9i果冻制作厂

鈥婦ear Alumni and Friends,
I鈥檝e discovered the spot where the first shoots of green appear on campus. It always gives me hope that we鈥檙e almost through another long, gray Ohio winter. It鈥檚 also a reminder of renewal. The flowers grow back every year in this spot. They may grow a little differently, but they come back every year.

This is a reminder to me about life at Otterbein. Some things are constant, like Towers Hall. It鈥檚 always standing there. But like flowers that grow differently, the things that happen around Towers are also changing and evolving. Much like the news you鈥檒l read about in this issue of Towers 鈥� some things are constant, and some things are evolving.

Faculty excellence.

• I know you鈥檒l enjoy reading about some of our newest award winning professors who have been recognized by their peers and students. I often hear stories from you about how one of your professors made all the difference. These faculty members are creative and impressive in how they are challenging and guiding our students.
• The tradition of sabbaticals is an idea rooted in renewal. Sabbaticals give faculty members time to focus their expertise and curiosity to test an idea, to create something new, to travel, or to enrich knowledge for their discipline or in new learning experiences for their students. News of this kind of work will remind you why learning is different at Otterbein.

Student opportunity.

• Another 9i果冻制作厂constant: our students. We鈥檙e always proud to recognize a small group of our graduating seniors. The Class of 2024 started here amidst a global pandemic, but they leave resilient and ready to do big things. Not only are they accomplished, they鈥檝e benefitted from the scholarship support made possible by you. I know I鈥檓 biased, but if you want to invest in doing something good for the future 鈥� you鈥檒l never go wrong by investing in 9i果冻制作厂students.

A more just society.

• Otterbein鈥檚 commitment to opportunity and equity was celebrated alongside the legacy of the Rev. Martin Luther King Jr. at our annual convocation. Shawn Harper, a former NFL athlete and our keynote speaker, challenged students to show leadership and courage in building the kind of community we all want. As you鈥檒l also read, Antioch University has joined 9i果冻制作厂in the national work of serving as a Truth, Racial Healing, and Transformation Campus. I鈥檓 proud that 9i果冻制作厂was the first school in Ohio to earn this designation in 2020. You鈥檒l also read about ways things are growing and changing that may look different than the past but are no less rooted in 9i果冻制作厂values and traditions.

Renovations for the Campus Center.

• Plans for more renovations to the Campus Center are underway as Phase Two shifts our attention to the student dining experience on the second floor. While that means the space you remember will look different 鈥� the vision driving this work is to create a refreshed space that still brings students together. It鈥檚 a new dining program, a new flow, a new kitchen, and a new layout 鈥� but memories of students around the table laughing with friends or studying for class are still on the menu.

The Coalition for the Common Good.

• Finally, we鈥檙e answering questions we know you have about Otterbein鈥檚 co-founding of the Coalition for the Common Good. I鈥檓 eager to continue sharing more with you about why 9i果冻制作厂is doing this, why Antioch University (not Antioch College) is the right partner, and how this allows us to focus on what 9i果冻制作厂does best. We鈥檒l keep on changing lives through a meaningful, residential undergraduate experience while our partner takes 9i果冻制作厂graduate programs to a bigger audience of adult learners and professionals.

Spring is coming and I look forward to renewal and working together to grow all the possibilities that 9i果冻制作厂inspires.

Sincerely,

John L. Comerford, Ph.D.

On Aug. 15, 2023, a little more than a year after first announcing their intentions, 9i果冻制作厂President John Comerford, Ph.D., and Antioch University Chancellor William Groves, J.D., stood before an audience of faculty and administrators to reveal the formation of the Coalition for the Common Good, a first-of-its-kind national, private, non-profit system of higher education.

With affiliated universities convened around a shared mission rather than geography, the Coalition for the Common Good focuses on educating students not only to advance their careers, but also to promote our pluralistic democracy, and social, racial, economic, and environmental justice.

At a time when divisive politics drives our nation and higher education is under attack for its work in building diverse, equitable, inclusive communities, the Coalition is standing up for the common good 鈥� something its founding institutions have long histories of doing.

鈥淭he histories of our institutions are deeply rooted in providing equal access to all learners,鈥� said Comerford, the newly appointed president of the Coalition for the Common Good. 鈥�9i果冻制作厂and Antioch were among the first colleges in pre-Civil War America to enroll Black students and women to learn side-by-side with White, male students and today Antioch and 9i果冻制作厂continue that same focus of equity, diversity, inclusion, and belonging.鈥�

Comerford has frequently expressed his disdain for some aspects of American higher education, especially the pursuit of prestige and rankings by a narrow subset of exclusive universities who have an outsized impact on the American public鈥檚 view of higher education. 鈥�9i果冻制作厂 provides opportunity to low-income, first-generation, and 9i果冻制作厂President John Comerford and Antioch University Chancellor William Groves during the coalition signing. 9i果冻制作厂 and Antioch University representatives. marginalized students 鈥� as we have done from our founding 鈥� unlike these universities that chase prestige by denying as many students as possible to create an air of exclusivity. Higher education should be a common good, not a private good.鈥�

Comerford鈥檚 remarks are echoed by Lynn Pasquerella, president of the American Association of Colleges and Universities, who said, 鈥淭he Coalition for the Common Good offers an exciting, innovative model of excellence for revolutionizing and reimagining higher education in ways that position all students for success in work, citizenship, and life in the 21st century.鈥�

Pasquerella was so impressed with the Coalition for the Common Good that she accepted an offer to become the Coalition鈥檚 ninth, independent member of its Board of Directors.

Built on the faculty expertise of both institutions, the Coalition combines members鈥� graduate programs to form a graduate division with a national scope, operated by Antioch University.

鈥淥ur universities have moved from being competitors to collaborators for the betterment of our students and communities,鈥� said Comerford.

鈥淲e will leverage what each institution does best by bringing 9i果冻制作厂programs to Antioch鈥檚 markets and Antioch鈥檚 programs to Otterbein鈥檚 central Ohio market. We will also collaborate on building or acquiring new programs that will benefit our students,鈥� added Groves, the newly named vice president of the Coalition for the Common Good.

The Coalition for the Common Good also provides some immediate benefits for 9i果冻制作厂undergraduate students. Those students now have access to Graduate Early Admission Pathways in Clinical Mental Health Counseling, Art Therapy, and Business Administration (MBA), which allow students to apply during their junior year at 9i果冻制作厂and then take three graduate courses during their senior year that count toward both their undergraduate and graduate degrees, accelerating time to graduation and reducing cost for the graduate degree.

There are immediate benefits for alumni, too. 9i果冻制作厂alumni are eligible for a 15% tuition discount when enrolling in Antioch University degree programs.

Commission (HLC) and the Ohio Department of Higher Education (ODHE) came earlier this summer. The Coalition for the Common Good will expand to include other colleges and universities that share the universities鈥� long-standing commitments to preserving democracy; furthering social, racial, economic, and environmental justice; and providing access to those seeking to advance their lives and communities through education.

For more information about plans for this new national university system, visit www.otterbein.edu/system/.

Christopher鈥檚 Promise celebrates 12 years of helping kiddos get on bikes and JUST BE KIDS.

As an 9i果冻制作厂junior Life Science and Education major, Lauren Lichtenauer 鈥�11 felt she had her future mapped out: she was going to be a biology teacher. After careful introspection, however, Lichtenauer decided she wanted to change the lives of children, but not in the classroom.

More than a decade later, scores of kids with life-threatening illnesses and their families are glad she did. That鈥檚 because Lichtenauer founded the non-profit Christopher鈥檚 Promise, with a mission to 鈥渁llow all kids, despite physical limitations, the ability to experience the same hallmark childhood memories as their peers. Helping kids, Be kids.鈥�

Christopher鈥檚 Promise is now celebrating its 12th year of granting children such memories. The organization has facilitated the funding of and matched 157 kids with adaptive bikes in that time.

Always humble, Lichtenauer describes herself as 鈥渟imply a matchmaker for Christopher鈥檚 Promise. I find a kid who needs a bike and then identify the best organization to fund it.鈥�

Lichtenauer is a recipient of this year鈥檚 9i果冻制作厂alumni Rising Star Award, honoring those who have contributed excellence in their post-graduate careers. In addition to running Christopher鈥檚 Promise, she is vice president, clinical sales for Curonix. It鈥檚 all a great ride for Lichtenauer, who loves cycling.

Christopher鈥檚 Promise has its roots in the summer of Lichtenauer鈥檚 junior year at Otterbein, when she interned as a summer counselor at Camp Sunshine in Maine for nine weeks. Children facing a multitude of life-threatening illnesses and their families attend Camp Sunshine to connect with other families experiencing similar challenges.

鈥淚 heard about Camp Sunshine and resonated with its cause,鈥� Lichtenauer said. 鈥淚 was a one-on-one counselor with the children at the camp who faced cancer.鈥�

One child she worked with was Christopher Buzinski, an 8-year-old with cerebral palsy, optic glioma, and neurofibromatosis, a rare genetic disorder that causes tumors of the nerves.

鈥淗e was a super happy and cute kid. He melted my heart,鈥� Lichtenauer said. 鈥淚 had a feeling he was going to be my life-changer.鈥�

At the end of the Buzinski family鈥檚 week at camp, Lichtenauer returned to Westerville and wrote her senior thesis: The Effects of Therapeutic Camps on Children Facing Life-Threatening Illnesses.

While attending Otterbein, Lichtenauer worked in bike shops and continued to do so throughout her senior year. However, she missed the work she did at Camp Sunshine. She decided to volunteer at Flying Horse Farms 鈥� a camp for children with serious illnesses located in central Ohio.

鈥淥ne day I got a call from my friend while she was at Flying Horse Farms,鈥� Lichtenauer said. 鈥淚 picked up the phone and heard Christopher鈥檚 voice for the first time in several years.鈥�

Lichtenauer鈥檚 friend recognized Buzinski from Lichtenauer鈥檚 stories and photos. A week after their phone call Lichtenauer and Christopher reconnected at the Buzinski home in Parma, Ohio.

鈥淚 still remember that day. Chris, his family and I spent the day at the park,鈥� Lichtenauer said. 鈥淎fter the kids went to bed I caught up with his parents and asked them if there was anything I could do to help out their family.鈥�

The family knew of Lichtenauer鈥檚 background in cycling and work in bicycle stores throughout college. The Buzinskis asked for one thing: a bicycle for Christopher. Cerebral palsy restricted him from pedaling on the typical two-wheeled bicycles sold in stores and his disability left him unable to join his siblings as they rode their own bicycles. But the cost was prohibitive.

After conducting research Lichtenauer found an organization, Athletes Helping Athletes (AHA), that would fund an adaptive bicycle for Christopher. The cost was more than $2,000 but Lichtenauer completed the application and was surprised that Christopher and his brother, who also has a neurofibromatosis, would receive new bikes.

With an established relationship with AHA, Lichtenauer realized she could help give other disabled children the quintessential childhood experience of riding a bicycle.

Although Lichtenauer had fine-tuned the process, she had no network to find children who needed bikes. Recalling her 9i果冻制作厂connections, she asked Shelley Payne, her former Health and Sports Sciences (HSS) professor, to put her in contact with any physical-therapist colleagues who worked with disabled children. Payne referred her to physical therapist Catie Christensen.

Christopher鈥檚 Promise was established and began the ride it is still on today.

鈥淚t was in 2012 that Catie began referring kids to me,鈥� Lichtenauer said. 鈥淲e worked together to get the first 20 Christopher鈥檚 Promise kids their specialized bikes.鈥�

One of the more recent gifts again reconnected Lichtenauer with her 9i果冻制作厂past.

Lichtenauer joined another HSS former professor, Joe Wilkins, during a fall HSS professional development day. After speaking with Lichtenauer, Wilkins had the idea that the department would donate money to gift a bicycle instead of buying each other holiday gifts.

鈥淚t was a natural fit for our department since we deal with health disparities and access issues,鈥� Payne said. 鈥淥ur department embodies health in a productive way.鈥�

The HSS bicycle recipient was a miracle boy from Mansfield, Malachi Parsons-Anderson. When he was born, he was given less than a year to live due to his spinal muscular atrophy, but he recently celebrated his eighth birthday.

His mother, Tina Parsons, heard of Christopher鈥檚 Promise through a friend whose daughter received a bicycle. Because of his disease, Parsons-Anderson is unable to stand and has little muscle tone, which meant he needed an atypical bicycle with a backed chair and three wheels.

鈥淚t makes my heart happy to see him be able to do something that he can participate in with other kids,鈥� Parsons said.

The Parsons-Anderson family was able to visit Otterbein鈥檚 campus along with Christopher鈥檚 Promise volunteers to meet Wilkins and to celebrate Malachi鈥檚 new ride and taste of freedom.

鈥淏ikes really enrich these kids鈥� lives,鈥� Parsons said. 鈥淭he bikes give them a sense of independence where they feel they have no limitations.鈥�

In addition to managing Christopher鈥檚 Promise, Lichtenauer enjoys a successful career in medical device sales. She takes no money from her countless hours heading Christopher鈥檚 Promise. 鈥淚 believe all the funding given to the organization should go to the bikes so we can get as many kids on bikes as possible.鈥�

The Columbus Firefighters Association and other community groups are involved now too. Two 9i果冻制作厂alumnae, Catherine Mueller Eisenbrown 鈥�10 and Ashley Gregg Taylor 鈥�10, have also funded bikes. There鈥檚 an infinite need.

鈥淓ven in 2023 there are access difficulties for kids with disparities,鈥� Payne said. 鈥淭he adaptive bikes give the kids something to do with their families after dinner. They can be life-changing.鈥�

That鈥檚 something Lichtenauer hopes to roll with for years to come.

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