November 17, 2020
The University of Cincinnati Foundation Board of Trustees has appointed a new chair. Rae Mang, Pharm ’89, began her two-year term in October, succeeding Troy Neat, Bus ’91, who is now immediate past chair.
October 29, 2020
A $1.5 million gift from Jeff and Jennifer Davis has created two endowed funds supporting social justice at the University of Cincinnati.
October 15, 2020
Cameryn Blake remembers January 21, 2017 in vivid detail. On that day she was cheerleading at a high school basketball game. When halftime rolled around, she got some news that gave her another reason to cheer – she had been accepted to her dream school, the University of Cincinnati's College of Design, Architecture, Art, and Planning (DAAP). She nearly fell from the bleachers in excitement.
October 7, 2020
Monikia Murray’s pursuit of her bachelor’s degree has been a long journey. As a single mother working full-time, sometimes with a second job, her dream of earning a bachelor’s degree in Early Childhood Education hasn’t been easy. “It’s very challenging,” the UC Online student says. “Life does not stop. This is a milestone I really need to complete. I’m almost at the finish line.” Recently, the finish line began to fade because of a lack funds. Not only was she paying for her own classes, but her daughter had started college. Monikia was concerned she would have to defer her dream again but reached out to her academic advisor for help. This future teacher received support from the Frances A. Kemp Scholarship which was established in 1990 by the estate of Hazel N. Kemp to provide scholarships in the College of Education, Criminal Justice, and Human Services (CECH) for students studying early childhood education. She also received help from a CECH emergency fund.
October 7, 2020
A newspaper article inspired Elizabeth Burress to reach out to the University of Cincinnati’s College of Education, Criminal Justice and Human Services (CECH). After reading about students in CECH’s Transition and Access Program (TAP) in her local newspaper and its impact on students, Burress wanted to help. As part of Advancement & Transition Services in CECH, TAP is a four-year college program for adults with intellectual and developmental disabilities. TAP students live on campus, take classes, join student organizations and work on life skills. Reading about TAP’s impact on people’s lives made an impression on Burress because of her personal volunteer history. As a teenager, she volunteered at Camp Stepping Stones, a nonprofit providing pathways to independence for people with disabilities. As an adult, she has been an education aide in the Sycamore Community School District. This experience and a mutual love of UC sparked a conversation between Elizabeth and husband Brian, BS ‘91. “We know the expenses some of these students have—wheelchairs, medicines, speech boards, therapies—and a lot of families can’t afford to send them to school,” Elizabeth said. “We want these students to have access to college.” The kind and generous nature of Elizabeth and Brian caused them to set up a scholarship fund doing exactly this—supporting TAP students and providing life-changing opportunities. By creating the TAP Into The Future Scholarship Fund, the couple are helping students to experience the TAP mission to live, work, learn and lead.
September 23, 2020
Forty total medical students at the University of Cincinnati College of Medicine will be the beneficiaries of the Webster-Gustin Medical Scholarship Fund thanks to one of the largest donations in the college’s history.
September 21, 2020
A pledge of nearly $7 million to the University of Cincinnati College of Medicine is one of the largest donations supporting student scholarships in the college’s history.
September 15, 2020
Tom Blankemeyer lived his life following the five Fs: faith, family, friends, fitness and finance. His wife, Mary Jo, said he talked about adding in a sixth F for fun.
September 15, 2020
Kalyaani Patel enjoys being pushed out of her comfort zone. It’s something she’s sought out since an early age. At age 11, her parents allowed her to leave her Zambian home where they had relocated when she was young and attend boarding school in her native India. This did have its challenges for the young adventure-seeker. “It was a bit of a culture shock, going from Zambia to India,” she shares. “It took me at least a year to settle in.” After high school graduation, Kalyaani returned to Zambia. Instead of going straight to college, she took a “gap year” and volunteered in Zambia for Population Council, a New York-based organization researching AIDS and HIV. This experience sparked her interest in psychology and she decided she was ready for college. The University of Cincinnati appealed to her, in part, because she had two cousins enrolled here. This time the transition was easy. “I thought when I had come from Zambia to here, it would have another culture shock, Kalyaani says. “But I actually made friends quickly.”
September 4, 2020
Cincinnati Magazine’s annual Slice Night has previously been an evening of all-you-can-eat pizza at Yeatman's Cove but it is going virtual for 2020 due to the COVID-19 pandemic. It has also been extended to a weeklong celebration. The now virtual fundraising event has become Slice Week 2020, and is set for Sunday, September 20 through Thursday, September 24, 2020.