School districts across Ohio have one more year to prepare for the Third Grade Reading Guarantee. It means, among other things, that third graders can either read at a certain level or they are automatically held back up to two times.
Dr. Evonne Welton, an associate dean at The University of Akron's College of Education. Welton says that some parts of the plan have merit, but key components just boil down to another unfunded mandate that is leaving cash-strapped school districts worried.
"The extra teachers, the individualized help that they get pre-third grade and the other issue is that if they (students) are retained, they're (administrators) going to need more third grade classrooms.
Welton says if the guarantee was already in effect, 27-thousand students statewide, including about 30-percent of Akron third graders, would be back in a third grade classroom this fall.
Welton says more thought needs to go into making a student repeat a grade.
"Long term studies show that there's an increased dropout rate for students that are retained, there's a higher incidence of unemployment, there's less likelihood that they'll go on to college and their self-confidence is ruined.
Welton says there are already programs in place to help struggling students, but making those more comprehensive would be a better plan, even though they are more labor-intensive.
University of Akron men's basketball coach Keith Dambrot will continue to patrol the Zips' sideline for the next decade.
Dambrot and the university have agreed in principle to a new ten-year contract which will keep him as head coach of the men's squad through the 2021-22 season.
The coach has compiled an 184-87 overall record in his eight seasons at Akron, including seven straight 20-win seasons, two NCAA Tournament appearances, three NIT berths, and the first MAC regular-season title in school history last season.
The contract is finalized and pending approval from the UA Board of Trustees.
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Press Release
University of Akron head men’s basketball coach Keith Dambrot has agreed in principle to a new ten-year contract, President Dr. Luis M. Proenza and director of athletics Tom Wistrcill announced Friday. The contract is finalized and pending approval from the UA Board of Trustees.
Dambrot, who has compiled a 184-87 (93-39 in Mid-American Conference play) record in eight seasons at the helm of the Zips’ program, is now under contract through the 2021-22 season.
This past season, Dambrot led Akron to its seventh-straight 20-win season. The Zips are one of just seven Division I teams to record at least 22 wins per year during that stretch (Duke, Gonzaga, Kansas, Ohio State, Pittsburgh and Utah State) and are one of 17 programs (out of 345) to reach the 20-win plateau annually during that stretch. UA’s 184 wins under Dambrot are the most by any team in the MAC and are tied for 31st-most nationally.
“Keith is the best coach in the MAC and one of the top coaches in basketball,” Wistrcill said. “He has built the Zips into one of the top mid-major programs in the country and continues to lead his alma mater to new heights. This contract is not only a reward for his team's performance over the past eight years, but a reflection of how the program continues to flourish. Our University and community are thrilled that he will continue to lead Zips basketball well into the future.”
During Dambrot’s tenure, Akron has posted a 104-17 record at James A. Rhodes Arena (.860), including a 57-9 record in league play. Dambrot ranks second in school history in wins (184) and is fourth in overall winning percentage (.679). He sits in the top-10 in MAC history in overall winning percentage as a league coach (fifth, .628), tied for fifth in overall wins as a MAC coach (204), sixth in MAC winning percentage (.620) and seventh in MAC wins (103).
"The University continues to be committed to our team and has been integral in helping us build one of the top mid-major programs in the nation," Dambrot said. "I want to thank Dr. Proenza, the Board of Trustees and Tom for all they have done for us. I am excited that I can continue to represent my alma mater and my community with a program that is ready to take that next step and advance in the NCAA Tournament."
The 2011-12 campaign was a season of firsts as the Zips won their first MAC regular season title and became the first league team to play in six-straight conference tournament title games (second-longest active streak in the nation to Gonzaga). Dambrot also became the first Akron coach to be named to the NABC all-district list, earning co-district coach of the year honors.
The Zips have appeared in the postseason six times under Dambrot, including two NCAA Tournament appearances (2011, 2009), three NIT appearances (2012, 2008, 2006) and the 2010 CBI.
Named the 2009 Best Mid-Major Coach by Dan Wetzel of Yahoo Sports, Dambrot’s time at UA has been highlighted by mentoring a total of 23 All-MAC honorees, 11 MAC All-Tournament team selections, three Sixth Man of the Year honors, three Defensive Players of the Year, two tournament MVPs and one player of the year award.
An Akron native and two-time alumnus of the University, Dambrot served as an assistant coach on the UA basketball staff for the three seasons prior to his current post. Before that he spent three seasons at Akron's St. Vincent-St. Mary High School, leading the Irish to a 69-10 record and two state championships thanks to the help of three-time NBA MVP and Miami Heat star LeBron James.
Dambrot's late mother, Faye, was a trend-setting professor at the University who taught in the psychology department and was instrumental in forming the Women's Studies Program.
The University of Akron refocusing it's vision of the campus of the future, with a fresh view of what "Academic Way" will look like. The Board of Trustees approving the plan's Master Guide Plan today, targeting development of a "main street" on campus that provides a greater opportunity to interact.
It also opens wide the discussion on replacing the James A. Rhodes Arena with a new arena, either on-campus near InfoCision Stadium or at a downtown location near Canal Park. City officials have long argued the downtown location would pose a greater benefit to the overall community, but University officials have privately favored a campus location more convenient to students and as a connection for fans to the University.
It's a plan to further connect the various schools even though they're now spread out across the campus. It also takes into account student experiences and sharing the campus with the community by building a pedestrian-based main street connecting the campus with downtown Akron, including a "people mover" for the one mile between the University's classrooms at the Polsky Building garage from the University's east parking deck.
The Master Plan also envisions neighborhood building off-campus, especially around Buchtel Field and Quaker Square. Artist renderings of Buchtel "before and after" seen at left and below, are courtesy the University of Akron and Sasaki and Associates.
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(University of Akron) The Board of Trustees of The University of Akron accepted an enhanced master guide plan developed by Sasaki Associates of Boston and presented to the Board by President Luis M. Proenza, Ted Curtis, Vice President of Capital Planning and Facilities Management, and Mike Sherman, Senior Vice President, Provost and Chief Operating Officer. The plan, which builds upon the original 1999 master guide plan, presents a vision for the campus closely aligned with the mission and aspirations for growth set forth in Vision 2020, the University’s strategic plan endorsed by the Board in January, 2012.
The guide plan touches the full spectrum of university activity: academics and research, residential life, athletics and recreation, open space, transportation and parking, energy and infrastructure, and sustainability. Stakeholders representing many constituencies – including students, faculty and staff, the City of Akron, University Park Alliance and the Board of Trustees – collaborated extensively in the planning process through many public forums and meetings.
Rather than focusing on specific projects, the plan sets forth principles behind a structure for campus change: learning and research; connecting and partnering. These principles will guide decisions, from restoration and rehabilitation of current campus structures to the planning and building of new ones.
Central to the plan is the creation of the Academic Way, essentially a “main street” that promotes academic interaction across disciplines, a focal point for the student experience, and an opportunity to improve physical connections within campus and with the community.
Some specific highlights of the master guide plan include:
More than a decade ago, University officials worked with Sasaki Associates of Boston on a plan accepted in 1999 that set the groundwork for the New Landscape for Learning initiative, which has included the addition of 20 new buildings, 18 major additions, acquisitions and renovations, and 34 acres of new green space.
The MAC Conference released its 2012 football schedule and in conjunction with that, the University of Akron announced their start times for the 2012 season.
There will be three games on the ESPN Family of Networks starting with the home opener against UCF (University of Central Florida) on ESPN3. The Zips will also face rival Kent State on Sportstime Ohio at 2pm November 3rd. The game will also be simulcast on ESPN GamePlan and ESPN3.
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Press Release
The University of Akron Department of Athletics, in conjunction with the Mid-American Conference, announced on Thursday start times for its 2012 football home games. The Zips, under the direction of first-year head coach Terry Bowden, will play five of their six home outings on a Saturday at InfoCision Stadium – Summa Field.
Additionally, the MAC office released its complete football television package for the upcoming season today, in which UA will be televised either nationally or regionally for at least four of its regular-season contests. Additional TV assignments could be announced at a later date.
The first of those television appearances comes via ESPN3 and coincides with Bowden's return to the Football Bowl Subdivision sideline in the season opener versus Conference USA opponent UCF on Thursday, Aug. 30, at 7 p.m. ET. The weeknight game that leads into the Labor Day holiday weekend will be themed Greater Akron Chamber of Commerce Night, and be tied into a pregame "Hoppy Hour" professional networking event held outside the stadium. A Social Media event is also being planned for this game.
Following a road game at FIU on Sept. 8 (kickoff time TBA), the Zips will face off against Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference foe Morgan State on Sept. 15, at 3:30 p.m., for what will serve as High School Band Day and Youth Day. The Zips defeated the Bears 41-0 in the inaugural game at InfoCision Stadium on Sept. 12, 2009.
UA's non-league schedule concludes at SEC opponent Tennessee on Sept. 22 (kickoff time TBA). Numerous storylines surround that game, as Bowden compiled a 30-14-1 SEC record as head coach at Auburn from 1993-98.
The MAC schedule begins on Sept. 29 with a visit by Miami (Ohio) to InfoCision Stadium at 2 p.m.
On Oct. 6, Bowling Green comes to Akron for a Homecoming meeting that is set to get underway at 2 p.m., and will provide the finale to a full schedule of programming on campus geared toward students, alumni and their families. Additionally, activities surrounding that game will be part of Faculty and Staff Appreciation Day.
A visit to MAC East Division champion and Famous Idaho Potato Bowl victor Ohio on Oct. 13 at 2 p.m. comes before an Oct. 20 home game versus reigning MAC West Division champion and GoDaddy.com Bowl winner Northern Illinois at noon. That matchup will be televised via ESPN Plus, ESPN Game Plan and ESPN3, and be incorporated into Family Weekend festivities on campus.
A trip to Central Michigan on Oct. 27 (kickoff time TBA) precedes the annual PNC Wagon Wheel Challenge against Kent State on Nov. 3 at 2 p.m. The neighborhood rivalry game at nearby Dix Stadium will be televised regionally on SportsTime Ohio and also be available on ESPN Game Plan and ESPN3.
Akron plays host to conference newcomer Massachusetts on Nov. 10 at 2 p.m. for Senior Day, before closing out the regular season at MAC West Division member and Military Bowl winner Toledo on Tuesday, Nov. 20, at 7 p.m. on ESPN2.
2012 Akron Football Schedule:
Thu., Aug. 30 – UCF, 7 p.m. (ESPN3)
Sat., Sept. 8 – at FIU, TBA
Sat., Sept. 15 – Morgan State, 3:30 p.m.
Sat., Sept. 22 – at Tennessee, TBA
Sat., Sept. 29 – Miami (Ohio)*, 2 p.m.
Sat., Oct. 6 – Bowling Green*, 2 p.m. (Homecoming)
Sat., Oct. 13 – at Ohio*, 2 p.m.
Sat., Oct. 20 – Northern Illinois*, Noon (ESPN Plus/ESPN Game Plan/ESPN3)
Sat., Oct. 27 – at Central Michigan*, TBA
Sat., Nov. 3 – at Kent State*, 2 p.m. (SportsTime Ohio/ESPN Game Plan/ESPN3)
Sat., Nov. 10 – Massachusetts*, 2 p.m.
Sat., Nov. 17 – OPEN
Tues., Nov. 20 – at Toledo*, 7 p.m. ET (ESPN2)* - Mid-American Conference game
University of Akron mens' basketball coach Keith Dambrot and members of the 2012 MAC-Regular Season Championship squad will recieve a special honor during Friday's (today's) Akron Aeros game.
Before the Aeros take on the Altoona Curve at 7:05, the coach and the team will be honored by the team for winning the first ever MAC regular-season title in school history.
Dambrot will throw out the first pitch and be wearing his # 3 Zips baseball jersey, a throwback to his days on the diamond for the Blue and Gold.
You can catch some of your favorite Zips hoopsters in the concourse of Canal Park signing autographs for the first pair of innings.
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Press Release:
AKRON, Ohio – University of Akron head men’s basketball coach Keith Dambrot and members of the 2012 Mid-American Conference Regular Season Championship squad will be honored prior to the Akron Aeros baseball game on Friday, June 8.
Dambrot and the Zips will be honored by the Aeros at approximately 6:45 p.m. ET. Dambrot will be decked out in a No. 3 Zips baseball jersey reminiscent of his days as a member of the Akron baseball team.
Prior to the start of the Aeros game against the Altoona Curve, which is set to begin at 7:05 p.m., Dambrot will throw out the ceremonial first pitch.
Several Akron student-athletes will be on-hand on the concourse to sign autographs for the first couple of innings. A fireworks show is also scheduled to follow the contest.
For more information on the Akron Aeros or to purchase tickets for Friday’s game, visit akronaeros.com.
Akron closed out the 2011-12 season with a 22-12 record (13-3 MAC) and captured the first MAC regular season title in program history. The Zips advanced to their sixth-straight MAC title game – a conference record and second-longest active streak in the nation – before falling 64-63 to Ohio. Akron appeared in its fifth NIT, third under head coach Keith Dambrot, falling 76-74 to Northwestern in the first round.
The Zips are one of 17 teams nationally that have won at least 20 games in each of the past seven seasons. The other 16 teams to do so are Brigham Young, Butler, Duke, Florida, Gonzaga, Kansas, Louisville, Marquette, North Carolina, Ohio State, Pittsburgh, San Diego State, Syracuse, Texas, Utah State and Xavier.
A Revere Middle School student is showing off her science stuff -- and winning the National Rubber Band contest at the University of Akron.
Halie Nitzche work is not only a piece of rubber band art, it's also an -- air freshener. Special beads inside the rubber band, plaster and newspaper invention can be swapped out for a fresher scent in the home, or business, and that was enough to get the judge's sniff of approval. A Michigan fifth grader took second place with a rubber-band inspired piano sheet music turner. Top winners get five grand.
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(University of Akron) An air freshener made mostly of rubber bands—the brainchild of a Richfield seventh-grader—proves once again that Akron is home to nationally renowned innovators inspired by rubber.
Halie Nitzche of Revere Middle School in Richfield, placed first in the National Rubber Band Contest for Young Inventors’ arts and leisure division. The contest, presented by the Akron Global Polymer Academy (AGPA) of The University of Akron, drew nearly 400 middle school student entrants from 17 states. Winners were announced today.
Students competed in arts and leisure and science and engineering divisions. Nitzche’s invention — a home accent piece — incorporates pipe, plaster, newspaper and rubber bands, and doubles as an air freshener. Air-freshening beads stay in the tree’s pipe trunk and can be replaced as necessary. Robert Keller, a fifth-grader from Canton, Mich., placed first in the contest’s science and engineering division with his Piano Page Turner. The creation allows musicians to turn music pages by stepping on a binder clip attached to a wooden block that causes a chain reaction controlled by a rubber band.
Dr. Carin Helfer, assistant director of AGPA Science Education Outreach at UA, says students with science and engineering entries “were challenged to use the elastic properties of the rubber band in the function of their inventions, and the winners did just that.”
Winners from each division will receive $5,000 paper savings bonds. Runners-up, Grace Murphy of Colorado Springs, Colo., and Mackenzie Steele of Kaysville, Utah, each will receive a $1,000 paper savings bond for their inventions. The remaining finalists will receive $50 gift cards.
The Rubber Band Contest is hosted by the AGPA at UA and is sponsored by the University and the Rubber Division of the American Chemical Society, all of which are based in Akron.
A new study suggests expected GOP presidential nominee Mitt Romney has his work cut out for him when it comes to his Mormon faith, especially among Christian voters who may not want to take the time to learn more about his faith-based values or the Church of Jesus Christ Latter Day Saints.
Romney's not the first of his faith to seek the office; his father George sought the Republican nomination in the 1960's as Governor of Michigan. It's also not a leap of faith to draw parallels between the 2012 election and 1960, when John F. Kennedy's Roman Catholic faith was an issue in his primary and general election victories.
Even four years ago, there was considerable discussion of the potential of the first major party woman candidate in Hillary Clinton, and the first major party African-American to serve as a nominee for the White House in Barack Obama.
But this is 2012, and it's Mitt Romney's turn to have his faith under the microscope.
University of Akron Bliss Institute of Applied Politics Director Dr. John Green is co-author of an article in the journal Political Behavior examining the "Stained Glass Ceiling" that may pose the most significant challenge to Romney's bid for the White House. He writes the "social insularity" of the Mormon religion may explain why Romney was unable to break through in his campaign in 2008, and why it poses challenges again for him in 2012.
"It is that his Mormon faith, in particular, makes many people uneasy," Green notes, "and that unease has political consequences." Green co-authored the report with with David Campbell of the University of Notre Dame and Quin Monson of Brigham Young University.
Green makes comparison to Kennedy's 1960 run, but said since that campaign the Catholic Church has become less insular but the "social insularity" of the Mormon Church is one reason why the "...lack of social contact appears to reduce the acceptance of Mormons in the broader population."
Green was a guest on the WAKR Ray Horner Morning Show to discuss his findings, and the report. He also drew comparison to the gender and racial ceilings broken in 2008 with the respective Clinton and Obama campaigns.
Press Release from Kent State University:
The results from this year’s RecycleMania tournament are in, and Kent State University won bragging rights against the University of Akron in the friendly environmental competition. RecycleMania is a benchmarking tool for college and university recycling programs to promote waste reduction activities to their campus communities.
Kent State is ranked 233 out of 362 in the Per Capita Classic, and recycled 7.60 pounds per person, while the University of Akron recycled 6.94 pounds per person.
“This is our third year participating in RecycleMania,” said Melanie Knowles, manager of sustainability at Kent State. “Each year, there is more enthusiasm and participation.”
Over an 8-week period each spring, colleges across the United States and Canada report the amount of recycling and trash collected each week, and are in turn ranked in various categories based on which institution recycles the most on a per capita basis.
Schools also are ranked according to the best recycling rate as a percentage of total waste and which institutions generate the least amount of combined trash and recycling. With each week’s updated ranking, participating schools follow their performance against other colleges and use the results to rally their campus to reduce and recycle more.
Kent State’s Engleman Hall won the university’s hall-versus-hall competition, bringing in nearly 23 pounds per person. The Engleman Hall Council will receive $200 in hall council funds and was recognized during the Arbor Day Tree Planting last week.
“Colleges and their students are leading the way toward a more sustainable future, and RecycleMania is a perfect demonstration of their energy and commitment,” said Matt McKenna, president and CEO of Keep America Beautiful. “Keep America Beautiful is pleased to support the RecycleMania program, and we celebrate this year’s results and congratulate every school and individual that participated.”
As a measure of the success of this year’s competition, 92 million pounds of recyclables and organic materials were recovered. This prevented the release of nearly 150,000 metric tons of carbon dioxide equivalent. This reduction in greenhouse gases is equivalent to the annual emissions from more than 25,840 passenger cars, electricity use of more than nearly 16,406 homes, or the burning of nearly 705 railcars’ worth of coal.
The University of Akron getting a four year, one million dollar gift from the Smucker Company to fund a new Institute for Leadership Advancement at the College of business Administration.
The University says the Institute seeks to deliver business leaders who can "hit the ground running on day one."
(University of Akron news release) A local company that everyone recognizes for their tasty fruit spreads, peanut butter, coffee and other branded food products has given a significant, multiyear gift to The University of Akron’s College of Business Administration (CBA) to establish an institute that answers the call from employers for universities to graduate students with more well-rounded, holistic leadership skills.
The J.M. Smucker Company has provided funding to launch the new Institute for Leadership Advancement at the College of Business Administration.
Designed to provide opportunities for all CBA and UA honors students to develop themselves into individuals who are attractive to employers with high potential to make an impact on their organization early in their careers, the Institute creates a framework for educating and training successful leaders of the future. The Orrville-based company is a long-time partner and friend of the university and UA’s Wayne College, and many UA business graduates are employed with the company.
“At Smucker, ethical leadership is one of our core values, and we firmly believe that responsible people produce exceptional results,” said Maribeth Badertscher, Smucker’s vice president of corporate communications. “We are proud to make this investment in the University of Akron to promote the development of leaders who have the unique combination of knowledge, skills and principles needed to be successful in business both today and in the future.”
An advisory board of more than 200 local business leaders works closely with Ravi Krovi, dean of the College of Business Administration, and the CBA faculty to define the type of skills and knowledge they need from business graduates, resulting in a recently revamped, employer-driven curriculum. The Institute for Leadership Advancement will be a catalyst to identify and nurture future leaders and graduate exceptional people who can “hit the ground running” not long after they’re hired, Krovi says.
“Business wants graduates who can hit the ground running on day one,” Krovi said. “They want employees who can work in teams, understand the market and the specific business, and work in global environments where they’ll need to understand different cultures and ways of doing business. They want individuals who are not just technologically savvy, but who have a data-driven, analytical mindset. They don’t want to spend additional money on training and education that should have been provided during the undergraduate years.”
The activities of the institute will include for-credit and not for credit programming for UA honors students, undergraduate business and MBA students. As such, this will include a combination of professional development course work, experiential learning projects, and campus-wide forums and workshops.
University of Akron sophmore guard Brian Walsh was named to the 2011-12 Men's Basketball Academic All-MAC team.
Walsh, a business management major, has a 3.35 GPA. During the season he averaged 8 points, 3 rebounds, and one assist. In addition, Walsh was second in in the conference in three-point percentage.
Press Release:
Sophomore guard Brian Walsh has been named to the 2011-12 Men's Basketball Academic All-MAC team the Mid-American Conference office announced on Friday.
Walsh was selected to the academic team in his first season with the Zips. Helped the Zips to a 22-12 overall record, 13-3 in the MAC, the 2011-12 regular season title and a birth in the MAC Title game and the 2012 NIT
In 34 games, Walsh made 27 starts and averaged 8.3 points, 3.9 rebounds, 1.2 assists, 0.9 steals and a 1.1 assist-to-turnover ratio per game. He finished second in the MAC in 3-point percentage (.434), including the top 3-point percentage mark during MAC play (.442) and made at least one 3-point bucket in 26 games.
Walsh scored a career-high 16 points at Ball State (Jan. 24), including a perfect 8-of-8 performance at the free throw line. He also reached the four-rebound plateau 20 times, including 12 of the last 14 contests.
Walsh was named to the 2011 University of Akron Dean’s List and is a member of the Honors College at Akron. He is on schedule to graduate in the summer of 2012 with a degree in business management and plans to pursue his MBA beginning in the fall. Walsh has a 3.351 overall GPA.
A total of five student-athletes were named to the team as voted by faculty athletic representatives at MAC institutions. The number of honorees on the MAC All-Academic Team is the number that is set for the specific sport or 33% of the number of nominees, whichever is greater.
The Academic All-MAC honor is for a student-athlete who has excelled in athletics and academics. To qualify, a student-athlete must have at least a 3.20 cumulative GPA and have participated in at least 50 percent of the contests for that particular sport. First-year students and junior college transfers in their first year of residence are not eligible for the award.
2011-12 MAC Men's Basketball Academic All-MAC Team
Brian Walsh, Akron, 3.351 GPA, Business Administration
Matt Kamieniecki, Ball State, 3.568 GPA, Business
Tony Watson, Buffalo, 3.20 GPA, Management
Rian Pearson, Toledo, 3.205 GPA, Individualized Studies
Brandon Pokley, Western Michigan, 3.94 GPA, Finance
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