LOCAL NEWS

No shortage of activities

Upcoming events focus on violence prevention, breast cancer research, Pope John Paul II's legacy, business ethics and Native American Awareness Week.

VIOLENCE PREVENTION EXPERT KICKS OFF UD DISTINGUISHED SPEAKERS SERIES — Gail Dines, a professor of sociology and women’s studies at Wheelock College in Boston and frequent speaker at college conferences about violence prevention, will kick off the University of Dayton’s Distinguished Speakers Series at 8 p.m. Tuesday, Oct. 2, in UD’s Kennedy Union ballroom. The talk is free and open to the public. Dines, who is a regular guest on Entertainment Tonight, ABC News and National Public Radio, has worked with Hollywood studios to help create progressive images of women on national television. She also lectures on pop culture and teenage sexuality to high schools and community groups, and has written numerous articles on pornography, media images of women and representations of race in pop culture. The UD Women’s Center, UD’s women’s and gender studies program, and UD’s department of sociology, anthropology and social work will co-sponsor Dines’ appearance.

CREATING A CULTURE OF INTEGRITY IN THE WORKPLACE — Keith Taylor, former NCR Corp. senior vice president for financial solutions, will talk about creating a culture of integrity in the workplace at 5:30 p.m. Thursday, Oct. 4, in the Kennedy Union ballroom. Taylor’s appearance is part of the School of Business Administration’s Business as a Calling program. It is free and open to the public. The program emphasizes that by viewing a career as a calling distinct from a series of jobs, a deeper sense of purpose and a greater social awareness are fostered and can create a culture of business integrity.

JUST WAR AND BEYOND — The Rev. James L. Heft, S.M., will discuss “The International Legacy of John Paul II: Just War and Beyond” at 3 p.m. Friday, Oct. 5, in the Sears Recital Hall. It is free and open to the public. Heft’s talk will address Pope John Paul II’s impact on the just war theory, non-violent conflict resolution, and setting an example of how forgiveness can pave the way to peace, justice and human rights. Heft is president of the Institute for Advanced Catholic Studies and Alton M. Brooks Professor of Religion at the University of Southern California. Prior to that, he was UD’s professor of faith and culture and chancellor.

11TH ANNUAL CONCERT AT UD WILL BENEFIT BREAST CANCER RESEARCH — Zeta Tau Alpha sorority will hold its FREEFAHL — Forever Reminding and Educating Every Female About Healthy Living — concert 2-11 p.m. Sunday, Oct. 7, at the University of Dayton’s Art Street Amphitheater. Tickets are $7 and available through the Kennedy Union box office at 937-229-3333. Tickets also will be sold in Marycrest and Virginia Kettering residence halls on UD’s campus. The event is open to the public. Free hot dogs, hamburgers, pizza, chips and drinks will be available. Featured artists include Kristen Key, Wake Hollywood, Welwyn, Julie Roth, Pat Kelly, James Wade, 5 cents a shot and From Midnight On. Entertainment includes a dunk tank and cornhole games. All proceeds go to breast cancer education and awareness. Luminaries will be available for purchase the day of the event in memory of those who have been affected by the illness. Last year, this event raised more than $5,000. For more information or to purchase tickets, contact Mandi Fetters at 330-697-8327 or fetterme@notes.udayton.edu.

LAW SCHOOL SEMINAR TO HELP BUSINESSES COMBAT WRONGDOING — A compliance officer for a Fortune 500 company will join national business law experts for a UD School of Law seminar designed to help companies detect and deal with ethical breaches. The seminar, from 12:30 to 5:30 p.m. Thursday, Oct. 25, in the Keller Hall courtroom, is open to the public and costs $25. Visit http://law.udayton.edu/ProjectForLawAndBusinessEthics for more information and registration. The seminar will have three consecutive panel discussions covering structuring and implementing compliance and monitoring systems, internal corporate investigations, government investigations and shareholder litigation.

UD 5K RACE TO BENEFIT THE OTHER PLACE — The Frericks 5K starts at 9:45 a.m. Saturday, Oct. 27, in front of UD’s Frericks Center. The race, which travels though UD’s campus, costs $15 if registering by Oct. 20 and $20 if registering after Oct. 20. Early registrants will receive a race T-shirt. Runners can apply at http://www.active.com, keyword: Frericks. It is open to the public. Everyone is encouraged to donate a pair of sneakers for The Other Place, a local homeless shelter. Awards will be presented to the top male and female finishers in the following divisions: 10 and younger, 11-14, 15-19, 20-24, 25-29, 30-34, 35-39, 40-44, 45-49, 50-54, 55-59, 60-64, 65-69, 70-74 and 75 and older. Food and drinks will be provided after the race. For more information, contact Peter Titlebaum at 937-229-4222 or Peter.Titlebaum@notes.udayton.edu.

NATIVE-AMERICAN AUTHOR TO SPEAK AT UD — Grammy-nominated author Marilou Awiakta will discuss her vision for social justice and environmental sustainability that she writes about in her book, Selu: Seeing Corn Mother’s Wisdom, at 7 p.m. Wednesday, Nov. 7, in the Science Center Auditorium. Awiakta’s reading of Selu received a Grammy nomination. The book is in the Quality Paperback Book Club. Alice Walker, Gloria Steinem and Ms. Magazine have featured Awiakta’s work. Awiakta also wrote Abiding Applachia: Where Mountain and Atom Meet and Rising Fawn and the Fire Mystery. Her work has helped her earn a Distinguished Tennessee Writer Award and an award for Outstanding Contribution to Appalachian Literature. Awiakta’s appearance is part of Native American Awareness Week activities at UD.

For more information, contact Shawn Robinson at 937-229-3391.

UD's economic impact

The University of Dayton contributed an estimated $660.8 million to the regional economy in 2005-06, according to a new study conducted by the Southwestern Ohio Council for Higher Education.

The University’s impact on the local economy represented nearly a quarter (22 percent) of the total $2.95 billion impact from 19 colleges and universities in the SOCHE study. The report looked at operating expenses, payroll and benefits, and capital expenses.

“The University of Dayton is proud to be one of the leading contributors to the local economy,” said UD President Daniel J. Curran. “All of these expenditures enhance the learning-living environment for our students while helping to support the regional economy.”

The report also notes that a significant portion of UD’s economic impact comes from money the University draws from outside the region from students, contributions and other revenues. As a top-tier national university, UD draws students from throughout Ohio, the nation and the world to its location within the city of Dayton. Much of its approximately $74 million annual sponsored research base is federally funded.

“These students bring new money into the region, and the University also attracts contributions and other types of revenues from outside. This is a cash inflow to the region, i.e. new money,” according to an analysis prepared by the Economics Center for Education and Research at the University of Cincinnati.

“This new money accounts for an estimated $495.2 million (74.9 percent) of the (University’s) total economic impact of $660.8 million,” the report said. “This new money is very important for its role in replenishing the local economy.”

“In addition, colleges and universities provide community benefits such as social and human capital, creativity, culture and arts, and numerous other resources that contribute to a higher quality of living,” said Sean Creighton, SOCHE executive director. “While other industries slow down, higher education continues to evolve and contribute significantly to the vibrancy of the region.”

The report indicated that the University’s direct expenditures – including payroll and benefits and operating and capital expenses – totaled $340.9 million. The report’s analysis calculated what it described as the “ripple effect” of UD’s direct and indirect economic impact of $660.8 million.

SOCHE is a consortium of colleges and universities in a 10-county area in southwestern Ohio; 19 of the 21 SOCHE members participated in the study.

In a national ranking issued last fall, the University of Dayton ranked third in the “extraordinary efforts” it makes to the renewal and revitalization of its surrounding community. The “Saviors of Our Cities” list recognizes the top 25 universities and colleges that are “exemplary examples of community revitalization and cultural renewal, economic drivers of the local economy, advocates of community service and urban developers, both commercially as well as in housing.”

The study is available online at http://www.soche.org.

Armed services blood drive

The University of Dayton will host a campus and community blood drive in support of the Armed Services Blood Program from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. on Friday, Sept. 28 in O’Reilly Hall.

Sponsored by UD’s ROTC and Pershing Rifles groups in partnership with the Armed Services Blood Program, the drive is open to anyone in the community. All blood donors will receive a free T-shirt and refreshments after their donation.

According to blood drive coordinator P.J. Sullivan, a pint of blood from one donor can save up to three lives.

“The UD community is always supportive of the ROTC and in the past has supported the American military at large,” said Sullivan, an ROTC student.

Last spring, ROTC, Pershing Rifles and the Armed Services Blood Program, which transports blood to the troops, held their first blood drive.

“Giving blood is a great way to show solidarity with the troops,” Sullivan said.

Appointments are encouraged, but not necessary. To schedule an appointment go to http://wpmc1.wpafb.af.mil/BloodDonorCal/. For more information, call 937-229-3326.

Café Operetta

With arias and antipasto, the University of Dayton music department will present Café Operetta - An Italian Evening, a new event open to the public to help fund scholarships for UD music students.

Selections of Italian music by Puccini, Donizetti, Verdi, Gabrielli and others will be performed 8 p.m. Saturday, Oct. 6 in the Kennedy Union ballroom.

The event will feature performances by UD operatic performing groups including the University of Dayton Opera Workshop, co-directed by Linda Snyder and David Sievers; the University Chorale, conducted by Robert Jones; the University Orchestra, conducted by Jiang Liu; and a horn quartet, coached by Cynthia Carr.

Artist-in-residence in guitar Jim McCutcheon will be special guest soloist.

“The event shows a high degree of collaboration between students and faculty among instruments and vocal ensembles,” Snyder said.

The event will showcase three senior soloists, Shannon LaRue, soprano; Lauren Cushman, soprano; and Todd Bodey, tenor. In addition to directing the opera workshop, soprano Snyder and tenor Sievers will also perform solos.

Sievers will dedicate his solo to the late Luciano Pavarotti. The evening will close with the party scene from Verdi’s La Traviata.

“This benefit provides us with an opportunity to bring recognition to our UD students whose performances enhance our culture on campus and in the Dayton community,” Snyder said.

The music scholarships are given to University of Dayton students who major or minor in a music ensemble. Students must audition for the scholarships.

Tickets are $25 each and include Italian antipasto, desserts and beverages. A cash bar will be available. Space is limited. For tickets call 937-229-2902.

Beyond winning

Pete Luongo, executive director of the Center for Leadership and Executive Development, has written a management book that goes beyond the spreadsheet to the heart of an organization — its people.

Pete Luongo has turned the management creed he developed at The Berry Co. into a newly published book, 10 Truths About Leadership…It's Not Just About Winning (Clerisy Press).

He will talk about his principles of leadership at a booksigning from 6 to 7 p.m. Tuesday, Sept. 18, at Books and Co. at The Greene.

''It's not winning at all costs. People get too caught up in the end game. It's about behavior, not results,'' said Luongo, retired president and CEO of the yellow page advertising agency. He currently serves as executive director of the Center for Leadership and Executive Development and as a trustee at the University of Dayton.

''Our society is so focused on winning that this obsession negatively influences all phases of our lives, from our professional careers to parenthood to everything in between,'' he said. ''When the corporate world is a poster child for greed, how do you avoid compromising your core values?"

Luongo argues that corporations do not fail or succeed because of the economy, competition or emerging technology. ''They fail because of their inability to care,'' he wrote. ''I believe the only time we realize our dreams is when we help others realize their dreams. When we help people get in the right circumstances to maximize their God-given talent, provide them whatever tools and support they need to be successful, make certain there is a clear understanding of expectations, share with them honest and open feedback, and finally allow them to be accountable and responsible for their own destiny…only then will we have mastered the model."

A charismatic and witty speaker, Luongo said that a number of executives at management seminars asked him to write a book about his workplace philosophy.

Publisher Richard Hunt, a fellow University of Dayton graduate, helped him shape the book -- and eventually published it. ''I typed out my two-hour keynote talk and handed it to Richard, who said, 'We wouldn't want to write the book for you. What we do is help you write the book.' I wrote 12 to 14 hours every Sunday over the next 10 months, meeting Richard halfway every Wednesday to review the work, edit it and prepare a draft for review the following week,'' Luongo said.

Curt W. Coffman, co-author of The New York Times' bestseller, First, Break All the Rules, said Luongo's book stands out among ''the thousands of leadership books that have come to swim in the pools of bookstores everywhere." In the book's foreward, he calls the work ''refreshing'' and ''a time-tested, proven course illuminating the golden thread connecting every person to a life of excellence and purpose."

Luongo, who graduated from UD in 1965 with a degree in communication, dedicated the book to his alma mater. ''It was during those formative years as a student that I learned we are ultimately judged by our willingness to make a difference in other people's lives,'' he wrote.

Today, Luongo volunteers as an executive-in-residence at the University of Dayton, where he teaches and leads a center that offers executive development programs. He also co-teaches a life skills course for UD athletes. In the Dayton community, he chaired the United Way campaign in 2003 and currently serves as board chair. He's also vice chair of the board of trustees at Greene Memorial Hospital and serves as a trustee of the Dayton Development Coalition.

To learn more about Luongo's book, click here.

Contact Pete Luongo at 937-344-3000 or pete@petespeaks.com.

Blues and news from New Orleans

The music of a resilient New Orleans comes to the University of Dayton when Delta blues harmonica player J.D. Hill takes the stage at 7:30 p.m. Friday, Sept. 21 in Sears Recital Hall at the 15th annual Humanities Symposium.

Hill, who received one of the first homes in Habitat for Humanity's New Orleans Musicians' Village after Hurricane Katrina, will be accompanied by guitarist Kenny Holladay.

After their performance in Sears Hall, which includes "Babe You Don't Have to Go," "Ain't Got a Home" and "Highway 39," they'll move on to ArtStreet, where they'll jam with music professor Willie Morris III, Eric Suttman and UD students.

Hill comes to campus as part of the 15th annual Humanities Symposium, “Race, Class and History: New Orleans Post Katrina," and will be joined on stage by the Rev. Inman Houston, director of the Habitat for Humanity Musicians’ Village.

Houston, a pastor at the First Baptist Church of New Orleans, will speak about the role of faith communities in reconstructing New Orleans and about Musicians Village, a 70-home project for low-income musicians and those displaced by the hurricane.

Hill, who performed for President Bush when he visited Musicians’ Village in 2006, has been featured in Rolling Stone, recently filmed a commercial with Harry Connick Jr. for Lincoln Continental and will appear in an episode of This Old House on PBS.

For more information call 937-229-3490 or go to http://universityofdayton.blogs.com/newsinfo/2007/08/race-class-and-.html.

ArtBeat on ArtStreet

Some of Dayton’s best-known fine arts organizations will perform at the University of Dayton for the fourth annual ArtBeat Festival 4 to 8 p.m. Friday, Sept. 28 at ArtStreet.

The ArtBeat Festival is free and open to the public, sponsored by ArtStreet, UD’s living/learning arts complex located at Kiefaber and Lawnview streets in the South Student Neighborhood.

The entertainment lineup includes Dayton Contemporary Dance Company, a quintet from the Dayton Philharmonic Orchestra, the Dayton Jazz Ensemble and Rhythm In Shoes. Also featured will be No Intermission, a vocal group performing selections from upcoming shows at the Schuster Center and Victoria Theatre; SMAG Dance Collective; and "Selections from 365 Days/ 365 Plays by Suzan-Lori Parks", performed by UD theatre students.

“This year’s festival will help acquaint UD students with the wealth of arts in Dayton, as well as draw Dayton community members to the UD campus. In addition to the performances, ArtBeat will include information tables promoting a variety of Dayton arts organizations,” said Susan Byrnes, festival organizer and director of ArtStreet.

ArtBeat will also host student and local artists selling their work, as well as student organizations selling refreshments to raise funds for charitable causes, she said.

For more information on the ArtBeat Festival, or for directions and parking information, visit the ArtStreet website at http://artstreet.udayton.edu, call 937-229-5101, or email artstreet@udayton.edu.

Garrett's leaf

The University of Dayton on Sunday, Sept. 16 will dedicate a garden memorial to recent graduate Garrett Loiselle, 22, who died in May of cardiac arrest in Florida.

Friends and family of Loiselle, of Normal, Ill., will remember him with a Mass at 10 a.m., Sunday, Sept. 16 in the Immaculate Conception Chapel on the UD campus, followed by the dedication of a leaf memorial in the Serenity Pines Garden, located on the hillside below Marycrest and Gosiger halls. A luncheon in Torch Lounge at Kennedy Union will follow the dedication.

Loiselle died May 12 during a spring trip to Daytona Beach, Fla., of natural causes related to an enlarged heart.

The son of Kerry and Paula Loiselle, he graduated from UD with a bachelor’s degree in finance in May. His sister, Lauren, began her third year at UD this fall.

An active campus

Upcoming events focus on race, politics, Hurricane Katrina, Iraq, law, and violence and health awareness.

FIRST U.S.-BORN MEMBER OF AN AUSTRALIAN PARLIAMENT TO SPEAK — University of Dayton graduate Kristina Kerscher Keneally will discuss Catholics, Protestants and Australian politics at 7 p.m. Wednesday, Sept. 12, in UD’s Science Center Auditorium. The event is free and open to the public. Keneally is the first U.S.-born member of the New South Wales parliament, the country's first and oldest state legislature. She currently is Minister for Aging and Disability, a department that administers social services to more than a million people.

PRESIDENTIAL PERFORMER WILL DISCUSS HURRICANE KATRINA — Musician J.D. Hill, who performed for President George W. Bush and First Lady Laura Bush when he received the first house in New Orleans’ Musicians’ Village, will discuss the role of faith communities in reconstructing New Orleans. The Rev. Inman Houston, director of the Habitat for Humanity Musicians’ Village, will join Hill at 7:30 p.m. Friday, Sept. 21, in UD’s Sears Recital Hall. The event, which is part of the 15th annual Humanities Symposium, is free and open to the public. This year’s title is “Race, Class and History: New Orleans Post-Katrina.” For more information, call 937-229-3490.

LAW SCHOOL TO CELEBRATE RED MASS SEPT. 22 —The UD School of Law and Catholic judges of the Dayton area will celebrate a Red Mass at 5 p.m. Saturday, Sept. 22, at UD’s Immaculate Conception Chapel. The Rev. Chris Wittmann, S.M., director of UD Campus Ministry, will celebrate the Mass, which is open to the public. It’s the second year UD has hosted the Mass that legal professionals and academics nationwide hold annually to request guidance from the Holy Spirit for all who seek justice. Red Masses usually coincide with the opening of the U.S. Supreme Court on the first Monday in October. Members of Congress, the U.S. Supreme Court and other government officials have a Red Mass annually in the Cathedral of St. Matthew the Apostle in Washington, D.C. Service and justice are key components of the School of Law’s award-winning Lawyer as Problem Solver curriculum. The program helps students apply their legal knowledge to help solve problems for their clients, communities and the world. UD ensures students will have those skills by requiring an externship — a semester of work with a licensed attorney. UD law school officials believe UD is just one of a handful of schools that requires an externship for graduation.

STOP HATE WEEK: BUILD A STRONGER UD; SEPT. 24-28 — In its third year, Stop Hate Week is designed to create awareness of bias, bigotry and hate throughout society. The week also provides information about the availability of UD’s Web site as a safe place to report incidents of bias and hate that occur on campus. Events, which are free and open to the public, include movies with themes surrounding gender, race, sexual orientation and ethnicity — Race Is The Place and People Like Us — panel discussions, talks and an art exhibition. The art exhibit “HATE: Artistic Expressions by Students” runs 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. each day in Kennedy Union’s Torch Lounge. Students will view and discuss Race Is The Place from 6-8 p.m. Monday, Sept. 24, on the first floor of the Roesch Library. An intercultural speed meet is 5-7 p.m. Tuesday, Sept. 25, in the Kennedy Union field. The speed meet is billed as an opportunity to meet international friends and enjoy international food. Students will view and discuss People Like Us, a film about social class issues in the U.S., 7-9 p.m. Wednesday, Sept. 26, in the Sears Recital Hall. Tim Wise, author of White Like Me: Reflections on Race from a Privileged Son, will deliver the week’s keynote address, “Race is Not a Card: Confronting the Reality of Racism and White Denial in the U.S.” at 7:30 p.m. Thursday, Sept. 27, in the Kennedy Union ballroom. This presentation examines the way in which racism, especially subtle and institutionalized forms, continue to plague life in the United States.

VIOLENCE PREVENTION EXPERT KICKS OFF UD DISTINGUISHED SPEAKERS SERIES — Gail Dines, a professor of sociology and women’s studies at Wheelock College in Boston and frequent speaker at college conferences about violence prevention, will kick off the University of Dayton’s Distinguished Speakers Series at 8 p.m. Tuesday, Oct. 2, in UD’s Kennedy Union. The talk is free and open to the public. Dines, who is a regular guest on Entertainment Tonight, ABC News and National Public Radio, has worked with Hollywood studios to help create progressive images of women on national television. She also lectures on pop culture and teenage sexuality to high schools and community groups, and has written numerous articles on pornography, media images of women and representations of race in pop culture. The UD Women’s Center, UD’s women's and gender studies program and UD’s department of sociology, anthropology and social work will co-sponsor Dines’ appearance.

11TH ANNUAL CONCERT AT UD WILL BENEFIT BREAST CANCER RESEARCH — Zeta Tau Alpha sorority will hold its FREEFAHL — Forever Reminding and Educating Every Female About Healthy Living — concert 2-11 p.m. Sunday, Oct. 7, at the University of Dayton’s Art Street Amphitheater. Tickets are $7 and available through the Kennedy Union box office at 937-229-3333. Tickets will be sold in Marycrest and Virginia Kettering residence halls on UD’s campus. The event is open to the public. Free hot dogs, hamburgers, pizza, chips and drinks also will be available. Featured artists include Kristen Key, Wake Hollywood, Welwyn, Julie Roth, Pat Kelly, James Wade, 5 cents a shot and From Midnight On. Entertainment includes a dunk tank and cornhole games. All proceeds go to breast cancer education and awareness. Luminaries will be available for purchase the day of the event in memory of those who have been affected by the illness. Last year, this event raised more than $5,000. For more information or to purchase tickets, contact Mandi Fetters at fetterme@notes.udayton.edu or 330-697-8327.

For more information, contact Shawn Robinson at 937-229-3391. TV cameras are welcome at the Red Mass, but we request that videographers shoot from their shoulders and not use tripods.

Distinguished Speaker Series set

A frequent speaker at college conferences about violence prevention, an internationally known biologist and a former Washington Post Baghdad bureau chief highlight this year’s series. Events are free and open to the public.

A frequent speaker at college conferences about violence prevention, an internationally known biologist and a former Washington Post Baghdad bureau chief highlight this year’s University of Dayton Distinguished Speakers Series.

Distinguished Speakers Series events are free and open to the public.

Gail Dines, a professor of sociology and women’s studies at Wheelock College in Boston, kicks off the series at 8 p.m. Tuesday, Oct. 2, in the Kennedy Union ballroom with “Sex(ism), Love and Identity in a Pornographic Culture.”

Dines, who is a regular guest on Entertainment Tonight, ABC News and National Public Radio, has worked with Hollywood studios to help create progressive images of women on national television.

The UD Women’s Center, UD’s women's and gender studies program and UD’s department of sociology, anthropology and social work will co-sponsor Dines’ appearance.

European Research Council President Fotis Kafatos speaks at 4:30 p.m. Friday, Oct. 26, in Science Center 114.

Kafatos helped develop cDNA synthesis and cloning, and invented the dot-blot, the precursor of DNA microarrays. Active in efforts to promote research and scientific education in the developing world, his current work is on malaria research.

Rajiv Chandrasekaran, a Washington Post national editor who served as Baghdad bureau chief at the start of Operation Iraqi Freedom in 2003, will discuss “Iraq’s Elusive Peace: A Reporter’s View from Inside the Green Zone” at 8 p.m. Wednesday, Feb. 13, in the Kennedy Union ballroom. His book, Imperial Life Inside the Emerald City, also details those experiences.

Before his Baghdad assignment, Chandrasekaran was The Washington Post's Cairo bureau chief, Southeast Asia correspondent and helped cover the war in Afghanistan. He now heads The Washington Post's Continuous News department, which provides breaking news stories to the paper's Web site, http://www.washingtonpost.com.

For more information on the Distinguished Speakers Series or to request an interview with a speaker, please contact Shawn Robinson at 937-229-3391.