Daisy Award Winner – Brittney Nessle
A big congratulations goes out to Brittney Nessle, FNP student for receiving the DAISY Award for Extraordinary Nurses! This prestigious international award was presented to Brittney for her work in the Intensive Care Unit at The Ohio State University Wexner Medical Center East Hospital. She was nominated by the family of a patient whom she cared for over a period of several days who had a rare terminal lung disease. To quote the patient’s daughter in the nomination spotlight “I…
New Otterbein Student Government Leaders Want to Inspire Collaboration
Otterbein University Student Government (OUSG) will be led by two Black women as president and vice president — but they don’t want the conversations to end there. President Frandie Francique ’21 (Psychology; Sociology) and Vice President Angel Banks Price ’21 (Psychology; Criminology and Justice Studies) ran for OUSG’s highest offices together, on a platform of “continued collaborative efforts with campus officials, open dialogues and student support... to serve students in the ways that they need.” Otterbein interviewed Francique and Price to learn more about these leaders and their visions for the future of the campus community. Vice President Angel Banks Price ’21 (left) and President Frandie Francique ’21 Question: What do you want to accomplish…
Fall is approaching quite quickly — and Otterbein’s Graduate School is ready!
Otterbein University is in the midst of planning for fall semester 2020. We anticipate an environment of cautious optimism on campus. Otterbein will be ready to greet students both on campus and in the virtual world. Graduate programs are and will continue to assure student progress towards graduation. Lecture/seminar-oriented classes will move to online delivery. Lab and needed professional experiences will take place in a blended format, maintaining social distancing when on campus. The Otterbein faculty has already demonstrated the…
Educational Mathematics – Gender Equality in STEM
Forty years after research revealed sex-related differences in math achievement and participation in grades 6-12 (Fennema & Sherman, 1977, 1978; Sherman & Fennema, 1977), American teachers are still actively working to erase gender inequity in STEM subjects. Despite professional development, awareness training, and refocused curriculum and teaching materials, we continue to grapple with students’ perceptions of who can succeed when pursuing a career in mathematics. In a national survey, recently conducted by the Society for Industrial and Applied Mathematics (SIAM), results indicate…
MBA – Innovating with Service Design
Did you know it’s not enough to just provide a great product anymore? There is a customer attached to that product. A customer who is not only looking for a great product, but a great experience. How do we provide more than a great product? How do we provide an experience, a memorable exchange, or unforgettable service? We design a service that meets the customer’s expectations. We incorporate an innovative approach called “service design.” According to Wikipedia, service design is…
Education – Smooth Transition to Online
Our Education graduate courses have been "blended" (part face-to-face, part online) for years, so our Education faculty have experience and expertise in online pedagogy. Due to the pandemic, we made a swift transition to fully online teaching and learning. The use of our synchronous tools maintains the high-impact practice of collaboration with video and sharing tools, so we haven't missed a beat in transitioning to fully online learning while maintaining who we are and what we believe. We collaborate, we build a community…
Allied Health – Six Dimensions of Wellness
Enhancing wellness is foundational to the Master of Science in Allied Health program at Otterbein and is also important in our daily lives. The National Wellness Institute highlights the six dimensions of wellness in the model depicted above (Hettler, 1976). The model is used to extend the view of health and wellness beyond the physical to include social, intellectual, spiritual, emotional, and occupational health. Each of the dimensions of wellness is interactive and impact overall quality of life. It is…
Nursing – Pandemic Tracking and Testing
Did you know that we are in the next phase of a pandemic? We are through the initial “surge” phase in the United States and in most of the world. Some countries, though, are still experiencing the initial phase of the pandemic. The world will be keeping an eye on testing and immunization technologies as the year progresses. Current Status of COVID-19 Virus in the U.S. Tracking a Vaccine for the COVID-19 Virus The Status of Testing for the COVID-19…
Otterbein Physics Professor Awarded Fourth NSF Grant
Otterbein Department of Physics Chair and Professor Nathaniel Tagg has been awarded his fourth National Science Foundation (NSF) grant for research on neutrinos. Professor Nathaniel Tagg “These grants are a huge deal for us,” said Tagg. “We can hire students to work in the summers on these experiments, letting undergraduates get a bite of real, cutting-edge science.” The NSF grants pay for travel for Tagg and his students, primarily to the Fermi National Accelerator Lab outside Chicago, where many experiments are hosted. Students are also paid salaries and much needed computers and equipment can be procured to make meaningful contributions to the research. Neutrinos are one of the…
Otterbein Towers Hall Illuminated to Celebrate PRIDE Month
As PRIDE 2020 winds down, Otterbein wanted to put our PRIDE in the spotlight. With lighting help from Doc Davis and T.J. Gerckens of Otterbein's Department of Theatre and Dance, and Troy Bonte and Jay Cronin from Facilities Services, Towers was illuminated in rainbow lighting. WE ARE committed to equality at Otterbein and stand with our LGBTQIA+ community in advocacy, activism and awareness. Thank you all!
Otterbein Professor Kristy McCray Appointed to Columbus Police Advisory Panel
Otterbein Associate Professor of Health and Sport Sciences Dr. Kristy McCray was appointed by Columbus Mayor Andrew Ginther and city leaders to serve on Columbus Police Chief Thomas Quinlan's new advisory panel. The Columbus Police Chief’s Advisory Panel is designed to allow community stakeholders to have a meaningful way to provide input into strategies, development of community policing practices, and increasing community transparency into police operations. “The panel will act as a sounding board for me regarding community needs, concerns, and expectations, as well as provide community feedback to current and proposed police programs…
Otterbein University Offers Full Tuition Aid to Students from Families Impacted by Pandemic-Related Job Loss
If you're thinking you should put a college education on hold, please don't. If you're wondering if it's worth it, it is. If you need help, let us try. That’s the message from Otterbein University as it announced its newest initiative, a scholarship to meet the full tuition needs of new student applicants whose families have experienced a job loss related to the COVID-19 shut-down. “This new scholarship recognizes the economic disruption facing so many families in the wake of this pandemic and their…
Columbus City Schools Alumna Grows Skills All the Way to President of Otterbein Student Government
When Frandie Francique graduated from Columbus Alternative High School (CAHS) in 2017, she felt prepared to enter college but still recognized that there were some skills she needed to work on. “CAHS is a college prep high school, so I felt ready to go academically. I was more concerned with taking charge of my life and deciding where I really wanted to go,” Francique said. “I knew I needed to step out of my comfort zone and find resources to polish my skills.” CAHS hosted a series of college…
Otterbein President Op-Ed: Boost Online Access, Affordability in the College Setting
It is a good time for prognosticating. With nothing like the COVID-19 pandemic having happened in our lifetimes, and no tried-and-true road map for the future, every prediction can seem just as likely as the next, regardless of how wild. Otterbein President John Comerford Among the predictions now that might seem wild is that the pandemic spells the end of higher education as we know it, with online education poised for world domination. To call it a wild idea would…
Otterbein Among Seven Central Ohio Universities Launching ‘Live Local: Learn Local’ Initiative
Otterbein University is among seven universities in central Ohio launching the Live Local: Learn Local initiative to encourage and support local students who are encountering obstacles in attending college due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Otterbein President John Comerford and six other university presidents have come together to encourage local students planning for fall to consider staying within the region, even if they had originally planned to travel to attend other higher education institutions. The institutions, which will accept applications until…
