Ashland University News Center

News Releases

Ashland University Senior Receives Top Student Manuscript Award

Ashland University Student and Seville Native Receives Top Student Manuscript Award

Ashland University senior Jessica Syme of Seville, Ohio, has received the 2019 Student Manuscript Award from the national office of the Institute of Management Accountants (IMA) for her manuscript titled “Journey to my CMA.”

Syme, an accounting major at Ashland University, is a 2015 graduate of Ohio Virtual Academy. Her manuscript, which deals with her journey to receive her Certified Management Accounting certification, was the top one selected from submissions received throughout the United States.

AU’s Spring Band Concert Takes a Musical Journey at Home and Abroad

Ashland University Department of Music presents its final band concert of the 2018-2019 academic year on Sunday, April 28, at 7:30 p.m. in Hugo Young Theatre with the annual Spring Band Concert. Admission to the concert is free and open to all.

The Ashland Area Community Concert Band (AACCB), under the direction of Leonard Salvo, and the Ashland University Symphonic Band directed by Joseph Lewis Jr., will perform a program themed "At Home and Abroad" as it features compositions from various cultures from American marches and a southern hymn to English and Korean folk songs as well as a fiesta. The event also will recognize the senior AU Band members for their dedication and contribution to the AU Band program.

Ashland Seminary to Hold Interfaith Dialogue Series in Columbus

Ashland Theological Seminary is offering an Interfaith Dialogue Series that will feature an evening of unity with a panel discussion surrounding the topic, “Ministering Healing in a Hurting World.” The event, which is free and open to the public, is set for April 30 from 7 to 8:30 p.m. at the AU Columbus Center located at 1900 E. Dubin-Granville Road in Columbus. Those planning to attend need to RSVP at seminary.ashland.edu.

The moderator for the event is Kimberly Brazwell, chief executive officer for KIMISTRY; while panel members will include Vanessa Collier, counselor with New Perspective Counseling; Rev. Renee Wormack Keels, executive director of The Spirituality Network; and Nicol Ghazi, executive director of Muslim Family Services of Ohio. Pat Krebs will serve as emcee for the event.

Ashland University to Hold Open House and Rededication Event for Auriculum

Thanks to a grant from the federal Institute of Museum and Library Services (IMLS) awarded by the State Library of Ohio, the Ashland University Library has scheduled the restoration and rededication of the most recognizable artwork on the Ashland University main campus: John Clague’s Auriculum.

This large and distinctive stainless steel and lead sculpture was assembled on campus in 1973 with support from a federal grant. Clague (1928–2004) intended for Auriculum to complement the new library’s Brutalist architectural style, and to bring “interactive joy” to the AU community by combining visual, auditory and tactile elements in the work.

Ashland University Coburn Gallery Hosts Second Senior Art and Design Student Exhibition

Each spring, the Ashland University Coburn Gallery hosts the Senior Art and Design Exhibition that features the capstone experience for graduating art majors at Ashland University. The second group of graduating seniors in the Department of Art and Design will show their artwork on Tuesday, April 23, with an opening reception from 4:30 to 6:30 p.m. in the Coburn Gallery located in the Center for the Arts on the Ashland University campus.

In addition, the senior art awards will be announced at 5 p.m. at the April 23 reception. This year’s exhibitions, which will run through May 4, include graphic design, illustration, digital art, painting and ceramics.

Drop of a Hat Performs Miscast Musical Theatre Songs

Ashland University Department of Theatre presents the annual showcase concert by the musical theatre revue troupe Drop of a Hat Players on Saturday, April 27, at 2 p.m. in the Studio Theatre in the Center for the Arts. Although the performance is free and open to the public, audience members are encouraged to reserve a free ticket through the Ashland University box office at 419.289.5215 to guarantee a seat in the intimate performance venue. Audiences are also advised that some songs contain adult language and content.

"Miscast" is the theme for this year's showcase which will feature the performers singing and performing musical theatre songs in which they would never be cast. For example, senior theatre major Kathleen Thompson Parker will perform "Pure Imagination" from Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory as Willy Wonka; and freshman political science major Bethany Double will portray King George III in Hamilton's "You'll Be Back."

Ashland University Honors Dr. Dan Fox with Taylor Teaching Award

Ashland University’s Dan Fox, associate professor of business administration in the Dauch College of Business and Economics, is the recipient of AU’s 2019 Taylor Excellence in Teaching Award. AU Interim Provost Dr. Todd Marshall presented the award at AU’s Academic Honors Convocation on Sunday, April 14, in the Jack and Deb Miller Chapel.

The award, first presented in 1997, was endowed by former Jeromesville residents the late Edward and Louaine Taylor as a way of supporting high quality teaching at Ashland University.

Fairy Tales, Comedy & Tragedy at AU’s 2019 Opera Scenes

Every spring the Ashland University Department of Music offers audience members a chance to experience live opera through a variety of scenes from a collection of well-known titles. In 2019, the two evenings of opera scenes will be performed on Thursday, April 25, and Friday, April 26, at 7:30 p.m. in the intimate Studio Theatre at Ashland University. The performances are free and open to the public.

The variety of this year's scenes range from a fairy tale to comedies and a tragedy with many of them featuring story lines of love and romance. One similarity among all four of the operas is the idea of hidden and mistaken identities or masks. Also, all four of these operas are written by well-known composers (Mozart, Verdi, Strauss, and Humperdinck) and their titles (The Marriage of Figaro, La traviata, Die Fledermaus, Hansel and Gretel, respectively) are cornerstones of the opera world.

Fairy Tales, Comedy & Tragedy at AU’s 2019 Opera Scenes

Ashland University ‘Last Lecture’ to feature Mark Nation

On Monday, April 15, at 7 p.m. in Room 115 of the Dauch College of Business and Economics on the Ashland University campus, the Religion Department will celebrate its graduating seniors; induct new members into Theta Alpha Kappa, the religion honors society; and close out the year with lecture by Mark Thiessen Nation, emeritus professor of theology at Eastern Mennonite Seminary and co-author of Bonhoeffer the Assassin?: Challenging the Myth, Recovering His Call to Peacemaking (Baker, 2013).

The lecture, titled “Bonhoeffer and a New Call to Discipleship” is free and open to the public. This is the fifth annual “last lecture,” which is an invitation for a speaker to address the graduating class of Religion majors as if it were their last time to do so.

Jazz at the Nest, Spring Honors & Student Ensemble Recitals Announced

The Department of Music at Ashland University will host a variety of recitals to close the 2019 spring semester including Jazz at the Nest, the semi-annual Honors Recital showcasing the exceptional work by selected vocalists and instrumentalists, and a small ensembles recital that will feature brass, string and woodwind ensembles as well as a jazz combo. All of the concerts are free and open to the public.

The best of Spring 2019 will be showcased at the Honors Recital on Monday, April 15, at 7:30 p.m. in the Elizabeth Pastor Recital Hall. Students who accomplished exceptional musical work during the semester will showcase their vocal and instrumental talents as selected by their private teachers. Performers will include vocalists Michael Cowan, Maggie George, Alli Lange, Maya Rickard and Rebecca Young; while instrumentalists are Kailyn Buyok (violin), Ariane Hill (flute), Jed McFadden (piano), Jacob Moses (clarinet), Christine Shelton (piano) and Eric Watts (composer, tuba).