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JDM graduate returning to his journalism roots after being a game show host for cruises
Waylon O’Donnell loved working as a game show host with Carnival Cruise Lines but felt a longing to get back in the journalism industry after nearly two years of living at sea. “I missed my family, my partner and my landside friends,” said the 2018 graduate of Ashland University’s JDM (journalism and digital media) department. “It was time for me to return to my professional roots.”
Biology Professor Soren Brauner part of milkweed study with other institutions of higher learning
One of the things Soren Brauner enjoys about his job as a biology professor at Ashland University is collaborating on projects with other professors. “That is a lot of fun,” said Brauner, Ph.D., who teaches genetics and botany. “I like working with other people. “Science is mostly a collaborative enterprise these days,” he added. “There are not too many people just working by themselves. You get to bounce ideas off people and people have different strengths…
Ashland MFA graduate publishes his first book of poems
While searching for Master of Fine Arts in Creative Writing programs with an emphasis on poetry, Adam Gellings said he felt very intimidated by the process. “I didn’t have that feeling when I was looking into Ashland,” said the poet and adjunct instructor for the Department of English Language and Literature at Columbus College of Art & Design. “It really felt like the right fit pretty early on in my exploration of the program.” That experience at AU…
Ashland grad retiring after long career in the radio industry
Bill Weston chose Ashland because it was one of the few colleges in the 1970s offering the type of degree he wanted: radio/TV broadcasting. Weston never regretted his decision to attend college a little more than three hours away from his small hometown in Western New York, Mayville. The early hands-on opportunities in the radio studios and on the TV-2 set, as well as the radio/TV faculty, were some of the many things he said he…
Ashland University graduate promoted to assistant chief for Norwalk Police Department
While Michael Biller came to Ashland University to play sports, he left with a strong desire for a law enforcement career. “One of the main reasons why I chose AU was because of the football and baseball programs,” said Biller, a 2008 Ashland grad. “I only played football for one year and baseball for three years. I decided to concentrate on my academics and my career in law enforcement during my senior year.” That decision has paid off for Biller, a…
LeBron James Family Foundation executive director is an Ashland University graduate
Even after 30 years, Michele Campbell still cherishes her years at Ashland University. “To this day, I have lifelong friendships that were made there,” said the 1991 AU graduate. “Ashland helped shape me into a young professional and the leader that I am today.” Today, Campbell is leading the LeBron James Family Foundation (LJFF) as its executive director and oversees all of its I Promise Schools in her and James’ hometown of Akron, Ohio. “When it comes to…
AU partnering with Yad Vashem to improve Holocaust education
ASHLAND, Ohio – Ashland University has entered into a partnership with Yad Vashem, the World Holocaust Remembrance Center, and will welcome two visiting scholars to campus during the 2024 spring semester as part of a program to improve Holocaust education in the United States. The partnership will benefit Ashland faculty members who will receive education and training—Terri Jewett, a professional instructor in the Dwight Schar College of Education, already…
MFA grad and CE instructor finding success writing dark fantasy, weird fiction stories
Growing up, Nathan Batchelor read many stories by horror writers Clive Barker and Stephen King. He decided to give writing his own spooky stories a try in 2017. “In some hybrid of a quarter-life/mid-life crisis, I took up writing because my friends and teachers always enjoyed my writing and my ideas,” said Batchelor, who earned his Master of Fine Arts in Creative Writing degree from Ashland University last year. “After I sold my first story in 2018, I just…
AU grad Vicki King-Maple named director of Ohio Mid-Eastern Governments Association
Vicki King-Maple, though a communications professional, has a hard time putting into words the love she has for Ashland University. “It’s a second home; it’s family,” said King-Maple, a “triple-crown” Ashland University alumna, having received her bachelor’s (speech and public communication, 1995), master’s (education in curriculum and instruction, 2000) and doctorate (educational leadership and leadership studies, 2019) degrees from AU. “As a student, I…
AU grad Travis Apple named chief revenue officer at ticketing platform for live event industry
Go above and beyond. That is the advice Ashland University graduate Travis Apple offers today’s AU students. “If you are asked to get one internship, find a way to get multiple internships and real-life experience through job shadowing,” said the 2007 AU grad who triple-majored in sports communication, journalism and electronic media production. “Any industry you decide to go into is going to be competitive, and hiring managers want to see who truly is…
