Company (Oct. 1, 2012)

The future promises to challenge tomorrow’s leaders, scientists, and creators who are the students of today. And a unique summer program at The University of Toledo is preparing these future leaders with activities that challenge thinking and celebrate learning.

The Gifted, Talented, Creative Summer Camp 2012, known as GT@UT, next week on the UT Main Campus will challenge primary, middle and junior high students with interesting programs 8:30-11 a.m. daily June 25-29.

The UT women’s basketball team will assist with a “CSI Toledo” mystery in which the campers are called to help solve a “crime” in Savage Arena and participants will pitch their innovations to a panel of business and community leaders as part of an “Entrepreneurship Shark Tank.”

The camps also includes “The Great Outdoors – Campus Edition” botany experiments, and “The Writer’s Life” and “Occupy Earth: Becoming Global Citizens” activities to document their experiences via the written word and directing and producing a new media short video.

“This is a positive experience for gifted and talented children who get the opportunity to explore their interests beyond a traditional school setting,” said Robert Schultz, program director and UT professor of gifted education and curriculum studies. “The number of participants has doubled since last year’s camp and we look forward to the program continuing to grow.”

The camp is open to students currently enrolled in third through eighth grade who have been identified as gifted/talented/creative by their school district or can provide a letter of recommendation by a teacher or gifted program coordinator.

GT@UT is in its third year and is the only gifted and talented program offered in northwestOhio and southeast Michigan. The program will conclude Friday, June 29 when parents and guests are welcomed to hear the students share their experiences.

Click here for more information about the Gifted, Talented, Creative Summer Camp.

More than 150 youth ages 10-16 from across the Toledo area are participating in the 43rd annual National Youth Sports program at The University of Toledo.

The athletic camp runs through Thursday, June 28 with youth participating in weekday activities such as track, soccer, softball and swimming throughout the afternoons.

The camp begins each day at 10:30 a.m. with a lunch and address from a “hometown hero” before they break into groups for athletic activities until 3:30 p.m., most of which take place at the Intramural and Inter-Collegiate Athletic Fields off the east entrance to Main Campus off Douglas Road. Click here to view a schedule of the activities.

The National Youth Sports Program provides economically disadvantaged youths the opportunity to participate in fitness, recreation and educational programs. When the program started in 1968, UT was one of the first universities in the country to host it.

In addition to the athletic activities, the youth also participate in educational and health programs, and math and science tutoring, as well as nutrition, personal hygiene, career education, and alcohol, tobacco and other drug seminars. The program also teaches lifetime leisure activities such as fishing, swimming and fitness walking.

The 2012 program kicked off June 11 and concludes Thursday, June 28 with an appreciation banquet.

For more information visit the National Youth Sports Program website.

Media Coverage
The Blade (June 21, 2012)

Where are the appropriate locations for wind turbines in the greater Toledo area? Toledo Public School students will work to answer thatquestion at the Wind Energy Summit.

An estimated 100 students from several Toledo Public Schools classrooms – Chase STEM Academy, Harvard Elementary School, and Ottawa River Elementary School – are expected to attend the summit that will take place 9:45 a.m.-12:45 p.m. Monday, May 14 at Toledo Technology Academy, 3301 Upton Ave.

The Wind Energy Summit will engage students with hands-on models to explore realistic issues related to wind turbine locations, such as shadow flicker, ice shedding, impact on avian species and turbulence. The students also will learn about specific types of turbines by building and comparing the types of blades that enable a wind turbine to lift a heavy object or generate electrical current.

Tenth grade students at the Toledo Technology Academy with assistance from students at Woodward High School will engage the younger TPS students in the activities to help them answer the question.

The classes were invited to participate because their teachers are participants in The University of Toledo LEADERS program, which aims to improve K-12 science education to better prepare students for future careers in Northwest Ohio’s renewable energy industry.

LEADERS, which stands for Leadership for Educators: Academy for Driving Economic Revitalization in Science, is funded by a $5 million grant from the National Science Foundation. Earlier in May, the program announced its second cohort of teacher participants from Toledo Public Schools and schools in Monroe County, Michigan.

Media Coverage
The Blade (May 15, 2012)