Ohio University

Ohio University Army ROTC cadets gathered on Jan. 20 for their Change of Command ceremony. Maj. Darrell Fawley, professor of military science, facilitated the ceremony marking the transfer of command from outgoing Cadet Battalion Commander Jahmir King to incoming commander Cadet Abby Ludwig.

More than 2,300 students graduated with bachelor's, master's or doctorate degrees from Ohio University for fall semester 2020. The graduates represented many areas of the United States and an abundance of countries, including: China, India, Saudi Arabia, Peru and Canada.

Five fall Ohio University graduates have commissioned as second lieutenants in the United States Army. Tanner Cobleigh, Ben Cohen, Isaac Culbert, Riley West and Matthew Grebinoski have all been commissioned.

OHIO students Nate Swanson and Alexandra Skowronski placed second and fourth, respectively, in the Photojournalism Features and News Competition of the 2020-2021 Hearst Journalism Awards Program. The winners in this first competition of the year were selected from 117 entries submitted from 65 universities nationwide.

Ohio University senior Abby Ludwig has been selected to the Army ROTC Top 10 Order of Merit List. Major General John Evans, commander of United States Army Cadet Command which oversees Army ROTC, recognized Ludwig last week as the 10th best Army ROTC cadet in the nation. Ludwig is a journalism major from Cincinnati, Ohio. Each year approximately 6,000 Army ROTC cadets from 275 colleges and universities participate in the order merit list process as part of their preparation to commission into the United States Army. Cadets are evaluated on grades, physical fitness scores, and participation in ROTC training and activities.

Ohio University's Air Force ROTC Detachment 650 is excited to award three cadets with scholarships through ROTC's In-College Scholarship Program. Cadets Amy Baciak, Kate Smith, and Deborah Swegen are second-year students who joined Air Force ROTC in their first year at OHIO and recently contracted into the United States Air Force to activate their scholarships. Baciak comes from Brook Park, Ohio and is majoring in global studies at OHIO. Smith is a communication studies major from Lancaster, Ohio. Swegan is a biological sciences pre-med major from Niles, Ohio.

Rachel Martin, '20 is one of 10 people worldwide chosen for a fellowship with Conservation X Lab, an innovation technology company that focuses on solutions to environmental challenges. The Conservation X Labs Epic Fellowship provides a $7,000 stipend per semester for remote work alongside staff on issues related to the sixth mass extinction. Martin was named the Extinction Drawdown Fellow, tasked with analyzing existing interventions that are best poised to reverse mass extinction.

More than 1,800 students graduated with bachelor's, master's or doctorate degrees from Ohio University for summer semester 2020. The graduates represented many areas of the United States and an abundance of countries, including: Vietnam, China, Chile, Iran, Mexico, and Great Brittan.

More than 200 students qualified for the summer semester 2020 Dean's List at Ohio University, including main and regional campuses. Students on the Dean's List came from an array of states. More than 10 states were represented, including: Kentucky, West Virginia, Arizona, Texas and Ohio. China was also represented. OHIO students must earn at least a 3.5 grade point average for the semester with a schedule of classes totaling at least 15 hours, 12 of which were taken for letter grades, to achieve this distinction.

Ohio University's Office for Multicultural Student Access and Retention (OMSAR) in the Division of Diversity and Inclusion is proud to announce the inaugural Folley Family Foundation Appalachian Scholars, Allison Saaty and Alison Mingus. The scholarship is available for two students for four years who are full-time undergraduate students enrolled in OMSAR's Appalachian Scholars Program.

Ohio University student Hardika Singh was awarded the 2020 PRSA Diversity Multicultural Scholarship. The scholarship, which only awards two $1,500 scholarships, was established by the Public Relations Society of America (PRSA) to assist and recognize young adults for outstanding academic achievement and commitment to the practice of public relations.

This summer, Ohio University's School of Media Arts and Studies gave students a platform to innovate and create through the 2020 MDIA Creative Works Program. The program not only highlighted student's talent but it also showcased their ability to create content, using unconventional methods, during a global pandemic.

Eleven Ohio University students received Gilman Scholarships for studying abroad during the 2019-2020 academic year, as well as one OHIO student receiving one of the first ever Gilman-McCain Scholarships. Two other OHIO students were named alternates for the Gilman Scholarship.

Two Ohio University Online Master of Business Administration (MBA) students have been named 2020 Business Leaders of Tomorrow by Online MBA Report. Ryan Bernarduci, of Raleigh, N.C., and Sydney Winnenberg, of Springfield, Ohio, were nominated for the recognition by Dr. William Young, professor and director of the Online MBA and Online Master of Business Analytics programs. Online MBA Report requested schools ranked in their 2020 Top 50 Online MBA Programs to nominate MBA candidates as representatives of their program, in the hopes of recognizing hardworking students and the programs.

Rosado, a native of Guaynabo, Puerto Rico, is an incoming first-year student in the musical theater BFA program who received the Templeton Scholarship. A performing artist since she could walk, Rosado has participated in the San Juan Children's Choir, danced ballet as part of The Conservatory of Ballet Concerto, and has been in numerous commercials, as well as done voice-over work. The Templeton Scholars Program is a comprehensive scholar program honoring John Newton Templeton, OHIO's first African American graduate. His legacy places emphasis on academic excellence, leadership, and campus and community involvement at Ohio University.

Justine Freda Moore, a native of Chillicothe, Ohio, is an incoming music education major in the School of Music who has received the Rankin Scholarship. By pursuing a degree in Music Education, Moore plans to educate students in the various ways music is performed in different cultures and hopes to inspire her future students and others to try to better understand themselves and others through music. The Rankin Scholarship is a gift provided by OHIO alums Harry W. (Bill) Rankin and Ruth L. Rankin to fund a selective merit-based scholarship program awarded to academically-talented students from a variety of backgrounds and experiences who can contribute to the intellectual, cultural and social diversity of Ohio University. The scholarship emphasizes academic excellence, leadership, cultural exchange and community service.

Ohio University film graduate Logan Marshall has been selected for the Television Academy Foundation's prestigious 2020 Summer Fellows program. The Television Academy Foundation is offering the 50 students selected from across the country the chance to either intern remotely or enroll into the Summer Fellows program, where they have the opportunity to meet with industry professionals and receive a $500 honorarium for their participation. Normally, the Television Academy Foundation's annual Internship Program provides 50 paid internships, at top Hollywood studios and production companies, to college students nationwide. Due to COVID-19, however, the Television Academy Foundation has re-imagined its internship program to offer an option for those unable to participate in an internship.

Ohio University student Garret Carbullido Negley has been selected as a 2020 Gates Scholar, a prestigious scholarship for outstanding minority high school seniors who meet federal Pell Grant eligibility criteria. The Gates Scholarship is a highly selective scholarship funded by a grant from the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, and administered by the Hispanic Scholarship Fund. Launched in 2018, the scholarship is awarded to 300 student leaders per year, with the intent of helping them realize their maximum potential through earning a bachelor's degree.

The Ebony Bobcat Network (EBN) and the Office for Multicultural Student Access and Retention (OMSAR) in the Division of Diversity and Inclusion are proud to announce the inaugural Ebony Bobcat Network Urban Scholar, Te'aylis Jackson. "[Winning this scholarship] means everything to me. I was so worried about going to college and not being able to afford it. Then this scholarship came, and I get to do what I want. I get to make a difference by being the first person awarded the scholarship," Jackson said.

Ohio University's Hugh M. Culbertson Chapter of the Public Relations Student Society of America (PRSSA) has recently been awarded the 2020 Star Chapter Award again, for the seventh time since 2014. PRSSA describes a Star Chapter as "the gold standard for Chapters trying to achieve excellence," and encourages chapters and their members to engage in programming and relationship building.

Ninety-two students were inducted into the Lambda of Ohio University chapter of Phi Beta Kappa for the 2019-20 academic year, and five students received a cash prize and the Thomas A. Wolfe Award for highest GPA among the 2020 inductees. Inductees were juniors and seniors from four OHIO colleges: College of Arts & Sciences, College of Fine Arts, College of Health Sciences and Professions, and Honors Tutorial College, as well as the Center for International Studies.

The Public Company Accounting Oversight Board (PCAOB) has recently announced that Ohio University accounting student Jessica Woods has been named a PCAOB Scholar for the 2020-21 academic year. 234 students from U.S. colleges and universities were selected to receive a $10,000 scholarship for the academic year.

Ohio Gov. Mike DeWine has appointed a new member to the Ohio University Board of Trustees, as well as a new student member, with both terms effective July 27.

Ohio University Scripps College of Communication and School of Visual Communication (VisCom) student Haiyun Jiang was honored with a 2020 Getty Image Inclusion Scholarship, in partnership with the Asian American Journalists Association. Jiang, who completed her coursework in the photojournalism Master of Arts degree in VisCom and is now pursuing the interdisciplinary Master of Fine Arts degree in the Scripps College, was one of five winners who will receive a $10,000 scholarship.

Ohio University studentFaith Laughlin of Stewart, Ohio has been selected as one of the two recipients of the DutchCrafters Amish Furniture Heritage Scholarship for the 2020-2021 academic year.

The newest class of The Gates Foundation-Ross County Scholar's Fund recipients has been announced. Realizing the value of a college education's impact in opening the doors of opportunity for young people, Chillicothe natives Larry Gates and his wife, Mary, established the fund in 2004 to help Ross County students realize their ambitions. Since the awarding of the first scholarships, more than 220 grants have been given to deserving Ross County students, and the 2020 recipients mark the 17th class of scholars to utilize the grants to pursue their college ambitions. The scholarships are intended to help offset the cost of an undergraduate college education not covered by financial aid and/or scholarships.

Ohio University student Mason Myers, a senior chemistry major in the Honors Tutorial College (HTC) and recently named Goldwater Scholar, has been researching ways on how to focus in on molecules in regards to antibiotic resistance research. His research looks at how to more efficiently determine how well certain molecules target specific regions in RNA sequences.

Sophomore Taylor Miller (Latrobe, Pa.), freshman Halli Siwik (Fishers, Ind.) and senior Emilia Lahtinen (Ylojarvi, Finland) of the OHIO swimming & diving team have been named to the College Swimming and Diving Coaches Association of America (CSCAA) 2020 Scholar All-American Team. The Bobcat trio was among 1,479 swimmers and divers named to the team for the 2019-20 season. The award recognizes students who achieved a grade point average of 3.50 or higher and were invited to compete at their respective national championship. Selections were drawn from 209 colleges and universities.

An E.W. Scripps School of Journalism student's column about a campus newspaper's editorial received national recognition in the Mark of Excellence awards sponsored by the Society of Professional Journalists (SPJ). Sophomore Charlotte Caldwell of Dayton, Ohio, was named a finalist in the Online Opinion and Commentary category for her discussion of Northwestern University's campus newspaper editors' decision to remove previously published photographs of former U.S. Attorney General Jeff Sessions' speech on campus. Those who attended the speech objected to the photographs, saying their privacy had been violated. Caldwell disagreed with the decision, saying it gave preferential treatment to the students who objected and censored what actually happened at the event. She is the opinion editor for The New Political, an online campus news site.

The College Swimming and Diving Coaches Association of America (CSCAA) has selected OHIO's swimming and diving team for Scholar All-American honors. Under the leadership of second-year head coach Mason Norman, OHIO was one of 461 schools to receive the award for the spring semester. Teams were selected on the basis of their spring grade point averages and represent 17,982 student-athletes. "No team was unaffected by this spring's pandemic, but Athletic Director [Julie] Cromer and President [M. Duane] Nellis can and should be proud of their team and the work of Mason," said CSCAA Executive Director Greg Earhart. OHIO's 2019-20 regular season was highlighted by a pair of home victories over Ball State (Jan. 25; 188.5-110.5) and Marshall (Jan. 31; 177-120).