Kettering College receives nearly $431,000 gift

By Dave Larsen | Tuesday, February 2, 2010, 02:25 PM

Scholarships and renovations at Kettering College of Medical Arts have received a substantial financial boost from a former Kettering Hospital nurse.

Eva Miller, a longtime Kettering resident who died last year at age 99, left a bequest of nearly $431,000 to Kettering College. The gift is the third-largest individual donation in the school’s 43-year history, according to college officials.

Half of the funds will be used for the Eva Miller Nursing Scholarship, with the remainder contributing to ongoing renovations at Kettering College and to the school’s annual fund.

Miller, who lived near the hospital for 45 years, also donated $310,000 to the college in 2004. She established her scholarship fund in 1998.

“Eva Miller was a nurse at Kettering Hospital from the start,” said Charles Scriven, Kettering College president. “She had a great loyalty to nursing, and a great loyalty to the hospital and the college.”

Miller’s previous donations helped to create a new chemistry laboratory in the Boonshoft Center for Medical Sciences at the college, and also contributed to scholarships and the annual fund. Her total giving of nearly $1 million ranks third overall among Kettering College donors, officials said.

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UD bioengineering master’s degree approved

By Dave Larsen | Monday, February 1, 2010, 09:27 AM

The University of Dayton has received approval for a master’s degree in bioengineering from Ohio Board of Regents Chancellor Eric D. Fingerhut.

The new degree program will help to fill the growing need for bioengineers, and also support state and regional economic development efforts, according to Tony Saliba, dean of UD’s School of Engineering.

Gov. Ted Strickland has identified Ohio’s biomedical industry as one of four growth industry clusters in the state. The Bureau of Labor Statistics indicates the biomedical engineering field is in the top tier of projected growth potential.

Many of Ohio’s current bioengineering and biomedical programs are aligned with medical schools.

“Rather than emphasizing pharmaceutical or medical research, our program will teach students how to apply bioscience and bioengineering principles to areas such as materials, sensors, imaging, therapeutic devices and instrumentation,” Saliba said.

The 30-hour program will be housed in the School of Engineering’s department of chemical and materials engineering. The development and delivery of the program will be a collaborative effort among all of the School of Engineering’s programs, as well as the College of Arts and Sciences.

The UD School of Engineering will start accepting applications immediately for the fall 2010 semester that starts Aug. 25. For more information about admission to the program, call (937) 229-2627.

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Kettering College ‘Texting for Haiti’

By Dave Larsen | Tuesday, January 26, 2010, 10:08 AM

Kettering College of Medical Arts faculty, staff and students will simultaneously text donations to the Red Cross Relief Fund for Haiti today, Tuesday, Jan. 26.

Kettering College officials and students will gather in the Boonshoft Center for Medical Sciences at noon to participate in the “Texting for Haiti” event. The event will allow the college community to show support for Haiti, which was struck by a major earthquake on Jan. 12.

“This is our way of coming together as an academic community of faith and providing spiritual and financial support to the survivors of the earthquake,” said Clive Wilson, Kettering College chaplain and one of the event’s organizers.

Organizers have requested that college faculty release students from classes early or allow them to arrive late in order for everyone to participate in the event.

Official Red Cross containers also will be available for people who prefer to donate with cash or checks instead of by text message.

Kettering College of Medical Arts, chartered by the Seventh-day Adventist Church, is a fully accredited college that offers graduate and undergraduate degrees in health science education.

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UD’s Marian Research Institute installs new director

By Dave Larsen | Monday, January 25, 2010, 01:34 PM

Rev. Francois Rossier

The Rev. Francois Rossier received high approval before being installed today, Monday, Jan. 25, as the new executive director of the Marian Library/International Marian Research Institute at the University of Dayton.

Rossier’s role is the only position at UD that has to be approved by the Vatican, according to university officials.

The Marian Library and Institute is a world-renowned center of scholarship and learning about Mary, the mother of Christ.

Rossier, a Marianist priest, will be installed at 5 p.m. today in a formal ceremony and prayer service in the Immaculate Conception Chapel on UD’s campus. The ceremony will be attended by university and church officials, including the new Archbishop of Cincinnati Dennis Schnurr, and the Rev. Jim Fitz, assistant provincial of the Society of Mary. A reception will follow at 6 p.m. at the Kennedy Union’s Torch Lounge.

As part of the installation, Rossier will give a talk about the importance of Mary in Christianity and why it is studied at UD, a Catholic university founded by the Society of Mary.

“There is a renewal of interest in Mary around the world,” Rossier said. “She’s the most written-about woman in the entire human history, and she’s an emblem of Catholic tradition and identity.”

Rossier was born in 1957 in Fribourg, Switzerland. He took his first vows in 1984 and was ordained in 1991. Rossier came to Dayton in 2003.

Rossier’s focus is on teaching and researching Biblical text that speak of Mary. With a master’s degree in literature, he also examines how Mary is portrayed in popular culture and contemporary literature, such as Dan Brown’s thrillers and Sara Paretsky’s V.I. Warshawski detective novels.

Rossier succeeds the Rev. Johann Roten, another Swiss Marianist, who headed the institute for more than 20 years, leading its expansive growth and taking it into the digital age. Roten, an internationally recognized expert on Mary, also will be honored at the ceremony.

UD’s Marian Library is the world’s largest and most comprehensive repository of printed materials on Mary, with 75,000 books and nearly 150,000 articles and pamphlets. Its art collection includes an estimated 3,600 Nativity scenes, one of the largest collections in the U.S.

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Sinclair finalist for National Bellwether Award

By Dave Larsen | Wednesday, January 20, 2010, 11:02 AM

Sinclair Community College’s work on decreasing the Dayton Public Schools dropout rate through its Fast Forward Center has earned the college national recognition.

Sinclair has been selected as a finalist for a 2010 National Bellwether Award, which recognizes outstanding and innovative programs and practices that are successfully leading community colleges into the future.

The awards are part of the Community College Futures Assembly, established in 1995. Sponsored by the Institute of Higher Education at the University of Florida, the assembly focuses on cutting-edge, trendsetting programs that other colleges might find worthy of replicating.

The Bellwether Awards are given annually in three categories: Instructional Programs & Services; Planning, Governance & Finance; and Workforce Development. The awards are competitively judged and given by peers in community colleges, with no cash reward.

Sinclair is one of 10 nominees in the Workforce Development category for “Fast Forward: From Dropout to Graduation and Beyond.”

Sinclair established the Fast Forward Center in 2001 to develop and maintain a comprehensive network of alternative schools and programs that serve out-of-school youth.

The Bellwether Award winners will be announced at the 2010 Community College Futures Assembly, to be held Jan. 23-26 in Orlando, Fla. The theme of this year’s assembly is “Graduate America.”

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Essence editor to speak at Central State conference

By Dave Larsen | Friday, January 15, 2010, 03:59 PM

Susan L. Taylor

Essence magazine’s editor-in-chief emeritus will be among the keynote speakers on Wednesday, Jan. 20, at the 2010 National Urban Education Conference at Central State University.

Susan L. Taylor, founder and chief executive of the National CARES Mentoring Movement and a veteran Essence editor and columnist, will discuss her mentoring program and community involvement at the conference.

“Teaching and Learning in a Multicultural Society” is the theme of this year’s seventh annual urban education conference. More than 400 educational professionals are expected to attend, according to Central State officials.

The conference is designed to “challenge educators to do a better job of teaching and reaching young people in urban learning environments,” officials said.

Taylor and fellow opening session speakers Na’im Akbar, Bobby Jones and Noma LeMoine will address the conference from 9 a.m. to noon at the Paul Robeson Cultural and Performing Arts Center on the Central State campus in Wilberforce.

Robert Jackson, a motivational speaker and author of “No More Excuses: Black Men Stand Up,” will speak from 1 to 3 p.m. at a session at the Central State Dayton campus, 840 Germantown St., Dayton.

Cedarville University and the Institute of Urban Education at Central State will host an evening celebration of the lives of Martin Luther King Jr. and Sojourner Truth at 6:30 p.m. in Jeremiah Chapel on the Cedarville campus. Annette E. Jefferson, founder and principle of DeARK Enterprises, will perform a dramatic presentation of Sojourner Truth.

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Wilberforce scheduled for accreditation renewal

By Dave Larsen | Wednesday, January 13, 2010, 11:40 AM

Wilberforce University in Greene County will receive a visit March 29-31 from a team representing the Higher Learning Commission of the North Central Association of Colleges and Schools.

The team will visit as part of Wilberforce’s routinely scheduled reaffirmation of accreditation.

Wilberforce has been continuously accredited by the association since 1962, according to university officials

Wilberforce has been engaged for the past 18 months in a process of self-study, “addressing the commission’s requirements and criteria for accreditation,” officials said.

As part of the accreditation process, the public is invited to submit comments regarding Wilberforce.

Comments must deal with substantive matters related to the quality of Wilberforce and its academic programs.

Comments may be submitted online or by mail. They must be received by Feb. 27. Comments received after that date might not be considered, according to commission officials. The comments should include the name and address of the person providing them.

Comments can be submitted online by visiting www.ncahlc.org. Click on the “File Third-Party Comments” link in the left-hand margin.

To submit comments by mail, address them to:

Public Comment on Wilberforce University, The Higher Learning Commission, 30 N. LaSalle St., Suite 2400, Chicago, IL 60602.

Sinclair Community College announced this month that it will receive a visit March 10-12 from a similar commission team to reaffirm its accreditation.

Sinclair has been continuously accredited by the commission since 1970 at the associate degree level, according to college officials.

The Higher Learning Commission is one of six accrediting agencies that provide institutional accreditation on a regional basis. Institutional accreditation evaluates an entire institution and accredits it as a whole. Other agencies provide accreditation for specific programs.

The commission accredits more than 1,000 institutions in a 19-state region, and is recognized by the U.S. Department of Education. Accreditation is voluntary.

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