Jones Awarded Phi Sigma Iota Scholarship, Again

Delaney Jones, Spanish and Political Science major with a minor in French, has been awarded a scholarship from Phi Sigma Iota Foreign Language Honor Society for the second year in a row. She is the first student from Ashland University to apply for a Phi Sigma Iota Scholarship and this is the second consecutive year in a row that she's been awarded this prestigious international recognition.

Jazz at the Nest, April 25

Led by Dr. Scott Garlock, Professor of Music, the award-winning Ashland University Jazz Orchestra (AUJO) will present a free public concert on Tuesday, April 25 in the Hawkins-Conard Student Center’s Eagles Nest at 7:30 p.m. The Just Friends jazz combo will provide pre-concert music beginning at 7 p.m. Join us as our amazing seniors perform their final AUJO concert. The concert will also premiere Dr. Garlock's Second in Line for Pumpernickel.

Senior Art Exhibition Awards

The 2017 Senior Art Exhibition awards were presented by Daniel McDonald, chair of the art department, on Thursday April 20 at the Coburn Art Gallery opening reception. Alicia Jones (Bellevue) was selected as the senior art award recipient by the AU art department faculty. Honorable Mention Senior award recipient was Ahmed Bondagjy, a Sadi citizen living in Ashland, Ohio. READ MORE

Spring Honors Recital, April 24

Tonight's 2017 Spring Honors Recital at 7:30 p.m. in the Elizabeth Pastor Recital Hall showcases the following performers:

Vocalists: Andrea Disch, Gracie Fumic, Elisha Hofer, Sarah Napier, Rebecca Young

Instrumentalists: Chanel Bluntschly & Michael Byndas (saxophone), Alex Trotter (piano), Jaylynn Buchmelter & Cody Henderson (trombone)

2017 MAA Leo Schneider Mathematics Competition

The 2017 MAA Leo Schneider Mathematics Competition results are in. There were 21 teams who competed with the Newton's 2nd Team (Grace McCourt, Emily Law and Michael Woode) finishing in 7th place, the Alge-Bros (Kyle Puhl, Aaron Arnold and Bret Romanzak) finishing in 11th place and the Inte-girls (Ashlyn Smith, Emily Martin and Jessica Shrider) finishing in 12th place.

Gun Culture Conference Opened My Eyes

By Jessica James

Going into the fields of both social work and criminal justice, in some sort of manner I will have to deal with guns on a daily basis. Whether I get a job where I will be permitted to open carry a weapon or even if I have to deal with a suicidal patient who has a cabinet full of guns at home, I knew in some sort of fashion, firearms and guns would always play a part in my life. And this is one of many reasons I wanted to attend the Ashland Center for Nonviolence conference about Understanding our Gun Culture. This conference opened my eyes to a lot of issues relating to gun rights and gun control. FULL STORY

Ashland Poetry Press Author Wins Award

Congratulations to Ashland Poetry Press author Daneen Wardrop! Her collection Life As It has won the Gold Medal in Poetry in this year's Independent Publisher Book Awards.
Wardrop's manuscript was the winner of the 2015 Richard Snyder Memorial Publication Prize, selected by contest final judge David St. John. The book was published this past fall and may be purchased through Ashland University's bookstore, SPD Books, or Amazon. READ MORE

Spring Band Concert Celebrates Senior AU Band Members

Ashland University Department of Music presents its final band concert of the 2016-2017 academic year on Saturday, April 22 at 7:30 p.m. in Hugo Young Theatre with the annual Spring Band Concert. The Ashland Area Community Concert Band under the direction of Leonard Salvo, and the Ashland University Concert Band directed by Gary Ciulla will perform and senior Concert Band members will be recognized for their dedication and contribution to the AU Band program. Admission to the concert is complimentary, and open to the public. READ MORE

Senior Art Exhibit II & Art Pop-Up Shop, April 20

The 2017 Senior Art Exhibition II will open on Thursday, April 20, with an opening reception from 4:30 to 6:30 p.m. in the Coburn Art Gallery. The senior art awards will be announced at 5 p.m. at the reception. Artists include Ahmed Bondagjy, Abigail Nye, Dana Reed, Alicia Jones, Isaac Waterman and Kailah Saunders. In addition, the Art Department, Coburn Gallery and AU Art Club will be hosting a Pop Up Art Shop to benefit fellow art major Kiana Ziegler's GoFundMe account to help offset her medical and travel expenses due to a recent illness.

Dr. Randall-Griffiths Quoted by Ohio Humanities

Dr. Deleasa Randall-Griffiths, Associate Professor and Director of the Online Communication Studies Program, was quoted by the Ohio Humanities in its coverage of Ashland Chautauqua, noting the significance of 2017 for the Chautauqua and of the importance of the Chautauqua's relationship with Ohio Humanities:

Earlier this year, Ashland Chautauqua received the Ashland Area Chamber of Commerce award for “Culture and Recreation.”  Accepting that award validated our many years producing the annual five-day event that brings history to life, Chautauqua style. None of this, not the award and certainly not the many years of scholarly performances and workshops, would have been possible without Ohio Humanities. Our community is enriched each year by Ohio Humanities. They help us see the present through the past and expand our notion of what it means to be human.         

READ MORE

Two Week Tour of the Eastern Front in WWII

Dr. John Moser is leading a 14 day tour of the Russian Front in WWII next spring, in conjunction with his course HIST 364: World War II (enrollment in the course is not needed for the trip). This trip will focus on the Eastern Front with visits to St. Petersburg, Moscow, Minsk, Poland, Germany, and more. An information meeting is scheduled for Thursday, April 20 at 4:30 pm in Andrews 102.

Brass, Sax, String & Jazz, April 19

On Wednesday, April 19 at 7:30 p.m. in the Elizabeth Pastor Recital Hall, several student chamber ensembles perform including the saxophone, brass and string ensembles under the direction of Dr. Thomas Reed, Michael Metcalf and Jane Reed, respectively. Mr. Jeff Neitzke will lead the jazz combo on the program as well. The concert is free and open to the public.

'Last' Lecture for the Graduating Class

The Religion Department will celebrate its graduating seniors, induct new members into Theta Alpha Kappa (the religion honor society) and close out the year with a final lecture by long-time Ashland Theological Seminary Professor Dr. Paul W. Chilcote on Wednesday, April 19, at 7 p.m. in AU’s Miller Chapel. The lecture, which is free and open to the public, is titled “Deep, Abiding Connection to God.” READ MORE

Online Collaboration Platform is Developed

Dr. Christopher Chartier and collaborators have developed an online platform to help researchers from all scientific disciplines find collaborators, labs to conduct independent replications, or exchange research resources. The website, StudySwap, is hosted by the Center for Open Science and has already started facilitating new collaborations. Read more in this article in The Scientist:  HERE

Schlorb Addresses Civilized Society in Agatha Christie's Poirot

Mykenna Schlorb is a triple major in Political Science, Health and Risk Communication and Accounting, yet is presenting at URCA about a piece of literature -- specifically Agatha Christie's first Hercule Poirot novel, The Mysterious Affair at Styles. Dr. Maura Grady is Mykenna's faculty sponsor for this project which "shows Christie’s keen sense of societal structures and civility which are interrupted during World War I...(when) Social norms and expectations of propriety are clear, even in a time of political instability...Christie is able to focus on how social propriety and daily civil normality crumble in times of injustice, atrocious crimes, such as murder, and world war, all of which juxtapose the order that is maintained in a healthy civil society. Ultimately, it is this crumbling sense of civility and civic duty that lead to the destruction of civil society and civilization as a whole."

Kate Siefert Launching Career at WTOV

Journalism & Digital Media senior Kate Siefert will be launching her career at the television station WTOV in Steubenville, Ohio. WTOV is an NBC and Fox affiliate that focuses on comprehensive local news and sports for the Upper Ohio Valley. Kate, who will be graduating in May 2017, is an award winning multimedia journalist, the current Managing Editor for The Collegian and Sports Producer for AUTV 20.

The Beautiful and Conflicted Confessions of an English Major

By Corinne Spisz, Integrated Language Arts major

When I came to Ashland University as a freshman back in the fall of 2015, I thought I knew what being an English major was going to take. I heard it was going to be difficult but that I would be fine in the end. I heard that I will grow as a reader and a writer. What I did not know was the battle that I was going to fight, and will continue to fight, to achieve everything that I was told about my major. It was not until English Composition 102 with Dr. Waterman in the spring of 2016 that I realized what being an English major meant. FULL STORY

Grace McCourt Expands on 'Dishonest Salesperson Problem"

Mathematics and integrated mathematics education major Grace McCourt will present at the 2 p.m. URCA session in the Convocation's Faculty Room on Tuesday, April 11. Her faculty sponsor for her project is Dr. Christopher Swanson.

Because a profit is made on the mileage allowance, a salesperson wants to drive as far as possible during the trip, which financially benefits the salesperson at the loss of his or her employer, hence why the salesperson is being described as dishonest. As first posed and answered in Problem 1654 from Mathematics Magazine, the question is asked "What is the maximum possible distance he or she can travel on such a trip, and how many different such trips are there?" In her presentation, Grace will expand upon that result by using combinatorics and graph theory to derive results for the complete graph, in which each vertex is connect to each other vertex by exactly one edge, and the hypercube, which will be defined in the presentation. She will also present what is known for the cycle graph, the complete bipartite graph, and the complete m-ary tree of height h.

Muslimah Williams Reveals Results of Burqa Experiment

Psychology major Muslimah Williams conducted a study titled "The Truth behind the Veil: Investigating Religious Prejudice in America" and will reveal her findings at the April 11, 11:45 a.m. URCA poster session in the Convocation Center's Alumni Room. With faculty sponsor Dr. Mitchell Metzger (Psychology), Muslimah tested the hypothesis that individuals will exhibit more negative attitudes when faced with a woman wearing a burqa (head-covering exposing only the eyes) compared to a woman in western-style clothing.

Tasha Arnold Produces Film in the Style of French Directors

French major Tasha Arnold worked with faculty sponsor Dr. David McCoy from the Department of Journalism and Digital Media to write, direct, film and edit a short film focusing on mental illness awareness in the style of French directors. She will present her poster at the 11:45 a.m. URCA session in the alumni room on April 11. 

Her primary goal for her film, "Breathe," was to portray an accurate representation of anxiety and the stigma that others associate with it. The film is relatable to those who suffer from mental illness and a learning tool for those who don’t. “Breathe” follows Audrey as she lives with extreme anxiety, and shows how she handles a roommate who refuses to understand Audrey’s point of view. 

Delaney Jones Discusses the Survival of Spain's Minority Languages

With faculty sponsor Dr. Richard Gray, Spanish and political science major Delaney Jones has researched "The Survival and Maintenance of Minority Languages in Spain" and will present her findings at the 10:30 a.m. URCA session in the Convocation Center's Faculty Room. 

In her abstract, Delaney explains, "Although Galician, Basque, and Catalan (languages) experienced a decline, they survived and continue to develop into present day. These languages are present in government, education, and in everyday life in Galicia, Basque Country, and Catalonia. The reason behind their survival can be attributed to the literary histories of each region, the use of bilingual education, the geography of Spain, and to the elites of minority language regions. Catalan is arguably the most successful of the three major languages. It has the most speakers and is the language of a community that is undergoing a fierce nationalist movement. The Catalan independence movement has further highlighted the importance of minority languages within Spain and demonstrates their growth and development into the future."

Bernhard Reveals Shocking Results of Protein Drink Testing

Biochemistry major Zachary Bernhard will reveal the shocking results of his research testing of cadmium concentrations in commercial protein drinks and nutritional protein powders at #URCA2017. As outlined in his abstract, "Heavy metals,such as cadmium, can bio accumulate over time while exerting their effects. Cadmium primarily targets the kidneys which can lead to renal failure." With Dr. Jeffrey Weidenhamer as his faculty sponsor, Zachary will present his findings at the 11:45 a.m. poster session in the Alumni Room of the Myers Convocation Center.

Theatre Major Reviews Costume Design Process for Pippin

Senior theatre major Elizabeth Grace Davis will give her URCA oral presentation on "Maximizing Communication through a Total Collaborative Design" in the Trustees Room of the Convocation Center at the 3:15 p.m. session. Sponsored by Dr. Teresa Durbin-Ames and Prof. J. Michael Desper, she will explain theatre design as a collaborative process of research and storytelling. Specifically, she will review her "creation of an ideal design process, within an educational setting, where in the design for Pippin was created and executed. This show was a part of the 2016-2017 season for Ashland University’s Department of Theatre.

History/Political Science Major to Kick off URCA

History/Political Science major Joey Barretta will kick-off the 2017 URCA Symposium on April 11 with his presentation titled: "Was Martin Luther King Jr. the Frederick Douglass of the Twentieth-Century?" Sponsored by faculty member Dr. Emily Hess, Barretta will compare and contrast the two most prominent African American thinkers in the history of the United States. READ MORE

Social Work Department’s Outstanding Performance

Ashland University had a 100% passing rate of its licensure exam in 2016 according to The Association of Social Work Boards, which is in charge of governing the administration of testing for the licensures. This compares to 80% among all undergraduate schools of social work in Ohio and 70% across North America.

K-9 Unit Visits Ashland Campus

Ashland Police Department Officer Craig Kiley, along with one of his canines, recently visited a Criminal Justice Club event. Officer Kiley spoke to students regarding the various uses of the K-9 unit and also discussed training techniques. He was able to show the club footage of several real-life training events involving the canines as well as some footage of one of the canines tracking a criminal.

50th Anniversary of Science as a Cultural Force at AU

A lecture presented by Dr. Allan M. Brandt, Kass Professor of the History of Medicine and Professor of the History of Science at Harvard University, was held on March 29 to commemorate the 50th Anniversary of an Interdisciplinary Science Course at Ashland University. The occasion for the evening’s lecture was the 50th anniversary of AU’s interdisciplinary course Science as a Cultural Force team taught by a faculty member from the humanities and another from the sciences. The course, first taught in 1967, was the suggestion of C.S. Lewis. Read more about the interesting evolution of this interdisciplinary concept HERE.

2017 URCA Schedule & Abstracts Released

The 2017 Undergraduate Research and Creative Activity (URCA) Symposium schedule and abstracts are now posted. The annual event sponsored by the College of Arts & Sciences will be held on Tuesday, April 11 from 9 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. in the Myers Convocation Center. All presentations are free and open to the public. From profiling serial killers and rapists, to the extraction and analysis of toxic alkaloids from Jimsonweed in hay and silage, and demonstrating a chamber ensemble's performance without a conductor -- the event will offer 52 oral, poster and exhibition presentations from 62 students representing 15 different departments throughout the College of Arts & Sciences. SCHEDULE OF EVENTS | ABSTRACTS

Senior Art Exhibition I, through Apr. 12

Each spring, the Ashland University Coburn Gallery hosts the Senior Art Exhibitions that feature the capstone experience for graduating art majors. Bringing together artwork made by graduating seniors in the Department of Art, the 2017 Senior Art Exhibition began on March 30 featuring works by Emily Minns, Anastasia Russo and Emily Didion. Their exhibit closes on April 12. READ MORE

88.9 WRDL Receives IBS Awards

AU's radio station, 88.9 WRDL, was recognized at the 2017 Intercollegiate Broadcasting System (IBS) Awards in New York City in a variety of categories. Ashland University students receiving honors in the radio category were:

• Kate Siefert, Top 7 for Best Newscast - The Early Bird's Word
• Derek Wood and Noah Cloonan, Winner for Best Women's Basketball Play-by-Play - AU vs. Grand Valley State
• Derek Wood, Top 5 for Best Use of Facebook - WRDL Facebook
• Derek Wood, Top 6 for Best Show Promotional Poster - WRDL 

Bluntschly Junior Saxophone Recital, April 6

On Thursday, April 6 at 7:30 p.m., junior environmental science major and music minor Chanel Bluntschly (Ashland) will perform her junior recital on alto saxophone with pianist Susan Gregg. Her program will include Georg Philipp Telemann's Fantasia in A minor, Tableaux de Provence (Picture of Provence) by Paule Maurice, Laughing Gas by Jascha Gurewich, Valse Sonia and Saxophobia by Rudy Wiedoeft as well as Aleksandr Glazunov's Concerto in E-flat Major, Op. 109. The concert is free and open to the public.

Alumni Spotlight: Dan Ditlevson

By Dan Ditlevson, class of 2013

Working as an ESL (English as a Second Language) instructor for the Chongqing University of Arts & Sciences has been a fulfilling opportunity in helping college-age students improve their foreign language skills in a personalized and relevant application. Additionally, living as an expatriate in Yongchuan, Chongqing, China, I have been receiving invaluable working and cultural experiences, which have been strengthening my adaptability and engagement within the professional and social sphere. FULL STORY