News Archive

(04/29/09)

Casper Lecture Features "Green" Entrepreneur

More than 200 people came to campus to hear Gary Hirshberg, President and "CE-Yo" of Stonyfield Farm, present the annual Alex and Lena Casper Memorial Lecture.

Hirshberg has been working at the forefront of movements for environmental and social transformation for 30 years. From his early days as an educator and activist to his current position, Hirshberg's positive outlook has inspired thousands of people to recognize their ability to make the world a better place.

He has overseen the growth of Stonyfield Farm from its infancy as a seven-cow organic farming school in 1983 to the world's largest organic yogurt company with $300 million in annual sales. This growth has been built with innovative marketing techniques that often combine the social, environmental and financial missions of the company.

Recipient of the 1999 Global Green USA's Green Cross Millennium Award for Corporate Environmental Leadership, he serves on several corporate and non-profit boards, including Honest Tea and Peak Organic Brewing. He is also Chair of Climate Counts, a collaborative effort to bring consumers and companies together in the fight against global climate change.

"Gary Hirshberg was an appealing speaker on several levels," said Miami Middletown Dean Kelly Cowan. "As president of the world's largest organic yogurt company, with more than $340 million in sales, he was of interest to business and entrepreneurial types. His message of achieving success while remaining true to his environmentally friendly worldview was equally appealing. I also spoke to several people who just love his yogurt!"

In "Stirring It Up: How to Make Money and Save the World" (January 2008), Hirshberg demonstrates how companies can work to save the planet, while achieving greater profits and satisfaction, and how we can all use the power of conscious consumption to encourage green corporate behavior. Included are case studies of other businesses — companies such as Timberland, Patagonia, Interface and Walmart — that have increased profits by reducing their environmental footprints.

The Casper Lectures were endowed by the late Isidor A. Casper, a Miami alumnus and prominent Middletown attorney, to honor the memory of his parents. Past Casper Lecturers have included Nobel laureates Linus Pauling and Oscar Arias, journalists Daniel Schorr and Robert Novak and Ambassadors Elliott Richardson and Edmund Muskie.

"As always, our thanks go to the Casper family for underwriting this wonderful event since 1973," said MUM Advancement Director Susan Armacost. "The Casper Lecture is a real feather in Middletown's cap."

Gary Hirshberg presents the 2009 Casper Lecture at Miami Middletown.

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(04/29/09)

Miami BSN Students Support Greene County Health Fair

More than 40 students in Miami University's Bachelor of Science in Nursing (BSN) program traveled to Xenia, Ohio on April 23 to participate in the Green County Health Fair.

Sophomore students did blood pressure and glucose screenings, as well as mental health assessments. Junior students were involved in educating attendees about osteoporosis, cholesterol and other health risks.

"More than 650 Green County residents attend this event every year and for some of them it's their primary medical screening for the year," said Assistant Professor of Nursing Amy Weeks. "It's a great opportunity for our students and they represent Miami Nursing in the best possible way."

Miami nursing faculty Carol Bashford, Deborah Beyer, Deborah Tibbs and Amy Weeks accompanied the students to Xenia. Visit http://www.mid.muohio.edu/news/albums/healthfair/index.htm for more photos of Miami nursing students and faculty at the Green County Health Fair.

Miami BSN students provide health screenings for residents attending the Greene County Health Fair in Xenia.

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(04/25/09)

Miami Middletown Downtown May Events Scheduled

In May, Miami Middletown Downtown will present a slate of events that includes a book club, a concert, a writing group, an open mic night and a chess club. All events are free and open to the public. Miami Middletown Downtown is located at 4 North Main Street, former home of the Masonic Temple, in Middletown.

On Friday, May 15, a Loft Company Concert with musical performances by local bands Circles, Dangerbird and others will be held from 8 - 10 p.m. For more information, contact Eric Melbye at mumcc@muohio.edu.

On Wednesday, May 20, the Booking It! Non-Fiction Book Conversations group will meet at 5 p.m. to discuss Secret Currency of Love: The Unabashed Truth About Women, Money, and Relationships by Hilary Black. This collection of revealing essays examines women's complex money relationships with partners, parents, children and other loved ones. For more information, contact Barbara Roberts at (513) 727-3337.

On Thursday, May 28, the All the King's Men Chess Club will meet at 6 p.m. If you have ever wanted to learn the game of chess, help others learn, or meet and play with other chess enthusiasts, then the All the King's Men Chess Club is for you! For more information, contact Mauricio Benty at bentym@muohio.edu.

On Saturday, May 30, the Illuminati Writing Group will meet at 2 p.m. This casual writing and workshopping group is for all levels and genres of writing. Peer critique and writing exercises will help you polish your craft while having fun with other local writers. For more information, contact Michelle Lawrence at michellellawrence@gmail.com.

On Saturday, May 30, the monthly open mic night will be held from 6 - 8 p.m. All ages, experience levels and types of performers (singers, musicians, writers, actors, etc.) are encouraged to join the fun. For more information, contact Kip Moore at wmoore@coxohio.com.

Miami Middletown Downtown is a multipurpose activity center designed to bring the campus and community together by providing flexible space for workshops, lectures, seminars, meetings, cultural events and more.

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(04/23/09)

David Ballard to Give Retirement Lecture at Miami Middletown

David L. Ballard, senior instructor of communication at Miami University Middletown, will give a retirement lecture on Wednesday, May 13 at 7 p.m., followed by a reception in his honor. Titled "The End of the Beginning," the lecture will be held in Johnston Hall Room 136. The lecture and reception are free and open to the public.

A 1957 graduate of Middletown High School, Ballard received B.A. and M.A. degrees in speech communication and theatre from Miami University. He taught at Miami University Middletown when the campus opened in 1966 and is the last of the original faculty group to retire. He estimates that he has taught more than 10,000 students in his classes over the past 43 years at Miami Middletown. He is a former chair of the Middletown Campus Senate.

Ballard was a member and past president of the Middletown City Schools Board of Education. He is the founding director of the Campus Community Players, directing numerous plays for community and campus groups. He was named an Ambassador of Goodwill by the Middletown City Commission and received their Award for Outstanding Community Service.

Miami University Middletown is located at 4200 E. University Blvd. For more information on this event, call (513) 727-3211.

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(04/21/09)

Blood Drive Set for May 7

Miami University Middletown will host a blood drive from 8:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. on Thursday, May 7 in Johnston Hall's Balcony Lounge. Donors must be at least 17 years old and weigh 110 pounds, be in good general health and must bring a photo I.D. with their full name.

For information on donor eligibility, visit www.cbccts.org, call (800) 388-4483 or email canidonate@cbccts.org.

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(04/17/09)

VOA Learning Center Hosts Free JumpStart Networking Breakfast

Miami University's Corporate and Community Institute will host a free JumpStart networking breakfast on Friday, May 8. Breakfast will begin at 7 a.m. followed by a seminar entitled Top 10 Ways to Recession-Proof Your Business from 7:30 - 8:30 a.m. at the Voice of America Learning Center in West Chester.

This no-cost networking event will help participants learn how to motivate their current employees. "Now is the time to invest in your best associates so that when the economy inevitably rebounds, you'll be blasting out of the starting gate," said Miami Corporate and Community Institute Senior Director Pat McNab.

Reservations are due by Friday, May 1. For more information on all of Miami University's Corporate and Community Institute programs or to register, call the Corporate and Community Institute at (513) 895-8877. The Voice of America Learning Center is located at 7847 VOA Park Drive in West Chester.

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(04/16/09)

Presser String Quartet to Perform Downtown on April 22

Miami Middletown Downtown's music hour series continues at 7 p.m. on Wednesday, April 22 with a 90-minute performance by The Presser String Quartet.

The quartet is made up of four of Miami University's most accomplished music students. Daniel Comiskey, Mike Frazier, Kori Hill and Ricardo Palmezano will perform an evening of classical compositions by Bach, Handel, Mozart and others.

Daniel Comiskey has performed across the United States and Europe as principal cellist of the Blue Lake International Symphony Orchestra. He has also served as principal cellist for the Oxford Chamber Orchestra and Western Michigan University Symphony Orchestra, as assistant principal cellist for the Miami University Symphony Orchestra and as section cellist in the Middletown Symphony Orchestra, Battle Creek Symphony Orchestra and Detroit Symphony Civic Orchestra.

Mike Frazier has been playing viola for nearly eleven years, with memberships in numerous orchestras, including the Dayton Philharmonic Youth Orchestra, and serving as principal violist in the nationally recognized Centerville Symphonic Orchestra. Frazier has also participated in the Prelude Strings music festival in Kettering for several years.

Kori Hill is in her ninth year of violin studies, having played with various ensembles in the Cincinnati area. She was a member of Cincinnati Junior Strings, the Cincinnati Symphony Youth Orchestra, the youth and chamber orchestras of The Center of the Arts in Wyoming and the violist for the CSO Nouveau Chamber Players. Hill has also assisted the music director of the new Vision for the Arts Academy, LLC.

Ricardo Palmezano started playing the violin at age of seven. He studied at the Taubate School of Music in São Paulo, Brazil and has performed with the Fukuda Chamber Orchestra, Santo Andre Symphony Orchestra, Orchestra Experimental of Repertoire, University of São Paulo Symphony Orchestra, São Paulo Jazz Symphony, Hamilton-Fairfield Symphony Orchestra, Middleton Symphony Orchestra and Lebanon Symphony Orchestra.

This event is free and open to the public. Refreshments will be served. For more information, contact Michelle Lawrence at michellellawrence@gmail.com. Miami Middletown Downtown is located at 4 North Main Street, with parking available behind the building.

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(04/16/09)

Miami University Focus of May 3 Symphonic Band Concert

The Southwestern Ohio Symphonic Band directed by Chris Brandenburg will honor retiring Miami University Marching Band Director David Shaffer at a concert at 2:30 p.m. on Sunday, May 3 at Miami Middletown's Dave Finkelman Auditorium. Miami University President David Hodge will also take the stage as a special guest narrator.

Shaffer will conduct the premier of his composition "Costa Del Sol." Schaffer is a celebrated composer with over 250 original compositions and arrangements to his credit. In addition to Shaffer's newest composition, the Southwestern Ohio Symphonic Band will be performing, "Purple Heart, Faces of Bravery," written by Shaffer following the death of 14 Marines linked to the Ohio-based 3rd Battalion 25th Division on August 3, 2005 in Iraq. Lance Crpl. Michael Cifuentes, a Miami Marching Band alumnus, was among those killed. Following Cifuentes' funeral, Shaffer composed "Purple Heart" with Cifuentes as his inspiration.

David Shaffer began his affiliation with Miami University as a Graduate Director of the Miami Marching Band from 1978-1980. He subsequently became the Assistant Director of the marching band from 1980-1997 and the Director of the band for the past 11 years. His compositions have been used at clinics and music festivals around the world and have been placed on contest required-performance lists in the United States, Canada, Europe, Australia and Asia. Shaffer has been the recipient of the ASCAP Standard Award in Music Composition for 18 years. Prior to beginning his teaching career at Miami University Shaffer taught in the Hamilton City School District in Hamilton, Northridge Local Schools in Johnstown and Wyoming City Schools in Cincinnati.

The band will also be performing "Cornets Galore" by Edward F. Howard featuring Jack Shoemaker, Matthew Buhl, Dr. Tim Nogle and J. Earl Jones. Other selections include "The Moldau," a cycle of symphonic poems by Bedrich Smetana scored by John Cacavas and revised and completed by R. Mark Rogers; the 3rd and 4th movements of "Pineapple Poll," based on the music of Sir Arthur Sullivan and arranged by Charles Mackerras; "Blue Tango" by Leroy Anderson; and "Manhattan Beach" by John Philip Sousa.

The concert will close with "Casey at the Bat," a rendition of an American narrative tale with text by Ernest Lawrence Thyer and original music composed and arranged by Cincinnati-native Steven Reineke. Miami University President David C. Hodge will join the band as a special guest, providing the narration for this piece.

A reception will follow the concert. This event is free and open to the public.

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(04/15/09)

Cincinnati Zoo's Cat Ambassadors Return to Middletown on May 2

The Cincinnati Zoo's Cat Ambassador Program will make a free, one-time return performance at 2 p.m. on Saturday, May 2 at Miami University Middletown's Bennett Recreation Center.

"The Cat Ambassadors attracted so many people to a performance at Miami Middletown Downtown earlier this month that many were turned away," said Miami Middletown Dean Kelly Cowan.

"Bennett Recreation Center has ample bleacher seating that will allow even the youngest cat enthusiast to have a good view. It is our hope that everyone who was turned away will be able to come to campus and enjoy the show.'

This program is recommended for grades K-12 and adults. Participants will see a showcase of three live exotic cat species during a 45-minute discussion of their adaptations and environment. Through interaction with a Cincinnati Zoo naturalist, participants will learn about these endangered predators and what is being done to meet the challenges to their survival. This event is free and open to the public.

The Artist and Lecture Series is generously supported by the Bever Family.

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(04/08/09)

Free Dedication Weekend Events at Miami's Voice of America Learning Center

A summit on the role of education in economic development, a sampler of mini-lectures from Miami humanities faculty and a concert of '60s folk music round out a series of public events surrounding the formal dedication of Miami University's Voice of America Learning Center (VOALC) April 17-19.

"Education: Fueling the Engine for Economic Development," an open conversation among stakeholders, begins the weekend on Friday, April 17, at 9 a.m. Keynote speaker for this morning discussion of the role of education in economic and community development is Dr. James M. Smith, Vice President for Economic Development and Regional Growth at Bowling Green State University. Smith will present the opening address and then join in two discussion groups focused on workforce and community development.

A Miami education alumnus and former teacher in the Fairfield Schools, Smith was the dean of the Bowling Green Firelands regional campus in Huron, Ohio, before becoming vice president. He was recently named President of Northern State University in South Dakota.

Joining in the morning conversations, which are open to the public, are leaders from the economic development offices of Butler and Warren County, as well as Liberty and West Chester Townships. West Chester Chamber Alliance and Northeast Cincinnati Chamber of Commerce representatives are also participating, together with representatives from Butler Tech, Warren County Career Center, Cincinnati State, Sinclair, Miami and the Ohio Board of Regents.

"A Miami Sampler" on Saturday morning, April 18, beginning at 9 a.m., is a series of 30-minute lectures by Miami humanities faculty, many from the new Humanities Center recently established in Oxford. Topics include Franklin Delano Roosevelt and his public service while living with polio, the Darwin bicentennial, the US Constitution after 9-11 and the immigration debate. Other presentations include the histories of the real women behind Rogers and Hammerstein's The King and I, answering life's questions through the humanities, and street life and stories from the African American community.

The Sampler ends with a special multi-media Miami Bicentennial presentation on the development of Miami's Oxford campus from 1809 to the present by Bob Keller, Miami's Interim Assistant Vice President for Facilities, who served as the university's architect and campus planner for many years prior. Drawing on Miami's archival resources, Keller's presentation traces 200 years of the growth of Miami from the original Old Main of the 1800s to the campus of today.

Rounding out the weekend's public activities is a free concert of 1960s folk music. Performed by Miami professors Allan Winkler, Dan Cobb, and Dennis Sullivan, "Turn, Turn, Turn" is a 90-minute musical trip back to the time and music of Woody Guthrie, Tom Paxton, Pete Seeger, Bob Dylan, the Beatles, and more. The concert will take place in the Learning Center's auditorium on Sunday, April 19 at 3 p.m.

The Voice of America Learning Center is located at 7847 VOA Park Drive, at the corner of Cox Road and VOA Park Drive in West Chester. For more information visit www.muohio.edu/voalc , e-mail the Center at voalc@muohio.edu or call 895-8862 (217-8862 from the Middletown area).

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(04/08/09)

Conover Named MUM Student of the Month

Suzy Conover has been named Miami University Middletown's Student of the Month for February. The junior from Middletown is a pre-nursing major. In 2002, Conover received an Associate Degree in Business Administration. She is the daughter of Wanda Korzeniowski of Middletown.

Conover was nominated for her commitment to helping her classmates understand the general concepts taught in the classroom and her active involvement in the community. She has been involved with the campus' Soul Food Luncheon, volunteered at the Krohn Conservatory's Annual Butterfly Show and spent a month volunteering at a historical mining camp in the Coronado National Forest of Arizona.

"Suzy Conover is an outstanding example of the quality and dedication that so many Miami Middletown students display," says nominator Dr. Danielson Kisanga.

The Student of the Month award is given in recognition of students who make a significant contribution to the campus either in or out of the classroom.

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(04/07/09)

Awards Program Will Honor Miami Middletown Students

The annual student awards program at Miami University Middletown will be held at 6 p.m. on Thursday, April 23 in the Campus and Community Center.

Miami University Middletown and Bachelor of Integrative Studies graduates will be honored. The Lynn Darbyshire Outstanding Student Award, Phi Theta Kappa inductees, Leadership-Service, Scholastic Honors, and Departmental Awards will be presented.

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(04/01/09)

"Green Entrepreneur" Hirshberg to Present Casper Lecture at Miami Middletown

Gary Hirshberg, President and "CE-Yo" of Stonyfield Farm, will present the annual Alex and Lena Casper Memorial Lecture at 7:00 p.m. on Wednesday, April 29, at Miami University Middletown. The lecture is free and open to the public.

Hirshberg has been working at the forefront of movements for environmental and social transformation for 30 years. From his early days as an educator and activist to his current position, Hirshberg's positive outlook has inspired thousands of people to recognize their ability to make the world a better place.

He has overseen the growth of Stonyfield Farm from its infancy as a seven-cow organic farming school in 1983 to the world's largest organic yogurt company with $300 million in annual sales. This growth has been built with innovative marketing techniques that often combine the social, environmental and financial missions of the company.

Recipient of the 1999 Global Green USA's Green Cross Millennium Award for Corporate Environmental Leadership, he serves on several corporate and non-profit boards, including Honest Tea and Peak Organic Brewing. He is also Chair of Climate Counts, a collaborative effort to bring consumers and companies together in the fight against global climate change.

In "Stirring It Up: How to Make Money and Save the World" (January 2008), Hirshberg demonstrates how companies can work to save the planet, while achieving greater profits and satisfaction, and how we can all use the power of conscious consumption to encourage green corporate behavior. Included are case studies of other businesses — companies such as Timberland, Patagonia, Interface and Walmart — that have increased profits by reducing their environmental footprints.

The Casper Lectures were endowed by the late Isidor A. Casper, a Miami alumnus and prominent Middletown attorney, to honor the memory of his parents. Past Casper Lecturers have included Nobel laureates Linus Pauling and Oscar Arias, journalists Daniel Schorr and Robert Novak and Ambassadors Elliott Richardson and Edmund Muskie.

A reception will follow the lecture.

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