So much to highlight this first week of March. So let me get started:
Me, serving a steak at The Toledo Club
A great time was had by all last Thursday night at the second annual Catharine S. Eberly Center for Women “Celebrity Wait Night” dinner at The Toledo Club. The Eberly Center under the dynamic leadership of Charlene Gilbert, is a true jewel for UT. This dedicated group of community volunteers help so many women each year;
Now on to Athletics-
Our Lady Rocket swim team won its first ever MAC title ever over the weekend! Congratulations to Lars Jorgensen and all of our swimmers. Check out this video of the team celebrating;
Nadia Zoubareva of the Lady Rocket tennis team was named MAC Player of the Week. Nadia is also an outstanding student who most recently was a standout in my PR class;
and, our Lady Rocket basketball team clinched their division on Senior Day… they’re on their way to the MAC Tournament;
And, now Best of Show -
I am so very proud to be a part of the Division of External Affairs that won numerous Addy’s last week. The Addy’s are the marketing and communications equivalent of the Westminster Kennel Club Dog Show. Each year thousands of entries are submitted for recognition and judging from peers around the Country. I have attached the list of winners.
The evening concluded with our MOREcampaign winning Best of Show!
The following is just a partial list of the many folks who contributed to these achievements:
John Adams, Deanna Woolf, Amanda Russell, Michelle Hoch-Henningsen, Angie Jones, Dan Miller, student intern Jon Cody, Kathleen Walsh, Brock Clagg, Tobin Klinger, Jamie Crothers, Dennis Heckman web intern, Paul Helgren, Anthoney Peerenboom, Tim Beckman, Alex Golesh, Eric Eitniear, Jon Strunk, Chris Ankney, Amelia Acuna, Heather Pierson, Esther Fabian, Pat Giammarco, wow….what a team!
The University of Toledo … what a great place to be!
Congratulations to Lars Jorgensen and his Lady Rocket swimmers for a great academic accomplishment. “All American Honors” from the College Swimming Coaches of America. Check out the attached letter….great job ladies and Lars;
The Culture Ambassadors Group (click to see larger)
The Culture Ambassadors met for the second time this past Friday. This is a very energetic and forward thinking group…look for some activities sponsored by the Ambassadors real soon;
There is some new “retro” UT garb on the Utoledogear.com site. Check it out…if you have a fund raising idea, we have a great new program to help you, just call me at 419-530-1228;
Also, try to listen to Environmentally Sound on WJR 760 AM this Tuesday at a special time. At 8:00 pm Dr. Jacobs will be a guest as well as Ohio Board of Regents Chancellor Eric Fingerhut. Listen to a short promo below;
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and, Spring is getting closer and the new bow ties are arriving. Check out this video from Charlotte, NC. Why does it seem that folks in the South always have a good time?
Friday we were off to Detroit to announce a new partnership with the Detroit Red Wings. The world famous Wings will be highlighting our University of Toledo and the “MORE” campaign for the rest of the season during their home games. Click here to see video of the event. We now have some visible signage in the Joe Louis Arena as well. Check out the interesting article in The Detroit News … and be sure to read the comments, too.
And Saturday, my good friend and fellow cancer survivor Esther Fabian and I were “Honorary Blue Crew Members.” (Esther and I are the ones in the pink wigs).
A Young Rocket gets his picture taken with The Pink Crew
And more pictures:
A young Rocket gets his picture taken with the Pink Crew
Mr. Business and our new friends were great. They taught us the “moves” and cheers as we went along. I have to say, it’s a lot more work than you think. This group of students are true Rockets…all Blue and Gold. Thanks Crew…it was an honor!
The Lady Rockets looked great in their pink uniforms and were victorious as well. Let’s all try to make it to their final home game on February 27th and cheer them on to the MAC Championship Tournament.
Have a great week.
Regards, Larry.
PS. 25 years ago today I married my bride Judie. My best friend. I am very fortunate indeed.
As we start a new week, I thought it would be nice to share a few items that relate to UT and why our University is such a great place.
First, our UT Head Football coach Tim Beckman recruited a few of his players to help out Channel 11 a few weeks ago and this is the story:
Second, our new Fetterman Training Center is really catching the attention of other universities like Cincinnati, check this out.
Third, we were recently listed in three Diversity rankings, a sign of progress toward one of our goals -- to be listed as one of the best places to work and study:
UT listed as one of the best colleges and universities for African Americans by The Black EOE Journal;
The new University of Toledo Culture Ambassadors had our very first meeting last week. Our new group went through an exercise to define the “personality” of the University’s culture and the following comments are just a few of many; many of our students are under exposed to diversity when they enter UT, the city of Toledo and the University could benefit from higher self esteem, self -segregation occurs at U T and people are “shy” at UT.
We also discussed the types of words that describe the culture we want to develope, here is a sample of these; progressive, empowered, inclusive, hip, motivational, proud, scholarly and trustworthy.
Now we are working on a diversity climate survey…so please take the time to participate when contacted. Our Ambassadors are going to meet monthly to design our path to this new culture we want to create. I’ll keep you posted along the way. Thanks and regards, Larry.
I attended the Unity Day celebration on Monday at Savage Arena…Wow! What an electric atmosphere led by the world class choir. The place was rockin’. Dr. Shanda Gore and Kara Mominee did a terrific job planning this annual event. Congratulations ladies;
We held our first Culture Ambassador meeting last week. I think we got off to a great start…I felt a wonderful feeling with the group. Positive, engaged and forward thinking;
I hope you listen to our next edition of the Environmentally Sound radio show on WJR next Tuesday evening at 7:00. Guests include Dr. John Turner, Dr. Hans Gottgens, Dr. Anne Baker from our Toledo Zoo and Tina Skeldon Wozniak from the Lucas County Commissioners. The theme is “Animals and Sustainability”;
I read in The Toledo Blade this morning about a Florida company moving to the area and creating 337 jobs. Mr. Dan Young, vice president of the company, Biodri, says the close proximity to three research universities was key- The University of Michigan, Michigan State university and THE UNIVERSITY OF TOLEDO! Nice company to keep;
I recently had the opportunity to meet some folks from Big Brothers and Big Sisters. What a wonderful program to mentor our young people. If you are interested in becoming a Big Brother or Sister please email me and I will connect you with the right people. The requirements are: 18 years or older, a one year commitment, display maturity, display consistency and be able to relate and communicate. Just let me know. The need has never been greater;
The unfolding tragedy in Haiti defies reason and serves as a grim reminder of the frailty of human life.
In the days and weeks ahead, the world will rally to the aid of the Haitian people as they take the preliminary steps to rebuild a culture that has a rich history, despite the widespread poverty that has plagued it in recent memory.
As President Barak Obama said earlier today in remarks delivered from The White House to the Haitian people: “You will not be forsaken, you will not be forgotten. In this, your hour of greatest need, America stands with you.”
Like the rest of the nation and the world, The University of Toledo is rallying to stand with Haiti.
Unfortunately, during these dark hours, there are those who would choose to exploit the tragedy for personal financial gain. Already, reprehensible scams are being perpetrated, as bogus aid organizations are launched in an effort to siphon off sorely needed donations for personal gain.
The University of Toledo encourages it students, faculty and staff to help the Haitian people in anyway they can during this time of great need. However, we also encourage you to fully understand that the organizations you are providing your support to will truly use it in support of those directly impacted by the catastrophe.
To assist you, I have included a list of reputable organizations with links to places on the Web where you can pledge your support.
This is a time for each individual to reach deep inside and tap into the generosity that has always helped to define The University of Toledo’s spirit.
The University of Toledo is with Haiti during this time of need.
Our thoughts and prayers are with you.
UPDATE: The Dean of Students Office has scheduled a meeting to discuss how students and student organizations can help the efforts in Haiti. Please stop by Student Union Room 2584 on Tuesday, Jan. 19 at 6 p.m. to learn how you can help.
Welcome back students to our Spring semester…which means Spring is not that far away,
I hope you had a chance to check out our new web site for UT gear. Utoledogear.com. We are going to be featuring clothing and other UT themed items that haven’t been available before, like our new Tote bags which will make a great gift,
Speaking of cool stuff I just love The Fresh Market…puts me in a good mood when I walk in…what’s your favorite section?
The Branding project I mentioned a few weeks ago is starting to get rolling. Please go to Toledoregionstory.com and fill out the survey on the site. We really need to have your thoughts and opinions. Also, the Community Forums are getting started this month…I hope some of you can attend.
Enjoy the snow…and be safe. Regards, Larry.
Happy Holidays! I am very pleased to report that our new website www.utoledogear.com in now launched! Check it out for UT logo items….they will make wonderful gifts for your friends and family. Look for many new items in the weeks to come…let me know what you think. Regards, Larry.
It has been almost a year since I have had the privilege of serving as the Interim Vice President for Equity and Diversity for our University of Toledo. During these months this new role has provided me with the opportunity to work with many new colleagues who I had not met prior to this new assignment. These people include the likes of Morris Jenkins, Jennifer Pastorek, Jim Ferris, Sharon Barnes and many others as we strive to make the culture at UT the best environment possible for personal and professional growth.
We will continue to engage with the external business and minority communities in the coming year, but it is time to focus keenly on our internal culture. With this in mind, I have created a group of Culture Ambassadors who will begin meeting, planning and functioning as agents of change for our university culture. I am saddened to say that there is a very small faction at our Univeristy of Toledo that continues to act in an unacceptable and hurtful way in dealing with certain groups and individuals on our campus. I recently met with the leadership of the LGBT and heard their stories about hurtful and totally unacceptable behavior at certain events by a small collection of people. There also continues to be a mean-spirited and unprofessional series of blogs that attack the core of our culture. These activities and behaviors are just not acceptable and I believe that the vast majority of our UT family would agree. I have not met one individual at UT who doesn’t appreciate being respected and accepted for who they are and what they believe in. The mean-spirited acts that I mentioned above are totally inconsistent with where this University is going.
I am extremely proud of the fact that with the help of many people like Chuck Lehnert, Dr. Rosemary Haggett and Dr. Shanda Gore, we opened our Minority Incubator in September of this year. Soon we will have four tenants on the Scott Park Campus in the incubator – and we are just getting started! We have also worked with every Dean and their colleagues within the University and now have Diversity Plans for each College. Working with Provosts Haggett and Gold along with Dr. Gore, these Diversity Plans will become integral parts of how our Colleges operate and evaluate their success in the future.
I hope to hear from many of you regarding you willingness to help improve our institution and develop a culture that will allow us to look forward to school or work each and every day. We are all different. We come from different backgrounds. We believe in different things. But if we respect one another and demand this from ourselves and everyone else, then this University will truly be a leader in improving the human condition.
Thank you for this opportunity. I wish everyone Happy Holidays and a wonderful, healthy and prosperous New Year.
A native of Detroit, Mr. Burns is a 1978 graduate of Central Michigan University with a Bachelor of Science degree. Currently, Mr. Burns serves as Vice President for External Affairs and Interim Vice President for Equity and Diversity for The University of Toledo.
