Pops in the Park Concert, 7/1

The Ashland Symphony Orchestra and the Ashland Area Chorus perform their annual Pops in the Park concert this Sunday, July 1 at 8 p.m. in the Guy C. Myers Memorial Band Shell at Brookside Park. The concert will feature all of your patriotic favorites along with special effects from the Civil War Battery D, 1st Ohio Light Artillery, sparklers and paper bag cannons.

Mintz Photography Exhibition Opens 6/30

On Saturday, June 30, the Coburn Gallery will open an exhibition titled “Precious Objects” created by Ohio photographer Charles Mintz. The show displays 20 portraits of sitters holding their self-chosen precious object alongside a full-size copy of a handwritten statement explaining their choice. The exhibition will run through August 5 with a closing reception from 2 to 4 p.m. when gallery patrons will have a chance to meet Mintz. READ MORE

Mondal Completes NCFDD Master Coach Certification

Sharleen Mondal, associate professor of English, recently completed a certification to become a master coach for the National Center for Faculty Development and Diversity (NCFDD). She explains, “The NCFDD is centrally focused on holding space open for each individual’s personal transformation, honoring each member’s unique journey, and this is apparent in its Faculty Success Program (FSP) structure.” READ MORE

2018 MFA Summer Residency Highlights

This year's residency begins Monday, July 23, ending with our graduation celebration on Thursday, August 2. In between we'll be welcoming more than 40 talented writers and editors to the microphone and classroom (including 21 of our own graduating students). READ MORE

Mathematics & Computer Science Students Accept Positions

Senior Ashlyn Smith, a double major in Actuarial Science and Mathematics accepted a position for the REU Program at Lamar University for the summer of 2018. While sophomore Renee Lucas, a Computer Science major, accepted an internship with First Energy.

Demers Reflects on His Progress

By Jakob Demers, class of 2018, Creative Writing and English major 

Receiving the Creative Writing Award for Outstanding Capstone was, and still is, an incredibly surreal experience for me.

When I first arrived at Ashland University four years ago, I knew two things for certain: I was going to major in Creative Writing, and I had no idea how to function in a college setting. Apart from the usual high school to university transition, Ashland was my first time in an actual brick-and-mortar school building. My first semester was a blur of finding my footing and choosing the easiest way to go about things. FULL STORY

Tom Nesbitt Embarks on Radio Career

2018 Journalism and Digital Media graduate Tom Nesbitt will continue his radio career at WOHF and WFRO in Fremont, Ohio. These stations are owned by BAS Broadcasting and feature music from the 1960s through the 2000s and local high school sports coverage. Tom will serve as an audio board operator, a producer for the weather programs and a sideline reporter for the broadcasting of high school football games.

Ashland Remembers James Reynolds

On Sunday, over 30 alumni, faculty and staff gathered on the Hugo Young Theatre stage to celebrate the life of James G. Reynolds, former professor of English and Theatre. Throughout his career at Ashland, Jim taught literature and writing (essay, modern drama, existential lit, playwriting), advised The Collegian, directed 43 productions at Ashland from 1974 to 2001, and wrote an original play titled Hook, Line, and Sinker which was produced at Ashland in 1987.

Please join us in celebrating his life through this video which offers some brief glimpses into every show that he directed along with some other insights. Enjoy!

Alumni Update: Erika Gallion

I still hope to begin a doctoral program in English—my dream (as it has been since my English Comp 102 class with Dr. Linda Joyce Brown and my Intro to Creative Writing class with Dr. Joe Mackall) is to dive deeper into this subject, and to teach—to share it with students who pursue and are curious of the same passions. I am incredibly proud of my journey, and thank Ashland University for giving me not only my confidence, but my joy. FULL STORY

Taking Screenwriting: Learning How to Write a Movie or Learning Valuable Undergraduate Lessons?

I was terrified on the first day of screenwriting. I thought the chances of me succeeding in the class were slim to none. Now when I look back at the class I realize that the classes that terrify you the most are often the ones you learn the most from. Now when I watch movies I look at them in an academic way and enjoy them in a much more substantial way. I never expected a workshop to impact the way I look at any aspect of my life, but because I was invested in the class it truly did change the way I look at things.   --Liz Bucci, Integrated Language Arts major  
READ MORE

Screenwriting Class Gives Future Teacher Ideas

Corinne Spisz, Integrated Language Arts major, found a new tool for teaching creative writing through her screenwriting class that she took at AU this spring.

"This class gave me a new insight on a different mode of creative writing. I had so much fun writing and discussing our own movie scripts. I decided that if I end of teaching creative writing at a high school I want to add either a screenwriting unit or a screenwriting/film class to the ELA curriculum." READ MORE

Toxicology/Biology Major Interning at Gorman Nature Center

AU Biology and Toxicology double-major Danielle Bates is interning at Gorman Nature Center this summer while Ashland alumna Amanda Kriner (13) is the Center's Volunteer Director. Read an update from Danielle linked HERE

Alumnus Publishes Article in Psi Chi Journal

AU alumnus Derek Baker (Psychology, 2017) recently published an article with Dr. Chris Chartier in the Psi Chi Journal of Undergraduate Research.  The article, titled "Participant Attentiveness to Consent Forms" is available full-text and online  here.  Derek is currently a student in the School Psychology graduate program at Miami University (OH).