medicine and law will never be moved off of semesters

The move is in the other direction. The whole school is starting the process of going from quarters to semesters. Toledo did this in the mid-90s. I'm pretty sure OSU is planning a change in the next couple years as well.

Ohio DOES have too many damn law schools and other PHD programs. A lot of it has to do with the reactionary panic and spending by our government after the Soviet's launched Sputnik. We've been turning out PH.Ds like crazy and there's not nearly enough space for people that want to be tenture-track at a university.

 

Spot on!  In Ohio's case, it has a lot more to do with the populist, leveling policies of Jim Rhodes than it did with any reaction to Sputnik.  Until the mid-1950s, Ohio State was the only public university allowed by law (Eagleson Bill of 1906) to offer doctoral education or conduct basic research.  While population growth and the post-war boom in higher education certainly dictated that those restrictions be eased, what followed in the 1960s under Rhodes and the first higher education chancellor (Millett) was a completely unregulated system where every regional state college was allowed to indulge their institutional egos and chase the dream of becoming a "research university."  To name just one ridiculous example, Ohio's public universities offer 9 Ph.D programs in history.  Six are ranked in the bottom third nationally, and only Ohio State's is has a national ranking.

 

Not only is the system utterly redundant and ridiculous, siphoning off funds that could be better spent on the stronger programs but the mass of unnecessary doctoral programs draws money away from the undergraduate subsidy resulting in Ohio ranking 47th in the affordability of its public universities.

 

Undoing this mess of a system the was created under Rhodes is one of the primary goals of the higher education restructuring that Strickland is attempting.  The Plain Dealer put it best in their editorial on the subject when they stated,

 

These goals are attainable if institutions can put the state's broad interests ahead of their individual desires. Their leaders should know that we -- and the state officials who control their purse strings -- will be watching closely." :clap:

 

 

Keep in mind that UC offered doctoral programs and did research back in the fifties and before. UC wasn't a public University in Ohio at that time.  It was city university.  Because of its storng history as a research institution, it should retain its doctoral programs.

Its doctoral programs consisted of 2-3 people working on their phd in a given dept (at least that's what my economics professor says). Their history may extend very far back but the programs weren't big at all.

>Grad programs in the humanities actually end up allowing departments to offer more courses for less money, the wonders of having T.A.s around. I actually think regional PhD programs would be ideal. Ra

 

 

Graduate programs in a lot of fields are funded simply to provide cheap labor for undergrad survey classes.  A lot of times you end up having 23 or 24 year-olds teaching rooms full of 18 year-olds with a few 25 or 25 year-olds thrown in there.  And what stinks is I think teaching intro classes is a lot tougher because you have a lot of people that don't want to be there and it's tough to remember what it's like not knowing anything so it's way too tempting to jump ahead. 

 

I still have $82 in my OPERS account leftover from when I forgot to turn in the exemption card for my grad TA'ing, you have to get a damn notary stamp to get that out.  That's government for you. 

 

 

 

I didn't say it was an unmitigated success. We were actually just paper graders (and obviously paid better since OPERS has a lot more than $82 of my dollars). The answer is to hire more full-time permanent faculty. I have absolutely no faith that will happen on a consistent basis any time this millenium.

Hmm. I don't know. If you think about it, many of the tenure professors have spent so many years doing nothing but researching and teaching. I wonder if adjunct professors are better at relating the material to what students need to know once they enter the workforce in such a dynamic economy. I guess that's ONE benefit but we do need more full time professors!

High endowment growth silver lining for UC finances

BY CLIFF PEALE | October 15, 2007

 

The University of Cincinnati's endowment returned 15.9 percent last year on the largest pool of its $1.1 billion endowment.  The return on the $870 million "A pool" would have been nearly 3 percentage points higher, but UC established a reserve of nearly $25 million to account for potential losses from its investments in neighborhood development projects. The remainder of the endowment is in other specialized accounts.

 

The return is higher than UC's goal of returning 9.3 percent a year, and the endowment has beaten its goals for the last several years, chief investment officer Tom Croft said.  During the last five years, the $1.1 billion endowment has averaged a return of 11.9 percent a year.

 

Read full article here:

http://news.enquirer.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20071015/NEWS01/710150337/1056/COL02

Who's giving $100M+ to UC?

University today will unveil its largest private gift

BY CLIFF PEALE | October 18, 2007

 

The University of Cincinnati will announce today at 10 a.m. that it has received a private donation of more than $100 million, its biggest ever, and will use the windfall to start a program involving the College of Engineering and the College of Design, Architecture, Art and Planning.

 

UC officials Wednesday would not identify the donor, which could be a company or individuals. They said the gift will not pay for a new campus building and is not targeted to sports or the UC Academic Health Center.  "We're very excited about it," said UC trustee Buck Niehoff, co-chairman of a capital campaign that UC soon will unveil. "It's going to move us to a whole new level by creating a program with a national reputation."

 

Read full article here:

http://news.enquirer.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20071018/NEWS0102/710180378

Any chances it is that guy that just died who invented Benedryl or something of that nature?

Doubtful...I would imagine that he would give to his college not Engineering/DAAP.  A new inter-disciplinary program between these two colleges should be very interesting.

He was from UC though, right?             I don't know!.

 

The University says it will NOT go towards any new buildings or athletic dept.

Here is a update hot off the presses:

 

UC gets $421M donation

BY CLIFF PEALE | October 18, 2007

 

University of Cincinnatii officials announced today that the university has received a donation of computer hardware and software worth $421 million from a consortium of technology and manufacturing companies.  The gift comes from PACE, which stands for the Partnership for the Advancement of Collaborative Engineering Education. Companies in the group include General Motors, Sun Microsystems, EDS and Hewlett-Packard.

 

"Our growth and greatness as a university, as a state and as a nation hinges on his very important ability to continually create, improvise and discover,'' said UC President Nancy Zimpher in announcing the donation.  [glow=yellow,2,300]The donation is the largest ever to UC. UC is the first university in the state to get a PACE donation and only one of 21 schools in the U.S. in the past eight years.[/glow]

 

Read full article here:

http://news.enquirer.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20071018/NEWS0102/710180378

craazy.  so what exactly are they going to do with all this money.  i mean, lets convert this to hard dollars and pay off some debt.

Unfortunately, it isn't actually money. It sounds like some sweet software and hardware, but it won't pay for anyones health insurance or tuition.

Yeah, by the time I can afford to pay my health insurance (ie my tuition, because it's the same money) the quarter is almost ended and I can't use it at all anyway, even though I pay for it. It's total bullshit. I guess if they planned on buying computer hardware sometime soon, money wouldn't need to be allocated to that and could save us money elsewhere. In any case, with the ridiculous cost of tuition, talented students are more tempted to go out of state, or go to a community college with less qualified professors and less demanding coursework. I don't blame people for not wanting to get an education in Ohio.

Here is an updated story with some new information...

 

$421M gift boosts UC

Corporations donate computer hardware, software

BY CLIFF PEALE | October 19, 2007

 

For Elizabeth Kern, a University of Cincinnati junior from Wyoming, a gift of nearly $421 million in computer hardware and software means more interactive devices to use in modeling and design.  For Jeremy Briggs, a senior from Akron and mechanical engineering major, the gift to UC allows new work on a system that improves the gas mileage of a car as it stops and starts.

 

"It will best prepare us for a more competitive future and a technologically advanced future," Kern said.  Those were only two of dozens of applications highlighted by UC officials Thursday as they accepted the biggest private gift in UC's history, from a group of international technology and design companies.  The group was founded by General Motors Corp. in 1999 and is called Partners for the Advancement of Collaborative Engineering Education, or PACE.

 

Read full article here:

http://news.enquirer.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20071019/NEWS0102/710190407/1077/COL02

"The talent and skills needed here are just not readily available," said Dave Wharry, vice president of global accounts at Autodesk, another PACE contributor. "What you find is a dramatic shortage of talent in the automotive design industries."

 

 

Just look at the current cars on the market!

> just paper graders (and obviously paid better since OPERS has a lot more than $82 of my dollars). The answer is to hire more full-time permanent faculty. I have absolutely no faith that will happen on a consistent basis any time this millenium.

 

Occasionally you hear about efforts to create a national labor union for adjunct faculty.  As-is it's extremely common for university janitors to be making more hourly than adjunct faculty and have full benefits.  The reason the union never forms is because most people in academia are from middle class or rich families that "help out" their kids.  Apartment?  Paid.  Car?  No problem.   

 

 

>Hmm. I don't know. If you think about it, many of the tenure professors have spent so many years doing nothing but researching and teaching. I wonder if adjunct professors are better at relating the material to what students need to know once they enter the workforce in such a dynamic economy. I guess that's ONE benefit but we do need more full time professors!

 

What's ridiculous is that on one hand so many grad students get teaching experience teaching at the college level but in order to get an adjunct gig at that very same university where they taught as a grad student they need "teaching experience beyond grad school".  It becomes a chicken or the egg situation.  What's more, they have health insurance as a grad student but not as an adjunct!

 

Community colleges are one way into a university teaching gig, but ironically community colleges sometimes do more thorough background checks of their faculty than do large universities.  DUI?  Marijuana possession?  Disorderly?  You're cool at a university but not at a community college!     

 

Just how much money do some adjunct faculty make?  Many make under $20/hr.  I know one girl I went to school with making under $20/hr teaching at a major university (for two years now) who waits tables at Bob Evans as her primary source of income.  If you're only teaching one or two classes, you can easily be making less than $200/wk teaching college students.            Of course that doesn't really matter if your parents pay for everything, which as I mentioned before, is often the case. 

 

Those adjuncts have other jobs that pay well. People wouldn't take on the job if it wasn't worth it.

>Those adjuncts have other jobs that pay well.

 

Some do, some don't.  I've got some names and numbers on my cell phone of some of these people if you don't believe they exist.  But meanwhile some people just luck out and get a great full-time gig straight out of grad school.  It has nothing to do with how talented you are either, it's primarily luck in how you specifically fit with a department with a specific opening.     

 

 

>People wouldn't take on the job if it wasn't worth it.

 

People take a low-paying part-time job because they're paying their dues.  But what if you're 32 years old making $150-250/wk teaching college classes and you have a $600/mo student loan, $500/mo apartment, and $300/mo car & insurance payment?  These high-paying part-time jobs that work perfectly with the part-time teaching gig just magically appear? 

 

 

I'm just saying there are other options. All the adjunct professors I've had were pretty old. They weren't trying to pay their dues. Sometimes you have to take a job that keeps you off the street, instead of doing what you really want to do (at least for now). There's too many people that want to teach.

>Those adjuncts have other jobs that pay well.

 

Some do, some don't.  I've got some names and numbers on my cell phone of some of these people if you don't believe they exist.  But meanwhile some people just luck out and get a great full-time gig straight out of grad school.  It has nothing to do with how talented you are either, it's primarily luck in how you specifically fit with a department with a specific opening.     

 

 

>People wouldn't take on the job if it wasn't worth it.

 

People take a low-paying part-time job because they're paying their dues.  But what if you're 32 years old making $150-250/wk teaching college classes and you have a $600/mo student loan, $500/mo apartment, and $300/mo car & insurance payment?  These high-paying part-time jobs that work perfectly with the part-time teaching gig just magically appear? 

 

 

 

 

uc's law school pays its adjuncts the lowest salary in the country $0.

Why do people become adjuncts then? There must be some incentive for them.

Oh David. . . I think you have had an extraordinarily skewed view of the adjunct world (I presume you are a DAAPer). A better place to get a sense of the adjunct world is to head over to NKU. NKU pays little more than 1500 per semester for adjuncts. Here is Virginia in history I've seen $1950 for a three credit course. UC as an R1 actually pays pretty well.

 

Why do we adjuncts do it? Mostly because getting a full-time job is extremely hard and impossible until you have the doctorate. But to play in academia you need to stay around colleges for things like library privileges and so on.

 

There is the other sort of adjuncts who show in places like DAAP, Engineering, and Business - they are often retirees or folks sharing their 'real world knowledge' but most adjuncts are in the colleges of arts and sciences and they make crap.

 

JMeck, I'm not sure a true labor union would make sense for adjuncts. I actually think a true guild system would make more sense, where universities basically contract with a local labor pool to provide their adjuncts and the guild provides some of the basic necessities of life, like health insurance and retirement. Lots of adjuncts do like the freedom to leave and enter the market at will, but it is a miserable life.

Yeah I think the larger portion of our adjuncts are PHDs who are retired. I can understand if your academic background is in something that there is not much of a market for, like history, art, etc of course you would want to take the academic/research route but I certainly don't understand why someone would be an adjunct law professor making $0 when they could be practicing law and making a heck of a lot more practicing law  :? They have to be doing loan forgiveness or some other incentives.

It probably looks good on a resume as well.  They also might just enjoy teaching.

Law is another odd bird. You have to adjunct for a few years before you can start applying for full-time jobs. The JD is the terminal degree so to teach in law school, the system is set up to extract labor at lowest cost from those least able to say no. The problem with low pay for law school adjuncts is the way salary can select for types of people.

The money just keeps flowing in...

 

UC wins $20M gift for space research

October 26, 2007 | CINCINNATI BUSINESS COURIER

 

An anonymous donor has given the University of Cincinnati its largest individual bequest ever.  The donor contributed $20 million to establish two endowed chairs in space exploration named after former president Thomas Jefferson and Alan Shepard, the first U.S. astronaut to travel into space.

 

It will also create the Space Exploration Research Fund, a program that will encourage collaboration among various disciplines, along with educational programs and student fellowships, to build excellence in specialties related to space exploration.

 

Read full article here:

http://cincinnati.bizjournals.com/cincinnati/stories/2007/10/22/daily57.html

>JMeck, I'm not sure a true labor union would make sense for adjuncts. I actually think a true guild system would make more sense, where universities basically contract with a local labor pool to provide their adjuncts and the guild provides some of the basic necessities of life, like health insurance and retirement. Lots of adjuncts do like the freedom to leave and enter the market at will, but it is a miserable life.

 

 

I forgot to mention that there *are* some schools that pay big money to adjuncts or for visiting professor gigs (usually when someone's on sabbatical).  I've heard of small private colleges paying truly ridiculous money, like $25,000 and even $40,000, just to teach for one semester.  That said, someone taking a one semester job is probably having to pay for two apartments and has some high costs since they have to move twice in a short amount of time.  And if they're married they'll probably go home at least five times in that semester. 

 

The other big thing about academic jobs is it can easily take years for people to even get these low-paying adjunct jobs.  Some people luck the heck out at age 27 and get in there but other people just have bad luck and struggle.  I went to a number of faculty hiring talks when I was in grad school and I remember this one guy in particular who was about 33 and I'd bet was still living with his parents when finally one day the phone rang and he got an interview.  No, he didn't get the job and he didn't deserve it either. 

 

UC wins $1.6M in environmental health research grants

October 29, 2007 | CINCINNATI BUSINESS COURIER

 

Several environmental health studies planned at the University of Cincinnati will benefit from $1.6 million in grants from the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development.  Tiina Reponen, a professor of environmental health, received more than $785,000 to analyze the health effects of mold exposure in children under age 6. Her goal is to find a solution to maladies cause by mold, including asthma and allergic rhinitis.

 

Read full article here:

http://cincinnati.bizjournals.com/cincinnati/stories/2007/10/29/daily7.html

Law is another odd bird. You have to adjunct for a few years before you can start applying for full-time jobs. The JD is the terminal degree so to teach in law school, the system is set up to extract labor at lowest cost from those least able to say no. The problem with low pay for law school adjuncts is the way salary can select for types of people.

 

not entirely true, there is an LLM

I'd rather practice law. There's a lot of money to be made and you can make a big difference. I guess you have a big impact teaching students but bah.

UC is on quite a roll lately....

From talking to people tuned in to the goings on beyond the newspaper level, there is a sense that the corner is being turned. That the future will be brighter than the past few years. I was glad to hear this.

There is a high likelihood that UC will also host one of the Presidential Debates for the upcoming election. I know there was a thread about that, but I couldn't find it. I will be one of the first to find out... before even the media... so I'll keep everyone informed.

all this money rolling in is great.  Heres just a simple observation after being here for almost 2 months: there needs to be more students on campus!  To me, this is one of the biggest obstacles UC has to deal with.  Walking on campus in the middle of the day often times feels like a no mans land.  I suppose I am used to OSU's campus life, but UC should try to emulate them.  This is echoed in the surrounding neighborhood.  I see so many people get out of their car, go to class, and then drive back home.  If you live there, youre more likely to get involved and care about the community.  duh, right!  I think UC has made strides to ensure more people ar eliving around campus but it seems apparent to me there is still a lot of work to be done!

where are you walking on campus in the middle of the day that you don't see anyone?? Take a stroll between TUC and McMicken and you will see TONS of people. Most people hang out in their classroom buildings, in TUC, or in their dorm. You won't see a lot of people on Sigma Sigma commons or O'Varsity way because there aren't any classrooms nearby.

well maybe so but sigma sigma is right next to two large dorms.  Where are those students?  If I lived there, I would hang out on Sigma Sigma when I am not in class.  I was walking through the other day and it was gorgeous outside and I just asusmed there would be people hanging out.  There was not one person on sigma sigma.  And its not like that green isnt close to classes.  At UC, you can get anywhere in 10 minutes max.  I But I am on campus everyday.  This isnt just some random observation, its a general thing I have noticed on all parts of campus, including Main Street, and also off campus. 

that's really strange.... I'm on campus all day Tues/Thurs and I see tons of people between classes. If you are walking around during class, you won't see people. But you're right, people don't hang-out outside that much. They spend all their time in their dorm or in TUC. I did when I lived in the dorm.

that's really strange.... I'm on campus all day Tues/Thurs and I see tons of people between classes.

 

Maybe our definition of "tons of people" is different. 

It also depends on your class schedule.  If you're walking around campus at like 11:30 on MWF or at 12:00 on a T or TH then you are bound to see less students out and about because most are in class at that time.  So even though it is the middle of the day fewer people will be out.

 

But you're right...UC has come a long way from what used to be a strong commuter school.  The most recent freshman class has around 70% of the students living on campus.  That is a major improvement...but there is still work to be done.  I know that the university is just itching to build more student housing on campus buy has to wait until the finances clear up.  Once that happens expect a larger percentage than the 70% level.  UC is certainly turning that corner and becoming a great university.

UC is certainly turning that corner and becoming a great university.

 

UC has always been a great university!  We don't need to be another Ohio State.

actually Rando, the freshman class has an on campus ration of about 85%... I heard this number again last week at one of Nancy's speeches...

 

We don't need to be another Ohio State.

 

I am not sure what this means, or if you directed it at me because I said UC needs to emulate OSU in certain things.  Because its not just OSU that has a great campus community, its many many many other schools as well.  UC could learn from all of them, not just OSU.  But yea, like Rando said and like I said before, UC has come a long way but more could be done. 

 

 

^damnit, i always mess up quoting people.  im an idiot. 

I am not sure what this means, or if you directed it at me because I said UC needs to emulate OSU in certain things.  Because its not just OSU that has a great campus community, its many many many other schools as well.  UC could learn from all of them, not just OSU.  But yea, like Rando said and like I said before, UC has come a long way but more could be done.

 

Yup atlas covered this quite well.  I don't want UC to become an OSU...what I want for UC is for it to become more of a 24 hour campus and for it to improve even further academically.  We are well on our way, another goal would be to continue to grow our research capabilities and hopefully in turn create spin-off companies for the Cincinnati region.

The University of Cincinnati is responding to the growing popularity of campus tours

BY MARY NIEHAUS | UC MAGAZINE

November 2007

 

UPTOWN - A St. Louis architectural firm closed its offices for a day and brought 20 staff members to the University of Cincinnati for a tour. On a different occasion, Columbus architects visiting campus for student portfolio reviews were so excited over UC's signature architecture and green spaces that they came back with 40 other professionals in tow. Another time, a young professional couple from St. Louis requested a tour because they had read about the university and were thinking of moving to Cincinnati.

 

Tourism has hit UC.

 

The number of prospective students and parents taking traditional admissions tours was up an astonishing 50 percent in the 2006-07 academic year, with 12 student guides leading approximately 3,000 people through campus. "Once people visit UC, they find it is way beyond their expectations for what they thought they would see on an urban campus," explains Tom Canepa, assistant vice president for admissions.

 

But considering that the national media has been praising UC's campus environment for more than 10 years, a growing number of visitors has been requesting tours that go a step beyond the scope of student guides. To remedy the situation, UC's Center for the City initiated the Campus Guides program last year to provide customized tours to special groups of professionals, alumni and civic-minded individuals, says executive director Mary Stagaman.

 

Welcoming these groups to campus are a dozen volunteer administrators, faculty, staff and alumni who took a 10-week course to learn docent techniques and to beef up their knowledge of campus architecture, public art and landscaping. To expand the program's availability, more docents are being recruited, from both employees and alumni, for another training session next year.

 

"Architects especially enjoy coming to the UC campus because there are so many signature-architect works within a short distance," says the campus guide who knows best, assistant professor of architecture Alexander Christoforidis, whose niche is leading tours for groups of architects. "At UC, both the number of signature buildings and our cohesive Master Plan make the university really stand out."

 

Visiting architects who tour the UC campus express surprise, appreciation and perhaps a little envy at what they see, according to Christoforidis. "After all," he says, "signature architects are the 'stars' of our profession."

 

Awe-filled reactions to the University of Cincinnati, of course, aren't restricted to architects. Alumni are similarly astonished by the improvements made since they were students. The most startling, perhaps, is the transformation of the former giant parking lot near the Alumni Center into Campus Green, a park-like area featuring an arboretum, benches, winding paths and a water fountain cascading down limestone steps.

 

"People are amazed at what has happened on this campus," Christoforidis says. "UC's achievement is seen as something quite significant."

 

Showing alumni around UC does present a few challenges, says campus guide Deborah Weinstein, MBA '79, director of business affairs for UC Student Affairs and Services. As an experienced docent at historic Sharon Woods pioneer village, Weinstein thought she knew what to expect on campus tours, but she has had a few surprises.

 

One she'll never forget involved an alumni group of mostly retired architects. After having seen much impressive architecture already, one man unexpectedly paused on the Herman Schneider Plaza to praise -- of all things -- a stone bench.

 

Sure, it was a 15-foot crescent-shaped bench originally installed in 1956 to commemorate the 50th anniversary of cooperative education. But still … it was a bench.

 

"What a handsome stone bench," said the visitor warmly. "It's a fine tribute to the man who created co-op education at the university."

 

Her suspicion was piqued when one of the other men inquired as to the bench's designer. Suddenly realizing that these visitors could have been on campus for the original dedication, she admitted that she didn't know the answer, but she also suspected she was about to find out.

 

After a bit of good-natured "quizzing," Weinstein was off the hook. James Donnelly, DAAP '52, identified himself as the designer of both the bench and the original plaza. He knew that the memorial had been sponsored by a Cincinnati business leader, Fred Geier, an early believer in hiring co-ops at Cincinnati Milling Machine and a close friend of engineering dean, UC past president and creator of co-op, Herman Schneider.

 

Usually tours are more predictable than that. A common reaction from alumni is, "This doesn't look like the University of Cincinnati I attended." Yet disappointment does not tinge their remarks, she notes.

 

"People who knew the campus in earlier days do notice that some of the old buildings are gone, such as Beecher Hall," she says, "but they are happy to see that we have incorporated pieces of those old buildings into the new campus." (The scroll-topped capitals of three Beecher columns, for example, now serve as decorative elements in the Mews, the courtyard on the south side of Baldwin Hall.)

 

When a group of elderly alumni from a retirement center in Hyde Park arrived at UC on a hot summer day, they toured the campus from the comfort of their air-conditioned bus. Even without being able to go inside the new buildings -- except for their lunch at the Faculty Club in Lindner Center -- they saw dynamic exteriors, four different sports arenas and attractively landscaped greens.

 

"Those older alumni loved being here," Weinstein says. "It was obvious they were having fun, and they were very favorably impressed."

 

Prospective UC students and their parents receive a slightly different tour of the University of Cincinnati campus, but are equally astonished by what they see. Veteran student guide Alex Ogle says, "I have fun asking them questions, then watching them respond to how 'cool' and how beautiful the campus is. They're usually impressed either by the university's classical architecture or the dynamic modern buildings, but always by the landscaped spaces."

 

Having conducted about 75 tours, he prefers the ones early in the day. "In the mornings, people are more awake and excited about their visit," says the digital design major from the Pittsburgh area. "I love telling people how respected the university is for its highly ranked programs and how I go down on the football field when it's not in use to play ultimate Frisbee with my friends."

 

On the other hand, some would-be students are more thrilled over less obvious aspects of campus. Khandice Toliver, a third-year education student who has conducted tours for hundreds of students and parents, says, "Typically, the things that 'wow' these visitors are that UC students get into home sporting events for free, that the cardio-theater in the Campus Recreation Center allows students to tune in and watch a variety of channels while they work out and that freshman rooms offer a fair amount of space when limited to two persons."

 

To be accepted as a UC tour guide, a student must meet certain criteria, as determined by the Admissions Office. Typical guides are involved in campus activities, speak well and make an effort to present information in an interesting manner. They receive a manual with facts and dates about the university, and they also shadow other tour guides before going solo.

 

Unfortunately, the job has one potential stumbling block … literally. Student guides have to be able to walk backward while talking about the university.

 

The origin of this practice is lost in antiquity, but it is ubiquitous across the country. Facing one’s audience does make it easier for a guide to quickly respond to questions or point out an item of interest.

 

Apparently, experience as a drum major in a high school marching band can give one a head start in mastering the walking backward technique. At least, that's what ex-field commander Alex Ogle claims.

 

"I didn't find it that hard to learn," he recalls. "When our band was at parades, I often had to walk that way. By my senior year, I was very used to it."

 

He does concede to having "a few" close calls when he was learning. The time he walked backward into a pole was not pretty.

 

Former tour coordinator Cat Wade, A&S '05, agrees the unusual skill is important. "Yes, we do ask them to walk backward as much as they can," she confesses, "although few take as much pride as Alex does in his ability to walk backward down steps."

---

Developing the virtual 'sense of place'

BY JOHN BACH | UC MAGAZINE

November 2007

 

UPTOWN - Beyond the buildings and outside the physical boundaries of UC, there flourishes a less visible, though crucially important, campus community -- a place where visitors log in as opposed to walk onto campus.

 

It is here that UC's leading-edge technological architecture is allowing students, faculty and staff to gather and commune in a whole new way. What follows are a few examples of UC's endeavors to further develop its digital landscape:

 

Campus unplugged

UC is making good on its commitment to create a comprehensive wireless environment. The move will eventually cut the cords to landlines and data jacks campus-wide.

 

By fall 2007, in a continuing partnership with Cincinnati Bell, the university provided Bearcat Phones to thousands of incoming resident students. In addition to personal communication, these smart phones allow mobile access to Blackboard (UC's course-management software program) shuttle bus tracking, academic alerts and the university's police department.

 

Wi-Fi hot zone As part of the effort to unwire the entire campus, UC has created the largest Wi-Fi hotspot in Ohio. Guests who visit UC's Uptown Campus and surrounding neighborhoods can now enjoy the same wireless Internet access available to students, faculty and staff. Laptop toting visitors receive a free three-day connection.

 

Learning from a distance UC regularly graduates students each year who have never set foot on campus and complete their entire degrees taking online courses. The university offers numerous distance-learning degrees at the associate, bachelor's and master's levels.

 

Bearcat Chat UC's admissions staff hosts a two-hour online chat on Tuesday nights to answer common questions from new and future students about life on campus and admissions requirements.

 

Googling campus Virtual 3-D models of campus buildings are beginning to spring up in Google Earth's Web application thanks to the work of a group of DAAP students who took part in Google's "Build Your Campus in 3-D Competition." The UC team placed among the top 40 out of about 4,000 entries. Led by research associate Jose Kirzan, a dozen architecture students spent 10 months using the 3-D software SketchUP to recreate UC buildings such as Wilson Memorial Hall, French Hall, Dabney Hall and the Engineering Research Center for Google Earthies to explore.

 

UC's Second Life UC has begun developing a presence in Second Life, a 3-D multi-user virtual online platform, that will allow visitors to explore a virtual campus or even take part in distance learning using an avatar or personalized animated character.

You also MUST check out this collection of photography.  One of the best that I have EVER seen of campus.

 

Go here: http://www.magazine.uc.edu/1107/contents.htm#

 

Then click on the first link that says, "View image gallery of campus"

yea i have definitely been impressed by uc's campus since moving here 2 months back.  the main street area is pure genius and has such a community feel to it.