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National veterans organization recognizes military-connected Ashland student-teacher
While Gwendalyn (Smith) Boyer enjoyed her first job after leaving the Air Force at a home improvement store, it just didn’t feel quite right. “I remember feeling as though so much of the hard work I had poured into my military career had become less than useful,” said Boyer, a public affairs specialist during her 4 ½ years of service. So, she decided to give college a try and enrolled at Ashland University in 2020. Being recognized recently among only 16…
AU hits record mark during Day of Giving
ASHLAND, Ohio – The office of institutional advancement at Ashland University reported a record Day of Giving, which was held during a 36-hour window on March 23-24. More than $350,000 was raised—the most ever for the eighth annual event—for a variety of initiatives, all of which support student success. The record amount came from 679 donors, comprised of alumni, faculty, staff, students and friends of the university. Each donor had the option to designate…
Gupta praises AU for helping him on his career path to superintendent job
Neil Gupta says his career wouldn’t have advanced as successfully as it has without Ashland University. “All the jobs I’ve gotten have directly been related to what AU prepared me for,” said Gupta, whose recent job advancement was being named superintendent of the Oakwood school district in the Dayton area. Not only has Gupta earned a master’s degree (educational curriculum and instruction) and a doctorate (educational leadership) from AU, he also has served…
AU student Payton Block 'doing a wonderful job' student-teaching in Shelby
Payton Block always loved learning in school and had some really influential teachers who inspired her to be the best student she could be. “With that, my high school French teacher was the first to suggest teaching after I developed a lesson plan for one of her assignments, and I had a lot of fun with it,” said Block, a senior education major at Ashland University But COVID-19 had her questioning that career choice. After seeing firsthand how well some…
Three AU faculty awarded promotion to full professor, four to associate professor, and five granted tenure
ASHLAND, Ohio – Three faculty members at Ashland University were awarded promotion to full professor—Chris Chartier in the department of psychology, Hilary Donatini in the department of languages and literatures and Patricia Saunders in the department of biology and toxicology—following the action of the board of trustees at a recent meeting. In addition, Jonathan Naylor in the department of health sciences, Sathiyaprakash Ramdoss in educational…
Russell, M.Ed. alumnus, loves promoting diversity in education as National Teacher of the Year
Kurt Russell still often uses one of the things he learned from his time in Ashland University’s Master of Education program in the mid-1990s. “I learned to make sure you are honest to yourself as a teacher, not copy another teacher’s style and be authentic,” said Russell, who has been teaching history at Oberlin High School since earning his master’s degree in curriculum and instruction from AU in 1996. “I use that every day as I teach.” That philosophy…
Administrative licenses from AU help Jeff Jones land director of player development job with University of South Florida's football program
Jeff Jones liked that a big emphasis with Ashland University’s administrative and superintendent licensure programs was learning to work with others. That will come in handy in his new job as the director of player development for the University of South Florida’s football program. According to a news release from USF, Jones will oversee the football players’ development and growth in community and campus engagement, leadership development and off-the-field…
AU earns five “Best Online” program rankings from U.S. News
ASHLAND, Ohio – Ashland University earned “Best Online” distinction in five categories from the highly-respected U.S. News & World Report’s 2023 program rankings. The rankings were announced on Tuesday. U.S. News, in its 11th year collecting data from distance education master’s and bachelor’s degree completion programs, assessed more than 1,800 online degree programs. The rankings measure overall academic quality, in addition to services offered remotely…
Hundreds of graduates learn about “golf balls of life,” join AU alumni family
ASHLAND, Ohio – Kristen Maurer used an unusual prop, a glass jar she termed the “golf balls of life,” to illustrate one of the tips she offered to the hundreds of Ashland University graduates in attendance during Saturday morning’s 2022 Winter Commencement ceremony inside the Niss Athletic Center. Maurer, the 2022 Milken Educator Award recipient for the state of Ohio and a 2014 AU alumna, was the keynote speaker before six doctorate degrees, 211 master’s…
Soon-to-be AU grad and middle school teacher makes hundreds of Christmas shoeboxes in free time
Ever since she was a little girl, Jessica Barnes has wanted to be a teacher, growing up drawing diagrams of her future classroom and coming up with homework ideas. “I’ve just always loved learning and I feel it is a way to use my creativity to give back,” said Barnes, who will receive her bachelor’s degree in education during Ashland University’s winter commencement Saturday, Dec. 17. Because the 22-year-old has always wanted to help children as a teacher,…
