|
Welcome back for the spring semester
It’s wonderful to have our entire Miami family on campuses in Oxford, Hamilton, Middletown, Luxembourg and West Chester. Our community is full of stories: Stories of inspiration, discovery, innovation and character. As your president, I see and hear many of these stories, and it is my privilege to share them with you. Today, I am launching a monthly email newsletter called “Miami Stories.” In addition to stories of students, faculty and staff, I'll share some news about exciting initiatives underway in every corner of Miami University. One thing I'm very excited about is Science Friday. The popular public radio show comes to our Oxford campus for a special live performance on Saturday, April 21. Tickets are on sale now. Visit http://www.miamioh.edu/sciencefriday/ to buy tickets.
| |
|
Three things I'd like you to know ...
- Our upcoming campaign will focus on scholarships. It has been nearly 15 years since the start of our last comprehensive fundraising campaign. We are ramping up to our long-awaited next campaign, which will cover multiple years. I am happy to report that our 2016-17 fundraising total was a record $98.5 million raised and pledged. We are grateful that Miami has so many generous donors. As we build vision and strategy for a new campaign, several themes will shine through: transdisciplinary education, career exploration for our students, capital needs on our campuses, and support for professorships to attract talent to Miami. But at the top of the list will be support for scholarships. The higher education landscape is so competitive for the top students that we need to offer more merit aid. At the same time, there are many families who cannot afford a college education for their children, so we must offer more need-based aid. We are going to put on a full-court press to raise resources to provide scholarships for future Miami students.
- Through the Boldly Creative Academic Enrichment Initiative, we will invest in a new generation of academic excellence.
As we begin our campaign and start on a new strategic plan, we must invest in the most important thing we do – creating academic experiences that are valuable and relevant. Students are looking for academic experiences that prepare them for careers and post-graduate work. We must start our new initiatives and program development now. To that end, we are launching the Boldly Creative Academic Enrichment Initiative and seeding it with $50 million to invest in innovative ideas. It’s important to note that faculty members will generate many of the ideas for these new investments.Our Board of Trustees created the fund last year, half from academic divisions and the other half from administrative units. These are significant investments and an exciting opportunity to target resources to “the academy.” The provost and academic deans have developed a process for identifying the proposals most likely to benefit students and align with our overall goals. We are fortunate and excited to be able to make these investments to advance Miami.
- Climate survey results are coming this spring. After 18 months as your president, I know one thing for sure – Miami is a family and a strong community. Every day, I see faculty and staff committed to enhancing the student experience. We want you to feel welcomed in this community by colleagues and supervisors, treated fairly and with respect in a collegial and professional environment. Last fall, some of you completed a comprehensive climate survey, our first in more than a decade. Our participation was strong – 60% of faculty, 49% of classified staff and 67% of unclassified staff. Every organization can improve its climate, and that is exactly what we plan to do as we tally and analyze the results. We expect some preliminary results in late spring and more comprehensive information in early summer. We will then define and plan strategies to improve in areas where we fall short of expectations.
Now let's meet a few fellow members of our Miami family:
| |
|
Faculty - Dr. Amit Shukla
Professor Amit Shukla’s research is built around non-linear dynamics. For those of you without a Ph.D. in engineering, he’s trying to answer a simple question: How can you solve problems where the answer isn’t a straight line from point A to point B?
“What happens when the response is not what you expected?” asks Shukla, a professor of mechanical and manufacturing engineering who has been at Miami since 2002. “It’s not two plus two equals four. It may equal 10.”
Shukla has worked with the U.S. Air Force Research Center in Dayton and with Ethicon Endo-Surgery, the maker of surgical tools in Blue Ash. But he thinks the principles of non-linear dynamics could apply to human physical traits, or things where emotion applies, or even human love. One example: How can we help engineer solutions for older people who are susceptible to falls?
That’s the ongoing research for Shukla and more than a dozen colleagues at Miami’s Center for Assistive Technology, helping to design engineering solutions to improve quality of life through the National Academies of Engineering Grand Challenges, including "Engineering Better Medicine.”
“If we can understand how the brain works, maybe we can help fix it or improve outcomes for people who need help,” he said.
| |
Student - Kristin Mallory
In three semesters on Miami’s Hamilton campus, Kristin Mallory has learned the value of mentorships. That’s a value she hopes to carry forward to others, whatever her chosen career may be. Mallory is majoring in Civic and Regional Development. She has gained a mentor in Dr. Bennyce Hamilton, regional director of diversity & multicultural services. Other mentors include LaNighta Reid, her academic coach in the TRIO program, and Dr. Helane Androne of Miami RED Women, a regionals mentoring group.
“The Hamilton campus is intimate,” said Mallory, whose family is one of the first families of Ohio politics. “Building relationships has been the best thing for me. Everybody has been very supportive.”
After graduation, she hopes to serve in non-profit work or government, perhaps mentoring students.
“That’s what’s in my heart,” she said. “I really want to work with youth in the community, helping to equip them with the skills and tools they need to succeed.”
| |
|
Staff - Brian Nixon
There are 33 miles of sidewalks on Miami’s Oxford campus, and Brian Nixon takes pride in making sure his share of those are kept clear during the winter months. Nixon has worked in physical facilities for four years, and he maintains the sidewalks around the Farmer School of Business, Cook Field, the East Quad, Bell Tower and the Marcum Conference Center.
“You don’t want someone to fall on one of your sidewalks, so you take it kind of personally to keep them clear,” said Nixon, in the middle of several extra-long days to deal with the winter weather and keep the campus safe. “I know a lot of people don’t like to get up at three o’clock in the morning, but it’s easier to plow then, before the cars start coming in."
Nixon ran his own pest control company before coming to Miami. He prefers the warmer months when he can work with plants outside. On a recent snowy day, he was working with a new spreader, designing a mud flap to keep salt off the transmission.
“It’s just a chance to learn a lot,” he said. “Every day’s a learning thing.”
| |
|
|
|
|
