ODU Insider—October 2020

Greetings, Alumni and Friends!

It’s hard to believe that we have officially entered the second half of fall semester! Despite the ongoing challenges related to COVID-19, our community continues to focus on providing the very best experience for our students, both inside and outside of the classroom. We also have made several exciting announcements recently, including ones that involve Encova Insurance as well as Columbus City Schools.

You should soon receive our annual Fall Appeal in the mail. Please take a moment to read about our students, and why your support is perhaps as important now as ever before. Many students and their families have been impacted by this pandemic and are struggling financially, but our supportive and generous community can help our students overcome this challenging time in their lives. While we no longer hold annual student phonathons, we welcome any questions you may have about making a gift or other ways you can support ODU. Please feel free to contact me at weinerc@ohiodomincian.edu or by calling my cell phone at (740) 817-0218.

On behalf of our entire campus community, thank you for your time and consideration.

God Bless,

Christie Flood Weiner ’90
Associate Vice President for Advancement and Director of Alumni Relations

News

Angela Yancey Dyer ’93, is a Lead Soldier & Family Readiness Coordinator for the Ohio Army National Guard.

Stephanie Drake Eding ’07, author of the book Unanchored, released her second book, Unbound, in September 2020, as part of the "The Blood Pirate" series. She plans for the series to be a trilogy.

 

Robert D. Erney ’75, a Columbus-based lawyer, has been accepted into the American Board of Trial Advocates (ABOTA). The group is highly prestigious and only open to lawyers who are personally invited after displaying the necessary skills and experiences.

Daniel (Dan) Nofziger ’78, has been busy volunteering since he retired. He volunteers at the USS North Carolina Battleship Memorial where he is responsible for documenting oral histories of orginial crew members and conducting tours; the North Carolina Historic Sites/ Fort Fisher Civil War Museum where he is a tour guide and 19^th century small arms demonstrator (loading & firing) in period uniform; and for the AARP North Carolina/coastal Region conducting workshops on cyber fraud and scams against Veterans.

Achea Williams Redd ’02, author of the 2019 book, Be Free. Be You., will be releasing her new book, “Authentic You: A Girl’s Guide To Growing Up Fearless and True” in November 2020.

New Arrivals

Brandee Norris ’06 and husband, Kris Justice, celebrated the birth of their first child, Kiefer Eugene Justice, October 17, 2020

 

In Memoriam

Connie Davis Sauter ‘67, Sister of Sr. Margie Davis, OP ‘72, October 17, 2020

Margaret (Maggie) Zang Kozelek ’55, Sister of Mary C. Zang ’53 (deceased), October 13, 2020

Donald (Donnie) Haddix (Non-Grad), October 10, 2020

Dorothy (Dee) Fitzburgh Fagedes ‘54, October 9, 2020

Encova Makes $1 Million Gift to Support ODU Insurance Students, Establish Academy
The Encova Foundation of Ohio has committed a gift of $1 million to Ohio Dominican to establish an endowment fund that will provide scholarship support for students who study in ODU’s Risk Management & Insurance (RMI) program. The gift was announced during a ceremony that took place on Oct. 21 at ODU. Encova also has committed additional support to fund the creation of a new Insurance & Risk Management Academy in the Griffin Student Center. Overseen by industry professionals and staffed by ODU RMI students, the academy will enable students to gain real insurance industry experience through partnerships that will be established with carriers and agencies throughout Ohio. Click here to read more, and click here to watch the ceremony.

ODU Partners with Columbus City Schools to Offer CCS Employees, Families Educational Opportunities
Ohio Dominican has partnered with Columbus City Schools to offer its teachers, staff and administrators, as well as their spouses and dependents, an opportunity to complete a wide range of graduate degrees at a discounted rate. ODU’s Educational Partnership Program gives corporations, government agencies and nonprofit organizations the ability to provide employees with continuing education options to help their organization foster innovation, identify and keep top talent, and provide employees with the opportunity to enhance their professional credentials. Click here to read more about this new partnership.

Center for Dominican Studies Lecture Series Recap
The Center for Dominican Studies recently concluded its four-part lecture series on the theme of “What it Means to be Human.” All of the lectures were recorded and are available to be viewed by clicking here.

Fall Appeal Arriving Soon!
Please keep a close eye on your mailbox for our annual Fall Appeal. Our students need your support, and we truly appreciate your continued generosity, even if this is your first time making a gift! Together, we can help today’s students and the ODU community as we face challenges related to the COVID-19 pandemic. To make a gift, you can either respond to the pledge card in the Fall Appeal or make a one-time or recurring gift online by clicking here. If you have any questions, please contact Christie Flood Weiner ’90, AVP for Advancement & Alumni Director, at weinerc@ohiodominican.edu or via cell phone at (740) 817-0218. Your support makes a difference, and we are grateful for all who have supported ODU in the past.

Virtual MBA Information Session on Oct. 28
Ohio Dominican will host a virtual information session for its Master of Business Administration program at noon on Wednesday, Oct. 28. During the information session, attendees will have an opportunity to learn about ODU’s MBA program, which can be completed entirely online, on campus, or a combination of both formats in as few as 16 months. Students have the option of concentrating in one of seven in-demand areas, including Healthcare Administration, Data Analytics, Risk Management, Finance, Accounting, Leadership and Sport Management. Click here to register for the free event.

Virtual All-American Whiskey and Chocolates Events on Nov. 5 & Nov. 12
We hope you’ll join us on Thursday, Nov. 5, or Thursday, Nov. 12, for a special Alumni and Friends All-American Whiskey Tasting Event. This will take place from 7-8:30 p.m. on Zoom. Whiskey Sommelier John Kelley, Class of 2005 and member of the ODU Board of Trustees, will introduce us to – and educate us about – a wide range of delicious whiskeys. Tickets to this special event cost only $60 and include six one-ounce samples of whiskeys sealed and marked, a small guide map, and a commemorative ODU tasting glass, all of which will be mailed to you beforehand. Each event is limited to 25 participants. Click here to register.

Special “Pandemics in Art” Virtual Presentation on Nov. 17
Please join us as ODU’s own Dr. Janette Knowles, associate professor of Art and director of the Wehrle Gallery, presents a special free lecture just for members of the Ohio Dominican community. We hope you will join us from 7-8 p.m. on Tuesday, Nov. 17, as Dr. Knowles presents “Pandemics in Art,” which will explore how previous pandemics have been depicted through art. Click here to register now.

Virtual Guest Lecture with Jim Rooney on Nov. 18
You’re invited to join us at 1 p.m. on Wednesday, Nov. 18, for a special virtual lecture as Jim Rooney, son of Dan Rooney, discusses the sports industry and his new book about his father, “A Different Way to Win: Dan Rooney’s Story from the Super Bowl to the Rooney Rule.” The book details Dan Rooney’s legacy as an NFL leader who transformed the Pittsburgh Steelers and served as U.S. Ambassador to Ireland. Please keep an eye out for registration information soon.

Ohio Dominican to Host Fall Preview Day on Nov. 14
Ohio Dominican will host an upcoming Preview Day for future Panthers on Saturday, Nov. 14. The free event will take place from 9 a.m. to noon in the Bishop James A. Griffin Student Center. During Preview Day, students will have an opportunity to take a tour of campus, explore majors, discuss available financial aid options, learn about student clubs and honors programs, meet with professors in their field of interest, talk with current students about their experience at ODU, and enjoy a complimentary box lunch. High school students and their families can register for Preview Day by visiting ohiodominican.edu/Preview. Click here to read more.

Information from the Career Development Center
ODU’s Career Development Center wants to share information about two upcoming virtual job fairs that are open to alumni.

• National Hire Veterans Multi-University Virtual Career Fair 2020: October 29 from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. For more information and to register, click here.
• HireOhio Multi-University Alumni Virtual Career Fair Fall 2020: November 16-18 from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. For more information and to register go to, click here.

For questions or for more information, please contact Jessica Hall, Director of the Career Development Center, at hallj@ohiodominican.edu or 614-251-4372; or by visiting the Career Development Office website here.

Maj. Gen. Dennis Laich (Ret.), PATRIOTS Program, was invited to deliver two virtual lectures, “The Civil-Military Gap” and “The All-Volunteer Force,” on Oct. 6 and Oct. 8 at Harvard University’s Kennedy School of Government.

An essay by Jeremy Glazier, English, will appear as a chapter in a book, “New Directions in Flânerie: Global Perspectives for the Twenty-First Century,” edited by Marylaura Papalas and Kelly Comfort (Routledge, 2021). The chapter, “Ridding Badabad of Badauds: The Vampire as Flâneur in A Girl Walks Home Alone at Night,” offers a detailed analysis of Ana Lily Amirpour’s award-winning 2014 vampire film and its relationship to 19^th and early 20^th century writers such as Edgar Allan Poe, Charles Baudelaire, and Walter Benjamin.

Ohio Dominican’s new educational partnership with Columbus City Schools was mentioned during NBC4’s morning newscast on Oct. 6. Click here to read an article that was posted on NBC4’s website.

Jeremy Glazier, English, was invited to speak to local medical professionals as part of the Medicine & the Arts initiative at the OSU College of Medicine. The series, called Hospital Poets, fosters awareness of the critical role the humanities play in health and wellness. This is the third year that he has participated in Hospital Poets.

Robert Parks, Theology, delivered a paper, “Augustine of Hippo Models Female-Male Equality in the Desolation of Widowhood and Prayer,” to the online Patristic, Medieval, and Renaissance (PMR) Conference at Villanova University. The paper argues that fifth century Bishop Augustine applies spiritually to all women and men the “desolate” state seen visibly in some widowed women; Augustine places himself in solidarity with “the desolate widow” as the proper starting point from which to pray to God. 

Janette Knowles, Ph.D., Art, is part of an art and design team juried into the Rustbelt Fibershed exhibition, “One Year, One Outfit.” She’s working with designers Celeste Malvar-Stewart and Xuena Pu to create a series of garments and baskets made completely from materials grown in Ohio and meant to be regeneratively returned to the same soil after use. The final projects will be installed in the Praxis Gallery in Cleveland in October 2021 before traveling to other venues.

Maj. Gen. Dennis Laich (Ret.), PATRIOTS Program, participated in an event, “An Honest Assessment of the U.S. Military Decline During the Trump Administration,” which was hosted by Ohio Republicans Against Trump on Oct. 21 in Dayton, Ohio.

Pictures of several ODU students were featured in the Oct. 19 edition of The Columbus Dispatch alongside an article discussing the votes that may be cast by individuals who are Catholic for Democratic President Candidate Joe Biden. The students were pictured while creating “vote” pins on Oct. 15. Click here to read the article and view the pictures.

MBA Information Session – Oct. 28 (More Info)

Virtual All-American Whiskey and Chocolates Events – Nov. 5 & 12 (More Info)

“Pandemics in History” by Dr. Janette Knowles – Nov. 17 (More Info)

Virtual Guest Lecture with Jim Rooney – Nov. 18

Stay Tuned for Alumni Events!
More information will be coming soon about fall and spring events. Due to COVID-19 and restrictions, we have had to reevaluate our programming and planning. Stay tuned for details. In the meantime, if you have any suggestions about possible events, please do not hesitate to reach out and share. Thank you for your patience!