
Student Success Celebrated at University Pavilion Dedication
A celebration of spring, a celebration of service, a celebration of the transformation of campus -- the rain threatened, but did not dampen the spirit of the May 9 dedication of University Pavilion.
Under the shelter of a tent on University Plaza, University of Cincinnati President Joseph A. Steger joined Mitchel D. Livingston, Vice President for Student Affairs and Services, and Stanley E. Henderson, Associate Vice President for Enrollment Management in leading the dedication that ended with the activation of the new 100-foot granite fountain.
What better time to celebrate than in the spring when we have this opportunity for renewal, said Livingston. We also have the opportunity to celebrate the construction that is literally transforming the campus before our very eyes.
Livingston praised President Steger for the vision that launched the transformation of campus through the Master Plan and the MainStreet project, the largest capital project ever to be approved by the UC Board of Trustees. University Pavilion is the gateway to MainStreet, a corridor that literally cuts through the heart of our campus and that will be alive with activity 24 hours a day, seven days a weektransforming our campus from a commuter-oriented university into one that is more residential.
Livingston added that on the far west end of MainStreet the Jefferson Residence Hall Complex, which opened to students last fall, was filled to capacity this year and is also filled for the next academic year.
President Steger called the universitys buildings enablers. They enable our faculty to be the best in the world. The students have the best facilities with the new dining halls and residences that are changing the nature of the institution. We want to be more inclusive. This is another piece in the puzzle.
The national rankings -- in terms of programs and in terms of research -- show us rapidly moving up the line. There has been dramatic change, and thats because we now have the capability of attracting people from anywhere in the world to come here.
President Steger and Vice President Livingston hold up the new flag
Livingston and Steger then unfolded a new UC flag that would fly at University Pavilion.
The dedication, Celebrating Pathways to Student Success, recognized the past, present and future of student service at UC. Henderson explained that the mission statement for University Pavilion called for a building for and about students.
All of the people who are arranged about this tent and under this tent who had a role in describing what this building would be like, their first commitment was to the students of the University of Cincinnati.
Henderson praised representatives of Leers Weinzapfel Associates and GBBN Architects for putting our dreams into the mortar and stone and furnishings and layouts and making it work.
The dedication also recognized those who contributed to the legacy of student service. Just as the letter of commitment to quality service is captured by the University Pavilion, the spirit of this commitment is best exemplified by the lives of two of our beloved Student Affairs colleagues, now deceased, Lou Osinske and Edward Keiser, said Livingston. Combined, they gave over 77 years of outstanding service to studentsservice that literally set the stage for what we celebrate here this afternoon.
Obviously after 38 years of service to the University of Cincinnati, this has always been a crucial part of my aunts life, said Osinskes nephew, Jeff Barnard. Im glad she can be a part of this dedication now and be a part of the community that she was so involved in. Osinskes niece, Lori Bortoli, was also in attendance with her husband, Bruce, along with family members Marla and John Daly.
Family members of Lou Osinske and Edward C. Keiser received a plaque to honor each administrators dedication to students. Representatives of the Keiser family included his wife, Ginny, sons Joe and David (with his daughter Katelyn), daughter Mary Kay Crone, her husband Steve and their young children, Megan and Nicole.
I watched Ed do a wonderful job of serving students, which was his first commitment to the university, working with students -- from a wooden shack called Old Commons, to Beecher which was in very bad shape and Tangeman University Center, said Ginny Keiser. I think youve done one heck of a job with your new facility. Ed was extremely proud of his students -- he was so concerned about them. His proudest moments were when they achieved their goals. So you can imagine when his own three children walked across the stage, Joe Keiser, David Keiser and Mary Kay Keiser Crone, all graduated from the University of Cincinnati.
For many people, their work is a job. But for us, the university was our life, said daughter Mary Kay Keiser Crone. It was a place where our dad worked, but it was also a place where we socialized at the Bearcat games and where we celebrated all of our big occasions, from rehearsal dinners to birthdays at the Faculty Club. This is our place, and this dedication is a very special way to remember Dad.
Lynn Barber, who retired from the position of University Registrar last January after serving UC students 38 years, including 27 years as University Registrar, was also in attendance and praised as a leader in student service. Because of his innovation and leadership, the fifth floor conference room in University Pavilion will now be named the Lynn M. Barber Conference Room.
We were trying to make student service invisible over the years with the touch tone registration and the Web registration, but there are still occasions where students need to talk with people, said Barber, who added that University Pavilion, the building that combines all student service offices under one roof, has the tools to serve students better than ever before.
Also at the ceremony, Livingston and Provost Anthony J. Perzigian dedicated the brass plaque outlining the principles of the UC Just Community initiative. The plaque now hangs in the lobby of University Pavilion and in the lobbies of UCs regional campuses.
Before the fountain is turned on, we should take special reflection on this fountain, said Livingston. It will have very special memories for us as it becomes one of our traditions in the spring. It reminds us of a kind of community that we wish to build here, and Im reminded of the words of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. when he reflected on a Just Community. He defined it as one where Justice rolls down like water and righteousness like a mighty stream. Each time I pass this fountain, I will forever remember those remarks.
The pool end of the fountain.
From a laptop computer, President Steger, joined by outgoing Student Body President Darren Tolliver and Student Body President-Elect Ron Ricks started the fountain, as the crowd moved around the 100-foot fountain for a better view. The ceremony was followed by tours of University Pavilion, and a ceremony in Dyer Quad, where there are now living symbols honoring the contributions of Lou Osinske and Edward Keiser.
Related Stories
What parvovirus is and why it's on the rise
July 10, 2025
An infectious virus common in children is on the rise in the Tristate. The Cincinnati Health Department is warning of a rise in parvovirus in Hamilton County. The illness can present itself as a rash on the cheeks and is often called “slapped cheek” disease but can present more serious concerns in pregnant women. Kara Markham, MD, professor of obstetrics and gynecology at the University of Cincinnati College of Medicine recently appeared on Cincinnati Edition on WVXU to discuss how parvovirus is transmitted, the risk of serious cases and how to prevent it.
While working 3 a.m. shifts, UC engineer wowed baseball's Big 12
July 10, 2025
UC College of Engineering and Applied Science graduate Kerrington Cross was named an All-American and Big 12 Player of the Year while co-oping in chemical engineering at L'oreal.
UC joins international Phase 1 trial testing CAR-T therapy for MS
July 10, 2025
The University of Cincinnati Gardner Neuroscience Institute is a trial site for a multicenter, international Phase 1 trial testing CAR-T cell therapy for patients with multiple sclerosis.