UTwww.utnews.utoledo.edu NEWSSEPT. 22, 2008 VOLUME 9, ISSUE 5 Retired Irish leader UT gives ‘Extreme’ educational gift to visit University By Matt Lockwood By Jim Winkler don’t even know what to say to you.” arlier this year when Dr. Iognaid G. “I Those were the words from a O’Muircheartaigh retired as president clearly emotional Jackie Frisch as Larry E of the National University of Ireland in Burns, vice president for external affairs, Galway, he vowed to continue to contribute was introduced at a news conference last to education. week to announce The University of Toledo He will do would provide her 11 boys with full tuition just that during scholarships. a two-week stay Many in Toledo have become familiar in Toledo start- with the Frisch family’s story following ing Wednesday, its selection for the ABC show “Extreme Sept. 24, as the Makeover: Home Edition.” University’s third “We believe that our gift will not only president emeritus serve this generation, but it is also the foun- in residence. dation for improving the quality of life for He will meet the next generation,” Burns said. with trustees, Jackie and her husband, Aaron, a senior administra- O’Muircheartaigh Toledo firefighter, have three biological tors, faculty members, students and com- children and have adopted five boys from munity groups. an orphanage in Haiti and three more boys O’Muircheartaigh was president of from here in Toledo. Photo by Daniel Miller NUI for eight years, during which time Producers from the show approached AT HOME: The Frisch family posed for a photo with two local builders, left, who helped construct continued on p. 2 the University about providing the gift a few their new house for ABC’s “Extreme Makeover: Home Edition.” weeks ago. “I talked it over with Dr. [Lloyd] were watching on monitors in a production To take full advantage of the tuition Jacobs and after about two minutes we trailer when Ty Pennington, the show’s host, scholarships, the Frisch boys will have to Pharmacy College decided to do it,” Burns said. “We believe told the family about the scholarships. maintain a 3.0 grade point average at UT it was the right thing to do for a family that “It was a very emotional scene that and file for available state and federal need- receives $1 million clearly values education and serving its reaffirmed our decision,” Burns said. “I’m based funds. gift for construction community.” not sure how they will edit the program, but The Frisch’s ranch home in north The gesture also should earn UT some it would be a great way to end it.” Toledo was demolished and replaced with By Charisse N. Montgomery national exposure when the episode is Two of the Frisch boys are 18 and at a more-than-4,000-square-foot, five-bed- he UT College of Pharmacy received a scheduled to air in November. the news conference told Burns they would room, five-bath home worth an estimated Tlead gift for its new building — a Burns and other UT administrators see him next year. $500,000. $1 million donation from Discount Drug Mart Inc., an Ohio-owned and operated retail pharmacy. The gift will provide $200,000 in scholarship enhancements and build eight state-of-the-art laboratories for pharmacy students in the new 54,000-square-foot pharmacy building set to be completed on UT’s Health Science Campus in 2010. “Discount Drug Mart’s generous gift will have a tremendous impact on pharmacy students and the future of pharmacy educa- tion in Ohio,” said Dr. Johnnie L. Early II, dean of the College of Pharmacy. “This contribution will help to enhance PICNIC ON THE MALL: Posing for a photo education and advance patient care at The last week at the President’s Backyard BBQ continued on p. 3 were, from left, seniors Lauren Miller, Linda Mierzwinski and Noelle Zalar. The event was held in conjunction with the opening Things you need to celebration of the renovated Memorial Field know … p. 8 House. See photos on page 4. Photo by Jack Meade Photo by SEPT. 22, 2008 NEWS Director to read poem at Kennedy Center in Washington, D.C. By Jon Strunk Dr. Jim Ferris, Ability Center of fessor of communication, said that while Greater Toledo Endowed Chair in Disabili- strides have been made over the last 50 Poems With Disabilities ty Studies, will read his poem titled “Poems years with the impetus generated from the By Dr. Jim Ferris With Disabilities” Thursday, Sept. 25, at disability rights movement, work done by the Kennedy Center in Washington, D.C., disabled artists too often is viewed through I’m sorry — this space is reserved for poems with disabilities. I know it’s one of the best spaces in the book, but the Poems with Disabilities Act requires us to make all reasonable accommodations for poems that aren’t normal. There is a nice space just a few pages over — in fact (don’t tell anyone) I think it’s better than this one, I myself prefer it. Actually I don’t see any of those poems right now myself, but you never know when one might show up, so we have to keep this space open. You can’t always tell just from looking at them, either. Sometimes they’ll look just like a regular poem when they roll in — you’re reading along and suddenly everything changes, the world tilts a little, angle of vision jumps, focus shifts. You remember Photo by Daniel Miller your aunt died of cancer at just your age Ferris and maybe yesterday’s twinge means as part of a larger event celebrating artistic the lens of pity rather than on its own something after all. Your sloppy, accomplishment by people with disabilities. terms. fragile heart beats “The arts are our highest expression of The Kennedy Center event, which is a little faster what it means to be human, and disability is presented by the disability arts organization and then you know. a key part of what it means to be human,” VSA arts, may help to change that. You just know. Ferris said. “Disability arts are part of the “It’s important to dispel the mistaken And the poem tapestry of human experience that has been idea that disability means incompetence,” is right left mostly unexplored.” he said. “Crip artists are producing work where it Ferris, who directs the UT Disability that is as good if not better than anything belongs. Studies Program and is an associate pro- else out there.” Irish leader Construction on UTMC heart center continued from p. 1 affects traffic patterns he earned a reputation as an outstanding the role universities can play in the new By Kim Harvey fundraiser, political liaison and consensus- knowledge-based economy, and how univer- builder among faculty and staff, and helped sities can become more student-centered are onstruction on the Heart and Vascular “We’ve posted yellow and blue signs that propel the 153-year-old university into particularly relevant for faculty and staff at CCenter at The University of Toledo will direct traffic accordingly.” one of the best in Europe, with world-class The University of Toledo.” Medical Center is altering traffic patterns on Construction of the Heart and Vascular research centers in biomedical sciences and Ireland, part of the European Union Health Science Campus. Center will take place on the first floor of regenerative medicine, information technol- since 1972, now has one of the strongest As of Friday morning, traffic that UTMC’s northwest corner. “We’re erecting ogy and human rights, and state-of-the-art, economies in Europe, thanks to embrac- usually enters through the west entrance a construction barrier between the patient student-centered teaching, research, sport ing the global economy, developing strong near the emergency department was being registration area and the construction area to and recreational facilities. And the universi- ties between business and education, and re-routed to the east entrance. The emer- keep noise at a minimum,” Sheets said. “But ty has earned a reputation as one of the best benefiting from an educated work force and gency entrance will remain open during the with any construction site, a certain amount places in Ireland at which to be a student. links to top-notch universities. projected six months of construction. of noise is to be expected.” He was a faculty member for 37 years at the UT’s other presidents emeritus in “The west entrance is heavily used by The Heart and Vascular Center will be 14,500-student university. residence were Drs. David Adamany, former our patients and visitors, so traffic may be a an $8.5 million, 20,000-square-foot facility “I am extremely delighted that Dr. Temple University president, and Dr. Carol bit congested at times,” said Richard Sheets, housing new cardiovascular labs, a cardiac O’Muircheartaigh is visiting us,” President Cartwright, longtime Kent State University project manager in the Physical Plant. rehabilitation clinic and physician offices. Lloyd Jacobs said. “His insights into how a president who is now Bowling Green State university relates to its surrounding region, University interim president. 2 NEWS SEPT. 22, 2008 President emeritus headed to Zayed Dept. of Energy grant to help researchers University in United Arab Emirates create biofuels more efficiently By Jon Strunk By Jon Strunk Dr. Daniel M. Johnson served Dr. Sasidhar Varanasi, professor of developed a catalyst that will allow the Johnson, UT president as president of The chemical engineering, and Dr. Patricia Re- native yeast to ferment both sugars, which, emeritus and Distin- University of Toledo lue, associate professor of bioengineering, depending on the biomass, will increase guished University from 2001 to 2006.