“There’s going to be a 50th feel to everything this year,” said Cristie Gryszka, director of donor relations.
Wright State is asking students to tell their “Wright State story” in 50 words or less online. The stories, which are brief anecdotes about why people chose to attend WSU or their favorite aspect of the college, are then published on the school’s website.
The university is also asking people to use the hashtag #WrightState50 on social media.
While WSU officials are already starting to celebrate the anniversary, the official celebration is set for Oct. 1 which coincides with the university’s homecoming weekend activities.
Officials have been planning activities for the 50th anniversary since last fall. Gryszka said officials have been trying to come up with ways to reach out to students, staff and alumni for the occasion.
“We’re going to take this milestone and think about ways to engage all of these stakeholders,” Gryszka said.
Job search
The Ohio Department of Higher Education and other state officials have unveiled a new online tool that will help employers find workers. The tool will help identify newly-trained workers with degrees and certifications in a wide variety of occupations with in-demand technical skills, according to the state. Businesses will be able to use labor market data to compare job candidates statewide.
‘Ferguson Vocies’
The unrest in Ferguson, Missouri that followed the 2014 police shooting of 18-year-old Michael Brown will be the focus of an exhibit at the University of Dayton’s Roesch Library.
Presented by the UD Human Right Center and PROOF: Media for Social Justice, “Ferguson Voices: Disrupting the Frame,” will showcase photos and audio collected by UD students in Ferguson in May. The exhibit will run from Jan. 17 to Feb. 3, with a reception scheduled for 4 p.m. Jan. 20, according to the university.
CSU students get loan help
Central State University will participate in a national pilot program to identify promising loan counseling practices that help students manage their federal aid. The U.S. Department of Education’s Loan Counseling Experiment involves 51 colleges and universities and approximately 100,000 students. At each school, half the students will receive additional loan counseling and the other half will receive the current statutorily required one-time entrance and one-time exit counseling.
Salamanders travel for love
While most salamanders don’t go far to find a mate, Ohio State scientists discovered that some travel as far as six to nine miles to find a partner.
Scientists tested how far salamanders could walk on a miniature treadmill before tiring out, according to the university. They then cross-referenced genetic details of the salamanders from various Ohio wetlands with the distance they traveled on the treadmill.
Dean leaving WSU
The dean of Wright State’s college of liberal arts will leave the university for another job on June 1.
Kristin Sobolik has accepted an offer to become the next provost and vice chancellor for academic affairs at the University of Missouri-St. Louis, said WSU spokesman Seth Bauguess. Sobolik came to Wright State in 2013 from the University of Maine where she served as an associate dean of research and external affairs.
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