Fine Arts Fund and Haile Foundation partner to bring new donors to the arts

ArtWorks is bringing TOM back to Cincy and greening things up

The Outdoor Museum (TOM) is back.  And this year it's going green."Green is everywhere," says TOM curator Kip Eagen.  "It is a color, but it has also become a movement and a cause.  It is a way a person chooses to live their life in a sometimes wasteful world. We all know the word ‘green’, but we asked how it could be expressed with meaning, resonance and power so it becomes much more than a buzzword or a slogan." TOM, a project put on by ArtWorks, presented by Duke Energy and hosted at Eden Park, is an outdoor exhibition of thirty billboard-sized pieces of graphic art created by twelve gifted teenagers involved in the ArtWorks summer program, in partnership with twelve local design firms dedicating their time to serve as professional mentors to the teens.These firms include Brandimage – Desgrippes & Laga, Barefoot, City of Cincinnati, Coho Creative LLC, FRCH Design Worldwide, Jack Rouse Associates, Landor Associates, LPK, Mahan Advertising, Inc., Powerhouse Factories, Tin Box Studio, Inc., and Whizbang.Alongside a great chance for professional development, the teens and their mentors were given the task of exploring what it really means for the world to go green."That was the challenge placed before the teen apprentices in the summer of 2008," Eagen says.  "Visitors to TOM will see how the twelve teens and twelve local graphic design firms interpreted ‘green’ and answered that challenge."  The journey to the final exhibition was a rigorous one, beginning last summer.Every design firm gave an average of 10 hours to work alongside one teen during the summer of 2008.  Through this collaboration, each teen Artist Apprentice created a minimum of three designs, from which the final 30 works for the exhibition were selected.Ultimately, the process of creating this year's green exposition was mutually rewarding for both the teens and their mentors."I learned a lot of important skills like problem solving, decision making, how to convey a message and about composition," said Kat Swenski, one of the Apprentice Artists. Patti Bresler, a professional mentor who works at Brandimage – Desgrippes & Laga adds, "I was pleased that ‘green’ was the topic for this year's TOM design challenge. I believe it helped the teens to have an awareness of the need for sustainability in our world today." A formal dedication celebration for TOM's 2009 green exhibition – presented by ArtWorks, Cincinnati Parks and Brandimage – Desgrippes & Laga – will be held, appropriately, on Earth Day, April 22, at 10:30 am at Mirror Lake in Eden Park.  The event is open to the public.  TOM will be on display from April through September 2009 in three Cincinnati area parks:  Eden Park (April 11 – May 30), Theodore M. Berry International Friendship Park (June 13 – July 26) and Mt. Airy Forest (August 15 – September 27). Writer:  Jonathan DeHartSource:  Allyson Knue, ArtWorks Cincinnati, Patti Bresler, Kat Swenski

Cincy’s Know Theatre tours the nation with Calculus and makes math fun for over 10,000 students

The Cincinnati-based Know Theatre has swept the nation with a play called Calculus: The Musical! that has managed to make math fun for more than 10,000 students.So well has this tour gone that Know Theatre is already booking performances for their 2009 – 2010 tour."In just one season, Calculus: The Musical! has become a flagship of Know Theatre," says managing director Eric Vosmeier.  The special ingredient making this play so unique is its recipe for making math and science entertaining."Math and science based programming is a rarity to start with," Vosmeier says.  "But it’s not often that you hear the kinds of amazing stories we get to hear nearly every time we perform this show. This show helps teachers to teach and students to learn all while making them laugh. It’s amazing." This innovative educational play was first put on by Dan Davidson and Sarah Stephens.  After finishing their stretch of the tour this February, Babs Ipaye and Breona Conrad took the reins for the remaining performances.  Ipaye and Conrad will finish their stretch in May.By the time the tour ends next month, the tour will have visited almost 60 cities and 19 states, from Dallas, Texas to Bedford, Massachusetts.Calculus: The Musical! is the creative child of Sadie Bowman, Know Theatre's Education Coordinator, and high school math teacher Marc Gutman.  Under the company name, Matheatre, Bowman and Gutman wrote and performed the play at Fringe Festivals, schools and conferences around the country between 2006 and 2008.  Through this extensive touring, the play has done a great deal to promote diversity.Surveys show that, of the 10,000 students who have seen Calculus: The Musical!, nearly 15 percent were Asian, 10 percent African-American , 10 percent Hispanic, 60 percent Caucasian and the remaining 5 percent other races or ethnicities.With such a successful showing so far, Know Theatre has planned multiple national tours over the next several years.  "It is a unique and moving experience to see Calculus: The Musical! evolve to this next phase, especially after working on the show for several years," Bowman says.  "I’m pleased to know that the tour is going strong and that so many students are benefiting from the culmination of educational based and theatrical programming."Educational sponsors for Calculus: The Musical! include the Louis and Melba Schott Foundation, Andrew Jergens Foundation, Toyota Foundation, Duke Energy Foundation, Summerfair Foundation and the Ohio Arts Council. Writer:  Jonathan DeHartSource:  Megan Venzin

NKU and Vision 2015 join forces in an effort to bring 50,000 new jobs to the region

Northern Kentucky University and Vision 2015 have teamed up in an initiative to fuel the region’s entrepreneurial spirit. Dubbed the Northern Kentucky Entrepreneurial Alliance (NKYEA), this dynamic collaboration is a key component in attaining Vision 2015 goal for the region: to make entrepreneurship and innovation one of this region’s defining features. Lining up with Vision 2015’s strategic planning for economic development, NKYEA brings together some of Northern Kentucky’s best-known innovators and business incubators in an effort to spur job growth through collaboration, communication and marketing. John Beehler, Associate Provost for Economic Initiatives and Dean of the Haile/US Bank College of Business at NKU developed the idea behind NKYEA as the central go-to place for entrepreneurship in the region. “One of the first things I did when I took the position was to take a look at the players involved with driving economic development for Northern Kentucky,” says Beehler who came to NKU from the Barton School of Business at Wichita State.” Beehler found a number of different agencies working towards creating new growth but little coordination between them. “Looking at landscape I noticed a lot of activities in agencies in region who were providing services to small businesses. When you have multiple organizations doing the same thing it can turn into competition over a coordinated effort.” With Vision 2015’s ambitious goal of creating 50,000 new jobs, Beehler determined that the only way to reach that number was through “coordination, communication and cooperation.” In December of ’08, a core group of key organizations was convened to discuss how to increase the number of small businesses and grow development for Northern Kentucky. “Our key goal is trying to get those who need help to get the help they need to launch their businesses. We need to understand what training these businesses need and figure out how to focus that effort. Economic development and entrepreneurship go hand in hand with the College of Business. I knew it would be important for me to get everyone in the same room and talking about this,” says Beehler. NKYEA’s work has already started thanks to the programs that the region has already had in place. “I’m a firm believer that regions grow by growing their own and that means fostering entrepreneurship. There’s a lot of potential in our region thanks to the fact that we already are a logistical center, a manufacturing center. We don’t have to start from scratch because there’s already a lot of activity on both sides of the river,” says Beehler. The alliance is ready to leverage those resources by identifying key targets in making Northern Kentucky a place where entrepreneurs can create and flourish. Among them include: setting up a clearinghouse for basic entrepreneurship and growth information, facilitating education, training, and mentoring for entrepreneurs and increasing the available capital to fund new and exciting projects. Another major piece of the alliance is marketing the region as a hub for entrepreneurship and leadership. “It’s not enough to have all these tools if you don’t tell anyone about them,” says Beehler. Among those who’ve joined the alliance are: NKU’s Haile/US Bank College of Business (including its Fifth Third Entrepreneurship Institute and International Business Center Global Connections), ezone Innovation and Commercialization Center (ICC), Northern Kentucky Area Development District, Northern Kentucky Chamber of Commerce, Small Business Development Center (SBDC), SCORE, Southbank Partners, Tri-ED, and the Williamstown ICC.    Bill Scheyer, President of Southbank Partners, said NKYEA is the type of targeted alliance the region needs. “We have needed a coordinated effort to spur entrepreneurship in this region for many years. NKYEA gives us the opportunity to work together to make this happen.”  Rebecca White, Director of the Fifth Third Entrepreneurship Institute at NKU, added the alliance is a way to attract and retain some of the region’s brightest students. “As they continue their education and prepare to establish their future businesses, they can get hands-on experience with people facing many issues in establishing and growing their businesses.” Writer:  Feoshia Henderson and Jeff SyroneySource:  John Beehler, Northern Kentucky University

UC’s accounting program pulls number 10 rank in the nation

The University of Cincinnati (UC) has pulled rank again, this time in its accounting program. For the first time UC's accounting program, housed in the College of Business (CoB), has made it into the top 10 nationally in BusinessWeek.  This list is formed from responses to a survey sent to thousands of business majors at over 100 schools around the country.  The students are asked to judge their schools' programs in 12 areas:  ethics, corporate strategy, business law and sustainability."The strength of our accounting program is in providing students a comprehensive, practical and results-based educational experience," says CoB Dean Will McIntosh.  "BusinessWeek’s ranking of our program as one of the top 10 in the nation is evidence that the UC College of Business continues to focus on delivering a business education that is relevant to the marketplace by integrating real industry experience with state-of-the-art curriculum."Some of the schools scoring high in these rankings have surprised many.  But not UC accounting professor Tim Sale. "I’m not surprised — we’ve worked really hard to build a successful program," Sale says.  "We’re trying to prepare our people for the CPA profession. This is a good indication that we’re doing the right thing. We also hear from firms that have hired our students that they like the good work ethic and technical preparation of our students." Ultimately, the connection to the real world of accounting practice is what accounting students at UC value most. For professors, the feeling is mutual. "We appreciate our students’ confidence in us and their understanding that we’re preparing them for their careers," says Associate Professor Jens Stephan, head of the CoB Department of Accounting.  "We go out of our way to provide professional developmental opportunities for them, for example, by partnering with our friends in the accounting profession." Another distinguishing trait of UC's accounting program is its support of special student groups and activities.  A good example is the National Association of Black Accountants, Inc.  Tosha Moorer, president of the NABA's UC chapter says,  "I was in a cooperative business education program as a high-school senior, and began my first brush with accounting there," Moorer says.  "I looked at schools in Ohio for their accounting programs and applied for various scholarships. I got attracted to UC in particular because of the strong faculty and courses offered. I saw that many of the courses offered prepare students for the CPA exam, and that was very important to me."Writer:  Jonathan DeHart Source:  Wendy Beckman, Tosha Moorer, University of Cincinnati

Northern Kentucky developer Drees offers incentives to home-buying

Despite a 41 percent drop in new home sales from last year, Northern Kentucky's Drees Homes is moving forward with plans to begin construction in the northern Ohio city of Independence. Drees also has plans for another, as yet unidentified, Northeast Ohio development of 25 to 30 homes. Where other developers are pulling back, Drees believes their unique purchase incentives will help sell homes. These incentives include an insurance program offering as much as $15,000 to new buyers who lose their jobs. The program was developed to counter fears of losing a job which, in some cases, has prevented prospective buyers from purchasing. To read the full article click here. Source: Cleveland Plain DealerWriter: Jeff Syroney

‘CBS Sunday Morning’ to film at CCM

CBS Sunday Morning is in town next week to shoot interviews and footage of piano lessons, recitals and “Pianopalooza,” a piano concert at the University of Cincinnati’s College-Conservatory of Music. CCM recently invested in 165 Steinway pianos as part of a record-breaking, $4 million deal to make CCM an All-Steinway School. The deal marks the single largest sale in the history of Steinway & Sons. “CBS Sunday Morning” number one Sunday morning news program, with a viewing audience of 5.03 million.   To read the full article click here.

DHL will move back to CVG

DHL Express announced that it will move its U.S. air cargo and package sorting operations back to the Cincinnati/Northern Kentucky International Airport. The move will create an anticipated 830 jobs at the DHL sorting facility in Boone County. All DHL employees in Wilmington will be offered jobs in Northern Kentucky. To read the full article click here.

Start-up company Bexion Pharmaceuticals uses ezone grant money to develop therapies against cancer

Dr. Ray Takigiku, CEO of Northern Kentucky-based Bexion Pharmaceuticals recently appeared on Fifth Third's Business Beat to talk about his company's advancements in cancer treatment and therapy. New funding from the Northern Kentucky ezone will help in taking these advancements out of the lab and into the clinic where they can do the most good for the most people. Cancer research over the past few decades has come a long way. Now with the help of Bexion’s unique approach to tumor therapy, that research shows great promise for a number of cancer treatments. To see the full video, click here. Source: CET ConnectWriter: Jeff Syroney