Ohio University

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.

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 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).

More than 9,500 students qualified for the spring 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, as more than 40 states were represented, including: Kentucky, Alabama, Maryland, California, Virginia, Connecticut, Florida and Ohio, as well as Puerto Rico and the District of Columbia. 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.

More than 5,000 students graduated with bachelor's, master's or doctorate degrees from Ohio University for spring semester 2020. The graduates represented many areas of the United States and an abundance of countries, including: Canada, Ecuador, China, Ghana, India and Japan.

Ohio University has awarded its 2020 Presidential Graduate Student Medals to master's student Paige Greeley and doctoral student Elizabeth Jensen. The awards recognize master's and doctoral students who have demonstrated academic excellence in research or creative activity, as it relates to their field of study. In addition, the review committee considers the students' contributions (educational, economic, physical, social or cultural well-being) to a given community, locally or around the globe. "Ohio University's commitment to experiential learning provides our students with an opportunity to make important contributions to the greater community," Ohio University President M. Duane Nellis said. "We are fortunate to have students as dedicated to their fields as Elizabeth and Paige, and I congratulate them on receiving this prestigious award."

Ohio University's College of Health Sciences and Professions proudly announced its 2020 Outstanding Graduate Award recipients with a virtual recognition. Of the more than 8,500 students enrolled in the college, 36 individuals were virtually recognized with honors this year. "Our students, particularly our seniors, have displayed great resilience and continued dedication in the sweeping educational and life changes that have taken place because of COVID-19," said CHSP Dean Dr. Randy Leite. "Although CHSP had to cancel its annual Student and Faculty Awards this year due to the pandemic, it remained important to us to take the time to recognize the hard work and accomplishments of this year's graduating class." Recipients were recognized for their contributions and accomplishments during the 2019-20 year. Individual awards were given under the categories of "Outstanding Graduates" for each school or department as well as "Physical Therapy" and "Athletic Training." "I have no doubt that the Class of 2020 will depart OHIO and help change the world; many of them already have," Leite said. "Each of our graduates carries the discipline, courage and compassion to make the world a better, and healthier, place."

In Ohio University's E.W. Scripps School of Journalism, the COVID-19 pandemic has been both a challenge and an opportunity, as students and faculty shifted to online-only instruction and shifted gears to have students cover multiple news developments related to the crisis. Covering COVID-19 was not just a priority for upper-level production courses and student-run campus media. Even the most entry-level course in the J-school curriculum mobilized students to report about the crisis both in their hometowns and in their home-away-from-home in Athens.

OHIO student Melissa Damico has been selected for the Udall Undergraduate Scholarship for the 2020-21 academic year, highlighting her environmental research efforts. The Udall Foundation awards scholarships based on leadership, public service and commitment to issues related to the environment or Native American nations. Damico is a sophomore environmental studies major in the Honors Tutorial College with a minor in sociology and is also working towards a certificate in law, justice and culture. She is among 55 students from 48 colleges and universities across the United States selected as 2020 Udall Scholars.

Each spring, the School of Media Arts & Studies (MDIA) hosts its student awards banquet in Baker Center Ballroom, welcoming students and their families to join together to celebrate student scholarship and recognize award winners. With the conversion to remote instruction due to COVID-19 this spring semester, MDIA faculty continued that tradition by producing a 75-minute virtual awards ceremony which aired online last week. MDIA faculty members Josh Antonuccio and Andie Walla produced the virtual ceremony and expanded the event so that it not only announced student scholarship and award winners, but also included student performances, as well as exhibited student production work in animation, video and music.

Student athletes from OHIO's swimming and diving team have been named to the 2019-20 College Swimming and Diving Coaches Association of America (CSCAA) Division I Women's All-American Team, the organization announced April 8. Due to the cancellation of the 2020 NCAA Swimming and Diving Championships, the CSCAA Board adjusted the selection criteria for each Division. Per the 2020 Division I All-American selection criteria, all Relays Achieving "A" Standards, individuals selected to the NCAA Championship, and divers entered in uncontested events from the Zone C Diving Qualification meet are named All-American.

Students from OHIO's E.W. Scripps School of Journalism won top prize in four categories in the Society of Professional Journalists Region 4 Mark of Excellence contest. Several Scripps students also finished as finalists in seven other categories. SPJ's Region 4 comprises Michigan, Ohio, West Virginia and western Pennsylvania. First-place winners will compete at the national level among winners from SPJ's other 11 regions. Ohio University competes in the large university division (enrollment 10,000+).