Artists and art appreciators alike are gearing up for this summer’s Art on the Mall, which this year is celebrating its 25th anniversary on campus.

The juried art show will be held on Centennial Mall from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Sunday, July 30. Free parking will be available in Lot 1 South, Lot 1 North and Lot 13 with golf cart shuttle service to transport guests and their packages to and from Centennial Mall if needed. 

More than 100 artists are expected to show off their wares, which range from acrylic, glass, jewelry, mixed media, pen and ink, oil, photography, pottery, textile, watercolor, woodwork and more.

“The quality of our artists’ work is outstanding, and there is something for everyone. We have a diverse and eclectic mix, sure to excite art lovers of all kinds,” said Ansley Abrams-Frederick, director of alumni programming in the UT Office of Alumni and Annual Engagement. “In addition, the venue of our beautiful campus is the ideal place to enjoy the day. Free parking, golf cart shuttles, and no admission certainly make this show appealing to all.”

Artists who have participated in all 25 years of Art on the Mall will have an indicator on their booths commemorating the achievement.

Works will be juried by representatives from the Fort Wayne Museum of Art, with prizes such as UT’s Best of Show, awarded to an artist with affiliation to the University.

For younger guests who prefer to take a more hands-on approach to art, the Young Artist Area, sponsored by Huntington, will provide supplies for creating projects free of charge.

In addition to the art pieces, food and beverages will be available from vendors such as Jeanie’s Comfort Cuisine, Karen Anne’s Kettle Korn, K & K Concessions, OPA! Cuisine, Quinn’s Concessions, and Rosie’s Rolling Chef.

A beer and wine garden will be open for guests 21 or older with a valid ID.

Graduates from each of The University of Toledo’s degree-awarding colleges will be recognized Friday, Oct. 14, at the UT Alumni Association’s Homecoming Gala.

The event, which annually draws sellout crowds to the Student Union Auditorium, will begin at 6 p.m.

The program features the recipients of the Alumni Association’s highest honors: the Gold T, the Blue T and the Edward H. Schmidt Outstanding Young Alum.

Williamson

Dr. Celia Williamson, UT professor of social work and director of the Human Trafficking and Social Justice Institute, is the 2016 recipient of the Gold T, which is presented to a graduate in recognition of outstanding career accomplishment.

Williamson earned an associate’s degree from the UT Community and Technical College in 1983 and a bachelor of arts degree in social work in 1988. In 1993, she founded Second Chance, which provides services to women and youth involved in sex trafficking or commercial sexual exploitation. The Second Chance Program has won the prestigious FBI Director’s Community Leadership Award for its service to women and assistance in securing justice. Chair of the Ohio Attorney General’s Anti-Trafficking Commission, Williamson and her colleagues developed the first international academic journal on human trafficking. She founded and serves as president of the National Research Consortium on Commercial Sexual Exploitation. She also developed one of the first conferences on human trafficking in the nation.

Hahn

Ted Hahn, a partner in the Trust Co. of Toledo, is the 2016 recipient of the Blue T, which is presented to an Alumni Association member who has made outstanding contributions to the progress and development of the association and the University.

Hahn received his bachelor’s degree from the College of Business and Innovation in 1965 and his MBA from that college in 1967. President of the Alumni Association during the 2004-05 school year, he also has served on the UT Foundation Board of Trustees. Hahn and his wife, Suzi, a 1970 graduate of the Judith Herb College of Education, have endowed a scholarship at the University and have been generous donors to academics, athletics and Alumni Association projects.

Rob Bleile is the 2016 recipient of the Schmidt Award, which is presented to a graduate who is 35 years of age or younger in recognition of outstanding achievement in his or her field of endeavor.

Bleile

Bleile is president of American Timber and Steel in Norwalk, Ohio, and co-founder of Research Metrics, an international mobile mystery shopping and auditing firm. He has been very active with the Alumni Association. Currently second vice president of the association, he will become president of the organization during the 2018-19 school year. A member of the President’s Club, Bleile is married to Ala, a 2004 College of Business graduate with degrees in international business and accounting.

A limited number of seats remain for the Homecoming Gala. Tickets are $30 per person.

Call the Office of Alumni Relations at 419.530.2585 (ALUM) for more information or to make reservations.

Media Coverage
WTOL 11 (October 9, 2016)

The 24th annual Art on the Mall will take place Sunday, July 31, from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m., on Centennial Mall on The University of Toledo Main Campus.

The juried art show will have more than 100 booths featuring mediums such as acrylic, glass, jewelry, watercolor, woodwork, photography, oil, mixed media and more. Each booth will have artwork available for sale by cash or credit. 

“The quality of our artists’ work is outstanding, and there is something for everyone. We have a diverse and eclectic mix sure to excite art lovers of all kinds,” said Ansley Abrams-Frederick, director of alumni programming in the UT Office of Alumni Relations.

The artists’ work will be juried by representatives from the Dayton Art Institute. Prizes will be given to the top artists, and UT’s Best of Show award will be presented to an artist who is affiliated with the University.

Food and beverages will be for sale from Karen Anne’s Kettle Corn, Opa! Gyros, Java Sensations, K & K Concessions, Jeanie’s Weenies and Let’s Go Nuts. There also will be a children’s area where young artists can make their own creations, as well as a beer garden for attendees 21 and older.

Music will be peformed by UT student groups, Minor Frett and The Cosmonauts throughout the day.

There will be free parking in Lot 1 South, Lot 1 North and Lot 13, as well as free admission and golf cart shuttles to and from Centennial Mall.

Art on The Mall is sponsored by The Blade, Huntington, 13ABC, Buckeye Broadband, 101.5 The River and Homewood Press.

Media Coverage
WTOL 11 (July 29, 2016)

Graduates from each of The University of Toledo’s degree-awarding colleges will be recognized Friday, Oct. 9, at The University of Toledo Alumni Association’s Homecoming Gala.

Paat

The event, which annually draws sellout crowds to the Student Union Auditorium, will begin at 6 p.m.

The program features the recipients of the Alumni Association’s highest honors: the Gold T, the Blue T and the Edward H. Schmidt Outstanding Young Alum.

Dr. Richard Paat of Perrysburg is the 2015 recipient of the Gold T, which is presented to a graduate in recognition of outstanding career accomplishment.

A 1986 graduate of the College of Medicine and Life Sciences, Paat is one of the world’s foremost medical missionaries. Since 1994, he has led 63 medical missions and disaster relief teams that have treated nearly 100,000 patients around the world. In May, he brought a medical team into Nepal to assist in earthquake relief efforts, treating 2,000 patients in one of the most devastated regions of the country. He has gone to Indonesia after a tsunami and Biloxi, Miss., following Hurricane Katrina. He annually brings five volunteer medical teams to the Philippines, Honduras, Guatemala, Tanzania and Haiti.

For more than a decade, Paat also has provided free medical care to the uninsured and homeless of the Toledo area, volunteering at a free inner-city medical clinic and running a mobile migrant worker clinic during the summer.

Guitteau

An internal medicine specialist, Paat was inducted into the International Medical Mission Hall of Fame in 2013. He’s been named Ohio Physician of the Year, has been a Jefferson Award for Public Service recipient, and has been named Catholic Physician of the Year in the United States. He also serves as faculty adviser to UT’s Students for Medical Missions organization.

Tom Guitteau of Toledo is the 2015 recipient of the Blue T, which is presented to an Alumni Association member who has made outstanding contributions to the progress and development of the association and the University. Guitteau, who served as president of the Alumni Association during the 1988-89 school year, has remained active with his alma mater since graduating from the Judith Herb College of Education with a bachelor’s degree in 1963 and a master’s degree in 1973.

Retired regional vice president of agencies for the Columbus Life Insurance Co., Guitteau served 19 years as the color commentator for UT football games on radio and television, broadcasting the team from which he earned a varsity letter as a lineman in 1962. A charter member of the President’s Club and the Heritage Society, he is a past president of the Varsity T Club and has provided financial support to a variety of campus projects, including the Koester Alumni Pavilion and the renovation of the Glass Bowl.

For the past five years, Guitteau has served as an academic mentor to UT student-athletes.

Adams

Dr. Alex Adams of Boise, Idaho, is the 2015 recipient of the Schmidt Award, which is presented to a graduate who is 35 years of age or younger in recognition of outstanding achievement in his or her field of endeavor.

Adams recently was named executive director of the Idaho State Board of Pharmacy, with responsibility for enforcing laws for 2,400 registered pharmacists in the state. Prior to that appointment, he served for nearly three years as the vice president of pharmacy programs and vice president of foundation research programs for the National Association of Chain Drug Stores in Arlington, Va. In that role, he was responsible for the foundation’s $6 million evidence-based research portfolio, as well as serving as the primary staff liaison for public health officials around the country on behalf of a trade association that represents more than 40,000 traditional community pharmacies, supermarkets and mass merchants with pharmacies.

He earned a bachelor’s degree in pharmaceutical sciences in 2007 and a doctorate in pharmacy in 2009. Adams and his family have established a scholarship in the College of Pharmacy.

Additional seating has been added for the Homecoming Gala this year; however, a limited number of seats remain. Tickets are $30 per person.

Call the Office of Alumni Relations at 419.530.2585 (ALUM) for more information or to make reservations.

Media Coverage
WTOL 11 (Oct. 22, 2015)

Get your motor running: “Rocket Road Trip — All Roads Lead Back to UT” is the theme of the University’s Homecoming.

Roll on down West Bancroft Street for fun and spirited celebration. Homecoming week activities planned for this year include:

Tuesday, Oct. 6
• Casino Night, 7 to 10 p.m., Student Union Auditorium. Win big at this Las Vegas-style game night. Transportation will be available from 6:30 to 10:15 p.m. for students living in residence halls; stops will be made at the Transportation Center, Ottawa House, Horton International House and the Student Union. Students who bring a canned good will have a chance to win prizes; all donations will go to the UT Student Food Pantry.

Wednesday, Oct. 7
• Field Day, 11 a.m. to 2 p.m., Centennial Mall. Check out the free food and games.

• Homecoming Court Showcase, 7 p.m., Student Union Ingman Room. The top 10 king and queen candidates will walk the runway and show their Rocket pride. Doors will open at 6:30 p.m. Canned goods welcome for the UT Student Food Pantry.

Thursday, Oct. 8
• College of Business and Innovation Alumni Affiliate Dean’s Breakfast, 7:30 a.m., Toledo Club Centennial Room, 235 14th St. Speakers will be UT President Sharon L. Gaber and Dr. Gary Insch, dean of the UT College of Business and Innovation.

• National Pan Hellenic Council Talent Show, 7 p.m., Doermann Theater. Students will take the stage and perform in this competition. Canned goods welcome for the UT Student Food Pantry.

• Zeta Phi Beta Sorority Inc. Pancake Breakfast, 10 p.m. to 1 a.m., Horton International House.

Friday, Oct. 9
• Food Truck Lunch, 11:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m., Centennial Mall. Stop by to see what these meals on wheels will serve up.

• Omega Psi Phi Fraternity Inc. I-75 Homecoming Basketball Tournament, 6 to 10 p.m., Health Education Building. Cost: $30 per team. Admission to watch the action: $3 or a canned good.

• Homecoming Alumni Gala and Awards Ceremony, 6 p.m., Student Union Auditorium. The Alumni Association will present this year’s Gold T, Blue T and Edward H. Schmidt Young Alum Award, and college and affiliate award winners will be honored. Tickets are $30 per person, $10 for children.

Saturday, Oct. 10
• The Edward C. and Helen G. Schmakel Homecoming Parade, 10:30 a.m. Sponsored by Blue Key, the parade will begin at West Bancroft Street and go to Middlesex Drive to Hughes Drive to Cheltenham Road and back on West Bancroft Street. The grand marshal for this year’s parade will be UT President Gaber.

• Alumni Tailgate, noon, William and Carol Koester Alumni Pavilion. Stop by for free hot dogs, chips and pop; beer, wine, bloody marys and Rocket fuel (vodka mixed drink) will be available for purchase with proper ID. And Five O’Clock Rush will play live music.

• Toledo Rockets vs. Kent State Golden Flashes Homecoming Game, 3 p.m., Glass Bowl. Cheer on the Rockets and see the crowning of the Homecoming king and queen. Tickets range from $25 to $60; $15 and $12.50 for children 12 and younger; half off for UT faculty and staff; and free for UT students with IDs. For tickets, call 419.530.GOLD (4653).

Sunday, Oct. 11
• The Golden Alumni Society Homecoming Luncheon, Inverness Club, 4601 Dorr St., Cost: $25. President Gaber will be the featured guest speaker.

For more information, go to utoledo.edu/homecoming/events.html.

Media Coverage
WTOL 11 and 13 ABC (Oct. 8, 2015)
WTOL 11 (Oct. 10, 2015)
The Blade (Oct. 10, 2015)

Celebrate the 23rd year of Art on the Mall from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Sunday, July 26, on The University of Toledo’s main campus.

The free, public event includes more than 100 booths featuring a multitude of media including acrylic, glass, jewelry, mixed media, pen and ink, oil, photography, pottery, textile, watercolor, woodwork and more.

“We’ve got some really amazing artists returning and quite a few new talented people who will be joining us this year. There is sure to be something for everyone at Art on the Mall,” said Ansley Abrams-Frederick, director of alumni programming in the UT Office of Alumni Relations.

Each booth will have artwork available for sale by cash, or guests can pay with a credit card at the artist’s booth or at a credit card station in UT’s Student Union.

Art on the Mall is a juried art show with prizes granted to top artists, and the highest award, UT’s Best of Show, will be presented to the finest artist with an affiliation to the University — current students, faculty, staff, retirees, alumni or parents.

Food and beverages will be for sale from Karen Anne’s Kettle Corn, Opa! Gyros, Java Sensations, K & K Concessions, Taste Spuds, Jeanie’s Weenies and Let’s Go Nuts. A beer garden featuring craft beer from Saranac also will be available for guests 21 and older with a valid ID.

Performances by UT faculty, alumni and students, and musicians from the Toledo School for the Arts will take place throughout the event.

Free parking will be available in Lot 1 South, Lot 1 North, Lot 13 and Lot 10, with golf cart shuttle service to transport guests and their packages to and from Centennial Mall.

Art on the Mall’s presenting sponsors are The Blade, Buckeye CableSystem and Huntington. Supporting sponsors include Homewood Press, Mail It and iHeartMEDIA.

For more information, contact Abrams-Frederick at 419.530.4316 or ansley.abrams@utoledo.edu.

Media Coverage
The Blade (July 19, 2015)
The Blade (July 23, 2015)
The Blade (July 27, 2015)

The University of Toledo Alumni Association and the Richard R. and Barbara R. Perry Program Excellence Fund are co-sponsoring “Alumni Sing for Alma Mater,” a free afternoon music performance.

“Alumni Sing for Alma Mater” will feature singers who are alumni of the university; each of whom have achieved success in opera, stage performance and the teaching of classical, Broadway and jazz.

The event will be 3 p.m. Sunday, April 26 in Doermann Theatre on the UT Main Campus. The concert will be followed by a reception in the lobby just outside the theatre. The event is free and open to the public.

Accomplished and renowned performers Michele Fredericks, Jo-Anne Chrysochoos, Jodi Jobuck, Joyce Rush, Kim Buehler, Sam Mason, Kevin Foos, Christopher Jakutowicz, Janet Ziegler, and Emily Holsclaw will entertain and educate with their vocal repertoire. Robert Ballinger, associate lecturer (piano, accompanying, music history, and music theory), will serve as accompanist.

Parking is free in the lots nearest University Hall, Areas 2, 13, 1N and 1S. A shuttle bus will transport guests from Area 17 outside the Driscoll Alumni Center to Doermann Theatre.

This event is free, but reservations are encouraged online at toledoalumni.org or by calling the Office of Alumni Relations at 419.530.2586 or 800.235.6766.

Twenty outstanding alumni from around the world will be recognized Friday, Oct. 24, at The University of Toledo Alumni Association’s Homecoming Gala.

The event, which annually draws capacity crowds to the Student Union Auditorium, will begin at 6 p.m.

The program features outstanding graduates from each of the University’s colleges, as well as the recipients of the Alumni Association’s highest honors: the Gold T, the Blue T and the Edward H. Schmidt Outstanding Young Alum.

Benjamin Tran of Dayton, Ohio, is the 2014 recipient of the Schmidt Award, which is presented to a graduate who is 35 years of age or younger in recognition of outstanding achievement in his or her field of endeavor.

A 2005 graduate of the College of Engineering, Tran is an electronics engineer at the Air Force Research Laboratory at Wright Patterson Air Force Base. He was honored earlier this year with the National Security and International Affairs Medal for creating and deploying a new aerial sensor system to help Army and Special Forces units detect and destroy deadly improvised explosive devices.

His invention has been placed on unmanned aerial vehicles and is the first to include radio frequency sensors in combination with electro-optical and infrared sensors, which has greatly expanded situational and operational awareness. Prior to his breakthrough, IEDs had accounted for two-thirds of the casualties to U.S. coalition forces in Afghanistan. For his efforts, Tran was recognized at the White House last month as a recipient of the Samuel J. Heyman Service to America Medal, which is the United States’ most prestigious award dedicated to honoring this country’s civil servants.

Dr. Nina McClelland of Ann Arbor, Mich., is this year’s recipient of the Gold T, which is presented to a graduate in recognition of outstanding career accomplishment.

McClelland, who completed a bachelor’s degree in biology in 1951 and a master’s in chemistry in 1963, is recognized globally as one of the most influential people in environmental science. For 15 years, she served as president, chief executive officer and chair of the board of trustees of the National Sanitation Foundation, which now has offices and laboratories in 40 countries.

Former chair of the American Chemical Society, it was McClelland who developed a Water Quality Index to report water quality in lakes, rivers and streams. In time, states and water authorities were required to annually report water quality to Congress using the index. After the Safe Drinking Water Act was passed, she developed a standard adopted by the government regarding chemicals used to treat drinking water as well as one covering all products that come in contact with drinking water via its treatment, storage and distribution.

Upon her retirement from the National Sanitation Foundation, she formed a consulting firm whose clients included the World Bank. From 2008 to 2011, she served as dean of the College of Arts and Sciences. McClelland was awarded an honorary PhD by the University in 2003.

The Blue T recipients are Jim and Nancy Lapp of Toledo. This award is presented to an Alumni Association member who has made outstanding contributions to the progress and development of the Alumni Association and the University.

The Lapps — husband and wife — are proud graduates. Jim earned his bachelor’s degree in business administration in 1973 and a master of business administration degree in 1974 from the College of Business and Innovation, while Nancy completed her bachelor’s in 1974 and was awarded a master’s in 1977. Combined, the pair spent some 65 years as employees at UT, with Jim serving a variety of administrative positions in undergraduate admissions and in what is now the College of Adult and Lifelong Learning, while Nancy served as coordinator of undergraduate advising in the College of Business and Innovation.

The Lapps have given freely to the University of their time, talent and treasure. Nancy is a charter member of Women & Philanthropy, an organization devoted to providing lasting assistance to the University, and she became that organization’s first lifetime member. Jim served for two years as president of the UT Retirees Association, during which time UTRA was recognized as the Alumni Association’s Affiliate of the Year. The couple has a pillar in the William and Carol Koester Alumni Pavilion, have supported a variety of departments, including athletics, and they have endowed a scholarship in the College of Business and Innovation. Last year, they were recognized at the community-wide National Philanthropy Day as UT’s choice for the Outstanding Community Volunteer Award.

A very limited number of seats remain for the Homecoming Gala. Tickets are $30 and $11 for children.

Call the UT Office of Alumni Relations at 419.530.2585 (ALUM) for more information or to make reservations.

Media Coverage
13 ABC (Oct. 24, 2014)
The Blade (Oct. 30, 2014)

It’s time to remember the old days and look back on good times: Nostalgia will rule at The University of Toledo’s “A Blast From the Past” Homecoming.

Make some new memories at events that pay tribute to the past. Homecoming week activities planned for this year’s celebration include:

Friday, Oct. 24

• Homecoming Alumni Gala and Awards Ceremony, 6 p.m., Student Union Auditorium. The Alumni Association will present this year’s Blue T, Gold T and Edward H. Schmidt Young Alum Award, and college and affiliate award winners will be honored. Tickets are $30 per person, $11 for children. For more information or to make a reservation, contact the Alumni Office at 419.530.ALUM (2586) or shirley.grzecki@utoledo.edu.

Saturday, Oct. 25

• The Edward C. and Helen G. Schmakel Homecoming Parade, 9:30 a.m. Sponsored by Blue Key, the parade will begin at West Bancroft Street and go to Middlesex Drive to Hughes Drive to Cheltenham Road and back on West Bancroft Street.

• Alumni Tailgate, 11 a.m., William and Carol Koester Alumni Pavilion. Stop by for free hot dogs, chips and pop; beer, wine, bloody marys and Rocket fuel (vodka mixed drink) will be available for purchase with proper ID. And there’ll be live music by Five O’Clock Rush.

• Toledo vs. UMass Homecoming Game, 2 p.m., Glass Bowl. See you at the game! Cheer on the Rockets and see the crowning of the Homecoming king and queen. Tickets are $25 for reserved seating; $12.50 for children 12 and younger; half off for UT faculty and staff; and free for UT students with IDs. For tickets, call 419.530.GOLD (4653).

Sunday, Oct. 26

• Golden Anniversary Class of 1964 Luncheon, 11:30 a.m., Stone Oak Country Club, 100 Stone Oak Blvd., Holland. Cost is $25. For more information, call the Alumni Office at 419.530.ALUM (2586).

For more information, go to utoledo.edu/homecoming/events.html or call the UT Alumni Relations Office at 419.530.ALUM (2586) or the UT Office of Student Involvement at 419.530.4944.

Media Coverage
13 ABC (Oct. 24, 2014)
The Blade (Oct. 30, 2014)

While UT alumni and friends are out shopping for the upcoming holidays, alumni organizations are asking for their help to make an immediate impact on a child by picking up some extra winter weather clothing.

The fourth annual hat and mitten collection drive for area elementary schools has kicked off and donations will be accepted through December.

Each year the drive seeks donations of mittens and hats in youth and small adult sizes. School supplies, such as pencils, pens, paper,hand sanitizer and Kleenex, also will be accepted and used to help studentssucceed during the remainder of the school year.

Donations can be dropped off at the Driscoll Alumni Center in Room 2001, from 8:15 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday through Friday throughout themonths of November and December. The Driscoll Alumni Center is located on the UT Main Campus at the intersection of Bancroft Street and University Hills Boulevard.

The collection drive is sponsored by the Judith Herb College of Education, Health Science and Human Service Alumni Affiliate with participation from the Engineering Alumni Affiliate, Language, Literature and Social Science Alumni Affiliate, The Latino Alumni Affiliate and Natural Science and Mathematics Alumni Affiliate.

The hat and mitten collection drive is in addition to ongoing collections of books, puzzles, flashcards and games throughout the year to be donated to the Toledo-Lucas County Public Library system throughout the school year. Donations of pre-school, primary or teen books in fairly good condition can be dropped off at the Driscoll Alumni Center in Suite 2014.

All donations will benefit students of area elementary schools.

For more information you can visit www.toledoalumni.org or call the Office of Alumni Relations at 419.530.2586.