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Bethany Westphal is a very busy person.   Like most seniors, Ms. Westphal spends her time doing school work and preparing for graduation in May. But, at the same time, she also runs the full-time business she started herself.   Ms. Westphal founded Rising Center for the Arts, which aims to provide positive experiences in the arts for members of the Akron community.   “I wanted to create a safe space based on positivity and encouragement to practice the arts,” Ms. Westphal said. “That’s how Rising Star Center for the Arts was born.”   Ms. Westphal, who is completing an integ...

At its May 9 meeting, the ������ Board of Trustees was unanimous in passing a resolution of appreciation that recognizes ������ President Beverly J. Warren’s five years of extraordinary contributions, specifically implementing a “students first” priority and mindset, leading to a laser-focus on helping students find their purpose and reach the finish line of a college degree. The Board also awarded her the title “President Emeritus,” effective July 1, 2019. President Warren, ������’s 12th president, will depart as president on June 30. As a symbol of the high esteem w...

FedEx Corp. has pledged $5 million, in addition to $1.5 million already given, in support of an aeronautics academic center that will be located at the ������ Airport. The new 17,800-square-foot building will be named the FedEx Aeronautics Academic Center. Construction is currently underway in anticipation of a fall 2019 opening. “Our first-class Aeronautics Program is recognized nationally and beyond for its excellence,” said ������ President Beverly J. Warren. “Thanks to FedEx, our physical facilities will now match the innovative and transformative education taking pla...

Nathaniel Bailey has been interested in photography for as long as he can remember.   “I first started taking photos on family backpacking trips,” said Mr. Bailey, senior journalism major with a focus in photojournalism. “I love the outdoors, so that was my passion.”   After years of study and practice, Mr. Bailey’s passion has paid off. In March 2019, Mr. Bailey won the Chuck Scott Student Photographer of the Year award from the Ohio News Photographers Association (ONPA), and he was awarded the Larry Fullerton Photojournalism Scholarship.   The ONPA competition required student...

  Wendy Vargo, a nursing major at ������ Salem, was selected to the ������’s Women’s Center SAGE Project, class of 2018. The Sage Project recognizes female-identifying students from across the ������ system who overcame adversity to shape their lives and their college experience. This initiative spotlights students with diverse experiences and backgrounds and who demonstrate innovation, creativity, risk-taking and leadership skills in their academic and personal lives.  Vargo is seeking a bachelor’s degree in nursing and is scheduled to graduate in 202...

The ������ alumni family will grow by 5,300 new graduates as the university holds its spring commencement ceremonies.  The Advanced Degree Commencement Ceremony will take place at 6 p.m. on Friday, May 10, at the Memorial Athletic and Convocation Center (MAC Center) on the Kent Campus. This ceremony recognizes graduates who are receiving their master’s, educational specialist and doctoral degrees. At 11 a.m. on Saturday, May 11, the university will hold its One University Commencement at Dix Stadium in Kent. This ceremony recognizes graduates from ������’s eight cam...

Though she had an interest in science at an early age, Raissa Mendonca had no idea she would end up more than 4,000 miles away from her hometown of Recife, Brazil, studying and conducting award-winning ecological research in the College of Arts and Sciences at ������ in Kent, Ohio. She probably did not expect to be wearing a bug net over her head in Manitoba, Canada, either.   Like many students, she realized opportunities at home were relatively limited, and she decided graduate school was the logical next step to “extend the problem of getting a job...

The legacy of May 4, 1970, affects all students at ������. For nearly 50 years, they have walked the same grounds where four students were killed while many were exercising their First Amendment rights, protesting a war. What happened, why it happened and what it means— those questions have been asked, again and again, since 1970. As the 50th commemoration approaches, however, students from the ������ School of Journalism and Mass Communication asked other questions: In what ways are the lessons of May 4th relevant today? How do current ������ students view...

������ at Ashtabula held its 70th Commencement Ceremony on Friday, May 10, 2019.  Over 100 students earning their degrees were be honored during the ceremony, held in the Main Hall Gymnasium.  Additionally, the Ashtabula Area College Committee, Inc. (AACCI) presented its Community Service Award to local podiatrist and Remote Area Medical (RAM) Clinic co-chair Lori Herpen, DPM.  Camille Zalar, MHA, BSN, RN, a 2000 (ADN) and 2011 (BSN)  ������ Ashtabula graduate and current Director of Education and Initiatives for The Center for Health Affairs, recei...