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By Christopher Selmek, Urbana Daily Citizen ST. PARIS - When Kaitlyn VanHoose graduates from Graham High School on May 31, she already will be a college graduate. Because of the school’s College Credit Plus program, which VanHoose entered when she was a sophomore, she graduated from Edison State Community College, Piqua, this month. Beginning in the fall, VanHoose plans on continuing her education at Wittenberg University, Springfield, which has a pre-dental biology program, then going to Ohio State. Her older sister, Laryssa, is finishing her third year studying education at Wittenberg, and they plan to live together on campus. Kaitlyn’s mother, Christina, is a waitress at the Farmer’s Daughter restaurant in Urbana and attends Edison State Community College part time to study nursing. She encouraged her two older daughters to take advantage of the CCP program to cut down on their student loan debt, as well as younger daughter Olivia, who began going to college full time as a high school junior this year. [Read More in the Saturday, May 12th edition of the Urbana Daily Citizen]
It’s been a little more than three years since Franklin University stepped in at the last minute and acquired Urbana University’s assets. But in that time, Washington, the executive vice president and provost, estimated Franklin has poured more than $15 million into Urbana’s facilities as part of a long-term plan to attract new students and shore up a campus that was on the verge of closing for good. “I don’t think there’s a place you can see that we haven’t impacted with investments,” Washington said.
Officials from Franklin provided a two-page list of the improvements made since its acquisition of Urbana University in 2014. The improvements ranged from relatively small projects like removing tree stumps and repairing the grass soccer field to renovating the university’s physics and biology labs. The improvements also included relocating the campus’ Johnny Appleseed Museum, developing a Graduate Services Office, ramping up wireless accessibility campus-wide and signing on with a new food service vendor. Urbana University’s financial situation still isn’t in the black a few years after Franklin’s takeover, Washington said. But along with developing new academic programs and building better ties with local businesses, the improvements are part of a larger plan to drive up enrollment and make the campus a thriving part of the community, he said. The university has always played an important role in the city and Champaign County, he said. But many people throughout the region still don’t realize Urbana is home to a private university with a history that dates back to 1850. “Years from now, I would love it if everybody in the community believed it was a college town,” Washington said of Urbana. Coming off probation Urbana University had a long history in the city, but it has also faced financial challenges for years. Those problems became critical in 2014, when lean enrollment, a handful of failed business decisions and effects of the Great Recession meant Urbana couldn’t take on more debt to survive. At that time, the university nearly shut down entirely, until Franklin University, based in Columbus, stepped in. A handful of local banks accepted millions of dollars in losses to wipe the debt clean, allowing the transaction to occur. As part of that deal, Urbana now functions as a division of Franklin but retains its name. Local leaders have said saving Urbana University was critical because it employs more than 200 staff and faculty members and provides a potential pipeline of skilled workers for local businesses. A 2017 economic impact study by the Southwestern Ohio Council for Higher Education estimated that Urbana University provided more than $60 million to the economies of Champaign and Logan counties for the 2015 to 2016 school year. That study considered the university’s impacts from operations, student spending in the community and capital investment. Urbana had been under academic probation since November 2014. But that was wiped away in July last year when Franklin University received approval by the Higher Learning Commission to make Urbana University a branch campus. Taking the Urbana campus under Franklin’s accreditation was a critical step as Franklin looks to develop new academic programs and provide better service to students, Washington said. “There’s work to be done here and as we grow our goals are designed to create a sustainable university,” Washington said. Boosting community ties Washington said drawing more students to the university also means developing closer ties to alumni, providing more reasons for students to stay on campus and working more closely with local businesses to provide job options for students. The university hosted its first-ever night football game last fall, an event that drew about 3,500 alumni and other guests to the campus. The university also hosted its spring game at night this year, and there are already plans to host additional night games this fall as one way to make the campus more entertaining for students and to develop better relationships with alumni, he said. There are some signs that the work is paying dividends, Washington said. He noted the university received about 420 applications for new students last year, but that figure has about doubled to more than 800 applications for the upcoming academic year. “To offer the programs we want to offer, we have to have a sufficient number of students to support those programs,” Washington said. Another key, Washington said, is developing closer ties with area businesses. The university has developed a program called UrbanaWORKS, which will provide students with leadership skills while tying educational programs more closely to the needs of local businesses. Marcia Bailey, economic development coordinator for the Champaign Economic Partnership, said the university is making a more visible effort to work with local companies and determine what training is needed to match current demands. The CEP is the economic development agency for Champaign County. She said Washington is part of a team developed to address the needs of local businesses. That group recently visited Honeywell Aerospace in Urbana and is scheduled to meet soon with Bundy Baking Solutions, a local manufacturer. “They are intimately getting involved in the community,” Bailey said of Urbana University’s recent emphasis on local business. The community is also embracing the campus more than may have been the case in the past, she said. Last year was the first year community members hosted a block party in downtown Urbana to welcome students to the campus at the start of the school year, and a similar event is scheduled for August. “The university is making certain they’re a part of the community and the community is making certain they’re engaging the university with different events and activities too,” Bailey said. [Read More at SpringfieldNewsSun.com]
“We got in the car,” Heidi recalled recently. “I knew right off the bat we weren’t going to make it to Springfield. (Her mother) said, ‘All right. We’ll go to Urbana. You know at least there’s a doctor there. We know it’s a hospital.’”
The problem: Mercy Health Urbana Hospital has no obstetrics department. And, for security reasons, the doors of the facility stay locked. Grandma (Faith was on her way to being Tuttle’s third child) banged on the doors while Tuttle remained in the van, screaming. Her water had broken. “I was in a lot of pain,” she recalled. “It was way worse than the other two (children).” Enter Tricia Blanken, a registered nurse who just happened to be delivering blood samples to the hospital that day. When she happened upon the situation, she said her intention was to help Tuttle inside the hospital. Faith was having none of that. “(Tuttle) went into the next contraction and said, ‘No, I’m going to have this baby right now,’ ” Blanken said. See the full article in the Sun. May 13th Springfield News-Sun
After sharing the classified design with Ultramet and asking for a proposal, the engineering team managed to reduce the cost of production by 90 percent. The Department of Defense accepted the proposal and sent the company orders. Cordonnier said Ultra-met has been manufacturing the advanced armor piercing component approximately 16 months. He said he is not certain whether Ultra-met is the exclusive manufacturer.
“I am very proud of the team’s work on the Department of Defense project for advanced armor piercing components,” he said. “We were able to support our fighting men and women of the armed forces with a component that vastly improves the performance of existing ammunition against battlefield threats that are using the most advanced body armor.” According to Cordonnier, the new ammunition design is an improvement on the old one because Tungsten has minimal environmental impact, unlike depleted uranium. Ultra-met has 122 employees on three shifts to run the mostly automated process of manufacturing these items, but seeks more employees. Cordonnier said that the company offers full training and that the manufacturing floor is clean and climate controlled. Ultra-met was founded in Urbana in 1965 and has seen a 900 percent growth in the last 25 years. The company produces about a million pieces a month for use in transportation, aerospace, general machining, oil and gas, mining, and power generation industries, and ships all over the world. Christopher Selmek can be reached at [email protected] or 937-508-2304
“What makes a STEM school? The answer lies in having a holistic approach to a rigorous culture, design learning and innovative practices that are integrated across classrooms and buildings,” said David Burns of Battelle, a private nonprofit applied science and technology development company headquartered in Columbus.
Graham’s staff worked for the past year to define and refine practices to address their application, according to GMS Assistant Principal Nick Guidera, who led the application team. “We’re excited to recognize our faculty and staff for their hard work. That’s what this is all about,” he said. The ODE Committee remarked that leadership, faculty practices and student activities are all parts of the equation when they evaluate the programming impact on students and the local community. Koennecke drew attention to the quality of his staff. “When people try to define academic excellence, we look, in addition to report grades and individual awards, at true cultural measures. This is about who we are, and the state called Graham’s elementary and middle schools role models. We are preparing future-ready citizens here for in-demand careers. Our culture is all about empowering learners. This is proof for anyone who wants to see quality education at work.” Marilyn Stinson, Amanda Croson, Emily Shreve, Chad Miller, Chad Lensman and others worked with Guidera and Graham Coordinators Joe Jude and Adam Mowery to prep for the state’s rigorous and lengthy application process. “We could not be successful without our strategic partners, both local and across Ohio, for helping us with key activities annually that demonstrate problem-based learning,” said Graham Coordinator Adam Mowery. Teachers will have an opportunity to celebrate soon as ODE will officially unveil STEM banners for both buildings – the only schools with such designations in the county – prior to the start of next school year. According to Koennecke, “These awards represent an opportunity to honor our staff and students both for so much more than raising the academic standing here. They are reminders that we are living our vision of success today, prepared for tomorrow, and creating a personalized, rigorous, and fun culture here or all.” The Ohio Department of Education has designated only 55 schools as STEM leaders in the state since the early 2000s. ODE Elementary Coordinator Joe Jude emphasized the elite nature of these awards. “People who are excellent teachers lead a culture of exploration in their curriculum, take advantage of leadership opportunities and spend more time planning STEM than others. Graham has proven that it consistently demonstrates excellence in these areas.” Although the designations do not carry any financial grants or dollars, Koennecke said he is excited to have Graham recognized for the efforts made to provide today’s students a “future ready” education. The “future ready” slogan has been part of Graham’s mission for the past couple of years as the school has reshaped some of its approaches to modern education on a daily basis. The district has an earned income tax levy on the May 8 ballot. |
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