Wright State University commencement ceremony on Saturday, Nov. 22

By Dave Larsen | Friday, November 21, 2008, 10:01 AM

Wright State University will hold its 42nd semiannual commencement ceremony on Saturday, Nov. 22, at 10 a.m. at the Ervin J. Nutter Center on the Wright State campus in Fairborn.

Wright State President David R. Hopkins will be the commencement speaker.

Applications were received for 1,469 degrees: 784 bachelor’s degrees, 626 master’s degrees, 1 education specialist, 2 medical, 25 philosophy doctorates, 20 psychology doctorates, and 12 associate’s degrees.

Included in the graduating class are 226 international students representing 25 nations.

The youngest graduate is 21 years old and the oldest is 61.

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Wright State psychology dean authors book about Abu Ghraib experience

By Dave Larsen | Thursday, November 20, 2008, 09:02 AM

Dr. Larry C. James, the new dean of the Wright State University School of Professional Psychology, recently published “Fixing Hell: An Army Psychologist Confronts Abu Ghraib.” The book is a first-person account of his Army service at Guantanomo Bay, Cuba, and Abu Ghraib prison in Iraq. James, a retired U.S. Army colonel, was awarded the Bronze Star for distinguished service in Iraq.

“When the debacle at Guantanamo Bay hit … I was asked to go there and train these young military policemen interrogators in how do you interview someone rather than abuse someone,” said James on Wednesday, Nov. 19, during a meeting with the Dayton Daily News Editorial Board.

James was serving as the chair of the Department of Psychology at Walter Reed Army Medical Center in January 2003, when he was dispatched to Guantanomo Bay. In June 2004, James was sent to Abu Ghraib to serve in a similar capacity after photos depicting brutal prisoner abuse there were published worldwide.

James retired from the military to write “Fixing Hell.” In August, he was named dean of Wright State’s School of Professional Psychology (SOPP). His mission at Wright State is to develop the SOPP into a nationally recognized program for the training of psychologists, and to deliver innovative clinical services to the Dayton community.

“What my predecessors haven’t done very well is market the great things about the School of Professional Psychology,” James said. “For example, you probably don’t know that Wright State’s School of Professional Psychology produces more psychologists per year than any university in the state.”

Wright State’s SOPP graduates 23 psychologists per year on average, James said. Most students are Ohio natives and remain in the Dayton area after graduation.

Clinical psychology is important amid the current economic downturn, James said. As unemployment rates rise, so do the rates for alcoholism, spouse abuse and suicide, he said. “As economically depressed the Miami Valley becomes, the more important my school becomes to this particular region.”

With his military background, James sees great potential for partnerships between the SOPP and Wright-Patterson Air Force Base.

“For some reason my school, the School of Professional Psychology, hasn’t really had close relationships with the psychology department at Wright-Patt,” James said. “I don’t know why. So I know one of the interests in my unique background was that I could bridge that gap. The research opportunities are unlimited, and treatment programs with Wright-Patt.”

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Should private universities reveal executives’ salaries?

By Kelly Mori | Wednesday, November 19, 2008, 05:44 PM

While collecting data for a story I’m doing on university presidents’ compensation packages, one local private university told me it wasn’t their policy to release such information.

It might be their policy but is it right?

Senate Finance Committee Chairman Charles E. Grassley doesn’t think so.

In a release Monday, Grassely, (R-Iowa) stated that parents and students who are facing rising tuition costs and tightening student aid, have the right to know this information before choosing a school. His statement was part of an interview he gave to The Chronicle of Higher Education concerning rising university presidents’ salaries.

The university that declined to provide the information was not indicative of all local institutions. Wittenberg University, for example, delivered the information to me within an hour after I asked for it. Wittenberg is a private university.

As far as the “non-disclosure” university, I was able to pull the numbers off of their last tax filing, which is public record.

But should families have to review 990 forms to get this information?

Would they even care if the universities volunteered the information?

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Finance expert “Dr. Bob” Froehlich to discuss stock market meltdown at UD

By Dave Larsen | Wednesday, November 19, 2008, 10:07 AM

Robert Froehlich, an internationally prominent financial strategist and national television commentator known as “Dr. Bob,” will give an informal talk about “The Stock Market Crash of 2008” from 4 to 5:15 p.m. on Monday, Nov. 24, in the Kennedy Union ballroom at the University of Dayton.

“History will judge this current stock market meltdown as not just the worst in our generation, but more likely the worst in the history of Wall Street,” Froehlich said.

Froelhlich, a UD graduate, is vice chairman of DWS Investments, where he also serves as chairman of the Investor Strategy Committee for Deutsche Bank in the Americas. Froehlich regularly appears on the financial programs of CNBC, CNN, Fox News and Bloomberg TV.

Froehlich is the author of “Investment Mega Trends,” “Where the Money Is” and “The Three Bears are Dead.” His latest book, “A Bull for All Seasons: Main Street Strategies for Finding the Money in Any Market,” was published in September. “A Bull for All Seasons” explains the issues and events that drive his investment choices.

Froehlich’s talk is directed to UD students, faculty and staff about the recent and ongoing global financial crisis. It is free and open to the public as well.

Froehlich serves on the UD’s board of trustees and is the driving force behind RISE (Redefining Investment Strategy Education), UD’s global student investment forum, which brings more than 2,000 students together every spring with some of the top finance professionals in the world.

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Dayton-area colleges and universities celebrate International Education Week

By Dave Larsen | Tuesday, November 18, 2008, 10:52 AM

Officials from the University of Dayton, Wright State University and Sinclair Community College will take part on Friday, Nov. 21, in a digital video conference with educators in India. The event will highlight International Education Week, as well as the importance of international education and exchange in the Dayton region.

For the seventh straight year, India is the leading source of foreign enrollments on U.S. college and university campuses, accounting for a record 94,563 students during the 2007 academic year, according to the Times of India.

The digital video conference, “Perspectives on Internationalism, Individualism and Interchange,” is planned for 7:30 a.m. Friday. The panelists are Stephen P. Foster, Wright State associate vice president for international affairs; Sundar Kumarasamy, UD vice president for enrollment management; and Robert Keener, Sinclair professor of marketing and chair of the international education committee.

International Education Week (IEW) is a joint initiative of the U.S. Department of State and the U.S. Department of Education to promote programs that prepare Americans for a global environment and attract future leaders from abroad to study, learn, and exchange experiences in the U.S.

IEW will be celebrated on Dayton-area campuses this week with events that also include passport fairs, lectures and films.

Passport fairs allow the public to apply for or renew a passport for international travel. They will be held at UD on Tuesday, Nov. 18 from 4-7 p.m. in Alumni Hall Room 012, and at Wright State on Thursday, Nov. 20 from 10 a.m-2 p.m. in the University Center for International Education office in the Student Union. For costs and a list of documents needed, click here.

For more information on IEW events, visit UD’s Center for International Programs and Wright State’s University Center for International Education.

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Cedarville brass choir to perform

By Kelly Mori | Tuesday, November 18, 2008, 09:54 AM

The Cedarville University Brass Choir will present a free concert Monday, Nov. 24 at the university’s recital hall.

The program will take attendees on a journey from the classical works of Bach to 20th-century brass and percussion masterpieces such as “Brass Square,” by Don Gillis and “Three Brass Cats” by British composer Chris Hazell.

The program begins at 8:15 p.m., in Recital Hall, Dixon Ministry Center, 251 N. Main St., Cedarville.

http://cedarville.edu/events

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White House recognizes Clark State’s Project Jericho

By Kelly Mori | Friday, November 14, 2008, 01:22 PM

Project Jericho, an outreach of Clark State Community College, has received national recognition for its work with the county’s at-risk youth.

First Lady Laura Bush, this morning, presented the Coming Up Taller Award to Project Jericho Community Outreach and Education Director Scott Dawson and 17-year-old Project Jericho participant Anthony Mitchell during a special ceremony held in the East Room of the White House. The local program was among 19 winners from the U.S., Canada, China, Mexico and Egypt. More than 300 agencies were nominated for the honor.

“It was just an incredible experience,” Dawson said in a telephone interview immediately after the ceremony. The First Lady recognized Project Jericho’s youth, family and detention center programs before presenting the plaque. “Anthony and I were able to shake her hand,” Dawson said.

Anthony was slightly breathless when Dawson handed the cell phone to him. “Man the White House was great,” Anthony said. “It was so big and beautiful, but I wasn’t nervous at all.”

Founded in 1999, Project Jericho is an outreach of Clark State and Job and Family Services of Clark County. Thousands of youth have participated in the program that introduces them to the arts, from photography to theater to dance. Their projects include murals at the Rocking Horse Center and Clark County Juvenile Detention Center, along with renovation projects at local parks and music, dance and theater performances at local events.

The Coming Up Taller awards recognize and support outstanding community arts and humanities programs that celebrate the creativity of young people and provide them with new learning opportunities and a chance to contribute to their communities.

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