Bold

UC dominates International Retail Design contest

University of Cincinnati interior design students brought home more awards and prize money than any other school in a recent international retail design competition sponsored by The Planning and Visual Education Partnership. In a contest that drew almost 500 entries from across the U.S., UC students claimed four of six prizes and six honorable mentions.

Fourth-year student Liz Baverman, whose work won first prize in the Store Design Category, called the New York City gala that culminated the competition an incredible experience that shed light on the depth of opportunity provided by her UC education. "We were able to see that professionals in the field appreciated our work, valued our ideas and, overall, validated our potential."

Read more about the competition and UC's outstanding performance.

Bearcats keep their eyes on the ball

The UC baseball team's increased hitting prowess last season followed the implementation of an enhanced vision training program, according to research recently published in PloS One, an online journal that covers original research in science and medicine. Five authors collaborated on the study, including baseball Hall of Famer and Cincinnati Reds great Johnny Bench and four members of UC's faculty and staff. The program's sophisticated methods of measuring and training the players' vision appear to be a causal effect behind the Bearcats' substantially improved hitting at a time when hitting throughout the BIG EAST Conference dropped significantly. Training has resumed in preparation for the 2012 season beginning this month.

Read more about the goals of this enhanced vision training program.

  Strong

UC and the football world reflect on the passing of Greg Cook

Sports fans paused in late January to remember former Bearcat Greg Cook, who might have become pro football's greatest quarterback if not for an injury to his throwing shoulder during his rookie year with the Cincinnati Bengals. Cook came to UC from Chillicothe, Ohio, set an array of passing records, and became the Bengals' top choice in the 1969 draft. He burst onto the pro football landscape with a series of amazing offensive performances, then receded just as quickly in a classic "what might have been" story.

Read more about Cook's life and career, including a reminiscence in the New York Times.

UC makes the Top 40 for online degrees

UC has made the Top 40 in several rankings of online degree programs according to U.S. News & World Report. Online bachelor's degrees ranked 23rd for student engagement and assessment, and 30th in student service and technology. Online graduate programs in Education ranked 5th for admissions selectivity and 36th for faculty credentials. U.S. News ranked 196 bachelor's and 523 master's online degree programs. At least 80% of course content must be available online to be considered. Three of the six programs contributing to UC's high ranking are offered through the College of Education, Criminal Justice, and Human Services (CECH).

Read more about the rankings and UC's performance.

  Ambitious

UC helps Saudi medical college establish itself

The University of Cincinnati is providing assistance to one-year-old Inaya Medical College in Saudi Arabia. Representatives from UC's Academic Health Center visited Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, last fall to meet with Inaya officials and finalize the agreement under which UC colleges provide consultation on curriculum development, faculty and staff development, methods for clinical placement of students, and overall quality assurance at Inaya. In return, UC will find new opportunities for global exposure, faculty/student experience, and program quality assessment.

Study-Abroad takes UC student to Dubai

The homestretch of Omolara McCloud's UC career was spent on the other side of the world, thanks to the Clinton Scholars Program that made it possible for her to spend the fall of 2011 in Dubai. The program selects about 150 scholars from top U.S. universities for a term of fully supported study at the American University in Dubai, during which they become immersed in the Middle East and its global issues. "I experienced not only the Arab and Middle Eastern culture, but other cultures such as Italian, Swiss, British and Nigerian," says McCloud, who earned her UC degree from the Lindner College of Business in December. "I learned a lot about myself and the perspective of others about my home country. This trip has transformed me."

Read more about her experience.

Students travel to help others during holiday break

Nearly 70 UC students devoted part of their recent quarter-break to others in need, with groups traveling to Guatemala, Haiti, Nicaragua and El Salvador, as well as parts of Georgia and Louisiana. Their efforts came on behalf of Serve Beyond Cincinnati, a student organization founded 5 years ago to help build greater civic-mindedness through national and international service experiences. "Giving up one week out of a three-week break to help others is such a wonderful opportunity for me because I have been so blessed in my life up to this point," says 20-year-old Phil Riazzi, an architecture major from Kettering, Ohio.

Read more and watch a video about Serve Beyond Cincinnati and students' recent work.