Ohio Northern University

Work benefits local Artists Against Hunger campaign

Ohio Northern University graphic design senior Elizabeth “Lizzy” Dingman’s compelling work for a local organization that combats child hunger earned her an American Graphic Design Award from Graphic Design USA.

Six accomplished alumni were inducted into Ohio Northern University’s 2023 Athletic Hall of Fame during a ceremony and banquet held Friday, Dec. 8, 2023. Inductees included Katie (Weininger) Kuhn, BA ’09; Jackie (Mangola) Price, BS ’12; Stu Levine, BS ’65; Kimi Blewett, BS ’12; J.R. Cipra, BS ’01; and Luke Miller, B.S. ’11.

Feature from www.ONU.edu/news/

A lesser-known fact: tucked away in the picturesque Eastern Ohio hills is an Ohio Northern University-owned locale that provides uncommon residential education opportunities. Totaling 78 acres with two facilities for extended living while learning, Metzger Nature Center is unlike any other college experience.

If you lose touch with your college fraternity brothers after graduation, do you: a) do nothing; b) try to reconnect with them via social media or a phone call after life slows down, or c) surprise them by showing up at their house unannounced 35 years later?

If “c” sounds like the craziest choice, meet three late ’80s Sigma Phi Epsilon brothers from Ohio Northern University.

By all accounts, Dan Meek, BSME ’88, Brian Newberg, BA ’89, and Brian Keckler, BSEE ’89, are decent individuals and reputable professionals—a venture capitalist, an attorney, and a quality manager, respectively.

When the three get together? Surprisingly (or perhaps unsurprisingly), the ONU fraternity brothers transform into jokesters and co-conspirators, reminiscent of their college-aged selves.

During one such gathering of the minds, on a golf course during a global pandemic, the three concocted their most harebrained scheme to date: “The Lost Brothers Project.”

Ohio Northern University has received a $1.19 million Choose Ohio First (COF) grant from the Ohio Department of Education (ODHE) to support students in Science, Technology, Engineering, Math (STEM), and health professions. 

According to the ODHE, Choose Ohio First is an important part of Ohio’s strategy to develop STEM talent in the Buckeye State. The DeWine-Husted administration has committed more than $200 million to STEM and STEM education scholarships over the past five years. 

"The strength of Ohio's economy depends on having a skilled workforce in the STEM fields," said Chancellor Randy Gardner. "Ohio Northern University has done a great job of preparing its STEM scholars, and I am pleased to have Ohio Northern University among the latest Choose Ohio First awardees."

Two Ohio Northern University graduates received young alumni awards during Homecoming Weekend in October 2023.

The William L. Robinson Young Alumni Award was established in 2004 by the Alumni Advisory Board to honor and recognize William L. Robinson and the 50 years he dedicated to impacting Ohio Northern University students. This award recognizes alumni who graduated within the last fifteen years and who demonstrate passion and loyalty toward their profession, community and alma mater.

Pages