Young Alum becomes rare Rhodes, Marshall finalist

Paul Kruchoski (A&S 2010) recently became the first Rhodes and Marshall Scholarship finalist in UC history. Kruchoski began at CCM but reconfigured his degree program to focus on public policy and human rights advocacy. Through U.S. State Department internships, he helped coordinate responses to the devastating Haiti earthquake and helped create educational opportunities for girls and women through UNESCO. He accepted the State Department's invitation for full-time work after graduation.

"UC's desire to integrate real-world experience with theoretical knowledge is something you can't get somewhere else," Kruchoski said. "This aspect of a UC education is a huge differentiator."

Read more about Kruchoski's experiences at UC and the State Department, and UC's new Office of Nationally Competitive Awards.

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UC a Top Producer of Fulbright Scholars

UC is one of the country's leading research institutions for the number of U.S. Fulbright Scholars, ranking ahead of such universities as Harvard, Columbia and Ohio State, according to the Chronicle of Higher Education. The Fulbright awards enable faculty to teach and research internationally. During the current academic year, UC's seven Fulbright Scholars are working in countries around the world including China, Denmark, Israel and South Africa in such fields as history, philosophy, sociology and planning.

Crawley Gift a Small-world Example, Tribute to Great Vision

We often hear about people with vision. We hear occasional small-world stories. The two come together in Edith Crawley, namesake of the Academic Health Center's CARE/Crawley Building and the Edith J. Crawley Vision Science Research Laboratory. Her gift to UC was a big one--$12 million, largely in gratitude for medical care she received for severe vision problems. No one imagined she had accumulated such wealth as a widow who spent her life in public education. It also turns out that, four decades earlier, she'd been an advisor to a student at Muncie Central (Ind.) High School named Gregory H. Williams, today's UC president.

"I was delighted to learn that my high school guidance counselor had made a major donation to the University of Cincinnati, and that the CARE/Crawley Building was named after her," Williams says. "I remember her from my high school days. I imagine her love of learning and welfare for students must have emerged from her great academic training at UC."

Read more about how Mrs. Crawley came to make such a transformational gift and her connection with Pres. Williams.

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Four programs rank in Design's top tier nationally

DesignIntelligence's national survey of employers hiring graduates in design disciplines has ranked UC's College of Design, Architecture, Art, and Planning among the very best for the 13th consecutive year. The rankings reflect the surveyed firms' opinions about which schools best prepare their graduates to succeed in the design professions.

In industrial design, UC's undergraduate program ranked 1st and the graduate program 2nd. The undergraduate interior design program ranked 3rd, and the graduate architecture program placed 10th. DesignIntelligence included DAAP professor and associate dean Craig Vogel among its 25 most-admired educators nationally.

UC, affiliates top $418 million in research funding

Partnerships with industry, nonprofit and national sectors contributed to $418 million in UC research funding in the 2011 fiscal year. The total preserves UC's designation as a "very high research activity" university by the Carnegie Commission and top-25 status among public institutions for federal research expenditures according to the National Science Foundation.

The $418 million for UC and its affiliates--Cincinnati Children's Hospital Medical Center, Cincinnati's Veterans Affairs Medical Center, Cincinnati's Shriners Hospitals for Children, and UC Physicians' clinical trials--represents a slight decline from fiscal 2010 owing to the loss of one-time funding opportunities from the American Reinvestment and Recovery Act (commonly known as the federal stimulus initiative). UC alone garnered $251 million in research funding.

Clermont College honored as Pacesetter

The Clermont County Chamber of Commerce presented its 2011 Corporate Pacesetter Award to UC Clermont College. The annual award recognizes an outstanding company or organization for contributions to the county, its leadership and citizenship, and the difference it makes in the lives of those who live and work in the community. "We are so grateful for the opportunity to be the region's higher education provider," said Dean Greg Sojka. "We appreciate that we have been able to continue to expand the vision of those who came before us."

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UCAA Scholarships help future alumni attend UC

Through the UC Alumni Association's (UCAA) scholarship program, alumni makes gifts to help "future alumni" receive a UC education, including giving many students a chance to "keep UC in the family." Eligible incoming freshmen can apply for the Demakes Legacy Scholarship as well as Regional Alumni Scholarships supported by alumni networks across the country. Upperclassmen are eligible annually for the UCAA Undergraduate Legacy Scholarship and the Kacher-Bloom Scholarship. Collectively, about $100,000 is awarded each year thanks to generous alumni support.

Get details and watch a video with current students talking about the importance of their UCAA scholarships.