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head shot of Mary Anne Carter

Chairman of National Endowment for the Arts to deliver AU commencement address May 9

ASHLAND, Ohio – The Honorable Mary Anne Carter, chairman of the National Endowment for the Arts (NEA), will serve as the commencement speaker for Ashland University on Saturday, May 9. The ceremony, honoring both undergraduate and graduate students, will take place at the Niss Athletic Center (905 Moss Hill Drive) beginning at 10 a.m. Carter, who will also be presented with an honorary degree (Doctor of Laws) as voted on by the AU Board of Trustees, is…

Hanna Keough poses with her award-winning "The ABC Book of Horror" work

Keough wins 2026 Senior Exhibition Award for illustrated work “The ABC Book of Horror”

ASHLAND, Ohio – Hanna Keough, from Spencer, Ohio, was chosen as the recipient of the 2026 Senior Art and Design Exhibition Award, an honor chosen by the faculty of the Department of Art and Design. The annual award, established in 2001, is given to the graduating senior whose accomplishments in art and design are judged to be the most worthy of recognition for the presentation of their senior exhibition. Keough’s illustrated work, “The ABC Book of Horror,”…

Group photo of Seven Seals Award presentation

AU honored with Seven Seals Award for its support of National Guard and Reserve

ASHLAND, Ohio – Ashland University was recently honored with the Seven Seals Award, an organization-wide recognition for meritorious leadership and initiative in support of the men and women who serve America in the National Guard and Reserve, as presented by representatives of the Employer Support of the Guard and Reserve (ESGR), a Department of Defense program. Among the representatives in attendance for the ceremony at AU’s Jack W. Liebert Military and…

Adult student collaborating on a project

AU recognized in numerous areas by U.S. News Best Graduate School rankings

ASHLAND, Ohio – Ashland University’s Dwight Schar College of Education has been selected as a 2026 Best Graduate School by U.S. News & World Report, and for the first time, Ashland’s MBA program within the Dauch College of Business and Economics earned a series of specialty rankings from the media company that is widely respected for its education rankings. Designed for prospective students seeking professional growth and new career opportunities, the…

Leap Vathanak and Luke Bowen pose next to zebrafish

AU students excitedly prepare for upcoming URCA Symposium

By Lauren Gulden, a senior journalism digital media major and creative writing minor The annual Undergraduate Research and Creative Activity Symposium, better known as URCA, at Ashland University is quickly approaching. Each year, about 100 students from within the College of Arts and Sciences present a variety of original research projects in front of an audience. This year, for the first time, students from the Dauch College of Business and Economics, the…

WRDL Studio

WRDL to participate in Vinylthon programming April 18-19

ASHLAND, Ohio – Ashland University’s award-winning, student-run radio station, WRDL, will be participating in the annual Vinylthon celebration on Saturday and Sunday, April 18-19. “This year, WRDL will play 48 hours of only vinyl records and feature a retrospective on a million-selling, chart-topping special guest,” previewed Derek Wood, faculty advisor and general manger of WRDL. “This historic event includes AU students, alumni, faculty, staff and friends…

Kayin McDonald displays a sample of shoes given to veterans through the In a Soldier's Shoes Foundation

Student-alumni nonprofit, In a Soldier’s Shoes, is impacting veterans locally, expanding nationally

Kayin McDonald is a modern Renaissance man. The ambitious Ashland University senior will graduate this May with seven majors (yes, seven: economics, history, international relations, philosophy, political economy, political science and religion). He is an Ashbrook Scholar, a Peace Scholar with the Ashland Center for Nonviolence and an Emerson/McKnight Scholar. He is a drummer for the AU Jazz Orchestra, and previously was a writing coach for the Writing &…

graphic promoting 2026 Senior Art and Design Exhibition

Month-long Senior Art and Design Exhibition to open April 9

The annual Senior Art and Design Exhibition, featuring the capstone experiences for graduating Ashland University art and design students, will run from Thursday, April 9, through Saturday, May 9, at the Coburn Gallery in the Center for the Arts (331 College Ave.). The exhibition’s opening reception on April 9 will be from 4:30-6:30 p.m., with awards being announced at 5:30 p.m. “While the 2026 Senior Art Exhibition provides the capstone experience for…

adult student on laptop at Lyceum Cafe

AU launching online options for its Bachelor of Science in Social Work program

ASHLAND, Ohio – Ashland University is pleased to introduce new online options for its Bachelor of Science in Social Work (BSW) program. Starting with the upcoming fall semester, there will be select social work classes offered online and the full curriculum is expected to be available online in fall 2027, pending accreditation by the Council on Social Work Education. Adding flexible online options to AU’s social work program will help address a national…

head shot of David Mason, Ph.D.

Renowned poet David Mason to visit AU for special reading on April 10

ASHLAND, Ohio – Ashland University will welcome award-winning poet David Mason, Ph.D., for a special reading on Friday, April 10, at 7 p.m., in the Student Center Auditorium of the Hawkins-Conard Student Center. It is free and open to the community. Mason will also be on campus Saturday, April 11, for a meet-and-greet with students in Bixler Hall’s Humanities Collaboration Space (room 104) from 9-11 a.m.

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