ONU Feature Stories

Elite Company

Ohio Northern University student-athlete wins Elite 89 award for NCAA Division III Men’s Soccer Championship

Ohio Northern University defenseman Matt Fleming, a senior international business and economics major from Liberty Township, Ohio, has been named the recipient of the Elite 89 award for the 2012 NCAA Division III Men’s Soccer Championship. The award was presented at the NCAA Finals in San Antonio in November.

Left to right: Brent Ridenour, ONU head men’s soccer
coach, and Matt Fleming
The Elite 89 is presented to the student-athlete with the highest cumulative grade-point average participating at the finals site for each of the NCAA’s championships.
Fleming, a graduate of Lakota East High School, is the first ONU student-athlete to receive this national award.

His achievement is all the more impressive considering the rigorous travel schedule that resulted from the team's run to the final four. In the span of one month, the team traveled to once to Pittsburgh, Pa., and to San Antonio, Texas, twice.

“In all honesty, I wouldn't have had the success in the classroom that I did without my teammates. Our team has such a strong mentality of excellence on and off the field. The guys around me pushed me to become a better athlete on the field, as well as a better student in the classroom,” says Fleming.

He also received help from an understanding faculty. Though he missed classes as a result of the soccer tournament this semester, his professors stayed in constant communication with Fleming and never let him fall behind. Some of the communication even went beyond homework assignments.

“From email's cheering me on, to asking me about the season at the beginning of class, I always felt the faculty's full support and pride in student-athletes such as myself,” he says.

The James F. Dicke College of Business Administration believes that developing leaders requires mentoring, experiential learning and scholarship. Fleming’s Elite 89 award is an excellent example of those three components coming together to produce tremendous success.

"The receipt of the Elite 89 award conferred to Matt Fleming is impressive to say the least," says James Fenton, Dean of the James F. Dicke College of Business Administration. "Though it is impressive, it was not surprising to me that Matt received the award. Matt represents the very essence of the term 'student athlete.' Matt is an outstanding student who has demonstrated a sustained, high-level academic performance. He is a worthwhile recipient."

The Elite 89, an award founded by the NCAA, recognizes the true essence of the student-athlete by honoring the individual who has reached the pinnacle of competition at the national championship level in his or her sport, while also achieving the highest academic standard among his or her peers.
'Sis' America

Back row from left: Kellie Evans, Montana Tolle, Jeanette Weng, Brittany Barnhisel, Mary Frances Meier.
Front row from left: Becca Wilson, Rachel Kerns, Stacy Henthorne, Morgan Sperry, Allie Snoke
ONU Delta Zetas support one of their own at the 2013 Miss America Competition in Las Vegas.

As “once-in-a-lifetime” experiences go, traveling to Las Vegas to cheer on your sorority sister as she tries to become Miss America has got to be high on the list.
For a group of current and former Ohio Northern University Delta Zeta sorority sisters, the opportunity to do just that proved too good to pass up. More than a dozen DZs are in Las Vegas this week supporting their sorority sister and reigning Miss Ohio, Elissa McCracken, as she vies to become the 87th Miss America.

“Elissa is such an inspiration to everyone, and everybody loves her because she has such a kind and genuine personality,” says senior pharmacy major Brittany Barnhisel of Van Buren, Ohio. “So it’s just natural that so many people want to support her.”

McCracken’s friends have supported her throughout her journey, traveling to the Miss Ohio competitions the past two years. This week, her friends are attending each of the preliminary competitions and doing their best to connect with McCracken, even though her time is strictly regimented by the demands of the competition. Some bought backstage passes that allow visits with McCracken for an hour backstage after each preliminary competition, and everyone has been texting her nonstop with messages of support and good luck.

The Miss America Competition is held throughout the week, with contestants broken up into three groups and each group competing in a different category each day. McCracken began the competition on Monday with the interview portion, followed by her talent performance on Tuesday, on-stage question on Wednesday, and the swimsuit and eveningwear portion on Thursday. The top 14 contestants from the preliminary rounds, along with a contestant chosen by a public vote, compete on Saturday evening for the crown.

“Tuesday was my third or fourth time watching Elissa perform, and I texted her afterwards to ask her how she thought she’d done,” says Barnhisel. “She said that she felt that it was one of her best performances ever.”

Confidence is always a good trait for any competitor, and, according to her friends, McCracken has plenty as a result of all the hard work, time and effort she has put into this competition. She also is buoyed by her platform to end cyberbullying, something that she herself has experienced.

“She’s having the time of her life. You can see it,” says Stacy Henthorne, a senior pharmacy major from Munroe Falls, Ohio. “It’s exciting to be here watching her live through this.”

When the DZs aren’t cheering on McCracken, they are having a wonderful time exploring Las Vegas and connecting with alumni. It has become a mini-reunion of sorts, something for which Amanda Liska, BA ’11, credits the tight-knit nature of the Delta Zeta chapter at ONU.

“Being a student at a smaller school like Northern, you really have the opportunity to make these really deep connections,” she says. “I honestly don’t believe that we would be as close if we were at a different school.”

After winning Miss Ohio this year, chapter members started Facebook groups in support of McCracken and used social media to spread the word that one of there own had made it so far. But it’s not like these sisters needed much convincing.

“I think it was pretty clear for all of us when she won Miss Ohio. We just thought, ‘We have to go. We have to go’,” says Liska.
Vote for Elissa!

Make our Miss Ohio a finalist for Miss America.

Make sure you click the check box and the "Finish Survey" button!!!!
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2013 Miss America Competition
Jan. 12 at 9 p.m. on ABC

Voting closes at 11:59 p.m. PST on Thursday, Jan. 10.
Her Calling

Fundraising ace Jayde Culver is growing The Northern Fund by leaps and bounds.

Fundraising is an economic necessity for colleges and universities. It is so important, and so expected, that U.S. News & World Report factors alumni giving rates into its heralded annual college rankings.

So by giving, Ohio Northern University alumni help the University in more ways than one, as the recent No. 2 Midwest Regional college ranking from U.S. News & World Report and successful capital campaign can attest.

And while fundraising is important, it isn’t easy. Well… not usually.
Jayde Culver, a senior psychology major from Tiffin, Ohio, is gaining notice on campus as a bit of a fundraising virtuoso, raising a whopping $54,385 for The Northern Fund this semester as an ONU Phonathon caller.

The Phonathon annually reaches nearly 30,000 alumni, parents and friends of the University with a simple request: Please continue supporting ONU. Last year, the initiative raised $329,000 for The Northern Fund, which supports ONU with annual operating costs and the University’s highest priorities — student scholarships, financial aid, faculty research and campus improvements.

“Our alumni are incredible,” says Culver. “They really care about the students that are here now, and they show that through their financial support. When I’m on the phone with them, they always ask me what I’m majoring in and how I’m doing and things like that. We say that ONU is a family, and I really do believe that it is.”

In her two years as a Phonathon caller, Culver has spoken with thousands of alumni. While she enjoys all of her calls, the ones to retired alumni are her favorite.

“I love talking to retired alumni, because they are always traveling or doing something interesting that they share with me,” she says.

For her part, Culver thanks each person she calls on behalf of scholarship recipients like herself. She also shares with them the new developments on campus. She often speaks with alumni who haven’t visited in decades and enjoys catching them up on new buildings like the Mathile Center, James F. Dicke Hall, and Dial-Roberson Stadium.

Culver can’t explain why she has had such success as a fundraiser. Though she’s a psychology major, she says she doesn’t think about her job in those terms. She doesn’t even use a script. She’s just a people-person who truly enjoys what she does.

“This is the best job I’ve ever had. I work every single shift because I love coming to work,” she says.

To put in perspective just how good she is, consider that, on average, she raises $217 an hour, every hour that she picks up the phone. Her success not only benefits The Northern Fund, but also sets the bar for her fellow Phonathon callers.

“Jayde is a mentor to a lot of the other students at the Phonathon,” says Juliann Peters, assistant director of annual giving. “I’ve never seen a student connect with alumni the way she does. She even had an alumnus take us out to lunch when he recently visited campus. He wanted to meet Jayde and see the call center and learn more about the Phonathon.”

What began as a work-study job has become a real passion for Culver. During a recent student fundraising campaign, she went door to door in the residence halls educating students on why fundraising is so important. If a student reacted negatively to the idea of giving more money to a school he or she already pays tuition to, Culver asked them whether they receive a scholarship. Far more often than not, the answer was yes, and with that one question she’d find the common ground to start a conversation.

“I’d tell them that it’s not really about the money. It’s about the act of giving and establishing a culture of giving,” she says. “I think it did change some people’s minds.”

Culver is working for the Phonathon again this spring. She doesn’t know if she can break her record, but she says she’s going to try. After she graduates in May, she plans to explore graduate school opportunities in the field of family counseling.

She is, after all, quite good at connecting with people.

But if she decides that grad school isn’t for her, she’s also considering a career in higher education development.

She’s pretty good at that, too.
Across the Globe

From the heartland of America to the Gold Coast of Africa, The Raabe College of Pharmacy is committed to improving pharmacy practice and education

Patrick Acheampong, PharmD ’11, felt an instant connection when he arrived on ONU’s campus to begin pharmacy studies in fall 2008. Ada’s peaceful environment and friendly people reminded him of his home country of Ghana in West Africa, even though the two places couldn’t be further apart culturally or geographically.

The signing ceremony for the formal agreement between
Ohio Northern University, the Pharmacy Council of Ghana
and the Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and
Technology (KNUST).
Acheampong nurtured this thread of connection. He initiated a pharmacy rotation site in Ghana for ONU students and linked his ONU pharmacy professors with their counterparts at Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology (KNUST) – home to Ghana’s premier pharmacy school.

His efforts blossomed into a partnership that far exceeded his expectations. This past summer, the Raabe College of Pharmacy forged a formal agreement with the Pharmacy Council of Ghana and KNUST to help them improve pharmacy practice and education in their country and beyond.

Frances Owusu-Daaku, KNUST’s vice dean of pharmacy faculty, calls the partnership “history in the making.” Dr. Jon Sprague, dean of the Raabe College of Pharmacy, hails the partnership’s far-reaching implications: “We have a tremendous opportunity to influence and improve health care not just in Ghana, but across all of West Africa, thereby impacting millions of lives.”
Ghana unveiled
More than 24 million people live in Ghana alone – a country slightly smaller than the state of Oregon. The West African nation borders the Ivory Coast to the west, Burkina Faso to the north and Togo to the east, with the Atlantic Ocean and the Gulf of New Guinea to the south. Called the “Gold Coast” by the British for its rich gold resources, Ghana achieved its independence from Great Britain in 1957. Although several languages exist in Ghana, English is the official language and is used in educational settings.

Dr. Jeff Talbot (far left) and Dr. John Sprague (second from
right) tour Ghana this spring.
A developing nation with a stable political climate, Ghana struggles to modernize and improve the standard of living for its citizens. Health care quality and availability remain pressing concerns. According to the World Health Organization, Ghana ranks just 135th out of 191 countries in overall health system performance. In fact, the number of cases of non-communicable diseases, such as malaria, continues to rise in the country.

Just like in America, pharmacists in Ghana work on the front lines, says Dr. Jeff Talbot, associate professor of pharmacology. “They are one of the few clinicians accessible without an appointment,” he explains. “People can walk in off the street and see a pharmacist.”

Yet most Ghanaian pharmacists aren’t equipped with the knowledge, tools or resources needed to provide qualitycare, adds Talbot, who spent time touring clinical practice sites and interviewing Ghanaian pharmacists in 2009 and 2012.

“They are passionate professionals who want to improve therapeutic outcomes for their patients,” he says. “They do a tremendous job with the resources they have, but they could do so much more with just a few more tools.”

Sprague, who also traveled to Ghana this past spring, said the health care challenges he witnessed both humbled and motivated him. He saw outdated technology and medical reference materials, inadequate patient record keeping, and a lack of standards of practice. “Modernizing and advancing the practice of pharmacy will force all branches of health care in the country to improve,” he says. “Pharmacists can push and drive that change.”
Launching a PharmD program
The West African Health Organization (WAHO) identified the transition from a Bachelor of Science to a doctorate degree in pharmacy as a first step toward change.

WAHO tagged KNUST to become the first university in West Africa to make that transition. The Raabe College of Pharmacy signed a memorandum of understanding with KNUST and the Pharmacy Council of Ghana to offer guidance as they develop and implement the PharmD program in a relatively short period of time.

“We (in the U.S.) went through this several years back, and it’s a huge task,” says Sprague. “They will need to dig in and stub their toes a few times to get it done. Our role is to be a consultant: not to control change, but to support it.”

Visiting pharmacies gave Dr. John Sprague a better understanding
of the challenges faced by pharmacists in Ghana.
Sprague says the Raabe College of Pharmacy plans to offer pragmatic advice, review curriculum, initiate faculty-student exchanges, assist in the development of a continuing education program for practicing Ghanaian pharmacists, and help update technology and materials. The college is seeking grant funding to support the initiative and also encouraging ONU alumni to get involved.

“ONU will be crucial in helping KNUST implement its PharmD program and avoid potential pitfalls,” says Owusu-Daaku. “And KNUST will bring a whole new dimension to pharmacy – both culturally and globally – to ONU.”

The PharmD program, once up and running, will transform the role of the pharmacist in Ghana, adds Owusu-Daaku.

“I look forward to a time when the pharmacist in Ghana will be seen as an equal member of the health care team, taking a more active role in patient care that goes beyond dispensing and minor intervention,” she says. “I look forward to the time when the pharmacists’ input is sought on medication decisions and when pharmacists operate chronic clinics so physicians have more time for diagnosing illnesses. It should improve our health care delivery and save both patients and the government money.”
Learning goes both ways
ONU also benefits from the college’s partnership with KNUST because cultural diversity leads to learning and personal growth, says Talbot. “I have a lot of enthusiasm for this partnership because it provides a chance to not only serve, but also have your own perspective changed,” he explains. “You go there (to Ghana) and come back a different person.”

According to Talbot, ONU pharmacy professors, students and alumni will have the opportunity to interact with Ghanaian students and professors on campus, as well as to travel to Ghana to teach and learn. “We hope to bring KNUST pharmacy professors here, and send ourprofessors over there, to teach and visit pharmacy practice sites,” he says. “And we hope to bring more Ghanaian students here to study. They bring an unparalleled perspective to the classroom.”

Pharmacies in Ghana cope with outdated technology and medical
reference materials, inadequate patient record keeping, and a lack
of standards of practice.
Ghana already serves as a rotation site for sixth-year ONU PharmD candidates. During the rotation, students not only learn about the practice of pharmacy in Ghana, but also become fully immersed in a different culture. This fall, five ONU pharmacy students are traveling in Ghana to participate in the elective international Advanced Practice Pharmacy Experience (APPE).

Cynthia Amaning-Danquah, a pharmacy professor at KNUST, and her husband, Daniel Amaning-Dunquah, a pharmacist who owns several independent pharmacies and who sits on the Pharmacy Council of Ghana, are hosts and preceptors for the ONU students. They open their home to the students and generously share their time and knowledge with them. “I believe the benefits (of the partnership) on both sides are beyond human imagination,” says Daniel. “The transformation of lives, to me, is the key driver.”

Amanda Binkey, a sixth-year pharmacy student from Ada, Ohio, and Jessica Davis, a sixth-year pharmacy student from Somerset, Ohio, departed on Aug. 30 for a four-week APPE rotation in Ghana. “I am ecstatic about the trip,” wrote Binkey before her flight departed. “The Amanings have been wonderfully patient answering my endless emails and questions. Numerous people have told me this will be the trip of lifetime, and I intend to make the most of it.”

The two students set up a blog on ONU’s website to share their experiences. In their blog, they write about the challenges of pharmacy practice in Ghana, the hospitality of the Ghanaian people, and many cultural practices – from the meaning of extended family, to traffic, to shopping – so radically different from life in the U.S.

The Amanings enjoy hosting the students. “ONU students, when they visit Africa, come to appreciate the privileges they have that their colleagues in Africa do not,” says Cynthia. “Therefore, they learn to make good use of what they have when they return to the U.S.”
Moving health care forward
Although still in its infancy, the ONU/KNUST partnership promises to impact many lives on two continents – thanks to the vision of one Ghanaian international student and his ONU pharmacy professors who believed in his vision and helped it grow.

“This is the beginning of many good things to come,” says Acheampong. “I am grateful for the opportunity to be part of this wonderful endeavor and for the many people who are making it happen. In the next few years, the first batch of PharmD students from KNUST will walk, and, like a proud dad, I will be content within myself knowing I played a significant role in making this happen.”
Rising Star

ONU business alumnus builds a leading financial services franchise

Paul Carbetta II, BSBA ’90, is driven to succeed. In just four years, he’s built one of the largest Ameriprise Financial Services franchises in the country and become one of the company’s highest ranking financial advisors. He and his team continually rank among the top 10 – no small feat considering there are more than 10,000 Ameriprise financial advisors in the U.S.
Read more stories like this one in the
latest issue of the Business Exchange.
Carbetta is president of Comprehensive Wealth Partners, a financial advisory practice with Ameriprise Financial Services, based in Worthington, Ohio. The firm consists of 11 financial advisors and 11 support staff and continues to grow. They offer a wide range of financial planning and wealth management services to people from all economic backgrounds and at all stages of life, managing more than $800 million for their financial planning clients, researching more than 350,000 investments, and providing advice to more than 1,600 clients.

According to Carbetta, his firm’s success comes from a carefully crafted team and a horizontal model of leadership. Team members possess a mix of competencies that complement one another, and each lends a voice in the firm’s day-to-day operations. “Our clients appreciate the fact that we work together to meet their needs,” says Carbetta. “Each team member offers specialized expertise. This approach is what makes our firm stand out in the industry.”

For his part, Carbetta excels at relationship building, and it’s the aspect of his job he loves the most. He maintains a small list of around 150 clients in order to provide each with personalized care and attention. He gets to know his clients’ families, attending graduation and retirement parties, weddings, and funerals. He’s available to assist with all financial matters, even helping some clients negotiate a fair deal on the purchase of a home or vehicle.
“I credit ONU for many
wonderful relationships
in my life and an incredible
education.”
-Paul Carbetta II, BSBA ’90
In this volatile market and political climate, Carbetta believes it’s more important than ever to maintain regular contact with clients. “You have to be on top of your game and keep yourself and your clients educated,” he says. “They need to know you are looking out for their best interests and are in the boat with them.”

Every time he helps a client achieve their financial goals – such as putting their children through college or retiring when they want – it’s gratifying and emotional, says Carbetta. “With more than 20 years in the business, it has been rewarding to see clients start out with a dream and see their goals met,” he explains. “The best part is to deliver the message: ‘Congratulations, you can officially retire!’”

Carbetta, who originally hails from Mansfield, Ohio, attended ONU in the late ’80s. He switched majors several times before finally settling on finance and marketing. He says a trip to an American Marketing Association conference in Chicago served as a turning point in his college career. He became better acquainted with his professors, and they encouraged him to break out of his shell, speak up in class and get involved on campus. He took their advice to heart.

While at ONU, Carbetta served as a student spokesperson for the financial aid office and a bear ambassador for the admissions office. In fact, he and a fellow student coined the term “bear ambassador.” He also took several public speaking courses and helped his speech professor teach the “Dine for Success” program that showed students how to mix and mingle in a public setting and conduct a successful interview over dinner.

Today, Carbetta continues to give back to his alma mater. He serves as chairman of the business college’s advisory board, and he founded and chairs the college’s annual golf and fishing outing. “I’ve come back to campus every year since graduation, and I’ve given back either through time or financially every year since graduation,” he says. “I credit ONU for many wonderful relationships in my life and an incredible education.”

When he graduated from ONU, Carbetta taught at a community college for a couple of years before becoming a financial advisor with Ameriprise. As a franchise owner, he’s found his passion.

In the past three years, his firm has grown significantly by attracting advisors looking for a team approach to provide for their clients. “We’ve become an appealing place for financial advisors to plug into and find success,” he says.

In 2011, Carbetta’s financial services firm was recognized by Barron’s Winner’s Circle as a top advisor. “It is gratifying to know that others within the industry recognize what you are doing,” he says.

While Carbetta appreciates the recognition, his focus continues to be on delivering value and meeting client expectations. “We want our clients to refer their family and friends to us,” he says. “Our goal has always been to be the most respected and recognized financial services firm in the Columbus area, and we’re on our way toward achieving that.”

Carbetta and his wife, Leah, have three girls, Kaylee, Olivia and Gianna, and two dogs. Carbetta enjoys coaching his daughter’s soccer and T-ball teams, golfing, and playing the drums.
Sleep Study
ONU researchers explain how college students can get better sleep.

With finals week approaching, many students will sacrifice the luxury of sleep for a few more hours of studying. While less-than-ideal sleep habits are probably unavoidable this time of year, ongoing research at Ohio Northern University demonstrates how education can improve student sleep overall.
Dr. Kraynok’s Sleep Tips for Finals
Keep a regular bedtime and wake time.
Try to get a full eight hours of sleep.
Take advantage of memory consolidation, which happens during sleep:
Review material before you go to bed.
Schedule naps during long periods of studying.
Do not consume caffeine up to six hours before going to bed.
Develop a relaxing routine before going to bed:
Take a warm bath.
Listen to soothing music.
Even deep breathing exercises can help.
Write down your thoughts and worries before you go to sleep so they're not ruminating in your brain.
Limit your exposure to light before bed. If your roommate is up late studying, use an eye mask to block out light.
For the past two years, Dr. Megan Kraynok, assistant professor of psychology, has investigated sleep patterns of college students and how those patterns change when students are taught the importance of sleep and how to attain it. With the help of student research assistants, she has shown that when college students consider their personal sleep habits and sleep hygiene, their sleep quality increases over time.

For college students especially, getting the proper amount of sleep is important. According to Kraynok, adolescents experience a biological shift that causes them to go to bed later and wake later. This shift persists into young adulthood, and recent research indicates that many activities in which college students engage during the evening — watching television, spending time online, texting friends, playing video games — can reinforce later bedtimes.

But college students aren’t the only ones who should work to develop better sleep habits. The benefits of getting better sleep are universal, as are the consequences of not getting enough.

“Most people don’t know the subsequent problems that come along with not getting enough sleep,” says Kraynok. “We know that people who routinely don’t get enough sleep are at risk for cardiovascular disease, obesity, issues with immunity and all kinds of problems with daytime functioning.”

To put this in perspective, consider that someone who drives a car after being awake for 17 hours makes the same number of mistakes as someone driving with a .08 blood-alcohol level.

By putting sleep into a context that makes it easier to understand, Kraynok’s lab has been able to show that education alone can improve sleep.

“We found that students who received lectures and specific instruction on sleep actually did improve their sleep,” she says. “When students are sleep-deprived, they are less happy in class, and they don’t get the grades that they want. So, by hitting on those things — the things that students really do value, like their health and their academic performance — it can help them change their sleep habits for the better.”

Kraynok’s lab relies on two groups of ONU students for its data. The first group comprises students taking PSYC 2201 (Health Psychology), in which the subject of sleep is an area of focus. The second group, the control group, comprises students in 100-level psychology and sociology courses — courses that do not include sleep education.

Lauren Hurd, BA ’12, and Amanda Amstutz, a junior psychology major from Bluffton, Ohio, are two of the many research assistants in Kraynok’s sleep lab. They surveyed students in both groups twice over the span of a semester with detailed questions about their sleep habits, diet and exercise. The research assistants then cataloged and analyzed the data to see if students who received sleep education reported better sleep.
“We found that students
who received lectures
and specific instruction
on sleep actually did
improve their sleep,”
says Kraynok.
Hurd and Amstutz went beyond running the experiment, authoring research that they presented along with their professor at the annual Associated Professional Sleep Society meeting in Boston, Mass., last June. Hurd was the primary author on her own study based on the lab’s data that demonstrated that students with regular bedtimes have better sleep quality than students with irregular bedtimes. Amstutz was the secondary author on Kraynok’s initial research linking education to improved sleep.

“My involvement in the sleep lab has changed my opinion about sleep 100 percent,” says Amstutz. “I always knew that sleep was important but not to the extent that it really is. We sleep a third of our lives, yet so little is known by the general public.”

Kraynok is pleased to see her students taking the steps to become researchers in their own right.

“It’s heartening because that’s a goal of ours: to make sure our students are able to hit the ground running when it comes to research,” she says. “Usually our students are way ahead of students from other colleges and universities in graduate school because they have already done their own projects.”

For Amstutz, the experience of working in a research lab and presenting at an international conference is a point of pride, but being able to work so closely with her professor is what she will always remember.

“If I could stay in Dr. Kraynok’s lab forever, I would,” she says. “I never thought I would enjoy research, but now I really do.”
The Nice List
We've listed the various organized campus efforts to help those in need this holiday season below. If you are in a position to help and would like to support one of the following initiatives, please do so.
ONU Faculty and Staff Annual Holiday Celebration
For the second year, the ONU faculty and staff holiday party will benefit the ReStore and Ada Food Pantry. Hosted by Dan and Chris DiBiasio, the holiday celebration is expected to provide important items to these two local charities. ONU employees are welcomed to join the DiBiasios in the McIntosh Center Ballroom on Dec. 7, from 3:30-6 p.m.
ReStore needs: Dish detergent, toilet paper, paper towels, napkins, plastic ware, heavy-duty trash bags, latex gloves, liquid hand soap, Clorox wipes, disinfectant spray, liquid bleach, diapers, toilet bowl cleaner, drink mix, tea bags, hot cocoa, powdered milk, sugar, micowave popcorn, home office supplies, etc. Ada Food Pantry needs: Juice, jelly, vegetable oil, cereal, pasta sauce, applesauce, hygiene products, diapers, etc.
Feet for Fines
One pair of kid’s socks pays up to
$3 worth of fines
One pair of kid’s shoes pays up to
$15 worth of fines.
One canned good item pays up to
$1 worth of fines.
Join Heterick Memorial Library and ONU Women in the giving spirit of the season and donate new kid’s shoes and socks or canned goods to pay off your library fines from Nov. 30 to Dec. 9. The process is simple, just bring a pair of children's socks, shoes or a non-perishable food item (no canned vegetables, please) to the circulation desk at Heterick Memorial Library. All items collected will be distributed to children throughout Hardin County to charities supported by ONU Women. Canned goods will go to the Ada Food Pantry. For more information, please contact the circulation desk at ext. 2181 or Jenny Donley.
Fill the Fireplace
Now in its seventh year, Fill the Fireplace matches ONU student organizations with Ada, Ohio, families in need of a little help this year. Each group “adopts” a family and raises money internally to purchase gifts and other items needed by the family. Before officially culminating on Christmas morning, the program brings together families and students at an on-campus holiday celebration, where they meet for the first time. On Wednesday, Dec. 5, in the McIntosh Center ballroom, representatives from the ten participating student groups and the ten families will come together for an evening of Holiday fun. Student groups participating this year include the Interfraternity Council, the Order of Omega, Alpha Xi Delta, Delta Zeta, Kappa Alpha Theta, and Zeta Tau Alpha. Contact Jenn Lambdin for more information.
Kappa Phi Annual Sing-A-Thon
The Kappa Phi Annual Sing-A-Thon begins on Friday, Nov. 30 at 5 p.m. and runs through 5 p.m. on Saturday, Dec. 1, in the McIntosh Activities Room. Anyone can sign up for a half-hour time slot including individuals, groups of people/friends and organizations. A $5 donation is requested for each time slot. Any type of music can be performed including A Capella, karaoke style, performance with singing and instruments, etc. All proceeds will go to the Joyful Heart Foundation. This organization, founded by actress Mariska Hargitay, promotes education and awareness on the issues of domestic violence, sexual assault and child abuse, as well as providing assistance to the survivors. Contact Thelma Schweigel for more information.
Chapel Giving Tree
Be sure to grab a tag or two from the ONU Chapel Giving tree this year and help a Hardin County family enjoy the holidays. This year the ONU Chapel is helping a Kenton family with eight children, ages 2 to 16, make their Christmas more joyful. Please put the wrapped gifts with the tag attached under the Christmas tree in the sanctuary before Saturday, Dec. 8. Contact Jody King for more information.
ONU Bookstore's Annual Holiday Sale/Food Drive
On Wednesday, Dec. 5, the ONU Bookstore is offering a 25 percent discount on your entire purchase of most general merchandise items (clothing, spirit gifts, school supplies, trade books) with donation of a canned or non-perishable food item. Please be as generous as possible with your donations. All donated food stays locally and will help Hardin County families in need.
Zeta Tau Alpha Clothing Drive
The sisterhood of Zeta Tau Alpha is holding a clothing drive to benefit the Lima Restore through Dec. 4. Clothes can be dropped off into blue bins that are located in McIntosh right in front of the Res Life department. Contact Emily Brown to learn more.

If your organization's charity efforts are not listed above, please contact Brian Paris.
Impact Learning
TREX courses are using interesting topics to transition students to ONU.

Ohio Northern University provides ample opportunities for students to engage in experiential learning. As far as we know, only one of them involves someone getting knocked off a horse.

As a condition of enrolling in the Getty College of Arts & Sciences at ONU, incoming students are required to take a Transition Experience (TREX) course during their first semester. These courses are specifically designed to help students transition from their high school academic experiences and meet the expectations of college coursework.

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“The most important difference between high school and college work is that students aren’t asked just to know information,” says Dr. Lisa Robeson, professor of English. “In college, students are asked to draw conclusions about the information on their own.”

Robeson’s TREX course, The Medieval Warrior: Past and Present, teaches students about the lives of medieval knights, the ethics and values they lived by, and how those things affected military strategy in the Middle Ages. For their final project, students write a paper comparing the historical knight to the modern soldier, taking into account society’s perception of military leaders, and examining the traits that have survived from the medieval outlook on warfare.

Freshman criminal justice major James Lee plans to interview a combat veteran associated with Ada’s chapter of the Veterans of Foreign Wars (VFW) for his final paper. A Navy veteran himself, the Frankfort, Ohio, native is curious to learn about the motivations of a soldier in battle.

“I’m interested in knowing what they were fighting for, what their personal values were,” he says. “Back in the middle ages, warriors often fought for goals of glory for their country or clan. Others fought for personal goals, such as plunder or for their own name to be heightened.”

To help students understand as much as possible about the lives of fighting men and the times in which they lived, Robeson splits the course into two sections. The first section deals with historical accounts of actual battles as well as the day-to-day life of a knight. The second half features fiction from the era, focusing on Viking oral histories and mythology. Combined, the sections provide an understanding of the knight as an individual along with the societal context in which he was regarded.
2012-13 TREX Courses
From Idiot to Citizen: Education for
Democratic Citizenship
Imagining Paris: Past, Present, Future
Intro to Creativity for All Majors
Kings, Prophets, and Storytellers
Myth as Reality
The Mythbuster Experience
The Medieval Warrior: Past and Present
Nutrition, Nature and Nations: Food
for Thought
Popular Culture Meets Communication
Science Fiction and Philosophy
Sleep on It
Sport and American Society
Sport and Modern Society
As the class was learning about the lives of knights, and specifically the concept of honor, they had a unique opportunity to actually witness “knights” compete for honor and glory through the ancient ritual of the joust at the Ohio Renaissance Festival in Harveysburg, Ohio.

Jousting was a popular tournament spectacle during the Middle Ages that pitted two knights on horseback armed with lances against one another in simulated combat. In lieu of actual battle, jousting tournaments gave a knight an opportunity to attain glory and display his fighting skill and prowess.

Today, modern jousting is done as exhibitions by medieval re-enactors. It has become increasingly popular of late with renaissance festivals, medieval-themed restaurants and even a reality-television program bringing increased attention to the practice.

“We went to compare how they joust in modern times with the historical accounts of how medieval knights would joust,” says Lee. “There are a lot of similarities, actually. The point system is generally the same, with the exception of strikes to the helmet. Back in medieval times, a knight would get points for knocking off his opponent’s helmet. Today, they don’t even aim for the helmet for obvious safety reasons.”

Beyond the jousting, the Ohio Renaissance Festival allowed the students to experience a semblance of what life was like in the Middle Ages. Artisans created crafts from the era and the clothing, music and food were also representative of the period. While the festival itself strived for historical accuracy, some patrons had their own interpretations of the Middle Ages.

“There were a lot of enthusiastic people there. You’d see people wearing elf ears and wizard dresses,” says Aaron Tuck, a freshman professional writing major from Greenville, Ohio. “But the authentic parts of it were really cool.”

For Jordan Turner, of Casstown, Ohio, the trip to the Ohio Renaissance Festival was an enjoyable experience that wove authentic, historical reenactments of medieval life with the whimsy of childhood fantasies rich with heroes, villains and damsels in distress.

“When I was a kid, I had a group of friends that would go out into the woods with wooden swords and pretend we were knights,” says Turner. “It’s always been something fun to me —even with the bruises.”

The festival’s authentic shops gave Lee an opportunity to celebrate his Scotch-Irish heritage by purchasing a full outfit of matching kilt, hat, sporran, broach and fly, which he wore proudly that day. Just don’t expect to see him walk across the Tundra with it on.

“My girlfriend won’t let me wear it,” he says.

Visit the TREX page to learn more about ONU's Transition Experience courses.
Charles Leader

Faith in our Leader
When Charles Leader, BSME ’60, founded Leader Engineering Fabrication back in 1984, he did so on a strong foundation of faith. Since then, his beliefs have fueled most every action of the company.

Leader is dedicated to his faith in God and shares quite often that He is the reason for any success he has had.

Leader takes great pride in his company’s business model, which he adapted from the Bible’s “golden rule”: Do unto others as you would have them do unto you.

Charles Leader welcomes a group from ONU to tour his company.
“I work for the service to people, not the money,” he says.

With this in mind, Leader Engineering Fabrication has made a mission of providing quality services to its customers, employees and the community. Leader strives to assist his customers in developing new ideas and then transforming those ideas into equipment that overcomes manufacturing challenges.

One such challenge involved the flexographic printing industry, and the solution developed by Leader is one of his proudest accomplishments.

A mainstay for printing packaging containers, flexographic systems were long troubled by the bottleneck created during the pre-press process. Existing methods to hand-mount and align the printing plates on the printing cylinder were somewhat accurate but could be extremely error-prone or time-consuming for the operator, leading to costly delays between print runs.

During the flexographic process, each separate color run must be in perfect alignment so that the overlapping colors can create a clear print. Once aligned, the press operator must then stop to examine his or work; if out of alignment, the entire process must begin again.

To put an end to such delays, Leader developed the Leader Vision Center Mount System, a device for which he holds a patent.

Created in 1989, Leader’s fully automated digital system is easy to operate and delivers quick and precise mounting. Because the software in the system does all of the alignment work, the risk of human error has been eliminated.

The end result of this state-of-the-art vision system? The highest-quality printing in the flexographic industry. Leader says that developing this printing process is one of his greatest achievements.

“We have developed an accuracy with this machine that cannot be duplicated,” he says.

The Leader Vision Center Mount System
In addition to the Leader Vision Center Mount System, Leader Engineering Fabrication specializes in die-casting equipment, food-processing equipment, and custom machine design and production for automakers and tier-one automotive suppliers. Past and current clients include General Motors, Ford, Chrysler, Hyundai, Kia, Toyota, BMW, Mercedes-Benz, Navistar and Caterpillar.

Another hallmark of the company is its loyalty to Leader’s hometown of Napoleon, Ohio, where it was founded in 1984 with six employees in a 6,000-square-foot facility.

The company’s first activities involved fabricating steel cans for Campbell Soup. The business expanded until the company built a 24,000-square-foot office and manufacturing facility using a development grant from Henry County and the city of Napoleon.

Scott Bauman, a senior mechanical engineering major from Napoleon, Ohio, met with Leader last spring and was instantly impressed. “Coming from a town of less than 10,000 people, I had limited options in finding a person to look up to,” Bauman says. “As a child, I looked up to family members, teachers, and people I read about or saw on TV. After visiting with Charles Leader, I feel that I have found someone from my own town to look up to.”

Today, the company counts 35 employees; among them are five mechanical engineers and eight electrical engineers. Leader values each and every one. He believes that one person does not make a company; it takes many people to be successful, and as an owner, he remembers to appreciate the work these people do.

“The company is only as weak as the weakest person here. If they’re not doing their job, that’s all we have,” he says. “I have the right people here at the company, from the software developer to the guys in the shop.”

“I know we send the best quality machines out the door that we can build,” he continues. “If there are problems, we will take the necessary steps to fix it.”

At the end of the day, Leader just wants to treat his clients with the same respect he would hope to receive. Do unto others, and success will follow.

“My customers are the best advertising we have.”
Why I chose...

... Ohio First!
By Meghan Letizia
One of the main reasons I chose to attend Ohio Northern University was the engineering education program. I am one of those people who just loves math, and I have always known that math would be part of my career. Just how much, I wasn’t sure.
Finding out that I was
one of only eight Choose
Ohio First scholars at
Northern was amazing.
I was torn between two choices. I could become an engineer and apply math at a practical level, using it to solve problems and hopefully change the world one day. Or, I could combine my love of math with my passion for helping others and become a math teacher, and know that I'm changing the world one student at a time.
Fortunately for me, Dr. Zechman introduced me to the engineering education major on my campus visit. It turns out I didn’t have to choose at all! I got everything I wanted thanks to a major that will immediately certify me to teach high school in the state of Ohio, while earning a general engineering degree at the same time. And to top it off, I earned a scholarship through the Choose Ohio First program to help me do it.

The Choose Ohio First program is a statewide scholarship program for qualified Ohio students majoring in one of the STEM fields — science, technology, engineering or math. The renewable award is $6,500 per year and can be applied on top of any financial aid package a student might receive. Here at Northern, we award the scholarship to students majoring in education within a STEM field, like I am through the engineering education program.

Northern’s engineering education program fits a real need in today’s society. Interest in STEM education has been waning in the United States, and our program, coupled with Choose Ohio First, addresses that specific concern.
Choose Ohio First helped
me make my decision. It
helped me financially,
and it also helped me
get acclimated to college
life.
I want to be a STEM educator because I would like to see tomorrow’s students take a greater interest in science, technology, engineering and math. Many of the young people that I talk to don’t really know what being an engineer means. I think we can get more young students interested in these areas if they know the kinds of jobs and careers that are available to those with STEM educations. My Northern education is preparing me to do just that.

While the engineering education program appeared to be a perfect fit for my goals, paying for a private school education was a factor that I had to consider. Choose Ohio First helped me make my decision. It helped me financially, and it also helped me get acclimated to college life. I noticed right away how important this scholarship is to the faculty here, and how they are working to build an identity around the program. This year is our first year participating in the program, but I already feel like I am part of a community.

Finding out that I was one of only eight Choose Ohio First scholars at Northern was amazing. Because of this scholarship, I won’t need to work during school, and I can focus on my studies and on playing on the ONU tennis team (which I love!). I will have less stress over money issues and, most importantly, less debt.

I feel very fortunate to have been selected for this scholarship, and I am looking forward to participating in all the activities that go with it.

Meghan Letizia is a freshman engineering education major from Dublin, Ohio. She is a member of the ONU varsity tennis team and a Choose Ohio First Scholar.
Neuro Orleans

ONU researchers get noticed at the Society of Neuroscience annual meeting.

Perhaps there is no better city in America to host a conference of neuroscientists than New Orleans, La. Some personalities in the French Quarter alone could keep them fascinated for days.

But for the 10 past and present Ohio Northern University research assistants who traveled to the Big Easy last month to present at Neuroscience 2012, the 42nd annual meeting of the Society for Neuroscience, the trip was serious business.

Dr. Phillip Zoladz, assistant professor of psychology, organized the trip to give the students who have worked in his research labs over the past few years valuable experience presenting at an international conference. Their research focuses on the effects stress has in cognitive functions like learning and memory in both humans and rodents.

“Just by attending the annual meeting for the Society for Neuroscience, my students were able to get exposure to some of the cutting-edge research that is taking place in many neuroscience disciplines. Moreover, the conference provided the students with an opportunity to network with many well-renowned researchers from across the globe and to discover some of the areas of neuroscience research that may be most appealing to them as a career path in the future,” says Zoladz.

Of ONU’s contingent, half were alumni presenting work they contributed to while undergraduate researchers at ONU. Hanna Burke, BA ’11, Ashlee Warnecke, BA ’11, Rachael Frigo, BA ’11, are currently enrolled in graduate programs at the University of Dayton, Chatham University and Eastern Kentucky University, respectively. Another alumni conference presenter, Sarah Woelke, BA ’12, is currently working as a laboratory technician at Ohio State University.

Zoladz currently has 12 research assistants working in his lab, of which half presented research in New Orleans: Julia Pisansky, a senior psychology major from Canfield, Ohio; Mackenzie Hoffman, a senior psychology major from Strongsville, Ohio; Rachael Aufdenkampe, a junior psychology major from Vermilion, Ohio; Andrea Kalchik, a junior psychology major from Zanesville, Ohio; Cristina Robinson, a junior molecular biology and psychology major from Mentor, Ohio; and Kyle Dexter, a junior psychology major from Hartville, Ohio.

“The conference was truly amazing. Our lab works very hard, and it was such a great feeling to present our hard work to people all over the world. Many people I talked to were amazed that we were doing undergraduate research; most thought we were at the graduate level,” says Pisansky.

According to Zoladz, it is somewhat rare for undergraduates to present before the Society of Neuroscientists. The conference annually draws 30,000 to 40,000 scientists from all over the world, with the majority of presenters being graduate students or postdoctoral fellows.

“The fact that we had undergraduate students presenting was not overlooked. Many scientists who visited our posters praised our involvement of undergraduate students in such rigorous, scientifically sound work,” he says.

Perhaps then, it’s no surprise why so many of Zoladz research assistants go on to enroll in graduate programs. The education and research opportunities they receive at Northern prepare them for the rigors of advanced study. This kind of preparation is a core tenant of ONU’s educational mission.

The Getty College of Arts & Sciences directly supported the trip by providing financial assistance for transportation and accommodations. Such an investment represents the college’s commitment to providing students with unique experiential learning opportunities.

“When ONU students present the results of their research at professional conferences, they have an opportunity to share their original contributions to knowledge and practice and to gain valuable feedback from experts in their fields,” says Catherine Albrecht, dean of the Getty College of Arts and Sciences. “We support engaged learning across all disciplines, and undergraduate research and conference participation are among the activities that deepen students' learning and engage them with the broader community of scholars.”

For the students, the trip was an experience they won’t soon forget and, perhaps for Pisansky, an indicator of things to come.

“I am so excited to see what life after ONU has in store for me because the opportunities I have received thus far have been truly extraordinary!” she says.