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Miami alumni are everywhereSince I last wrote to you, I have been to Columbus and Cincinnati to unveil our Boldly Creative investments in a new generation of academic excellence. In mid-March, I spoke to a group of state legislators in Columbus. Did you know there are 10 Miami graduates who are members of the Ohio General Assembly? As one of them said, “I am all Miami, all the time.” Thanks to these alumni for their service on behalf of the state.
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Three things I want you to know ...Class of 2022 on the way to Miami: We are just a few days removed from National Decision Day, when high-school seniors finalized their college choice. As always, Miami University competed effectively for top students from across the country and around the world, with a strong base in Ohio. We expect a class of about 3,900 students in the fall, an increase compared to last year. The fall 2018 cohort boasts an average ACT score of 28 and average GPA of 3.76, and also should be the most diverse entering class in Miami's history. We continue to advance a diverse student body, with 663 first-generation students and 707 domestic students of color confirmed for the first-year class, both significant increases compared to last year. Thank you to the hard work of our admissions team and the entire campus community to successfully bring in the next generation of Miamians!
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Miami is one of the region’s healthiest employers: We are proud to be one of the top 25 healthiest employers in Greater Cincinnati, according to the Cincinnati Business Courier. The honor highlights our wellness programs for faculty and staff, from fitness programs to holistic well-being that improves productivity and our service to students. Thank for your dedication to making Miami the healthiest possible environment for all. Feel like joining in? Please join us for the last MOVE workout this semester, May 12 at 10 a.m. at Lewis Place.
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“Tigerland” to debut at Miami convocation: Miami ’76 graduate Wil Haygood, who wrote the story that inspired the popular movie “The Butler,” will debut his new book at our fall convocation in August. Called “Tigerland,” it tells the story of students at the segregated Columbus East High School during the tumultuous academic year of 1968-69. We are excited that incoming Miami students will read this book as part of their Summer Reading Program – two months before anyone else across the country. News of the book debut ran in the New York Times and the Washington Post, and Wil joined us in Kumler Chapel April 9 for a live announcement.
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Now let's meet a few members of our Miami family
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Staff - Sgt. Jerry YatesSergeant Jerry Yates likes to get out of the office and on his bike. The 13-year veteran of the Miami University Police Department is a third-shift supervisor, starting at 9:30 most nights and working until 7:30 the next morning. But he still likes roaming the Oxford campus, protecting Miami students.
“There’s always stuff to do, especially on the weekends,” Yates says. “We have bike patrol riders out all night. We have crimes of opportunity and things like that, but it seems like most of the things that we deal with are alcohol-related.”
The department owns 11 bikes, and during any one shift there can be five or six officers out riding. On the typical weeknight, officers respond to up to half dozen calls, including alarms caused by burnt popcorn or students who can’t get into their residence halls.
“When the weather’s good, I’m usually out on a bike at least twice a week,” Yates says. “The trend has really gone toward the bicycles, especially with the younger officers. They can get there fast, and also can be more mobile.” MUPD is growing, hiring three new officers in the past year and likely to hire two more this year, Chief John McCandless says.
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Student - Kamilah DotsonKamilah Dotson has heard all sorts of questions when she conducts tours of the Oxford campus – including, “What was your ACT score?”
“I was like, ‘I’m a junior and I honestly don’t remember,’” says Dotson, a Social Justice - Women, Gender & Social Rights major from Cleveland. (She’s also minoring in Management & Leadership and Entrepreneurship.)
Dotson had never heard of Miami until her senior year, when her guidance counselor mentioned it. She’s a tour guide manager, and figures she’s done about 200 tours. Tour guides don’t walk backwards anymore – “That’s a myth,” Kamilah says – but she still loves it.
“It was kind of my college dream job,” she says. “Tour guides always seemed to love their school so much.”
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Faculty - Paul HardingExpanding the biological sciences department on Miami’s regional campuses in Hamilton and Middletown – to include a bachelor’s degree – is Paul Harding’s current task as chair of the department. That involves talking to local companies about what skills biology graduates need to have in the job market.
Safe to say, that wasn’t in Harding’s job description when he started at Miami 20 years ago.
“Companies tell us, ‘The kids know the science. What they don’t know is how to communicate or manage, or how to make presentations,’” says Harding, who grew up in Chillicothe. So built into the new degree are minors in commerce and data analytics, as well as certificate programs that will allow graduates to get the professional training they need before they graduate. That could add 50-100 majors to about 150 existing majors on both regional campuses.
That’s significant change – but needed change, Harding says.
“We’re used to doing things in an old way,” he says. “But we’ve got to respond to these changes in the job market.”
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